Author's Note: I do not own anything.
Mr. Gold waited for Belle outside the library and when he saw her his heart skipped a beat. She noticed him and smiled as a few stragglers came out. Belle locked the doors and then walked over to Mr. Gold. "Thanks for waiting," she smiled.
He offered her his arm which she gladly took and they went to the diner. Belle and Mr. Gold sat down and Ruby came over the menus. "Well, well, well," she smirked, "If it isn't the great Mr. Gold and his date."
"I'm Belle," Belle offered her hand to shake as she looked at how provocatively she was dressed.
"I'll give you a few minutes to decide."
"No two cups of coffee Ruby."
Ruby walked away to grab coffee and when she came back she placed the cups down and began to pour. "Enjoy!"
Belle took her cup in her hands and felt the warmth engulf them. "What made you decide to come out for coffee with me?" Mr. Gold asked.
"I wanted to get to know you better," smiled Belle, "It's a great opportunity to."
Belle sipped her coffee as Mr. Gold nodded. "I'm a very complicated man Belle," Mr. Gold admitted, "Some may even call me a monster."
Belle looked at Mr. Gold cautiously and leaned forward. "I don't see a monster. I see a man that has been through so much. You lost your son, you lost your wife, and you lost your true love. That is a tragedy. You just need a change in luck," Belle replied.
"That's what I love about you. You can see the good in me when others can't."
Belle blushed and continued to drink her coffee. "Good day Ms. French, Mr. Gold," came the voice of Regina, "Enjoying yourselves?"
Mr. Gold grew irritated at the very presence of Regina and he could feel his hands shaking. "Hello Mayor Mills," Belle timidly replied.
Regina smirked and continued on her way. It was a cruel reminder of what she did to his beloved Belle. There had to be a way to fix things, but then Mr. Gold remembered he had lost his powers. He was going to have to relearn magic and where would he go to get information? The library.
"Belle, may I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"Do you believe in magic?"
"I am not really sure. I am one of those people who has to see it to believe it."
"Belle, may I ask you a favor?"
"Anything."
"I need some books on magic and curses and fairytales."
"That seems odd Mr. Gold, why on earth would you need those?"
"I can't explain now, but over time it will make sense."
They finished their coffee and went back to the library. Belle led him to the proper section and began to pull out all kinds of books. "Is there a limit?"
"I am the librarian, anything I say goes," Belle smiled as she handed him another book.
"Sorry to cut our date short, but I am afraid that I have some reading to do. I will see you next weekend."
"Goodbye Mr. Gold."
The next week went by so fast and when Mr. Gold wasn't reading he was re-learning magic. He kept it a secret and often performed it in his basement where no one would see him. The only person he cared to know was Belle, but he wasn't sure how she was going to react. Back in fairytaleland, she hated it. Who knew what the Storybook version would say?
Mr. Gold glanced at the clock and noticed that Belle was fifteen minutes late. This was so unlike her. He was going to wait five more minutes and then give her a call to see where she was. Five minutes came and went and still no sign from Belle. He went to the phone and dialed her number. The phone rang and rang but no one answered. He was worried and decided to investigate for himself. He was off to find Belle.
