A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season. I had a bit of free time today and was able to work through this chapter. I'm still taking any kind of prompt for this story and I'm working on a few that I've already received. All of that being said, the rest of this story is pretty much mapped out and wow I think this one might be a bit longer than I ever anticipated. So, tuck in because we have a few chapters to go yet!
It was only the second day of the month and already December had left its fingerprints all over the castle. Snow drifts stacked high out on the grounds of the castle, creating a scene that looked like something out of a storybook. The only fault that could be found with such scenery was the fact that the denizens of Hogwarts were subjected to the freezing temperatures of the Scottish Highlands. While the castle had layers upon layers of heating charms within it's walls, it couldn't completely keep out the constant draft.
Yet not even the frigid air or the sense of confinement such days brought could dampen the spirits of Belle French. Christmas decorations had begun springing up almost overnight leaving a festive sense roaming the halls. Her favorite season in the castle coupled with the return of her best friend, left Belle with the inability to be anything other than exceedingly content. For the moment at least, life was good.
Thoughts of how she might engage the time of her newly reinstated antisocial best friend this Christmas carried the Belle down from transfiguration to the girl's bathroom. Stepping in to freshen up before heading to the Great Hall, Belle didn't expect to hear quiet snuffling from the back stall. A quick mental check confirmed that she was not on the second floor and therefore she couldn't be hearing the cries of the infamous moaning Myrtle.
Uncertainty held her for only a moment before curiosity got the better of her. "Hello," she called out knocking lightly on the stall door. "You okay in there?"
"Go away," came the unmistakable voice of Regina Mills.
Sighing softly, Belle ran through her options. While she rather liked Regina from time to time, they were most certainly not close friends. In all honesty they could hardly be considered cordial most of the time, but that might have more to do with the ongoing Quidditch rivalry between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw and less to do with any real animosity. However, they were close enough that Belle consistently made it a point to include Regina in any event she planned with other students in their year. The young woman had a crazy enough home life that Belle knew she needed all the support from her classmates that she could muster.
Stealing herself, Belle made her decision. "It's me Regina. It's Belle."
"Not sure how that makes a difference to my previous statement," the other girl snapped.
"Prickly as always," Belle muttered before continuing in a louder voice. "Look Regina, you can either continue moping around in there or you can come out here and vent to someone who cares. You're choice."
Silence permeated the room for so long, that Belle felt certain Regina would choose to remain alone. However, the other girl surprised her by opening the stall door. Tear marks tracked down Regina's face leaving long smears of massacre in their wake. Judging from the redness of her eyes and the soft hiccups Belle could hear punctuating her sniffles, it seemed that Regina had been in here for a long while.
A couple flicks of Belle's wand locked the bathroom doors and procured two plush cushions for the two girls to sit more comfortably. Sliding down the wall, Belle did her best not to pry too quickly into the Hufflepuff's issues. "So, what's going on," she said utterly failing attempts at subtly.
"Nothing," Regina sobbed wiping angrily at her eyes.
"Yes, most people tend to sit crying in the loo over nothing," Belle quipped gently, hoping that snark would be the best way to reach her usually sarcastic companion.
To Belle's delight, that brought the smallest of smiles to Regina's face. "I must look an absolute mess."
"I've seen worse," said Belle, "What's up?"
Regina sighed before admitting, "It' my sister."
"The red head who is way too excited about her house colors?"
That startled a small laugh out of Regina. "That would be the one." The other girls face fell as she admitted the truth behind her soured mood. "I caught her making out with Robin earlier. They were in front of God and everyone out there."
Bell was surprised enough to actually gasp at that. "But he hates her!"
Regina and Robin had been flitting around actually dating for months now. Ever since Ruby had spilled the beans on Regina's attraction last year, the two had been seen together more often than apart. This latest development would certainly throw a wrench into their developing relationship.
A line appeared between her brows as Regina's eyes narrowed. "According to Mal, Zelena's been purchasing quite a few items from Weasley Wizard Wheezes over the past few weeks."
Belle was exceedingly familiar with said store having spent a large portion of her summer walking through the store's shelves with Rumple. "A love potion?" she asked recalling the large display she'd observed during one of their visits.
Regina nodded. "I don't see how it could be anything else. At least that's what I'm hoping."
"It has to be!" Belle exclaimed lying a hand on Regina's shoulder. "He's absolutely nuts about you. There's no way he'd be caught dead with anyone else, least of all your sister." Another thought struck Belle as she contemplated Regina's predicament. "But why would Zelena do something like that"
"Jealousy," Regina supplied simply. "Zelena is under the impression that our mother cares more about me than her. All because her father is no longer in the picture and mine is."
Shock was the first thing that registered in Belle's mind. How could someone be that twisted. "Regina don't take this the wrong way or anything, but your sister is nuts."
"You're telling me."
"You and your mom…" Belle paused choosing her next words with care, "I mean, not trying to be nosy or anything…but isn't she the reason you've stayed here during every possible holiday?"
Leaning her head back against the wall, Regina nodded. Her eyes fixed on the ceiling she tried her best to keep tears from falling once again. "Mother is a complicated woman. She wants the best for us, but she doesn't always know where to draw the line between wanting the best and wanting to control our lives. Honestly, Zelena can be her favorite for all I care."
It was perhaps her first candid conversation with Regina Mills, but Belle ardently hoped that it wouldn't be the last. The girl beside her could be stand offish and snarky; however, it seemed as if that humor and sass hid something so much deeper. And Belle found she rather liked the individual hiding beneath Regina's rough exterior.
"So, tell me the truth here Regina," Belle added seriously, "do I need to go and hex her to oblivion? Because I happen to have a very sneaky friend who is good at that type of thing."
"Emma's already offered to beat the shit out of her multiple times," Regina snorted.
"In all honesty, I think Rumple might actually enjoy hexing Zelena to oblivion. He'd probably agree in a heartbeat."
"I can handle it. Thank you, Belle," Regina muttered the last almost to quietly for Belle to hear.
"Of course," the bookworm replied with a smile.
"Word around the school is that you did a good deed," said Rumpelstiltskin as he slipped into the seat beside her for dinner.
"Vicious rumor I'm sure," Belle replied.
The soft smile that only she could pull from him graced Rumple's face. "Oh, I very much doubt that. So, I do need to go hex anyone?" Rumple added with a wink.
"I figured it would be a win win for everyone," Belle laughed. "I know how little you like Zelena, though I'm still waiting on that particular story."
All humor fled Rumpelstiltskin's face as they approached apparently dangerous waters. "It's not a story I enjoy telling."
Attempting to keep the mood on the side of light, Belle bumped his shoulder with hers. "Best friend, remember. We don't keep secrets from each other. I'm perfectly fine with hating people on the principle of your dislike, but I at least need to know why I'm supposed to hate them."
Thankfully that returned the smile to her friend's face. "I guess you do have a point. Want to take dinner to go?"
Nodding in reply, Belle offered swift goodbyes to Jefferson and Victor as she threw a few sandwiches and other goods into her bag. Fifteen minutes and a few heating charms later and the two sat in their favorite spot at the top of the Ravenclaw tower admiring the millions of stars that spread out above them.
Knowing that Rumple wouldn't begin his tale on his own, she reminded him why they were there. "So, you owe me a story."
"Do I?" He responded cryptically.
"Yes. And I intend to hold you to your promise."
"It's not a nice story," he sighed.
"That's why you should share it," Belle reasoned. "You can't keep everything bottled up inside, it's not healthy."
"You are determined to have all my secrets aren't you."
"Best friend," she winked.
The two settled onto the blanket they'd spread out and divided the food between them. Sitting side by side, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin allowed the rest of the world to melt away leaving them completely alone – as they preferred it. Here on the top of Ravenclaw tower, with his best friend at his side, Rumple found peace unlike anything he'd ever known. Thinking back on the past few months he wondered how he ever survived without the beauty beside him.
Heaving a long, exasperated sigh, Rumple noted the eager looks Belle shot at him. Knowing that the tale to come wasn't pleasant, he squared his shoulders and plowed ahead.
"You know Regina and I go way back," Rumpelstiltskin began, to which Belle nodded urging him to continue. "Her mom and my dad were friendly during the Second Wizarding Wars."
"Was she a supporter of Voldemort?" Belle interrupted. Of course, she interrupted, she wouldn't be Belle if she didn't.
"Not officially. Honestly, I couldn't tell you the truth of that one. Cora is far too clever to get caught up in something as scandalous as poor politics," Rumple's voice was colored with an odd fondness that Belle had never heard before. Making a mental note to dig into that relationship later, Belle turned her attention back to her best friend.
"Even now it's impossible to tell who Cora supports and doesn't support. But that's beside the point. While growing up, Regina and I got stuck together far too often. We were never what you might call best friends, but we were rather close for a time. I always had a safe place at Cora and Henry's. If Malcolm was in a rut or if things were particularly dicey, Cora would let me come around."
"I thought you said she and Malcolm were friendly?" Belle asked interjecting again. "I can't imagine him remaining so with someone who helped you."
Rumpelstiltskin tensed ever so slightly at her words. "Well," he drew out the word as he collected his thoughts. "Cora didn't mind me escaping to her home, but she always made certain that I knew I would face the consequences of my actions alone. Unless she felt she absolutely had to step in, she wouldn't be taking the blame."
"That's horrible!"
"She did the best she could," Rumpelstiltskin argued vehemently. Cora had more than earned his loyalty over the years. "Anyway, still not the point. Zelena is a few years older than Regina and she was always jealous that Regina had a friend who could come over at odd times and she didn't. I don't think she's ever really fancied me, but the idea of dating the son of the darkest wizard in current knowledge… well apparently it has some kind of appeal to her."
"So, you're saying she's a few crayons short of a full box?"
"That would be an understatement. I'm not even sure she has half the box. When we got to Hogwarts, she looked after the two of us for a while. Made sure we knew how to get to classes, introduced us to the right professors, that kind of thing. For a while there, I thought she might actually be okay. But when I started hanging around Milah in first year…" his words ran out as Rumpelstiltskin shuddered.
Belle leaned in towards him subconsciously offering him support. "I take it she wasn't a fan of that arrangement."
"Not at all. She would tail me from class to class and find any way possible to involve herself in mine and Milah's plans. After a while I cut all ties with her and even went so far as to have a conversation with McGonagall about her. When Milah decided I wasn't worth her time, Zelena tried to swoop in. But after that Malcolm stepped into the spotlight and she didn't have to vie for my attention anymore."
"She had you were she wanted you," Belle supplied softly. "Did you ever entertain the idea?"
"Absolutely not," Rumple insisted fixing Belle with a hard look. "Even if I was interested in dating someone, I wouldn't choose her. I may not have many choices – if any – in that department, but even I have standards higher than that."
"I'm glad to hear that," Belle smiled. Refusing to admit just how much her heart had soared at his admission that he didn't have designs on any girls at the moment. Pushing that thought away for now, Belle pushed into dangerous waters once again. "So Milah…"
Rumpelstiltskin grabbed a goblet of pumpkin juice and took a long drink. "Is old news."
Belle placed a hand over Rumple's and cheered internally when he didn't flinch. "She hurt you." It hadn't been a question. "Pretty badly, I'd wager. Can I know that story too?"
"Belle," he pleaded.
"Please," she said squeezing his hand. "I know it's hard, but I want to understand why she treats you the way she does. You don't have to if you don't want to," she added when he refused to meet her eyes. "But when you're ready you know you can talk to me."
Rumpelstiltskin continued looking down at their interlocked hands, but something warm chased the dejectedness from his expression. When warm brown eyes finally met blue, a peculiar twinkle danced within his gaze.
Nodding slowly, he made up his mind. "Milah… I was head over heels for her from the moment I saw here first year. We had Defense class together and somehow, I managed to work up the courage to talk with her. We were together for about a year before she informed me that the only reason, she'd ever considered even talking to me was so that she could get closer to Killian Jones. She dated me to make him notice her. And it worked perfectly."
Belle didn't say anything in return at first, but she didn't miss the bitterness that remained in Rumpelstiltskin's voice as he talked about the girl who'd first broken his heart. Instead she threw her arm around his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. Sharing the warmth of their close proximity, Belle rejoiced in the simple joy of having her best friend returned to her. She'd missed him terribly. More than even she wanted to admit.
"Her loss," Belle replied simply.
Rumpelstiltskin didn't know what he'd done to deserve Belle's friendship, but he thanked every star in the heavens above that he'd found her.
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed and thank you so much for reading. Merry Christmas once again and as always, I'll see you guys in the next chapter.