Neal was going on his first date with the girl of his dreams, Emma Swan. He had their date all planned out. They would be going to the movies, then coffee and pastries, and if it wasn't too cold outside he was taking her on a walk around the campus park. Hopefully even a kiss. Neal of course dressed his best for his special night. He learned how to execute style from his father who was a very tailored man. He was on his way out the door with his date, when he heard Belle call his name from their living room.

"It's nippy out." Belle's eyes never lifted from the book she was reading. "Neal make sure you take a jacket."

Neal snatched his jacket from the hanger in the coat closet next to the front door, the wire spinning quickly around on the rack. He groans slipping his arms through each sleeve. He loves Belle. He even loves her motherly ways, but when she did it in front of Emma it was sort of embarrassing.

"Yes mom." It was a running joke between them. After his first week as a college freshman living in a coed dorm, you can imagine Neal was quite weary of his new environment. But his roommate Belle made him feel safe by being his friend. After a couple more months that's when the coddling overprotective mother in her began to reveal itself.

It started with making sure he ate a good breakfast in the morning, next was study time before playtime, as she liked to call it. Then it was Neal don't forget your jacket, don't forget your keys, don't forget to breathe. But all in all, it was one of the things he loved most about her.

Neal grew up without a mother, she chose to leave him behind when he was only two years old and any effort she made to see him, she didn't follow through. So it was just him and his father for most of his life and he became accustomed to just the two of them. Although there was this craving he still had. He wouldn't tell his father but he wanted to know what it felt like to have a mother.

Belle didn't mean to be such a mother, but it just came naturally to her. Especially with Neal, he was such a lovable kid. It also didn't help that Belle was 8 years older than him. When she saw Neal's fresh out of high school face, she was immediately drawn to him. She knew how rough college could be on a freshman, but it went deeper than that, she felt as though he needed someone.

She couldn't have been more proud of Neal. He was a straight A student, was going on his first date, and rarely if at all, got into trouble. Belle would throw him birthday parties and buy him little things to make him feel special. Neal would do the same, he would find books and light up bookmarks for them and they became her most prized possessions. Although he wouldn't let her know that it was his dad who helped him with gift ideas for his roommate.

After their movie was over, neither of them were ready to call it a night. Neal was having an amazing time with Emma. He loved everything about her, her smile, the cute little dresses she wore under her denim jacket, but what stood out to him the most were her eyes. Little glass pools of emerald, glimmering at him every time she smiled. They took his breath away and he would get lost in them while their conversation continued.

They talked about everything really. Emma was from a tight-knit family with straight-laced parents. They were very conservative people, which made Neal somewhat worried because his family was anything but conventional, but it wasn't enough to walk away from the girl of his dreams. Neal talked about his father and how he was a successful attorney. He didn't have a mother he liked to talk about, and somehow the conversation transitioned to Belle.

"I think it's sort of cute how she is with you," Emma said before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Really? Well most girls are sort of put off about Belle." Neal admitted fumbling with his coffee cup nervously.

"How so?"

"Well we're roommates, most girls don't believe it ends there." His last girlfriend Tamara was anything but pleased about Neal living with another woman. It didn't matter how many times he told her that Belle and him were never going to happen, she still thought there was something between them.

"Seriously? Any moron can see that it does, she's basically your mother." Emma said truthfully.

"I feel that way too, I don't know Emma," Neal said with a small shrug. "I've always wondered what it would have been like if I had my mother when I was growing up, now when I look back and try and remember my mother's face, all I see is Belle's."

It was alarmingly passed the time Neal said he would be back, and Belle was up pacing their small dorm room anxiously. She knew he was a good kid and wouldn't get into any trouble, but she was worried that trouble might have found him. She stopped her pacing when she heard the key being pushed through the tumblers of their door.

She took a sigh of relief. " Oh Neal thank God you're okay."

"Of course I am," Neal said with a curious expression before noticing that her bed was still made in her bedroom. "Have you been up all night waiting for me?"

"I was worried." She said helping him out of his coat before hanging it up in the coat closet for him. She didn't have to, but Belle was just so glad he was home. "So how was the date?"

He couldn't hold it in anymore, he wanted to tell the whole world. "Emma's amazing!" He threw his hands up in the air before wrapping them around Belle and picking her up and twirling her around. "And beautiful and sweet and kind and-"

"Okay, okay I get it," Belle said while laughing at his excitement, she was so happy that Neal found someone that made him this joyful. Neal put her back on her feet gently. Belle stumbled a bit, trying to regain her balance from Neal's unexpected bout of joy. "Emma sounds great. Sooo, did the kiss happen?"

"Yes twice." Neal blushed. "And we have another date and she thinks you're cool."

"That's wonderful to hear Neal. Wait. She thinks I'm cool?" That was a first. Belle knew how girls felt about her living with Neal. When his last girlfriend Tamara dumped him, she told him that if she couldn't respect and acknowledge that they were nothing more than roommates and friends, then she didn't deserve to be with Neal. She was thrilled the right girl came along.

"Well yeah, she likes you. Belle, I think she may be the one."

Belle laughed. "It's only been one date Neal."

xox0xox

A couple of years later Belle graduated with a Master's degree in Library Science and left Neal in college to finish pursuing his degree. she moved to New York where she found a job for the city as the branch manager for the Manhattan public library system. She found a cozy loft to be content with, but if she was really truthful about this new situation, she missed Neal. Belle would call him almost every day to check up on him. Even in the first year during his winter break, she would make the 6-hour trip to Maine to spend the holidays with him.

Another year passed and Neal and Emma graduated from college too. Emma landed a job in New York as a bail bonds woman. It was the final nail in the coffin that made Neal's decision to move to New York a lot easier. Soon after Emma was settled in, Neal's stuff was being shipped from Maine to Belle's New York loft.

Things became very serious with Emma and Neal. Belle watched as their relationship bloomed into something she longed for. She was happy for Neal finding his special someone, but at her age of 33, she feared she wouldn't have the same happy ending as he did.

"Do you have it?" Belle asked fixing Neal's tie on his suit.

Neal reached into his pocket to fish out the box that held a little diamond engagement ring with a golden band. "Do you think she'll like it?"

"Yes. We've been over this." Belle said. 2 months ago Belle cleverly took Emma to pick out her ring and disguised it as jewelry shopping. The next day she brought Neal to the same store and showed him the ring she was staring at the most.

"Okay." he blew out a sharp breath and began to leave the apartment so he could ask the woman he loved to marry him. He was just about to walk out the front door when he stopped and turned back to Belle. "Thanks mom, for always being there for me."

Belle smiled and gave Neal a hug. He meant the world to her, and they meant the world to each other. Belle was the mother he never had. She always reminded him that there was a reason behind everything. She was put in his life to fill that void he had.

It was maybe only a couple of hours later when Belle suddenly heard an incoming text message notification appears on her phone.

SHE SAID YES!

Those three words made Belle jump up out of her bed excitedly bouncing up and down screaming and squealing. It was short lived when she heard her neighbors bang on her wall to tell her to quiet down.

"Sorry," she whispered. But she swooned every time she read those three words. Another text message appeared.

Call my dad and tell him we're going out to dinner.

She hesitated at that. She was always nervous around Mr. Gold even though she didn't know why since she'd only met him a couple of times. But she always felt this weird connection between them. She took Neal as their connection, but then again maybe there was something deeper. She puts her thoughts aside and dialed the number anyway.

"Hi Mr. Gold, it's Belle."

"Yes I know it's you love." He said in that thick Scottish accent she loved.

"Right, caller ID," She said while smiling and fumbling with the pages of one of her books to give herself a distraction as she spoke to him. "Well I have some good news for you."

"Better than receiving a call from my son's guardian angel?"

That made her blush. "Much better, Emma said yes."

"Emma- she said, my son's-" Belle heard a clang and then him over the phone cheering for his son, which made her giggle. She was amazed how similar they were. They both seemed to be fans of true love. Then she heard shuffling before hearing his voice again. "Hello, Belle are you still there?"

"Yes I'm here." She said still smiling at the enthusiasm in his voice.

"Belle that's wonderful news, my boy's about to get married."

"He wants you to come down so we can have dinner together tonight."

"I'm booking a flight now, I'll see you soon Belle." She hung up the phone with butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't sure why he had this type of effect on her.

Mr. Gold was getting into a taxi leaving the airport. He was running late and the text he received from Belle said they were already at the restaurant.

"Madison and 25th please, and I'm sort of in a rush." He said tipping the driver an extra $20.

The taxi driver got him there in record time and Mr. Gold stepped out of the yellow car, with his cane in hand. The restaurant was named Eleven Madison Park and across the street from there was the famous park Madison Square Garden. He walked into the restaurant to the hostess.

"Name of party?" She asked with a pleasant smile.

"Gold." He said proudly, partly because his son was giving his last name to a lovely young woman. He was reveling in himself with pride and he was practically glowing with it.

"Right this way sir." The hostess said leading him to a nice table near a large window that overlooked Madison Square Garden. The glow of the street lamps in the park gave it an elegant feel.

"Dad!" Neal said getting up from the table to give his dad a manly hug and a firm pat on the back.

"It's so good to see you again Mr. Gold," Belle said with a smile before they shared a hug too. Though this hug wasn't firm like his son's, this embrace was soft. Gold was expecting something like a side hug but this was sort of an enveloping hug.

"It's nice to see you too Belle," he said not wanting to let go of her, but reluctantly doing it anyway. They stared at each other for a moment, and Gold even noticed she was blushing.

"Uh- guys, you can sit now," Neal said pulling them out of their awkward moment.

"Oh-uh let me get that for you Belle," Mr. Gold said holding the chair steady for Belle and she politely takes her seat. Gold does the same, before clearing his throat to regain himself.

Belle spoke first to break the troublesome silence. "So Neal, give your dad and me all the details, starting when you left the loft."

"Okay, I took her to a small carnival in Long Island." Neal began. "I was nervous while waiting for the right time to propose. It wasn't until we came to this swing ride. We held each other's hand the whole ride. It was almost like we were flying together. When the ride was over, just as a guy was letting us out of our seats, I took to my knee."

"And then what happened?" Belle asked with tears filling her eyes.

"Everything happened so fast," Neal continued. "I heard her ask me what I was doing on the ground, and if I dropped something." That made Gold chuckle. "I told her no and pulled the ring from my pocket and fearing the worst I closed my eyes and asked if she would marry me. And she said yes."

The tears flooded Belle's eyes and Gold pulled out his handkerchief from his suit's inside pocket for her to wipe them. "Neal that's so beautiful, I couldn't be more happy that you found your special someone." She sniffed.

Gold watched Belle lose herself in Neal's touching moment. He'd only met Belle a couple of times but he loved that she was genuinely happy for his son. "Yes, I'm proud of you son, and any expense you need me to take care of, I will."

"I don't think that will be necessary dad, Emma's family is pretty well off and I think they'll be helping with the wedding expenses."

"Well you need a tux. Your father can help you find one." She said considering the fact that nobody knew suits better than Mr. Gold.

The waiter came to take their order and whisked away to get their drinks and celebratory champagne for the table. The waiter offered to open the champagne, but since it was Neal's special night he did the honors. He popped the cork making its bubbles and fizz spew from the bottle's spout.

The restaurant even cheered at the display. Neal poured the liquid into his father and Belle's glasses before Gold stood up to make a toast in front of the whole restaurant much to the embarrassment of Neal.

"I would like to propose a toast to my son, who finally asked the woman he loves to marry him, and she said yes."

The restaurant's small dinner crowd raised their glasses to toast to Neal's achievement and his embarrassment faded. But Gold wasn't finished. He took his seat again and proposed another toast between the three of them. "And to Belle for always looking after my son, there's no way I can possibly repay you for all the love you've shown him."

"No payment necessary I have everything I want right here." She said as the three toasted and clinked their champagne.

As dinner went on, Gold couldn't keep his eyes off of Belle. Gold couldn't understand why she was single and not married herself. Maybe she was waiting for the right person to come along. He couldn't help but think they were perfect for one another, he was Neal's father and she acted like Neal's mother, he wondered what it would be like if they were a family. But he knew he wouldn't get an answer, Belle was too young and too beautiful for him, he would just have to be content with wondering.

xox0xox

A date was set for a summer wedding at Emma's parents Countryside Villa. Emma's parent's paid for everything, the entertainment, the food, all of the dresses for the bride and her bride's maids. She even went all out, and was able to get America's best wedding planner, Regina Mills. Currently Emma was showing Neal around the Villa, everything was white and gold with pink accents, which were their wedding colors. The white was to represent the pureness of their love, the gold was because they both came from prestigious backgrounds and pink was to represent the playful side of their relationship, how they both loved to have fun together.

"Wow, this is some summer cottage," Neal remarked taking in all the sights of Emma's parent's massive summer home. When Emma talked about it, she made it sound like a quaint little cottage, but this was a mansion. "And everything's so prim and posh."

"Well you know how mom and daddy are, everything needs to be white as snow for my big day." Emma joked.

Neal gave her his custom smirk before taking her hands in his and kissing them both. "I love it and I love you Emma."

"I love you too," They shared a short kiss. "Now let me show you where everyone will be sleeping." She said excitedly pulling him in the direction of the stairs.

Neal followed his bride to be to the second floor of the Villa. There were at least 10 rooms on the floor all of which had an en-suite bathroom. On the doors of the rooms were the last names of the guests that would be staying in them.

"And this is where your dad will be staying, it's the nicest room in the whole Villa, well besides my parent's room of course," Emma said unlocking the door to let Neal look around. The room was beautiful, it had an old rustic charm to it that brought the country feel. It also had a huge mounted fireplace and a walk out balcony with a great view of the countryside. The view also included a vineyard with all different colored grapes draping along the vine.

"Not too shabby Emma, dad will love this, and I'm glad his room will be far away from ours, I would hate to keep him up the night after the wedding." Neal pulled his fiancée in for a kiss. "Speaking of our room, maybe we can get started before the vows." He said before Emma took him by the hand and led him inside from the balcony. Just as they were about to leave the room, Neal noticed a note on the giant king sized bed. "Reserved for Mr. and Mrs. Gold? You did tell your parents my dad is divorced?"

"Oh shit," Emma said realizing her mistake. "I mentioned as a joke that Belle was your mother. They must have thought I was serious and joined your dad and Belle's room together."

"Are there any rooms left for Belle?"

Emma sighed. "No the rooms have been prepared like months ago, and the room arrangements have already been sent out to the guests in their invitations."

"Emma there's only one bed," Neal remarked flatly.

"They can share, the bed has plenty of room, enough for them to sleep comfortably." She said. But it still made him cringe at the thought of his father and Belle sharing a bed together for almost a week.

"Now come on Mr. Gold I want to show you our room." She said seductively. That took his mind right off his father's bed-sharing situation.

"Lead the way Mrs. Gold." He said. Emma took him by the hand and led him out of the room. Neal said a quick prayer to himself that when the time came both Belle and his father would understand. Besides it was only going to be for three days, what was the worst that could happen?