Stifling a yawn Belle twisted the map once again in her hands. "I think we're lost" The brunet sighed turning to the man in the drivers seat.

"We are not lost" Gold assured as they continued to drive down the narrow lane with thick forests either side.

"Well it feels like we've been driving for hours" the beauty spoke with an air of irritation, she ran a hand through her hair as she leant against the window. The sun had set not long ago leaving twinkly stars behind in them. She'd never seen stars so bright.

"Not hours" Gold mumbled as he kept his eyes on the road. They drove in silence for a while, the only sound being the hum of the engine and the clanking of the tea set and bottle of Johnny Walker in the back of the car.

Bell kept on looking at the stars, they were far brighter than when they were in the city. She found herself content and happy to be where she was and who she was with. Turning in her seat, she looked at the man beside her.

He was a lost soul, someone that needed to be loved, that deserved to be loved, deserved to be happy. "Are you happy?" she asked him after a moment.

"what?" he asked , still not taking his eyes off of the road "Am I happy?" he asked himself "When I have my son, then I think I'd be happy" he admitted "You?"

Belle smiled "I am" she almost whispered just as his phone began to ring. Something she'd noticed happened quite often. "Do you want to pull over to answer it?" she asked him as he made no sign to answer it.

"Nope" Gold assured as he kept speeding down the road, the sign welcoming them into Storybrooke wasn't far off in the distance.

"But it's Milah" Gold turned his head abruptly to find that Belle was holding his phone in her hand as it continued to ring. "She obviously wants to talk to you"

"I don't care" He told her, his voice raised a little, his ex wife was the last person he wanted to talk to. He leant across the car, snatching the phone from her hands before throwing it into the back of the car, it landing on top of her ripped gold dress.

Belle was shocked, she'd never expected him to be so abrupt in his actions. In a blink of an eye he was back to being the man who'd told her to get out of the car when she'd confessed to having no money. Over the last few days she thought she'd got to know who he really was, of who he was under his tough exterior but apparently she was wrong.

They drove into the sleepy Maine town in silence once more. Belle watched out of the passenger window, the town of Storybrooke seemed sweet, the main street was surrounded by shops, a park, a beautiful clock tower sat opposite a diner. Couples and family's walked down the street, all seemed happy and at peace.

She could see herself here, just starting over again, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. All the place needed was a library and she was away.

The car came to a sudden stop causing Belle to jump forward a bit "Should we stop for something to eat?" Gold asked her, motioning to the diner to the side with a large sign that read "Granny's".

"Sounds good" she mumbled with a nod of her head.

Gold pulled into the next parking space he saw, luckily it wasn't far from the diner so the awkward walk there didn't last too long.

The minute that the couple entered the diner they felt a thousand eyes on them. It seemed that the little town wasn't so used to strangers. With his hand at her lower back Gold led the beauty over to a booth in the corner.

The minute she'd sat down Belle picked up the menu and hid behind it. Gold sighed, he knew he'd been rude, he shouldn't necessarily acted the way that he had. He just felt angry at the mention of his ex wife and knew that her calling could only mean something bad, something he didn't want to hear.

"Belle...I" Gold began but then they felt the presents of someone beside them. Both Belle and He turned to look at the women standing at the side of their table. She was tall, in a smart business suit with red stilettos that matched her red lips and made her shoulder length dark hair even darker.

"I'm Regina Mills, the Mayor of this town" she spoke with an almost sickeningly sweet grin.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Belle French and this is my friend Mr Gold" Belle introduced them with her own smile.

"It's not often that we get visitors here so you'll forgive us for all the staring" She smiled "You two enjoy your stay" with that the Mayor turned on her high heels and took her usual spot at the stools, joining a man and a little boy.

Belle smiled, although the Mayor at first came across a little harsh and abrupt but she could see that by the way the man she sat with tucked her hair behind her ear and how the little boy excitedly asked if they could get ice cream and Regina said yes without question that she had a heart, a very big, loving heart she just kept it guarded and had layers that obviously the man she loved could peel back to see the true women inside.

Looking at the man opposite her the beauty smiled, perhaps Robert Gold was much the same and maybe just maybe she would be the one to peel them back.

"What can I get you guys?" a women about Belle's age all dressed in red with red streaks in her hair, a note pad held in her hands.

"Can I get a burger and ice tea please" Belle asked and the young women wrote it down.

"I'll have the same" Gold grumbled before putting his menu back to the side and Belle did the same. "Belle..." he began as the young waitress walked away.

"I'm sorry" Belle spoke instead of Gold "I shouldn't have got involved" she told him, the feeling of guilt had been eating at her ever since. "It wasn't my place" she continued.

Gold shook his head "I shouldn't have acted the way I did, you were just doing the right thing...the thing I'm too much of a coward to do" he admitted, his voice uncharacteristically small.

Belle reached across the table and took his hands in hers, her thumbs going to rub across his knuckles, her soft hands against his rough calluses. Soft chocolate brown met ocean blue "You are not a coward" she stressed.

At that moment Gold wanted to lean across the table and capture her ruby lips with his own. He would have if it hadn't been for the sound of a thump from under the table followed by a little 'ouch'.

The couple shared a worried look before he bent slightly and looked under the table. He couldn't help but smiled, under the table sat a little girl, thick blond curls covering her face, she couldn't have been more than eight. "What are you doing under there little miss?" he asked her, using a tone he usually reserved for his son.

"I'm a knight, hiding from a dragon" The eight year old informed him.

"I understand" Gold nodded with a small smile before turning his attention back to the beautiful women who sat opposite him "We have a knight under our table it seems"

Belle smiled, her heart softened at the sight of him being so different and soft where children were concerned, her was obviously a good father and she couldn't understand how Milah could take that away from him. "Then we are very well protected from the dragon I hears wondering these parts"

"Emma!" a couple entered the diner, a tall man with sandy coloured hair and chiselled chin, the women on his arm was shorter than he was with a dark pixie cut and very beautiful in her own away.

The women let go of the man's arm and made her way over to the counter "Ruby, have you seen Emma anywhere?"

Ruby smiled at her friend "try with the strangers that have just come into town" she said motioning to the couple in the booth. under the table she just noticed a familiar boot sticking out.

The women straightened her clothes and motioned for her husband to follow her as they approach the new couple. "There's my brave princess" The man pulled the little girl out from under the table and lifted her effortlessly into his arm.

"I'm a knight!" Emma almost wailed at him, princesses were boring and had to wear icky dresses and do boring things.

"Emma, inside voice please" her mother almost scolded "Go with your father, he'll get you a hot chocolate" he informed her.

"With cinnamon?" the blond eyed her mother for a moment.

"Would we have it any other way?" Her mother pressed a kiss to her daughters sunny tresses before her father took her to the counter.

The women spun on her heels "Sorry about Emma, she's always been a wild one, god knows what she'll be like a teenager" she laughed almost nervously, "I'm Mary Margaret and my Husbands David, you guys are new to town?" she asked them.

Belle smiled at the lady "Your daughter seems wonderful and was no bother at all" she assured. "I'm Belle French and this is my friend Mr Gold" she introduced.

"We're just passing through" Gold informed the women.

"It's been a long time Storybrooke has had visitors" Mary Margaret told them, "If you need anything, we'd all be more than happy to help" she assured them, just as Ruby approached the table with their food. "Anyway, I'll let you guys enjoy your food" she almost giggled before walking off to join her family.

Gold and Belle thanked Ruby before enjoying their food, neither said very much, just enjoyed each other's company and in Belle's opinion the best burger in the world.

"Did you guys enjoy your meal?" Ruby asked them an hour later when the diner was pretty much empty.

"Tell your Granny it was the best burger I've ever had and in the past couple of days I've had a few" Belle told her with a grin.

"I will" Ruby smiled "Hey if you guys need a place to stay Granny owns a bed and breakfast"

Belle turned to her companion who nodded in agreement "That sounds perfect, we're going to wonder around town for a bit is that alright?" she asked.

"Sure, we'll leave the key behind the desk" Ruby smiled before leaving the couple alone.

Belle and Gold then divided up the tip then left the diner. The cold air hit them both making the beauty shiver, he shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thank you" she smiled at him sweetly, pulling the jacket closer around her, she then reached out and took the man's hand in her own as they began to stroll down the street. "Sweet town, don't you think?" she asked him.

Gold looked around for a moment, the image of his son running around the safe streets with the other kids, going to the park, getting ice cream, eating in the diner "Ideal" Gold told her.

"What do you think this place was?" Belle asked as they stopped outside the abandoned building under the clock tower, the windows were covered in newspaper.

"I don't know" He said as he let go of her hand and walked around to the side of the building, she followed him with a smile, "What are you doing?" she asked.

Gold didn't answer he just pressed his face up against one of the windows "A library" he laughed.

"What?" she asked him, not believing what she'd just heard.

"Look" He said as he gently guided her to look through the window, his hands standing ever so lightly on her hips, in a way that felt comfortable and natural to both.

"Oh...wow" She almost squealed "It was a library, it still has the books and the desk and everything" she turned, his arms still on her waist, neither making any effort to move them. "It's so sad" she told him "A beautiful town with no library" her tone became sad and disappointed.

"I'm sure it'll be open and running again in no time" He pulled her into a small hug before letting her go.

"I hope so, for the people of this town" Belle sighed, letting her hand once more take his, "Look" she said as she led him almost aimlessly across the street. "What are the odds?" she asked him "two abandoned shops across the street from one another" The windows on this sweet little shop was not covered up like with the library, instead they were open.

Belle looked inside, squinting her eyes in the darkness of the empty space, in the main window there was a bare manikin, obviously it used t be a dress shop. "Such a great space" she told him.

"Yeah" Gold gave her a small smile before grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the shop. trying to forget how nice it would be to own a little shop, to have a simple life, with his boy and Belle, Gold shook his head, why would Belle be in his future? he didn't want her in his future, she didn't want to be in his future, She couldn't be in his future. He needed to forget that h ever thought that and there was only one way he could do that, just this once.

"You alright?" she asked him, sensing something was on his mind.

"Yeah" he smiled at her and she smiled back before he led her back across the street towards where he'd parked the car.

"Where are we going?" she asked him as he dragged her behind.

"I need a drink" he mumbled as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket and opened up the back seat.

"What are you doing?" the brunet asked him. trying to pull him back from the car.

Gold mumbled something she couldn't quite make out "Ah huh" he said, almost full of joy, he swung back round to face her, "Just one drink" He said holding up the bottle of Johnny Walker whisky, closing the car door behind him.

"You know that it can never be just one drink" she told him, remembering his words of only a few hours ago, she promised she wouldn't let him have any, let him ruin his life.

"Yes I can, just one" he told her "Just to have one, to get rid of the pain" he told her, she wasn't sure of what pain he spoke, she didn't know of how she caused him pain, the knowing that any hour now he was sure she would ask, no beg for him to take her home, back to her fiancé that she didn't love, the father that didn't appreciate her and he would never see her again and be alone for the rest of his life.

"No" Belle shook her head, taking the full bottle from his hand and led him the short distance to the docks.

"Give it back" he almost ordered her but still she held it out of his reach, "Come on" he told her but she once again moved out of his grasp.

Belle, didn't know what to do, she'd made him a promise and she had to keep it. "Think of Bae, don't do it, he needs you to be strong".

"Just one sip" he almost begged, as if on slow motion, Belle shook her head and turned too quickly and lost her balance on her high heels. The bottle of whisky slipped from her hands and landed on the ground with a smash, she thought she was soon to follow.

She wasn't. A familiar pair of arms caught her at the waist and pulled her to their chest. She turned to look at him, still in his arms "I'm so sorry" she almost pleaded "It was an accid..."

He crashed his lips to hers, at first she didn't respond, it worried him and so he began to pull away from her but she pulled him back, her hands gripping his hair. They stood there for a moment, just kissing, smiling, hugging. She buried her face in his neck, taking a deep breath of his cologne, letting it envelop her. She'd miss it when he decided he'd had enough of their adventure.

"Belle...I..." he began but she put her finger to his lips to stop him talking.

"Lets discuss this in the morning" she suggested, running a hand through his hair and giving him another kiss to which he responded, maybe just tonight was all that they could have and we would have to savour as much as he could.

...C\_'/...

The next morning a stream of sun light woke Belle from her sleep as it peeked through the curtain and landed right on her face, she sighed before snuggling into the covers more.

She smiled at the memory of the night before, she and Gold had sat by the docks on one of the benches, she leant against him as he held her close, running a hand up and down her arm and every once in a while they would share a kiss, it was all just sweet an innocent, no games, no fan fair, just simple company, sweet, relationship.

Rolling over in bed without opening her eyes, she reached out for the man who'd fallen asleep behind her, instead she was met with a cold, satin material, not matching the bed sheets.

Her eyes shot open "No" She almost yelled as she sat up. Laying beside her, glimmering in the morning sun was her golden wedding dress, the small rip ever present.

If she'd hated the sight of the bed before, she hated it now more than ever. It was light a shard of glass through the heart. It was then that she noticed the letter that sat atop the dress. Her name written in a curly script across the top.

She picked it up, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall as she opened it and read.

Belle

Despite what you think I am a coward, the act of not explaining my actions to your face shows that. As you told me last night, I have to think of Bae, you should know that you and you alone have shown me that I should have fought harder for him, to be part of his life.

I'm sorry for leaving you, I knew that if I looked at you I wouldn't have the courage to leave. You should know that I loved every moment we had together and will never forget any of it. You are the most beautiful women I have ever known inside and out.

I hope one day you find a man worthy of the light you posses.

You've saved my life more than you know.

Forever, Your Bright Flame

She finished the letter with a sniff and it was as she looked up she noticed the plane ticket on the bedside cabinet. she crawled over to it, not caring about the dress underneath her and picked up the ticket to read, it seemed she was going home.