Chapter Three
"Introducing the Russian Gypsies! We are proud to be here tonight in Storybrooke, we'd like to take you on a trip through the wonders of fact and fiction! We have some new acts tonight and we would feel privileged to be able to share them with you!" At this statement the crowd clapped and cheered, while Mr Gold, sitting above it all, alone and apart, mentally rolled his eyes "Get on with it" he thought.
"Our very first act is a new one, by our beautiful girl, retelling a tale as old as time with a song she has written herself...please welcome to the stage our newcomer Belle!" The crowd cheered and Mr Gold, at the mention of Belle's name, sat up straighter and sucked in his breath. Belle. That one name alone could reach into the cold depths where his heart resided, and give it a warm squeeze... His Belle, lost forever in the old world, lost forever to him for all time. Out of instinct Mr Gold searched out the crowd for Madame Mayor Mills and noticed even in the dim light the colour drain from her face. Mr Gold smirked to himself, well it was interesting to see that Regina was uncomfortable at the mention of that name.
Music swelled and filled the theatre, heavy heartbreaking guitar started the melody followed by a lone violin, as smoke spiralled across the theatre floor and two dancers came onto the stage. A beautiful girl in a blue peasant dress and a man dressed as a beast. Mr Gold snorted under this breath at the sight, oh so familiar with the tale, and saddened that the story never told the real ending. That the Beast had pushed his beauty away through his own cowardliness, and was never able to have his happy ending.
My host had better show himself soon, thought Mr Gold, or I will be leaving. He looked onto the stage to see a huge red rose suspended from the ceiling being slowly lowered onto the stage, the outer petals falling away to reveal a lone woman with wild brown hair cascading down her back, clad in what looked to be like leather breaches and a flowering burgundy shirt. Mr Gold smirked at the clothing...thinking the he himself used to wear the same garb when he was the Dark One residing in his Dark Castle.
The audience held their breath as she began to sing. Her voice was beauty itself, the emotion flowing through the notes as she sang brought a tear to several eyes.
"If you could envision, the meaning of a tragedy...you might be...surprised to hear .." As she sang those first lines she slowly turned her body to face the crowd and raised her piercing blue orbs up to meet Mr Gold's brown ones "its you and me". As she held the last note and held his gaze, his heart stopped. Belle. His Belle, was alive, in front of him, looking at him as if she knew him...really knew him. He was frozen to his chair...what in gods?
"When it comes down to it, you never made the most of it...so I cried cried cried...and now I say goodbye.." Mr Gold tore his eyes away from the vision that was Belle to look at the dancers on the stage, as did she. The dancers moved back and forth with the lyrics, acting as though it was an actual conversation between the two... "and I won't be made a fool of...don't call this love" Both dancers came together and then danced away from each-other, The Beast to afraid to believe that the Beauty loved him, she to proud to let him break her heart or taint their love with his fear.
Mr Gold looked back to Belle, hardly daring to believe what was in front of his own eyes. After sending her away from the Dark Castle, after believing at first that Belle had died at her own hand from unhappiness, then finding out as he was trapped in the dungeon before the curse struck, that she had been calling for him as she lay trapped and dying in the Evil Queen's tower...well he had thought that she had died when the curse struck. When his memories has started returning, he looked for Belle, any traces he could think of...but nothing had come up, even Regina had not shown any recognition when Mr Gold made his delicate enquiries...now however, as he flicked a lightning glance to her face, and saw slow puzzlement graced the Mayors face. Wonderful, he thought sarcastically, now was just the time he needed the Mayor to realise that something was happening in Storybrooke that she was not in control of.
Looking back at Belle to see that she had returned her gaze back to him. She had her body facing the crowd below, her Beauty and her Beast dancing around her, but her face was slightly up turned, and her eyes didn't leave the lone man sitting in the private box. Her sky blue eyes held tears, held so much depth of emotion as it poured out into the song. Mr Gold realised that she was singing just to him, she had written this song, for him, for them. "When did you decide, that I didn't have enough to buy? Forgive and forget you a thousand times, for the fire and the sleepless nights. And I won't be made a fool of, don't call this love."
How could she be here? How could she remember? How could he not have know, have felt that she was still alive in this world? The questions ran around in his brain as she continued to sing to him, to pour her heart out to him, in front of the whole town. He felt his world narrow until he only focused on her, on her body, her voice, her eyes that never wavered once while she sang. "Why did you feel the need to prove that everybody else was right? No, I won't fight...don't call this...Love?" she caressed the last word, made it a question, a hope as she held his eyes with her own. The two dancers continued to move around her, slowly coming closer together, finally resting on the rose, entwined in each others arms as the music faded and the lights dimmed.
There was a moments silence and then the theatre erupted into clapping and cheering that reverberated throughout the room. "Isn't she a beauty? With the voice of an angel! Please lets hear it for Belle!" the host shouted into the microphone to be heard over the crowd. Mr Gold sat glued to his seat...Belle..was here in this building, and she knew him, she had looked at him as she stood solitary on the stage, singing just for him. Against all odds, she was alive, here, and untouched by the curse. As Mr Gold reached for his cane, preparing to get up and go find his Belle, the door to the box opened to let in a lone figure.
"Mr R Gold" it greeted him, as the door was closed.
