Disclaimer: None of this mine, except for Liam.

A/N: Sorry it's been so long everyone. I'm starting student teaching again so that has taken up the majority of my free time. I do hope this long chapter makes up for it though. Thanks for reading!


Chapter 7: A Change From Deep Inside

"You're wrong," Gold said, not for the first time since he had begun his twice-weekly sessions with Dr. Hopper.

"Why do you think that?" Hopper asked.

"Because you are."

"That isn't very specific."

"I do not think I am like my father, thus you are wrong," Gold said.

"I never said you were like your father, I just asked if you thought you were."

"I don't."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you always answer everything with a question?"

Hopper have him a patient smile. "Ian, I'm just trying to get you to open your mind to possibilities. You did not have an ideal father."

"You can say that again," Gold told him dryly.

"He abandoned you as a child. Perhaps your guilt stems from a similar well. You feel like you are abandoning Liam, much like how your father abandoned you."

"My father left me because he didn't care about anyone but himself. I didn't abandon Liam. I just acknowledged that he would be better off without me."

"You don't think your father felt the same?"

"My father never cared what happened to me. I was just a burden to him bestowed by my mother who had the fortune of dying when I was born." Gold gave him a positively poisonous look. "I am not my father. I only want what is best for Liam."

Hopper made a note in his book and nodded. "It was merely a postulation, Mr. Gold, you know your own thoughts and feelings more than anyone. But there is one things that puzzles me."

"What?"

"Why do you feel like you wouldn't be a good father to Liam? Certainly you could be a better father than your own."

"A rabid wolf would have been a better father than mine," Gold said.

Hopper couldn't help the amused smile on his face. "Be that as it may, you still insist that you would not be a suitable father. Why is that?"

Perhaps Hopper didn't know just what he was asking, though Gold suspected he very much did. His whole world had changed in the blink of an eye seven years ago. It was one moment that had shattered the allusion that he had that he was a good father, a good man. He hadn't told anybody about that, not even Cora. Belle didn't even know the whole story. The one person who did was dead.

"We fought," Gold began, "We had been fighting more that year than we ever had before."

"You and Neal?" Hopper asked. Gold nodded once. "Fighting is natural in any relationship."

"We fought before," Gold agreed, "but this was different. He used to tell me everything, but now he was…distant. I thought maybe he was nervous about graduating and the future, so I tried to talk to him about it. I helped him fill out his applications for college, discussed his options."

"Did it help?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head, "Many of our fights revolved around that. He didn't want to talk about college or what careers he wanted to explore. I thought maybe he was reluctant to leave Belle behind."

"Were they dating?"

"I think so," Gold said, "He asked her to the dance. I had always assumed one day they would get together, but Neal rarely talked about him and Belle. He hardly talked to me about anything those last few months."

"Did you ever find out why?"

He nodded once. This was the crossroads of his story. Did he dare dredge up the memories of the worst night of his entire life or did he try and block it all out as he had done for the past seven years? Running from it all had led him to impregnating a seventeen-year-old girl and having a breakdown in front of a near stranger.

"He got early acceptance into Harvard," Gold said. "I was so proud of him, but he…he didn't seem to care. I asked him, no I begged him to tell me what was bothering him. That's when he finally said it, what he wanted all of this time. He said he didn't want to go to college, that he wanted to backpack around the world, take pictures, try and make it as a photographer."

"Sounds risky," Hopper said.

"It was insane! Neal is a smart boy; he was accepted into Harvard. You don't just say no to Harvard."

"I imagine not many people do."

"No they don't. I told him that he was being ridiculous, that he needed to plan out his options, to really consider what he wanted to do with his life. He said he had thought about it and this was what he wanted to do.

"I was furious. I told him he was throwing his life away, that he would wind up eating out of dumpsters within a month and begging for me to bail him out. He said he didn't care about my money and that he wasn't afraid to suffer a little as long he did what he had always wanted to do. He didn't care if he didn't make it big or if he ever made it at all, he just wanted to have this adventure."

Hopper nodded. "I can see how as a parent you would feel his plans as dangerous and illogical."

"That's the polite way of putting it," Gold said.

"I assume you didn't put it that way."

"You would be right," he said, "We had a big fight, the worst we ever had. I told him he was throwing his life away, he said he didn't want to wind up hated by everyone like me. I told him that being successful was worth a lot more in life than having friends. Then he quoted that asinine Capra movie with Jimmy Stewart."

"No man is a failure who has friends," Hopper said.

"Yes, that. Obviously Capra didn't grow up with con man for a father and a hungry belly every night."

"You think Neal was wrong then?"

"No…he just never had to worry about money and the future before. He's young, he's impetuous, he's…"

He was dead.

It hit him all over again. His son was gone. For the past seven years he'd never been able to get that painful fact out of his mind, but tonight…he'd forgotten. He'd forgotten that Neal was dead.

"How?" Hopper asked. It was a one-word question that only had one meaning behind it.

Surely the man had read the papers. It was a small town. Before breakfast of that horrific day, everyone had known just how Neal Gold had died. But this wasn't about the details, this wasn't about the papers, this was about him.

"I told him he was going to Harvard and that he was majoring in something actually worthwhile," Gold said, "Neal told me he would go to hell before becoming a miserable, unloved bastard like me. Then he stormed off. I closed myself off in the study with a bottle of brandy and an antique clock in need of fixing. I didn't realize how late it was until I heard the doorbell ring."

It had been 11:34 on March 8th when his entire life crumbled into dust. He had answered the door, thinking Neal had forgotten his house key again and was ready for round two. Finding Deputy Graham at the door had been like bucket of ice water being thrown on his face in the middle of a blizzard. He had known immediately that something was horribly wrong.

He could still remember those awful words. "I'm sorry Mr. Gold, but there has been an accident."

"An accident," he said, "that doesn't fit. It was so much worse than that. There is no word to describe learning that your son's car slid on ice and smashed into a tree. There is no word for having to go to the morgue to identify his body. No word for being told that I should take comfort in knowing he died instantaneously. There is no definition that matches the way a parent feels when they lose their child."

It was all finally said. There was no great feeling of relief, no magic pill of peace, just a strange emptiness at having finally unburdened himself. It was better than the twisting gut at least.

"Thank you for sharing that," Hopper said, "I can see how difficult it was."

"Excruciating."

"I'm sure you were hoping that telling it would make you feel better."

"Shouldn't it?"

"It's going to take more time before you feel better, Mr. Gold," Hopper told him, "We all have our on scars we need to work through. There is no medicine to help us get over our pain, we just have to give it time and take it one step at the time."

"That's all well and fine, but how do I live with myself in the meantime?"

"What is weighing you down at the moment?"

"Guilt," Gold said with a sigh, "I want to do something to help Belle, but she won't let me in."

"You did say you didn't want to be in Liam's life."

"I said I couldn't," Gold reminded him, "but that doesn't mean I don't have some responsibility for them."

"But since Belle already said she didn't need anything from you."

"She's working in a goddamned bar being groped every weekend because she has to pay her water bill."

"And you feel guilty because you feel like you put her there?" Hopper guessed.

"Well she would have graduated from college by now if I hadn't been thinking with prick seven years ago."

"Don't you think she had a choice that night?" Hopper asked, "Just like she chose to have Liam, she also chose to sleep with you."

"She didn't choose to sleep with me, she felt sorry for me."

"Did she say that?"

"She doesn't have to."

Hopper scribbled something else on his notepad, probably about how pathetic he sounded. "You want to find away to atone for sleeping with her."

"And for getting her pregnant and ruining her life."

"So you think having Liam has ruined her life?"

Gold stopped short. That perfect boy? "No," he said, "Liam couldn't ruin anything."

"How do you feel about him?"

"How do I feel? I…I don't know what you mean."

"Just think about it for a moment. Do you think he was a mistake?"

"Of course not," he said immediately.

"You never talk about him. Perhaps you should."

"I don't know how to talk about him," Gold said.

"What about the last time you saw him then."

"He was in the diner…with Jefferson Madden," Gold said, the man's name coming it out in something akin to a snarl.

Hopper's brows rose and he tilted his head. "Obviously that bothers you."

"Do you know if he is dating Belle?"

"Unfortunately, I don't. Does that matter?"

"Well if he is going to be Liam's father, I feel I have a right to know."

"That's a rather big leap," Hopper noted, "You think Jefferson will one day marry Belle?"

"Someone will and he will be Liam's father." God he needed a drink now.

"That bothers you." It wasn't a question.

"Wouldn't it bother you?" Gold asked, "Another man is going to be called daddy by that boy."

"But you said you didn't think you could be a father to him. Surely if someone else is willing…"

"He has to be good enough!" Gold spat.

"And who is? Why don't you tell me what type of man you would want to be Liam's father?"

It was bad enough that he had to think about it while drunk, but now Hopper wanted him to actually talk about him. "Just someone better than me," he said. That was enough.

Hopper made another note. "We are almost out of time, but I just want to ask you one more thing."

"All right." What could be more painful than this session already?

"Do you love him?"

"What?"

"Liam," Hopper asked him, "Do you love him?"

Everything inside him froze. That question hit him harder than the prompts about Neal's death. He tried not to think about Liam too much because it hurt. Even more, he tried not to think about why it hurt. But there it was, the question he was too afraid to ask himself.

"I…I…I can't," he said, leaping from his seat without even feeling his bad knee, "I need to go."

"Mr. Gold, it's alright. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Hopper said.

"No, it's fine, I just need to get home. Cora is waiting for me." He bolted from the office without saying goodbye.


It was bank day, both a blessing and a curse. Belle was always glad to put her paychecks into her account, but it was once again a reminder that her savings were still not where they needed to be. No matter how much she scrimped, it was only enough to just get by. Liam never complained, such a dear little boy. Perhaps he was too young to understand the world and it's trials with money, but he still never asked for the shiny toys his friends had or asked why they didn't live in a big house. He was happier with the simple things, like fifty-cent toy cars and army men.

Belle shoved away that nagging voice in her mind that told her about all of the things her son was missing out on. There was no point in listening. She could only deal the cards she had and not try and beg for more.

Storybrooke only had one bank and most people were paid on Friday so the line at the bank to deposit was a long one. While other banks had mobile apps so their customers could avoid the line, Storybrooke offered a bowl of dum-dums as an apology.

So as she wasted her lunch break in the dimly painted walls, Belle pulled out a book and began to read. It was a trashy romance novel that Ruby had insisted her read, but she had to admit, it was mildly entertaining. She found herself so absorbed in the rather exorbitant drama that she didn't notice the line move until someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, sorry,"

Belle moved up in line and then turned to give the person an apologetic smile. Her whole body froze as her blue eyes met an identical set. "Dad," she said, "I…I didn't know you would be here."

"Just making a deposit," he said.

"Me too."

It was strange how far the gap was between them now. As a child, Belle had always been close to her father. It wasn't until after her mother died that things began to change. The grief hit Moe French hard. Not even moving to Storybrooke had shaken the pain from him. Perhaps if Collette had lived things would have been different for them. They wouldn't be near strangers now.

"Liam is well," she said.

Her father said nothing. He had only seen his grandson a handful of times. If this was a movie, the birth of his grandchild would have moved him beyond reason and he would have welcomed her back with open arms. Reality was a different story.

"Is the shop doing well?" she asked.

"Well enough."

"So are we," Belle said.

"I'm sure now that Gold is back that is true," she heard him mutter.

Belle shook her head softly. "Please, dad, can't we move past this?"

"I told you what you should have done seven years ago," Moe said, "You refused."

"It was my choice," Belle reminded him.

"You could have been more."

"This is what I wanted."

It was the same argument as before. In a moment she was seventeen again, fighting back tears as she told her father once and for all that she wanted to keep her baby with or without his help.

Belle turned away again, doing all she could to ignore the pain her heart. They had both made their own choices. She couldn't make him change his mind, not until he willed it.

It was relief when it was her turn to go to one of the tellers at the counter. Belle greeted her and handed over her checks and deposit slip. The teller showed little interest, just feeding the slip through the machine and handing it back to her. "Have a nice day," she said in her monosyllabic voice.

"Thank you." Belle took her slip and checked her balance. She blinked once. Twice. The numbers never changed.

"Uh, excuse me," she said, hurrying back to the counter, "But I think there has been a mistake. My balance last time was a little over three thousand. How can I now have ten thousand more dollars in my account?"

"Give me your account number again," the teller said. She diligently typed the numbers into the ancient computer. "It looks like there was a transfer of ten thousand dollars added into your account this week."

"That can't be right," Belle said.

"It's in our records."

"But I don't have ten thousand dollars," she insisted, "I've never even seen ten thousand dollars. How can I suddenly have transferred ten thousand dollars into my account?"

"Ma'am, I need to see to other customers," she said.

"But how can…?" the answer came to Belle in a cold rush, followed swiftly by a rolling heat of rage. There was only one person in the town of Storybrooke who had ten thousand dollars to spare. Only one person who would slip through the usual loopholes and casually fill her bank account.

Belle balled the deposit slip into her fist and stomped out of the bank. The door slammed shut behind her.


Gold sat in the back of his shop, staring down into a large magnifying glass. His fingers gripped a pair of tweezers as he worked on resetting a ruby into a delicate earring. He had been spending more time in the shop in recent weeks. The Mill's mansion was just too…cold. It was more like living in a mausoleum than a home. Regina seemed to prefer being at the city hall and Cora…well he didn't really know what was going on with him and Cora. It was very stagnant. He didn't really feel the need to be with her and she never complained that he was gone. Perhaps that should bother him, but he truly had more important things to worry about.

He wasn't sure what he should do now. He needed to make amends, but Belle wanted nothing to do with him and rightly so. He couldn't just shuffle on like nothing had ever happened. Even if he couldn't be Liam's father, he still had a responsibility to help him and his mother.

The bell above his front door let out a violent jingle just before he heard the door slam against the wall. "Tristan Gold, where are you!"

It was unmistakably Belle and she was most definitely furious.

Her steps pounded the floor, rattling everything in the glass cases. The curtain whipped back, giving him the first glimpse of her small body shaking with rage. "Who the hell do you think you are?" she shouted.

"I'm not sure what you mean?" he asked her. He never knew tiny Belle French could be so imposing. Even in heels, she barely reached his chin, but now it was as if she had grown to the size of a Roman colossus.

"You put ten thousand dollars in my bank account!"

"Ah, that," he said.

"Yes, that," she hissed, "I told you I didn't want your money."

"I know you're being stubborn…"

"Stubborn? You think this is just me being stubborn? Fine! I think this is you just trying to pay me for services rendered."

"Of course not, how can you think that?"

"What am I supposed to think?" Belle asked him, "You said you didn't want to be involved with Liam and I said I didn't want your money. If you want to give me your money out of guilt because of what happened then you might as well have left it wrapped up on a nightstand in a seedy hotel room."

"Now you're just being dramatic," he said.

"Don't change the subject. You can't just come back and try to buy away your guilt. That is your problem, not mine. I don't want your money; I never wanted it."

"Then what do you want from me, Belle?" he asked her. As the silence fell between them, he realized it was the first time he'd ever really asked her that. What did she want? Did she want him to leave Storybrooke and never speak to her again? Did she want him to reopen old wounds and try to be the man he could never be again?

He stood there, looking back into her clear blue eyes still shining with anger and he felt…something. A thrill of heat flickered in his belly, a tingling in his blood. Could it be…? No! This was Belle! A very angry Belle who wanted nothing from him. He couldn't be attracted to her. What sort of man did that make him?

Belle took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It doesn't matter," she said softly, "I don't want your money. You take that out of my account and let me carry on with my life. It may not be as rich as the one you have, but I built it myself and I'm proud of it. I don't need you trying to make it all better for you because it isn't good enough for you."

"That isn't what this is about," he said, "I'm holding myself responsible for my actions, Belle. You and Liam…you're still my responsibility."

"No we're not. I am an adult and Liam is my son. I am responsible for myself and for him. I told you before that you don't need to feel guilty for anything. I can't control your own feelings, but I can tell you that putting money on it isn't going to solve anything."

"But Belle…"

"No," she said again, "Just stop! You can't keep doing this! We both made our choices! I'm living with mine and you need to do the same!"

She turned away, swatting away the curtain as she stormed out of his shop. The sound of the door slamming again rang through the emptiness that followed. For a long moment, Gold just stood there. So many feelings warred within him: guilt, pain, regret, a little bit of the unmentionable as well. More than that, he was struck with an even greater determination. Belle was wrong. He still had a duty towards her and their child. He would have expected that from Neal if a similar situation had arose and he would damn well do the same.

Gold shoved away the unpleasant feelings; focusing instead on the one he needed right now. He wasn't going to let Belle's pride hold her back. He had made many mistakes before, but letting her and Liam suffer would never be one of them.


It took all of his control to not march over to the library and tell Belle that she was keeping the money. They weren't near done yet but he did admit it would be better if she cooled down first. School was out now, likely she was busy so there was no need to bother her. Gold left the shop in Dove's capable hands. The rent needed to be collected, but more than that, he needed a walk to clear his head.

What was going on with him? His blood had cooled, but his mind was still a bit rattled from that strong thrill of arousal before. After Neal had died, even before in truth, desire had played little part in his life. He had never been a man led by his cock. He'd had one other partner before Milah and then no other until Cora. Belle was the first time he'd ever been part of a one-night stand, though he hated that label. Was he so depraved that a small part of him enjoyed having deflowered her seven years ago? It was barely legal what they had done. There was no sense in taking pleasure from what had happened.

He tried to shove all of this out of his mind as he walked. It was the cheerful clamor of children that finally stole his interest. He was close to the playground, a popular spot for the younger residents of Storybrooke to release their energy after school. He thought about turning away, but his feet remained rooted to the sidewalk. He wanted to know…yes, there he was.

Liam was chasing Grace Madden up the jungle gym where they raced on the dual slide before running back for another turn. Gold couldn't stop the smile turning up the corner of his mouth. He was such a cheerful boy, bouncing with life and innocence. A sharp sting came from the center of his heart. This was not his doing. It was all Belle. He had no place here.

"Fancy seeing you here, Gold."

The pain faded, replaced by a bitterness that consumed him. Gold glared at Jefferson, his replacement. "I felt like a walk. Is that wrong?"

"Not at all, but I wouldn't expect to find you here. It's not exactly peaceful with kids screaming all over the place."

"I'm fine with it," he hissed.

Jefferson shrugged, "Okay then." There was a moment of silence before Jefferson broke it by asking, "Are you glad to be back in Storybrooke?"

"It's fine."

"You certainly seem to have a vested interest in Belle."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well I noticed your man sniffing around and asking questioned," Jefferson said, his eyes twinkling the same way a boy does before putting a whoopee cushion under a teacher's chair, "Appears to me you are up to something."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"If I had to take a guess, I would think it would have to do with Liam. You have a profound interest in him."

"What gave you that idea?"

"Come on, Gold, don't play dumb," he said with a grin, "I pride myself as keen observer Not to mention I'm a confidante of Belle's."

There was another spurt of bitterness, something dangerously close to jealousy. Yes, Jefferson was close to Belle, maybe even dating her. That shouldn't bother him, but it did. Worse than that he was the closest thing to a father Liam had. That just wouldn't do. Could it be that Belle had told him everything? Was she that close to the man?

"What do you know?" Gold demanded.

"What do you think I know?"

"Don't play with me. You know, don't you? She told you!"

"Belle has told me many things."

Gold's blood pounded in his ears. "I can't believe she told you that I'm Liam's father," he growled, the sting of betrayal was fierce.

Jefferson grinned at him. "She didn't. You just did."

Gold's jaw dropped to his chest. "You tricked me!"

"Yes I did," he said proudly.

"You bastard!"

"Now that is certainly calling the kettle black."

"How did you know?"

"Well if anyone else in this town actually thought about it, they would realize that there would be no reason for Belle to hide the fact of Liam's paternity if Neal was the one who did the deed." He smirked at him. "I also noticed that she avoided any mention of you as much as she could. It was easy enough to put it all together."

Gold seethed, chiding himself for underestimating this man. If Jefferson could figure it out, how long before the rest of the town learned the truth?

"Don't worry, Gold," Jefferson said, reading his fiery expression, "I won't tell anyone."

"You breathe one word of it and I will make sure there isn't even a fingernail of you left to find."

Jefferson only smiled and used his finger to make an X over his chest. "Cross my heart."

Promises meant little to Gold, but he had not reason to doubt the man. Still, he might have Dove find some little skeleton to hold over the man's head just to be sure.

"You should be proud, you know," Jefferson said, "He's a good boy."

Gold looked over and saw that Liam had abandoned the slide in favor of the swings he laughed as he pumped his little legs as fast as he could. "Yes he is," Gold agreed wistfully, "but not by my doing."

It shattered his heart to know that his son was perfect without him, better for it. One day he would have a father that would shape him into a man, a better man than he. He couldn't watch that. When the time came, he would leave and let his son live and thrive. He would never know about his real father, the failure.

Gold slipped away from the park, desperately trying not to shed the tears that stung his eyes.


The sound of the lock clicking into place filled Belle with relief. It had been a long day. She should have closed hours ago, but Regina had insisted she take an extensive inventory of the books. Belle already knew the library from Elmo's ABC's to Proust's Swan's Way, but Regina said the inventory was necessary if the town was to consider providing more funding for the library, something Belle desperately needed. So now it was 8:13 in the evening and she was finally going home. Thank God Ruby had agreed to watch Liam. She smiled at the thought of her son. A least she had finished in time to tuck him in after his bath. Maybe she'd let him stay up later and watch a movie, a little treat for just the two of them since tomorrow was day off for them both.

The tap, tap, tap, of a cane soured her good mood. Belle considered pretending he didn't exist, but Mr. Gold was a force that refused to be ignored. "Good evening, Miss French," he said casually though she refused to look at him.

"Have you really decided to follow me?" she threw back at him in return.

"I assure you this is fortuitous timing," he said, "I was collecting the rent from the hardware store."

"Good. Now you can go to your next property and let me go home."

"Since you are here, I was hoping we could talk about yesterday."

"No," she said.

"Belle, please. Think about this."

"No."

"I know your financial situation. At least let me help."

"My finances are my business," she told him. Despite his cane, he still managed to catch up to her. When he was determined, nothing could hold him back. "I would appreciate it if you let me deal with them on my own."

"But you don't have to. Just let me help you out a bit."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you don't really want to," Belle told him, "You just feel an obligation to hand me a check to soothe your conscience. I know you feel guilty for what happened seven years ago, but giving me money isn't the solution."

"Then what is?"

Belle stopped and let out a breath. "I don't know," she replied, "But I don't want your money. If I took it, then I would have to explain myself to Ruby, Granny, and even Liam. Since you don't want to be his father, then I don't think it's right to tell him." She'd endured the unanswerable question of why Tristan Gold didn't want her, she wouldn't let her son suffer that same torture.

"So if I told you I was ready to be his father then you would take the money?"

"No," Belle told him, "at least not for me. But Liam…" She remembered seeing him at little Peter Welsh's birthday party, the beautiful scooter he got and the GameBoy. She could never afford those for Liam. And when he got older and wanted to go to college…it was enough to keep her up at night.

"It doesn't matter," Belle said, shaking those thoughts away, "You said you don't think you could be a father again and I get that, I really do. So I think it's best if you just stay out of our lives and carry on with yours."

He was never a tall man, but in that moment he seemed even smaller than he was, shorter even than her. Her gave her the barest of nods. She waited for the relief to come but it was conspicuously absent. She had never let herself imagine Tristan Gold coming back into her life because she knew she would fantasize him ready and willing to be the father Liam needed. She knew that wouldn't happen. But still, Belle realized a part of her had hoped all along that maybe, just maybe, he would. It hurt to know she had been right before.

"Belle, can you do one thing for me?" he asked just before she turned away.

"What?"

"Please tell everyone Neal isn't Liam's father," he said, "I…I don't think its fair to his memory. He…he was a better man than me, he shouldn't be remembered like this."

"I never told anyone that Neal was Liam's father," she said, "Everyone just assumed."

"Why didn't you tell them before?"

"You mean the truth?" Belle asked him, "That I slept with you two weeks after Neal died and then you ran off, leaving me alone and pregnant? Is that what you would have preferred?"

He hesitated there. "No…but surely you could have just told them that Neal wasn't—."

"You do remember living in this town, right?" she asked him, "You can't walk out the door without someone trying to judge what you are wearing. If I told everyone that Neal wasn't the father the first question they would ask would be 'Who then?'. Most would think I was lying while the rest would start pointing the blame at the other men in town."

"So you're just going to let them carry on with this notion?" Gold asked, his voice raised slightly. He was still following her. Apparently he wasn't going to stop until she slammed the door in his face.

"I decided back when all of this began to just say nothing. I can't control what they think, and I couldn't exactly tell them the truth."

"But what about, Liam? When he gets older, are you going to grow up letting him think his father is dead?"

"He knows his father is alive," Belle told him. He stopped on the sidewalk, his eyes widening just a little. "He asked who his father was last year and I told him that he left before he was born. That's all he knows."

"And…and when he's older?"

Belle sighed. "I don't know yet. How do you tell your son his father didn't want him?"

"Belle, it's not—."

She was tired of this. She hurried on down the sidewalk, but he still couldn't take the hint. "I never said I don't want Liam, I just don't think I can be the father he deserves."

"You can't have it both ways," Belle told him, "Either you want to be his father or you don't and you already made your decision. I'd rather you go your way and I go mine."

"Belle," he said her name in plea, but he never got to continue.

She stopped just in front of her apartment, her heart stopping as well. "Belle?" he said her name in a question.

She raised one shaking hand towards her ground-level apartment. "The door…it's open. It shouldn't be open."

For one moment, the horror sat between them. Then Belle raced towards the door with Gold calling after her. She barely registered the broken lock, just shoved the useless piece of wood open.

She walked into a disaster.

Her living room/kitchen was destroyed. The lamp in the corner was now on the floor, the drawers on the desk that also held her only TV were all open and their contents scattered. The cabinets in the kitchen had all been ransacked as well. Liam's toys had been flung around everywhere, but she knew he hadn't done that.

Belle didn't care about the mess. "Liam!" she called out, "Liam! Ruby!" She ran down the short hall to the only bedroom. Her room had been destroyed as well. Someone had even lifted the mattress off of Liam's tiny bed and left it askew. "Liam!" she called out again and got down on her knees to look under her bed.

She ran to the bathroom next. The medicine cabinet was open and the top of the toilet had been removed, but other than that the room was neat compared to the others. "Liam!"

Nothing.

Belle could feel the air gushing out of her pants. She ran back to the living room. Gold was still there, surveying the entire disaster. "They're—they're not here," Belle told him, "Liam and Ruby…Liam…"

"Belle," he said softly.

"My son…my son is gone! Where is my son!" She was clutching his coat now, her fingers digging into the shoulders.

"We'll find him," he told her, "I'll find him. It will be all right, Belle. I promise you I will find him." He pulled her into his chest and she buried her face into his coat. There was a wisp of a memory there, when she was sixteen and crying because her father was drunk again and she had to spend her paycheck on their electric bill. It was part of the reason she had fallen in love with him when she was so young. Everyone thought he was just a greedy, heartless bastard, but she'd seen the softer side to him. She'd felt it when he'd held her just like he did now.

"Whoa, what the hell happened here?"

Both Gold and Belle turned around to see they were no longer alone. Ruby stood in the doorway, hardly noticing them, choosing to focus on the surrounding mess. Liam was beside with chocolate still on his cheeks and nose. "Mommy?" he asked, sounding a little scared.

Hearing her son's voice broke the spell over her. Belle broke away from Gold to run to her son, drawing him into her arms, kissing the top of his head, and breathing in his scent. "Oh sweetie, are you okay? You're not hurt?"

"No."

"We were a bit bored," Ruby said, "So I took him to the park and then we went for ice cream. I left a note." She waved her hand over towards the kitchen. "I guess I see why you might have missed it."

"I'm just glad you two are okay," Belle said.

"Yeah, lucky," Ruby said.

"Doubtful," Gold replied, earning a look from both of them, "What I mean to say is who ever did this was probably waiting for the two of you to leave."

Belle didn't care. She was just glad her son was okay. She kept one arm around him the whole time, smoothing his hair or touching his cheeks.

"I guess we should call the sheriff," Ruby said. She turned around in a full circle. "Uh, do you know where the phone is?"

Gold solved the problem by pulling out his cell-phone. "Sheriff? Yes, this is Mr. Gold. I'm at Belle French's apartment. There's been a break in, probably a robbery. Yes she and Liam are fine, thank you. We'll see you soon."

"I guess we should start seeing if anything is missing," Belle said.

"Mommy, what happened?" Liam asked.

"Some bad man came in and broke into our house," she told him, "he might have stolen some things. Why don't you go look at your toys and see if any of them are missing?"

"Rexie!" Liam cried and ran towards their bedroom to see if his beloved dinosaur was gone. Meanwhile, Belle went to inspect the damage done to the desk. The money she'd kept stashed in the hollow book (a gift from Neal he'd found in his father's shop) was gone, no surprise there.

"Hey, Gold, are you okay?" Ruby's question had her looking back at him. He hasn't left yet. He was still standing there, looking at the room Liam had disappeared into. His hands were clenched around the handle of his cane so hard the knuckles were white.

"Fine," he said, but he didn't sound it.

"You don't have to stay," Belle told him, "I've got this covered."

"You can't stay here," he told her.

"She won't," Ruby said, "I'll call Granny, I'm sure she'll let them stay at the inn."

Gold nodded. "Send me the bill."

"Do not do that, Ruby," Belle cut in immediately, "I'll be sure to pay Granny myself."

"Belle," he pleaded her name.

"This is my apartment," Belle reminded him, "My property and my life. I make the call here."

"Technically I own the building as well as the inn," he said, "So shouldn't it be my call?"

"How about the two of you just stop arguing and remember that it's my grandmother's inn and she'll make the call," Ruby cut in to say.

Belle pursed her lips, knowing Ruby was right. She could offer Granny all of the money she wanted, but she wouldn't take a dime. Belle hated it, but Granny would insist, "It's not charity, it's family." Even she had to admit, it was nice to have family to count on even if they weren't related by blood.

There was a gentle knock on the doorframe and they all turned around to see that Sheriff Graham and Deputy Swan had just arrived. "Everyone okay in here?" Graham asked.

"Yes, we're fine," Belle said, "Thank you for coming, Graham."

"No problem, I'm glad you are okay."

The patter of tiny sneakers came from down the hall. Liam charged back into the living room brandishing a stuffed red dinosaur. "Mommy, the bad guys didn't take Rexie! He was under the bed! I promise I didn't put him there or my army men!"

Ruby let out a snort and even Deputy Swan cracked a smile. Belle combed her fingers through Liam's hair. "I'm glad Rexie is okay."

"My piggy bank is broke though. It had two dollars and seven cents."

Graham smiled. "I'll make a note of that, Liam."

"I'll start dusting for prints," Emma said, "Go around the place too, Belle, see what else is missing."

"Ruby, can you tell me what time you left?" Graham turned his attention to the waitress. It was going to be a long night of questions, salvaging, and then going to Granny's.

"I'm going to help Emma, mommy," Liam said.

Belle smiled. "Okay, sweetheart."

Liam scampered off to watch Emma dust for prints and no doubt hound her with a dozen questions. There was so much to be done, but at least Liam wasn't fully aware of just what had happened that night. Belle sighed and turned around, ready to fully inspect the living room to see what was missing and broken. She jumped when she saw Gold was still there. For a moment, she'd forgotten he was still in her apartment.

"Mr. Gold," she said, "I…I think you should probably go."

"Belle, let me stay and help."

She shook her head. "This isn't your problem. I can take it from here. It's late and I'm sure your fiancée is waiting for you."

"Belle," he pleaded her name, but she just turned away. She knew he wanted to help, but couldn't he see that if she took it then she would be no better than a kept woman? She wouldn't be that, even if their affair was seven years ago. She knew he just wanted to do what he felt was right, but it was too late for that.

He had broken her heart seven years ago, she couldn't let that happen to Liam. It was better to handle this on her own. It may make money tight for a very long time, but at least her son would be safe from heartbreak. Her as well.


Pongo let out a yip, staring up at Dr. Hopper with pleading brown eyes. Hopper chuckled and shook his head. "Okay boy, just one more treat."

He opened a drawer from his desk and pulled out one bone-shaped dog biscuit and tossed it in the air. Pongo's jaws snapped over it, chomping it into bits. It was almost time to close up and go home. Archie was already getting his things together when there was a frantic knock.

"Come in," he called. He was more than a little surprise to see Gold hurrying inside. "Mr. Gold, is something wrong?"

"Yes, you could say that," he said, "Belle's apartment was broken into and Liam was missing."

"What?" Archie gasped, "Liam is gone?" This could shatter Mr. Gold completely if that was the case.

"We didn't know where he was," Gold prattled on, pacing in front of the settee, "Belle was frantic. She was crying and I just told her I was going to find him. Damn it, I was! I would have found him!"

"Mr. Gold, where is Liam?" Archie asked with more force.

"He's fine," Gold said at last, "Ruby Lucas had taken him for ice cream. They weren't home when it happened."

Archie let out a long sigh. "Well that is a relief."

"But he could have been," Gold said, "My son could have been hurt."

"But he wasn't," Archie reminded him, "Liam is okay."

"I could have lost my son," Gold said, "I could have lost Liam. I could have lost everything all over again."

"Mr. Gold?" Archie asked. It appeared the man couldn't hear him anymore.

"I didn't want this to happen. I thought I could protect myself, but I can't. It's far too late. It was too late the moment I saw him," Gold continued, "And now that I could have lost him and Belle…I can't do this anymore. I can't pretend anymore."

"Pretend what?" Archie asked him, "Mr. Gold, what are you talking about?"

Gold stopped pacing. He stood frighteningly still, looking down at the fingers wrapped around the handle of his cane without even blinking. Archie couldn't even begin to guess what was going through the man's mind.

At last, he looked up, his gaze focused at last. Hopper couldn't help but gasped when he stared into his eyes. The grief and pain…it was gone. Something within that moment had changed inside of Tristan Gold.

"Thank you, Dr. Hopper," he said calmly, "I know what I have to do now."


A/N: What do you think Gold is going to do? Please let me know what you think!

Next chapter: Belle and Gold have a very serious talk which leads to a rather surprising confrontation with Cora.