It was afternoon on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and so far the day had been spectacular. Gideon had slept for a record four hours straight the night before, and though she didn't expect something like that to hold steady for tonight, the extra break had given her just enough of a boost to make her day exceptional. So much so that she and Rapunzel had left Gideon with Rumple just before lunch and then gone to do some shopping. She'd bought her first pair of dress pants today, the same kind Rapunzel liked to wear, the same kind she'd worn when her friend had been away and she'd borrowed her clothes. The pants, along with a handsome new dress shirt for Rumple were impulse buys, the dresses and skirts, however, along with several new outfits for Gideon, were desperately needed at the house. With a newborn, shopping wasn't always easy, and after the curse left her with none of her old familiar clothes, she felt like she was still playing catch up with it all. In part, because she hated to take work time to do something so frivolous as shopping, but with the approaching holiday, she'd begun to notice that their sleepy town was getting even more chaotic than she'd known it could be. The grocery stores were packed, Granny's was filled to the brim with people all the time, but several families, for the first time in this land, were leaving for vacations with their families. She'd heard of one group going to New York City. Another was going to see the Grand Canyon. There was even a rumor that one family with small children was going to Disney World, though no one ever seemed to know who that family was. But the wildest thing of all, was on Monday, for the first time ever, several of them had stared in wonder as a bus arrived at the bus stop and picked up two people, a young couple, to take them north to Canada. The change in the town in the last month had been remarkable and with the quiet that was descending for the holidays she'd felt no guilt in leaving the library locked for an extra couple of hours to do the shopping. But they'd vowed it would only be a couple of hours and a couple of hours it was. They were heading back to the library, their hands heavy with the extra bags they carried, chatting aimlessly when Rapunzel declared

"I'm thinking of doing something crazy."

She glanced over at her friend, their steps slowing only for a second after she let her news drop. There were several seconds when she waited for her to go on, but no words came out.

"Crazy like…"

"Asking Flynn and Ayana to dinner at my parents for Thanksgiving."

She looked her over completely confused for a moment. "Well now, why would that be crazy?" But the moment she'd said the words she noticed her eyes look away with guilt and a small amount of fear. Suddenly she remembered a reason that might seem "crazy", though if it was true, she was surprised that reason existed. "Rapunzel…" she hooked her arm through her friend's elbow to stop her from walking away. This didn't mean what she thought it meant, did it? "Have you still not told your parents about Flynn yet?!"

Rapunzel sighed and rolled her eyes. "Not exactly, no."

"Rapunzel!"

"I've been waiting for the right time!" she exclaimed beginning their stroll down the sidewalk again. "The problem is that the right time never seems to come around."

"Rapunzel, you are living with him."

"Not officially!" she argued. "Storybrooke still recognizes my address as the apartment over the library, which means, legally, I don't live with him! We work in the library, I looked it up."

"But you haven't actually lived in the apartment since before Gideon was born. Gideon spends more time up there than you do."

"Yes, but…"

But one glance at her friend and she saw her determination cave.

"Yeah, okay…I'm living with him. But it wasn't a problem until this stupid holiday came up and both my parents and Flynn want me to spend it with them! The solution would be so simple, invite Flynn and Ayana to their house with me, but since they don't know about Flynn or his little sister-"

"Rapunzel, you have to tell them…soon! You don't want the first introduction to be that you are living together, you're lucky it hasn't already gotten around town and back to them as it is. It's better if they hear it from you rather than Granny."

"Oh, Granny knows not to tell them! We've had that talk a dozen times."

"And she agrees with that?"

"No…she agrees with you, actually. But…you know you aren't exactly the poster child for parents who react well to their children's relationships!" Beside her Rapunzel came to a dead stop and closed her eyes, looking up to the sky and shaking her head. "I'm sorry…that was a low blow."

"No, you're right," she dismissed, surprised that the comment hadn't hurt her as much as she would have expected. Maybe she really was moving forward after all that. "But you know I brought the Dark One home to my father, you are just bringing Flynn and the sister he is caring for. I don't understand the fear of that. I'd be more worried about how far it's gone without them knowing."

"Well…Flynn has a bit of a sketchy past before he met me."

"It's a shame no one in this town can relate to that..."

"I know, I know," she chirped as the library came into view up ahead. "I'm just…I'm afraid. And I've worked so hard these past few months not to be that scared little kid I was when I first showed up in Storybrooke or when David found me in that tower. Being scared again is just…it makes me even more nervous."

"You know what you have to do for the fear, right? Avoiding it doesn't fight it and putting it off isn't confronting it."

"I know…"

But "I know" wasn't commitment, it wasn't action. And this was the one time she knew that knowledge was less powerful than action. Knowledge wasn't going to fix this. Action was.

"Look…as your friend, and Flynn's, they are going to love him. He's a good man. He may have a checkered past but that was before he met you and now it's easy to see how happy you make each other. Your parents will see that too, and if they love you, that is all that will matter. And they'll adore Ayana. Everyone does."

Rapunzel nodded, and as they rounded the corner to the library's front door she could see the gears in her mind turning when-

"Belle!"

Snow was waiting for them at the front door, standing there with her arms crossed over her chest in the cold, her breath coming out in white clouded puffs, her cheeks pink. She'd been waiting a while.

"It's lucky I caught you!" she declared nevertheless. "Hi, Rapunzel!"

"Hey Snow," Rapunzel stepped forward to hug her, or rather just set her chin on her shoulder since she was carrying so many bags in her hands. "It's good to see you again."

"David says 'hi'!"

Rapunzel beamed just as she always did when David was mention. He was her hero and probably always would be. "Good! Tell him to stop by and say it himself some time."

"I'll do that." Snow's gaze turned suddenly to her, and she saw the intention of her visit clearly in her eyes. She wanted to talk to her. And Rapunzel knew it.

"Why don't I take these and go inside so you two can talk," she commented, reaching back to grab her shopping bags out of her hand. She gave her that stare again, the same wide-eyed warning to behave that she'd given her the first time Snow had stopped last week, then unlocked the door and left the two women standing out alone in the cold.

There they were yet again, another long moment of silence as they stared at each other, feeling miles apart despite the fact it was only a few feet.

"Where's Gideon?" Snow finally questioned. But the curiosity was gone from her voice. The only thing she heard was relief that there was some kind of conversation to be brought up.

"With Rumple, across the street," she answered politely. "How was the move?"

"Great!" she exclaimed, still grasping for conversation. The move was the first thing she could think of, considering she and Rumple had seen the big moving truck at her apartment just after their last conversation. "We're mostly unpacked and got a furniture delivery yesterday. David and I are falling into a routine…it's like everything was just meant to be."

"Good. That's…that's good, I'm happy for you."

The silence stretched between them again, and they both wrapped their arms around each other as the wind blew. It was silly, standing out here talking about these silly things when they could easily go inside and discuss…what, exactly?

"So…was there a problem? Or was there something you needed from the library? A book or…"

"Oh! No, it's nothing like that I just wanted to know if you thought any more about Thanksgiving dinner? We're trying to get a final head count for Granny."

Thanksgiving. Had she thought about it? Of course. Almost nonstop since Snow had issued her invitation, in fact, but had she come to a conclusion about it yet? No. She had yet to so much as mention it to Rumple and secretly had been hoping that Rapunzel might invite them to her parent's house just as an excuse not to go, but of course, she knew Rapunzel wouldn't for that very reason. She wanted her to take Snow up on her offer.

"Um…I've been a bit busy to be honest. I haven't had the chance to talk to Rumple about it."

"Well…you are his grandparents. I know it would be nice for him to have the whole family there."

"I know, I just…" Words failed her. She knew what the problem was, but she wasn't entirely sure she could tell Snow the problem. Because she was afraid. She was afraid a fight would break out, that Snow and David and all of them were not nearly as trustworthy as they were telling her they were. She was afraid, and she knew it.

But her words came back to her, the same words she'd just told Rapunzel seemed to damn her. She could know about her fear all she wanted, but knowing wasn't confronting it, knowing wasn't fixing it. Only action would fix it. She felt her stomach twist. She could walk away. It was only her and Snow out here, if she turned her down and walked away and came up with some excuse to tell Rapunzel she'd never know that she lied to her. But she'd know. And she would never feel right about it. It was time to follow her own advice. It was only dinner. She would have Rumple and Gideon with her, and no one said that she would be trapped there, unable to leave if she got uncomfortable. It would be fine.

"We'll be there," she declared less than enthusiastically.

"Really?!" Snow questioned her eyes going wide.

"Yeah, I'll…I'll talk to Rumple. We'll be there."

"That's great!" Before she knew it Snow had stepped forward and thrown her arms around her neck. "Emma and the others will be so happy to know you are coming. Thank you!" she whispered in her ear. "I'll be back tomorrow after school with the details!"

Snow was gone just as quickly as she seemed to have appeared, leaving her alone in the cool wind staring after her. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

"What did she want?" Rapunzel asked the second she went back into the library.

"She just invited Rumple and me to Thanksgiving at Granny's again. I said yes."

Rapunzel broke into a wide, proud smile. "That's good, Belle. And it sounds nice. I can't imagine that you two had other plans for that day."

"Other than a quiet dinner at home, no. But while it sounds nice…it could be complicated for a number of reasons."

"Because of you and Snow."

"Partially." Yes, that was certainly one concern, but she could think of two others that were a bit more pressing. "I was actually more concerned about Rumple sitting down to dinner with Zelena and Hook."

"Oh…not one big happy family."

"Those three? Not exactly."

"Well…are you sure they'll be there?"

She nodded. "Hook I'm certain will be since he married their daughter. Zelena…I can't be positive, but I assume so, since Snow brought her up the other day and Regina is the only family she has in town. She's so focused on making this all about Henry I don't see her not inviting Regina, and I don't see Regina leaving her sister and niece out of it all."

"How are you going to tell Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Carefully. Very…very carefully," she breathed nervously. It would be an interesting test. He kept saying he'd changed, was it possible for a man to change that much? Was his attachment to Henry strong enough? "We are Henry's Grandparents, and that's what they're trying to make it about. I'll tell him it would be odd if we didn't go...easy enough."

Rapunzel stared at her for a while, over the top of the circulation desk as she fiddled with her papers before finally setting them aside. Her smile was odd, knowing and curious and worried all at once.

"Are things going well there?" she asked. "Between you and Rumpelstiltskin?"

She raised her eyebrows at the sudden inquisition. "Are you avoiding your own problems by taking an interest in mine?"

"Maybe…are you saying you are having problems again?" she shot back with a smart smirk.

The banter was unnecessary. They both knew in the end that she would tell her, because she had no one else to tell. But for the first time in a long time, what she had to report was hardly dramatic.

"We're not having problems, actually," she responded finally hanging her coat up. "Things have been wonderful. He's the same man I've always known, and yet with Gideon here…things are different somehow."

"In a good way?"

"In a way better than good. It's like for the first time he's not just trying to be the man I've always known him to be but he's determined to be that man, he wants to be that man."

"Why do you say that so sadly? It's good, isn't it?"

Had she said it sadly? Did she really sound sad? She didn't feel sad, she felt…worried. Fearful.

"I just want it to last," she admitted with a sigh. "In my experience, this goes on for a while and then things go back to the way they were again."

"But you said that things are different this time, for the first time. He's determined, right? Do you really think it'll happen now?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. It was different than it had been in the past and part of that was terrifying all on its own. If it was different, then she really didn't know how it would all end, or if it even would. She was in the dark. "Things are different, more than they've ever been, I just hope it's enough."

Rapunzel smiled as she fell back into her chair. "Do you love him?" she questioned.

Finally, she felt the corner of her mouth turn up in a smirk. She'd asked her a lot of questions she hadn't been sure about, but this one she knew the answer to.

"I do," she answered. "I don't think I ever really stopped. Before Rumple, I never knew you could love and hate someone, but you can…and I have."

Rapunzel laughed. "You really were your parents' perfect child growing up, weren't you?"

"Most of the time. Until I met Rumple, actually."

Rapunzel collapsed into the chair next to her with a heavy sigh. "He's made you stronger. Love really is strength."

"And weakness…" she admitted.

"And happiness."

"And a weapon."

"And a battlefield."

She nodded. Love was all those things, not just one. All of it. And one more thing.

"And the best thing that ever happened to me."

Beside her Rapunzel let out another sigh and grinned ear to ear.

"Me too."


I suppose I included this chapter for a lot of little reasons, but really for one big one that kind of connects them all. The past isn't gone. The fiction was meant to bring people together, but it was never meant to wipe the slate clean and make it so everyone is one great big ole happy family. They are going to Thanksgiving, but things aren't exactly perfect between Belle and Snow, Belle is still aware of the danger of having Rumple in a room with Hook and Zelena, and the troubles that Belle and Rumple have had in their past are still ever present. I didn't want anyone to move on to a place that those scars weren't there, I just wanted them to move into a place of "let's try this again", at best! To me, it would be silly not to have Belle at least a little worried that the past would repeat again. After all, every single storyline for them has gone in that circle of things are really good for a while, and then something bad happens (I know this because we, Rumbellers, complained about it all the time). Things are good right now; it would be natural for them to look over their shoulder for the bad stuff. This story is from Belle's POV, but I think one day (a loooong while from now) we'll get to Rumple's POV and find that it would be silly for him not to worry about the same things. Those kind of scars never really go away, but they do fade with time and after only five weeks, that fading isn't enough for it to be irrelevant. It's enough to allow progress, but not enough to allow ignorance. This chapter is really about going on in life even while the fear is still present.

Thank you to MerlockVonBaron, Fox24, , Grace5231973, and Rumbellefan for leaving me such lovely reviews. There are only three more chapters left, and they're all winners in my opinion, but the next two are big steps for Rumbelle, so I feel certain you will be happy reading them. Obviously, the trickiest was the last chapter, I just hope I did it justice! Peace and Happy Reading!