Slice of Life
I don't own anything; if I did, would I be writing fan fiction?
Ever since that fateful night he came home early, driven by something she couldn't to this day understand, Annabelle had been once again happy in her marriage. Her husband was far more attentive and he definitely enjoyed her company. While before he began to prefer to be left alone to do his work, he now got back to his old ways, working or reading near her, and every so often even abandoning what he was doing to spend time with her.
It made Annabelle feel loved and protected once again, and it also made her remember why she married him. He was a dashing, handsome and self-assured man, and while most people avoided his mere presence, she couldn't get enough of him.
Alright, stop daydreaming and concentrate on your job, she thought. It would be embarrassing if any of her students were to catch her distracted and, worse, drooling over a man. What a terrible example to set for the young girls in her class. Being a teacher to pre-teens was all about being a role model, and she took that very seriously. Children were impressionable at all ages, let alone in the confusing and suffering years to come.
These same students were now surreptitiously sneaking their books into their bags, clearly hoping she wouldn't see. The school day was nearing its end and they were impatient, ready to begin the truly fun part of the day, playing around with friends or watching television. But she still had to give them homework, to which they promptly complained.
When the school bell rang they all but evaporated out of the classroom, making her think of when people opened the gates of the corral, a thought that, while amusing, made her feel bad for comparing her students to cattle. No doubt their parents would eat her alive for even thinking it.
Annabelle straightened the room and left, turning the lights off and locking the door. She met Mary Margaret in the hallway, her class dismissed home at the same time. Annabelle liked her very much; she was gentle, kind and loved by her students, and she always had nice things to say, never badmouthing someone. Since Annabelle herself hated to do it as well, they kind of drifted towards one another and developed an easy friendship over time, always sharing stories of misbehaving students or teaching techniques they learned here and there.
They left the school together, chatting until they got outside. There, Mary Margaret invited her for a snack and girl talk at Granny's, and newly happy Annabelle was only too eager to oblige. She had confided in her friend a few days ago, concerned about the path her marriage was taking. They haven't talked since, but it was only fair she would also share the good parts.
Anna had her car parked near the school, a surprise gift from her husband after she commented on it while they drove by the stand. Low and behold, a brand new vehicle just for her. She tried to feel a little guilty about his expensive gift, but he could afford it and wanted to spoil her, so she let him.
Mary Margaret had widened her eyes at it when she saw it, an expression of both incredulity and delight in her face. Yes, Mr. Gold had been much nicer lately, at least to her, though she would love him to give the same courtesy to everyone else. Of course, a small and mean part of her actually enjoyed the fact he was only like that with her.
Anna drove them to Granny's, parking across the street. They got out of the car and into the diner, where they settled on a table near the window. They placed their orders, while Mary Margaret acted polite but expectant, obviously wanting the news. Anna sipped her ice tea slowly and smiled as Mary Margaret made a face at that.
"Come on, spit it out. What happened?" She was definitely impatient. "Clearly something did happen."
"Yes it did." Anna smiled again, this time with warmth at the memories. "I wasn't expecting it to go so well, actually. I mean, the day before had been so... Well, you know."
Mary Margaret did know, and while she tried to convince Anna to talk to him and that everything was all right, he was probably just concerned over something, in all honesty she had thought their marriage was hanging by a thin thread. So she just nodded at her friend.
"And remember how I thought he was seeing someone else? Well, he wasn't. I was so relieved."
"Of course he wasn't, I told you that." Mary Margaret didn't believe he was having an affair, like Anna thought, because come on, how could he cheat on her? She was a beautiful person, inside and out, and he knew that. Heck, everyone knew he was a lucky bastard. He'd never find another person like Anna in his whole life, let alone someone who loved him like she did. No, he wasn't cheating.
But he had taken her for granted. She took care of him and their home, and it was something he almost certainly stopped appreciating. And though she had no desire to hurt anyone, she thought she could open an exception for him, for making her feel so devastated and inept as a wife. For making her think she wasn't enough.
"So, how's everything now?" Mary Margaret wished all the best to her friend, even wishing her a different husband every now and then. But she knew she wasn't being fair. Mr. Gold had always treated her right, and everyone could see he truly loved his wife. So something had happened, he'd behaved towards her like the bastard he was to everyone else, but he was trying hard now to earn his wife back, which was more than could be said for a lot of guys.
"Everything is wonderful, actually." Anna still had a trace of that smile on her mouth, her eyes gazing to her drink while she moved the straw around. Her cheeks were slightly pink. "That other thing it's uh, it's no longer a problem too."
"What other thing?" Emma's voice made her jump in her seat, startled. She knew Emma a little better, since she was staying at Mary Margaret's place and Anna was there all the time. But because Emma was also there, they hadn't had the chance to speak about things like this one.
She wasn't afraid that Emma would talk to people about her problems; it just embarrassed her to have this confident woman think of her as naïve and stupid. Mary Margaret disagreed that Emma would feel that way, but still it made uncomfortable to talk about such private matters with someone she only just met. Her discomfort didn't faze Emma, of course. She sat down with straightforwardness, like she always did. Anna tried to change the subject.
"Did you see Henry today?"
Emma gave her a knowing look. "Yes. What other thing?"
Anna gave her with a pained look in return, before going back to her beverage once more. "Nothing", she mumbled around her straw.
"Come on. I've had a terrible day. After a run-in with the mayor I think I deserve something for my troubles."
"Marital issues." Mary Margaret ignored Anna's indignant stare. "Solved."
"Really?" Emma looked surprised. "What did he do?"
Anna was surprised as well. "Why do you assume he was the one who did something?" A droll look was her only answer. That and a "come on".
"We just grew apart. I guess every marriage has the same phase."
"I wouldn't know. But I'm happy for you."
Anna smiled, glad she didn't pursue the topic any further. She didn't want to explain any sort of details, mainly those that made her blush and feel all fuzzy and warm inside every time she thought of her husband. She coughed, that tint in her cheeks deepening to a much darker shade of pink as she remembered last night...
Unfortunately, they picked up on that, and Emma wasn't as gracious about it as Mary Margaret. "Do tell." She laughed, and Anna had to join in when she realized Emma was joking. But then the door to the little restaurant opened and Emma's laugh died. Anna thought it was Regina, a woman who had an extraordinary ability to always to put a sour look on Emma's face, but when she turned her head around, she saw her husband.
He came in and his eyes searched the room, pausing when he saw her and ignoring everyone else. His features softened and she felt her own form the usual smile she was never able to stop whenever she saw him.
He walked over and Emma muttered something about having to deal with him too. But he wasn't here to talk to her, he was here because Anna had lost track of time and was supposed to meet him at his shop, so they could go home together. She glanced at her watch guiltily, but he didn't seem upset.
On the contrary, he approached their table and when he was close enough to touch her, he stopped. Emma looked at him with suspicion in her face but he paid her no mind. Mary Margaret was her respectful self, drinking her coffee calmly.
Gold's right hand stayed on his cane, but he used the other to touch Belle. His fingers gently brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, the tender gesture not going unnoticed by Emma's hawk eyes. She gaped impolitely at him.
"Stay as long as you want, Belle. Just letting you know I'm going." His fingers grazed her ear lovingly, and she felt a pleasant tingle at his touch.
"I brought the car. And you too, this morning. You're not walking home." Belle stood up, his hand dropping to his side. "Sorry I'm late."
"It's all right." He smiled. Emma's jaw almost hit the table and Mary Margaret had to nudge her arm to make her close her mouth. She was kind of making a spectacle out of herself.
Belle took out the money to pay for her drink and waved her friends goodbye, walking side by side with Gold. Emma looked uncertain to Mary Margaret and then back at the window, where she kept watching the couple as they exited the diner. They held hands and crossed the street to her car, talking to each other, that ghost of a smile still present in Gold's face.
Emma saw them pause by the car, Gold pulling his wife to him, and then kissing her right on the mouth. When the kiss ended, they still kept their arms around each other. It was sweet, Emma thought, and completely out of character for him. And what was a nice girl like Anna doing with a guy like that? Mary Margaret just offered a smile at her expression of disbelief, and shrugged, clearly used to this by now.
How unfair was this? Mr. Cold, I mean, Mr. Gold, was a black-hearted bastard who stopped at nothing to get what he wanted, manipulating people and lives without a care in the world. And yet he still got himself a nice girl to marry, someone completely in love with him. And Emma was still single...
Belle left the diner with her husband, holding hands just like in the old days, happy that all those years of marriage didn't end the love between them, something that didn't happen for everyone. Yes, they had a rough patch, but hopefully that was done and over with. He kissed her right by her car, not caring if anyone saw them. She loved that he didn't mind a nice public display of affection. Like in the diner. It meant a lot to her, that he didn't care what people thought, just wanted to make her happy.
Once home, she started their dinner while he put a big pile of papers by the kitchen isle, in order to work near her, which made her smile. For a while the only noises in the kitchen were the ruffling of papers and the slicing of vegetables, until the papers stopped moving. Belle didn't notice, absorbed in the task at hand, when she turned around and saw him staring at her.
He was still sitting down, a pen in his hand, but the work seemed forgotten. He had affection in his dark eyes and a sharp yearning matched only by her own. Belle smiled but didn't stop what she was doing, wisps of her hair falling in front of her eyes. Gold thought her beautiful, a wonderful being that was his and his alone. Even beyond adversity and getting hit by the curse, she was still by his side. This was such a domestic scene, a perfect interaction that made his wonder why he hasn't done this in the castle.
He'd take care of his business while she wandered around the castle, cooking and cleaning, with only a few significant moments between them. Important moments, yes, but so few and far between, culminating with that horrible disaster... What a fool he had been, rejecting her because she loved him and he had refused to see it. Well, she was right, his heart had been empty, and had stayed so until she was back in his life, a determined look in her eyes and an "I'm not putting up with your nonsense" attitude.
He smiled, remembering that. What a wonderful day it had been, watching her return, being unable of uttering even a single word. She had said nothing else after giving him a speech, words he actually listened to this time, and then she hugged him. It had taken him a moment to wrap his own arms around her, pressing her against him like she might disappear into thin air. But she didn't. She stayed and even thought the curse hit not so long after that, they were together in this new land.
How Regina could have messed this up, he didn't know. After all, she knew about Belle, about his feelings for her. So why were they married here? Well, given how a monster he truly was, even Her Majesty would know Belle would be unhappy in this world. Both of them unhappy, actually, though his misery had been due to a much more selfish behavior. He simply hadn't cared, while Belle had done everything she could. That was their curse. Having your True Love beside you but being unable of finding joy together.
That was over. And with the Savior in town it was only a matter of time until the curse broke and Belle would remember.
Gold's thoughts drifted towards that one particular memory still so vivid in his mind. That day when she chipped the cup, looking at him with concern and yet looking so lovely at the same time. How was he supposed to resist her? But at that time he didn't know what to think, what to feel. It was a foreign sensation, a feeling he couldn't quite understand. Gradually, he did.
Little by little love unfolded, both unexpected and breathtaking, a love so deep it crossed worlds.
And he wanted to tell her that. But for now he settled on watching her, something he would never get tired of. She was so graceful in everything she did; it didn't matter if it was just cooking dinner. And though he'd never tell her, not even after she regained her memories, she was a better cook now. He had loved to eat the food she made, still did, it's just that she hadn't been used to cooking, being a lady and everything. It didn't bother him, though; he'd gladly eat anything as long as it had been made by her lovely hands.
After she finished and they ate, they sat together in the couch, her favorite television show on. He hated it but wouldn't dream of telling her. Her laughs during even the most ridiculous and unfunny parts of the show were wonderful to hear. But alas, everything good had to end.
The doorbell rang and he scowled. She got up to answer the door, but he wouldn't have it, not when it was already dark outside. Grabbing his cane he slowly walked to the entrance, Belle trailing behind him, more curious than annoyed.
The bell rang again, and she could almost see her husband fuming. The door opened and her heart sank a little. It was her father. And her ex. Great. There was no way this night would get better, not when these two decided to show up uninvited at their house. Mr. Gold was a lot of things, but understanding wasn't one of them. At least not when it came to them. They could have been on fire and he would gladly turn a blind eye and keep going on his way. Belle would like her husband and her father to get along, but it was like mixing water and oil, it just didn't work. Even though Moe French's debts had been paid off when they married, her father just kept on making more and more, and she hoped they weren't here because of that.
It surprised no one when Mr. Gold sighed irritably before speaking. "What do you want?"
So her husband wouldn't win any host of the year award, but she wouldn't have her only family and... whatever Gene was... standing outside in the cold. She motioned them in, much to her husband's chagrin, which she pointedly ignored.
She turned off the television and invited them to sit in the living room, going off into the kitchen to get some coffee while they talked to her husband, no doubt the person they'd come to visit. And she was right, wasn't she? Her father rarely visited anymore, he both detested and feared Gold, so he avoided his presence, even if it meant he'd see less of his daughter. So to be here at this hour, it must be something urgent, and that was never good. She wondered if Gene came along because her father felt safer with his presence, and then laughed at that. It was never good to underestimate her husband. If he wanted to hurt them he would, bodyguard or not.
When she came back with a tray, they were sitting uncomfortably in the couch, avoiding Gold's gaze. It didn't look like any type of conversation had taken place. It was her turn to sigh. Would it kill her husband to just start one?
"Is everything all right?" Belle had to ask to break the silence.
Her father looked at her, relief on his features. "Yeah, I mean, I just needed to speak with your husb−, with Gold."
"Maybe it's better if you just go do something else Annie, it's kind of a private conversation." That reminded her of why she'd left him, him being a chauvinistic moron and all.
"My wife will stay wherever she prefers to stay, and I will not have you disrespecting her." It wasn't the first time today Belle felt a rush of affection and love for him, and it wouldn't be the last, she was sure. He continued. "And if it is a private issue, perhaps even a family matter, what are you doing here?"
Gene's face turned sour but he refrained from answering. Good.
"Now," Gold continued. "What do you want?"
French looked nervous. "Well, you see, I saw this business opportunity a while back and took it." Oh dear... "But it didn't turn out that well, the market being as it is and all. So, what I'm saying is, I need to borrow some money."
He finished and sat there in silence, while the boy nodded beside him. It angered him. Moe French. He truly despised the man, and it wasn't the first time he wondered how he could have had a daughter like Belle. Back in their land she was brave and kind, and in this world that hadn't changed. Moe, on the other hand, loved Belle and had been very concerned for her when she made a deal with a beast. Now, he had become nothing more than a sniveling bastard, avoiding his daughter just because she had married Gold, but content to appear whenever he needed money.
Gold had a mind to say no and threw them out, but he glanced at his wife, and her head was down, her eyes sad. It pained her that her father was this irresponsible and selfish, and he didn't want her to feel that sorrow. He couldn't change Moe, couldn't make him more of a father to her, but he could go against his more monstrous instincts and agree to save Moe's ass again, if only just for his Belle to smile again.
She knew what he was doing, he thought as she looked at him. Her mouth lifted a little, a sad smile to thank him for his kindness. But when they left, after Moe's begrudging thanks without even kissing his daughter and Gene's idiotic remark on how Belle could go grab a coffee with him, she told him he didn't have to do it, not for her. It wasn't right to waste his money like that; her father would just come back for more later.
"Our money." He told her, and of course he'd do it for her. She certainly never took advantage of the fact they were rich, just like it didn't matter if he had power or not. She couldn't care less. He thought about his poor spinner days and how wonderful would have been to meet Belle then. She wouldn't have cared about poverty, not if he loved her and cared for her. It would have been enough.
He couldn't help himself. He kisses her again, this time without hurry, taking the time to explore her mouth the way he loves to do. She's always so responsive, making soft noises in the back of her throat as he touches his tongue to hers. He tilts her head to the side a little, kissing her deeper. His hands search for hers, and their fingers intertwine, while their breathing becomes more erratic.
When they come apart, she is looking at him with stars in her eyes. That quickly changes to mischief as she unbalances him, making him sit on the couch. Belle holds his tie while staring at him through her lashes, and then she joins him, lowering herself to his lap and putting her hands on his chest. Gold holds her by her waist, a smile on his face.
Belle kissed his neck leisurely and inhaled his aftershave, a scent that never failed to leave a searing need in her belly. She made her way towards his mouth, his stubble tickling her nose. Then she kissed his chin, his cheek, the corner of his mouth, before touching his lips again. He groaned and held her closer, and she delighted in the skillful thrust of his tongue as it teased hers.
When he let his hands touch her bare legs beneath the skirt she was wearing, Belle sucked in a breath. She pulled away to see his eyes, a pure, blatant desire overwhelming her thoughts. She wanted him so much. It seemed like this morning wasn't enough for any of them.
When Belle resumed the kissing she tugged an appreciative rumble from him as he sucked on her tongue, her hands making quick work of his jacket and shirt. He moved, drawing out a surprised sound from her as he turn them and settled on top of her, ravaging her mouth with kisses hard enough to hurt, though she didn't care about that. Her clothes followed his, and soon enough they were in no state of mind to remember to go to bed.
Belle briefly thought about the shocked faces of her father and ex-boyfriend if they knew what the couch they'd been sitting on was being used for.