Would you have bet on us?
Prompt: The townspeople place bets on how long Isaac and Cruella's marriage will last. The heroes have little to no faith in them, while the villains do. Someone bets forever, someone bets eighteen years, someone bets right after the kid's born, etc. -guess who
[It ended up being more Rumbelle than Authella, though]
"For me, this marriage won't last more than two months!" Mary Margaret exclaimed with such a tone to attract the general attention of the diner.
Someone seemed to agree, while a certain disapproval appeared on other faces. The Hellers, married since a week, had just walked out the door quarreling, even if a more careful look could have caught her taking his arm at the last moment and him throwing a loving glance at her. A possible judgement about them only depended by the concept of love and romance, after all.
"Two months? You are far too optimistic!" Emma on her side replied ironically, being the first to react to the provocation her mother had just started.
Ruby, placing two pieces of cake on their table, was the second. "In my opinion, they won't be together next week!" she intervened, chuckling. "No one would be able to be too long with someone like her… And honestly, he seems a fine guy"
"I say no long after the baby's birth… Surely, that devil is no mother material" the Saviour continued, making her own wager.
"Well, you weren't too at first, as far as I know!"
The ironic exclamation was nothing more than a whisper but it was sufficient for the three women to turn to the point where, at two tables of distance, the two lady dragons were having breakfast. It took just a quick look for Lily to notice the hurt expression in the blonde's face, but she didn't make any attempt to retract her words. Apparently it was making no sense: she was defending the woman who had left her to die into the woods and instead accusing the only friend she had ever had; and yet she felt a sort of bond with Cruella Heller, maybe simply because they both had had no choice about their darkness.
"For me their marriage will last longer…" she contined then, showing confidence. "I'd say eight years." But there wasn't the same confidence about the eternity of love.
A slightly amused chuckle interrupted the short silence that followed and it was the table at the bottom of the diner to be the at the centre of attention now.
"You are all too exaggerating… I am for a middle way of two years" Robin explained himself, after taking a long sip of coffee. "Even if I have to agree with Ruby: it's difficult to be with a such strong and dangerous woman… And what about her past?"
Regina, sitting in front of him, almost choked with her drink. Unavoidably she felt called in, because that description fit her so well too. "I'd say eighteen years at least…" she just said, glaring at him.
The door opened in that moment and two new customers walked in.
"For me too… Maybe even twenty!" Maleficent agreed in the meanwhile, but for her it was no act of spite, just a sincere affection. She was the one in town to know her better after all and she could understand that, contrary to what it may seemed, Isaac wasn't the only one in love in that relationship.
The skeptical expression of almost all the presents increased the Golds' confusion and also curiosity. They had just arrived and only grasped the dragon woman's words.
"What's happening?"
"Oh, Belle dear, we are betting on how long the marriage between the author and the psychopath will last…" Ruby was quick to sum up. "What do you say?"
Belle shrugged and made a shy smile. "I say that it is not good to make bets like these…"
"Ah, you are so diplomatic Mrs Gold, aren't you?" the waitress commented, shaking her head amused. "And what does Mr Gold say?" she added then, glancing at him, certain to find a supporter of her negative position.
Instead Rumplestiltskin surprised everyone – maybe including himself – when he refused any predictable sarcastic joke and only smiled sincerely.
"You know, dearie, I think it will be one of those marriages meant to last forever…"
Time proved the heroes' prejudices to be wrong: not only Cruella and Isaac remained together for the end of that week, but even after Fitzgerald's birth and two years later, against any prediction, even Anita arrived. Not bad for a woman who was supposed to be no mother material.
"Rumple! Rumple!" Belle called out loud.
An expression of tender reproach appeared on her face when she finally found him, standing still in their bedroom in front of the mirror. The reason behind that wasn't a sudden strange vanity, but a sort of melancholy for the effect that twenty years had had on him. He was older indeed and even his wife had at least lost the young innocence.
"Com'on, Nicky is waiting for us in the car!"
Only after this new exclamation, mr Gold didn't hold an annoyed sigh, even if – and Belle knew that very well – what was irritating him more was his daughter's impatience. She was clearly looking forward to spend time with her new boyfriend, but, even if he had nothing at all against Fitzgerald Heller, he wasn't ready yet to lose her child. Yes, he was jealous and he wasn't even ashamed to admit it.
However, he moved slowly with the help of the cane and grabbed absent-mindedly a pack. Only at a second more careful look, the slight annoyance disappeared, replaced by an ironic chuckle. It was a present for the Heller's twentieth anniversary of marriage and they were going to celebrate together that night; apparently, even the most optimistic opinions of the villains were being passed.
Some moments later, Belle seemed to follow the direction of his thoughts and smiled as well. "Rumple, you have been the only one to believe in them…"
"I'm always right, am I not dearie?"
She shook her head amused, but her face grew quickly serious though. "But why did you bet on them?"
"Isaac is the closest thing I have to a friend. And he helped me with you, so it was only fair for me to believe in his love story…"
Belle didn't seem convinced, maybe because Rumple didn't sound convincing; the two men were very friends indeed but their deep loyalty had grown only during years, after all. Sighing, the man took one of her hands and looked straight in her eyes. The truth was there was something else and on that far day, he had felt a connection more with Cruella than with Isaac.
"Belle, my dear, would you have bet on us?"
She frowned at first. "Of course! But what does that mean?"
"No one would have…" he continued, ignoring the question for now. "No one in this town believes that it's possible to love a monster and frankly sometimes I still can't belive that myself" he stopped just to let out a bitter laugh. "No one bet that they would have remained together for so long, no one believed that we would have… And instead look at us now!"
Belle squeezed his hand more and approached him, placing a soft kiss on his lips.
And now the Golds and the Hellers seemed to be two couples meant to last forever. Maybe it was true that it was difficult to love a monster, but she wouldn't have wanted anything else that lighten a dark heart. And the same was for Isaac, she was sure of it.
Suddenly two bangs of the car horn made them startle.
"And most of all look at Fitzgerald and Dominique!" she commented chuckling slightly.
But rather than lighten the matter, that joke had the only effect to make mr Gold a bit more jealous.