"Belle I've gotta warn you. He's ruthless."
"But he's brilliant. You've seen Regina's recent work after she started being coached by him. Emma, YOU were coached by him. It wasn't him that made you quit, right?"
"No I didn't quit because of him. He's definitely good, but Belle there are tons of others you could work with. Try that guy that Mary Margaret has been seeing. August Booth?"
"Emma come on. You and I both know he's a joke and one step away from being a con artist. I'm not some weak little newbie. I can handle myself, but I need the tough and gritty training. I can't keep taking these typecast princess lollipop roles."
"Fine I'll make some calls, but if he says no I'm not going to break it easy to you."
"I wouldn't expect you to."
He gets the call when he's getting dressed for Regina's latest red carpet premiere. A trial of inane E! reporters he'll deal with because Regina rarely gets nervous, but she called hyperventilating and he said yes to make her stop and because he isn't completely heartless. He's pleasantly surprised when he sees the name on his screen.
"Emma to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I've got a new student for you."
"If it's that Shirley Temple girl you work with I'm not interested."
Emma sighs. "Gold she's not what she seems."
"The curly hair, doll face, sundresses and heels? Combine that with the roles she's been doing as of late?"
"Gold, she's got more substance than that."
"She was in a Nicholas Sparks movie Emma. Nicholas Sparks. I want no part of her." He buttons his shirt and grimaces at the amount of wasted talents that make Nicholas Sparks ridiculous amounts of money.
"That was her first role! That was before she was with me!"
"Oh when she was with that Gerard fellow she was in a relationship with?"
"You should know well enough not to believe the tabloids when they pair agents and actresses. Must I remind you of Zelena?"
He grimaces again, "Low blow and exactly why I want no part of anymore doe-eyed ingénues. They're not all they seem."
Emma sighs, "Give her a chance. For me, one last favor Will."
Her use of his first name gives him pause. She never calls him by his first name. "You must truly believe in her."
"I believe in her as much as I believed in Graham."
He pauses and takes the time to tie his bow tie before he replies quietly, "Okay. I'll give her two sessions and if she doesn't show promise within those two, I want no part of her."
Emma lets out a breath, "She will. I promise you that."
"I'm holding you to that," he replies and hopes to talk a little bit with her. It's been a while. "You coming out tonight?"
"Small talk Gold?" she's back to the gruff last name basis.
"What? It's been quite a while Miss Swan."
"Yeah well there's been good reason for that, but yes I am coming out tonight."
"Ah the hatchet's been buried then?"
"No." The answer is cold. The weight of the past drama in that one syllable. "But Belle's been invited and I'm accompanying her."
"I expect you'll want me to meet her then?" The disdain drips from his brogue.
"Well once I tell her you'll do it she'll definitely want to meet you. And even if you didn't she'd no doubt hunt you down and try to persuade you herself."
He raises an eyebrow, "Oh really? Then don't tell her I'll take her. I'd like to see Dorothy Gale try to persuade me."
"Gold you're not using her for some game." Emma's tone is cold again.
"Oh come on Miss Swan, let me have some fun. Don't think she's up to it?"
He imagines her eye roll over the phone, "You asked for it. Fine. I won't tell her."
"Perfect," but Emma doesn't hear the reply as she's already hung up.
"Look I don't think you should go look for him. I mean he makes himself scarce at red carpet events, but that doesn't mean you have an excuse to come up to him here." Emma warns her at the bar in some hipster club that's "not a club," but is completely a club that Regina's agency has rented out for the after-party. "I'm heading out as soon as possible and he won't like a stranger coming up to him that he's already rejected."
"Emma I need to work with him. He just needs to understand that I'm worth the time," Belle replies while sipping her drink and looks around to see if there are any friendly faces in the crowd. "Look there's Jefferson! He'll make sure you don't leave early!" She waves him over when he catches her eye. He smiles and holds up a finger because he's with someone, a shorter, lean someone with chin length brown hair who she's definitely seen before. "Oh shit. He's with Jeff. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. I need another drink. No I shouldn't get another drink. Oh god I'm going to smell like alcohol when I first meet him. That's not a good thing. Quick do you have some gum or something? No I can't be chewing gum while talking to him that's completely unprofessional and tacky, I need mints…"
Emma rolls her eyes and thinks again how she shouldn't have made that deal with Gold. Belle's going to make a fool of herself. She grabs the manic brunette by the shoulders and looks her in the eye, "Okay calm down. What happened to the girl who was going to show him she's worth the time? Did she just get replaced with a fangirl?"
Belle shakes her head and takes a breath, "No. I'm fine. I'm completely fine."
"You sure?" Emma asks. Maybe she can get away with saying Belle got sick or something. She glances back at Jeff and Gold and sees they're coming through the crowd. "Shit okay. I wasn't supposed to say this but I don't trust you to not freak out." Belle opens her mouth, but Emma puts a finger to her lips and the rest rushes out as quickly and clear as possible. "He said he'd work with you, but I opened my big mouth about your determination and he wants to see how you would convince him if he'd actually said no. So you have to act like your strong, brave, true self okay?" She glances back at Jeff, catches her eye, shakes her head briefly. He looks between her and the stunned and slightly angry Belle and spills, more like throws, his drink on Gold. Emma hears Gold swear from where she and Belle are standing.
"Oh fuck sorry Will! I'm so sorry! Let's go get another drink from that cute waitress from earlier."
"We can just get a drink from the bartender by Emma and Shirley Temple. Seems like you shouldn't be drinking anymore if you can't walk and hold a drink," Gold wipes at his shirt, but it's no use.
"No, I really liked THAT waitress. Over there! Oh look she's in the far corner way over there!"
Belle glances at them and then looks back at Emma, "We're talking about your lack of faith in me after this, but right now I've got to apparently prove my determination." She steps away and starts walking towards Jefferson and Gold.
Emma smirks at her back and sighs internally. Perfect. She's angry and determined. She glances at Jefferson and nods her head. He sees Belle making her way towards them and turns back towards Gold, "Fine I guess I can just forgo a drink altogether…for the moment. Oh look there's Belle!" She waves, but is intercepted by a tall man in a dark suit. "Oh no it's her ex-agent."
Gold rolls his eyes, "Fantastic. The ex-beau. Look Jefferson, I know you and Emma think she's great, but I don't want any part of this girl if she's going to be carrying a load of drama outside of her work."
Jefferson gestures to Emma and points to the tall man talking to Belle, Emma jumps up and turns her attention to typing on her phone. "Gold I'm telling you she's worth it. And they were never in a relationship." He glances around them and grins. "But speaking of drama outside of one's work…look who it is over there."
Gold glances and catches sight of the strawberry blonde hair before turning quickly, "Nope, not tonight." He ducks behind a group of people and pulls Jefferson with him.
"Oh you don't want to talk to Zelena? What's she doing here anyway?"
"Regina's half-sister remember? It's pretty hush-hush. People just think they're super close 'frenemies.' God I hate that word," he wrinkles his nose in distaste.
"Gold did you just run away from a woman? How old are you again?" Jefferson's pronounced smirk is too much for Gold to handle.
"Well I'm not the one spilling drinks on people like a drunk frat boy," he practically growls as Jefferson. "Now where did Goldilocks wander off to?"
"That one doesn't work. She's brunette Gold," Jefferson mutters.
"I was actually talking about Emma. I understand hair color." He swirls around and catches sight of Emma who's surveying the removal of the man who had intercepted Belle earlier. "Ah there she is, but where is Shirley Temple?"
"I presume Shirley Temple is me?" he hears a voice behind him ask. He turns to find her behind him and Jefferson gallivanting to conspire some more with Emma no doubt. "Hello. I'm Belle Le Fuerve." She holds out her hand.
He shakes it briefly, "Jefferson and Emma have absolutely raved about you. I've seen bits of your work. It's nothing special." Easier to cut her down quickly and get the whole process over with, then he can speak to Regina again to say farewell and go home to peace and quiet and a blue label.
She takes the barb in stride though, "Everyone gets their start somewhere. It's what they do after all of the typecasting is done that's special in my opinion."
"I'm sure those of the Disney lollipop guild would agree with that opinion and yet they keep churning out the same mind-numbing work but they just take their tops off to prove they've grown up," he scoffs.
"Not everyone gets the proper chance when those with power cut them down so quickly without a second glance." She's smiling sweetly, but her eyes are shining with something akin to mischief.
"Not everyone deserves it," he shoots back staring right into those twinkling eyes. "Besides they all thrive on the drama they get attached with in The Rags. You don't seem them make it onto anything besides the supermarket rack and The Daily Mail."
He detects a hint of anger due to that comment, but before she can retort he's looped into an unexpected embrace.
"Well William, my darling, I should have known you'd be here!" His blood boils and he attempts to escape from Zelena's grasp, but she's got a vise grip on him. She waves someone over and they take a photo of the two on a black iPhone. She glances up and sees Belle. "Ah! You're Belle Le Fuerve! Gustav you have to get a picture of the three of us. Come here, come here!" She grabs Belle with her other hand and pulls her to her other side. "Come on smile you two!"
Belle attempts one, but Gold continues to scowl and the whole thing is awkward and fake and uncomfortable and yet Belle ends up grinning at how angry he's getting. He seems to have his own drama package tagging along.
"How have you been William? I haven't heard any news about you lately! And of course you won't return my phone calls, so busy with Regina and all those young stars who desperately need your help to rise to the fame you brought me." She sighs.
He rolls his eyes, "I didn't bring you fame, you bought that yourself."
She pouts, "Oh William so touchy. I must be off though! Lots of people to meet and pose with!"
He only turns to face Belle when he knows Zelena is off and away, but the smirk on Belle's face is too much.
"You were saying something about the stars who break away by going around shirtless?" she starts up sweetly.
"Zelena is an entirely self-made package. I had nothing to do with that," he growls. Belle's sass is getting to a level that he isn't sure he can handle. "Listen, I'll take you on, but only for two sessions. If you prove you're worth my time then we'll keep it up. Otherwise you go back to the lollipop guild where you're sure to find work."
Her anger is just beneath the surface, but she pushes it aside for the moment, "Thank you."