Gold's hand had not stopped shaking since he'd taken Belle's hand in his the previous evening and raised it to his lips. He, Rumplestiltskin Gold, had kissed the hand of the lovely Miss French and she had neither flinched nor made light of it. Instead, she'd blushed in the most enchanting way and had seemed truly pleased by his gesture. Perhaps David Nolan was right, and maybe, just maybe, Belle was interested in him as more than a friend. He was still uncertain about her feelings, but a glimmer of hope had taken hold of him and he was determined to see things through. He would just proceed very slowly and cautiously.

When his phone rang, his heart leapt into his throat. He had no reason to think it was Belle, but his mind seemed determined to keep her in the forefront of his thoughts. He opened his phone to see that it was Bae. Funny how his heart still leapt, but in an entirely different way.

"Bae..." He could hear the hint of desperation in his own voice. They'd made so much progress and yet they still had such a long way to go. How he ached to have his boy back again even though he knew he was being foolish. They were both grown men now and Bae had a family of his own.

"Pops! Are you OK? What's with this texting?"

Gold's heart beat faster. He'd heard something in Bae's voice that belied an interest and concern that had been missing for years. "I'm fine, Bae," he chuckled. "It's a long story." He began pacing the room, anxious to fill his son in on his recent endeavors, while hoping against hope to convince him that this was the year for Bae and his family to finally visit Storybrooke.

"You're not gonna believe this," Neal announced to Emma for the second day in a row.

"I'm guessing this has something to do with your father?" she asked, looking up from her laptop. She was seated at the kitchen counter working on a paper for one of her on-line classes.

"Yep. I just talked to him and something's up."

"Now what?" Emma noted the smirk on Neal's face, wondering what could be so amusing about her father-in-law.

"He's not only texting, he's also installed new inventory software for his shop. And he's getting a website up and running."

"OK. This is definitely not like him. But it's still a good thing, right?" Emma could sense that there was more Neal wasn't telling her.

"Oh, yeah. It's great. But I haven't told you the best part." He grinned. "The same librarian who taught him to text also helped him install the software and is now helping him with his inventory and website... her name is Belle."

The look on Neal's face reassured Emma. "I take it she's not being coerced into helping him?"

Neal's grin broadened. "I don't think so. He must have mentioned her at least 20 times while we were talking. Belle this and Belle that. I think he has a crush on her."

"Oh my God! I can't picture it!" Emma scrunched up her nose.

"Hey, me neither, but as bad as it was, he was married to my mother for a long time."

"Yeah, well, it's just that he's him and it's hard to imagine him all starry-eyed over someone."

Neal laughed. "You might have hit the nail on the head. That's how he sounded - starry-eyed. It's like he's some new version of himself."

Emma began typing on her keyboard. "I can probably find a photo of her on the Storybrooke Library website."

"Great idea! I bet she's the typical librarian type - all formal, prim, precise and proper. I can see him falling for that."

"Neal! That's a stereotype. But yeah, sounds like something your father would like." She clicked through the screens and then stopped abruptly. "Oh..."

"Oh what?" Neal walked over to look over her shoulder. "Oh!" He was momentarily lost for words.

"Yeah," Emma agreed, intuitively understanding what Neal was thinking.

"He's gonna get his heart broken. She's way out of his league," Neal stated. "But gorgeous. I can see why he's smitten."

"Young too," Emma added.

"That's the strangest part. I can't see him falling for someone so young. What else can you find out about her?"

Emma eyed him curiously. "Why do you want to know?"

Neal shrugged. "I kinda feel bad for him. I don't want him to get taken in by someone who might be using him."

"Now you sound like your father," Emma pointed out.

"Don't say that! It's just that she's young and beautiful. Why would she ever be interested in him? Either he's harboring an unrequited crush or she's leading him on. Either way it's not going to end well," Neal argued, suddenly uncomfortably aware of how true Emma's words were.

"You know, it's possible that she likes him as just a friend or she could be legitimately interested in him. Your father's a very handsome man who can be extremely charming and funny when he wants to be. I can see someone falling for him."

"Really? I didn't know you were such a big fan of his. I thought you just said that you couldn't picture him with anyone," Neal teased.

Emma laughed. "I couldn't picture him falling for anyone. I didn't say I couldn't picture anyone falling for him."

"Ugh!" Neal seemed to be struggling with something. "OK. Then it's settled."

"What's settled?" Emma was perplexed.

"We're visiting him for Christmas this year. He's been begging me and I think now is the right time…. as long as you agree," he added.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Fine. We'll go." She'd been trying to get him to go for years now and wasn't about to object even though she was very suspicious of Neal's intentions.

"Where are we going?" Henry entered the kitchen, his voice still sleepy from having just awakened.

"We're going to visit Gramps for Christmas week this year." Neal answered his son while tousling his already messy hair.

"Awesome!" Henry was suddenly wide awake. "When are we leaving?"

"Whoa! We're still months away." Neal laughed. "Did I tell you that Gramps just learned how to text?"

"Cool! Can I text him?"

"I think he'd love that. Just give me a chance to let him know we're coming."

Neal took a deep breath, suddenly realizing the enormity of his decision. He looked at Emma and she smiled at him. She knew that after everything was said and done, he was still his father's son and this visit was a huge step forward in their relationship.

Belle did not think she'd ever be able to focus again. Her stomach had been flip flopping since last night when Rum had so sweetly, and so romantically, kissed her on the hand. It had taken every ounce of her self-control not to swoon on the spot. He'd been so shy and tentative that she'd wanted to throw her arms around him and confess exactly how she felt to him. Fortunately, she'd been able to restrain herself.

She sighed and made a vow to rein in her impatience while continuing to encourage him with subtle, and maybe some not so subtle, hints. She knew that he needed time to acknowledge and accept what was happening between them, but she also knew that, if left to his own devices, they might never make it to the next level.

Just as she was about to force her attention back to the computer screen, the library door opened and Rum entered. Her heart stuttered as her eyes met his. She could feel herself breaking into a smile and was relieved when his serious look disappeared behind a smile of his own. Their eyes remained locked until he approached the circulation desk where she was seated.

"Hey," he greeted her bashfully. His heart was beating out of his chest as he thought back to the previous evening.

"Hey," she replied, thrilled that he was standing before her and not hiding away in his shop after last night's kiss.

Gold shifted his position and leaned on his cane with both hands. "I spoke to Bae this morning..." He paused to swallow the lump in his throat. "and he's decided to come up to visit me at Christmas this year." He had planned to preface his announcement with some other pleasantries, but he could not wait to share his news with Belle.

The emotions that were evident on Rum's face filled Belle with joy. "That's wonderful! You must be thrilled!" Belle's heart was nearly bursting for him.

"I am. And much of it's thanks to you, Belle." He gripped his cane tighter. "I told him about automating my business and how instrumental you've been helping me with everything and he's anxious to meet you while he's here. He can't believe that anyone could have such a good influence over me." He laughed. "He thought I was pretty much a lost cause."

Belle's feelings were a mixture of pride, joy, and nerves. She was overcome with happiness that Rum had spoken to Neal about her, but was also extremely nervous about meeting Neal, especially since she hoped that she and Rum would be in an established relationship well before Christmas. What would he think of her? She was a few years younger than he was. Would he have a problem with that? She didn't want to be the cause of any further upset between Rum and his son.

"I can't wait for him to meet you, Belle." The way he said it, with such hope and sincerity, soothed her nerves and buoyed her own hopes.

"And I can't wait to meet him, either."

"Thank you, Belle." They smiled at one another, both very much aware of the fact that they were making some unexpected future plans.

"You'll also be happy to know that your prize pupil," he grinned, "received a text from his grandson, Henry. However, said pupil could not decipher the emojis that his grandson decided to include. They look like some type of math equation." He retrieved his phone from his pocket.

Belle giggled. "Let me take a look." She took the phone from him and read the text. "Miss you gramps! Can't wait to see you! Hope there's lots of snow!" She laughed as soon as she saw the emojis that Henry had used, understanding Gold's confusion.

"Well, the first one's a heart," she said. "See how the less than sign and the three look like a heart on its side?" she explained to him. "He's sending his love to you - that's so sweet!" She looked up at Gold noting that his eyes had misted over. "And the second one," she paused for dramatic effect, "is a snowflake!"

Gold laughed at himself and the snow emoji. "I can see that now. I'm going to have to try to work my magic this year. We can't let Henry come all the way to Maine and not have snow."

"No, that wouldn't do. And you'd better be prepared for snowballs and snowmen and sledding too - I know the best place for sledding."

"And hot chocolate with cinnamon. Emma and Henry are big fans," Gold informed her.

"This is going to be a lot of fun, Rum," Belle assured him, hoping at the same time that she'd be playing a role in some of it.

"Yes..." He believed it would be. He just hoped his vision of that fun, which included Belle being by his side, would become a reality.