Interlude II

"When I'm trusting and being myself as fully as possible,
everything in my life reflects this by falling into
place easily, often miraculously."

~ Shakti Gawain

It had been almost a year since those first timid nights in his home, and Nicholas Gold was extremely proud of the progress Belle had made in becoming her old independent self. She would never be the same girl who helped out in his shop after class while working on her college applications, but she had still bloomed into something beautiful, made even more so by the extreme circumstances she had overcome. Belle amazed him on a daily basis with her tenacity and inner strength; she hadn't once talked of giving up as she went through sessions with Dr. Hopper and worked with him on her business plan. She'd needed a job, some source of income since she refused to stay with him any longer than she deemed necessary, so he'd helped her find something about which she was passionate, the way he was with his shop full of antiques and precious objects brimming with stories. In the end, she'd chosen stories to be her career, as well; with the library closed, the town was in desperate need of a bookstore, and Belle was just the girl to run it.

Nick had taught her everything he knew about business, providing details on loans and contracts and helping her find suppliers. He'd let her choose from a number of his available properties and given her the best possible lease and loan agreement while still sticking to his business principles and not betraying his gruff image. Thus far, business had been booming, though it was hard to say whether it was because the Tale as Old as Time bookstore was the first new shop to open in the town in years or because the woman rescued from the hospital basement owned it. Either way, they were both thrilled when she came in with her first set of repayments, the physical proof of her accomplishments and success.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and tried not to smile as the hands ticked five-o'clock. Today was the six month anniversary of the bookstore's grand opening and Belle was due any moment; she'd wanted him to go over something in her books, and he'd agreed because he'd wanted an excuse to see her and offer congratulations in person on the success he knew she was achieving. In all honesty, when it came to Belle, he was inclined to agree to just about anything, though he would vehemently deny it should anyone ask.

His hand went to long, thin box hidden just under the edge of the counter, fingers wrapping around it just as the bell over the door signaled her arrival. Nick looked up, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth before turning to a frown at the sight of her own grim expression. "My dear, what is it?" he asked quietly, gently, a sense of foreboding creeping into the room like an unwelcome draft. "What's wrong?"

Belle took a deep breath, her hands tightening on the strap of her satchel as if she needed to hold onto something to keep from losing everything. The sight of her whitened knuckles was enough to make his heart constrict with fear. "There's something I need to discuss with you." She pulled out two notebook-style ledgers from her bag, one labeled with 'Tale as Old as Time' and the other with 'Personal Expenses'. He has seen them both many times before, while teaching her how to keep her accounts in proper order while running a business – something precious few people in Storybrooke fully comprehended. But Belle had been a star pupil, and even now as she lay open the books, he could see everything was in meticulous order. So then why…

"I need to cut my personal expenses in half if I want to start having any sort of savings after bills and paying on my loans," she began, smoothing out a slightly wrinkled page before folding her hands together tightly. She was nervous, and the unease flowed off her in waves. "As it is, I'm barely keeping my head above water, and if the town loses interest… I want to honor my agreements, and I wouldn't dream of asking for an extension when you've been so wonderful about everything already."

She paused for a few brief seconds, long enough to grasp what little courage she could, but not enough for him to comment on the situation. "I need to move out of my apartment," she continued quickly, the words falling so quickly from her lips that he couldn't even think to get a word in edgewise. "I know there will be a penalty for breaking the lease, but I'm certain I have enough in my account to cover it. And my father has said before that I was always welcome to move back in with him, he has one of those couches that folds out into a bed in the living room. It's not the most ideal situation, but I could save some money and focus on the shop—"

"Absolutely not."

Belle stared at him as if he'd started speaking in Greek. "Sorry?"

Nick clenched his jaw and shook his head. "It's not up for discussion," he said tightly, waving a hand dismissively.

"Excuse me, but I beg to differ," she countered, pulling a file folder out of her bag and shuffling through the pages inside. "It's clearly stated in our contract—"

"I'm not talking about the fucking contract." She had never heard him use such language before. It seemed such a stark contrast to his usual composed self in a pinstriped suit. "I didn't pull you out of that hell to send you back to the monster that put you there to begin with," he practically snarled, shoving away from the counter and through the curtained doorway to the back room. Belle stared in shock as he retreated to his sanctuary, then hurriedly followed after to find him stalking among the tables and shelves laden with objects of which she knew very little.

"But he's my father," she insisted, trying not to see his reason, but it simply hurt too much to ignore. "What he did to me was horrible, yes, and Archie won't like it one bit, but…" Desperation laced itself through her words as it wrapped around her very soul. "I don't have anyone else, Mr. Gold."

He stopped his pacing to turn to her, staring right through her, at her, into her with piercing eyes. "It's Nicholas," he corrected, "and you have me."

Belle set aside the sheaf of papers she was still holding, placing them on a nearby surface she didn't even so much as glance at. They didn't matter now, nothing mattered except whatever this man was trying to say. "I don't understand."

"My dear, you deserve so much better than this life you have had thrust upon you by others," he explained kindly, adjusting his grip on his cane in a fidgeting manner. He wasn't used to speaking of things such as this, but this was important and needed to be said. "If you will let me, I will do everything in my power to help you overcome these difficulties so you never have to rely on that many for anything again, father or not. Please don't put yourself back in that position; I fear it would undo all you have accomplished this past year, and I couldn't bear to see it."

Tears welled up in her eyes as it all sank in, and she pressed the back of a hand to her mouth to try and keep from outright crying. It didn't work. The drops ran down her cheeks as she stepped forward to wrap him in a tight hug, feeling his own arm come up to return to the embrace. "Thank you, Nicholas," she whispered in his ear, the soft ends of his hair tickling her cheek. "Thank you so much for everything."

III

Author's Note: I'm so sorry this story hasn't been updated in a whole month! I lost my notebook with half this chapter and many others, became consumed with other projects, and finally found the lost notebook, resulting in this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait!