A Christmas present for my readers, and those of you who like Tempted in particular. I present the long-promised Christmas story from the Tempted 'verse. I hope you enjoy :)

As ever, Once Upon a Time belongs to Adam and Eddy and ABC.

Part One

Belle chewed on her lips and twisted her fingers together.

Gold reached across and took her hand to stop her fidgeting.

'Relax,' he murmured, smiling at her.

'I just want them to like me,' she said nervously.

'They know I love you,' he told her: 'they will too.'

'Are you sure they'll like those gifts?' she asked.

He put his arm around her shoulders. 'I'm sure they'll love them. They'll be touched that you thought of them. Babe, everything's going to be fine: stop worrying.'

She smiled. 'Sorry, it's just been a long time since I met a boyfriend's parents, and you and me aren't the most conventional couple.'

He smiled. 'You're forgetting something, babe: neither are Aggie and Elsie.'

She smiled again. She'd sort of guessed that Tristan's mothers were a couple rather than sisters or friends, but he hadn't confirmed it for her until last week that they were romantically involved.

'You know: just in case you were wondering,' he'd said quietly, watching for her reaction.

'I guessed,' she'd said, smiling, and he smiled, and that was all the discussion they had on the matter.

Now they were on the plane on their way to Scotland to spend Christmas and New Year with Tristan's family. Belle was excited, but also very nervous. She knew that Aggie and Elsie knew about her and were looking forward to meeting her, and she was looking forward to meeting them: she just hoped they would approve. Tristan was like a son to them and she just wanted them to think her good enough for their boy.

Gold looked over at Belle and smiled. She was thinking again, her gaze far away. He knew she was nervous about meeting his mothers, but she really didn't need to be: he knew without a doubt that they were going to love her. He also knew that they were probably worrying that she wouldn't like them as much as she was worrying that they wouldn't like her. They were all going to get along like a house on fire, he just knew it.

He leaned over and kissed Belle's temple now and she smiled at him, and rested her head on his shoulder.

0

'This is where you grew up?'

'Mhm.' He put his arm around her shoulders and smiled. 'This was my first proper home.'

Belle smiled and looked at the small terraced house. It had a pretty little garden at the front and a festive wreath hung on the red front door.

'They painted,' Tristan said: 'I told them not to.' He shook his head and smiled. 'They wanted to impress you.'

'What?' she asked, surprised.

'Everything you've been worrying about, they've been worrying about too,' he told her.

'Really?' she asked, eyes widening.

He kissed her nose. 'Mhm. There they are,' he said, as the front door opened and two women appeared. 'By the way, they talk a lot: you'll see what I mean.'

'Tristan!'

'Welcome home, lad!'

'We missed you, dear.'

'It's been such a long time.'

'But we hear you on the radio.'

'Such wonderful songs.'

The two women came towards them, both finishing each other's sentences and starting new ones when the other stopped talking. One of the women was tall with long, straight, brown hair, and the other was shorter with blonde curls, and both were adorned in scarves and rings and pendants, like fortune tellers, Belle thought. Now she knew what Tristan meant when he said they liked scarves, and she was a little less worried about the gifts she'd brought.

'Hello, you two,' Gold greeted, sweeping both of his mothers into a hug at the same time. 'I missed you too. It's so good to see you both. Happy Christmas.'

'Happy Christmas, my dear.'

'Maybe we'll get a white one this year.'

'Oh, now, this must be your Belle,' the woman with the brown hair said, smiling warmly.

'Oh, welcome, dear. My, Tristan, what a lovely girl you've found yourself,' the blonde said, also smiling.

'Aggie, Elsie, I'd like you to meet Belle,' Gold said, smiling. 'Belle, this is Aggie,' he said, introducing the tall brunette, 'and this is Elsie.' This was the smaller blonde.

Belle smiled. 'It's lovely to meet you both,' she said softly.

'What a lovely accent,' Elsie commented.

'Had to go all the way to America to meet an Australian girl,' Aggie added.

Belle smiled as Tristan laughed.

'Well, come in out of the cold, my dear,' Elsie invited, putting her arm around Belle. Aggie did the same on the other side and the two of them walked her towards the house, chattering away to her.

Gold smiled to himself, grabbed the bags, and followed them in.

0

The house was small, but warm and welcoming. There was a small living room with a fire in the hearth, a Christmas tree in the corner and decorations strung around, an old, upright piano by the window, and a little kitchen down the hall. Upstairs was the bathroom and two bedrooms. There were lots of little ornaments and keepsakes in a cabinet in the hall, and even more in the living room, the treasures of a lifetime spent together, Belle knew, smiling at all the mementos and pictures dotted around the cosy living room. The carpet was soft under her feet and the room was toasty, effectively keeping out the chill December weather.

'You have a lovely home,' Belle said, smiling at Aggie and Elsie as they stood by the door: 'thank you for inviting me to stay.'

'Oh, you're very welcome dear.'

'We're delighted to have you.'

'Now, why don't you sit and make yourself comfortable?'

'And we'll have tea and a nice chat.'

'Where is that boy?'

'Coming!' Gold called, having dropped the bags into his old room. He hurried down the stairs and kissed both of his smiling mothers on the cheek. 'Tea?' he asked, making a move for the kitchen to put the kettle on.

'We'll get it, dear,' Aggie said, putting her hand on his arm.

'Go sit with Belle,' Elsie commanded.

He smiled and did as he was told, and then smiled at Belle as he sat beside her.

Aggie and Elsie went to make tea and Belle took his hand and squeezed it.

'Tristan, they're lovely,' she said.

He smiled and kissed her cheek.

0

Elsie smiled at Aggie as she put the kettle on.

'What a lovely girl.'

'Yes, and I've never seen our boy so happy.'

The two smiled at each other and commenced making the tea.

0

'Oh, my goodness,' Belle said.

'Oh, God,' Gold said. 'I thought I told you to burn those,' he said, shooting a look at his mothers.

Aggie and Elsie were sitting either side of Belle, who had a photograph album open on her knees. Inevitably, his mothers had decided to show his girlfriend pictures of him as a boy. He was sitting on the armchair, cringing.

Belle looked at him and smiled.

'Why would they do that?' she asked, 'you were an adorable child.'

He saw she meant it and smiled a little.

Belle did mean it. She was charmed by the little tow-headed boy with the crooked smile who looked out at her from the pictures. It made her happy to see how, as the pages were turned, the little boy changed, became more open, smiled more easily. He became a bit stouter, his skin lost the pasty look it had at the start; he was more cheerful, his eyes brighter. By the end of the album, he'd gone from smiling tentatively, nervously, to the full-blown smile that spoke of contentment and happiness.

Belle smiled at Aggie and Elsie as they talked her through the pictures, finishing each other's sentences. They loved Tristan like he was truly their child, and Belle loved them for that. They'd made him happy, shown him love, and they'd helped him become the wonderful man he was.

Gold smiled as his mothers chatted to Belle about him. He didn't even mind that they were moving on to telling embarrassing stories about him. Anything was ok if it made Belle and his mothers smile, and he was pleased to see them getting along. He'd known they would, but the confirmation was good to see.

'Do you remember that time when he was eleven and he came home with the black eye and his nose all bloodied up?' Aggie asked.

'Oh, aye,' Elsie returned, 'scared me out of my wits when I saw him.'

'And he wouldn't tell us what had happened.'

'Aye.'

'What did happen?' Belle asked, curious. She cast a look at Tristan and saw a strange flash of something pass over his face. It looked to be part anger, part defiance. He caught her looking at him and smiled weakly.

'Got the shit — sorry, stuffing,' he replaced, when both of his mothers sent him almost identical glares — 'knocked out of me one day is all. It was no big deal: the other guy came off worse, if you can believe a scrawny lad could inflict any damage.'

'But why were you fighting?'

'He refused to tell us.'

'Just said he'd taken care of it and that was the end of it.'

Belle looked over at her boyfriend. She knew what had happened and she had a feeling his mothers did too. Some boy had said something about them and Tristan had fought for their honour the way boys so often do when someone they love is impugned.

Gold knew she'd figured it out by the look she sent him. That soft, tender look clearly said how did I get so lucky? He shook his head, smiling at her.

'Thought I'd get in trouble for fighting,' he said: 'instead these two made a lovely meat pie for dinner, and there was chocolate cake for dessert.' He smiled from Aggie to Elsie, his way of saying he knew they knew exactly why he'd been fighting.

'I seem to recall the Nottingham boy being a lot politer to me after that,' Aggie mused.

'To me too,' Elsie agreed.

'Well, it's getting late,' Aggie said.

'We'll say good night, dears.'

'See you in the morning.'

'Sleep well.'

They all exchanged hugs and said good night, and then Tristan's mothers headed up the stairs, chatting quietly to each other.

'They like you,' Tristan said. He tilted his head, beckoning to Belle, and she came and sat in his lap.

'I like them,' she said, settling herself as he wrapped his arms around her. 'They really love you.'

He smiled fondly. 'They saved me. Don't know where I'd be right now without them.'

She ran her fingers through his hair. 'You fight for what you love: I love that about you.' She kissed him softly.

'Yeah, well, Keith Nottingham thought twice about picking a fight with me after that day, I can tell you, and nobody ever said anything about Aggie and Elsie again.'

'I'll bet they didn't,' Belle said. 'I fall more in love with you every day, you know,' she whispered.

He smiled tenderly. 'Me too with you.' He kissed her gently and then kissed along her jaw to her ear. 'I'm so glad you're here with me,' he whispered in her ear.

'I'm so happy to be here with you,' she whispered back, and sighed as he sucked on her pulse point.

'We'd better not,' she murmured: 'your mothers might hear us.'

He sighed. 'I know. It's late anyway.'

'Yes,' she agreed.

'Come on, then.' He led her up to his old room. It had been repainted and there was now a double bed instead of a single. It made the room more cramped, but Belle liked the cosiness of it.

They took turns in the bathroom and then climbed into bed together.

'How does it feel to be home again?' Belle asked, cuddling close under the blankets.

'It's nice,' he said, 'bit surreal. Not sure what will happen when I take you around the old haunts, to be honest.'

'Why? What are you worried about?'

'Dunno, really,' he confessed. 'I haven't seen most of the old crowd in years.'

'Are you worried they'll behave differently because you're famous?' she asked.

'I suppose that's it,' he agreed.

'Well, I don't know anyone more down to earth than you, sweetheart, so I'm sure they'll overcome any awe they feel very quickly.'

He smiled and kissed her.

'Thanks babe. I love you, you know.'

She smiled. 'I love you too.'

Next time: Belle and Gold wander the city and Gold meets a blast from the past