A bit belated one-shot happening at the New Year's Eve.
Hope you enjoy it. :)

Correction made by Tasertrickshipper, thank you :*
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Jefferson had rattled on for an almost hour the other evening, not hearing any of Gold's protests. When he settled his mind on something, there was no changing it, and he did unfortunately set himself a goal of getting Gold on a New Year's Eve party at the Rabbit Hole. Gold didn't like parties, damn it! He was a solitude soul, was it really that difficult to understand? Apparently it was. Jefferson was as stubborn as a child, and Gold quickly got sick and tired of his rambling, so to just make him finally shut up he agreed to go on that bloody party.

And now he was sitting solitarily at the bar, no one daring to come anywhere near him. He could see the bartender not so discretely glaring at him for scaring away the customers. He pretended to not notice, leisurely sipping his whiskey. Jefferson left him alone about half an hour ago, and now he was talking with Emma Swan, obviously trying his woo-ho tricks. Gold quite admired Jefferson's determination, especially since he didn't stand a chance with Emma, her eyes fixed on his son Neal basically from the moment they first met. Jefferson wasn't fast to give up though, and a little competition couldn't harm his son, so Gold just stayed out of it, quietly admiring Jefferson's efforts. Despite his occasional craziness, he seemed to have a knack at all these male-female stuff. Gold didn't. The only woman he was with was his ex-wife, and that relationship was a tremendous disaster. He didn't want to get involved with anyone after that. He just focused on raising his dear son, and when he turned eighteen, Gold dedicated himself to the work. He led a lonely life, the only people close to him being his son and Jefferson. He also had a great relationship with Jefferson's seven years old daughter Grace, being her godfather in fact. He shared his time between his job, his home where he did more of his job, meetings with his son, who was now living on his own in Boston, and occasionally visiting Jefferson's house. He did not attend parties, and he did not have fun, unless it considered playing with his goddaughter. He was a sulk person, and that was just fine.

Why the hell did he agree to that damn party, then? He wished Grace wouldn't be spending this year's New Year's Eve with her mother in Chicago, as then Jefferson would have just stayed in home with her, instead of attending stupid parties. But no, she was out of town, and so now instead of sitting in Jefferson's living room with a glass of expensive champagne, he was sitting in a crowded pub, his ears bleeding from the loud horrible music, and he was not happy at all. He promised Jefferson that he will stay at the party at least until the midnight though, and the one good thing that could be said about Gold was that he always kept his word.

But surely he could just go out for a minute to draw a fresh air to his lungs, right?

He was just about to stand up, when someone flopped at the seat next to him, a sudden whiff of rosy perfumes tickling his nostrils. Not able to stop himself he shifted his head at the side, almost choking at his tongue when he laid eyes on the petite brunette. As if sensing his stare, she turned her head, looking him straight in the eye, and suddenly he couldn't look away, just dumbly staring into her incredibly blue eyes, feeling as if he was drowning in them.

She said a timid "Hi" to him, and when he just slightly nodded in response, she smiled at him, genuinely smiled, and then turned back to the bartender, ordering a mug of a root beer.

His heart raced from an inexplicable reason and he drew into a deep breath, glancing at Jefferson for a bit of distraction. He seemed to be telling a joke to Emma and from her expression, she was more indulgent than amused.

When the threat of his heart jumping out of his chest seemed to finally pass away, Gold's gaze turned again at the brunette, Belle French. He knew her, of course. She was the town's new (and in fact the only) librarian, moving in to Storybrooke not the whole year ago. It so happened that she rented one of his apartments, though considering that he owned about eighty percent of properties in town, that wasn't surprising.

They'd seen each other when he collected the rent or occasionally came to the library to borrow or return a book, and somehow after one of such visits he realized just how head over heels with her he was. He never let this to show though, keeping a safe distance and treating her just like he did anyone else, maybe just with a bit more kindness and respect. They exchanged pleasantries, she always asked how he liked the book he was returning, and several times she called him to some broken thing in her flat. And that was it, their entire acquaintance really, though on a lonely nights he so much wished it could be more.

And now she was sitting next to him, though there were plenty of empty stools further from him, and she didn't seem keen on rushing away.

Maybe the fate was giving him a chance now, he though. Chance to finally say something, to actually talk with her. Just two weeks ago Neal told him 'be brave papa', when tired of avoiding closer contact with Belle, Gold had told him about his feelings.

He wasn't a brave man though.

But maybe now was the time he finally started to be? And if the worst happened and she would turn his attempt down, he will at least leave the embarrassment in the passing year, walking into the new one with the knowledge that he made the brave thing, no matter the result.

And maybe it won't be that bad, maybe she won't turn him down after all?

The problem was however, that he wasn't really a sociable person, so now he desperately raced his brain seeking the appropriate words. As if looking for an inspiration, he cocked his head at the side, and his eyes fallen upon a man standing just diagonally to them. Hunky, partly drank man, lasciviously ogling Belle. He seemed to be waiting for Gold to leave the woman's side, so he could approach and do God knows what.

The blood boiled in his veins then, and he forced his eyes back at the bar, squashing the urge to approach the guy and beat him up with his cane. Belle surely wouldn't appreciate it if he behaved so aggressively. He would just scare her off.

So Gold forced himself to remain in his seat, finally deciding to say the random thing that popped up into his mind at that second, just to distract himself from his homicidal thoughts.

"Are you here alone?"

She turned to him and he wanted to smack himself in the head. He sounded like a damn creeper now. He expected her to slap him and go away, but she just shook her head, flicking her eyes through the room for a moment.

"I came with my friend, Ruby. But it seems that she disappeared somewhere."

A tiny smile blossomed at her face and she cocked her head at the side. "The better question would be, what is the mighty Mr. Gold doing in such a place, hm?"

"Dragged by a friend, too, I'm afraid" he said with a shrug, pointing his hand at the other side of the room, where Jefferson still persistently tried to impress Emma.

"Oh really?"

"Is it so unbelievable, that I can have a friend?" he feigned offense, though he knew well that it really was unbelievable. Who would want to befriend a monster, after all?

"No, no!" she exclaimed in horror, taking his offended posture for real. Before he could explain that he was just joking, she shook her head with a sudden grin. "It's just unbelievable that you would agree on something like that".

"Try listening to his rambling for an hour. Anyone would have relented eventually." He scrunched his nose up, casting a quick accusatory glance at Jefferson, and Belle burst into laughter, filling Gold with pride that he could elicit such a wonderful sound from her. With amazement he watched how her face lit up, the dimples appearing on her cheeks from the laugh, her eyes sparkling, and she really was the most beautiful, adorable creature he's ever seen.

They returned to their drinks, sipping them in a surprisingly companionable silence. In some moment she let out an exasperated sigh though, and he looked at her puzzled.

"This party is quite dull, don't you think?" He nodded, agreeing with her completely.

"One would think that a New Year's Eve party would be actually entertaining".

She grinned at him, her cheeks suddenly flashing red.

"At least good company makes it better" she murmured so quietly, her voice half muted in her mug, that he barely heard her. But when what she said had finally reached his ears and registered in his brain, he felt his cheeks getting hot too.

"Indeed".

They smiled at each other, both then quickly hiding their faces in their cups, trying to get rid of their ridiculous blush.

Suddenly there was some grunting behind him and a tap at his shoulder, and Belle rose her head, looking over him, her eyes widening. Irritated that some idiot was interrupting them, he turned his head sharply, feeling a crunch in his neck from the sudden movement. The guy who was previously ogling Belle was standing there, looking evenly drank and angry, and Gold opened his mouth to tell him to get lost.

He didn't expect a fist that came into contact with his face, a dull pain spreading at his entire face, blood filling his nose and throat, choking him. He felt himself falling off the stool, hitting his head hard on the tiled floor. His vision went blurry at instant, and when he tried to move, he couldn't. His head and face radiated with pain, and it was suddenly so hard to keep his eyes open. At the verge of consciousness he could hear voices, screams. 911 someone yelled, there was a word ambulance too, he thought. It was harder to hear with time, sounds blending into the same blurriness. He felt a hand in his own, squeezing, just before his awareness slipped from him, and he drifted into the dark abyss.

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He slowly cracked his eyes open, the sharp white light blinding him momentarily. His face felt numb, and there was something wrapped around his head, making his skin feel itchy, and his nose hurt when he tried to breathe through it, forcing him to breathe through his mouth.

When finally his vision cleared, his eyes adjusting to the brightness, he slowly took in at his surroundings. White walls, sound of beeping monitors. He was in a hospital.
Why was he in a hospital?

He tried to remember what happened, but his brain seemed somehow blank, and the more he tried to remember, the more it hurt, so he finally stopped.
There was some weight on his right side, he realized suddenly, and carefully he tilted his head. His eyes fell at the gorgeous brunette hunched over at the chair beside the bed, appearing to be asleep, her little hands clinging tightly to his arm.

He stared at her in wonder, and didn't miss the moment when she opened her sleepy eyes, not immediately noticing that he was awake. But just as she did, there seemed to be a sudden jolt of energy shooting through her, as she lunged forward, almost toppling over the chair, and perched herself next to him on the bed, a relieved smile on her beautiful face. Her hand slipped from his arm then, going to his face and gently stroking his stubbled cheek, and he desperately tried to gather his thoughts. He could now remember the pub, and Belle blushing after calling him, for some reason, a good company, but he still didn't remember what had happened after that and how he got here.

"What happened?" He asked her, and his voice sounded somewhat hoarse, so he coughed to get rid of the itchiness in his throat, almost howling at the sudden pang of sharp pain that suddenly shot through his head.

The smile faded from Belle's beautiful face, her expression becoming almost furious, though she tried to contain herself. She looked down, her hands taking a firm, but gentle hold of his right hand, her voice strained with anger when she spoke.

"That asshole, Gaston. He punched you, and you hit the floor with your head and lost consciousness... Jefferson called an ambulance and then helped Emma to drag Gaston to the car, and he went with them to the police station."

She took a deep breath and continued, her expression changing again, and as her now sad eyes locked with his, it caused his guts to twist, as he somehow knew that her next words won't be any more pleasant.

"Doctor Whale said that you may suffer from a concussion, but you should be fine soon. Your ankle will really hurt for some time though, as will your head, and you may experience some dizziness..." There were tears shinning in her eyes now, and he tried to smile at her reassuringly. When one tear broke free and run down her cheek, he carefully brought his hand up and wiped it, relieved when she didn't flinch away from his touch.

He considered what she said. It wasn't such a bad diagnose. It could have ended much, much worse. He couldn't understand why was she so sad then, why she was sad over him at all for that matter. Why was she even here, keeping a company to the monster, instead of celebrating New Year? It wouldn't start well for him, but she had no reason at all to deny herself a joy. Especially if it was just to pity him.

He was just about to open his mouth and tell her to go out and have fun, when she shook her head and squeezed his hand, casting a quick glance at her watch. "There is a good news too."

At his confused expression she broke into a broad smile.

"You haven't slept through New Year's Eve".

She was grinning at him, and he tried to gather his minds again to speak, when suddenly he was startled by the explosion of lights outside the windows accompanied by a huge rumble, and amongst that he could hear toasting doctors and nurses on the corridor.

Yes, New Year has just started, and he was in a damn hospital, and Belle was here too, instead of outside with her friends.

His eyes returned to her, and he realized with a start that she was leaning closer and closer to him. Her beautiful face was suddenly mere inches from his and he stopped breathing.

"Happy New Year, Mr. Gold" she whispered, her warm breath ghosting over his face. And then her mouth was at his, her lips so soft and warm and just wonderful, and he closed his eyes, surrendering himself to this heavenly feeling.

The New Year didn't start that bad after all.