Title: The Great Pig Adventure
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Belle/Jefferson with an appearance by Grace
Summary: With all of the big damn heroes and villains seemingly lost at sea, Belle and Jefferson strike up a friendship that eventually leads to something more.
Warnings: No porn?
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: This title is stupid but it's for Julie, so I don't care! I hope you enjoy it, light of my life. Thanks to Tessa for looking it over.
"Do you know what I've never understood? Why haven't you joined the other royals in running the town? While I agree the library is far more interesting than listening to those morons go on and on about honor and duty all day, I can't imagine it's fulfilling enough to spend your days hidden away in here. I would at least invest in some better lighting," Jefferson teased
The librarian glanced up at him through narrowed eyes and gave him a fleeting look of annoyance before shaking her head. He smiled, finding the little expressions she made to be quite endearing and pushed away from the doorway.
"Hush, Jefferson. Frederick, Abigail, and Thomas are far better leaders for this town that Regina ever was. Or I suppose we could ask George to run things. Didn't he try to have you arrested once? Something about an enchanted trinket that went missing?"
Jefferson set down a large stack of books to be returned and grinned.
"Aye, but if you recall that missing trinket was acquired for your beloved. I'd much rather piss of George than the Dark One."
She rolled her eyes in annoyance as she checked his books back in.
"I wish you'd stop calling him that."
"It's what he is, my dear."
She released a loud sigh, as if to tell him to drop it and then changed the subject.
"Where is Grace? I got The Velveteen Rabbit in for her. I thought for sure she'd be here with you first thing to pick it up."
Jefferson toyed with his library card and shrugged.
"She's visiting uh…Will and Elizabeth," he replied uncomfortably. He didn't enjoy being forced to share his baby girl. But they had spent twenty-eight years with her and if he forbid her from visiting them, she'd only resent him for it. Every few weekends she got to play house with them and a small piece of him would die but it made her happy and that was all he could ask for.
Someday he would find a way to pay Regina back for what she took from him, but today was not that day.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't-I'll just go grab the books I set aside for her. Feel free to roam around until I return. I'm sure you'll find something new for her, maybe even for yourself."
"It's alright, you didn't know," he muttered as he scanned the shelves with a shrug. "I'm not much of a reader myself; I only do it for Grace." They came to the library every Saturday to get her books for the week. She read at least one a day on her own and he would read her one at bedtime. There would never be enough time that he could spend to her to make up for the time he'd lost but he did his best.
"You really love her, don't you?"
He glanced up to find Belle watching him with a small smile.
"Of course I do. Only a rubbish parent doesn't love their child. Grace is the love of my life." He had no issue admitting how much he loved his angelic little girl. She was his reason for living. He'd done things he wasn't proud of for her and he'd do them all again if it meant having her back. His only regret in life was that her mother hadn't lived long enough to know her.
"It must be difficult, to have to share her," Belle said kindly as she placed a small stack of books on the counter; all of them special order for his Grace.
"It is," he said, handing over his card, hoping to have this over with. Belle was lovely but he had no intention of opening up about his feelings to anyone, least of all Rumpelstiltskin's lover. She cocked her head to the side and studied him for a moment before shaking her head.
"Here you go, I'll see you next week?"
He nodded.
"See you."
"Hello Belle!" Grace rushed into the library with flushed cheeks, nearly out of breath. Jefferson shook his head as Belle greeted her and they both watched as she rushed to the children's section.
"I told you this isn't a race, Grace!" He called but he knew it fell on deaf ears. That girl did what she wanted, no matter what he said, much like her mother.
"She's energetic today," Belle chimed in, amused.
"She talked me into ice cream for breakfast," Jefferson admitted sheepishly.
"You let her get away with too much. When she's a teenager she'll take advantage of you," Belle warned.
"Probably," Jefferson said with a smile. "Don't worry, I deserve it."
"Is that so?"
"Do you really think I gave my own parents an easy time?"
Belle snorted.
"No, I don't imagine so. Tell me, how does one become a portal jumper to begin with? Your father?"
Jefferson didn't have any love for his father, but he had no problem with his mother. She had been a lovely woman who had died too young. He smiled at the memory.
"Aye, he was…have you read Alice in Wonderland?"
Belle rolled her eyes.
"Of course, Mad Hatter," she teased.
"Ah, no, see, my father, he's the original hatter. I grew up in Wonderland, until my mother died. By then my father had transformed from a dismissive, foul man who cared only for gold and nothing for his family to a mad man twisted and corrupted by the Red Queen. By the time he went mad I was old enough to go out on my and I may or may not have liberated a very special hat from him," Jefferson told her proudly.
Belle rested her elbows on the counter as she listened to him intently.
"And is that how you met Grace's mother?"
"Yes, at some point in her life she was a princess of some sort. You know how that all goes, towers, dragons, spells, deals with the Dark One gone awry."
"So I take it you also liberated her form her situation?"
"Yes, but she came willingly."
"Papa! Can I get this one?" Grace rushed up and shoved a large volume of Grimm's fairytales into his chest.
"Of course, darling. Whatever you like. Is this all?"
Grace snorted.
"Of course not, Papa. I thought you knew me better than that." She turned on her heels and went skipping along, looking for the next book she planned to devour. He shook his head with a smile.
"She's too much like her mother," he mumbled, once again being reminded of how painful it was that she would never know her.
"How did she die?" Belle whispered curiously.
Jefferson turned his gaze from Grace onto the librarian and sighed sadly.
"I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me, I was just-"
"No, it's okay. She died giving birth to Grace."
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
"Don't be. It was my fault. I…" He looked down and ran his hand over the smooth wood of the counter, trying to fight off the painful memories. "I was being stupid and selfish. I…put too much value in gold back then. I thought 'just one more job and we can afford to live well with the baby'. She shouldn't have been traveling, especially through portals.
It's a miracle they both didn't die, to be honest."
He turned to find Grace climbing one of the ladders to grab a book and sighed.
"The irony is her mother died because I wanted to give them both everything and afterwards we had nothing because I couldn't bear to keep up my work. Grace deserved so much more than I was able to give her."
"But she had love, Jefferson. That's better than all of the riches in this world."
"This coming from a woman in the bed of the most powerful man in town?" He turned to find her looking as though he'd just slapped her. "I'm sorry, that was cruel."
"No, it's-"
"No, it's not okay. I'm not a good person, Belle. I've done horrible things, most of them at the side of your beloved. Neither of us are good men and we both have far more than we deserve."
"You're not a-"
"You're too forgiving," Jefferson cut in. "I knew you were locked in that asylum-"
"But you got me out."
"Only when it suited my needs. I'm sorry, you deserved better."
She sighed.
"Jefferson, if you had gotten me out sooner all Regina would have done is put me back in. There was no use in doing it before then."
"No, the moment Emma came to town I should have done something. The curse began to weaken when she arrived. I knew Gold remembered who he was, he would have protected you. I'm sorry. All I wanted was to get Grace back and I ignored everything else in the process.
I'm sorry," he told her seriously. He didn't want her to forgive him, he didn't deserve it, but for Grace's sake, he wanted to make some amends for what he'd done.
"Jefferson-"
"Papa! I'm ready to go." Grace came at him carrying a pile of books far too heavy for her to balance on her own. He smiled and relieved her of her burden.
"Is that all?"
"Yup! And I'm hungry; can we go to Granny's for milkshakes?"
"More ice cream?"
She beamed up at him and he shook his head.
"Fine."
She bounced onto her tip-toes and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you, Papa. Bye Belle!" She grabbed the few books that Belle had already scanned and called that she'd meet him at the diner.
Jefferson smirked and sighed.
"Thank you," he said as he took the remaining books.
"Wait." Belle reached out and took his hand. He glanced up at her in surprise and found her giving him a small, sad smile. "I forgive you."
He blinked, completely caught off guard. He knew she was too kind for her own good, but he didn't deserve it.
"Um…see you next week?" He said, having no other words.
She smiled.
"Next week."
The months passed slowly and before Jefferson was even aware what was happening he and the librarian were friends. Not just see each other on the street and be pleasant friends, but real friends. She came to Grace's ballet recitals, they had Sunday dinners, and on Fridays she and Grace would go see the movies Jefferson hated taking Grace to but did anyway because he loved her.
Belle was a bright and welcome addition to their life. He'd been alone for so long he'd forgotten what it was like to care for someone who wasn't Grace. And because of their friendship he became aware of the small changes to Belle's moods. Her smiles no longer met her eyes, she grew thinner and pale, and her step no longer held the same joy to it as it once had.
After six months he'd suspected that the group that had gone off with his old friend Hook wouldn't return, but as the one-year mark approached, it became clear that they were never coming back. Belle was beginning to feel it too. He allowed her to keep hoping, but he cared for her too deeply to keep holding out for a man who was most likely dead.
"It's okay to move on, you know?" He whispered one day at the library while Grace tried to find something she hadn't read, something that became more difficult as time went by.
"If it's okay to move on, why haven't you done it? It's been what…forty years?"
He sighed in exasperation.
"That's not the same. No woman wants a half-madman with a child, a dead wife, and who is an ex-criminal. You're young, beautiful, and intelligent; there is no reason for you to keep your life on hold on the small chance Rumpelstiltskin will return. He didn't deserve you to begin with."
She shrugged and reached for a book.
"He's coming home," she whispered weakly, as if trying to convince herself.
Jefferson didn't bother to bring it up again.
"What are you staring at?"
Jefferson forced himself to look away, ashamed he'd been caught staring.
"Nothing, I was just lost in thought is all."
"Are you sure, I don't have like lettuce in my teeth or something, right?"
He turned back to Belle and shook his head.
It was becoming harder and harder to hide his feelings for her. One day they were friends and then the next he'd suddenly become aware of how the sun reflected auburn off of her hair, how she chewed on her straws when she was thinking, and how sweet her laugh was.
Falling in love with Belle was a foolish thing for him to do. If by some miracle the Dark One wasn't dead and returned, he'd murder him, slowly, and make Grace suffer as well. But…
Well, there was no use. Belle refused to accept the old man was gone. She'd never have him, even if he was brave enough to try.
"What? You look like you're in pain."
"Nothing, I let Grace make dinner last night, it was just hard on the stomach."
She smiled and his heart stopped for a moment.
What in the hell had he gotten himself into?
"Why did you go with him?"
"Who?" Belle glanced up from her book and crinkled her nose as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight spilling in through the library windows.
"The Da-Rumpelstiltskin. Why did you go with him? He's not the friendliest person. What would possess a beautiful, smart, young woman to leave her kingdom for a monster?"
Belle gnawed on her lower lip for a moment and he regretted asking.
"You don't have to-"
"No." With a stubborn set to her jaw she met his eyes. "I wanted to be brave. All I ever wanted to do was go on adventures, to do the right thing, to be a hero. As a woman in our world, sacrificing myself for the good of my people was how I could do that."
"But being locked away in that castle? I don't see many adventures to be had there."
She smiled.
"It wasn't portal hopping, but I had my share and they were enough."
"And now?"
"There aren't exactly many adventures to be had in this world, outside of books anyway."
"Belle! I need your help! Come quickly!" Jefferson cried as he burst into the library. She sat up in her chair and watched him curiously.
"What-"
He took her hand and lead her to the door.
"Come!"
"Jefferson! What is going on-"
"I need your help, I told you."
"Help with what? Jefferson, you're scaring me."
He turned to her, red in the face, and huffed.
"It's Grace's pig, Kosher, he got out of the yard somehow and if I don't find him before she comes home tonight, she's going to be devastated. I've looked everywhere, I have no idea what to do and I need someone to help me in the woods, I can't look at a map to make sure I don't get lost while also looking for him."
"That's it? I thought someone was dyin-"
Jefferson have her a 'look' and she sighed.
"Fine, I guess the pig could be-hold on."
Belle locked the library and returned moments later with a flashlight.
"In case it gets dark. When did you notice he was missing?"
Jefferson led her towards the path to the toll bridge, calling Kosher's name in between speaking.
"This morning? I went out to feed him and the gate to his pen was open. It was windy last night, it could have blown open at any time."
"So you have no idea how long he's been missing?"
"No," Jefferson answered as he led her to a trail. "This is where I left off. I've looked through this portion already," he motioned as he pulled out his map of the forest. "There's a river here, he may have headed that way for water if he's out there alone."
"All right, come on."
They searched for a good hour before coming upon a small clearing near the river.
"Do you see anything?" Jefferson called. He'd hung back, to enjoy watching Belle with a small smile on her face as she navigated the woods. He knew these woods like the back of his hand, but she didn't need to know that.
"Nothing." She huffed and hummed to herself as she pondered for a moment.
"Let's head closer to the beach, maybe he wanted to be near the sand and it'll be cooler in the ocean than here. Want to lead the way?"
"Nah, I'll keep looking at the map. Besides, if we get attacked I think you'd be better equipped to keep us safe than I would be."
Belle rolled her eyes.
"What's going to attack us out here? A dragon?"
"I don't know. Is Maleficent still alive?"
"I think Emma took care of that. Besides, I don't think I could slay a dragon," Belle told him with a small scoff.
"I don't know, you did pretty well with that yaoguai."
"You heard about that?" She asked as she glanced over her shoulder.
He shrugged.
"I heard a lot of things while Cora had me locked away, driving me mad. I think you'd be more than capable of protecting this town if the need arose."
Belle blushed and looked away.
"If you say so."
He smirked and trailed behind her as she led the way to the beach.
"I'm surprised a librarian is fit enough to navigate these woods," he teased.
"And I'm surprised an amateur cartographer who spends his free time combing through these woods doesn't know them better."
"Touché."
She gave him a smug look before rushing into the brush.
"I see something!" She called. She turned and gave him a small smile before disappearing through the forest. Jefferson sped up until he caught sight of her again. He pushed aside some branches and stepped onto the gray beach.
"Jefferson, what-" Belle turned on her heels quickly and the hem of her skirt spun around her like it would on a princess. He appreciated the way her legs looked in her boots for a moment before shrugging.
"Well, there he is."
"He's tied up with food…"
"Perhaps he was stolen and the thief felt guilty," Jefferson replied nonchalantly. He moved to the pig and patted the top of his head while pretending to inspect him. "He looks fine, no injuries. Grace will never have to know he was missing. Thank you, Belle, I couldn't have found him without you."
She crossed her arms and watched him for a long moment.
"You left the pig out here, didn't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Wouldn't people in town notice a man walking a pig to the beach?"
"As if that would be the strangest thing anyone in this town has ever seen. Why did you put him out here and lie to me about needing to find him!"
Jefferson patted the pig a final time before glancing up to find her glaring holes through him.
"Did you enjoy yourself?"
"What does that have to do with-"
"Just answer the question. Did you enjoy having something to do today?"
"What are you-"
"You told me that your books were the only adventure you could have in Storybrooke but we just had one."
He smirked, giving her his famous shit-eating grin.
"You…did this…for me?" She asked slowly.
"I did." He moved behind a large boulder and retrieved a picnic basket. "And this is your reward. Or…something. I don't know, Ruby packed it, I can't say I am a fan of the swill they serve at that diner."
"Ruby was in on this?"
"No, she wanted to concoct some elaborate scheme involving a fake murder, kind of like Regina did with that poor princess. I thought this was less…convoluted."
"You…engaged Ruby in conversation for me?"
He shrugged.
"It's not a big deal. I'm not as big of a shut-in as you all make me out to be."
Belle smiled and moved closer.
"Why would you even bother?"
"You've been…" he sighed. "You don't smile anymore. I missed it."
Belle pursed her lips together and studied him curiously for a long moment.
"Why do you care about my happiness?" She whispered.
"I think you know why," Jefferson replied. His feelings for her aside, they were friends, and she was good to Grace. How could he not? Did she think him so cold that-
Jefferson lost his balance as one hundred and ten pounds of aggressive female knocked the air out of his body. Jefferson was grateful the tree that bruised his back, preventing his fall. He stood stunned for a moment as the tiny librarian pressed her lips against his, before it occurred to him to return the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. He was both confused and exhilarated. He wasn't sure where her enthusiasm was coming from, but he wasn't going to complain.
The Dark One crossed his mind for a moment and he nearly pulled away, but he stopped himself. Old Rumple was dead and gone and if Belle was willing to forget about him, then Jefferson wasn't going to be the one to bring him up.
Jefferson moved his fingers into her hair and shifted his weight to attempt to get a rather large piece of bark from continuing to dig into his back. Unfortunately for Jefferson, he was meant to fall flat on his ass. Luckily for him, however, was that he managed to get Belle to fall into his lap as opposed to the dirty, muddy beach.
Belle pulled away and began to laugh.
"I'm sorry, but your face."
He watched her, still in shock, and reached out to push back a loose piece of her hair. Belle blushed and turned away; suddenly bashful.
"What-"
"Let's see what Ruby packed," she muttered, her neck now as red as her cheeks. He smiled, deciding not to make a big deal of it. If beautiful women wanted to literally throw themselves on him, who was he to complain?
"I'm going to kill her," Belle muttered before quickly slamming the basket shut.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"No-" he reached out and snatched the basket away from her before she could fight him. She tried, but she was far too short to reach it once he jumped to his feet. He peeked inside and tried to hide his horror as he discovered the basket to be empty save a box of 'magnums', Ruby was far too optimistic, and a blanket.
"I'm going to kill her," he whispered, suddenly embarrassed.
"I think it's a bit too early for that, besides…the pig would be watching."
Jefferson glanced up and watch slack-jawed as Belle untied the pig. She gave him a challenging look and he cleared his throat. He tried to remind himself that while it had been a very long time, he did know what to do with a woman.
"Right," he croaked.
"Are you coming?" She called as she led the pig towards the road.
"I will be?" He mumbled to himself as he followed her back to his house while praying to all of the deities that he was still talented in the bedroom and that she wasn't simply toying with him. She glanced back with a small smirk and motioned to the house where Grace was waiting.
Jefferson sighed in relief. He would love nothing more than to ravish her but the pressure of being expected to just because wasn't great for the madness that still stirred within him. Besides, thanks to Ruby, he'd now have to make an awkward visit to the drugstore to get properly-sized condoms.