I've had this idea in my head for a while now, so figured it was time to put pen to paper. Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT.
Chapter 1
Belle French was tired. Exhausted. Knackered. It was a warm summers's evening in the city of New York, a Friday night, and she should have been excited for a relaxing weekend. But she simply could not muster up the enthusiasm. The cause was no secret. Her job at Storybrooke Publishers was giving her hell. So much so that she was starting to wonder whether this promotion she was working towards was worth it. She had recently been given the lead on an important project and after lots of hard work and countless late nights she and her group had finally presented their findings earlier that day. Unfortunately the presentation did not at all go as expected. In fact, it had gone horribly wrong. Half the group hadn't prepared their material beforehand, thereby completely disrupting the flow of the presentation, and the other half couldn't even answer the simplest of questions from an audience which included several senior members of the company. She had felt so embarrassed and wanted nothing more than to just forget all about it.
That's why, on that sunny Friday evening, despite the fatigue, Belle French found herself at her favourite bar, getting drunk with her best friend.
'You know Belle, we should do this more often. We live together and yet I feel like I hardly ever see you.'
'Well Ruby, that's because you're always with your girlfriend,' Belle teased.
'I am not! It's because you're always working. You're hardly ever home before ten these days.'
A heavy sigh escaped. 'I know. It'll calm down soon… I hope.'
'It better. I want my housemate back.' Ruby, a tall young woman with dark hair with a fiery red streak running through it, knocked back the rest of her drink and set the empty glass down to join a number of others on the table between them. 'Another round? I'll get them.'
Belle nodded, finishing her own drink as Ruby rose slightly unsteadily from the table and made her way over to the bar. As she watched her friend walk away it briefly occurred to her that perhaps this next drink should be their last. They'd already worked their way through a decent amount of gin and she didn't want this night to take a turn for the worse.
But then the memories of her work presentation returned and she knew she wasn't drunk enough yet. Besides, what alternative did she have? Sit at home and go over the situation a million more times? No thank you.
Another drink it was then.
Belle glanced around as she waited. She liked this place. Tucked away down a side street it rarely became overcrowded, but was big enough to have a nice buzz without feeling impersonal. She and Ruby had discovered it one night a few years ago when they were trying to get out of the rain and since then it had become their first choice on a night out.
Ruby soon returned with two more gin and tonics, an excited grin spread across her face. 'Very handsome guy at the bar. I think you should go over and introduce yourself.'
Belle's eye widened, a blush creeping across her cheeks as she accepted her drink. 'Ruby! I'm not going to just approach some random guy. What if he's a murderer or something?'
Ruby scoffed. 'Don't be silly. If he was a murderer I doubt he'd just casually be hanging out in a bar in the middle of Manhattan.'
'Ok well if he's that handsome then he's probably with someone.'
'He looked like he was by himself.' Ruby gave her an imploring look. 'You only live once Belle. What if he's the one?'
'I doubt it. Anyway, I'm not looking for anything right now.'
'Aw come on! It's been years since the Gaston saga. Don't you want to get back out there?'
'The only way I'm getting back out there is if my true love walks up to me with a sign over his head saying 'I'm your soulmate. Marry me.' Otherwise it's all a waste of time.'
Ruby giggled. 'Unfortunately that would make life too easy.' And with that they toasted their glasses together and continued drinking.
William Gold was pissed off. Seriously pissed off. What should have been a day of celebration for him had spiralled into one of disappointment and frustration instead. After spending a number of weeks working hard to put together a solid deal to sell one of his companies he thought the contract would finally be signed that day, only for the buyers to pull out at the last minute. Now he felt like all the effort and time he'd spent working on the deal had been for nothing. And, to add insult to injury, he had planned on using the money from the sale of this company in order to invest in another. Why could nothing ever just go as planned?
What angered Gold the most, however, was that he hadn't seen this coming. He thought he was a good businessman. He knew was a good businessman. He had been under the impression that it was all going well. How could he have miscalculated so badly? Was this the start of the end of his career? He loved making deals. Couldn't imagine his life without it. The chase. The thrill. The satisfaction. And for all that to be over...
He felt claustrophobic. Being stuck inside his apartment was no good. He needed a distraction. Grabbing his wallet he made his way down the street to his favourite bar, deciding that an evening amongst strangers would do him some good. And if not, at least he could get drunk and forget about this nightmare of a day.
'Urgh. I'm not sure I can handle another,' Ruby muttered, eyes closing and head falling against the back of the booth.
Belle watched on, a smirk playing across her lips. She had always been able to hold her drink better than her friend, ever since their university days and the wild house parties they hosted. That's not to say that she wasn't feeling it, because she definitely was. But not enough to want to head home yet.
'Looks like I arrived just in time then,' came the voice of a young woman as she approached their booth. Dressed in a stylish navy blue suit and carrying a bag full of documents she had clearly come straight from the office. She and Belle greeted each other as she slid into the booth next to Ruby, patting her thigh. 'You alright love? '
Ruby opened her eyes. 'Dorothy! ' She enthusiastically wrapped her arms around the other woman and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Dorothy chuckled and pulled away slightly to get a better look at her girlfriend. 'Your breath smells grim. How much have you had to drink?'
Ruby was quick to point across the table. 'It was all Belle's fault! She encouraged me.'
'Me?! You're the one who bought most of the drinks.'
'Then why do I feel so much worse than you?'
Dorothy and Belle shared a look. 'I think we all know the answer to that one,' Dorothy muttered.
'I am not a lightweight!' Ruby's words would have sounded a lot more convincing, however, had they not been interrupted by a drunken hiccup.
'Of course not. Come on, let's get you home.' Dorothy laid Ruby's cardigan across her shoulders and helped her out of the booth. That was when she noticed that Belle had made no effort to get up. 'Are you not coming?'
'You go ahead. I think I'm going to stay a little longer,' Belle replied. 'If I go home I'll only start thinking about work again.'
'I take it that means the presentation didn't go as expected?'
'It was a total disaster,' Ruby answered on Belle's behalf. 'That's why we're drinking. To help her forget about it.'
'It certainly sounds like it's helping you forget at least!' Dorothy laughed.
'I'll tell you about it tomorrow,' Belle said.
'Ok, but promise you'll get a cab home when you're ready?'
'Will do. See you later.'
After watching her friends leave Belle made her way over to the bar. A task that was much harder than it should have been. Why was the room spinning? Surely she hadn't had that many drinks had she? She stopped and concentrated hard. Yup, she could still remember pieces of the failed presentation. Another drink would be required. Just one more though, to set her up for a much needed dreamless sleep. While she was still thinking semi clearly she booked herself a cab to pick her up half an hour later. And with that she found herself an empty seat at the bar and caught the attention of the bartender.
Three whiskies later and Gold's bad mood was finally dissipating. In fact he was starting to feel quite calm. He had gone over every dealing he had had with the almost buyers over the past few months and had managed to convince himself that he couldn't have seen this coming. He wasn't losing his touch after all. Phew.
That good mood, however, did not last long. The seat next to him that had been empty for so long was finally taken up by someone, thereby disturbing his peaceful corner. Turning to glare at the stranger he felt his mind go blank and his mouth dry as he laid eyes on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. His eyes followed her dark brown curls as she gently shook hair out of her face, then across to her mouth as she licked her lips before speaking to the bartender. He felt a fluttering in his stomach when he heard her soft Australian accent. Fuck. He couldn't look away. He felt an overwhelming need to speak to this woman. Like he'd regret it if he didn't. He just didn't know what to say.
Until she received her order and it was like fate giving him an opportunity.
'Good choice,' he commented, gesturing to their identical drinks.
Belle turned at the sound of a voice next to her and almost choked on her drink. Oh wow, good choice of seating Belle French, she thought to herself as she not so subtly admired the man's short grey hair and deep brown eyes that sparkled in the dim light of the bar. He was slightly older than the guys she was usually attracted to, but damn did he know how to pull off a three piece suit.
She suddenly remembered that he'd spoken to her.
'Much needed,' she replied, wondering if perhaps this was the guy Ruby had seen earlier that night.
'Long week?'
'Felt like an eternity. You?' she asked, gesturing down to his own half finished whisky.
'Aye. Spent weeks working on an important deal only for it to fall through at the last minute. All that time wasted. Hence the need for this,' he said, lifting up his glass. He wasn't usually so forthcoming, but the whiskies had started to loosen his tongue.
Belle was so lost in his gravelly Scottish accent that she almost forgot to reply. Again. Perhaps she was slightly more buzzed than she initially thought. 'Ouch. That's not good.'
'Not at all. What about you?'
'I was lead on an important project with a team of six others and of course I had to do most of the work by myself. All they had to do was get through the presentation, but they messed it up and it made us all look bad.'
'Typical.'
'I know right. I may as well have been working with a bunch of labradors for all the help they were.'
Gold chuckled. 'Dogs in the work place… Now that's an idea I could get behind.'
'At least you know they'd be loyal.'
'That's true.'
He had a lovely smile, Belle noticed. Made his whole face light up like the sun emerging from behind the clouds. Not that his face looked like clouds usually. Just an expression. Yup, definitely drunk. She shook her head from thoughts of suns and clouds and leaned towards him slightly, lowering her voice. 'Any pets in your life?' Oh Belle, is that what you call flirting?!
If Gold thought her line of questioning odd, however, he didn't give anything away. 'I have a son, if that counts. He had a tortoise once, but he thought it would be a good idea to take the little guy to the park one day and managed to lose him.'
Belle's smile faltered imperceptibly at the mention of a child. If there's a child there's probably a partner, she thought, subtly glancing down at his hands. No ring though… 'How did he manage to lose a tortoise?'
'They're faster than they appear, apparently. He turned around to get an ice cream and when he came back he was gone. We searched for a good three hours, but no luck.'
'Poor kid. How old was he?'
'My son? Seven. I like to think he should have known better, but he just meant well.'
Belle smiled. 'At least his heart was in the right place,' she said.
Gold smiled softly at the memory of happier days. Days that were long gone now. He took a sip of his drink and returned to the present. 'How about you? Any children? Or pets?'
'No children, but my housemate Ruby has a cat, Sammy. Though it's usually up to me to look after him as she travels a lot for work or stays over at her girlfriend's.'
'That's often the way isn't it? My son promised that he would look after that tortoise, but of course it was left to someone else to clean the blasted tank every time. I guess I should have known not to make a deal with a young child.'
Belle chuckled again. She found she was doing that a lot in his company. 'I don't mind it so much. Sammy and I have become good friends.'
'Who's looking after Sammy tonight?'
'My housemate and her girlfriend will be in the flat tonight so Sammy will have plenty of company.'
'So you can stay for another drink?' he asked hopefully.
Somewhere in her brain a voice was telling Belle that she probably shouldn't, that she'd had more than enough for one night. She wasn't a regular drinker and given the lack of sleep and the number of drinks she had already consumed she was in danger of passing the point of controlled drunk, as she liked to call it, if she hadn't already. And yet, she felt a connection with this handsome stranger and her heart was telling her not to leave just yet.
'I can stay,' she confirmed, smiling at him, heart winning out over head.
Gold grinned in return, leaning in a little closer. He wanted to see how many more times he could draw that beautiful smile out of her that night. 'The same again?'
She nodded, draining her glass and accepting the fresh drink from the bartender. They toasted their glasses and continued chatting and exchanging drinks, learning more and more about each other as the night went on. At some point they dispensed with personal space entirely and scooted right up against one another, as if they were opposite poles of a magnet, drawn to each other. Though, if asked, they would claim it was in order to hear each other better over the noise in the bar. By the time the main lights came on and they started ushering people out of the door they were two of just a handful of patrons left.
It was only when Belle tried to climb down from her stool that she realised just how drunk she was. Stumbling in her heels she would have fallen flat on her face if not for Gold's strong arms catching her just in time. Clutching his arms she felt how strong he was. She wondered what else was hidden beneath that suit. She gave a subtle sniff. Nice cologne too... Stop those thoughts right now!
She raised her eyes to meet his, only to realise that they were much closer to one another than she had originally thought.
His breath caught in his throat as she glanced up at him. Her eyes were even more enchanting up close and he didn't hesitate to tell her as much.
It was only after he spoke, however, that his brain registered what he said and he pulled away in embarrassment. The resultant blush on her cheeks was unmistakable in the harsh light of the bar. 'Thanks,' she mumbled, grinning self consciously, already feeling the loss of his warmth.
He grabbed his cane that had been resting against the bar next to him and offered Belle his arm before they slowly and carefully made their way towards the exit, not wanting another accident to occur, but equally not ready for the night to end.
Gold tried to think of ways to keep their night going without coming off as a creep, but his whisky addled mind wasn't keeping pace with his legs and before he was able to come up with a plan they found themselves outside on the street.
Luckily for him Belle, spurred on by the alcohol flowing through her system, took the initiative and made the first move. 'I've had a lot of fun tonight.'
'Me too.'
'I - I don't want the night to end.'
This woman is perfect, he thought to himself. While he had been stressing about how to extend his time with her she had just gone for it. Consequences be damned. 'Neither do I.'
The resulting smile on her face would be etched into his memory for eternity. Now it was his turn to be brave. Resting his cane against the wall he reached up to cradle her cheek. The look in her eyes gave him all the confirmation he needed, the magnetic pull that they had been feeling all night acting once again to bring their lips together in a soft kiss. Her hand instinctively went to his side, gently pulling him closer.
The sudden sound of a car horn nearby broke them apart, their cheeks flushed and hearts racing.
'I'm Belle by the way,' she murmured against his lips.
'William,' he replied before kissing her again.
Their lips parted and tongues tentatively reached out, exploring one another, as their bodies came together. Belle could still taste the whisky on his tongue. But there was another flavour there as well, sweet and inviting. Perhaps it was the flavour of him and damn she couldn't get enough of it. She slipped her hands inside his coat, wrapping her arms around his waist, and drew herself into his warmth as his hands ran slowly down her back.
'I live a couple of blocks from here. I've got some food if you'd like to join me?' Gold said once the need for air became too great.
'I'd love to,' Belle replied.
Gold reluctantly pulled away from her, reaching for his cane, and taking her hand as he lead her down the street.
'Here we are,' he said moments later as they approached a tall building at the edge of Central Park.
Little had been said on the walk over. He had been trying to recover from the mind blowing kisses they had shared outside the bar. And now she actually wanted to come back with him. How the hell had this day gone from one extreme to the other so quickly? Only hours ago he had been sitting in his apartment fuming over the lost deal and now here he was back again but this time with a gorgeous woman on his arm, who was not only an incredible kisser but seemed funny and interesting as well. And what's more, she seemed just as keen as he was! Not believing his luck he vowed to make the most of this night because who knew how long it would last.
He lead Belle into the building and straight into a waiting elevator, stealing a kiss as he pressed the button for his floor. One kiss quickly lead to another, and before they knew it they were standing outside his front door.
The apartment was dark as they entered, but with the flick of a few switches soft lighting came on. The first thing Belle noticed as she wandered into the living room was how big the place was. It was beautifully decorated, with antiques and trinkets covering every surface.
'Is it just you here?' She asked as she gravitated towards an overflowing bookshelf.
'Just me,' Gold replied, wrapping his arms around her from behind and showering her neck with featherlight kisses.
The books quickly forgotten, Belle turned in his embrace and brought her arms around his neck to return his kiss. Their lips parted as the kiss deepened and their tongues duelled with one another, this kiss much hungrier than those that had come before it, sending sparks of desire through their bodies. He ran his hands up and down her back as hers lost themselves in his short hair and she pressed herself against him, stirring feelings in him that he hadn't experienced in many years.
'You know, I'm suddenly not so hungry anymore,' Belle murmured against Gold's lips.
A knowing grin spread across his face. 'I was hoping you might say that,' he replied and leaned in to kiss her once more.
Lips refusing to break apart, they made their way into the master bedroom, tripping over each other in the process and falling onto the bed. They shuffled towards the centre of the king size mattress and Gold went straight back to kissing his way across Belle's neck, eliciting sweet moans from her as she tried to concentrate on undoing his tie.
Once the tie had been dealt with Belle slid his suit jacket off his shoulders and unbuttoned his waistcoat, wondering briefly how he could handle wearing a three piece suit in the height of New York summer. It was when she made a start on his shirt that the significance of the moment suddenly hit him.
This was really happening.
While he'd had a chance to sober up on the walk over from the bar, and was therefore sure that he wanted this, he didn't know how drunk she still was. Did she feel the same? Or were her actions fuelled purely by alcohol? The look in her eyes indicated that perhaps this was more than a whisky induced attraction, but his judgement had already been proven wrong once that day so he didn't want to take the risk and do anything she might regret later on.
He rolled off her and gently pulled her hands away from his shirt. 'Are you sure about this?'
A confused look came over her face. 'Is something wrong?'
'Not at all. I just want to make sure that this is what you really want. I don't want to take advantage of you.'
Belle's frown gave way to a wide smile. Fuck, she's beautiful, he thought as she reached over and caressed his cheek. 'You're a very sweet man. And I do want this. Very much.'
Satisfied with her confirmation Gold retook his position on top of her, settling himself between her legs, and kissed her breathless.
'That…was amazing,' Belle sighed blissfully some time later as she rolled off Gold and onto her back, trying to catch her breath.
'Incredible,' he agreed, breathing heavily.
After taking a moment to cool off Gold pulled the blanket up over them and Belle snuggled into his side. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. The drunken haze they had both experienced earlier in the evening had passed into a feeling of comfort and satisfaction. Like this was how things should be.
'I don't usually do this,' Gold mumbled into Belle's hair.
'Do what?'
'Sleep with people I meet in bars.'
'Me neither.' Belle looked up at him. 'You must be pretty special.'
'Not as special as you.' He leaned forward and sealed his comment with a kiss.
Despite the late hour they weren't feeling particularly tired and continued chatting into the early hours of the morning, only breaking off when their desires took over. They finally fell asleep as the sun rose and the birds outside started to sing.
Good sleep, Belle had come to realise, was a luxury. One that had been missing from her life in recent weeks. And she hadn't known just how much she needed it until she woke later that morning feeling refreshed and well rested. She liked to think it was due to the fact that the project from hell at work was finally behind her, but in reality it was far more likely because of the incredible man pressed up against her back, placing little kisses across her neck.
Of course the ridiculously comfortable mattress and soft pillows also helped.
'Have I told you that you have a beautiful neck?' Gold mumbled between kisses when he saw her eyes flutter open.
Smiling sleepily, she turned to face him and brought his lips down to hers, morning breath be damned. She couldn't help the moan that escaped when he positioned himself on top of her and she felt how ready he was to go again.
'Your stamina is impressive,' she purred against his lips.
'It's easy when there's such a stunning woman in my bed,' he replied, kissing his way down her naked chest.
Despite the drunken nature of their initial meeting there was no awkwardness between them that morning. Things felt right. As if they shared a deeper connection than merely a mutual enjoyment of fine whiskies.
Belle's body became more awake with every kiss and she rolled them over to straddle him and return the favour. A quick glance across to the bedside table showed her that it was already 10:00.
'Shit!' she exclaimed, jumping off Gold and trying to disentangle herself from the sheets, in the end falling ungracefully off the side of the bed, the sheets still wrapped around her body.
Extremely puzzled, Gold leaned over the side of the bed. 'Everything ok?'
'I'm late!' came the muffled response from beneath the sheets.
She eventually escaped and jumped up to look for her clothes. A difficult job given that the room was still dark. 'Do you mind if I open the curtains? I can't find my stuff.'
'Go for it,' Gold replied, still not quite sure what the hell was going on. One minute they were kissing and the next he was lying in bed by himself, slightly cold and very naked. 'Are you expected at work today?'
'No, no,' she said absently. 'I'm helping out with - Woah!' she shrieked as she opened the curtains to find herself high above the city of New York, looking out over Central Park. She clapped her hands over her eyes and turned around, stark naked against the bright sky outside. 'You didn't tell me you live so high up!'
Gold almost felt better about her sudden exit from his bed as he took in the view before him. 'Did you not notice in the elevator?' he asked, amusement evident in his tone.
'If you recall I was kind of busy in the elevator. I'm really scared of heights,' she said, reaching blindly behind her to try and close the curtains again.
Switching the lamp on beside his bed, Gold got up and shut the curtains for her. 'You can open your eyes now. They're closed.'
Tentatively removing one hand, as if she didn't quite believe him, she confirmed that he had indeed done as he said and went back to looking for her clothes. 'Thank you!'
'I can make some breakfast if you'd like?' Gold asked.
'I'd love to, but I'm helping out with a charity event in the park this morning and I'm already running late.'
She got dressed, found her purse, then ran over to Gold who was still standing naked in the middle of the room, trying, in his tired state, to make sense of the abrupt start to the morning. 'Breakfast is on me next time. I had a great night. Call me,' she said, reaching up and giving him a heated kiss before running out of the apartment, her hair a mess and her blouse half untucked.
'Belle, wait!' Gold called after her, but without his cane he wasn't fast enough to catch her before she left. 'Shit,' he muttered under his breath.
She hadn't given him her phone number.
