Chapter 21
Belle was watching him sullenly and he had no idea why. She was sitting near the window in their room, in the small nook the architecture of the bay windows offered. What he was sure was originally meant to make the room feel bigger and more open by the person who originally constructed the house meant little to him. He had filled the extra square footage with two overly stuffed, mismatched, comfortable chairs and a very small circular table, just big enough to hold a few teacups. The view was wonderful though, and after several late nights sitting up with her talking at the spot he found he very much liked the way he'd set the area up, even though right now, this late in February, there was nothing to see but snow. His garden wasn't visible at all and he was hard pressed to see the outline of his yard, let alone the plants and paths buried beneath several feet of frozen accumulation. But the view was the least of his worries. His wife was throwing her own version of a temper tantrum as she watched him pack his suitcase. He really had no idea what had gotten into her, but she had been fussy and anxious for nearly a week, and when he told her he had to go into Boston for a meeting it had done anything but improve her mood.
He was simply trying to keep his head down at this point, baffled over to what he'd done to get himself in trouble, but this strategy obviously wasn't working as she had come up here after him, leaving Bae and August alone in the parlor playing with the gaming system he'd gotten for Christmas. Every now and then he would hear the boys yell, laugh, or taunt one another as they tried to beat whatever it was the virtual system threw at them. At the moment he rather envied them, thinking whatever they were trying to defeat was much less of a challenge than having an angry spouse. "I don't know why you can't just wait until tomorrow morning to leave." She told him.
He sent her a look out of the corner of his eye as he pulled some socks out of a drawer. He really needed to go get this taken care of and would rather do it now than later. He had to actually ask a favor to meet with his lawyer on a Saturday, as he didn't normally work on the weekends, but he was determined. He and Belle had been living as a real married couple for nearly four months now and he could honestly say he had never been happier. Oh, they argued and drove one another to madness the way they had been doing since she moved in, but that wasn't a bad thing. If anything it was fun… and normal. He never thought he would be in a normal relationship with a sane, sweet woman that loved him as much as he loved her. Truly, this was wonderful, and he loved her to pieces, but right at this moment he once again questioned the way the minds of women worked, because clearly they were all mad as hatters. Generally she was a lovely companion that he could relate to on a deep level, but recently she had become rather erratic. He told himself it was hormones because it was no doubt easier for him to rationalize than whatever was really going on in her head. Or worse that was exactly what was going on and he was smart enough to know better than to mention it.
So instead of allowing an argument to start he bit his tongue over her hounding him for days on end and stayed patient with her. Eventually this would pass as all things did. All he had to do was outlast her. "Because I need to be in Boston by eight thirty tomorrow morning and there is a blizzard on the way. Would you rather I get stuck on the highway tomorrow?"
"I would rather you simply stay here." She informed him, destroying the nice little hypothetical question mercilessly. "Especially since you won't tell me what is so important about Boston in the first place."
"And I thought you liked surprises." He commented as he placed his socks carefully and precisely in his bag. And it was a surprise, a good one. He had rewritten their prenuptial agreement and his will and needed them certified by his lawyer. When they first got married, when this was still a deal, he had been dead sure that she would get nothing when the marriage ended, which she had agreed to without batting an eye. However, they were at a point now where the last thing he wanted if anything happened was to leave her penniless. True, she had her own small nest egg between what she made on the house and what Regina had replaced from her father's life insurance, but she deserved better than that even if they had the messiest divorce in history, although he found that very unlikely. This was even more important to him now that she had partial custody of Bae, an agreement that had fully sealed their relationship for him. It had been a serious thing for him to ask of her, the most serious he could think of, and she had agreed with real understanding of what the request meant. He had been touched by the solemn agreement, which was far more than a promise, more than he could say. Belle took better care of his son than Mila did and he really didn't know if she understood what that meant to him, or to Bae, who in his own quiet way worked out the same thing. In return he wanted to show her what that meant to him and this seemed the best way to go about it.
He also wanted to be sure she was taken care of if anything should happen to him. He already had a very large trust fund set up for Bae, and he would get that when he turned twenty-five regardless, but he had shifted things so Belle would get the rest. If anything did happen to him he knew she would take care of Bae for him, had not one doubt in his mind that she would do anything other than take care of his son in every way she could. This was really the main reason he had worked so hard for her to get custody in the first place, and why they were currently waiting for the documentation for adoption to be processed so there would be no more to be said about the thing. He didn't want his son shipped back to Scotland with no legal way to get back to a place he now considered home. He didn't want him neglected and ignored by his mother, and he didn't want him anywhere near this Killian character, who was in no way a safe individual.
Oh, Mila had thrown a righteous fit when she found out about it, and he only told her because Belle insisted she needed to know, but he refused to bend. Bae deserved to be where he was happy, and if he was happy here in Storybrooke with Belle then that was where he would stay regardless of what happened to him. And he hadn't been utterly unreasonable. He had told his ex-wife he was more than willing to allow her to come see her son whenever she wanted. He refused to keep Bae from her despite the years of torment she had put him through in the exact same position, which was for his son's benefit as opposed to hers, but so far she hadn't even attempted to see him. The most she had done since he got here nearly a year ago was call him over the holiday, although she hadn't spent more than five minutes on the phone with him. He hadn't even known about the call until Belle informed him after he got home from the shop and told him she had been trying to distract Bae from the event for the previous two hours. He had no idea what Mila had said to him, and Bae refused to give him details, but whatever it was had upset his son badly. He rather suspected Mila had said something nasty about him, or Belle, and Bae was either so upset by it or embarrassed that he didn't want to say. He didn't push the issue, hoping his son would talk to him if he needed to.
So, with his son's immediate future decided and stabilized he had turned his attention to his wife, although he could never fully forget Bae. He had put a request in his will that when she passed, hopefully when she was a hundred and thirty having lived a full and happy life, that the rest of the money be given to Bae and any family that he had. He was equally sure she would honor this request. Having been meticulous in this legal documentation, as it was possibly some of the most important he had ever drawn up, he wanted it finalized as soon as possible. It would make him feel better, and when she found out help her feel completely financially secure, possibly for the first time in her life. Not that he thought he was going anywhere anytime soon, but it was always good to be prepared.
But aware of none of this she huffed at him, knowing he was being purposefully evasive and not liking that one bit. "Why won't you tell me?" He smiled slightly, because he did love to tease her despite her current ill humor, and was amused he'd gotten under her skin so easily. "You're so annoying sometimes." She informed him.
He chuckled and left his bag long enough to walk over to her. Leaning down he kissed the top of her head, since she refused to lift her head up for him to kiss her on the lips since he was being obstinate and apparently should not be rewarded for such behavior. "I'll be back Sunday morning assuming the roads are clear." He promised, trying to mollify her.
"Why can't Bae and I come with you?" She asked petulantly. "I'm sure we can entertain one another while you're busy doing whatever mysterious thing you're set on doing."
He titled his head a little as he watched her. He had been to Boston alone any number of times since she had moved in with him and this had never bothered her before. Not even when Bae first got here and she was all but forced to take care of him as he got settled, which he knew had been stressful for her. There was something else going on here. "Why is this bothering you so much?" He asked after a moment. "I've been away longer than this before and you never minded." She stubbornly refused to answer, but he saw her expression fill with anxiety. That set his alarms off. Belle wasn't normally an anxious person. And even when something did upset her she tended to go take care of whatever the problem was or brush it off rather than dwell on it, with the notable exclusion of her father's death, which was an exceptional circumstance. At that look, with those big blue eyes of hers flashing with apprehension if not downright dread, all his annoyance with her behavior melted away. Using his cane to help him he carefully knelt down in front of her so they were at the same level. It hurt his leg a bit to do so, but he saw that it won him some points back. "What's the matter, dearie?"
"I just don't see why this is so important. The roads are bad. Something might happen to you."
He watched her, still baffled by this odd new mindset of hers. "Nothing is going to happen." He assured her. "It's only a two hour drive and the snow hasn't started yet."
That didn't make her feel any better. Reaching out he rubbed her arm to try to reassure her, making a guess at what was going on but not sure if it was even close to right. The only thing he could think of was that she didn't feel up to taking care of Bae right at this moment in time. "Are you still sick, dearie?"
"No." She said, reaching out to straighten his tie with flicking, nervous fingers. "I told you I'm fine."
He wasn't fully convinced even if she had appeared recovered since midmorning. "You also told me that when you were getting violently ill in the bathroom this morning, and last night, and the day before that."
She rolled her eyes, pretending this was irrelevant. "I'm fine, Russell. It was just mild food poisoning."
"Oh, aye." He agreed sarcastically. He was pretty sure she had thrown up everything save her shoes since she came in from work the day before yesterday. He had no doubt she had salmonella poisoning. "I can't believe you ate cookies a class full of six year olds made you as part of their school assignment. I doubt even half of them were cooked." She had brought a few home to show him, delighted and wanting to show off the gift, and after picking one up that he assumed was supposed to have a icing smiley face on it, but looked more like a Picasso piece, it fell apart in a gooey heap in his hand. He threw the lot away at once, after assuring her they were a lovely idea at the very least. He had been convinced Bae would eat one and get sick, only to find that his soft hearted wife had already consumed at least half a dozen at work in a show of thankful support of the children's endeavors and was the one to pay the price. He had done his level best not to mention how stupid that had been as she threw up, thinking that was all the lesson she needed.
"It was a very sweet thought." She informed him. "They didn't have to make me anything for the field trip."
"You're too nice for your own good." He told her as he squeezed his arm. "So if it's not that what is it?"
"Nothing." She said quietly, pulling her hands back. All at once she looked very tired, drained. He couldn't understand that, because she had been sleeping like the dead the last few days, barely even stirring through the night the way she usually did. He hadn't even had to defend his portion of the bedding since Monday. "I'm being silly. I know you'll be back soon."
Unconvinced by this sudden agreement he stayed where he was. "You really are a terrible liar, dearest."
Leaning forward she kissed him and he returned the affection at once. "It's really nothing for you to worry about." She told him when she pulled away. "It can wait a few days."
He didn't like the sound of that at all. "Has Regina been bothering you again?" He demanded.
"No." She assured him. "Not in the last few months at any rate."
Why? Why could Regina not leave well enough alone? He had warned her away from Belle over a year ago now. She should not be bothering her at all. He could see he would have to start making regular trips to her office in order to brutalize her into submission. It was rather an unpleasant affair, but for Belle it would cause him no remorse and he hardly minded the waste of energy for her. "She shouldn't be bothering you at all." He told her firmly. "I'll take care of that when I get back."
"I can handle Regina." She informed him without much worry. "I actually feel bad for her. I think she must be terribly lonely. It's no wonder she's so angry all the time."
He pecked her on the lips. "Stop being nice." He ordered her. "Are you sure everything is all right?"
She nodded, although he still wasn't fully convinced. He was even less so when she leaned forward and hugged him a tad too tightly for it to be a normal embrace. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back soothingly, now on edge himself. "You should go before the snow starts." She told him. "Be careful, okay? I just have a bad feeling."
He patted her and leaned away. He locked his eyes with hers and she smiled at him, her normal personality sparking behind the other things at last, although the nervousness was still very prominent. Reaching up he rubbed her cheek in a gentle and now practiced manner. "We'll talk when I get home, Belle, all right?"
"All right." She agreed, giving him a strained, but real smile at last.
He kissed her one more time before getting up, a dull ache racing up his leg as he put a little too much weight on it. She didn't bother him about leaving again, actually got up to help him pack, and he was ready five minutes later. When everything was in it he caught her as she wandered by and pulled her against him. He kissed her warmly and she melted against him, relaxing at last. When he broke away from her he tried to set her at ease. "I love you."
She nodded and hugged him again. "I love you too."
Returning the hug he finally let her go, afraid to wait any longer to get going. Closing the small case he picked it up and headed down the stairs with her following behind him, turning the light in the bedroom off as she went. Getting to the first floor he set his case by the door before going to wish his son goodbye. Bae and his friend were happily engaged in the game as he called to him. "Bae."
His son hit a button, pausing the game, and glanced over at him. "Are you leaving?"
"In a moment."
Bae got up as August, who he was quite pleased his son had become friends with as he was well behaved and stayed out of trouble, waved to him from his spot on the floor. Why they were sitting on the floor when there were couches and chairs aplenty he didn't know, but he wasn't fourteen either. His son trotted over and glanced at Belle. "Could we order pizza?"
"Sure." She said agreeably. "Does August want to spend the night?"
"Is that okay?" Bae asked her hopefully.
"As long as Marco lets him." Belle told him. "I can drop him off tomorrow morning. It seems to be our turn for a sleepover night."
Bae grinned happily. "Thanks, Belle!"
She smiled at him, although he still detected an odd exhaustion hovering around her. She hid it though, at least from Bae, and turned to him. "I'll see you Sunday. Be careful driving."
"I will be." He said, leaning in and kissing her lightly on the lips so as not to embarrass his son too badly. Bae still rolled his eyes, but it seemed more a matter of practice than anything else. "I'll see you soon, dearie."
She gave him another small smile before asking Bae a question. "I'll go order the pizza. Peppers and sausage right?"
Bae nodded eagerly, and after squeezing his hand she walked back toward the kitchen to make the call in a quiet location. When she was out of earshot he turned his attention to Bae. "I'll be back Sunday by ten at the latest."
"Okay." Bae said without worry. It was amazing how quickly his anxiety had dropped since he moved here. Bae didn't like to be left alone for long periods of time, which he understood, and the first few months living here he had spent more time with him than was at all normal. After school he had spent hours with him at the shop. While he didn't mind that at all, was overjoyed by it after their separation, a part of him still knew it was odd behavior for a boy his age. And as much as he enjoyed spending time with Bae he had been relieved when he started behaving more normally, when he started spending time with other people his age and going out for the afternoon or day with them. He was pleased his son was so resilient, and satisfied that he and Belle had set up a safe and supportive environment for him where he could feel secure.
"Stay out of trouble and try not to drive Belle out of her mind." He instructed.
Bae grinned impishly. "Where's the fun in that?"
Normally he would have given him a falsely stern look at the teasing, but he was concerned about her at the moment. So instead he was oddly serious. "I would appreciate it if you would go easy on her while I'm gone." He said. "She isn't feeling very well. I think she's still sick."
"Ugg, really?" Bae asked, looking toward the kitchen with mild concern. "That's lame."
He huffed at the very American turn of phrase. Clearly his son was integrating better than he had thought. "Just be good." He instructed. "She'll be fine in a few days."
"Yeah, all right." He agreed. "Have a good trip."
Reaching out he ruffled his hair, which Bae protested adamantly, and he chuckled. "Goodbye, Bae."
"Out of line!" He said indignantly as he tried to get his short curls back in order.
He chuckled again. "Have fun tonight." He called into the parlor. "It was nice to see you, August."
"Bye, Mr. Gold!" The other boy called as he picked his small suitcase up and left.
"Lock the door behind me, Bae." He said before leaving them to their fun. He heard the lock turn when he was out on the porch and headed to his car. Tossing the bag in the back seat he got in the car, being careful of slipping on the ice that had inevitably accumulated over the last few weeks. He needed to salt the area when he got back, but he put that aside for the moment as he was more concerned about warming his car up. It was freezing outside, it wasn't even ten degrees, and the wind chill was hardly helping. Knowing it would take at least a good ten to fifteen minutes to get the car to a hospitable temperature he simply braced himself and pulled out of the driveway.
The drive to Boston was uneventful and easy, although five miles outside the large metropolis the snow started. By the time he got to his hotel, a less prestigious one than he had taken Belle and Bae to, but still upscale, it was coming down so heavily he knew he never would have made it if he'd left any later. He was sure there would be at least a few feet on the ground by morning, and didn't even want to contemplate the drive to his lawyer's office the next day. Putting that aside as there was nothing to do, and knowing that there would be crews out plowing most of the night, he went inside. When he was settled in his room and out of his coat and gloves at last he called home to let them know he was safely in Boston. Bae answered the phone distractedly, told him he would tell Belle, and then hung up before he had a chance to say anything else. He assumed some sort of mischief was going on with the laughter in the background and shook his head, setting his phone on the small table next to his bed.
He spent the next few hours working on his laptop, taking the time he had away from home to catch up on work he had been neglecting over the last week or so. He was finding it harder and harder to keep up with his scheming with the change in his lifestyle. He found he also wasn't overly bothered by that. He would much rather spend time with Bae and Belle than hole himself up plotting, and really, he didn't see much of a reason to push anymore. He all but owned the town and had tentative plans set up to get the rest of it in the next five to ten years. All he had to do was bide his time and swoop in at the right moment to get the rest, and he was in no hurry. Why should he be in one? He had everything he had ever wanted and more. He was financially stable and had no worry about his future, Bae's future, or Bae's children's future. He had worked hard and done right by his family, even family he didn't have yet, and finally felt relaxed about the whole thing. He felt, for the first time, that he would like to slow down and enjoy life for once. He had that luxury where so many others didn't and let himself enjoy it.
By the time eleven rolled around he closed everything down and went to bed, although it was harder than he thought to fall asleep without Belle here with him. It was amazing how quickly that became normal, to have her sleeping with him, but eventually he managed all the same. He woke up on his own at six and got up and dressed. Once he was presentable he went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, thinking Belle should have become the owner of a restaurant rather than a librarian when he compared the cooking to hers, before heading out. He could tell it would take him longer than usual to navigate the snow-strewn roads. As he had predicted the ground was covered with several feet of the white fluff and the streets were only partially plowed. It hardly helped that it was still snowing lightly, keeping the plows continually busy.
He was pleased when he made it to his meeting on time, having had to change routes three times to find clear paths, and spent the next three hours going over the documentation with his lawyer to be sure it was worded properly. He would rather spend the time with a peer checking it now than to have Belle or Bae discover there was something wrong with it if he wasn't there to help. He didn't want Belle as lost as she had been after her father died, as she had let him know how very upsetting that had been for her. It quickly turned into an effort of wits that brought back nightmares of his days in law school, but finally it was done. Once completed the documents were signed and both he and his lawyer had a copy of both his will and the prenuptial agreement. Belle would still need to sign the latter, but that was easily solved and something he would take care of as soon as he got home. Thanking the other man for his help he told him to send him the bill for his services and left, satisfied with the morning.
Knowing the roads would still need a few hours of work, but suspecting they would be safe far sooner than he anticipated he decided to leave this evening instead of the next day, which he hoped would mean he would have a very pleased wife. So, having the afternoon to himself and needed to waste a few hours he did something he could honestly say he hadn't done in at least eleven years for any length of time. He went shopping. Generally when he needed something he either ordered it online, or was in and out of a store in minutes. He was also normally shopping for himself. Even over last Christmas he hadn't done much more than order things and have them delivered to his shop for Bae and Belle. Thinking of the holiday had him smiling. It had certainly been a better event than the year before. And once again the whole thing had been kicked off by another ridiculously small tree.
It turned out he was not the crazy one, as his son had the same basic reaction to the Christmas shrub as he did. Bae had taken one look at the small tree before turning to look at him with confused pity. It was clear he thought the miniscule pine was a sign of madness, but he didn't want to say that to Belle and upset her. He watched on with amusement, refusing to help either of them at all so he could see what would happen, and Belle stepped into the parlor with tea for them and hot chocolate for Bae. The teen took the drink with a thank you and she brought the tea over to him. Before he could say anything she sat down beside him on the couch and leaned into him, snuggling into his side to get comfortable so she could admire her version of Christmas cheer at her leisure. As she pulled her legs under her so she was more easily balanced he wrapped his arm loosely around her waist. His fingers brushed over her side absently as he sipped at his tea and she hummed cheerfully at having him happy she had invaded his space. Finally, Bae couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer, although he'd made it a good thirty seconds longer than he anticipated. "All right, what is this?"
He snorted and Belle sniffed with false affront. "That is a Christmas tree." She told him in a matter of fact way.
Bae looked at him for an indication that she was pulling his leg. "Is she messing with me?"
"What do you mean?" He asked, stone faced, pretending he had no idea what the problem was.
Bae eyed him. "You're both nutters." He told them as he turned to leave.
"Don't hate on my tree, Bae." Belle called after him.
"You'll never convince me that's a tree." He told her firmly. "Total weirdo you are."
He laughed and she jabbed at his ribs. He grunted but still smirked. He then surprised her by dipping down and kissing her cheek. "Are you happy with it?"
"You know I am." She told him.
"Then you be happy and we'll keep teasing you and that sad little tree."
She rolled her eyes at that and he chuckled as he settled back into the couch. He sipped at his tea and she leaned against him, and he liked that she fit against him so perfectly. She turned her attention to the pine with its twinkling lights and went still. It pleased her as much as it had the year before and he promised himself he would make this a better holiday for her than the last one had been. They sat there quite contentedly while they drank their tea and she could feel his contentment as easily as he felt hers. They had been sleeping together for six weeks at that point, and it had made a noticeable difference in his disposition. He was calmer, happier, and felt far less irritable. That was all normal of course, but he was enjoying it all the same. "What should we get Bae for Christmas?" She asked after several minutes enjoying her tree.
"He wants some sort of gaming system." He told her as Bae had not been shy about the request. He felt it had been counter productive to have bombarded him with information about it late in the evening, as he was generally tired of thinking at that point, but he had gotten an earful all the same.
"Which one?"
"I don't remember." He told her honestly, as all the numbers and letters meant absolutely nothing to him. Not that he didn't care, but without context there was no meaning.
She rolled her eyes. "You better find out so we can get the right one." She told him.
"How many can there be?" He asked.
"About six, and those are just the big name brand ones."
He sighed. Clearly he should have been paying better attention. "Of course there are."
She laughed at his exasperation over all the options. "I'll go get it if you find out what it is he wants."
"Deal." He agreed at once. Belle knew far more about electronics than he did so it would be smarter to have her get it. He had gotten her the information and then turned his attention to a few more small things Bae would like as well as what he should get her. In the end she had been an exceptionally easy person to get a gift for. It had taken him less than fifteen minutes on the Internet to get her several things he knew she would like. He ended up getting her a designer dress from a new up and coming fashion designer in New York, which she had utterly taken with the moment she opened the package Christmas morning, and an e-reader. If anything that had been an even greater success. She had fallen in love with the device after several minutes of distrust over it not having real pages or 'smelling right', but as soon as she got it working she was utterly hooked. It only helped that he got her any number of gift cards to go with it and she spent the rest of the day, or at least the parts where she wasn't cooking one of her amazingly complex meals, buying books she had been wanting and loading them onto the device as Bae ran virtual cars off roads on his new X-box.
He had found the whole holiday great fun, and the ridiculous socks Bae bought him as a gag gift humorous, and simply basked in their happiness, satisfied that he had done right by his small family. It turned out Bae wasn't the only one in the house that wasn't used to getting spoiled, because you couldn't fake the excitement that Belle had over her gifts, and he found he would like to spoil them both just a little more. Much like Belle he found it easy when it wasn't expected and was appreciated as much for the thought as the item being given. So he ignored the weather as best he could and ended up at one of the malls.
He took care of Bae first, mostly because he actually needed to get his son new clothes. Bae had grown nearly four inches in the last month and he was running out of garments that fit. The growth spurt had taken him by surprise, as he had guessed he would be about the same height for another year or so, but apparently puberty didn't much care what he thought. Belle had simply taken him to get a new pair of shoes when his were suddenly two sizes too small and they had both tried to keep up with his wardrobe. At least it explained why he had been eating enough for three people and not gaining any weight. His body had been hoarding it to use the energy to get him to grow. Five thick knit sweater and three pairs of pants later, all of which seemed neutral enough to be acceptable to his son, he left to find more interesting items. He stopped at a sporting goods store briefly and also got Bae a new pair of soccer cleats, as tryout were only about seven weeks away, and got a half size bigger than what he was currently wearing, figuring that would be about right by then and hoping for the best.
That done he walked into a jewelry store without hesitation. Belle may love her simple necklace, but it was the only jewelry she really had, short of a pair of simple gold studs she wore nearly every day. He thought she deserved a bit of choice. He spent more time in this store than the other two combined, but once the saleswoman realized he was a serious buyer, and intent on more than one high priced item she had been all patience and attentiveness. He was sure she worked on commission after the first two items he picked out, because she was positively brimming with eagerness to help him. He finally left, having dropped a substantial amount of money, but he was pleased with the look and quality of the pieces he had selected for Belle. They would certainly do her justice, although he was disappointed he hadn't found a sapphire necklace that lived up to his expectations, but there was always time to find one later.
Finished after several hours he went and got himself a late lunch before heading back to the hotel. Convinced that the streets were now clear enough to drive back he went upstairs and packed the few possessions he had brought away and put the bag in the car before checking out a night early. He drove home, the highway now completely clear and salted, and was very happy when he drove back into Storybrooke long before he had anticipated. He'd gotten everything he wanted done and then some.
His good feelings remained with him until he pulled into the driveway and saw that his front door was swinging open, with the weather dipping dangerously close to single digits. The sight, so unlike what it should be, had unease hit him and he parked quickly and got out of the car, hurrying to the house. The walkway and porch were still covered in snow, which was odd as it was one of Bae's chores to clear it away and he generally did it quickly to get it out of the way. His unease was growing exponentially as he forced his way through the nearly knee deep snow and he hurried up the porch steps, nearly falling as they were hidden and slick, and finally got to the door. Pushing it open he heard the heater running full blast, trying to beat the cold out, but unable to succeed against deep winter. Disturbingly, it was the only sound.
Going to the table by the front door quickly he opened the drawer he flatly forbid Bae from getting into and pulled out the one gun he had in the house. Holding it tightly he stepped farther into his home, searching for his family, and when he turned into the parlor his heart stopped. The place was in shambles. Furniture was overturned, the television had been knocked over and broken, one of his cabinets had been overturned and there were broken ceramics and objects strewn halfway across the room that had spilled out of it mixing with the glass from the broken television. And then he spotted a single, familiar, kitten heeled shoe lying among the broken antiques and his blood simply went cold. "Bae!" He shouted loudly. "Belle!" There was no answer and he became truly frantic. "Bae! Belle!" His only answer was silence and terror colder than the wind blowing into the house flowed from his chest to his limbs. "Dearies?" He called, quieter, knowing now there would be no answer, knowing that they weren't here, knowing they were gone and he had no idea where they could be, only that something horrible had happened here while he was gone.
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter! That was awesome! I hope everyone is now ready for some excitement!