It gets crowded around Christmas

by anotherOUATwriter

Christmas is a time to love, to cherish peace and enjoy with your family. Unless you're family is pretty messed up, like Henry's. So when his grandmother tells him that Saint Nicholas grants wishes for Christmas, he wishes the thing he yearned the most: to have his family together for christmas.

3. December 3rd

This is a short one, but it needed to be part of the story, so - Enjoy!

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"Son, listen to me," Mr Gold tried to make his son come to his senses. "Christmas is supposed to be celebrated with family. And Belle and I, we are your family."

"Oh, so now I'm your son?" Neal asked, anger coloring his tone.

Gold took a step towards his son. "You were always my son, Bae," he said placing his hand on Neal's shoulder.

"No," the younger man said shaking the paw away. "Not since the day when you chose magic over me."

"When are you going to understand that I chose magic for you and not instead of you?"

"When you understand that my father is long dead," Neal spat, before turning and barging out of the shop.

Mr Gold watched him leave without a word. His heart was heavy, a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time. It was a sensation he welcomed because it meant he was starting to feel human once more, not the monster he had been for so many centuries.

"Are you ok, Rumple?" he looked over his shoulder to see Belle's sad eyes fixed on him.

"I am, dear," the man replied. "It's nothing."

"Rumple, look at me," Belle cupped his cheeks in her hands. "You can talk to me, remember?"

He kept quiet for a second, staring into Belle's eyes, and he took a deep breath. "It's heavy," he admitted.

"What, what's heavy?" she asked. He pointed at his chest, patting his heart. "I see," the beautiful woman murmured. "That's how a broken heart feels."

Broken heart. When was the last time his heart had been broken? When was the last time his heart had felt something other than hate and revenge?

"I want it to stop," Rumple stated. "I want the pain to go away. I want to never feel it again."

Belle caressed his cheeks and smiled at him. "No, Rumple," she told him. "Pain means you are alive; as long as you live, you'll feel it. But pain is sometimes good."

"Why is that?" he asked confused.

"Because pain means that you care," Belle said in a gentle tone. "And the fact that you cares shows that you are a good person," she added before leaning in and pressing her lips against his.