A/N: Sorry, I do not own Once Upon A Time or Rumpelstiltskin / Belle/ Baelfire.
This is also my first Chapter Fic, so I hope everyone likes it!
Chapter One
Mr Gold walked down the street of Storybrooke, looking around at everything. "So this is the land the cruse has taken us all too to." He stops in-front of the town closed library and looked up at the clock that was stop at 8:15.
"28 years and it's only day one." He took a deep breath. Mr Gold remembered his life in another land, where he was known as Rumpelstiltskin, the Dark One. Feared by all and made deals with the ones most desperate.
Here in Storybrooke, he almost owned the town. About everyone paid him rent and feared him still.
"Oh no!" A woman cried as her heel broke off.
Mr Gold looked over at the women, "Everything OK dearie?" He asked her. The woman who was grabbing her broken heel and took off her shoes looked up and met his eyes.
Mr Gold took a step back. No, it could not be. Belle.
"Yes, just old shoes. I'm running late to work and I don't have time to go home and get another pair tilllunch," she told him.
Mr Gold could not stop looking at her. He had lost his voice.
He lost so much when he pushed her and her love away. Now here she was, in Storybrooke. She was still lovely.
But the Queen told him she was dead. The Queen, she had lied to him about Belle. He held a tight grip on his cane
"I'll see you later Mr Gold when you come by for rent." She told him, taking off to pass him. Mr Gold could not find his voice. He just watched Belle hurry down the street to a used book store.
He was angry with the Queen for the lie she told him about Belle. For three years he blamed himself for her death.
Mr Gold began to walk to Granny Dinner's to get rent from Granny. He was mad at himself for not speaking to her. He was still the coward.
He could not get Belle out of his head. He had to find away to get close to her. She would not remember her life with him in the Dark Castle until the curse was broken, if it ever got broken.
but he could still make things right with her here in this land until then.
After a long morning going around town seeing how life was here and who was who, Mr Gold headed to his pawn shop where a lot of things from their land was and waited too be found by its' owner.
Belle was still in his head as he pulled out his paper work and began his work. He still had rent to collect from others. But that would have to be taken care of later.
He looked at the list of names and one stood out to him. Rose French.
Belle's favorite flower was the rose. He shut his eyes and began to think who Rose was. Mr Gold must have memories of her.
Rose French, a single mother to a 14 year old boy. They lived in a small house on the poor side of town. She always made ends meet with her low paying job.
Single mother to a 14 year? That could not be right. Belle was never a mother in their other land. Who was this boy who called his Belle "mother"?
Soon someone came in to his pawn shop. Mr Gold looked up and notice a boy walking around.
"Anything I can help you with?" Mr Gold asked, looking back down at paperwork.
"My mom letting me redo my room and I was looking for baseball stuff?" the boy said.
Mr Gold stood still. He knew that voice. Baelfire. That was his lost son Baelfire's voice.
Slowly he looked back up at the boy who was looking around.
It was Bae. Mr Gold wanted so much to rush over to him and hug him.
"I was wondering if you had any old bats or gloves. Well, anything to do with Baseball," the boy said.
Mr Gold held back his tears.
Grabbing his cane, Mr Gold made this way over to him.
"I think I may have a few things." Mr Gold told him, leading him over to a wall with a few things.
"I don't have too much. Only $20 to spend." The boy told him. Mr Gold grabbed some old baseball flags and gloves.
"Don't worry about it. I can never sell this stuff." Mr Gold told him, holding back his emotion of having his son so near him.
"You mean I don't have to pay for any of it?" The boy was surprised. Mr Gold let out a small laugh. This was his son he was talking to, he wanted him to have anything he wanted. He also wanted to know who his mother could be.
"So, what is your name?" Mr Gold asked, needing to make small talk.
"Dillon French." The boy said, looking at the baseball flags Mr Gold handed to him.
French?" Mr Gold looked almost confused.
"Yea, it's just me and mom. My grandfather owns a flower shop but he never talk with us," Dillon told him.
"Moe French, yea I know who he is." Mr Gold walked over to a display case and picked up a baseball.
"I don't know him very well, but I've heard he kicked my mom out of the house when I was just a babe."
Mr Gold held a tight grip on the his cane. He never liked that man even when he went by the name Maurice.
Dillon looked at the ball Mr Gold held out for him. It was old-looking, but Dillon was still amazed by it. "Oh wow! I can't wait to have my room done now!" He took the ball in his already filled hands.
Mr Gold gave him a weak smiled.
"So tell me about your father?" he asked.
"I don't know who he is. My mom took me in when I was born." Dillon told him as Mr Gold went back behind the counter and grabbed a box.
"Here put all of it in this box so you can carry it home," Mr Gold told him as Dillon began to place everything in it.
"I still can't believe you are letting me have all of this." Dillon gave Mr Gold his best smile.
"Think nothing of it. " Mr Gold said as he waved his hand over the box. " If I find anymore I shall let you know. A boy can never have too much."
Dillon smiled and grabbed his box with a big smile on his face.
Soon Dillon was out the door and heading down the street. Mr Gold made his way to the back of his shop to sit down. His son was still a boy and living with Belle. The Queen must have done this.
But why?
Some day, some way Mr Gold would find away to get her back.
He knew the Queen would remember sine she was the one who cast the curse, but what she did know was that Rumpelstiltskin had also made it so he too remember. When the time was right, he would let her know and she will pay!
Rose was just getting ready to close the book store when her son came walking down the sidewalk with his box.
Rose smiled at her boy.
"Guess what mom? Look at all this great baseball decoration Mr Gold gave me." He held the box so she could see.
"Mr Gold just gave this to you?" she asked.
Dillon nodded his head. "Yep!"
"But Mr Gold never gives anything away." Rose looked at her son with a worried look.
"Well he told me I could have all of this." Dillon told her
"That's nice of him but I just hope he won't add it to the rent."
The two began walking home.
Mr. Gold walked up the three-step to a small two bedroom home that he rented out to Rose French.
He took a deep breath before he could ring her door. He just wanted to walk away and forget about getting rent from her.
He did not feel right taking her money when she did not have a lot herself. Besides, he loved her.
Mr Gold was about to turn around and go to the next person whose rent was due when the door opened and Dillon looked up at him surprise.
"Hey Mr Gold, here for the rent I guess," he said.
Mr Gold smiled down at his son. How he did miss him.
Dillon set his baseball bat and mitt down near the door.
"I'll go get my mom. I guess she got lost reading and forget the time." Dillon told him as he took off running to get her, leaving the door opened.
Mr Gold had to take a peek and see how they lived. The small house had a warm welcome to it, kept clean and had nice furniture. His Belle, even as Rose in this land, still loved to have flowers all over. The house even had a flower smell to it.
Deep inside, Mr Gold wanted to pack both of them up and move the in his home and be together. But that he could not do. He just wanted to leave.
Soon Rose came walking over to him, holding her wallet.
"I'm really sorry Mr Gold, I just forgot the time, it won't happen again," she told him. Mr Gold had to smile.
Back in the other land, when Belle lived in the Dark Castle he would spend a lot of time looking for her. Belle was known to sit down in odd places and start to read, forgetting about the world around her, one of the many reasons why he fell in love with her.
"Don't worry to much of it dearie, I'm sure it's a wonderful book you are reading," he told her.
Rose opened her wallet and began to pull out the $650 for rent . "Yes, Master and Commander has always been a great book to read. Been so long sine I've read it that I could not put it down," she told him.
Mr Gold thought about Belle and all the books on adverse that she read. "Guess I came at the wrong time to get rent." He smiled at her.
Rose blushed a little as Dillon stood next to her. "I'm off to practice for the big game this weekend bye mom love you!" Dillon kissed her cheek then waved to Mr Gold. "Bye Mr Gold and thanks again for the baseball stuff." Dillon grabbed his bat and mitt and ran to his bike.
"Have fun! Dinner will be ready when you get home," Rose called out to him. Mr Gold could not get the scene he just seen. Bae calling Belle 'Mom'. He felt something grab his heart. How he wished to have them both back. "That's if you don't get lost reading again!" Dillon said, riding off. Rose giggled and waved to him.
"Yes, about that." Rose looked at Mr Gold. "Why did you give him all that stuff for free? It's not like you?" Rose asked him.
"It's been lying around my shop for years. No one was going to buy, and it made the boy happy." He answered her.
Rose smiled. "Yes, it did." She handed over the rent and Mr Gold just looked down at the money in her hand. It did not feel right taking it from her.
Rose looked at him, confused. "Are you going to take it?" she asked. Mr Gold had a lump in his throat. He wanted to tell her no. But slowly he reached out and took the money.
"It's all there." Rose told him.
"Yes, you always have it in full of me and on time." He kept his eyes on the money, wishing he had the courage to hand it back over to her and the run away never speaking to her again. But he could not move.
"Then I guess tell next month or maybe we can talk again when it's not rent day?"
Mr Gold looked up at her as Rose giggled. "Just saying I never seen you come in to the book store. We have some great books I'm sure you would like." She blushed a little. "Yes, I think its time that I do look around there and maybe you can help me find a great book. The word is you can find a book everyone in town would like."
"I won't say that. Maybe when I'm about done with Master and Commander you can read it? It's a wonderful tale and you would enjoy it."
Mr Gold could not help it, but he smiled big. "Then I shall read it." He turned to walk away. He had to leave her now, before he took her in his arms and begged her to forgive him.
Rose watched Mr Gold limp to his car and get in. Once he drove off, she shut the door and leaned back in to it.
Why was it every time he was near, she got butterflies?
No one in town liked that man since he was so mean. But Rose could not help it, she knew she had feeling for him. But she could not understand why.
She never saw Dillon so happy when he placed all of his baseball things in his room, he kept talking how everyone had to be wrong about Mr Gold. That he was not a bad guy. Everyone just has to get to know him and Dillon wanted to.
When Mr Gold got home he just placed all the rent money in his office then went to his room. Once there, he pulled Rose's rent money out of his pocket and place it on top of his nightstand. He could not take her money. Tomorrow he would go to the bank and put it back under her name.
Rose was not happy, She spent her lunch break checking her bank account and seen she had $650 more in it. When she asked the teller about the money, the young woman looked scared.
"It was the weirdest thing ever. Mr Gold walk in and ask that I add the money to your account." She told Rose.
Rose's eyes went wide. Was the man crazy? He gave her back her rent money. She wanted to march over his shop and ask him what game he was playing.
Was he taking pity on a poor single mother and her son? She did not want any pity from anyone. When She took Dillon, she knew what she was doing. When her father kicked her out, she found a place to live.
She was brave for both of them on the side of town she was living.
Sure it was a bad side but it was the only place she could find. But she did feel safe. Once she got to know a few of the people she lived by.
She did not need pity and she would not take it from the man who owned the town.
But, she still felt something strong for him.
For the rest of the day at work, she could not get him out of her mind. She wanted to yell at Mr Gold and throw the money back at his face and then another part of her wanted to kiss him.
"Rose, don't be silly," Rose said to herself, placing a few use books away.
"Rose, I have a few more books to give to this little place," said an older women as she entered the shop.
Rose rolled her eyes. Miss Gulch came in every week with books. She never had anything nice to say to Rose or to anyone.
But the town seemed to like her more than Mr Gold.
"Thank you Miss Gulch." Rose walked over to her to take the books.
"I did find one in here I thought you would like," Miss Gulch said as she handed the books over to Rose then pulled one out of her bag,
It was another book about how Rose should live her life. Like always, Rose took the book with a smile. "I shall give it a look." Rose said. She had told her boss, Mr Green, that while she was working, she would be nice to Miss Gulch.
"See that you do. That poor boy needs a better life," Miss Gulch told Rose. Rose bit her tong at that little comment Miss Gulch made.
"Well I better get these books ready too be sold. Thanks for giving them." Rose turn and walked away as Miss Gulch left the shop. Once she was gone, Rose took the book she was given and threw it in the trash.
Mr Gold did his best not running in to Rose for a month. But once again it was the day he went out for the rent around the town.
He found himself standing in-front of her, Rose's, front door. He tapped the door, not ready for this.
Once again Dillon answered. He was dressed for baseball practice. He looked up at Mr Gold and smiled. "Hey Mr Gold!" he said. "Rent day again."
Mr Gold had to smile at the boy and nodded his head. Dillon looked behind him. "Mom, I think, is lost in her book. I'll go find her." He sat his bat and glove down before going to look for his mom.
Mr Gold kept taking deep breaths. Last time he placed Rose's money in her bank account, she had to notice it by now. He planned to put the money again in her bank and would keep putting it back every time.
"My mom's on her way, she just needs to get her wallet. I'm off to practice, got a big game this weekend against the other Storybrook team. You should come!" Dillon told Mr Gold.
Mr. Gold was surprised that Dillon had asked him to his baseball game. He wanted to hold his son, but held back from doing so.
"That sounds nice, I will make sure to make it." He told the boy. Dillon took off past Mr Gold and went to his bike then took off down the street.
Soon, Rose stood in front of him with a little wicked smile on her face.
She was still a little upset about Mr Gold putting her rent back in the bank and she had something planned. This time she was only going to give him half and make up some story why she did not have full rent.
"Miss French, I trust you where reading a great book again." Mr Gold smiled at her.
Rose felt weak in the knees when he smiled at her, and she felt the butterflies in her stomach.
"Yes," she whispered. "I'm sorry but I'm a little behind this week." She handed $400 over to Mr Gold who slowly took her money.
"I did not get paid in full this week," she lied. "I promise to have the rest by Monday."
"Don't worry about it dearie. You always pay me on time. $400 would be just fine." Mr Gold told her. Rose's eyes went a little wide. Something was wrong with this man! He hated when he did not get paid in full.
Mr Gold placed the money in his pocket and smiled at Rose. "Sorry, I did not make it in the shop after you asked me. Was a little busy." He told her.
Rose looked at him and met his eyes. "Well I better get going. Take care." Mr Gold turned to leave. Rose once again watched him till he got in his car.
Once inside, she went and sat down. She could not stop thinking about his eyes and how they looked at her. He seemed almost sad. Like he was hurting inside. He was man who lived alone. She never saw him out in town with anyone. She began to wonder if Mr Gold had any friends.
The next day during her lunch, Rose walked over to the bank to check.
She was right, Mr Gold had placed the money back. "That silly man." Rose said under her breath with a little smile. "I wonder what he would do if I only give him a dollar next time?" She thought to herself, leaving the bank and stopping at Granny's dinner to grab a sandwich and an ice tea.
Ruby smiled at Rose as she enter.
"Hey, let me guess ice tea and a chicken sandwich?" Ruby asked her friend. Rose nodded her head and sat down.
"How Dillon doing?" Ruby asked as she wrote her order down and gave it to the cook.
"He is doing great. Ready for the big baseball game this week." Rose answered. "I think all the boys on both teams are. It's all they talk about when they come in after school." Ruby laughed. "Me and Mary Margaret are planning to go, so save us a seat."
"I will make sure I do."
It was the day of the big game. Mr Gold was nervous about showing up. He did not want to let Dillon down and not show up. He would not want to see his son upset, it would hurt him to much. Even if Dillon did not remember him, he would make him happy anyway he could.
Mr Gold spotted Rose sitting alone with a box of popcorn. He smiled to him self as he took in her beauty.
Rose felt like someone was looking at her and turned her head. She noticed Mr Gold and smiled. She waved over to him.
Mr Gold felt his legs take him over to the beauty. "Miss French, Your son asked me to come and watch the game." He told her.
"That was nice of him." She patted the seat next to her. "Want to sit next to me?" she asked him.
Mr Gold lost his voice. He could not say no to her. Slowly, so he wouldn't hurt his knee he sat down next to Rose.
"Try some of the popcorn the pop here." She held the box over to him. "Can't say I remember the last time I had some or been to a baseball game." Mr Gold reached his hand in the box and took some popcorn.
"Just like going to the movie. You always got to have popcorn." Rose took some popcorn herself.
"Something I also have not done in a long time."
Rose only smiled at him. "Well maybe sometime we should go."
Ruby and Mary Margaret began walking to where Rose was sitting when they stopped and noticed Mr Gold sitting next to her.
"You think she is OK?" Mary Margaret asked her friend.
"I'm not sure. She looked happy?" Ruby told her.
They then heard Rose let out a giggle from something Mr Gold said.
"Should we do something?" Mary Margaret was getting a little worried but Ruby shook her head. "They both look happy. Maybe we should sit near by?" Rudy said, pulling Mary Margaret away to sit down.
"Dillon, Mr Gold is sitting next your mom." Mark said as he threw a ball to Dillon.
Dillon caught the ball and then looked over at his mother and Mr Gold and smiled. "I'm glad he came." Dillon said as he threw ball back to his friend. Mark's mouth fell opened as he let the ball go past him.
"Did I hear you right? Did you just say you where glad he came?" Mark asked.
Dillon nodded his head. "Yea, I asked him to come. I like Mr Gold." Dillon told his friend.
"You like him? But he so mean. He yelled at my dad when he only had half the rent." Mark said. "He's not nice at all."
Dillon rolled his eyes at him. "Well he's nice to me." Mark went and picked up their ball and threw it back.
"Something is wrong with you man. I just hope he does not have you or your mom under a spell."
Soon the game started. Storybrooke Mine (Dillon's team) vs Storybrooke Seaport. Dillon was a great player. He could hit the ball far, run fast, and catching was easy to him. Getting someone out on the other team was also easy for the boy.
Mr Gold was so proudof his boy. He recalled when they lived in the other land how Bae loved to play with Balls. He always had a ball with him wherever he went.
Mr Gold still had that ball. He kept it close, just like the teacup Belle chipped when she first came to the Dark Castle.
"Mr Gold, are you all right?" Rose asked. Mr Gold looked down at Rose and smiled.
"Yes dearie, I am. Why do you ask?"
"You looked so sad for a moment." Rose touched his arm. Mr Gold looked down at her hand; he felt a lump in his throat. Rose smiled at him.
"Dillon keeps looking over and seems happy you are here." Rose slowly removed her hand from him.
"Yes, he does seem happy and he is a very good player. Guess I picked the right person to give all that baseball stuff to." They smiled at each other.
"I think I might be sick!" Mary Margaret said, watching the two.
"I think it's a little cute." Ruby giggled. "Maybe having a woman in his life will melt his cold heart."
Mary Margaret's mouth hung open.
"What? Rose has a warm heart. She took a babe in when his mother threw him out, even when her own father kicked her out Rose never let it get to her. She is a strong woman with a warm heart." Ruby added.
Mary Margaret blinked her eyes. "And you think that being with Mr Gold would be good for the both of them? I've never seen him happy and he only smiles when he's being evil. I don't trust him and don't like him near her." Mary Margaret said.
Ruby smiled. "Well Lets see what will happen with the two."
Dillon's team won the game. 25-18, a close came.
Rose stood next to Mr Gold, talking, as she waited for Dillon.
Mary Margaret walked over to Rose. "May I speak to you?" she said, pulling her away from Mr Gold.
"I'll be just a moment," she told Mr Gold as she let her friend pull her away. He just smiled as he watched Snow White walk away with Belle. He wanted to laugh but held it back.
"Are you hurt?" Mary Margaret asked Rose.
Rose giggled and shook her head. "No, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? Mr Gold is never nice to anyone and you two looked happy watching the game together."
"I'm fine. Besides, Dillon asked him to come," Rose told Mary Margaret.
"I heard at school how Mr Gold just gave Dillon all that stuff for his room and I also heard a rumor about Mr Gold putting money in your bank account." Belle gasped, the teller at the bank was going around telling people that.
"People are going to begin to talk and I don't want you to get hurt," Mary Margaret told her and she held her hand.
Rose smiled. "I'll be fine. nothing is going on between us."
Rose looked over at Mr Gold. Dillon was standing with him, talking. She smiled, thinking how great it was seeing them, talking with each other.
"You have that look." Mary Margaret said, making Rose look back over at her. Rose looked a little confused.
"Look? What look?" she asked.
Mary Margaret smiled. "When you looked over at Mr Gold and Dillon you had this look of love on your face." Rose blushed.
"I have no clue what you are talking about. I better go get Dillon." Rose hugged her friend and then left.
"Mr Gold said he will take us out for ice cream!" Dillon told his mom when she walked back to them.
"That's if you are OK with it?" Mr Gold asked her.
Rose smiled at him. "Yes that does sound nice."
"I'm parked not far, I'll drive us." Mr Gold told Rose as they began to walk to Mr Gold's car. Rose noticed a few people watching them. Mary Margaret would be right about people talking about them.
But she would not care. Let them talk all they want.
Queen Regina entered her spell room and threw a book at the wall.
The magic Mirror watched her. "I'm guessing you are not happy after talking to Rumpelstiltskin," he said.
Regina did not look at him. "To get the curse to work I need the heart of the one I loved the most!" she yelled. "HE KNEW IT THE WHOLE TIME AND DID NOT TELL ME!"
"I'm sorry, my queen," the magic Mirror said. The Queen gave him her wicked smile.
"I have a plan, to make him suffer like I am now."
"And how would you do that, my dear Queen?" the Magic mirror asked. The Queen let out an evil laugh.
"I have the two things he loves the most and he thinks he had lost them," she said.
"The woman and the boy you have locked up?"
"I shall make other plans for them. Give them a hard life as mother and son." Queen Regina smiled.
"But what if the cruse gets broken?" the mirror said with a worried voice.
"It won't!" the Queen snapped at him.