A/N: This chapter was pretty fun to write. The party scene was one of my favorite parts of the movie along with the day of firsts. I hope you all enjoy it! If you'd like, there are links to Belle's outfit from this chapter in my profile :)

Chapter 4: Party Time

"How about this one?"

"Nah, too much pink."

Belle held her hands up. "What's wrong with pink?"

Jefferson scrunched his nose up. "It's too girly."

"I am a girl!"

"But you don't act like it!"

The brunette groaned and stomped back into the bedroom. This was the sixth dress her older brother had rejected. It was getting on her nerves, and he counted himself lucky that he was watching this through the Skype camera and not in person. He'd have lumps on his head by now.

Belle had asked her brother to help her find a dress for Nick Gold's party that night. She told him everything about when they first met to their breakfast the previous morning. Jefferson proceeded to tease her about it.

"You gotta cru-ush!" he sing-songed.

"I do not!" she kept defending herself. "He's just my friend. Besides, he's about fifteen years older than me."

"So? Liam Neeson's like, what, sixty? You find him attractive," he countered.

She rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore him as she asked for his help to find a good dress. After more teasing, especially towards her clumsiness when she mentioned the fire escape incident, he said yes.

She had tried on six dresses, and he had said no to all of them. She went back into the bedroom to change out of her last dress which was a pale pink, sleeveless dress with a low v-neck. It reminded her of the dress she saw Regina in. Belle figured Nick's agent would be there, too. She knew she couldn't compete with her as far as looks go.

"If you don't have a crush on this guy," Jefferson's voice called from the laptop in the living room to her bedroom, "Then why are you so adamant on looking perfect?"

"I'm always adamant about looking my best," she reminded him, slipping out of her dress. "Plus, he's an actor, so there's probably going to be a lot of big wig agents, other actors, and what-not."

"A room full of famous people? You'll fit right in."

She rolled her eyes, and stuck her head out the door so she could see his face on the laptop. "I told you, I'm not that famous."

He ignored that, not wanting to argue over that again. "I hate to rush this, but I only have a limited time I can be here."

Belle frowned, immediately feeling guilty about wasting precious free moments talking about something as trivial as finding a dress. She wished more than anything that it was December already, since that was when he said he'd be coming home. "Do you have any suggestions as to what I should wear?" she asked, more gently.

He bit his lip in thought, then said, "Browns or reds. Tomorrow's the first day of fall."

She nodded, disappearing back into her room. She zoomed over to the closet, going near the far end of the rack (Her outfits were color coordinated), and found a skin-tight brown dress with an oversized turtleneck collar, and short sleeves that only covered the shoulder. Smiling, she took it off the rack and slipped it on.

Once she stepped out of the doorway, she heard Jefferson wolf whistle. "Now that is what I'm talking about!"

Belle smiled, pleased with her selection as well. Now I just have to find the right pair of shoes…

….

It started off as just casual. The room wasn't filled up yet, only a few stragglers sipping drinks. Nick stood near the door ready to welcome guests in. His friend, Archie Hopper, roamed around the room admiring the pictures on his wall and his book collection. He would come over every now and again to strike up a conversation and then go to talk to some of the other people that thought to arrive early.

There was a knock on the door. Gold went to answer it, almost expecting a few other people he didn't know to walk through the door. When he opened the door, he saw a more pleasing sight.

Belle stood right in front of him, smiling shyly and looking very gorgeous. She wore a tight, brown dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, a black belt around her waist, and high heeled shoes to match. He noticed that she also straightened her hair as opposed to her usual curly do. He stood there a moment, drinking her in with his gaze.

"Um," Belle's voice piped through as she eyed him curiously. "Are you going to let me in?"

"Hmm?" he almost didn't hear, her words sinking in slowly. "Oh, right! Come on in."

He stepped out of the way to let her through. "I guess I'm a little early," she said, noticing the quiet crowd.

"That means you get first dibs on the food," he joked. He cleared his throat as he shut the door. "You look... Nice."

"Thank you," she smiled, looking down at her outfit. "You look good, too," she gestured towards his dark suit and blue button-up shirt.

"One must look his best when hosting a party," he smirked.

"Is that so," she cocked her eyebrows upwards.

"Nick, you wouldn't happen to have any mustard, would you?" Archie asked, popping up by Gold's side.

Gold pressed his lips into a thin line, mentally cursing his mood-killing friend. "I think I'm out," he shrugged. "I apologize."

"Oh, there's no need," Archie waved it off, turning his head to see who Nick was talking too. "Oh, hello."

"Hi," Belle greeted. "I'm Belle French, I'm Nicholas' neighbor."

"Archie Hopper," he shook her hand.

"Archie works for the same agency as Regina," Nick told Belle, trying to impress her. "He knows all of the big time famous people; Especially Nora Roberts."

Belle seemed to brighten up. "Really? That's incredible!"

"Hopper," Nick clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Tomorrow, I want you to call Mrs. Roberts and let her know that Miss French here is one of the best writers out there, and is willing to give her a run for her money."

"Oh, no I…" It was Belle's turn to feel embarrassed.

"Don't blush, dearie," Nick told her, noticing her red cheeks. "You didn't say it, I did." There was another knock at the door. "If you'll both excuse me for a sec," he told them, heading towards his apartment door.

"So, I take it you're a writer?" Archie asked Belle once Nick was out of sight.

"Oh, yes, I am," she replied, then asked him. "So, you met Nicholas through Regina?"

"Actually, I introduced him to Regina," he corrected.

"Oh…" Belle said. She glanced at the crowd around, taking note that the room was being filled with more people. "Is Regina going to be here tonight?" she whispered to Archie.

He shook his head. "Nick told me that she was spending time with her husband tonight."

"… I see," she did her best to hold back her surprise. She had thought they were dating before and never bothered to ask him about it. Then she remembered catching Regina leaving money on his nightstand a couple of nights ago. Was she paying Gold to have an affair with her? Belle, stop it, it's none of your business, she scolded herself. Even though he said they were friends, she didn't know him well enough to pry into his personal life.

She noticed Archie was still staring at her, waiting for her to say something.

"How did you and Nick meet?" she asked him. Maybe she could find out more about him through an outside source.

Archie grabbed a hand full of Chex mix from a bowl nearby and began speaking. "He came to New York about two years ago, from Scotland. I met him at an audition for a TV pilot. He didn't get it. His accent was so thick, no one could understand him," he chuckled at the memory. "I offered to help him out. I was a speech therapist when I was younger, and I helped him thin his accent out."

"Ah, so you're the reason he sounds so elegant," she teased him.

He glanced down in embarrassment for a moment. "Yeah, he puts the training to use on the ladies more than he does his career."

Wouldn't be surprised, she commented, taking into account his 'charming' personality. "So, after helping him with dialect, you introduced him to Regina?"

"Yes. After a couple of auditions, Regina offered to be his agent," he said, then dropped his voice low for only her to hear. "Not to sound vain, but I think I would be a better choice than her."

"Why's that?" she matched his low tone.

"Regina…" he trailed off, trying to think of the right word to say. "She doesn't… Take her job seriously."

Belle nodded, thinking she knew what he meant.

"He has potential to go far, especially in live theatre," he continued, "but she keeps him to auditioning for small things like commercials."

"Have you told him that?"

He shook his head. "He doesn't listen to me much. I don't think he takes his career seriously either."

She looked at him skeptically. "But wasn't acting the reason he came to America in the first place?"

He scrunched his nose in thought. "You know, I just assume that's the reason, but he never actually revealed his reasons."

Belle frowned. That idea failed.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" asked Nick as he stood next to Belle and handed her a glass of champagne.

"Oh, nothing much," she smiled bringing the glass to her lips.

"Just talking to Miss French about her writing," Archie lied, grabbing another handful of Chex mix.

"What did I tell ya?" he grinned, patting Belle on the shoulder.

…..

After an hour and a half, the apartment was halfway filled with people. Most of them clumped up into groups and talked about different things. Nick noticed, with amusement, that Astrid was already drunk (Being the lightweight that she is). She was staring at herself in the floor length mirror he had hanging in the hallway, and laughing hysterically at her reflection.

He was leaning against the wall being blocked off by a crowd of people talking around him. Across the way, he could see Belle chatting it up with a few guests, including Ruby Lucas. He wasn't sure how the landlord's granddaughter got in, but he knew that if Granny Lucas found her here, she'd have a conniption. He didn't know why, honestly. The girl was only in her mid-twenties. Archie was with them, too. He could see the poor man's face turning red just from Ruby looking at her.

Nick stood there, watching Belle for a few minutes, admiring her ability to carry on a casual conversation with people she didn't know. The way she smiled and laughed at Archie's jokes made him want to smile himself (Even though he knew all of his jokes were corny).

She excused herself from Archie and Ruby, the latter two seeming to be in their own little conversation. Belle squeezed her way through the crowd and made to the snack table where she would be by herself.

Taking this as his opportune moment, he noticed the woman next to him who had her back turned on him. She was blocking his way. Smirking, he took his cold glass and pressed it against the small of her uncovered back, causing her to jump. When she moved, he started to saunter the pathway before him. He could hear the woman cursing at him for that, but he just ignored them.

Finally, he found himself at the snack table with Belle. "Having fun," he asked, taking sip of his drink.

"I am," she answered honestly. "How many of these people do you actually know?"

He glanced around the room, taking in the number of people in this room alone. "Maybe eight."

She looked at him incredulous. "You don't think this will get out of hand, will you?"

He shook his head, chuckling. "I doubt things could get worse."

"Yoohoo!" came a familiar voice from his front door.

I should stop speaking too soon.

A woman with curly, blonde hair bobbed in a Marilyn Monroe fashion, and donning a floor length purple dress entered the room, waving to someone on the other side of the apartment that she recognized.

"Mallory Carabosse," he muttered with disdain.

Belle looked at him curiously. "Mallory Carabosse? As in the Carabosse fashion line?"

"One of the top fashion lines in the country," he confirmed, then frowned, noticing she wasn't alone. "And she brought a young piece of arm candy with her."

Belle glanced over to see a handsome man with scruffy brown hair and a goatee. He had his arm wrapped around Miss Carabosse in an escort fashion. He watched as a shocked look of recognition crossed her features.

"Oh my goodness!" she dropped her voice to a whisper as if the man could hear her from across the room. "That's Graham Hunter!"

"Who?" Nick asked.

"Graham Hunter," she repeated. "He's a famous singer from Ireland!"

"Is that so?" he glanced over at the man coyly saying hello to everyone Mal introduced him to. "I've never heard of him."

"That's because he's only famous in Ireland," she pointed out. "I like to listen to music from other countries," she admitted sheepishly.

Nick looked back and forth from Graham to Belle, and grinned. "Well, now's your chance to meet him."

"What, no…" she had no time to argue. He was already dragging her across the room to meet him.

"Nicholas, darling!" she greeted once Nick and Belle appeared at her side. She grabbed him by the shoulders and placed a kiss on each cheek, much to his annoyance. "What a lovely party!"

"Thank you, Mal," he smiled at her. "It's great to see you could make it."

"Honey, I wouldn't miss this for anything- oh," she noticed Belle standing by his side. "And who is this beauty?" she asked, cupping the girl's face.

"Um, my name's Isabella French," Belle replied nervously, holding out her hand to shake.

"Oh, a fitting name," the woman shook her hand. "Mallory Carabosse, and this," she gestured towards her guest who stood stiff by her side, "is my friend, Graham Hunter. Graham, this is Nicholas Gold."

"A pleasure, Mr. Hunter," Gold shook his hand.

He nodded, and went to shake Belle's hand. Nick watched her surprised face with amusement.

"So, how do you all know each other?" asked Belle.

"Nicholas here modeled a few outfits from my men's line," Mal confirmed, patting Nick on the arm.

"Oh, really?" Belle turned her head to glance at Gold, slightly amused. She couldn't imagine him being the type to strut down a runway in ridiculous outfits.

"Of course," Mal smiled, dragging Belle's attention back to her. "Graham here has signed on to model my latest line," she smiled at her companion. "He's a musician back home."

"I thought he looked familiar," Nick pointed, feigning surprise. "Belle here is a big fan of yours."

Belle inwardly cringed. "Oh, no, I wouldn't…"

"She plays your CD all of the time in her apartment," he interrupted her. "What was that name of that one song you liked?" he asked her, craning his head to smile evilly at her.

She didn't show it, but he could tell from the look in her eyes that she was planning on murdering him later. Instead, she turned and smiled at Graham. "Fairytale is one of my favorites from your latest album."

Graham smiled back. "I'm glad you enjoy it. It was one of my favorites to write."

Belle could feel her cheeks turning red.

"Oh, how delightful!" Mal exclaimed. "You two should get to know each other!"

"What-"

"I agree," Gold chimed in, prodding Belle in front of him.

"You two start chatting while Nicholas and I get reacquainted," she smiled at Nick, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

Gold inwardly paled as Mal steered him away from the other two faster than he could blink. Should've known that part would've backfired.

He glanced behind him a moment and saw Belle sticking her tongue out at him.

"Isabella French," Graham began once the other two were out of sight.

"Please, call me Belle," she told him.

"Okay, Belle."

She grinned, loving the way her name sounded in an Irish accent. "So, you're here to model?"

"Well, that and I'm hoping to have my music reach out to the states," he said, scratching his hairy chin.

"Oh, well, I wish you the best of luck," she replied honestly.

"So, tell me, Belle," he began, placing his hands on his hips almost like a cop about to interrogate a suspect. "What do you do for a living?"

…..

The hours dragged on, Belle wasn't sure how long it had been. Loud music started playing, and people were either dancing, talking in small groups, or making out in various corners of the room. She and Graham had to shout just to be heard.

"Do you think this is starting to get out of hand?" Graham finally asked, looking around the room with a worried expression.

Belle could feel his apprehension. "I'm sure Nick will get a handle on this soon," she assured him, glancing around for the man in question.

Her ears began ringing. She thought she was going deaf from the bass, but then she glanced to see a wall phone hanging on the wall next to her. She thought it odd the apartment phone was ringing; most people just used cellphones. The only person that ever called her on her apartment phone was the landlord-

Oh shit! Belle thought frantically as she took the phone off the cord. "Mrs. Lucas?" she asked through the speaker, plugging her other ear so she could hear.

"Where is Gold?!" shouted the elderly woman, Belle had to pull the phone away from her ear a moment. "You tell that man I've called the police and they're on their way to break up whatever shenanigans are going on down there!"

After that came a click and dial tone.

She put the phone back on the wall. She bit her lip nervously. She didn't want to face any police.

"Who was that?" Graham asked, shouting over the noise.

"The landlord," she replied. "She said the police are one their way."

"Police?" his eyes almost bugged out of his head. "Oh no, I can't be here for that. I could be sent back to Ireland before my visa expires."

Belle began glancing around the room again, frenzied that she couldn't spot Gold on first sight. "Come with me," she told him, grabbing his hand and pulling him through the throng of people.

She finally spotted him near the kitchen, trying to calm a drunken Mal. She was waving one of his teacups around, her beverage sloshing all about.

"And I'll tell you another thing," she heard Mal say once they were close enough. "You are too good for Regina. You need to invest your face," she squished Nick's, making his lips pucker, "into modeling."

Belle couldn't help but giggle at how irritated Gold looked. He grabbed her wrist and pried it off of his face. "Mal, I think you should-"

"Don't touch me!" she jerked her hand out of his grasp. "No man's allowed to touch me…" she trailed off, staring at what was left in her teacup. "Until I finish my drink." She downed the rest of her drink in one gulp. Then she stared off, wide-eyed and slightly swaying.

Belle knew that look well. Gary use to get the same look when he had a few too many.

"Timber!" she called out.

People that were clumped around them immediately dispersed to leave floor space, which Mal took the opportunity to collapse onto. Luckily, Belle grabbed her empty tea cup before it crashed on the floor with her. Everyone else went about their business.

"Well, my evening is going good, how about you?" Nick said sarcastically, glancing at Belle and Graham.

"Granny called," Belle informed. "She said the cops were on their way to break up this party."

He groaned, muttering swear words under his breath. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Is there any way we can get out of here before they arrive?" asked Graham.

Nick placed his hands on his hips, and let out an agitated breath. "If we go through the front door quick, we should be able to make a dash out."

Despite the loud music, they could hear the faint sound of police sirens. The three of them glanced over to see tiny red and blue lights flashing through the window. Everyone else was either too intoxicated, or too busy getting to second base to notice.

"You got a plan B?" Graham asked, arching his eyebrows at Nick.

Something clicked in Belle's mind.

"Follow me," she told them, grabbing both of their hands, and began to drag them past the crowd once more. With much difficulty, they were able to make it to the little hallway that led to Nick's room. The drunk woman who was laughing with her reflection earlier was now crying, placing her hand against the mirror.

Nick has some very odd friends, she said to herself.

"What exactly are you thinking?" Gold asked once they reached his bedroom.

"Two words: fire escape," she told him, opening the door.

They walked over the threshold to find Nick's room… and a couple making out against the wall.

"Ruby?" Belle asked.

The girl pulled away, a flabbergasted expression donning her face.

"Way to go, Archie," Gold gave his friend a thumbs up, for which Belle slapped him on the arm.

Archie adjusted his glasses, a blush creeping over his face. "Nick, Belle. You know Ruby, right?"

"Yes, we've met," Nick nodded. "Have you met Graham?"

"Oh no, nice to meet you," the redhead held his arm out to shake.

"You too, Archie," Graham gave him a tiny salute instead.

"Guys, police," Belle reminded them.

"Right," Nick and Gold both replied, heading towards his window where the fire escape was.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked.

"Your grandmother called the cops," Belle replied.

"Shit!" Ruby spat out, knowing Granny would kill her if the cops brought her back to her place upstairs. She turned back to Archie, slipping a white card into her pocket. "Call me," she said flirtatiously, placing a quick kiss on his lips and dashing for the window.

Archie just leaned against the wall dazed.

Nick and Graham were already leaning against the rail of the fire escape when Ruby and Belle climbed through the window. Graham helped Belle to stand when she got her leg caught. She felt him squeeze a piece of paper into the hand that wasn't clutching the tea cup.

"I'll see ya tomorrow, Belle," Ruby smiled, and began to climb down the ladder.

"Nice to meet you both," Graham said before following her down.

Belle could hear the cops inside just before she shut the bedroom window. She looked over at Gold, realizing the two were alone together for the first time that night. For some odd reason, she could hear her heartbeat ringing in her ears. Maybe it was the adrenaline from trying to avoid the cops.

"We…" Nick cleared his throat. "We should probably get off this fire escape before the cops come raiding in."

"Right…" Belle replied, wondering why her voice sounded low.

She began to climb the ladder leading to her window. "Don't you dare look up my dress," she warned him, glancing behind her.

"Not making any promises, dearie," he joked, smirking as he followed her up.

A/N: The next chapter will pick up where this one left off, FYI. Also, for those interested in random trivia, the actor who plays Graham (Jamie Dornan) is in a band called Sons of Jim and one of their songs is called "Fairytale" which was mentioned :)