AN: Hello dearies, just thought I'd say a quick hello before I release you into the wilds of Middlesbrough (yes, I've been there, it's pretty wild) I've been wanting to write an Anyelle fic for a long time and now I'm finally doing it! I hope you guys enjoy this and please review me, subscribe etc. I'll be oh so grateful if you did! I really wanted the challenge of writing woobie!MacAvoy and I hope I pulled it off. -I'll stop boring you now... Enjoy
DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately all characters and legal spiel belong to the creators of Once Upon A Time and The Tournament. I am only responsible for the plot.
CHAPTER I
Belle parked her rental car and frowned at the map in her hand. This certainly didn't look like Middlesbrough, according to the brochure she had picked up at her last destination. The sky was overcast, rain threatening to spill from the skies and the people who walked past her looked grim and world-weary. But perhaps this is what Middlesbrough is supposed to look like Belle thought to herself. She almost felt foolish for believing the brochure, she had always been a romantic at heart after all.
Belle had been travelling across the UK for almost two months. She had started in London, visited places like Devon, Brighton, Peterborough and now she was slowly making her way north. She had spent a couple of nights in Nottingham, checking out the Lace Market Theatre and smiling to herself as she noted a couple of the nods to the infamous Robin Hood story. She had visited Leeds, enjoying the sites and in particular the Bridgewater Place, colloquially known as 'The Dalek'. She was drawn to the unusual, and as she was slowly getting closer to the top of the United Kingdom she found herself in Middlesbrough.
She didn't know what exactly brought her to Middlesbrough, perhaps it was the name or the look of the central public library she had driven past a few minutes ago. But for some reason today Belle didn't have an interest in books. She didn't know what she was after. She had felt a strange void for a while, perhaps that was why she decided to pack up her things and leave with nothing but a small bag containing her worldly possessions and her purse.
Something to Belle felt off, she almost decided to turn back and visit somewhere else, perhaps the coast, apparently Whitby was lovely this time of year according to one leathery-faced pensioner she had come across in Newcastle.
However she decided to give Middlesbrough a chance, so Belle locked the car and decided to have a quick walk around the local sites. Within a couple of minutes Belle was shivering, regretting her choice of clothes. Perhaps a blue knee length dress and no coat was a bit overambitious for the northern town.
She decided to let that slide however and continued walking. She smiled at those she passed on the street, a few smiled back, although most stared back at her blankly, as though she had sprouted another head.
Belle could barely contain her excitement as she noticed a cute-looking bookshop that still appeared to be open. She knew she wasn't in the particular mood for nothing more than a passing glance but she couldn't help herself. Belle opened the door and smiled to herself as a small bell sounded to signal her coming into the shop. A small, white-haired woman came out from the back of the shop and smiled brightly at Belle.
"Hello missus, what can I do you for?" The woman asked politely.
"Me?" Belle asked, although she tried not to blush as she realised she was indeed the only person in the shop bar the shopkeeper.
"Do you see anyone behind you?" The shopkeeper asked, although there was only humour in her old blue eyes.
"Alas no," Belle said with a small smile. "I was just passing through the area and I saw this shop and I couldn't go past without having a look," Belle explained.
"Ah, a fellow bibliophile I see, well I can never turn our kind away. Have a look until your heart's content dear," the old woman said warmly.
"Thank you, and I will," Belle said as she began to browse a couple of the shelves. Belle absolutely adored books and given the chance Belle would stay in a bookshop until evening came. She couldn't stop herself from hunting down classics when she first came to the United Kingdom, she visited every Waterstone's she could find whilst traveling but she was glad to find an independent bookshop, those were her favourites.
Belle knew she couldn't stay in this particular shop for too long though, she looked at her watch and saw it was coming up to 5pm so decided to go to the counter and say her goodbyes to the polite old woman.
"Thank you for letting me have a look around, this shop is beautiful," Belle said with a bright smile.
"You're welcome dear," the old woman said gratefully. "I can tell you're not from around here are you?" the old woman asked.
"No," Belle replied. "I'm from Sydney originally, I've always wanted to travel the world you see, so I decided to come to the United Kingdom and see the sites."
"Why Middlesbrough? Surely London or Manchester is more of an allure than here," the old woman said with some amusement in her eyes.
"You know, I'm not quite sure. I'm not planning on staying though. This shop has definitely been the gem of Middlesbrough for me. I best be off though, more sites to see, things to do and all that. Thanks again for your wonderful bookshop, goodbye," Belle said as she waved politely to the old woman and left the shop with a huge smile on her face.
As soon as she stepped outside however, her smile had vanished. It had definitely grown colder since she had entered the bookshop, and a lot darker too. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered as she walked back towards where she had parked the car.
It was only a matter of time before Belle realised she was lost, the streets no longer looked so welcoming and hooded characters kept bumping into her. However Belle saw a pub ahead and decided that she would ask for directions back to her car there. It probably wasn't the best idea she had ever thought of but it was her only option.
As Belle got closer she saw the pub door swing out and two men step outside. One was much larger than the other and the larger man seemed to have the other by the neck.
Oh no, Belle thought to herself, and without thinking, Belle ran full pelt down the street. She cursed her almost suicidal bravery as she felt herself gaining speed, her heels clacking loudly as she went.
"Piss off, you stupid drunk bastard. This is the last time you drink in my pub without paying your bloody tab first," a the larger man with what appeared to be greying hair yelled as he threw the other man out of his pub and delivered a couple of kicks to the man's ribs.
"HEY! What do you think you're doing?!" Belle yelled as she ran towards the two men, horrified at what she had just seen.
"And what is it to you lady?" The man asked, he was taller up close, beefier too. His hands balled up into fists and shamelessly kicked the man in front of him once more in the ribs. The man on the floor groaned in pain and clutched at his side.
"Leave him alone? What has he done to deserve this?" Belle asked, dismayed as she crouched down to look at the man on the floor. He was much smaller than the other, dressed in black with long scraggy brown hair with flecks of grey. He smelt strongly of alcohol and sweat, she ignored this however when she heard him make strange noises. Belle choked back a gasp when she realised that he was whimpering, a sad noise, eerily like a dog that had been kicked.
"Are you okay sir?" She asked quietly. The man shook as he nodded. His eyes were firmly trained on the ground, he obviously didn't want her to notice him. She did though, and Belle felt strangely protective of him. Something told her that she had to protect this man, and nothing would stop her from leaving his side.
"What do you think you're doing? Hurting a man like that?" Belle asked the barman in horror.
The man laughed "Nothing less than that scumbag deserves that's what," the man replied.
"It's inhumane, evil even. I should call the Police right now and get you arrested for assault," Belle said, her voice trembling with emotion.
"And tell them what? That man is well known to the police, they could probably smell him from a yard away," the barman said with a chortle. Belle choked back a gasp and turned her back on the barman.
"Are you sure you are okay sir?" Belle asked softly.
"Please miss, I'm fine," the man said, his voice barely above a whisper. Her heart clenched, the poor soul could barely talk. She put her hand on the man's back and rubbed soothing circles. The man froze up, as if she had struck him. Immediately Belle felt her blood being replaced by icy water.
"Tell me, what has he done?" Belle asked, her teeth grinding on every word.
"He's drunk the bar dry and now he won't pay the tab. He's pathetic love, I wouldn't waste your time on him. This is the third time I've kicked him out this month," the barman said vehemently.
"How much is his tab?" Belle asked quietly, as she turned back around to look the barman straight in in the eyes.
"What?" He asked, bewildered by her question. The man on the floor seemed to be puzzled by this too.
"You heard me. How much is his tab?" Belle asked again, this time her voice was stronger.
"Two hundred quid," the barman replied simply. Belle looked at the man on the ground, his cheeks visibly burning with shame. Belle felt sorry for him, she gently squeezed his arm as a sign of comfort.
"Okay, would you like that by cash or cheque?" Belle asked, trying not to let her voice waver.
The barman openly laughed at this statement, his chortle echoing through the empty streets. "Is this some sort of joke? Am I on camera?" The barman asked as he looked around, as though he were looking for a film crew to jump out of a nearby dumpster.
"Please miss, go. I don't need your help," the man said, his voice cracking as he spoke. He looked at her this time, his large brown eyes shining with unshed tears. Belle looked back at him and tried not to cry herself, this man was a lost cause and she gasped as she noticed something.
The man's cheeks once again flushed red and he looked at the ground.
"You're bleeding," she said in horror as she gently touched his forehead and showed him her fingers covered in blood the man looked back at her in surprise.
"I'm being serious," Belle said as she looked back at the barman. "I'll pay this man's tab and then you have to swear that you will leave him alone. Look at him, you've made him bleed," Belle continued gesturing to his face.
"Fine," the barman said with a sigh.
Belle reached into her purse and took out a few notes, throwing them carelessly at the ground. The barman almost threw himself towards the money, Belle had to stop herself from scoffing in his face "Here, now leave him alone!" she said, her blue eyes narrowing with anger.
"This ain't gonna stop him you know, he'll come crawling back once the cravings get strong enough. He always does, this ain't the first time the good Father's kissed some pavement," the barman muttered as he walked back into his pub.
Belle looked at the man on the ground, her eyes wide.
"You're a man of God?" Belle asked him. The man flinched at her question but eventually nodded.
"Not a very good one," he said with a saddened smirk.
"Now, I'm sure that's not true. Come on, get up. We can't be sat here conversing on the ground all day now can't we?" Belle said as she slapped her knees and got up, brushing the dirt off her dress and extended an arm towards the man on the ground. The man looked at her in bewilderment.
"Why are you doing this?" The man asked, his eyes wide and tears openly streaming down his face.
"You looked like you needed help, and I'm here to help you," Belle said without missing a beat.
"I don't need your help miss, you didn't need to waste your money on a sad, pathetic old man," he said as he curled in on himself. Belle now felt as though he had struck her.
"You're not pathetic, or sad. You just need help, now here, take my hand," Belle said as she waved her hand in front of him. "If you don't I'll drag you up myself," Belle said with a teasing smile. She had often been told that she was as stubborn as a mule, the man must have cottoned onto this because she soon felt a hand grasping hers and she pulled him off the ground to stand beside her. He staggered into Belle, who instinctively wrapped her arms around him to correct him, the man squeaked with surprise and soon stood next to her, shivering and looking sorry for himself.
She was right when she noticed how small he was, he was still a few inches taller than herself, but he wasn't just small in height, he was almost malnourished by how skinny he was. His skin was pale and his face gaunt. Belle knew for certain that the man was in need of a good meal or three.
"I'm Belle by the way, Belle French," Belle said with a smile, the man looked at her in confusion before realising she had actually spoken to him.
"Father Joseph MacAvoy," he said reluctantly. Belle's smile widened.
"Well it's nice to meet you Father, now let's get you cleaned up then huh? I'm sure the rental car will have a first aid kit in there somewhere, I've got some training so I'll see what I can do," Belle said brightly as she set off down the street. Joseph stopped and stared at her as she practically skipped down the road.
"Come on then!" Belle shouted as she noticed she was muttering to herself. "It's getting dark!" Joseph sighed and he reluctantly walked after her.
"Here it is," Belle said, pointing at her blue Mini Cooper. "It's funny you know, I was lost earlier, completely lost and here we are. I swear this car was harder to find earlier," Belle said with a shrug of her shoulders.
She unlocked the door and climbed in. Joseph could hear her mumble various curse words as she threw various items around her car. She finally gasped in triumph as she grabbed a green first aid kit out of one of the compartments. She climbed out and stared at him. "Go on, get in the car, I'll come to you," Belle said, pointing at the passenger side door. Joseph obliged and Belle walked around the car and knelt in front of the man.
"Here we go, now this will sting a little," Belle said as she gently wiped Joseph's wounds with an antiseptic wipe. He winced slightly as she cleaned the cut. "I'm sorry," Belle said with a frown when she noticed his discomfort. She continued though, her tongue poking out in concentration, she noticed the Father squirming slightly under her gaze and she tried to ignore the waves of sympathy she felt for him as she put butterfly stitches on the cut.
"That should be enough to stop infection," Belle said as she leaned back and smiled at him. "Now why don't we go and get something to eat huh? I think I passed a café earlier," Belle said as she got into the driver's seat.
"I'm fine, I need to go home now," Joseph said as he stumbled out of the car.
"You need something to eat, aren't you starving?" Belle asked as he froze and looked back at her.
"I'm fine," he muttered, his eyes avoiding hers.
"Please, at least do it for me. And if you don't mind me saying you look like you could use a hot meal," Belle said, her tone almost pleading.
"Why are you doing this?" Joseph asked again, his expression conveying nothing other than complete bewilderment
"I don't know," Belle answered honestly. Joseph got in the car and sat down, he stared out of the window and said nothing.
"Thank you," Belle said with a smile, as she started the ignition and drove off to the café.