A/N: You guys are amazingly awesome. All of your reviews have been so great, just know that I kind of love you guys. And did you see "Apple Red as Blood"? *SPOILER* Poor Henry! Anyone else just want to strangle Regina? *END OF SPOILER* Anyways, here's chapter 4! Enjoy and review! :D
Chapter 4
For most of the car ride, Gold's mind was consumed with one thought. This was too easy. There had to be some sort of catch. Regina must have something big planned if she was going to let him have Belle this effortlessly. There had to be more than just making sure that Emma loses Henry in a simple custody battle. She knew better than to kill Emma, if she wanted to keep her precious curse intact. He would have dwelled on this thought more had his attention not been brought back to the here-and-now.
"Where are we going?" she asked as they drove down the street. She looked out the window like an excited puppy at all of the people and places they passed by. She had asked about cars, the radio, and other various things she had not seen before.
"You said you wanted something to eat." Gold said. "Granny's is about the only place in town I dare go."
"Granny's?" she asked with a raise brow.
"It's the local diner." He glanced over to her. "I figured you might have some memory of it." It was odd that Belle's false memories didn't seem to flood her mind like everyone else under the curse. It was almost like there weren't any memories at all, just the cell.
"Honestly, it's all kind of a blur. Is that weird?" She asked bashfully. "I mean, I remember my father, but it's like he's not where he's supposed to be. And then the next thing I know, the woman in black, Regina, was telling him that I should be sent away 'for my own good.' And he just let them take me away. Does that make any sense to you?"
"I don't really know, Ms. French." He said as all the different ways to torture Regina flowed through his head.
"Please, you don't have to call me that." She said, bringing him out of his dark reverie.
"Would you rather I call you Margie?" He asked, glancing over to see her make a face.
"That's what Dr. Whale always called me." She scrunched her nose in disgust. Gold was determined to find out all that happened while Belle was under the care of Dr. Whale, and if one minuscule line was crossed, the dear doctor was going to rue the day he was born. Then for a split second, a vision of Dr. Whale and Regina both being tortured together danced around in his mind.
"Margaret, then?" He guessed, shoving the thought away for a later time. She thought about it for a moment.
"No, it never really suited me." She answered.
"My, my, my, what are we going to call you?" Gold smirked.
"I have a middle name, you know," she smiled.
"It isn't Verna, is it?" Gold asked, wondering if the Queen was brutal enough to give his Belle both of the names she had bestowed her in the old world.
"No!" she cried. "What cruel person names their kid Verna?" Rumplestiltskin smirked. "It's Annabelle."
"Margaret Annabelle French," he mused as he turned the car off. "Well, isn't that a mouthful."
"I know," she blushed. "I suppose Anna would do or Belle?"
"Anna is so ordinary," he said, "And you, my dear, are anything but ordinary." The young woman could not hide the rosy blush that covered her face. No one had ever said anything like that to her before.
"Belle it is," she announced with a smile that was so unsure and innocent she had to look away form Mr. Gold's gaze. Rumplestiltskin had to still himself from acting on the emotions that her face triggered.
"Well, now that we have decided on a suitable name, would you like to join me for lunch, Belle?" As her name left his lips, she turned to look at him. It sounded so familiar, but she couldn't remember how.
"I would like that very much." Gold gave a small smile as he got out of the car. The rain had stopped sometime between the hospital and the diner, but he didn't care. He walked over to the passenger side of his car and opened the door.
As they strolled up the steps of the diner, the door swung open and a small boy nearly knocked Belle down. Rumplestiltskin had reacted fast enough to catch her before she tumbled down the stairs. Henry looked up in surprise to see someone there.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said as he backed away. "I wasn't looking where I was going."
"It's perfectly alright," she smiled. Mr. Gold helped her to balance, his hand lingered on the small of her back. "No harm done."
"You should try to be a little more careful, Henry," Mr. Gold said. Henry looked up the see the pawnbroker looming over him. The boy gave him a nervous smile.
"Will do, Mr. Gold," he said.
"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Gold asked the boy. Henry's face went pale.
"Please don't tell my mom," Henry begged. "She won't let me see Emma for another month if she finds out."
Mr. Gold thought for a split second as opportunity knocked.
"I think we can make some sort of a deal. Come by my shop later and we'll talk." Gold smirked. Henry gave him a confused, but understanding look.
"Ok," he answered unsure about what he had just gotten himself into, "I'll see if I can come by after school."
"Very good," Gold smiled. Henry ran down the rest of the stairs.
"Sorry again about knocking you over." He called back to Belle. Henry was halfway down the street when he realized that the woman that he had ran into and Gold had caught seemed vaguely familiar. He would have to consult with the book before he went to go see Mr. Gold.
"What a charming boy," Belle laughed as she and Mr. Gold entered the diner.
"Yes, charming," he repeated, though in his mind he was thinking of all the possible potential of making a deal with the little princeling. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yes," she assured him. "If it hadn't been me getting knocked over, I would have managed some way or another to trip and fall. Truth be told, I'm a little clumsy."
"You don't say?" They took a booth in the furthest most corner of the diner. It was well known to patrons as Gold's personal booth. It was a place where others wouldn't disturb them. Not that Granny's was packed, but just the cluttering sound of a few people talking was enough to be annoying for Gold.
He handed Belle a menu, and she excitedly flipped the one paneled menu, reading every word it contained. Still a book worm after all this time.
"See anything you might like?" He asked as Ruby came by to take their orders. True, she was a little shocked to see Mr. Gold with another person in his booth, let alone a beautiful young woman.
"I don't know, everything sounds better than what I've been eating for the last I-don't-know-how-many years." She told him, obviously overwhelmed by the numerous choices.
"Well, you heard her Ruby. One of everything, if you will, Dearie."
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A/N: More fluffy fluff bunnies for you! I had to add Henry! I love that kid! He's so brave even when Emma isn't. But what kind of deal will he and Mr. Gold find themselves in?