A wee gift for thatravenclawedbitch and her baby ravens!
This is kind of a sequel/remix to one of my fics Never Unwanted in which Rumbelle are godparents to Neal 2.0 and Robyn 2.0, which comes with its own set of challenges.
"Mom, you can't have a baby! Everyone will think it's mine!"
-,-,-
Like most children, Gideon Gold spared a thought of what his life would be like with a younger sibling. He supposed he would have liked to have someone to yell at to get out of his room or barter with to do the household chores. Someone to roll his eyes at and then bond with when they were late teenagers.
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, he never had a sibling to have those experiences with. He had his parents undivided attention, his friends, and plenty of dogs throughout his childhood and thus had never had the time to be lonely.
He never knew exactly why his parents never had another child. He did know the numerous times he walked in on his parents during their more intimate moments that is wasn't for lack of trying or lack of affection of each other. It just never happened, nor did his parents ever mentioned that they wanted another baby.
Thus, when his parents sat him down and told him with glowing smiles that he was going to be a big brother, Gideon was understandably a bit confused.
"I'm sorry, what?" The thirteen-year-old inquired when his parents gave him the news.
"We're having a baby Gideon!" Belle gleamed. She turned to her husband and grasped his hand excitedly. "We're going to be parents again Rumple!"
Rumplestiltskin nodded and kissed his wife's hand, tears of joy shining in his glassy eyes.
"…again?" Gideon muttered.
"What was that dear?" Belle inquired with a brilliant smile.
Gideon stood slowly, trying to wrap his head around exactly what was happening. His parents were having another baby. He had just graced into his teenage years and now he was about to be an older sibling to a kid he had accepted would never exist.
He couldn't quite comprehend how he felt. He wasn't angry per say; he wasn't five after all. But he was a bit peeved.
"Mom," Gideon sighed aggravatedly. "you can't have this baby."
Belle's joyful giggles stilled and she stared at her son patiently, expecting something equivalent to this reaction. Rumplestiltskin's expression didn't quite match.
"What do you mean dear?"
"You can't have a baby mom!" Gideon scoffed. "I'm sixteen! People are going to think it's mine!"
Belle laughed while Rumplestiltskin crossed his arms in disapproval.
"I'm sure once my belly comes in people are going to be able to tell who's pregnant." Belle assured.
"Oh come on mom!" Gideon exclaimed.
"Gideon," Rumplestiltskin growled lowly, "Do not raise your voice at your mother-"
"Rumple, stop."
Belle's gentle hand stopped the former Dark One from starting a fight with their son. Rumple was usually very lenient with Gideon, but one thing he never stood for was getting an attitude with his mother, though Belle would usually wave it off as teenage hormones.
"I'm going out." Gideon announced as he snatched his sweater from the back of the couch.
"Gideon!" Rumple called after his son as he charged out the door.
"Let him go Rumple," Belle soothed after the door slammed. "He needs time to process this."
Rumple frowned, leading Belle to the couch and helping her put her feet up. She was barely out of her first trimester and her feet were already swelling.
"I hate fighting with him," Rumple confided as he fluffed her pillows.
"He has your temper." Belle mused with a teasing smile.
"And your ability to forgive." Rumple added as he sat at the end of the couch and put her feet in his lap. "Do you think he's jealous or…"
Belle shrugged. "I wish I knew just what he was feeling. I was an only child myself."
"Aye." Rumple nodded in agreement. As far as he knew, Gideon was going to be a first-generation sibling of the Gold family.
"If he's not back by curfew, will you go check on him?" Belle yawned as her body loosened with tiredness.
"Of course dear." Rumple said as he rubbed her leg, waiting until her eyes closed before he dropped his smile and allowed himself to truly worry about their son.
-,-,-,-
Seeing the faint orange glow from the clocktower indicated that Neal and Robyn had gotten his message and had already put a fire on.
Ever since they were kids, the clocktower had been the trio's meeting place whenever things at their respected homes got complicated. Usually they met up when Robyn's mother was pushing her buttons, or when Neal's mother was smothering him indefinitely and the teenagers needed the three S's: smores, sanctuary, and something-equivalent to sisterhood (Robyn's words, not his).
Honestly, Gideon couldn't remember the last time the three of them met up for his sake. His relationship with his parents was overall ideal; they were firm but not overly-discipling. Robyn had once called them "hippies", but Gideon had reminded her that his parents were never seen in public without expensive suits and heels on. Hippies indeed.
Gideon could be free around his parents, something that Robyn and Neal couldn't always be around theirs. Robyn's mother kept secrets from her, little tidbits of her past that Robyn had to beg from her aunt Regina, and Neal's parents had never quite gotten over the trauma with Emma and thus stayed a little too close to him, studying his every mood.
Though their families disapproved, the Gold's were their second home, but a magical house didn't keep secrets like the ancient clocktower.
Gideon found Robyn poking at the little fire she had started in the tin drum while Neal was lounging against the old couch Gideon had magicked from the abandoned apartment last summer.
"Took you long enough," he greeted, her eyes glued to her cellphone.
Gideon threw the bag of smores to Robyn and lifted Neal's legs off the end of the couch so that he could sit.
"What's with the frown?" Neal asked the second he turned to Gideon. His comment caused Robyn to look up, her eyebrows drawn down in concern.
"Mom's pregnant." Gideon said. No use dancing around the subject.
"Say WHAT?" Neal exclaimed, sitting up and crossing her legs.
Robyn quickly roller her way to the couch and pushed Neal to the end of the couch, getting between her and Gideon.
"Details!" she demanded as Neal glared at her.
"You want my details of how my parents are still doing it?" Gideon deadpanned.
"My parents still do it." Neal muttered, his eyes haunted.
"My mom still does it…alone." Robyn added with a shrug.
"Oh, come on Rob!" Gideon gagged.
"That's sick!" Neal added.
"Oh grow up, both of you!" Robyn scoffed.
"I don't even want smores anymore," Neal gagged.
"Any way," Gideon moaned, falling back on the couch, "I don't know how to feel."
"About your parents still doing it?" Robyn snorted.
"Shut UP!" Neal groaned.
"About them having another baby!" Gideon spat. "My gods…"
Robyn finally quit laughing and slid closer to him. "You're not jealous or something, are you?"
"I-I don't know," Gideon admitted. Honestly, he couldn't pinpoint why he was feeling so odd about the prospect of another sibling. He wasn't foolish enough to think that their birth would somehow steal his parents love. It just didn't sit well with him.
Robyn and Neal exchanged concern looks before Neal stood, sitting on the arm of the couch.
"You know Gid, I have a pretty shitty relationship with my sister."
Gideon and Robyn turned to Neal in surprise. Neal rarely mentioned his much older sister outside of updates on where she and her husband Killian were.
"I see her twice a year at best because she and Killian are sailing around the world, too busy to check on mom, pop and little brother."
"That's not true Neal." Gideon promised softly.
"Not to mention," Neal continued unperturbed. "She drug our parents down to the Underworld to save a man that was going to leave us both orphans. Sure, my parents had the decision to stay or not, but she didn't exactly tell them that they should stay for the son they had as her replacement."
Neal took in a deep breath and let out a bitter laugh. "My point is, you're not like her. You and this new kid are going to be thick as thieves because you and your family are so…" he paused, the light of the fire dancing in his eyes. "Close."
Robyn gulped and ran her hands on her jeans awkwardly. She hated it when one of them got like this, felt self-loathing about the mistakes their parents made.
Neal blinked and in an instant his good-natured smile was back. "You've got nothing to worry about Gid."
Gideon felt the weight of Neal's words sink into his soul. He was right. His parents had a strong love, and they would make sure that he and this new baby would be fine.
Gid stood, startling Robyn.
"I need to go home," he explained, "I didn't exactly take the new very well."
Robyn nodded, rolling away from him. "I'll put out the fire. See you tomorrow?"
Gideon nodded and gave her a comforting smile before heading for the stairs. He was halfway down the street when he heard Neal call after him.
"Dude," Neal panted as he halted to a stop, "I'm sorry for stealing your platform back there. I'm sure I sounded like a really ass. Emma's just…different. She's really an okay sister. Don't let my shit scare you."
Gideon smirked and gave him a playful shove. "You are a real ass."
Neal pushed him back and they stood their quietly, the cool air whistling into the night.
"In seriousness, you're going to do fine." Neal assured.
"I think I already knew that," Gideon admitted with a soft smile. "I just needed to be reminded."
Neal nodded, shuffling his boots. "Glad I could remind you…"
Gideon snorted. They really were awful at flirting.
"I really should get back…" Gideon said.
"Right!" Neal agreed. "Uh…tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Gidoen laughed.
After another moment of hesitance, Neal headed back to the clocktower to help Robyn.
Gideon licked his lips as he watched him, wanting to say so much more. Right now, however, his family situation was more than his romantic one. He needed to get home and dish out a few apologies.
-,-,-,-,-
It was ten minutes before his curfew by the time Gideon reached the Gold's porch. He didn't feel like going inside just yet. He rocked back and forth slowly on the porch swing his parents had installed some years ago. It had been his mother idea, he recalled. A way to make the house look more inviting. That was him mom in a nutshell: always having more room in her heart for one more person.
Five minutes later, his mother opened the door, glanced around, and smiled when he saw him there. She came out with a tea tray and Gideon knew it was time to talk.
"Your father sensed your return," she told him as she set the tray down and arranged the cups. "I told him to take a shower so that we could talk."
Gideon nodded and watched as she elegantly prepared the teacups, adding all the things he liked in his. So observant, his mother.
"Mom," Gideon began, "I'm..."
"There's no need for apologies," Belle cut in with a reassuring smile. "The baby books prepared me for this."
Gideon snorted. "Of course they did."
Belle reached out and squeezed his free hand. "I know this is going to be an adjustment for all of us, but this is going to be great."
"I know," Gideon said. "Neal put things in light for me."
"Ah," Belle sang with a small, all-knowing smile. "Always the optimist, Neal."
"Yep," Gideon chuckled, relaxing on the swing. "I might con him and Robyn into baby sitting one day." He turned to his mom, searching her glowing face. "Anything in particular you're hoping for."
Belle placed a hand on her slowly expanding stomach. "I just want my children to be healthy," Belle said in a sort of systematic tone. "But," she added with a bite of her lip. "If I had to be a little selfish, I'd love a little girl."
Gideon was astonished. How could his mother ever think her wanting a certain baby was "selfish"? She gave so much of herself every day without a complaint or a request for something in return. She should have all the children she wanted, of any gender she wanted.
"I think a little sister would be great," Gideon commented, intertwining his fingers with his mother's.
"I'm glad you think so sweetie." Belle pulled his hand to her lips. "You're father feels the say way."