A/N: This chapter got a little loooonger than usual, but I doubt anyone will mind that ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 14

The car ride to the ball had been made in silence. Honestly, for a quick-witted grifter, Belle was feeling like quite the dunce right now. It would just be so easy to forget, to let her mind wander and pretend tonight was real. Life would be an awful lot easier if she were simply an administrator for a large company and the boss was taking her out to a function tonight. Belle knew even then there would be issues to consider. Men that dated or slept with their assistants often got bored, dumped the girl, and fired her simultaneously. There would be talk amongst her co-workers, his business associates, they could both become a laughing stock. Still, it would be that much easier than what was really going on.

Belle never thought someone like Gold could be so oblivious. Honestly, at this point she almost wanted him to realise he was being conned, even though the consequences of that didn't bare thinking of either. He was a very intelligent man, but she was equally as good at what she did. She supposed with her altered records he never should be able to find out she was a fake, plus with all her years of experience she played her part very well. Belle ought to be glad he didn't think she was anything more than she appeared, but somehow it was of little or no comfort right now.

"Are you feeling alright, Belle?" he asked, as he pulled up the car outside the hotel.

It was only when he asked that she realised her deep thoughts and concerns had put a frown on her face. She blinked it all away and found a smile, not least because he seemed so concerned about her.

"I suppose I'm just nervous really," she half-lied. "All those people in there..."

"You shall not disgrace me, Belle, truly," he promised her, his hand briefly on her arm. "It is only a stupid charity ball and these are only people like you and I. They're not beasts and monsters to be slain," he smiled kindly.

It was moments such as these when Belle found it most difficult to remember that Gold himself was indeed such a monster, or at least he was supposed to be. With each passing day, she wondered more and more if the evil Regina had fabricated much of the rumour about Gold herself. It would make sense when Belle thought about it. Regina and Gold held the markets in their hands, almost half and half. With Gold out of the picture, Ms. Mills would be queen of all she surveyed. Belle couldn't believe she had been so stupid as to believe that Gold was that much worse than the head of Regal Corp. It was becoming increasingly obvious that the whole situation might well be reversed.

"Everything is so... I never saw so much finery in one place" she enthused then as they entered the building, Belle deciding that getting back into character was her best bet.

The more she let herself wonder on the legitimacy of this con, the less able she would be to complete it. She at least had to give the impression of wanting to complete this job, for fear of what Regina might do to those she loved if she failed. Belle was still trying to figure out how to turn this thing around and take that evil bitch out too. So far, not so good, and it didn't bare thinking about when she ought to be concentrating on the matter at hand.

This whole thing might've been made easier if Belle didn't have to constantly be on her guard. The ball would be crawling with business people, some she may have met before under another guise. She hoped her new look would see her through, and her ability to be convincing as a whole other person at a moments notice, but it was just a little worrying. She knew the moment they approached the main room that there was at least one here that would know her, though she was the last person who would ever want to blow Belle's cover.

"Come now, dearie," said Gold, picking up Belle's hand and looping it through his arm. "No need to be nervous,"

"I'm fine," she lied, trying not to lean on him too much, after all, he was already having to cope with her on one side and his cane on the other.

Fine went out the window as they headed into the lavish ball room and the very first person to approach them was the one Belle dreaded most.

"Robert!" cried Regina with too wide a smile. "Well, what a wonderful surprise! George did say you'd accepted the invitation but I must say I was dubious as to whether you'd actually be here," she rattled on, completely blanking Belle as she expected she might. "Of course, I know you can well afford the entry fee, but I also know how hard it is for you to find the time, or a suitable companion," she said then, finally casting her eye over Belle as if she were a bug under a microscope.

"Well, we're all getting older, Regina," Gold smiled too politely. "But you and I, we just seem to carry on regardless, don't we, dear?"

Belle wanted to laugh but daren't. She still wasn't sure what would happen now that she was officially meeting Regina in front of Gold. Still, it was fun to see them square up to one another and him to come off best! She was half expecting him to introduce her to Regina, which would be awkward, but she would've coped. As it was, he just swept them both right past the other woman without so much as a glance back. Belle was a little astonished.

"That was Regina Mills, wasn't it?" she said in all innocence, even now as she felt the other woman's eyes burning into her back.

"Aye, it was," Mr Gold agreed. "Miserable old witch," he muttered then, at which Belle bit her lip.

Perhaps she ought to have looked more shocked or something, but even her innocent girl act couldn't hold up against everything bad. Regina really was what Gold called her and it probably wasn't a stretch to believe a girl like her would find it funny to hear him say so. Forcing back a giggle proved harder than it should to the point where he noticed her reaction.

"I'm sorry, Belle," he apologised as they reached the far side of the room and the buffet table it held. "I'm afraid Ms Mills and I have been rivals a long time. She does not bring out the best in me."

"She doesn't seem as if she would bring out the best in anyone," said Belle kindly and truthfully too as it turned out. "Nobody seems eager to talk to her," she noted, looking back across the room the way they had come.

There was a definite void around the head of Regal Corp, with hardly anyone willing to go up and talk to Regina voluntarily. She was forced to approach others and even then they all seemed to flinch at the contact. Belle might feel sorry for her if she didn't have reasons enough to believe Regina deserved all that she got.

"You might notice as the evening wears on, Belle, that not a great many people want to talk to me either," Gold noted.

For some reason, that particular fact was far less amusing to Belle. She couldn't help but note the sadness and bitterness in Gold's tone somehow. Perhaps he really didn't always want to be so isolated, so very much feared that no-one dared to know him better. It worked well for a con, for a lonely man was that much more easily swayed into believing he was at last loved, and then to love back. Belle couldn't explain why her insides twisted up so uncomfortably when she thought about the way she was playing Gold right now. She would blame the tight bodice of her dress for such feelings tonight, even if she knew for certain she was lying to herself.

"Well, if everyone else is too afraid to come and speak to you, I'm certainly not," she said definitely. "You won't ever be lonely with me around," she promised, with a winning smile.

"Indeed not," he agreed, returning the look.

Belle noted he looked all the better with a smile on his lips, a real genuine, non-threatening smile the like of which she had rarely if ever seen on his face. Now that she did see it, she liked it very much. Perhaps this was the real man behind the mask he usually wore in front of others, when conducting business and the like. She wasn't sure yet, but tonight might be a good time to find out.

"Robert Gold!" a voice boomed his name, and both he and Belle turned quickly to see the host of the ball approaching them.

"George King," he replied as he faced the other businessman.

Belle watched the genuine smile she had been admiring twist back to that sinister grin she had seen too many times before. Gold did not like King, that much was entirely clear, which made it even more of a feat for her that she had convinced him to come to this event in particular. Strangely, Belle didn't feel like patting herself on the back right now, she just felt awkward as King came closer and shook Gold's free hand.

"It's been too long since you graced us with your presence, Gold," he told his fellow man of business. "Glad to see you."

"Indeed, George," he replied, extracting his hand as soon as he was able. "And of course I'd love to stay and chat but I see the dancing is beginning and I did promise Miss Hart here a turn about the floor."

Belle hadn't had a chance to get her bearings yet when suddenly she noted Gold was carefully resting his cane at the corner of the table and grasping her with one arm about her waist. He led her into the middle of the floor, a little more of his weight than usual leaning her way. This was going to be interesting.

"Um, are you sure you can..?" she started to ask, immediately regretting it when something akin to a growl emitted from Gold's throat.

"Just dance, Belle, don't ask questions," he told her with a tight smile.

The next thing she knew, Belle was being led around the floor by her partner in a waltz she recalled in a heartbeat from her youth. Yes, she had learnt all of these traditional dances a very long time ago, and they had come in handy over the years. How long she and Gold could hold each other up however, that was another question entirely. There were days he struggled to even walk, though today he hadn't seemed so very bad and tonight she was certain his cane had barely been touching the floor as they strolled across the ballroom. Perhaps he could manage one dance, though he was leaning her way quite a bit. Belle was strong enough, she could manage for now, though the closeness between them, borne out of the nature of the dance as well as his need for support, brought on feelings she wasn't expecting, that was for sure. Her mind exploded with pictures from her dreams, criss-crossed with the strange tingling feelings she got when he touched her earlier, when he smiled that particular smile.

"You dance beautifully, Belle," he told her as he turned her around once more.

"Thank you," she replied, swallowing hard, trying to concentrate only on the here and now, drumming into her own mind that this was a job, a con, nothing more. "I hardly expected you to be so light on your feet."

"Because of my age or my limp perhaps?" he asked her quickly, almost throwing Belle off.

She honestly hadn't meant for her words to be insulting in any way, but with all the thoughts already spinning in her head, every time he twirled her around she felt more and more giddy. The worry must have shown on her face for Gold immediately put her at ease.

"Relax, dearie, I'm only teasing you," he assured her. "I'm sure nobody here quite expected to see me dancing tonight, anymore than I expected to be doing it. Unfortunately, I was backed into a corner by George King. He is one of the most odious and ridiculous men I've ever come across in my life!"

Belle tried not to laugh but found it difficult. She had heard similar accounts of King herself, though she and her team had never come up against him directly. He was infinitely rich and successful but the vast majority of that seemed to have come from fair means. There was certainly no evidence to the contrary that she knew of, and so nobody ever asked her and the team to take him down.

"I am sure he is not as bad as you say," she defended him anyway, as her character would in such a moment. "A great many people might think you aren't the nicest person in the world, but I know how kind you can be," she smiled sweetly. "Thank you for bringing me here tonight. It's wonderful already, and we've only been here a short while."

It was a strange moment as he met her eyes then. Belle would've sworn Gold was going to kiss her if she wasn't hard-wired to know better. Of course that was the plan, he was supposed to fall in love with her, but to kiss her in a public place like this, she hardly thought it likely. What was worse was the realisation that she really did sort of want him to do it, just move in and capture her lips in a searing kiss. It was such a shame when it didn't happen, and Belle mentally slapped herself for thinking so!

Another couple seemed to come out of nowhere, narrowly missing a collision with Belle and Gold. The shock of it made him stumble and she all but had to catch him before he fell on top of her. The dance was done, not least because he was embarrassed and angry at what had occurred.

"Let's go and sit down," she suggested, trying to take his arm.

"For Gods sake, I'm not a child!" he growled at her, pulling his arm free of her grasp.

His ankle hurt like hell, and he ought to have known it would. What a foolish thing to do, spinning around the floor like a giddy teen. Belle was having him become an idiot for her, by design or otherwise, Gold couldn't be sure, but he didn't like it at all. Still, snapping at her was surely unfair. He tried not to stagger too much and got himself to a seat, thankfully in reaching distance of his cane.

"I am sorry," Belle told him as she came to sit beside him.

"It is not your fault, Belle," he assured her, sighing heavily, knowing being angry with her would be unfair and unwarranted in the extreme. "It was my stupid idea to dance, and it shall not happen again."

She was a little disappointed to hear that. For all the lies she told, much of Belle's character was routed in truth. She loved a ball, she loved to dance. Being in Gold's arms had felt so good and she was sure her plan for him to fall for her was working. Now he was in a bad mood and that was no good for anything.

In the time that followed, a few people wandered over to speak to Gold. Belle was grateful not to recognise any of these men and women of business, so all had to be either reasonably good people or very good at covering their tracks, she supposed. Gold was all business with them, hand-shakes and vague talk of deals to be made. Belle felt ridiculously bored. She was here to charm Gold, to make him believe he was falling in love. Now he barely wanted to look at her apparently, not even when he was introducing her to people. Even then she was his assistant and not his date. Belle felt stupidly put out by what she saw as an insult. Her eyes wandered around the room, to couples dancing, talking, laughing.

"If you wish to dance, Belle, go and do so," said Gold then, though she wasn't sure when he'd started paying attention to her again.

"I never..." she began to argue but just as soon as she glanced his way they both knew she was lying. "I wouldn't leave you alone like that," she said definitely, raising her chin. "Dancing is not so important to me."

"It is a ball, dear. It is expected," he told her, finding just a hint of that genuine smile she was starting to like too much. "I may not be able to participate, but many a young man here has been admiring you..."

"Of course they have," a voice broke though their conversation, and Belle tried not to react as she looked up to the source of it. "In fact you've given me the perfect opening, sir," he said to Gold with a grin. "May I ask your partner to dance?"

"Well, that is up to Belle herself," the older man replied, through gritted teeth though at present Belle failed to notice, her eyes stuck on the man before her, holding out a hand. "I am her employer but not her keeper. Belle?"

Her name being spoken seemed to bring her out of the daze she'd fallen into, and yet Belle could only nod dumbly as her hand was grasped firmly in the stranger's own and he whisked her away to dance. Of course, he ought to be a stranger to her and certainly would be to Gold, but she knew him all too well.

"What are you doing here?!" she hissed across at him, even as he took her into his arms and they began to dance.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend, Belle?" he smirked at her.

"August, you're not funny," she whispered what she would like to shout but feared to do so. "I want to know why you're here. Did you know I would be?"

"Of course I did," he told her, rolling his eyes. "It's all by design, Belle. I'm playing the same game you are."

Belle wasn't sure how to take those words. August always was a bit of a puzzle even when they were on the same team, working side by side. No matter what con they were pulling, she had a feeling his own agenda was in play. She trusted him to have her back in a crisis but there was always that element of wondering what he was thinking, what he might up and do out of the blue without warning. It made her uneasy then and the same now as he turned her out into a twirl and then pulled her close again.

"So, Emma did see you the other day," she smirked, getting a little of her own back, she knew, as she watched his expression show surprise. "I'm not sure she she'll be glad to realise it."

That made his smile fall into something akin to pain and Belle almost felt bad. Still, it was a little insane that the thief was in love with a cop of all people. Emma never really returned August's affection back in the day, though his constant flirting and gifts made his feelings very plain. Emma was in it with the team only as long as it took to get Henry back, that was always the deal. After that, she did let certain things slide where the Robin Hood style thieves were concerned, and never asked questions when they gave her leads. Still, she never did quite fall for the ever-present charm of the unlikely-named August W. Booth.

"You seem to be doing a decent job with Gold," he whispered across to her then. "Honestly, you play the part so well, I'm not sure why Regina was even worried."

That made Belle frown. So it wasn't just that August was here to con someone, he was here to con the same person as her. Regina had got to him too, and that made Belle more than a little wary.

"What's going on that I don't know about?" she asked suspiciously. "August?" she prompted when he only smiled.

"A twist in the plot," he replied with a wicked smirk. "Trust me, Belle, it's for the greater good," he promised, turning her in a final twirl. "Unless you really are falling for the old man?"

It was supposed to be a joke but when his eyes met Belle's own she realised he saw some truth in it. She made herself laugh on purpose and hurriedly denied everything in muttered tones just as the dance ended. She scrambled to get away from her old team-mate for fear of what had just happened here. She didn't love Gold, not even close, in fact she cared nothing for him at all, she told August as well as herself. Funny then that she just couldn't seem to drown out the voice in her head that called her a liar. She rushed back to Gold with a purpose, hoping against hope that she had done nothing to embarrass herself or make him suspect her. On the contrary, it seemed he had hardly been paying attention to her dance with August. Belle noted the retreating form of a man in a well-cut suit disappearing from Gold's side and back into the crowd as she approached. If she didn't know better, she would have said it was Killian Jones, but she knew how much Gold despised him. The business deal they had made a few weeks ago was only made because it must be, not because Gold had any wish for an association with such an untrustworthy wretch. He was such a schemer, even her old team had never quite found a way to go after him successfully.

"Is everything alright?" asked Belle as normally as she could manage whilst retaking her seat beside Gold.

"Of course, Belle," he replied too smoothly as he handed her a glass of champagne and sipped at his own. "Everything is absolutely fine."

To Be Continued...