I Dos or Can't Dos?
Author: The Daughter of Santan
Rating: T
Pairing: Rumplestliltkin/Mr. Gold / Belle
Disclaimer: Hey don't look at me I'm just taking the Characters for a spin who belong to ABC and the people who brought them to life.
Summary: Its Mr. Gold's wedding day only it's not to his true love. Can things be fixed before the 'I Dos'? AU
A/N: This idea came to me reading a book called Death of a Valentine and I added one of my own characters to the story.
News had spread like a wild fire throughout the small seaside town of Storybrooke, Maine, the man called the Limping Devil of Storybrooke was getting married. All had turned out for the wedding except for two people who he wanted there for two different reasons.
Rumplestiltskin Gold stood next to the terrified preacher, who wanted nothing more than to run from the current predicament he was in, and next to the groom was a smaller version of him with darker brown hair, his son Baelfire or Bae as he was called by everyone.
Rumplestiltskin looked into the grey eyes of his bride to be, he could tell that there was no ounce of the one emotion he had hoped to see. Then again only one woman was able to see it in him even when he had thought it was lost. As the service began the preacher looked a bit surer of the situation as it was. As the preacher reached the part of who knew of any reason why they shouldn't be wed, Rumplestiltskin Gold the most hated man in town, did something he hadn't done once in his life he prayed to a God he didn't believe in the soldier's prayer, " Dear God, if there is a God, get me out of this!"
Six months earlier
A chuck of sunlight eased its way through the curtains and disturbed one if the occupants to the point they woke up. Bleary dark brown eyes were met with curly brown hair. A soft smile that many of the citizens of the town would claim wasn't possible for him to use except for his son. He pulled her closer to him and was about to go back to sleep when she rolled over and smiled at him. Apparently she had been awake longer than he had been. "Good morning, sweetheart." He said, watching as a smile graced her already beautiful features. She tilted her head up and pressed a soft kiss to the underside of his jaw. "I know you can do better than that." He teased softly, as he lifted up her chin to his own lips. A soft moan escaped from her as he rolled on top of her ready to continue the activities from the night but before they could continue a loud crash echoed throughout the house. Only one other person was in the house besides them. The look on his face caused her to start giggling.
"Your son." She was able to say between giggles He rolled off of her and out of the bed "I'll surely ground him this time." He muttered pulling on his robe and picking up his cane "Don't be harsh on him, Rumple." She said, also getting out of bed
Sure enough down stairs in the kitchen stood a young boy of fourteen with shaggy brown hair much like his fathers was picking up the pots that had fallen when he had pulled down a skillet for Belle to use to make breakfast since it was Saturday. The sound of his father's cane tapping against the hard wood floor echoed followed by the figure of his father who looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face and in his eyes. A second later he smiled and shook his head in slight amusement. "I'm not going to ask." He said, his annoyance from earlier had dissipated as he limped over to the coffee machine and switched it on. "Sorry, papa I was just trying to help out Belle because she makes breakfast on the weekends." His son explained setting the skillet he had managed to grab before the pots fell.
After the rude awakening to the world outside his bedroom with Belle in his bed, Rumplestiltskin Gold was dressed in one of his signature tailored suits with Belle to his left from him in a beautiful dress at the dinner table with Baelfire sitting on his right dressed in jeans and a shirt when someone started knocking loudly on the front door. "I'll get it!" Bae yelled and ran from the table "Come on in." They could hear Bae saying followed by two sets of footsteps.
Bae appeared first then a young woman wearing wedged heeled boots to help make up for the shortness she had normally caring a package under one arm. "'Stiltskin this arrived for ya at the shop." She explained, holding it out with a long fingered hand. Said person didn't bother to get up as he reached for it and snatched it from his shop assistant a sharp eyed young woman named Chris Waters who looked at the food on the table in askance to join them for breakfast which was typical for her to do on the weekends much to the annoyance of her boss and the joy of both of his loved ones.
"Sit down Chris." Bae said already pushing a plate toward her usual seat. An impish grin lit up her features making her appear younger than she already did as she sat down in the chair and looked at her boss and thanked him for the free meal.
"You and your mooching ways, Chris" Belle said with a slight laugh as she watched the younger woman put a large spoon full of sugar in her cup of coffee along with a helping of milk. "I ain't no moocher, princess. You're just a better cook than I am." Chris explained with her impish smile still in place. "Besides I had to give that thing to him." She added, pointing a finger at the package beside Rumplestiltskin. Seeing as Belle was about to continue the conversation, Chris started shoveling food in her mouth to the point it was a shock that she didn't chock on it.
Just a normal day in the Gold house Rumplestiltskin remarked to himself as his son scolded Chris for her bad eating habits. What he didn't know was that would be the last normal day that he would spend with his son, his friend, and his dear Belle.
Rumplestiltskin was busy in his office taking stock and doing the accounts of all the property he owed which was basically the whole town and could hear the radio blaring Rock n Roll songs from in the main part of the store where he knew Chris was busily cleaning all the glass items that were in the store. Above the cheerful noise of the radio and Chris' mutterings of all the dust and glass the small bell rang catching the attention of the pawnbroker. "Can I help ya ma'am?" Chris' rough accented voice was hinted with a slight edge to it that got him out of his seat to check what was happening.
Chris had dropped her cleaning rag and stood with her arms crossed behind the counter as she stared at the woman who came through the door. It was a well-known fact throughout Storybooke that she was an incredible judge of character even though most claimed that it wasn't working when it came to her boss and the woman who just walked through the door was blaring trouble. "Can I help ya ma'am?" She asked with enough of an edge to hopefully get Gold's attention which happened as she heard the thump of his cane on the hardwood floor. Apparently it had gotten his attention.
"Not with you, little girl." The woman huffily told the assistant shop keeper, rudely then ignored her as Rumplestiltskin limped through from the office. Upon seeing him, the woman shoved Chris into the glass counter making everything in it shake against the young woman's body.
The woman grabbed Rumplestiltskin by the lapels of his suit jacket and forced his lips to meet hers. Surprise was evident on his face and in his eyes at the sudden movement. Unfortunately before he could shove the woman away from him, Belle and Bealfire decided to walk through the door at that moment. "Who're those two, Rum?" asked the woman after she detached her lips from his own.
For once in his life, Rumplestiltlskin couldn't think of anything to say, some strange woman came into his shop, pushing his shop assistant into a counter then started to kiss him then Belle and Bae came in before he could shove her away from him with threats of lawsuits and evictions at the ready. When had the day gone south? He wondered as Belle looked as him with a hurt look on her beautiful face and both Bae and Chris looked at him in complete shock.
"You don't have any business with me or my fiancé so leave, Sweetie and take that boy with you." The woman told Belle, who couldn't stop staring at the woman pressed against Rumplestiltskin like she had always done. One word seemed to ground her as it hit home; fiancé.
Rumplestiltskin moved away from the unknown woman and toward his darling Belle who was tearing up as she looked at him, then turned around about to run
"Don't dawdle in the door, sweetie. After all you were nothing more than a plaything for him." The woman called to Belle as she ran out the door. Rumplestiltskin looked at the woman in utter rage that told the younger people in the shop he was about to do something that would result in him getting thrown into the jail for the second time. So before he could do anything, Chris sprang into action by grabbing the woman by front of her shirt and held up her balled ready to let it fly but before she could the woman said something that would haunt the younger woman for many years to come. "Would you really hit a pregnant woman? Would you?" Chris automatically dropped her grip and fist and backed away, her face paled under her light tan, eyes wide in horror.
Bae looked at his father with the same look on Chris' face then ran out the door as well. But the woman smiled at all the trouble she had caused as she cheerfully walked over to Rumplestiltskin and kissed his cheek and just as suddenly as she appeared vanished out the door leaving the pawn shop eerily quiet except for the radio playing music.
The high notes of the singer broke Chris out of her stupor as she looked at her with an emotion she had never directed at him, utter contempt before it was hidden behind a mask that she hardly used.
She shoved the dirty cleaning rag into his chest "When you pull your head outta your ass, Rumplestiltskin, maybe those that care about you will come back." She said, grabbing her black leather jacket and walked to the door. As soon as her long fingered hand wrapped around the door handle, Rumplestiltskin limped around the counter as fast as he could calling out, "Chris, Wait!" She stopped and looked at him with cold eyes that stopped him dead in his tracks.
It was the same look she had given him once before when he had called both the Sheriff and an ambulance when they first met little more than three years ago.
"Like I said, 'Pull your head outta of your ass' Mr. Gold," She told him, opening the door and shutting it so hard that the little brass bell that hung above it broke from its place and fell with a loud ring and a soft thud when it landed. Rumplestiltskin Gold, a man who had everything he ever wanted as cliché as it sounded, a brave and bright boy, an incredible beautiful, kind loving woman who his son considered his mother and someone who he considered a friend.
Now he stood in his pawn shop without any of them, alone much like he was back when he first moved to the States from his native Scotland back in his twenties.
By the following morning word had spread like wild fire about the terror of Storybrooke and how he managed to drive the only people who were willing to be around the man. Everyone in town had cast him disgusted looks more than ever as he entered the diner and spotted the person he hoped to see.
Chris Waters was sitting at a table that was usually reserved for her when the diner wasn't packed drinking her customary third cup of coffee and reading one of her mysteries as she waited for Ruby to bring her breakfast. It was a quirk of hers that he never had understood from the first month she came to Storybrooke from a small town out west somewhere.
He remembered the first time he and his son met the sharp minded mouthy troublemaker named Chris. She had managed to pick all three locks on the back door of his shop one handed with her other arm bleeding profusely.
Rumplestiltskin had been forced to return to his shop and discovered the back door open a sliver, he had locked the door before he left for the night. Someone he thought at the time must have been fool hardy enough to try and break a deal with him. Well he wouldn't let that happen and whoever it was would learn the hard way that no one neither stole nor broke deals with him. Much like the fairy tale character he was named after.
But the light from the street lamp lit up a trail of blood making him pause. Whoever it was injured and judging from how dark the blood was, badly. Quickly he opened the door and was shocked speechless for one of the rarest moments in his life. The person who was injured and had broken into his shop was a young girl who was leaning heavily on the large cabinet that took up one whole area. The girl seemed to have sensed him because she stood up straight and started talking, "Sorry for breaking into your store, sir. I'm willin' ta pay for any damage I may have caused." Every other word was punctuated by a sharp shake of her head to dissipate the darkness that was sneaking up to make her lose consciousness.
Rumplestiltskin stood in the doorway blocking the kid from leaving as he listened to her. The girl's eyes lost focus and rolled back into her head as she fell to the floor, unconscious. Though he didn't remember moving he did remember that he carefully bent down do to his bad knee and tried to apply pressure to the large wound on her right arm as he called for an ambulance. She hadn't woken up for almost a full day later. Rumplestiltskin at the urging of his son had gone to see the teen girl who he had caught injured in his store.
Bae held open the door for his father and got a glimpse of the girl who broke into his father's shop. She didn't look like someone who would intentionally break into a shop. In fact she couldn't be much older than Bae himself.
The pitch black arm brace along with the white bandages made her light tan look pale. As they watched her tanned face scrunched up as she released a pain filled groan. A pair of the darkest blue eyes either had seen could be seen under her long lashes.
"Ya gonna stand there like a jackass or are sit, Mr. Gold?" Chris' voice harshly pulled him out of his thoughts and back into the diner. Chris had evidently caught sight of him while he was lost in his thoughts. The foul word past over him but the usage of his surname caused him to flinch. In all time since she found out what his first name was did she use it. A testament to just how furious she was with him.
Rumplestiltskin gingerly sat took the offered seat as Chris put her book aside. The tense moment between employer and employee was broken as the crimson scantily dressed waitress arrived with three plates which she set in front of the other woman, shooting the older person across from her a really filthy look before storming off.
"When you piss off people, you do it epically." Chris remarked, pushing a plate towards him. It was loaded with what he usually ate on the odd chance that he wanted a meal from the diner. Rumplestiltskin assumed that Chris must have known he would have sought her out to explain what happened the day before.
Chris ignored him as she dug into her breakfast of steak, eggs, waffles and pancakes. To people who didn't know her would be shocked that someone so ting could eat so much food but everyone knew she didn't have to exercise to burn it off much to the chagrin of people like Ruby Lucas the waitress, who had to keep slim. Chris always had a good laugh at them for it.
"Let me guess," Chris started after cleaning her plates up, "Ya wanted to try and explain to me, Belle, and Bae what happened yesterday you didn't have anything to do with that 'woman'. If I may go on a limb by saying you came to find me because out of the only in this small town, I'm probably the only one to try and figure out why she would do what she did." She concluded by draping one arm on the back of her chair. Rumplestiltskin Gold offered a smirk at the sharpness of his young shop assistant. The fact that she knew that he would seek her out much like people who wanted to strike a deal with him proved that she knew him well enough to guess what he'd do. Not an easy task for anyone in town well except for Belle who found the good in him that even he didn't think existed anymore.
A dimpled smirk made an appearance before she told him, "I'll ferret out whatever I can about the bitch who decided to wreck your life, 'Stiltskin. But you have to go along with it. Don't tell anyone." The smirk vanished as she caught sight of the chief reporter for the newspaper almost falling out of his seat to hear what was being said between the two. "Please forgive me and don't slash my paycheck." She whispered before viciously throwing her chair back, standing and glared at him with such anger and hate that surrounding patrons felt slight pity for their land lord. "Yeah just about as tight as that hole in your ass that you talk through, constantly! Ruby out my meal on this bastardy miser of a jackass check!" She grabbed her book and stormed out of there, the whole diner in shocked silence.
Rumplestiltskin's next stop was to the town library which was owned and operated by the woman he loved. He found Belle shelving books with her back to him. On many occasions he had quietly snuck up on her and wrapped his arm around her and peppered kisses up and down her throat then nibbled on her earlobe. But now he had to try and explain yesterday.
"Belle can we talk, please?" He asked catching the beautiful librarian's attention from what she was doing. Belle's bright sky blue eyes were clouded with tears and hurt two things that should never be there, anybody else yes, her no.
"What do you want, Rumple?" She asked, wiping her tears away, her voice was colder than his was when he was furious which was saying something.
"I wanted to tell you-" He started to say before she slapped him across the face as hard as she could before she snapped, "What that I was just a convenient bed warmer for you? Or how about when you would find the best time to tell me you were engaged to that woman?" The last part was spat out like it was a curse. If she was beautiful already then her fury made her look like a goddess sent down to punish him from the heavens to punish him he thought.
"Belle, please listen to me." Rumplestiltskin said, getting as close to begging as he had ever come in his life. For this woman who had managed a monster he perceived himself to be he had to do it. Seeing Belle lift her hand to slap him again, he quickly dropped his cane and wrapped both of his lanky arms around her pulling her into his chest, not letting go.
She clasped handfuls of his suit jacket as she broke into tears. He rested his chin on her head, his hand buried in her russet hair. "Belle please believe me, I never met that woman before yesterday. You are the only one I love." He whispered into her hair softly.
"Mr. Gold, seriously you need to get an air conditioner, sir." His unwanted shop assistant commented from the front room. Chris Waters had woken up in the hospital room last year to see both him and his boy, in pain from the animal attack that had scarred her arm badly and ever since she was discharged from the hospital and had avoided charges from Sheriff Graham she worked for him to pay off the hospital bills, that and people he found to come into his shop easier to deal with her.
"It's quite fine, Miss. Waters." He called applying lanolin to an old book. He smirked as she shot back, "How many times do I-" She stopped as the bell above the front door rang.
"Excuse me is Mr. Gold here?" A soft accented female voice followed by the smell of fresh baked peanut butter cookies. The smell of the cookies was enough to get him up from behind his desk and take a look.
The young woman who stood on the other side of the counter had to be the loveliest woman he had ever seen. He was a male so he couldn't help but look. She had the lightest blue eyes with long russet hair pulled back. She was shorter than himself which was saying something.
"They said that you usually collect the rent yourself but I thought I'd bring it to you myself. I also took the liberty to make you some cookies because I thought you and your shop assistant would like some." The beauty explained, placing a manila envelope on the glass case along with a plate of peanut butter cookies. Chris' eyes automatically went to them before looking at her boss before she snatched one of the cookies and bit into it.
Rumplestiltskin raised a brow at her actions and he didn't make a move to grab one though. "These are better than the ones I've tried before. Sorry for not introducin' myself 'fore, Chris Waters." A warm smile lit up the young woman's face at the compliment and held out her hand. "Belle French." Her name managed to bring him back to Earth. He could see could see how the name fit her. "You didn't need your rent; I would have collected it later today." He explained, drawing Belle's startling blue gaze on him along with her smile.
It was five months later after Belle had come into his shop and from that day on she had always come in with different types of cookies, cupcakes and other types of sweets at least once a week for him. She always had a smile for him; it surprised him that she would willingly smile at him the most hated man in Storybooke.
For some odd and unforeseeable reason he had started to grow attached to the petite beauty. He needed a distraction from these confounding feelings. The form of the distraction was defiantly not the way he wanted it to be.
"I appreciate the thought but as I told you before, no thank you." Belle softly accented voice reached his ears followed by another voice that was definitely an unwelcome male. It was a male that had been harassing Belle every time he seen her around Storybrooke. Rumplestiltskin looked up as the small brass bell rang and Belle made to step inside but was jerked back outside by a large hand. Rumplestiltskin was never able to fully recall his actions that day.
As soon as he seen Belle forcefully pulled he grabbed his cane and quickly limped outside to her aid. The man who had been harassing Belle had a good foot on the pawnbroker but the giant didn't have much brain. The brute hadn't seen him exit his shop but then again his small brain was telling him to focus on Belle and not behind him. "Why don't you stop all this hard to get stuff?" He was saying, aggravating the beauty.
"I'm not trying to do anything." Belle patiently explained, trying to keep her voice calm. "I don't want anything to do with you." Though Rumplestiltkin couldn't see the younger man's face, he could see him tense before he slapped Belle full across the face. It was at this action that it got all fuzzy for him.
Rumplestiltskin used the handle of his cane to swing the younger man around and kindly returned the slap with a blow of hi cane. The brute recovered quickly and hit the lame pawnbroker, opening a gash on his brow. The blow was followed by another to the stomach doubling the older man over from it So much for being some help to the beauty was the last thought that crossed his mind as the younger man raised his fist one more time before h was kicked in the groin by a black wedged heel boot.
The owner of the boot, he had never been more grateful to see. "You know I ain't exactly the best person to ask about laws but I'm pretty sure, that attacking a young woman and an older man is against the law." The western accent had a veiled threat in it. The owner of the boot and voice walked around the doubled over man to look at her boss and the older woman helping him up, a red mark prominent on her face. "You might wanna go inside, Ms. Belle and Mr. Gold." She added, not even bothering with the now whimpering brute.
"You didn't have to do that, Mr. Gold" Belle told him as the three were gathered in his office. Chis sat on the desk with the first aid kit next to her as she dabbed alcohol on the gash on his brow.
"He shouldn't have hit you Ms. French." He dismissed Belle's words then grunted as his shop assistant poked him with her finger nail as she put the plaster on the gash. "A man who willingly raises a hand to a woman, Ms. Belle ain't much of one." Chris spoke before hopping off the desk and picked everything up.
The small bell that hung above the front door rung as the Irish sheriff called out "Mr. Gold, Mss. Waters are you here?" Chris made a quick motion that stayed her boss as she walked into the main room, leaving Rumplestiltskin and Belle alone.
"I didn't thank you for helping me." Belle's soft accent caused him to look at her. His eyes drew not to the red mark that was slowly dissipating but to her lips. "It's no matter, dearie." He told her, forcing his gaze to meet hers. "It's not 'dearie' it's Belle, Mr. Gold." The words came out almost husky at his surname. Forgoing his cane, he limped over to her; his dark brown eyes looked into her light blue eyes. "Is that so, Belle?" Her name spoken by him sent shivers down her back as his calloused hand cupped her face, tilting it to meet his own. His thin lips gently pressed to hers. The kiss caught both participants off guard but it felt so right that they didn't pull away but pressed closer.
A knock on the doorframe brought them back to earth as Chris' voice called out to them, "Lefou and Gaston LeGume are not going to press charges thanks to yours truly and something I know about the sheriff. I'm headin' out and Mr. Gold, Miss. Belle, try not to get into any more fights on the street please." Her footsteps could be heard stepping on the creaky floorboards before Rumplestiltskin called out to her, voice slightly rough from kissing Belle, "Chris," The boots stopped at hearing the name, "The leather jacket you've been admiring, take it." Hurried footsteps and a head of light brown hair appeared between the doorframe and the curtain.
"Sorry what was that?" She asked, seemingly not seeing her boss and Belle wrapped in each other's arms. Mr. Gold gave her a look that told her what she had heard was true and the leather jacket she had subtly been eyeing for weeks now since it was brought in. Mr. Gold had caught the subtly glances from her then.
A large grin that showed off a pair of dimples and a cracked tooth graced before her head vanished and her fast footsteps echoed throughout the quite shop. Belle smiled up at the man who had her wrapped up in his lanky arms. A soft amused smile graced his thin lips at his assistant's actions.
"So you're not as evil as you lead people to believe, Mr. Gold." She said, as he entangled his long tapered fingers in her hair. He leaned down to her ear and whispered, "Rumplestilttskin, sweetheart, my name is Rumplestiltskin." As Belle opened her mouth to speak, his covered hers.
Months after they had been courting as he had put it they had a fight resulting in Bae yelling at his father for being stupid enough to pick an argument with Belle. These thoughts were going through his mind as the biting rain hit his umbrella as he made his way to his shop. The weather even seems sore at him he reflected as the damp caused his bad ankle and knee to throb fiercely. He was pulled from his thoughts by a figure standing in front of his pawnshop. It was Belle soaked to the bone.
"Belle, sweetheart, what are you doing here?" He asked, stopping within a foot of her, holding the umbrella over her head. Belle looked up at him and he had forgotten the reason why he had come to the shop or why they had argued.
"I came to apologize and got caught in the rainstorm." Belle explained shivering. Rumplestiltskin reached forward and handed Belle the umbrella then unlocked the door. At his actions Belle smiled at him "Why thank you." Ashe thanked him and kissed his lips. Rumplestiltskin groaned softly before he wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her flush against his own body, deepening the kiss.
The heat from the kiss and the press of their bodies was starting to affect them both as he buried his fingers into her hair. Belle wrapped her thin arms his neck pulling his head closer to her own, dropping the handle of his umbrella completely forgetting about the bad weather.
Rumplestiltskin pulled away from the beautiful woman in his arms almost hurtfully, his hair drenched from the sudden uncovering from the rain. "We should go inside, Belle." He managed to say between gasps of breath. Belle's swollen lips Curved into a smile at him, it was all the agreement he needed. Once inside Rumplestiltskin slowly stripped Belle's soaked clothing from her petite body leaving a trail of her clothing as Belle did the same thing with his.
Rumplestiltskin gently laid the beauty down on the small cot that he had in his office for his son when he was younger. Belle looked up at him with a flicker of concern in her blue eyes. Seeing this he said, "Donae worry, sweetheart, I willnae hurt you." His accent deepened to the point where she couldn't understand the words though the comfort even though it wasn't what she was worried about.
A hand brushed a few wisps of hair from his dark brown eyes as she explained, "I trust you about this but I was worried about Bae. Won't he be expecting you, Rumple?" He smiled at this finally understanding the look now that he didn't think she wanted to do this for fear that he'd hurt her on accident, a private fear he kept hidden.
"He's at home asleep." Rumplestiltskin explained before kissing her lips, silencing any further questions as they pressed against each other. Belle clung to his surprisingly broad shoulders as Rumplestiltskin bit her shoulder as they both reached the end.
"I love you, Rumplestiltskin." Belle breathed as she laid her head on his chest and he rested his on her own. "Yes, yes and I love you too, Belle He admitted breathily and kissed her hair. They laid drowsing contently in each other's arms as the rainstorm continued outside. It was the first time in a long time that Rumplestiltskin felt utter peace. With Belle in his arms, he felt no trouble and no worries about what the world had creeping outside his shop waiting to knock him off his feet.
"Belle I honestly love you. Gods even my boy loves you. You make me want to go back, back to the best version of myself. That never happen before." His accent seemed to almost break on the words as Belle's bright blue eyes filled with tears at his words.
"Rumple, please just go." Belle pleaded, a few tears slipping down her cheek. His worn face crumpled in pain at her words. He gently pressed two fingers against her chin and cheek, softly bidding her goodbye. He could hear and could practically feel the silent sobs that shook her shoulders behind him. A single tear also slid down his cheek that he wouldn't deny as his heart broke. As he made his way back to his shop, Rumplestiltskin hoped that the mouthy troublemaker assistant of his would figure out what the woman who had ruined his life wanted.
Baelfire Gold was watching TV in the living room, fuming at his father's actions. He loved his father but sometimes, he could see why people had a habit of calling him a monster. He was pulled from his thoughts as someone knocked on the front door. He knew he wasn't allowed to answer the door, fourteen or not. Whoever it was seemed to give up for a few minutes then slammed the flat side of their fist against the door. Then whoever it was called out to Bae. "Baelfire open the door." It was Chris. Sure enough it was Chris Waters. A back pack was slung over one shoulder and her jeep was parked on the curb still running.
"Sorry 'bout pound on the door but I need ta say goodbye." She explained and dug something out of her pocket. It was her necklace that had belonged to her father, "I'm headin' out and stopped by to give this to you to hold on for me." She held out her necklace to Bae who gave her an odd look at her words but took it anyway.
Chris headed for her jeep and called over her shoulder to Baelfire, "The day I come back, I want it back in the same condition." With those words said she got behind the wheel of the jeep and speed out of Storybrooke, Maine much like she did when first came to the small seaside town. Bae stood in the doorway watching her leave, holding the necklace. His father had pushed Chris into the leaving for who knew how long. He felt the stirring of indignation and disgust for his father.
Rumplestiltskin Gold left his Cadillac parked at his shop and walked home deep in his thoughts about explaining to his son what happened. This would be harder than explaining to a four year old Baelfire that his mama wasn't coming home.
Milah Gold had married a fresh out of law school man named oddly enough Rumplestiltskin Gold, who most called Rum for short, was unhappy with her life now. She had a baby boy who had been born sick and had found out that she would never again have children; she blamed it on her husband for it and started to neglect taking care of the boy. Rumplestiltskin had to take care of the baby while his mother went to bars and got drunk and went home with men who weren't her husband, years later.
On this particular night, the weather had turned terrible really terrible. Rumplestiltskin had to take a taxi down to the pub to collect his very drunk spouse after the bartender had called him about her drunken disorderliness.
He walked in, letting a blast of the cold wind and snow inside on accident. The closet patrons swore at him which he ignored and made his way to the bar to find out where Milah could be found. The bartender handed him the keys to the car which she had drove to the bar. He was directed to a table in the back where she was sitting with at least a dozen or so men.
"Milah its time to go." He called over the multiple voices surrounding her. Milah looked up at hearing his accent and sneered in loathing at him before downing the shot in front of her. "Go home yourself, Rumple. Go home to that little bastard son of yours." She snarled at him in disgust. Rumplestiltskin flinched at her words but stayed standing where he was. "Please donae call Bae that. Come let's go." He said calmly
Milah's sneer seemed to morph into a cruel smile as she spoke, "The only reason I really stayed with a man like you is because of your…" She was cut off by him gently wrapping his hand around her arm, ears a shade of pink. "You're drunk let's get you home." He said low enough for only they could hear.
Once inside the car Milah sat in the passenger seat slumped against the window moodily staring at the windshield wipers working double time. Rumplestiltskin took his eyes off the road to look at his wife then returned his gaze to the road and asked suddenly, "Milah, why must you insist upon calling Baelfire a bastard when he is just a wee lad? And why must you persist upon saying things that no one else should know?" Milah turned her stormy grey eyes from the road to her husband with distain before she said, "It's both of your faults."
It was silent for a bit before she spoke once more, "Now you'll pay for it." Milah Gold lunged for the steering wheel. Rumplestiltskin tried to defend himself from his drunken wife but didn't the long stretch of black ice that he now drove on. It wasn't until he felt the car start to slide that he knew what happened. Swearing violently, he tried to get the car back under control but to no effect. The car rolled over after it hit the guard rail three times before coming to a stop on the passenger side. Rumplestiltskin came to after hitting the steering wheel with a large gash that had blood leaking into his eye and one of his knees and ankles screaming bloody murder. He looked over at Milah who looked like she was unconscious before he blacked out again.
Rumplestiltskin awoke in the hospital the next morning with his leg in a cast and propped up while a large bandage was on his forehead. It wasn't until later that he learned that Milah had been killed on impact as the car rolled on the second time, probably the same moment that his ankle and knee broke. The doctor had also told him that it would be crippled for the rest of his life.
He opened his front door of the infamous pink house that belonged to him and his boy. "Bae, I'm home." He called tiredly. Bae didn't respond. "Bae?" He called again, only to have silence answer him. Where was Bae? He wondered as he called out once more "Baelfire Roderick Gold answer me lad." At this he heard movement from Bae's room. He was home still just furious with him.
After he made supper he took a plate up to Bae's room. He knocked on the door "Bae I made dinner." He explained, not expecting a response and was surprised when Bae opened the door looking at him with contempt in his dark brown eyes an exact shade of his father's.
Rumplestiltskin sat next to Bae who laid facing away from his father on the bed. "Bae, I wanted to talk with you, lad." He began looking out the window, "You know I'd never do anything to harm or upset you. The woman who came to our shop yesterday, I honestly never seen her before. You and Belle remind me every day what it's like to be human." Baelfire rolled over and looked at his father who still looked out of the window.
"Chris came by today and gave me her necklace saying she'd come back one day for it. She took off not a second later." Bae finally spoke to his father since the morning before. The older Gold turned his head to look at the younger one a slight smirk making an appearance. Bae seeing it caught onto what his father had planned. "You asked her to find out what she could 'bout that woman didn't you?" He guessed, His father shook his head and explained what his shop assistant was planning. Baelfire Gold smiled at his father with the same smirk that crossed his father's face when he decided to cause trouble.
Now all they had to do was wait and hope that Chris Waters who though a troublemaker proved that she could better than anyone would think possible could find what someone was trying to keep hidden or a secret. It was something she had kept to herself unless it was really needed like at that moment when her boss who she considered her friend needed it the most.
6 Months Later Day Before Gold's 'Wedding'
The town was ablaze for tomorrow was the wedding of the most feared if not hated man in Storybrooke. Rumplestiltskin was in the back room of his pawn shop looking haggard more than usually. There was no news about Chris or if she found something about Catherine Tam for that was what the woman was named and on the morrow.
Catherine had taken an instant dislike to Bae when she had the nerve to come to his house. Bae upon seeing her in his home took a leaf from Chris' book and said she looked so fake she could pass for Barbie except with obvious dyed blonde hair. She nearly hit the boy when his father grabbed her wrist and told her to leave. After she left, he phoned Sheriff Swan to make sure Catherine stayed away from the Golds.
He downed the glass of whiskey he had poured for himself. Why had he agreed to his ex-shop assistant's idea? He could almost feel the noose of what happening on the morrow. God he needed another drink no he reframed, he needed something else. Someone else. Belle.
That was what he needed. He needed to hear Belle's sweet voice in his ears as he held her in his arms, to smell her rose scent as she slept contently on his chest He hadn't seen her her in a week since she had crossed the street when she had seen him walking towards her. How was he going to get her to talk with him without her walking away or screaming at him? It was then that he remembered his cabin in the woods. It was secluded for his purpose of meeting Belle.
He had changed into a pair of jeans he had in the back of his closet and drove out to his secluded cabin and waited for Belle to arrive. That was where he was when she did arrive several hours later.
Belle picked up the small bouquet of roses up from the seat next to her, rereading the note that came with it. If the person who left them was trying to get her heart away from Rumplestiltskin they didn't have a hope. It was cruel but it was true, Belle loved Rumplestiltskin even though he was going to be married on the morrow to someone who wasn't a nice at all.
Upon reaching the door to her amazement the door opened before she could raise her hand to knock on it. No one seemed to be inside but then again someone had opened the door as she reached it so the person had to be behind the door, as if to prove her point a head of greying brown hair appeared from behind the door, Rumplestiltskin.
"Hey." He said, a soft tentative smile graced his features at seeing her. It was Rumplestiltskin who had sent the roses to her and asked her to meet him at this beautiful cabin in the middle of the woods. But why would he do all this when he was to marry on the morrow?
Belle walked into the cheerfully light cabin as he shut the door and looked at her calmly. Here they stood a couple, broken by one woman and broken trust. Do the brave thing and brave will follow Belle reminded herself as she spoke, " It was you who sent the roses." He nodded in agreement, " Why would you do this, Rumple?" he stepped closer to her and explained, "I needed to see you, Belle." His accent seemed to almost hypnotize her in its sibilance much like it did when she first met him.
"Why after all this time?" She inquired, stepping back lowering her blue eyes. Just looking at him almost made her hurt. But at his next words, "Because I still love you Belle, no matter what happens tomorrow. I just needed you to know that."
Belles blue eyes seemed brighter as they filled with tears at his words that made her jerk them up to meet his brown ones. The anger and the hurt bled away after months as the love she held for him broke free in her heart.
Rumplestiltskin pulled her into his arms and buried his face into the russet locks that smelled like roses that she favored. The feeling of her tears hitting his shirt had him tightening his arms around her on instinct as he peppered kisses into her hair. For a few moments the only sound was Belle's muffled cries and Rumplestiltskin's calm breathing that was until Belle's voice broke the silence, " I'm tired of pretending I don't love you anymore, Rumple."
The man pulled back so they could see eye to eye. "Belle?" He asked, as she stopped crying the beauty gifted him with a smile was all he needed to see as he pulled her close to him and captured her lips with his own in a kiss he had been wanting since she had walked through the door, no longer than that. Since the day she made him leave the library. She moaned as his gilded tongue swept against hers and throughout her mouth. They didn't know who pulled who over to the bed but it was Rumplestiltskin who rolled them over so he laid on top of her so they were pressed against each other almost as one as they removed the other's clothing. As they climbed down from their release Rumplestiltskin pulled her back into his arms and onto his chest as he whispered how much he loved her before slipping into sleep.
Belle pulled away from his arms and looked down at her Rumple, but he wasn't really hers now, he was that woman's. Just the thought of what was to take place in a few hours from now. She couldn't be there when he woke in a few hours, so she carefully pulled from him and got dressed. Turning to take one last look at the man she loved. He was sleeping soundly as if he had no troubles in the world. He looked younger in fact even if his crippled, scared leg stuck out from under the thin blanket that covered the bed. "I'll always love you, Rumple." She whispered, closing the door behind her, leaving the cabin and her heart as it shut.
It was early the dawn of the wedding, as Rumplestiltskin rolled over to where Belle laid only to keep reaching to nothing. He opened bleary brown eyes only to open them wide as he found no Belle. Bell had left after they made love, sometime after he had fallen asleep. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and buried his face in his rough hands. At that moment he hated Belle but as usual he couldn't stay mad at her for she held in her small hands his heart.
After dressing he left the cabin and as soon as he reached his Cadillac, he found a folded note stuck under the windshield wiper. It was typed and told him to expect a miracle that night. Hell, he would need one for that night was the thought running through his mind as he drove home.
Belle sat in a pew near the back of the church only because she had received a typed note taped to the inside of the library door. She recalled that the note had told her to show up and expect to see a miracle.
"Hey is it true the bride is a dyed blonde?" a person behind her asked, leaning forward. She turned around to look at the person and found there wasn't much to see as the person was wearing a baseball cap pulled low and a large pair of Aviator sunglasses so only their small nose and full lips that were curved into a smirk.
There was something familiar about that smirk and the person for that matter and for the life of her, she couldn't place them. The person leaned forward once more crossing their leather arms across the back of the empty seat next to Belle.
"Too bad 'Stilskin just didn't wait long enough for me to come back to Storybrooke." The western drawl of one Chris Waters who removed the large Aviators and slipped them into her sleeve.
"It was you who left the note." Belle said, no hint of a question at all in her voice Chris' smile widened so the older woman could see the dimple in her cheek all the confirmation she needed to see. "You need to trust me on this for all will be explained in a bit." Chris told her and sat back and pulled her hat down even lower than it was already.
Rumplestiltskin stood at the alter with his beloved son next to him. His son had been quite since that morning though he had been sporting the same grin that was usually found on his father's face when trouble was about to be caused. "Dear God if there is a God get me out of this." Bae heard his father pray and chuckled lightly at him, "Maybe all you need is a miracle, papa, one whose rebellious." Before he could ask what Bae meant the bridal march began and Rumplestiltskin turned toward the doors of the church where his bride stood slowly walking toward them.
It wasn't right it should have been Belle walking toward him not this woman who had destroyed his life. He tightened his grip on his cane to stop himself from trying to run from this wedding that he didn't want a part of it but the preacher began and out of the corner of his eye he seen Bae reach into his pocket of his own suite and pulled something out of it.
"If there is anyone who doesn't believe these two shall not be married speak now or forever hold your peace." The preacher said looking around the crowded church as Baelfire Gold pointed a small remote for a hidden cd player and out poured an electric guitar and a woman singing, "I love rock n' roll so put another dime in the jukebox, baby I love rock n' roll so come and take your time and dance with me." The sound was so unexpected that everyone including the young teenager that had been told to play the song at that exact moment, jumped.
"Bae, my friend, I told you that the best song of Rock n' Roll to completely ruin a wedding is Joan Jett and the Heartbreakers' I Love Rock n' Roll. Then again I'm pretty sure someone standing up and belching really loudly would do the same thing except that would be very rude." A rough western drawl accent rang loud and clear over the song as it cut out.
There was only one person who had a drawl as rough as that and all turned to the center isle and seen one Chris Waters standing there, arms crossed a smirk in full bloom on her lightly tanned face.
"Though that maybe because, I personally don't care for weddings especially if they involve my friend and a gold digger who only cares about the size of his wallet if not his bank account." She added, earning a glare from the woman in white. The smirk vanished as she held a file folder from where she had been sitting behind Belle.
The folder was very thick in appearance. Now everyone in attendance was silently watching Chris walk up the small stairs that lead up to the alter before handing it to Rumplestiltskin to look at. The bride seemed to know what was in it as she lunged at him but was restrained by the sheriff and the heavy skirts of her dress, as he opened the file. The information inside it was astounding as he continued to read on.
His shop assistant hadn't been joking when she said that she'd ferret out the truth. She had found out that the woman who had been calling herself Catherine Tam was pseudonym for she had taken the name of her last husband who had a mental break down after she had stolen all but five dollars of his money. The husband before that had been completely bankrupt then hung himself.
Rumplestiltskin looked up from the file at the woman at the woman with pure loathing in his dark brown eyes as he handed the file to Chris and softly snarled, "Get out of here. Sheriff Swan if you'd please escort her out of here."
The blonde sheriff pulled the woman out of the church when two men entered and took the woman from the sheriff who looked stunned at them as the shorter man handcuffed the woman who started fighting, screaming and cursing them all only to be silenced by Belle who punched her, rendering the other woman unconscious.
Belle had sat watching the scene unfold from Chris got up and started talking up till the two men came inside and the woman who had called herself Catherine Tam started cursing at everyone but mostly at the man she loved. She didn't even realize she was moving as her small fist made contact with Tam's face causing her to slump against the men's grasp.
Both men and Sheriff Emma Swan stared at Belle who shook her fist in pain. The sight of the beautiful librarian who everyone seemed to adore even if she had fallen in love with the most hated man in the whole of Storybrooke knocking out a woman who was very tall was shocking to everyone.
Chris moved quickly back the way she had come to speak with the taller man who had pure white hair and what appeared to be a bat bowtie. Both the Gold's men followed her lead ignoring the loud whispers from the congregation as they approached the group. Rumplestiltskin stood within a hand's reach from Belle, whose hand was an interesting shade of red.
"Thank you Jack, Captain." Chris had addressed both men who shook her hand and returned her smile before leaving dragging the unconscious Catherine Tam away from the small town of Storybrooke, Maine to a jail cell along ways away. "Agent Skellington and Captain Sparrow two good agents who helped me ferret out the truth though it was Mrs. Skellington that gave the why. Greedy pig wasn't expecting it to bite her in the ass." Chris explained, without prompt. Belle turned around and hugged the man she loved as it hit that everything was over. Rumplestiltskin wrapped his free hand around the beauty that clung to him.
Baelfire who had remained quite finally asked, "Are you going to marry Belle, Papa? The question startled everyone but then caused his father to slowly smile as he said, "If she'll have me." Belle pulled back slightly with a soft smile on her lips with tears in her eyes as she agreed to marry him.
In the time span of twenty minutes everything was quickly reorganized to what Belle liked with a small amount of what Rumplestiltskin liked. Guests who had originally come to witness Rumplestiltskin's wedding to Catherine Tam mostly because it was on his dime now stayed for the wedding of the beauty and the beast of Storybrooke that had Sydney Glass writing as fast as he could for the front page of the following days papers.
Rumplestiltskin Gold was trying very hard to keep his image of the ruthless pawnbroker who owned half the town but by the smirk from Bae and his reinstated shop assistant thrown at him told him just how bad he was doing it. "Told ya if you pull your head out of your ass, 'Stiltskin, those who care about you would come back." Chris said, tucking her thick light brown bangs behind her ear. But before he could shot back at her the bridal march once more began but for a different woman and Belle in a very beautiful wedding gown stood at the back of the church stopped him dead in his tracks.
Belle's wedding dress looked like it came out of a dream for it was mixture of both yellow and white gold threaded through the lower parts that covered her heels which were pale white and gave her two inches of height. Just the sight of her as she made her way to them caused him to be speechless.
Rumplestiltskin took her small pale soft hand in his long calloused tapered fingers. Both seemed to only know each other as the preacher began to give the vows not one soul said a word either by what was happening or the fear of finding their rent had sky rocketed.
"Do you Rumplestiltskin Nicholas Gold take Belle Lacey French to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The preacher questioned, looking at him for his answer. Rumplestiltskin took a deep breath and said, "Yes I do."
The other man turned and looked at the beauty whose lips never lost their smile as she stared into warm dark brown eyes of her Rumple. A man who she knew to be charming in her own in his own way caring for his son and very stubborn especially with Chris who would argue with him to the point both were shouting at each other and where neither could be understood as both had accents of their own which had both Belle and Bae laughing at them. But all were layers built on top of each other to make him the man she loved.
"Do you Belle Lacey French take Rumplestiltskin Nicholas Gold to be to be your lawfully wedded husband?" He asked "I do." Belle confirmed rather quickly and was rewarded with the sight of the skin around Rumple's eyes crinkling a little bit. "Then by the power in invested in me," the preacher was cut off as Belle and Rumplestiltskin's lips met in a kiss that spoke of a very deep love that very few would ever see, true love. "By the state of Maine, you may continue to kiss you bride." He finished.
There would be time later for the story behind everything but not now for they had all the time in the world, just not during the wedding of the Beauty and the Beast of Storybrooke.
A/N Sorry it's been so long since I posted a story but if you look at the date of Its Crying Time I got run over that day so I apologize for the long wait. I hope that this makes up for the long wait and I do hope that it ain't crappy. Story is dedicated to anyone who can figure out who the two men are near the end.
Please read and Review.