The next morning the whole family was gathered around the table for breakfast; and of course the topic of discussion was Mr. Nolan. Mrs. French was currently talking about how smooth and elegant hands that the man had and that it showed real promise in a future husband. Belle held her tongue, not wanting to cause tension so early in the morning.
Belle was currently daydreaming, trying to tune her mother's voice out when she heard her name being called a little bit too loudly.
"BELLE!" The sound of her mother's high voice rang through her ears. Belle looked over at her mother who was now glaring at her father. "Husband, what is wrong with your daughter?"
Mr. French looked up from the newspaper that he was currently reading and looked over with shock in his eyes towards his wife. "Whatever do you mean wife? She is your daughter also, is she not?"
Mrs. French's cheeks started to turn red and Astrid started to laugh, but stopped when her mother's glare moved to her. Belle sighed at her mother's antics, and her mother turned her attention back to Belle.
"Isabelle French, when I ask you a question you should answer me back promptly. But you were again staring off into space with that dreamy expression on your face. How will I ever find a husband for you when you act like that?"
Belle clenched her hands into fists under the table to try to hold in her anger. But thankfully she was saved by Mary Margaret who spoke up. "Mama...I think Belle is trying to think of what to wear to the dance this evening, weren't you Belle?"
Everyone looked at Belle to hear her answer, even her father who had his eyebrows raised up in disbelief. "Yes, Mary is right. It's so hard to decide on a dress for this...special occasion." She looked up at Mary Margaret who gave her a small smile in approval.
Mrs. French sighed in relief, and then smiled as if Mr. Nolan just walked in the door and offered marriage to one of her daughters. "Well good. I'm so glad that you are excited tonight Belle. This will be good for you, I dare say. Isn't that right Mr. French?"
Mr. French was back to reading his paper and just mumbled something incoherent, but it pleased Mrs. French and they all went back to eating their food, the talk of dresses and hair now filling up the room.
XXX
The two elder daughters were strolling outside in town while the two youngest were browsing in the ribbon shop, and Emma was being pensive by herself on the bench outside of the shop. In town there were a bunch of men from young to old wearing red coats; the militia taking a rest in their small town.
Children were playing, running past with bright smiles on their faces; women gossiping and giving sly glances towards the men; and of course men trying to show off their latest new possession to other men. Belle noticed all of these things and it made her feel like she was suffocating. She had to get out of this town somehow, one day it was going to kill her. Living in Storybrooke was a mundane ritual and deep down in her bones she knew that she did not belong here.
Mary Margaret noticed her sister's mood and she nudged Belle playfully. Belle looked at her older sister and smiled sadly. "Belle, what is wrong?"
They both stopped walking when a group of children ran past them, and Belle looked fondly at the children for a moment and then directed her attention back at her sister who was looked at her with worried eyes.
"It's just..."
"Yes? You know you can tell me anything."
"I know. It's just that I feel so out of place here. It's the same thing every day; Mr. Leroy is at the pub drinking his sorrows away, Mr. Glass is sneaking up on unsuspecting townsfolk, while he tries to get the latest gossip to put in his newspaper, and Mrs. Lucas is trying to tell Ruby that she needs to find a husband soon."
"Oh my. You sure do know everyone in this town dear sister."
"That is the problem Mary. I need more."
Mary Margaret gave Belle a puzzled look and Belle sighed in defeat. She loved her sister more than anything, but her sister did not understand what she was feeling. Mary Margaret was content with this life, and would be fine with living here the rest of her life.
"Well maybe you will find a husband that will take you away from here," Mary Margaret said with a hint of anger in her voice.
Belle looked over at her sister in shock; Mary Margaret hardly got angry, especially with her. And Belle realized that her sister must be feeling hurt that she wanted to get away so bad, making it seem like Belle wanted to leave Mary Margaret.
"Dear sister, I'm sorry, what I meant-" but Belle was cut off when Astrid and Ashley came running towards them with ribbons in their hands and secretive smiles on their faces.
Belle eyed her two sisters suspiciously. "Ashley...Astrid...where did you get the money to buy those ribbons?"
Ashley glanced nervously at Astrid. "Well..um..."
"What Ashley means is a young dashing officer bought these lovely ribbons for us for the dance tonight. Isn't that just gracious of him? Mama will be excited to hear of this, isn't that right Ashley?"
Ashley nodded and both girls giggled when a officer was walking up towards them, with a smile on his face that even made Belle start to blush. The girls were right, this man was very handsome with bright green eyes, dark curly hair that was tied back at the end, and dimples that made him seem even younger. But with his youthful appearance, he also was well built where you knew that this man would protect you and he also was very confident in the way he walked towards them.
"Hello, I'm Officer Gaston. I see that you have seen the ribbons that I bought these two lovely girls. I'm sorry if I have offended you in some way, I just saw how much they wanted them and they were telling me about a dance tonight, and I knew that I had to get them for them."
He seemed genuine, so Belle smiled back at him. "Thank you Officer Gaston, we very much appreciate your kindness."
"Please, it was nothing. So who do I have the pleasure of meeting on this fine day?"
Ashley and Astrid giggled behind their hands and Mary Margaret smiled shyly. "My name is Belle, these are my sisters Mary Margaret," Mary Margaret said a quiet hello, "and you have met Ashley and Astrid...and then my other sister Emma is sitting over there on the bench." Gaston looked over where Emma was sulking and he turned back towards Belle.
"My, such all beautiful women. Your mother must be as equally beautiful." Astrid snorted, and Ashley laughed. Gaston ignored that and then took Belle's hand in his and gracefully leaned over and gently kissed her hand, looked up at her with a smile and said, "well it was a pleasure of meeting you Ms. Belle." He let go and Belle's hand tingled where he kissed it. "And it was also an honor of meeting you lovely girls also. I must be going, but hopefully I shall see you again soon," and when he said the last part he looked meaningfully at Belle.
He bowed once towards all of them and turned on his boot and walked towards the other officers who were leaving. Astrid and Ashley ran towards Emma to tell them about the officer they met, and Mary Margaret grabbed Belle's hand and squeezed. "Maybe you'll just get your wish and have that adventure you have been wanting." Mary Margaret walked away from Belle to join her other sisters, and Belle stood in shock.
Belle was thinking about the young handsome officer who was the first person in awhile that caught her interest, so she did not notice the two men who were on their horses and riding right towards her.
Belle heard her name being yelled by Mary Margaret and then the loud voices of two men trying to stop their horses. She closed her eyes, waiting for something to hit her, and when she just heard the shallow breaths of horses near her she opened her eyes to see two men sitting on a white horse and black one. The man sitting on the white horse dropped down and came towards her with a worried face.
"Are you alright Miss?" The man took off his hat and she was met with kind blue eyes.
"I-I think so..."
Belle heard the running of her sister towards her and was pulled into a tight hug by Mary Margaret. "Oh Belle, I thought you were going to get run over!"
"I'm fine, Mary. Good thing that they stopped their horses in time." She smiled gratefully at the man in front of her, and he smiled back, but then he looked at Mary Margaret and his smile turned shy.
"Thank you for checking on my sister," Mary Margaret said with a smile that made her eyes light up.
The man blushed and took off his hat, holding it with both hands in front of him. "It was nothing."
They both stared at each other, both of them with a shy smile and a blush on their faces. But they were interrupted by the other man who was sitting on the black horse.
While the kind man in front of Belle had a soft voice, the other man had an accent that was made rough by his impatient tone. Belle could not get a good look at him, since the sun was shining in her eyes, but he looked older than the man in front of her.
"David we must be going. Now we are going to be late because someone was standing in the middle of the road daydreaming."
Belle bristled from his response, and she could feel how he was judging her from the top of his well bred horse. She wanted to say something, but Margaret grabbed her hand. Her elder sister knew her too well.
David nodded towards his riding partner, and he wished them both a farewell and walked back towards his horse, but before he got back on he looked over his shoulder and smiled at Mary Margaret. He jumped back on, and then they were off, riding away from them.
Belle was about to complain about the rude man, but stopped when she saw the dreamy look appearing in Mary Margaret's eyes. Belle smiled to herself, knowing that this David fellow was going to be all that Mary Margaret thought about the rest of the night.
XXX
All five girls arrived home to the swirling mass of dresses and ribbons , with their mother and two maids in the center of it. The two youngest squealed in delight at the sight and ran to their mother showing the ribbons that the nice Officer Gaston got for them. Emma walked in next and scrunched up her nose in disgust and proceeded up the stairs to her room, needing to get away as quick as possible before her mother saw her. Then walked in Belle and Mary Margaret who were discussing the interesting events that happened in town.
"Belle, what did you think of the kind man that checked on you to make sure you were okay," Mary Margaret asked with a hint of a smile appearing on her rose red lips.
Belle made a mock serious face and looked at her sister. "I think he was just horrid. What kind of gentleman would check on a lady that he almost ran over? Just disgusting."
Mary Margaret laughed. "Oh Belle, stop it. I'm being serious."
They both stopped in the middle of the hallway and Belle placed her hand gently on Mary Margaret's arm, and with a smile she said, "Mary, I think he was just right. Maybe he will be at the dance tonight?"
Mary Margaret blushed. "Even if he was there, I do not think he would even presume to dance with me." Belle looked sadly at Mary Margaret, and they stared at each other for a couple of seconds when Mary Margaret laughed it off. "But enough talk about me; what about you Belle?"
"What about me?"
"What about the handsome Gaston? Maybe he will be at the dance to whisk you away like the romances that you read in your books."
Belle shrugged and then proceeded up the stairs to Mary Margaret and Belle's bedroom, walking by the chaos of their mother and two sisters who were trying to match ribbons to the dresses they wanted to wear tonight. Mary Margaret followed behind her and they both entered their small bedroom that only had a four post bed, that had white drapes hung over it, a small desk in the corner, a dresser next to it, and over by the one window held a small book shelf that held Belle's precious items: her books.
Belle went to sit at the desk to finish the letter to her aunt and uncle, but Mary Margaret grabbed the pen out of her hands with a playful smirk on her face.
"You shall not get this back until you answer my question."
"And what question was that?"
"Do you want Officer Gaston there? Would you like to dance with him?"
Belle looked away and looked down at her writing on the piece of paper she held in her hands. "I would not mind it," she said in a whisper.
Mary Margaret smiled and grabbed her sister in a hug. "Oh, I am so happy for you! I think he was quite taken with you."
Belle hugged her sister back and Belle went back to her writing once her sister gave her back her pen. They both sat in silence for awhile, Mary Margaret sewing a pattern on to a quilt, until Mary Margaret put down her work when a thought came to her. She turned towards her sister who was just finishing her letter and putting it into an envelope.
"Who do you think that horrid man was?"
Belle placed the envelope on the desk and turned towards her sister. "Who are you talking about?"
"That older man on the black horse that was with Mr. David. I could not get a good look at him, but he seemed older than Mr. David did he not?"
Just the thought of the man on the black horse brought back the memory of his voice that was filled with irritation and directed at her. It made Belle stiffen with annoyance, and she got up from her chair to pace the room.
"Yes he seemed older. Older and rude! You would think with a man that had years of experience would know how to talk to a young lady. It was not like I purposely put myself in front of them!"
Mary Margaret's eyes widen at the tone of her sister's voice and the way that she paced the room. She had not seen Belle this worked up in a very long time. It was strange, but not strange enough to make her ponder on it. So she decided to tease Belle, to make her come out of this mood.
"Well maybe he will be there also, and you two will trade insults with each other all night, with maybe a dance or two."
Belle glared at her sister, and then grabbed the nearest pillow on the bed and threw it at her. Mary Margaret laughed and then Belle joined in while they tackled each other with pillows. After they were worn out both of them laid on the bed, still giggling. They hadn't played like that for a long time, ever since they were children and it felt nice to Belle that they could still be carefree sometimes.
They both heard the shouting of their mother for the girls to start getting ready for the dance, and Mary Margaret turned her head towards Belle, her eyes filled with hope. "Tonight will be a night to always remember right?"
Belle looked at her elder sister, and knew that Mary Margaret deserved happiness. Her sister was her best friend and even if Belle couldn't find the happiness she wanted, she knew that she would do everything in her power to make sure her sister got her happy ending.
"Of course. It will be a night you will always dream about."
Little did Belle know that the universe worked in mysterious ways, and though she thought that it would be the start of her sister's happiness, it would also be the start of hers, and it already had started just a few hours ago on a dusty road in a small town where a young woman almost got ran over by a tall dark horse.