Gideon released a nervous whistle as he added the final touches on his outfit. After two hours of tossing garments around he'd finally decided on a decent look. He frowned however at his hair. He need a cut, and the boyish locks made him look like he was going to a church service rather than a dinner with his possibly-soon-to-be-boyfriend and his parents.
He added a bit of gel, glaring at his shaking hands in the mirror. It was just Neal for gosh sakes! Nothing had changed between them really. They were still best friends…just friends who found each other attractive and had a knack for kissing that one time.
Son of a bitch he was screwed.
Just as he pulled his fingers from his hair, his cellphone buzzed. He glanced down and saw that it was from the three-way message he, Robyn, and Neal had started long ago.
He swiped and read the message from Robyn.
Ready for tonight boys
Gideon rolled his eyes and carefully texted a response. He wanted to be careful in case Neal read it.
Yep…nervous. Just a bit 0-o
Admitting his fears helped unravel the knot in his stomach. Barely a second later came a response. Gideon expected to see Robyn's name on the tag but was surprised to see Neal's.
Everything's going to be fine. No matter what happens, I still want to be with you.
Gideon grinned, feeling silly with his warm face. His cellphone went off again with an additional message from Neal.
Is it too early to start calling you babe? Do dudes even call each other babe?
Before Gideon could respond Robyn broke in.
DON'T KNOW DON'T CARE YA'LL BABES TONIGHT! XDDDDD
Gideon flinched at the overuse of caps. For the first time he was glad Robyn had turned down his invitation to "chaperone" tonight's dinner (mainly because it would mean bringing her mother and the last thing he needed was for her and his father to start a battle).
A quiet knock on the door pulled him from his musings. He found his sister standing there, looking smaller and very unlike her usually peppy self.
"Geez Dee, why so…glum?" Gideon shrugged.
"Shove your lack of rhymes." Dante muttered, flopping down at the end of bed, her hands flinching similarly the way their father's did when he was nervous.
"Grumpy grumpy," Gideon cornered, looking away to select a tie. "Not that I don't always enjoy the invasion of privacy, but is there something you needed?"
Dante fidgeted a bit before she squared her shoulders.
"Gid, I don't think we should have this dinner."
Gideon paused at his sister's declaration. Just that morning she had been teasing him over waffles, asking questions about his and Neal's first kiss and what they were planning for a first date. Knowing that there were two additional pairs of ears listening, he answered his little sister with a wink and had given her a ride to school.
"Why?" Gideon asked simply. Dante had never been clingy with his attention, why would she start now?
"It's just…" Dante paused to think. "You can do so much better with possible in-laws. You were laugh-crying in the shower this morning. Do you really want to do that for the rest of your life?"
Gideon snorted and turned back to decide on the tie. "We're not even dating yet. Besides, you like Neal."
"As much as I like you." Dante snorted, though her fidgeting did not cease.
"Did something happen?" Gideon pushed. Usually, he'd be the best big brother in the world and converse all night with his sister, but tonight he had to decide on a tie and act like perfect boyfriend material for the Nolan's.
Dante paused, watching her brother as he tried to decide between a blue or red tie. She couldn't tell him, not when he was trying so hard to be better than what most people thought he was.
What they both were.
She stood quietly and prepared to leave him in peace. She had already promised her mother she'd set the table, "with the good china" as she had requested.
The youngest Gold spared a glance over her shoulder at her nervous brother. Tonight was his night, and she was utterly terrified for him.
"The red one." She muttered, crossing her arms tightly around her center before heading downstairs.
-,-,-,-,-,-
Belle chewed her lip as she put the final touches on her potato salad. She had closed the library early so that she could come home and prepare for dinner with the Charming's and the rest of her family was doing their parts. Rumple was on the patio getting the grill heated up while Gideon was changing his clothes yet again.
"Anything you choose will look great sweetie," Belle laughed earlier as she watched her son tried to choose between three different plaid shirts.
"It's not Neal I'm trying to look good for," Gideon said absently as he looked back and forth between belt buckles.
"You're not dating his parents," Belle had said. "Everything's…" Belle stopped. Saying everything would be fine would only make things more stressful. It was better to let her son stress now so that he'd be more relaxed at dinner.
She was taking her own advice now and all but pulling her hair out. She hosted dinner parties before, so why was this one particularly nerve-wracking?
"Because the Charming's aren't just acquaintances any longer, their possible in-laws." Rumple responded when Belle asked him the exact question. He was marinating the steaks and wearing a pink apron that was too ridiculous to be worn during such a serious conversation.
Belle glanced upstairs before she moved closer to her husband. "It's a bit…early to talk like that isn't it?"
Rumple gave her a small smile and a shrug. "They've been friends since infancy. Anything's possible."
Belle sighed and took another sip of the wine Rumple had poured for her. It was pleasant to hear her husband think so positively about the future. For so long they had just lived day by day, waiting for catastrophes to arise. Thinking any farther than next week was dangerous.
She glanced at the clock on the oven and felt her stomach turn. The Nolan's were due at their home in 15 minutes.
She glanced out into the dining room where her usually quiet daughter was slowly setting the table. She'd been there for ten minutes and only had two plates down.
Belle wanted to be irritated, but her maternal instincts would often outweigh her aggressive ones. There were some perks to being married to an infuriating man like the Dark One after all. She laid down her knife and walked over to the table, leaning against the glossy wood.
"You're rather distracted tonight, Dante Colette." Her mother said with a teasing air.
The youngest Gold looked at her mother, her eyes faltering as she fidgeted with a knife.
"Mom," Dante began, too quietly and too unlike herself. "If you knew something bad was going to happen, and that there was nothing you could do to prevent it, would you still let it happen?"
Belle mused on the odd question, searching for a way to answer it.
"There was a time when I sensed your father was going bad." Belle stated. "Right after your older brother passed away, your father went through a dark phase. He was obsessed with gaining more power so that he would never be powerless again."
Dante sat down, intrigued. "What did you do?"
Her mother was quiet for a moment, her eyes downcast.
"I turned him away." Belle admitted. "I set him into the world completely powerless because I was so angry at him, and I've regretted it since."
Dante gulped, a coldness setting into her bones.
"I felt like something was wrong with your father but I chose to ignore it. I wanted him to be the man he was before Baelfire's death. I thought after enough time he would be again. Ignoring the problem cost your father the help he needed., and both of us precious time."
They both looked up when they heard the door in the kitchen open, indicating that Rumplestiltskin was coming back in from lighting the grill.
"My point, honey, is that it's important to follow your heart. Is there something you'd like to tell me?"
Dante gulped and glanced up the stairs where she could hear the muffled sounds of Gideon's anxious footsteps.
"I…well…"
Before Dante could answer, the doorbell resounded through the house and a cry from Gideon followed.
"Oh my gods their here!" Gideon screamed from upstairs. A moment later he came bounding down, his hands pulling at the soft tie around his neck. "Get this thing off me it was a stupid idea!"
"Son for goodness sake stop before you choke yourself." Rumplestiltskin sighed, pulling his nervous son to the living room to help him calm down.
Belle made a sharp glance at the door and then back to her daughter. She didn't want to force her daughter into a decision, but time was of the essence.
"Sweetie?" Belle nudged with a gentle smile.
Dante closed her eyes for a long moment before taking her mother's hand, letting her pull her up.
"That's my brave girl." Belle smiled.
"It follows, right." Dante shrugged, shoving her hands in her pockets as her mother went to answer the door.
-,-,-,-
"We were…a bit surprised when you invited us over." David admitted to Rumplestiltskin as he turned a steak over on the grill.
Rumplestiltskin took a sip of the wine the Charming's had brought, thankful the majority of the guests were of drinking age. A drink on all their parts could help tonight run a bit more smoothly, though he doubted things would get heated. The Charmings were open-minded people and had one of the grandest love stories to ever be written. Love came in all forms, surely, they'd understand that when it came to Neal and Gideon.
"It was Belle's idea." Rumple said, realizing how rude he must have sounded the moment the words left his mouth.
David however chuckled good-naturedly, his over-expansive sense of humor saving them both from an awkward conversation.
"Neal seemed a bit nervous about coming over." David added, keeping his eyes on the grill.
Rumplestiltskin blinked and studied the Charming clan patriarch.
"Is that so?"
Charming nodded, a secret smile spreading from the corner of his mouth.
"I figured he'd be…nervous…eventually. I'm not too surprised, I just thought it would happen sooner…the nervousness I mean."
Rumple tried not to roll his eyes at the allusion David was trying to set.
"And did your wife notice the "nervousness"?"
David's smile dimmed, but just slightly.
"Um, no, I don't think so. She's been a bit preoccupied over Emma lately."
Rumplestiltskin nodded sympathetically. Emma had been traveling the realms with Killian since just after Neal's second birthday. Over the years her visits home had become sparse, and in the last year the only form of communication she had with her family was a few salt-crusted letters detailing her adventures and how happy she was.
Rumple tried not to judge her decision, but it seemed a bit odd to him that a young woman who wanted a family for so long would uproot herself from them for a man, especially if that man was Killian Jones.
He knew he was hardly one to judge, but he also knew that there was still some vileness in the pirate's soul, even if he had made a few altercations. It left a sour taste in his mouth to have to acknowledge him as extended family. However, Killian was the Charming's pill to swallow, not his.
"I wish she could be here right now." David said, revealing his grief. "For her brother."
The Dark One nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you can catch her up when she comes home."
David paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah…right. You're right. She'll be home soon."
Rumplestiltskin's heart clenched for the man. David sounded so unconvinced at his own words.
He hoped Belle was having a better time with Snow White.
-,-,-,-,-
"And this is them in the Caribbean!" Snow shrilled, scrolling to yet another photo of her daughter and Killian.
Belle smiled out of politeness, but there was something about Snow White's overly happy personality that made her skin prickle. She looked over at her daughter who was holding her head as if it was about to explode. Though Snow White had yet to notice, Belle still motioned for her daughter to sit up.
Dante did sit up, but then she stood and walked into the living room where her brother and possibly-soon-to-be boyfriend were. Maybe now she could tell them both what she knew, save this night before it even started.
However, when her eyes landed on her brother and Neal, she did not reveal her tragic secret, but instead watched in awe at the spectacle before her.
Gideon and Neal were sitting a respectable distance from each other on the couch—the kind of distance two young men who had known each other all their lives would sit on any other night. But there was a static-like magic between them. It spread through Gideon's arm as he wrapped it around the back of the couch, a breath away from Neal's shoulders. It was in Neal's fingertips as he unintentionally grazed Gideon's thigh as they turned up the television to block out Mrs. Nolan's animated talking.
"Man." Dante cursed. Darn her brother and unofficial brother for having such natural chemistry! How could she take such a thing away from them?
-,-,-,-,-
"The steaks are cooked great, dear." Belle commented, winking at her husband. "New marinade?"
"Yes," Rumple smiled, "David's cooking skills should be given the credit. For the life of me I can never remember the difference between a well and a well-done."
The adults at the table chuckled good-naturedly while the one minor at the table struggled to keep her fork steady.
"Everything's fine." She said to herself. "Everyone's in a good mood. Just keep it up, it won't happen. They'll be fine. Everything will be fine."
"You know, we were surprised you invited us over." Snow spoke up as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "It's been so long since we've really set foot in your home."
It was on the tip of Rumple's tongue to remind her former majesty that the only times she had set foot in his home at all was to demand help from him or to pick up and drop off her son. However, this was Gideon and Neal's night, and he would rather bite his own tongue off than ruin it for them.
Belle glanced at Neal and Gideon. She noticed that one of each of their hands were under the table, holding and comforting each other. Gideon met her eyes and gave a small nod.
From the end of the table, Dante whimpered. It was happening.
"Actually, mom," Neal spoke, sitting up straighter in his chair. "Dinner was our idea. We have something we want to tell you."
David hid his grin behind his clutched hands, sending a knowing look Gold's way.
"Oh, is it another play?" Snow inquired. Gideon had started writing plays during college and often recruited Neal and Robyn to help him with them.
"Not exactly." Gideon relayed, his fingers tapping nervously against his wine glass. Under the table, Neal caressed his thigh to help him relax.
Belle glanced at her husband who winked at her, his smile fading a bit when he turned to Dante. She was tense in her chair as she stared at her brother and Neal.
"Mom, Dad," Neal breathed, Gideon's firm grip in his hand giving him a dose of courage he needed. "Gideon and I are…together. Romantically. Emotionally. Sometimes spiritually."
"Oh my God, Neal." Gideon groaned as he struggled not to laugh. And he thought he had been nervous when he told his parents.
"Well how about that!" David smiled, trying to act like he hadn't had a hunch all along. "This is great! Isn't this great, Snow?"
Belle looked over at the Charming clan matriarch and paled. She was tense in her chair, staring at her son and—now officially—his boyfriend.
"I…what…" Snow blinked, standing from her chair, her eyebrows drawn down in confusion. "No…no absolutely not!"
Belle and Rumplestiltskin exchanged concern looks with their son, and David's gleeful smile faded at his wife's outburst.
"No no no…" Dante cried under her breath.
"Snow…" David said after he cleared his throat nervously. "This…" he motioned to their petrified son and Gideon. "Is not a problem. This is our son. Him and Gideon, it doesn't change anything."
Snow stepped away from the table, pressing her temples as he dodged her husband's comforting hands.
"He likes boys, Snow. He likes Gideon." David tried to sooth calmly. "There's nothing—"
"I don't care if he's gay, David!" Snow exclaimed. "I don't care what he is!"
"Then why are you—"
"Because I don't understand why…" Snow looked around the room until her eyes landed on Rumplestiltskin, who met her piercing gaze with one of his own. "Why him?" she wailed, gesturing to the Dark One. "Why did it have to be his son?"
A tense followed Snow White's outburst, the parties in the room unsure just how to react. It wasn't until Dante jumped out of her chair and fled from the room with a muffled sob that everyone's minds began reeling once more.
"Mom!" Neal exclaimed, jumping from his chair. "That is not fair!"
"It doesn't matter if it's fair!" Snow yelled, pulling from her husband's grip. "It matters that it's true! I have spent too long fighting the darkness for my only son to fall into its trap!"
"Fighting the darkness?" Rumplestiltskin growled, standing from his chair. "You call forcing your daughter's darkness into another child so that you wouldn't have to deal with it fighting?"
"I did what was necessary to protect my daughter!" Snow fought.
"And you did so well. How long was Emma the Dark One again?"
"Both of you stop!" Belle exclaimed, creating a very temporary and much needed silence. She and David exchanged looks, two parents who had no hard feelings against each other but had to keep their respective, much more hot-blooded spouses at bay.
"Rumple, go check on our daughter." Belle ordered softly. She could see the dark magic radiating off him. No one, not even his son's boyfriend's mother, was safe from his wrath when his child was threatened.
"Actually Belle, you should go check on her." Rumplestiltskin said, his eyes locked on the former princess. "After all, Snow White's issue is with the Dark One."
"No, father," Gideon spoke up, standing from his chair and yet seeming much smaller. "Her issue is me."
Snow White shifted awkwardly before giving the younger man an appraising look.
"Mrs. Nolan," Gideon proclaimed as steadily as he could. "I…care about Neal very much." He looked to the young man, who returned his weak smile despite the anger in his eyes. "I always have."
Snow's eyes lowered, either in guilt or acceptance Gideon couldn't tell.
"I promise you that as long as he'll have me, I'll be the best person I can be with him."
Neal watched Gideon, who only a few months ago had been his best friend, his brother and confidant. There had never been a moment when Neal had doubted him, or when Gideon felt like anything but kinship and acceptance from him.
"I'm sorry, Gideon." Snow White spoke, her spine straight and her voice as apologetic as it had been sincere. "That's not enough for me."
"This isn't about you, Snow, or any of us for that matter." Belle spoke up. "This is about them, and their lives and decisions. We have to support them no matter what."
Snow White turned to Belle, her eyes hard and unforgiving. Belle wondered what happened to the woman who had comforted her moments after Hook had shot her, who held her as she grieved for Baelfire and consoled her during Gideon's ultrasound. Those days seemed so long ago, and the woman before her seemed so foreign, so gone. Her once brave smile didn't quite reach her eyes and her hands shook and fidgeted on her hips as she damned the relationship before her.
"You might not mind enabling your child's darkness, but I refuse to let mine go down that path."
"You should have thought about that before you pushed your daughter into the arms of that pirate." Rumplestiltskin snarked, satisfied when Snow shot around to him instead of his wife.
"Excuse you!"
"You let her marry a man who made her put him above her family. Her son. You're grandson."
"She had a dark curse in her! You're curse!"
"As did Hook, but it wasn't until it was made known to him that he acted on his dark impulses. It's almost as if he used the curse as an excuse for the horrible things he did to all of you."
"Rumple…" Belle growled in warning.
"And what of now?" Rumple continued. "Where is your daughter on such an important night? Why isn't she and your "son-in-law" here celebrating this occasion?"
"Dad…" Gideon gasped weakly.
"There's nothing to celebrate!" Snow yelled, her face red.
"Snow please…" David begged as he held her back from charging at the Dark One, his own eyes filled with grief, for once unable to settle the peace among his friends and family.
"I know what's best for him! I'm his mother!" Snow continued to shout.
Neal covered his mouth as rage and frustration threatened to boil over inside him.
Rumplestiltskin tilted his head, purposely avoiding Belle's desperate gaze.
"Belle has been more of a mother to Neal than you ever have."
In a second Snow was out of David's grip, her body taunt for a fight, to cause the Dark One something equivalent to the pain raging in her chest.
But she barely made it three steps from her husband's protective hold (not since Emma had taken on the dark curse had he held her so tightly). A golden cocoon of magic had enclosed around her form, freezing every part of her body but her wide eyes.
"Gideon!" Belle exclaimed when she saw the magic bouncing off his outstretched fingers.
Gideon hadn't been able to stop himself. He had seen Snow White's hand ready to strike his father's face and he let his instincts take over. He hadn't wanted to hurt her—he would never try to hurt someone purposely.
He just wanted her to stop.
Now he was staring into the fearful eyes the woman who could potentially be his mother-in-law (sure he and Neal hadn't talked long-term, but more than likely they would end up related some sort of way).
"Gideon…" Neal's soft voice interjected.
Gideon looked up to see Neal staring at him, having up a few painful inches between them. For the first time in the entire duration of their relationship, there was uncertainty in his eyes. The twist it caused in his heart caused Gideon's harmless spell to seize, releasing Snow White into her husband's protective hold.
"You see!" Snow gasped. "He's a monster, Neal! Just like his father!"
"Enough, mom!" Neal growled, torn and losing his ability to keep his temper.
In a blur of golden magic, Gideon disappeared, leaving his shocked parents and boyfriend behind.
The room became wanly quiet, so quiet that the adults in the room could just pick up the sound of the refrigerator humming in the kitchen.
So very quiet that Rumplestiltskin—with his enhanced, magical senses—could just hear the muffled sound of his daughter's sobs upstairs.
If Belle hadn't grabbed his hand, he might have done something horrible to the former princess, and traumatized her husband and son in the process.
"Go check on our daughter. Now." Belle ordered. Her voice was as soft as spiderweb, and just as deadly as the creature that spun it. "I'll handle this."
Rumplestiltskin had heard her words, and his heart could have overflown with the anxiety he felt for both his children, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Snow White.
He'd never liked her, in the Enchanted Forest or in Storybrooke. She was a captious hypocrite, and had her nose so stuck up in the air that birds could misinterpret it as a perch. He had understood her anger and disgust towards him; everyone felt that way. It was the way she treated Belle and his son that had made his skin crawl. He treated them like being in her presence was a privilege. For the sake of Gideon and Neal's friendship he'd kept his tongue, same as he had with Zelena for Robyn's sake.
He wouldn't care what she said to him. Yell at him, spit on him. Fine. But not his family. Never them.
But she had. And he wanted to rip her apart, years of repressed darkness filling his veins and threatening to drown him in one swoop.
Suddenly, Snow White's face vanished and was replaced with Belle's. The coolness of her blue eyes soothed the fire in his heart just enough for him to function again
"Go upstairs, check on our daughter." She repeated. She smiled comfortingly at him, but her lip was trembling. "She needs you."
Rumple nodded and kept his eyes forward as he made his way upstairs.
As soon as she could no longer hear him, she turned back to her guests. Neal was leaning against the table, his hands gripping the polished wood like his life depended on it. David had put just a bit of space between himself and his wife, his eyes cast on the floor.
Belle stepped up the couple, meeting Snow White's green eyes as her chin lifted with regal smugness.
"Get out, and don't ever talk to me or my family again." Belle commanded softly, her hands curled against her sides.
"Fine with me." Snow affirmed, stalking to the door. "Come on Neal."
Neal Nolan slowly lifted his head, revealing to his parents his bloodshot eyes and stiff frown.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Neal spoke, his voice garbled.
Snow paused, starting at her son in puzzled astonishment.
"What did you say?" she inquired, not necessary in a condescending tone, but more in a tone that a mother gave their child when they had done something wrong and were given the chance to make amends before consequences were given out.
He was nearly a quarter of a century old and his mother still saw him as a child who needed a firm hand.
"I said," Neal croaked, his voice rising, "what he hell is wrong with you, mother?"
The look is Snow White's eyes was more than surprise; it was shocked fury.
Behind her David tried to meet Neal's eyes, to beg him not to add any more fuel to the fire.
Snow crossed her arms tightly over her chest, as if to shield herself from Neal's spiteful words. "I did not raise my son to speak to me that way."
"Actually, you did." Neal scoffed wetly. "After all I'm the son of the great Snow White!" he exclaimed her title with a great embellish, a trait he no doubt had learned from his unofficial godfather. "The bandit! The runaway Princess! The mother who put her daughter in a tree and forced her to grow up alone in an unforgiving world! The same one who let her marry a man she was tearing herself a part for!"
"You don't know what you're talking about! She loves Killian!"
Belle and David exchanged a look of uncertainty.
"She might love him, mom, but she was never in love with him!" Neal revolted. "She never had the chance to, because she was damn terrified of losing him! He made her terrified! And you did nothing to help her!"
"That's not true."
"You were so obsessed with making up for the time you lost that you abandoned her in the worst way!"
"Enough—"
"You ignored her trauma to amend your own!"
The sound of Snow White's hand colliding with Neal's face echoed throughout the house. It wasn't until the former princess's hand fell to her side and Neal's bright cheek came into view that the full weight of what she'd done hit the people in the room.
"Mary Margaret!" David exclaimed, running between his wife and son.
To Neal's benefit, he had barely flinched at her assault, and his eye were dry from emotion.
"Oh Gods," Belle gasped.
"Neal…" Snow White cried. "Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry."
Neal stepped away, not meeting her eyes. "I'm going to look for Gideon."
"Neal, no," David begged. "Please wait."
"I'll talk to you in the morning, dad." Neal called out, jogging out the door before his parents could stop him.
Belle stepped around the inconsolable Snow White, knowing if she so much as brushed up against her she wouldn't be able to restrain herself.
"Let him go, let him think." Belle whispered to David. "We all need to calm down."
David nodded, and Belle averted her eyes from the tears going down his face.
"David, I didn't mean to do that." Snow White defended.
"I know," David sighed wetly, keeping his back to her as he stepped down the steps. "You don't mean to do a lot of things."
"David, wait, David!" Snow yelled after him as he stalked to the truck, closing himself in and gripping the wheel. To his benefit, he didn't start the car, didn't leave his wife behind. Perhaps he did it because he loved her enough not to let her walk home. Or perhaps it was to protect her from the Gold's.
"This is all your fault." Snow growled to Belle.
Belle turned to the Charming matriarch, her jaw locked to withhold any grating comments that could further add to the hostility in the air.
"You and your family are always ruining my life!"
"Get out." Belle hissed, her resolve melting away. "Before I throw you out."
"I'd love to see you try." Snow challenged.
Belle stepped up to the former princess, keeping her fists frozen to her side.
"You listen to me, and you listen to me well." Belle said stiffly. "I have done my best for over twenty years to remain civil with you. To forgive the blackmail and disregard of my family's safety and feelings. But I see now that sometimes, kindness isn't enough, because you don't deserve my kindness, and you haven't for a long time."
Belle stepped back to the door, keeping her glare level with Snow White's. "I recognize that Rumple has done things to your family in the past, and I understand if you may still hold some ill-will, I don't blame you. But after the countless speeches of second chances and forgiveness, you think you might at least try to follow your own advice, especially considering all the other grudges you've let go."
"I don't expect someone like you to understand—"
"Someone like me?" Belle exclaimed. "Someone who's been imprisoned, and beaten and used as blackmail by 'heroes' like you!"
Snow's mouth remained ajar but Belle did not give her the chance to speak.
"I have done nothing but help and sacrifice for you, and all I've ever gotten in return is lies and scorn! But I've finally learned my lesson. Neal will always be a part of my family, and maybe even David because he's always tried. As for you, I don't care to ever speak to you again."
"You're being—"
"And as for what Rumple said earlier, he's right. I have been a mother to Neal. He comes to me when he feels like he can't go to you, because I don't expect him to be some grand hero. Because unlike you, I've learned from my mistakes."
Belle held the door open, daring a response from Snow White. "Now get the hell out of my house."
Snow didn't move at first, her body taunt with the sting of Belle's words. Yet, she didn't try to charge at her like she had the Dark One. Maybe she had taken all her strength out on her son. Maybe she had lost her nerve. Or Maybe she had taken into consideration that she just might not be able to take on the wife on the Dark One.
With her spine straight and her head high, she exited the Gold mansion, the angry breeze from her departure cooling Belle's cheeks.
The Gold matriarch leaned against the smooth wood, letting the events of the night play back in her head.
Gideon's rejected face.
Neal's hate-filled eyes.
Her daughter running to her room in tears.
Belle allowed her self a moment to grieve. Her children needed her tonight and she hadn't been able to protect them. Now Gideon was gods knows where and her husband and daughter were trying to sort out their own pain upstairs.
Belle wiped her eyes and quickly converged a game plan. She needed to find her son and Neal, help them understand that everything was going to be alright.
The sound of her husband's distinctive footsteps and Belle met her husband's eyes over the banister.
"Hey," he greeted softly. "How'd it go, I heard yelling."
"I held my own," Belle sighed. "I'll relay the details later. Right now, I need to find Gideon."
"Later," Rumplestiltskin waved off. "Our daughter needs to tell us something."
Belle paused. Dante had been acting strange all day and she had not had the chance to reveal why. Belle had failed her first tonight, and not more so.
"Gideon…"
"Is an adult and will be fine while we help our daughter."
"Just because he's an adult doesn't mean he still doesn't need his parents, Rumple!"
The Dark One paused, taking the blunt of his wife's outburst. He made his way down, ready to comfort her. When he reached the final step, he saw her chin wobbling and the unshed tears burning her eyes.
"Come here." He said just as Belle collapsed into his arms.
"Oh Gods Rumple I failed him." She wailed into his shoulder."
"No, no sweetheart." Rumplestiltskin cooed. "You didn't fail anyone. You did everything you could to make this a good night for Gideon and Neal, it just…didn't happen. But it's not your fault." He pulled back and tilted her chin to meet his eyes. "It is not your fault."
Belle nodded, sniffling and wiping her eyes.
"I'm sorry for earlier." Rumplestiltskin apologized as he massaged gentle circles into her shoulders. "I made the situation worse by losing my temper."
Belle shrugged. "You were defending our son. And I'm glad you did most of the yelling."
Rumplestiltskin snorted in amusement before intertwining their fingers. "Let's go talk to Dante, then, if we don't hear from him, we'll go find Gideon."
Belle nodded and let her husband lead her upstairs, sparing a glance at the front door just in case their son decided to make a sudden an appearance.
Dante was curled onto her side, her hoody covering her red face.
Belle's heart constricted at the sight. Dante never cried. She'd always been the happiest baby, never fussy, never cranky or tantrum-prone. Today had been the most unhinged she'd ever been during the entire eight years of her life.
Belle didn't like either of children being sad, it was unheard of for her daughter. Something had happened before Snow White's outburst, and Belle was determined to find out just what it was.
"Sweetie," Rumplestiltskin cooed, rubbing her arm gently. "Tell your mum what you told me, okay."
Dante sat up slowly, using her sleeve to wipe her eyes (a habit her parents would normally try to discourage but now was not the time for a lesson in etiquette). She stared at her knees for a moment, trying to find the constant courage that swelled through her.
"I knew it was going to happen," Dante relayed quietly.
Belle turned to her husband, confused, and he indicated for her to continue listening.
"I saw that Ms. Nolan was going go off on Gideon and Neal…that she was going to hurt them and Papa but…"
Belle tensed when he saw her eyes watering once more.
"I didn't do anything," she cried. "I didn't know what to do."
Rumple leaned in and pulled his daughter into his arms, caressing her back as he turned to Belle.
"Sweetheart how…" Belle paused, the realization hitting her.
"You saw it…with magic?" Belle gasped, looking over her beautiful little girl who subtlety nodded at her question.
Gideon's magic had started developing when he was just over three months old, harmless to begin with, more chaotic until he was able to control it a bit more.
Dante's however never formed. She'd been a completely magicless baby, leaving her parents to believe Gideon's had lingered from his time as an adult.
It would seem now however that their daughter was a late bloomer with an extraordinary gift.
"When did it…how does it…" Belle tried the find the words to inquire her daughter's newfound abilities. It had taken a few tries during therapy, but Belle had managed to accept the place magic had in her life. It was a part of her husband, and now part of both of her children.
"Last summer." Dante sniffled. "During the trip to the beach. I saw turtles crawling on the beach and I knew to bring a camera."
Belle nodded, having thought the randomness of her daughter's sudden "need" for a camera amusing at the time.
"Then I saw other things. Pop quizzes in school, when it was going to rain…things like that."
"Did you foresee Gideon telling us about Neal during family night last week?" Rumplestiltskin questioned with a tilt of his chin.
Dante shrank down. "Maybe."
Her father chuckled good-naturedly, showing her that there was no ill-will for her little cheat.
"Why didn't you tell us that you could see into the future?" Belle inquired gently.
Dante shrugged. "I didn't really think I needed to. Everything was going fine until today."
Belle looked into her daughter's downcast eyes, so full of remorse and hurt. She wanted to lay all those feelings on Snow White, but there was something in her form that made Belle know that some of the responsibility for her secret-keeping were on her.
"Is it because of me?" Belle asked calmly, wanting her tone to be open enough for Dante.
The young girl fidgeted. "You…don't like magic very much."
Belle closed her eyes, shame seeping into her blood. True, she didn't like magic most of the time. She'd always tried to make her home a place where it could be practiced safely, especially during Gideon's phase when Rumple would teach him spells. Yet she had drummed in her family's head that magic was for emergencies only, and even then, that there was always a better solution.
"Oh sweetheart," Belle sighed, pulling her daughter close. "I'm so sorry if I ever made you feel like you had to hide parts of yourself from me." She pulled her back and wiped away a drying tear, taking a moment to admire the mix of her and Rumpelstiltskin's features on her face.
"You are so special, Dante Colette. I am so proud of who you're becoming."
Dante smiled easily and laid her head against her mother's chest.
"Thanks mom."
Belle held her youngest close to her, feeling her husband's embrace wrap around them both after a moment.
It would seem that miscommunication was still a problem in the Gold family, and Belle could only blame tonight's events on her own lack of it with her children. She should have paused this whole night until she figured out what was bothering her daughter. Gideon would have agreed entirely.
She looked at her husband as his grip around them seemed to tighten. His expression was filled with that old guilt. He felt the same as she.
She only hoped her son was faring better.
-,-,-,-,-,-,-
Neal found Gideon in the clocktower, just as he knew he would be. The dusty space above the library had been their sanctuary for so long. It was one of the very few places that they felt truly safe.
He leaned against the doorframe and watched Gideon curl into himself on the ragged sofa they had hoisted up here when they were twelve (without magic at that).
The young man wasn't sure just what to say to him to help him feel better. There hadn't been any harm done, and it was in defense at that.
Honestly though, Neal wasn't in the mood to give a long-winded speech about hope and redemption. That was his mother's spiel, and Snow White was the last person he wanted to think about right now. He didn't want to think at all, really. He rather just…take action.
He sighed loudly, earning Gideon's attention with a start.
"Hey." He greeted wetly, wiping his eyes of buried tears. "How'd it…"
Neal shrugged. "The details kind of slipped while I was yelling at my mom. I think your mom sicked her when I left."
Gideon's lip twitched in amusement, but he was too upset to joke.
"This was a disaster."
"It was better than it could have gone," Neal smirked as he took a seat beside him. "Thanksgivings going to be far more interesting."
Gideon managed a smile. "Your mom will probably put me and my dad at the kid's table."
Neal nudged him. "He'll flick peas at her the whole night."
Gideon laughed, breaking the tension in his chest. Neal, even when he didn't mean to, always said the right things. That was the highlight of why Gideon had fallen for him.
"In all seriousness," Gideon said, leaning closer to Neal's side. "I am sorry. I wanted this to be a great night for you…for us."
"It was." Neal agreed. "Your family's fine with us, and so is my dad. My mom can either deal or back out."
Gideon hesitated before slipping his fingers between Neal's. "So we're…okay?"
Neal arched a brow, lifting their fingers to his lips. "As okay as we've ever been."
Gideon smiled thankfully, his eyes glowing with appreciation for Neal. He wondered if it would be too forward to lean in and kiss him after all that had happened tonight.
As he pondered the thought, he noticed that Neal's cheek looked much redder than the other.
"What happened?" he gasped.
Neal's expression changed at the inquiry, and he leaned in and kissed Gideon hard, much harder than the younger man would have considering after all they'd been through that night.
Gideon's heartrate began to increase as Neal's hand ran down his chest, his fingers running down the red, silky material of his tie.
"I like this color." Neal husked against Gideon's ear.
Before Gideon could comment (and thank Dante for her good taste), Neal began loosening the tie and dragging it away from his neck.
The pleasure slowly flowing through Gideon's veins suddenly froze. While this place held a lot of fun memories for them, it was the last place Gideon wanted their first time to be.
"Neal…hang on just—" he yelped when Neal suddenly pit into his pulse point. When and how he had learned that he would never know.
Neal did pull back at the sound, staring down at Gideon with glaze eyes.
"Is this okay?"
Gideon gulped, trying to muster the words that would convince Neal to either continue or wait. He'd wanted to share his feelings with him for so long but the more physical aspects had been buried in the back of his mind. He'd never been interested in sex, and the idea of it with Neal had just barely grazed his mind.
But feeling his fingers pressing into his shoulders, his eyes cloudy with excitement and another emotion couldn't quite place, Gideon couldn't find the will to say no. They would have time to discuss the handprint on his cheek and anything else they needed to in the morning. There would time for everything.
Until then, Gideon nodded his consent and breathed deeply as Neal continued his advancements once more.