Shaun waited a week before he found himself in front of the newly corrected, 'Le Petit French Cafe.' A wave of guilt hit him immediately as he observed the new sign. The wood had very obviously been painted over in the same deep blue, and the name was stenciled back over in the flowing white script.

As he approached the glass door he realized the sign was flipped to Closed, and a quick glance of his watch showed it to be just after five. Maybe there was still a chance he could catch her. He peeked in through the glass door to see if he could detect any movements. The lights were still on and the chairs hadn't been flipped over yet so they could sweep. Perhaps if he went around back to the employee parking lot he could wait and catch her on the way out. Shaun started to move away when finally there was movement within the little cafe and then there she was.

Belle's long hair flowed in front of her as she moved around and bent forward to spray and wipe down one of the small tables. She moved so quickly and easily that he found himself once again becoming caught up watching her movements. She moved on quickly to the next table and put a leftover coffee cup and and tea cup into tub. It was then he noticed that no single coffee glass or tea cup was the same. Some were large, some small. Most were solid colors but others had quirky designs on them, adding to the eccentricities of the cafe.

Shaun observed her as she repeated this pattern several times before he worked the courage back up to lightly knock against the glass door.

Belle looked up from her work startled at first until she found the source of the interruption and she eyed him curiously from her position. Shaun pulled away from the glass abruptly and almost took the cowards way out and fled once the blue eyes fell upon him once more. Taking several steps away from the front door, he heard it being unlocked and out came the woman he could not stop thinking about this entire last week.

Belle stood tentatively between the half opened door and glanced around her surroundings for a moment before speaking.

"Detective Gold?" she asked innocently enough and he sighed somewhat in relief at the lack of any hostility in her voice. Then she quirked an eyebrow and sized him up, her eyes running from his dress shoes up to his tie around his collar before meeting his eyes once more. "Did you come to insult my business some more? I changed the sign you know?" she said and pointed above her.

Damn it. Maybe she was still a bit upset.

"Yes, I had noticed. Perhaps if it had been done correctly the first time you wouldn't have had to go through the extra trouble."

No. No. No. That was not what he was supposed to say. He was supposed to be apologizing not degrading her again. He couldn't help it. There was just something about her that made him jump to his defenses to protect himself and he was useless to stop it.

Just as he was preparing to back peddle something unexpected happened. Belle laughed and then smiled at him.

"Yes, well I suppose that is true. If you want something done right then you should do it yourself," she grinned.

"No, no. I didn't mean that...I mean I did, because it was wrong, but," Shaun cut himself off. He was babbling again. She must think he is an incompetent idiot, sputtering around for his words. He sighed. "May I come in?" he asked pointing to the open door in her hand.

"We're closed," she said abruptly a frown coming over her face.

That made him frown. "Look. I would just like to apologize for my rude behavior the other day and I don't particularly relish the idea of standing on the sidewalk grovelling. Please?"

Belle pretended to think on it for a moment making him sweat it out. He really did not want to beg for her forgiveness in the middle of the sidewalk. Relief fell over him when she smiled and took a few steps back inside, holding the door open wider for him to enter.

"I was just cleaning up but I suppose since you've gone out of your way I can make an exception."

Belle's smile was contagious and Shaun felt his apprehension beginning to ease away as he made his way inside. As he brushed by Belle at the door he couldn't help but catch a bit of her perfume. A beautiful scent that reminded him of flowers blooming in the spring. He hadn't been close enough to her the last time he was here to know what she smelled like but he knew that it would haunt him every bit as much as her laugh or smile. Every time he closed his eyes the past week all he could think of was Belle.

"So, how did you and Detective Nolan enjoy the turnovers?" Belle asked returning to her work cleaning up the cups and plates then wiping the tables down. Shaun found himself subconsciously helping her along the way, trying to think of the exact words he wanted to say in his apology.

"They were great, thank you for that," he said picking up a plate and depositing it into the small tub. "But I'm sure you know that already with Nolan stopping by as often as he can."

Belle smiled at that. "He's a sweet person. I'm glad to have such wonderful customers. Without people like Detective Nolan, I wouldn't be here! Is he married?" she ventured, and was pleased to see Shaun narrow his eyes at the question. She hid her amusement as she bent forward to wipe the table down.

"Not at the moment but I would be remiss if I didn't inform you that he is likely headed that way very soon if Mary Margaret has anything to say about. Sorry to ruin any of your romantic notions of Mr. Nolan, my dear."

Shaun got a vague sense of smug satisfaction out of destroying Belle's loathsome crush on his partner. David Nolan was no where near good enough for a woman like Belle. She needed someone to challenge her intellectually and keep her entertained. Someone that wasn't afraid to point out her mistakes but also would move mountains to ensure she had everything she could ever want. Not someone like Nolan who was as interesting as watching paint dry. She needed someone like...himself?

No, no. He couldn't think things like that. He barely knew this woman before him and the only impression she had of him was that he was the jerk who insulted her to her face. Besides, she had to be at least half his age. There was no way that she would want to be seen romantically involved with a man that could be her father. Certainly not.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that," she laughed again. She laughed a lot and Shaun decided he really liked that about her. "He just seems the type that needs someone to mother him at all times. He's sweet but definitely not my type."

And what is your type he almost asked but kept it to himself and picked up one of the tea cups on the table they were at to put it in the tub.

"Now, you on the other hand? You strike me as a man who has to play the tough man act to everyone he meets but on the inside you are a mystery to be uncovered. You would definitely be my type," she finished with a little wink.

Shaun felt his body go slack and he took a few steps back from the table. The tea cup that had been in his hand dropped to the floor and he instantly cursed himself and bent down after it. Belle took a few steps toward him to help out but he waved her off.

"Are you alright, Detective Gold?" Her face was molded in concern for him and he couldn't help but to curse himself even more.

"I'm fine," he muttered as he rose up from his knees. "Sorry, to say your tea cup isn't quite as well. It's chipped but you can hardly see it."

It was a shame really. It was a beautiful white tea cup with a sprawling blue design. It looked like it had come from a valuable set of China at one time, but even without it's set it was a lovely little thing. Now it was marred by his carelessness at a silly comment. He needed to apologize and get the hell out of here.

"I'll pay you for the damage," he began pulling his billfold from inside of his suit jacket. He watched Belle glance at his movements and her eye seemed to catch on the flash of his weapon secured in his shoulder holster and then averted her eyes quickly. When he pulled a couple bills out of it that seemed to spring her into action.

"It's just a cup, really, I have plenty of them. My parents were kind of hoarders," she smiled and pushed the money back to him.

Before he had a chance to respond another woman came walking in from the backroom. She was tall and had red highlights in her hair. She had an apron wrapped around her front and she looked at him suspiciously before looking back at Belle.

"Belle, is everything alright here? I heard something break?" she asked skeptically eyes still on Shaun sizing him up.

"Everything is fine Ruby, Detective Gold just dropped a cup. We're okay," she smiled.

"Detective? Are you sure?" The girl, Ruby, still did not seemed convinced.

"Look, Ms. French, I should be going I have a case I need to be working on. I just wanted to stop by and offer my apologies for my behavior last week. I could have handled it much better and mentioned it in private, I am not sure what came over me," he said and stepped forward just as Ruby did and pressed the money into Belle's hand. "I'm sorry for breaking your cup too," he added somewhat sheepishly.

Belle merely shrugged her shoulders and turned her blue eyes to stare into his own brown ones. He was standing so close to her, when did he get that close? Their hands were still clasped together between the two bills and her skin was so warm and so soft. Shaun's eyes fluttered down to her soft lips and he suddenly wondered what they would taste like.

"I understand Detective-"

"Shaun, please. I'm not on a case," he corrected gently.

"Shaun. We all have our bad days. I imagine your job keeps you under a lot of pressure," she spoke suddenly aware of the closeness between them as well and pulled away.

"Indeed," he murmured. "I'll see you around." He straightened his posture and dropped the bills she had tried to give back onto the table along with the chipped cup and hurried out the front door without another glance back.

Shaun thankfully had the foresight to drive this time to ensure a speedy exit when he inevitably did something stupid. He came to apologize and broke her cup. He was such a fool. At least now he had it off of his conscious and would never have to step foot in that cafe again.

Belle followed Gold with her eyes as he exited and continued watching until he was out of sight of her little cafe.

"Okay, who was that and what the hell is going on between the two of you?' Ruby proclaimed moving to her friends side.

"Oh." Belle shook her head a little bit and then turned her attention to Ruby. "That's the guy who corrected our sign, in a not so nice kind of way. He came to apologize," she grinned.

"That was him?! I thought that you said he was cute?" Ruby asked indignantly.

"I said he was handsome, Ruby, and he is in an unconventional kind of way. There's something about him that's just so interesting...I don't know I'm probably being silly. I just feel like I know him from somewhere."

"You're right, you are being silly. Back to earth Belle," Ruby laughed. "Don't worry though, I have a feeling that he was checking you out too. I mean how long was he holding your hand again? I totally thought he was going to kiss you."

"Oh please Ruby, I barely know the guy," Belle countered but felt something warm stir in the pit of her stomach when Ruby confirmed that he did seem interested in her. Who was she kidding though? A guy like that was probably married and had several children, they certainly wouldn't waste their time on a young entrepreneur like herself. She could always dream though.

Something told her that he would be much more interesting than George. They had briefly dated back in college and she had reluctantly hired him on knowing that he still carried a torch for her. George had never been her type. He was always more interested in his own looks and the score of the football game than he was about anything that she said. He wasn't a bad man but she just wasn't interested in him at all.

She hadn't been lying when she said that Detective Gold, Shaun, was her type. At least from what she had discerned from their brief meetings. He always seemed to be so nervous around her that she thought perhaps he didn't like her at all.

"Doesn't matter," Ruby interrupted her thoughts. "You know you have a thing for him. You always were different. Why don't you ask him out?"

"He's probably married."

"I didn't see a ring!"

"Ruby!"

"Fine, Belle," she laughed.

"You can finish up in here for me right?" Belle asked.

"Of course. You want me to throw this broken cup out?" Ruby asked her, picking up the chipped cup.

"No!" Belle said and snatched the cup a little too quickly from Ruby's hands. She picked up the money from the table too and tried to ignore Ruby's knowing grin as she made her way to the back.

"No, you don't like the guy at all!" Ruby called after her but was only met with the sound of a door closing.

It was exactly one week after Shaun's apology and two weeks after he first met and insulted the beautiful Belle French when David Nolan tossed a bag onto his desk, making the reports for the case they were working slide across the surface and get disorganized.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked glaring at the man as he went to work rearranging the reports into manila folders.

"Looks like someone has an admirer," David said with a wink and his best grin as he took his own seat behind his desk.

"What?" Shaun reached for the small white bag that had been thrown at him and flipped it over immediately recognizing the blue Eiffel Tower logo. He quickly opened it up and to find a strawberry turnover and a folded piece of paper that when he opened dropped the two twenty dollar bills he had given Belle for breaking her cup. On the paper was a note from her and he felt adrenaline washing through his body as he read her words.

Shaun,

If you really want to make up for breaking the tea cup, please come to the cafe tomorrow after closing time again and have some tea with me. Seems only fair. :)

Belle French

Shaun shook his head and re-read the note over and over again. She wanted to have tea with him. After his behavior when they first met and after breaking her property, she wanted to sit down and have some tea with him. But to what ends? Surely, she wasn't really interested in him.

He raised his eyes to look at David and was only met with that same damn grin and a laugh. Inwardly he groaned. He was in for it now. Belle French wanted to have tea, alone, with him. This would not end well.