Archie Hopper thought of himself as a nice, simple man. Easing into his mid-forties, he was content with the life he had even as he remained a bachelor and had fathered no children. He had his friends, his little hobbies, his dog, and a career that was a genuine help to many people in Storybrooke.

Life in a such a small town had grown comfortably predictable. His patients were more like friends who paid for advice, and their issues were of a narrow range spanning between feelings of guilt over longing after a married man (poor Mary Margaret Blanchard) to love triangles exposed at the hospital...though with Dr. Whale it had become something of a love hexagon, and really more of an HR issue at this point.

Yes, Dr. Hopper's life was predictable, comfortable and all together pleasantly boring. Or, it had been, until he'd come into the office and been told that his schedule had been rewritten to accommodate the last two names he'd expected to see, and yet there they were smack dab in the center of his calendar: Mr. Gold & Belle French.

Archie had swallowed, thanked his secretary and retreated to his office to hyperventilate into a paper bag, as he did before each of his sessions with that man. The doctor tried not to think of their first meeting, decades ago, but how could he forget how quickly he'd let their session spiral out of control? How furious Mr. Gold had been, how explosively violent?

Of course, that had been twenty years past, before Mr. Gold had been...well, Mr. Gold as Storybrooke knew him now. Archie remembered the younger man Mr. Gold had been, so heavily scarred and still unused to his broken body's limitations. He never should have been assigned to Mr. Gold's case; he'd been far too inexperienced and ill-prepared for what had awaited him in that hospital room.

He'd seen the man recently, only short sessions in which Archie had recommended a few exercises to aid Mr. Gold in discussing his son. After the break-in at his shop that had lead to the mass revelation of his son, he had assumed - correctly - that the man had finally wanted to find a way to openly speak of his tragedy.

Still.

Why now? Why with Belle?

Archie glanced at the clock. He could ask Mr. Gold himself when the man arrived, which should be within the hour.

That left him just enough time to clear his office of any sharp or heavy objects.


The clock struck 10am and Archie jumped up from his desk as the door to his office opened, precisely on time and not a second too late. His chest clenched on seeing the man enter, dressed as was typical for him, very formal in a tailored suit and matching waistcoat of charcoal gray, a burgundy shirt and black tie complete with a glinting gold tie pin.

Archie had firsthand knowledge of Mr. Gold's fury, but the cold and calculated man he had become over the years was far more intimidating to him. He knew that Mrs. Gold had disappeared shortly after the first anniversary of their son's death, and from that point on he had borne silent witness to the man closing himself off, burying himself in work and amassing wealth and power in place of any known personal connections.

Until just recently.

Belle.

Beautiful and bright, Belle French stepped in behind Mr. Gold and graced Archie with a smile, both in greeting and knowing reassurance. Clearly Mr. Gold had told her of the history that he and Archie shared. Somehow, the thought was comforting.

"Ah, Mr. Gold. I'm glad that you've scheduled another session." Archie said as he stepped closer, smiling to show he welcomed them both.

Gold, for his part, was as sweet as ever as he ignored Archie's greeting and gestured to the woman at his side. "You know Belle?"

Belle gave a laugh, "It's a small town, we've met! How are you, Archie?"

"Good, good. I'm thinking about getting another dog." He told her, and distantly he wondered if he shouldn't be looking for a mate for himself rather than for his pet. If Mr. Gold could find love then maybe there was hope for everyone.

"Oh! Another Dalmatian?" Belle asked. She loved dogs as much as the next girl.

"Maybe, maybe. I think Pongo could use a girlfriend, a woman around the house makes all the difference. I think Mr. Gold can attest to that." Archie ventured, hoping a touch of humor might lighten the grave expression on the other man's face.

No luck there, Gold only sauntered over to the well-worn sofa so their session could begin.

Archie gestured for Belle to sit, and then he moved to his chair across from them both. "Well, have a seat. Mr. Gold, I've seen you a few times recently, but Belle, I haven't seen you in years."

The woman nodded. "Yes, I know. Kind of hard to start family therapy when half the family refuses to show up."

Again, Belle used humor to deflect away from her father's misdeeds against her.

"Oh, Belle, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, no, Archie, you're fine." Belle waved off his concern. "If you can believe it, being in prison has been the best thing to happen to dad in a long time. He's written me three letters so far, long letters. He signed up for some starter career classes and he's entered into a rehab program."

Gold took her hand and squeezed it gently, his thumb stroking her knuckles. He might hate the man but he was glad that Moe was making some kind of progress, for Belle's sake.

Archie smiled warmly. "That's wonderful, Belle. I want your father to get better, for your sake and his. I mean that."

"I know you do, thank you." Belle returned. It felt so good to speak of her father in a positive way for once.

Archie took up a stenopad, "Well, since you're both here why don't you share the reason you opted for a joint session?"

"I-"

"We-"

Gold smiled at Belle and squeezed her hand again. "Ladies first."

She nodded and cleared her throat. "All right, I'll start. Archie, I don't know what the two of you have discussed about our relationship. I mean, I knew you'd had a few sessions but I'd assumed that they were mostly dealing with Baelfire."

"He knows about us, Belle. Or, he knows my side of things." Gold told her.

"I know that the two of you were friends for about a year and that through an... ah, incident concerning your father, you came to stay with Mr. Gold."

Belle shrugged. "In a nutshell, yes."

"I was also given to understand that in the time you stayed with Mr. Gold, your relationship remained strictly platonic. Roommates, in a sense."

"I don't know about strictly platonic, but that's about right. Things between us became, ah, intimate in the late summer. Best birthday ever." Belle winked.

Beside her, Gold bit his lip to keep from smiling.

"And you've been open in your relationship since that time."

"Yes. My friends knew about us before the rest of the town. The real story, not whatever the gossip mill put out." Belle was quick to add.

Archie raised a brow at that. "Did it bother you, knowing you were the subject of mean-spirited rumors?"

Belle shifted on the sofa. "Ah...I'd be lying if I said I didn't care at all, but after I came clean to my close friends I wasn't too bothered by what other people were saying. I think my father's antics all over town these last several years helped me build up a pretty thick skin."

"Well, you can be pleased to know that the two of you are old news." What Archie said was true; being attuned to the people in town meant staying attuned to whatever held the people's attention. For awhile, Belle and Gold had been all anyone could talk about, but now their unlikely love story was taken in stride.

"Old news, new news - why should we be news at all? We're just people. People fall in love everyday." Belle dismissed. Really, she was glad the rumors had died down but that didn't mean that her relationship with Gold had become any easier.

"That's true, but unfortunately this is Storybrooke and-"

"-unfortunately I am Mr. Gold." Gold finished Archie's thought with one of his own.

"No, Mr. Gold, that's not what I meant."

"It was, in a sense." Gold insisted. "Belle has forgiven me even if the town never will."

Archie leaned forward, "Now that's interesting, Mr. Gold. Do you often feel that you have a need to earn forgiveness from Belle, that your involvement together is consequential to her?"

"Yes."

"In what way?"

Gold's frown deepened. "Ah, the damage to her reputation and the gossip that followed after she first came to live with me." He turned to face the woman. "I wanted you with me, so I saw the way to that end and threatened your father to ensure you'd stay."

She nodded, her hand still in his. "You did, but now I understand why, what my father did to drive you to that place."

Archie was glad for this, the session was off to an open start. Clearly they'd spoken on these issues with each other before. "So you have been more open in your communication concerning..."

Gold cleared his throat. "Yes. I told her about Bae and we've continued the album exercise you recommended."

"That is great progress, really remarkable given where you were emotionally just a year ago." Archie said. Not that he knew personally, but his summation was based on what little Gold himself had told him, of how he had been mourning his son alone and in secret for years.

"Yes. It takes a woman, I suppose." Gold said, echoing the doctor's earlier words back to him.

At that, Archie shook his head. "I've found gender has little to do with opening up emotionally. Yes, you two love each other, no one's doubting that, it's plain for all to see. But more than a romantic love, there had to be a genuine degree of trust for you to have told Belle of your son, given that so few people even knew of him in the first place."

Belle swept her hair behind her ear. "He loves me and I do feel that he trusts me...to a certain extent, anyway."

Archie leaned forward, looking from Belle to Gold and back again. "What do you mean?"

Gold took a deep breath. He had explained himself as best he could to Belle and he would do it again, here, his words paving the path to her understanding and forgiveness. "I wasn't able to tell Belle about Milah. I should have told her everything the night I told her of our son but something in me...it felt that it would be too much for one night, just misery heaped on more misery. So I held back."

Concern was clear in Archie's face; he sympathized as best he could, but he could never relate directly to Mr. Gold's pain. "You've been through some genuine trauma, Mr. Gold, and sometimes, no matter how much we may love someone, it can be the hardest thing in the world to share that trauma, those private miseries."

"Yes. I wanted to share with you, Belle. I did. I still do but I was selfish these last several weeks. It's the winter. I can manage for most of the year but in the winter it feels like a cloud comes over me, it makes everything darker and I just feel...I'm either choking on the memories or I refuse to feel anything." Gold told her, shamed and struggling to find the right words to express emotions he'd spent years training himself to keep private.

The doctor nodded, encouraging Gold to keep talking. "With the anniversary of something so traumatic, the winters will always be a difficult time of the year for you."

Belle lifted Gold's hand to her lips for a kiss. Archie felt heat flood his cheeks - it was only a kiss to the hand, but he felt as if he'd just been made to witness something deeply intimate between them. "I'm truly touched that you've shared as much as you have with me."

Gold pulled his hand back from her, feeling unworthy of her all over again. "It wasn't enough. I should have told you about Milah."

"You still could." Archie said.

Belle turned to him. "What?"

"Mr. Gold has related to me a great deal of regret that he wasn't able to tell you, in his own way, about his past. Would you like to try a role-playing exercise now?"

Both Belle and Gold nodded their silent assent.

"All right, then. Belle, Mr. Gold, just close your eyes and clear your minds. It might be difficult, but just go back to that night. You're in Belle's apartment and you've just told her about poor Baelfire, what losing him has meant to you, how the loss has shaped who you've become. Mr. Gold, I'd like you to turn to Belle now and tell her in your own way, in your own words, about your wife."

"Ex-wife." Gold corrected, eyes still closed.

"Ex-wife of barely a week." Belle muttered under her breath.

Gold heard her, though, and nudged her foot with his.

Archie adjusted his glasses. "Sorry, I didn't catch that?"

Belle shook her head, "Nothing."

Gold took a deep breath, readying himself. He searched for the correct words to tell her the truth, his way, the way he should have those months ago. The office was quiet as Belle and the doctor waited for him to speak.

The man tensed, fighting the impulse to hobble out the door and hide away from all this. Belle stroked over his left hand, silently comforting, encouraging him here. Gold thought, and then Gold spoke. "Belle, I need to tell you something. I know that I should have told you sooner, the night we...the night I told you about my son."

Belle nodded, ready to hear anything he had to say. "You can tell me."

"Thank you. I want to believe that, truly. It's not that I don't trust you, because I do. This is...so difficult. All of it, it's jus been..."

"It's all right." Belle reassured him. "You can tell me, just take your time."

Gold tried to focus, forcing the silent doctor from his thoughts and concentrated on telling Belle his truth. "I've told you about my son. I didn't get to tell you how I would have liked, but I want to thank you for listening when I told you about him that night in your room. It's meant so much to me...that may very well be why I couldn't tell you about Milah. I didn't want you to feel burdened with more of my past or threatened by the life she and I shared."

"I understand. You've been carrying this by yourself for so long."

"It's been too long. Milah and I...when we first struck out on our own, we were ready to take a big bite of it, us against the world, you know, the way all young newlyweds are. After Bae came, we had the life we wanted. We had it all. Losing him...ruined us, Belle. It broke us."

The young woman nodded, silent though tears had begun to track down her cheeks. Gold hated to see her upset, but he pressed on.

"We lost our son and then we spent a year attacking each other and hurting ourselves for it. She couldn't stay here, the memories were torture for her. I felt I couldn't leave, the memories were all I had left of him. Leaving our house would betray that. Milah and I, we came to an understanding. She wanted to go back to Scotland and went off to stay with her brother in Lochdubh, while I stayed here. I couldn't leave the home we'd built together. I knew we could never have what we once did, but a piece of me...I knew it could never happen, but a piece of me was still waiting for the nightmare to end, for Baelfire to come running in through the front door with his backpack and his scraped knees, wanting his after-school snack and to play with me and the dog in the backyard. A piece of me was waiting for Milah to come back, too." He admitted quietly. "Milah as I knew her, back when she was happy and teasing and bright. But I know it won't happen. It can't. And, somewhere in the years, I stopped waiting. Milah found Killian and his girls - she found her second chance and I am happy for her. After what I put her through, I only want the best for her. She deserves to be happy. Before she left, Milah and I promised each other and we promised the spirit of our son that we would always come back together, for him. To lay flowers at his grave and be together to remember everything we had."

"Does it help?" Belle asked, her voice choked and low.

Gold sighed. "It took us years to grow as civil as what you saw when she was here. The first few times we met, we nearly attacked each other in the cemetery. There have been years where we didn't see each other at all. There have been a few years when we could barely stand to say a word to each other so we would just meet up in her room and share a bottle of whatever was strong at hand. It hasn't been healthy and it hasn't been the right way to deal with what we've lost, we know that. But we have, finally, come to be in a good place with each other...it's taken decades to arrive where we are now. That's what I might have said, Belle, if only I'd been able." Gold finished.

His explanation lacked the depth and fury of what Milah had told to Belle, but they had been his own words, halting and sad and perfect. Belle kissed his hand again, and reached to him and swiped away tears that had escaped Gold's eyes. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me."

Gold surprised her by thanking her in return. "Thank you for not giving up on me. Any sane woman would have long before now."

Belle laughed through her tears. "When you find something worth fighting for, you never give up."

Gold sighed. "I don't deserve you, Belle."

Belle frowned at that. "You say things like that too often. It...sometimes makes me feel like you expect me to think this has all been a mistake and just walk out."

Archie, who had been quiet throughout Gold and Belle's exchange, chose to speak. "Mr. Gold do you see yourself as undeserving of Belle's love or, ultimately, this relationship that could lead to a second marriage, the potential for more children?"

Gold's eyes widened. "We haven't, ah-"

Belle shook her head, "We haven't talked about any of that. I plan to move back in when my lease ends and maybe we'll discuss it then."

"I want a future with you, Belle. I do."

"I love you and I know you blame yourself for everything that happened, but you do deserve this, what we have. You're the first man I've wanted anything real with, my first serious boyfriend."

Gold abruptly cringed at that most hated word. "You know I hate it when you call me that."

Belle nudged his foot. "I know, that's why I do it."

Archie smiled at this glimpse of their humor. "I think the two of you are in a relatively good place and you've already made a great amount of progress on your own. Mr. Gold, there is no easy fix for the pain you still feel, the sorrow you carry over the death of your son and the dissolution of your marriage. You kept everything bottled inside and it took Belle coming into your life to bring down your walls, to a certain extent. You've made the right choice to open up, though I understand with the way the situation played out you were essentially forced into telling Belle the truth."

"I was going to tell her."

"When?"

"Before the winter." Gold said archly. He turned away from Archie, returning his focus to Belle. "I would have told you before the winter, before the cloud came over me. I would have had you over to the house, we'd have had a sit-down in the study where I'd kept so many of the memories and I would have told you."

"I would have listened. I'm sorry that you didn't get to tell me the way that you wanted, but the truth is out here between us now and I want us to move forward in a healthy way." Belle said decisively. She really and truly wanted this, a life and a future with him; it could only happen once he believed himself worth loving again.

Archie smiled at them. "The basis for every healthy relationship is open communication. Belle, you said that you'd be moving into Mr. Gold's house soon?"

"Yes. I have another few weeks left on my lease, but I've given notice and already started to pack."

He nodded. "From here on out, I recommend a total honesty policy between the two of you. This can be difficult for both parties, but you can't forge a healthy way forward with secrets and insecurities between you."

Gold took her hand. "I'll try for you Belle, I promise."

"I want you to try for you, because you deserve to be happy with me."

Archie raised a brow at the woman. "And Belle, what about you?"

Belle faltered, "Er, what about me?"

"Do you likewise feel that you've earned this love, that you're worthy of being happy?"

"Yes. I want this to work, I believe it will as long as there are no more surprises. If we're honest I know this can work."

"I will be." Gold told her. It was an old instinct to hide his feelings but he would fight that impulse. For Belle first. Then for himself.

"This is so wonderful to see, for both of you. But Belle, I was curious if you and Mr. Gold have discussed...ah, the issues that initially brought you in." Archie asked carefully. He wouldn't bring up anything that Belle would prefer to keep to herself, but he had to ask.

Belle cleared her throat, suddenly uneasy now that the focus of the room was shifting toward her and her own shaded past. "I've told him about my mother. Even showed him her page online."

"I see. And what prompted you to finally show him?"

Belle thought on that question. "Well...back when we were just friends I never wanted to bring it up. Not something to brag about, my family. I never even told him who my father was, though I'd mentioned picking up work at Game of Thorns."

"When did you first mention your father?"

"It was the first night I brought him to my apartment. We'd been in his shop playing a game but we had to stop when there was a blackout from the storm. I was going to walk but he insisted on driving me home, so I invited him up for coffee." Belle summarized quickly. She wasn't sure she liked this, speaking of her parents and how they had shaped her life. In fact she mirrored Gold's earlier thoughts, and pictured bolting out the door, running out of Dr. Hopper's office, maybe running all the way out of Storybrooke and taking refuge somewhere in Sunshire.

"Was that a euphemism?" Archie asked, cheeks suddenly as red as his hair.

Gold scoffed. "No, it was just coffee. Though I wouldn't have minded the other..."

Belle slapped Gold's wrist. "Hey! What kind of girl do you think I am?"

"Oh, I already know." Gold returned, all sly.

Belle rolled her eyes and got the discussion back on track. "Anyway! We were just talking and it kind of came up in conversation. I knew he and my father had gotten into it before so I was worried he wouldn't want to be friends anymore. I was happy that wasn't the case."

"Wild horses couldn't have kept me away, Belle."

"My mother...I had been keeping her a secret, but I was so grateful when he was opening up to me about Baelfire that I wanted to show I trusted him enough to tell about what happened to me. He knew my mother was gone but I hadn't revealed the details."

"Would you care to divulge those details now, Belle? I'd like to know more, if you'll let me."

"When I was a teenager, my mother just walked out. She and my father were never happy but I hadn't thought she would just leave. Or, not in the way she chose to do it. When I say she just left, that's exactly what she did. She never left me a note, she just took her purse and left. I'd had no idea what had even happened to her until a few years ago. When I found her online I could hardly believe my eyes."

Archie leaned forward. "What did you find online?"

"That woman picked up and started over in Miami." Gold scowled.

"She began a new life. I see. Belle, how did that make you feel?" Archie asked.

Here, Belle found herself struggling with her words. She had spoken with Gold, but only that one night. Belle didn't want to dwell on her excuse of a mother, she was more comfortable with helping Gold than with focusing on her own past. Perhaps that was telling. Her father had provided her plenty of trouble - Belle had repaid her mother for her abandonment by refusing to even think much of the woman at all.

Now, though, Belle found herself faced with her feelings on all fronts.

"I...I was so angry I didn't know what to do, I threw some things in my room. It started to feel claustrophobic so I ran out and kept running. I ran over five miles, then walked back. I was completely exhausted by the time I got back home. I had used my time on the walk to think, to calm down enough before I could send her a message on the site. I asked why she left and all she said was that she didn't want to be unhappy. I've sent her plenty of other messages since then but she's never responded, I guess she just can't be bothered." Belle finished bitterly. She could feel Gold's anger - he had been robbed of his fatherhood and so held complete contempt for any parent that could dismiss the blessing of their children.

The man held her hand tighter in silent support.

"Do you feel that this abandonment has played into your relationships?"

The question riled her. This was a conversation she'd had with her friends several times over the years, how her upbringing had shaped her life and everyone who touched it. Belle knew all too well that she was drawn to Gold, in part, because despite his stubborn streak, the man was nothing like her father.

"I've tried not to let my parents define me. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to associate me with my father, so I cleaned up my act before high school was over, separated from him as soon as I could afford - barely - to live out on my own. I'm my own woman, but I can't say that what happened has had no effect at all." She said carefully.

"What you had to live with, your parents' dysfunctional marriage and then your mother's abandonment, Belle, there's no one in the world who could be untouched by that." Archie said, trying to reassure her.

Like Gold, Archie had to keep his anger in check when it came to Belle's story. Her troubles were unique in Stroybrooke - abandoned and neglected, yet she had forged ahead no matter who tried to hold her back. He counted himself lucky to be her friend, she was something of an inspiration.

Belle took a breath, "I admit that it has made me feel insecure. He had his reasons for not pursuing me," she said, meaning Mr. Gold. "But there was nothing to stop me from asking him out first. Only there was. The long and short of it was that I was afraid he'd say no. But more than afraid of him just saying no, I was afraid he'd say yes and expect...I thought he might...it would have ended our friendship if he came to think I was just another person trying to worm my way into his life, maybe through sex, to get at his money. My father yelled that that was what everyone thought about me after I'd started living in his house, but really it was something I thought he might have seen in me already."

"Belle, I never though that of you. Not for a moment."

"And I never would have rejected you if you'd told me the truth about Milah." Belle returned.

Archie nodded at them both, noting the time. "I think some genuine progress has been made here today. Did you want to schedule another session, make this a regular appointment or would you prefer to see me on an as-needed basis?"

Gold reached for his cane, grip tight on the handle. "I think...I'd like to come back when we feel the need. Belle?"

Belle's eyes were fixed on the tips of her pumps. "I don't know. Can I think about it?"

"Of course. My door is always open and you both have my number. Barring that, you can usually find me in Granny's around lunchtime." Archie told them.

"Yes, you and half the town." Gold replied as he stood and shook his hand. "Good day Dr. Hopper, and thank you."

Belle stood and shook the doctor's hand with a smile, but Gold noted the smile never reached her eyes.


They were silent as they left Dr. Hopper's office, silent as they exited the building and moved toward Gold's car. He reached for his keys but stopped and turned to Belle, feeling the need to ask, "Belle, would you come home with me?"

It was only mid-day, but Gold didn't want to be alone. He wanted Belle back in the house with him.

Belle shook her head, eyes distant. "No, not yet."

He stepped closer to her. "Are you all right?"

The woman took a deep breath. "I don't know. Dr. Hopper has given me a lot to think about. There are things I need to do, for me, before I can go back with you."

Gold nodded at that, though he wondered what all she had to do that he couldn't be a part of. Whatever it was, he wanted to help. He felt it was his place. Still, "I understand. Can I drive you back to your apartment?"

Again Belle refused him. "No. I'm going to walk, clear my head a bit. I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye, Belle."

He stood watching as she moved down the street, and for a few moments more after she'd turned the corner and vanished from sight.


Gold went about his day, picking up at the pawnshop for a half-day after therapy. Therapy. What he'd viciously rejected decades ago he was now embracing; he did not do this only for his relationship with Belle, but he was doing it for himself.

Very few customers came to the shop. Only two. Gold sold a bracelet and a pair of binoculars but he was otherwise left to his own devices as he preferred it. After sending a few notices by e-mail and securing all due deposits, Gold found himself looking to the front door of the shop and wistful for the days of the innocent friendship he'd shared with Belle.

Just then, he would be happy to go back to when things between them were so...uncomplicated. He had been the one to complicate things with his secrets, but he had told all. His dead son. His living wife. Ex-wife, he corrected himself. The year of pure misery after the fire. The cold years that followed, his few relationships spread throughout. The bizarre co-parenting balancing act he'd maintained with Regina for Henry's benefit...and his own.

His vault of secrets was empty.

The feeling was oddly freeing, but what good was it to be free if Belle was unsure about him now?

The anxiety he'd been trying to ignore since they parted ways that morning took a tight hold over his heart. The therapy session had been meant to strengthen their connection but he worried the strain he'd put on their relationship might have been too much.

I pushed her too far - keeping Milah a secret and then what Milah told her, seeing the grave...

Gold sighed, shifted his weight, restless. He didn't want to be in the shop any longer. He hadn't seen Belle pass by one way or the other and he doubted she would come to him the way she had in simpler times, armed with exotic tea and a smile.

The man moved about the shop, locking the backdoor, drawing the blinds, securing the register and then setting the front sign to 'closed'. He'd had enough of the dim shop.

If he was going to be bored and miserable, he'd damn well do it in the comfort of his own home.


The day passed slowly, the majority of it Gold spent out on the back deck of the house enjoying the crisp fresh air as he sipped a brandy and tried to picture a happy future to share with Belle. With the weight of his secrets and his winter depression having lifted, he was able to think more clearly. His life was no longer all about him - there was Belle to think of, and what she wanted out of life and what would make her happy, that was important to him.

The man glanced over at the chirp of his cell, a new text. From Milah, surprisingly.

A picture of her hand with a new diamond adorning it. A ring of yellow gold, the diamond in the center ringed with tiny garnets. This new ring was a fine match to her old necklace, and Gold had to give an appreciative smile at that. Killian was a good man to make such an effort in linking her past with their future.

He tapped down to read her message.

Killian and I will be married this summer. You & Belle are invited.

He hummed lightly and tapped back a quick reply. Congratulations, I wouldn't miss it for the world - someone has to warn poor Killian what he's in for.

Milah's sharp reply took no less than two minutes to chirp back to his cell, and when he saw it genuine laughter bubbled up through his chest.

So strange and wonderful to know that though he and Milah could never be what they once were, they had managed to become friends all over again.


The evening was spent in lonely peace, if not quiet. Gold let his playlist echo through the ground floor of his house as he went about a few mundane chores - dusting, vacuuming and taking out the garbage - before he started on dinner. He was not particularly hungry but he was pleased enough with the distraction.

He was just winding down for the night when the doorbell chimed.

His heart kicked in his chest when he opened it to find Belle on the other side. She had changed her clothes from what she'd been wearing during the session with him that morning, her hair and makeup were fresh. She was holding a large shopping bag and she looked a touch nervous to see him.

"Hey."

"Belle, you came back." Gold smiled and stepped aside, welcoming her home.

The woman walked in and paused in the foyer, her expression still unsure.

Gold shut the door behind her and tilted his head at her hesitation. She had him feeling unbalanced now, himself. "I just made dinner if you're hungry. Do you need anything?"

Belle took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip as she regarded him. "I'm...hold me."

Gold stepped forward, any thought of hesitation gone away as he drew Belle into his arms and oh, the way she fit against him, her warmth, the scent of her - it was right.

He hugged her tight, reassured as Belle nuzzled in closer. He felt her lips on his throat, just a soft sweet kiss.

Gold released her but kept his hands cupped over her shoulders, his eyes meeting her own. "Are you all right, Belle?"

The woman looked back at him, eyes bright with unshed tears.

Please, please, be all right, Belle. Even if it's not with me, I need to know that you'll be all right.

Belle nodded, a small smile gracing her lips. "Yes, I'm all right."

"What about us, are we all right?"

Please, please, Belle...

Belle stepped forward, cupped his face and kissed him fiercely. Her lips pressed to his, kissing with animal passion and then retreating into soft pecks of sipping sweet touches. Gold held her and returned kiss for kiss, loving her and loving this moment so completely.

They broke, and Belle pressed her forehead against his, their breathing a bit heavy, sharing the air. "Yes. We're all right."

Gold nodded, "I'm so glad. I was worried when you left."

Belle pulled back from him and moved into the living room. "I didn't mean to make you think...after our session, I just felt like I needed some time alone."

Gold stood in the doorway and watched as she set her bag on the couch and sat down. She looked back to him and gestured for him to join her. "Needing time alone after visiting the doctor, that's understandable."

"I took the time and cleaned house. Literally and metaphorically. I cleaned my apartment top to bottom, stacked all my boxes, packed the rest of my clothes." Belle looked back at him, her eyes earnest. "I'm ready to come back, if you'll have me."

Gold sank into the cushions and took her hand into his, kissing her palm. "God, Belle, yes. Come home, please, I never wanted you to leave in the first place. All this time you've been gone I've been thinking of ways to get you to come back sooner."

Belle raised a brow. "You're that impatient to have me back?"

"I thought of blackmail, threatening to evict all of your friends that rent from me, shutting down the inn and diner, and if all else failed, I'd cut off the funding for your library." Gold told her - completely serious in having had these thoughts, though they both knew he would not have taken any such actions. Probably.

Belle smiled, "You're so charming when you're being devious."

"A man tries." Gold smiled back at her. "Stay tonight, I'll have all of your things back here by tomorrow morning. You can have your pick of the empty rooms upstairs for your books. Your own personal library, if you want it."

Belle gave a soft laugh, "Don't tempt me. Given free reign I'll fill every room of this house."

"Fine by me, I love the smell of books." Gold kissed her hand again. "What else did you do, Belle? Your apartment couldn't have taken all day."

"It didn't. A few hours in, Ruby called and then came over and we talked. I told her about the session - my side of it, I didn't tell her anything personal about you." She was quick to say.

Gold nodded at that. "I've told you everything, Belle, but I appreciate your discretion in speaking of me to your friends."

"It's your story to tell if and when you want, and they know better than to pressure me about anything too heavy. I think they're happy getting to know you in their own time." She said, lifting a hand to stroke his hair.

"A sentiment I return." He liked her friends but he felt content enough to know them on a surface-level basis. Really, he couldn't see himself having any long sit-downs with Ariel and Jasmine to talk about his son.

"Anyway, after some heavy talk, Ruby and I decided to go to Sunshire for a little retail therapy."

Ah. Gold had to remember that women were different - they tended to confide in their friends when stressed, and when women flocked together for comfort, shopping inevitably followed. "Did you do much damage?"

She shrugged, a little self-conscious. "Some. What I bought for myself I left at the apartment. I probably bought more than I should have but I didn't buy out the whole Victoria's Secret."

"Shame. I'll be happy to treat you the next time the mood strikes." He told her, tickling her thigh.

Belle squirmed away from his naughty fingertips and brought up the bag she'd brought in with her. "Here, I bought you a few shirts." She opened the bag to show him three fine linen collared shirts - one black, one patterned blue and one a pale dove gray. They were his size and just looking at them he knew which suit to pair with which shirt - Belle was so clever, she had studied his wardrobe close enough to know his style preferences.

Gold was very pleased with the gifts; today had been full of surprises. "Why, Miss French, buying me clothes? This is quite scandalous."

Belle moved closer to him, dropping a kiss to his temple. "Oh, Mr. Gold, what will the townsfolk say of our unseemly association? I fear my reputation will be in such ashambles that I shall never be invited to dine with the proper ladies of Storybrooke! What ever will become of me?"

Gold released his laughter, feeling a touch giddy with relief. He put an arm around Belle's shoulders and drew her in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. For a time they sat, content and cuddling on the sofa, in love and simple together. No quiet can last for long, however, not when Belle had it on her mind to start her 'chatter', as he liked to tease her. "So...um, how are you feeling? About the session and about us?"

"Hmm...which to answer first? I feel lighter." Gold said simply. "The way I had after I first told you about Baelfire. I feel that way again. It's a relief more than anything. We didn't get here the way I would have wanted for us but I'm glad that we've made it this far."

Belle leaned over to kiss his jawline. "So am I. So much has changed in the last few months. I think back to where we were, what we were to each other just last summer and yes, there were some bumpy patches but I wouldn't go back to the way things were when we were just friends. I'm so much happier with us being open like this."

"You're a strange and funny girl, Belle."

Belle laughed at him, "Why, thank you!"

"How do you feel about things?" He asked her, his hand having moved down to stroke her back.

The woman took a deep breath, thinking on how to word her answer. At this point in the day, Belle felt talked out. Speaking with Archie and Gold early in the day and then relating so much to Ruby throughout the afternoon had left Belle relieved. More than anything she wanted to move forward with him.

"I'm happy, mostly. I can't say that doubts don't creep up on me, sometimes."

"Doubts?"

"I didn't want to say in front of Archie. Yes, he's a therapist and all but he and I are friends too, so getting into the details makes things a little awkward. I sometimes worry that you may not be ready, fully ready, to move forward with me." Belle took his hand. "But I can see how hard you tried to share with me about Bae. I do wish that you'd felt ready to tell me about Milah. Finding out about the her the way I did was..."

"It must have been awful."

"It was confusing and a shock and I was angry. If you'd just told me about her from the start I wouldn't have been upset or judged you for staying in touch with her the way you have. What you shared and what you lost, it's bigger than me. I understand that and it's not something that I would have interfered with. It was you keeping her a secret that upset me more than anything. I can forgive it, I already have. But please, no more. I'm tapped out." Belle made a defeated gesture. "You know how much I love you, but if your secret family turns up tomorrow then we're done."

"No, no. Their flight doesn't get in until Thursday."

Belle sputtered a laugh and brought her arms around him. Honesty and humor - yes, they would be fine. They could both feel it.

"Oh, come here, you."

Belle kissed him full on the mouth, smiling as she did it and what was even better, she could feel Gold smiling too. They were happy together, this was right. They could move on from the pain of their pasts and forge ahead to build a life together.

Gold pulled Belle closer, until the woman was nearly in his lap. Belle didn't mind a bit when she felt his hands on her waist, exploring fingertips wandering under her shirt to the heated skin of her back. The man held her to him, his voice rumbling against the side of her throat as he shifted her atop him, making his arousal plain. "Mmm...come to bed, Belle. Please, let me-"

"Mm, yes, I've missed you." Belle told him, eager to feel his hands, his lips, everywhere. She wanted him. Rough or gentle or teasing, Belle didn't care how, she just wanted to be with him again.

Still kissing, they rose from the sofa and began to move through the hall, stumbling over each other's feet and laughing through their passion.

Joy rose in Gold - joy and desire and raw, pure love. "Yes, Belle, let me hear it." He urged, guiding her toward his bedroom. "Tell me you want this."

Belle laughed at him as she made her way down the hall, kicking off her shoes as she went. Her jacket had already been shed on the couch. She whipped off her scarf and threw it around his neck, using it as a mock lasso to draw him in closer. "You know I do!"

She gave him a quick kiss and ducked away before Gold could make a grab for her, laughing at his frustration when she slipped from his arms.

Belle charged into his room and moved onto the bed, Gold just at her heels. She'd only just settled on the bed for a moment before Gold was on her, his kisses fervent and open. He wanted this, wanted her as much as she wanted him - their future could only be built between them, on the strength of their love.

"God I've missed you Belle. I loved it when you lived here, I won't let you leave again." This he said with finality. The man had come so close to losing her, he wouldn't risk it again.

Belle raised a brow at him, "You're sure? I remember a lot of complaining about my chatter."

"I missed the chatter the most." He told her. "I hate this house when you're not in it. You must come back, Belle."

The woman furrowed her brow, seeming to consider. "Oh, Mr. Gold, let's negotiate."

"Negotiate? I'd rather command and just have you obey me." He said haughtily.

"Oh, I'll bet you would. But as you always like to tell me, I'm different from everyone else in Storybrooke - I'm not afraid of you, so there's no way I'm going to let this be too easy for you..." She teased, reaching out to card her fingers through his hair.

Gold drew back to look at her, his eyes dark with passion and hope.

"And that is why I love you."

Belle didn't argue, she only readied herself for another night spent with the man she loved.

It was where they belonged and where they would remain for the rest of their lives.