One Night Stand

Prompt: Close encounters. (Rated K)

After that night, Belle hadn't gone back to the bar. The first week she avoided it in case he was there again. But then, she began to realize she was being silly.

It was a one night stand. There was no way in Hell he would seek her out. That would defeat the whole purpose of what a one night stand was and he more than likely forgot all about her anyways. Whatever problem(s) he had, he probably found the answer he was looking for or found another woman to drown his sorrows with.

Either way, Belle knew she was better off forgetting about him. But there was something about the guy that Belle couldn't get out of her head (or what it felt for him to be in her) and she knew she was being ridiculous. Yet, this was the first time she had done this and she didn't know exactly how she should be feeling. She just knew from past experiences with Ruby that thinking about him was a big no-no.

So by the time the second week since "that night" came along, Belle was ready to put the past behind her. It was over and done with and she had to stop obsessing over something that was meant to be meaningless. He was a stranger and she got what she wanted from him (comfort and nothing more) and she should move on to other things.

Like, for example, it was Ruby's birthday.

And it so happened that the birthday girl wanted to meet at The Bar before heading out to dinner and the movies. So Belle put on her best dazzling smile and a very cute outfit and went there after work.

A quick scan assured her she was being paranoid and silly. Again, why would he be there?

Shaking her head, she strode up to the bar and sat on one of the stools as she waited for Ruby. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long as the birthday girl slapped her hand on Belle's shoulder.

"Hey!" Ruby greeted. "Ready to meet the others?"

"Sure." Belle grinned. "Let's go. I'm starving."

They began to walk towards the door and Belle heard what sounded like a commotion behind her. Before she could turn her head to see what was going on, Ruby snorted and shook her head.

"Some drunk spilled his drink on some poor guy. Would it be too much to ask for a bar fight for my birthday?"

Belle couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Only you would want a bar fight."

"C'mon. Seeing a bunch of drunks trying to fight is hysterical. Especially if there's a girl involved because you got to see what kind of girl could inspire grown men to act like that."

The two friends giggled and continued their way out. Belle never knew that Ryan Gold was there or that he was the "some poor guy" that Ruby referred to. And by the time, he was able to get to the door; she and Ruby were already gone.

xxXXxx

The first month wasn't as bad as Belle thought it would. Morning sickness was a pain but she was grateful it didn't last long. Her breasts were sensitive and she hadn't had any strange cravings… yet. Of course, it would change over time but for now, Belle was relieved she wouldn't have to tell anyone or raise their suspicions.

Was she being ridiculous? Perhaps. She didn't want her friends to look at her differently, which might seem shallow, but it was only because she held herself to a higher standard and her friends believed her to be a saint. Then again, what saint sleeps with a stranger after her mom's death? Never mind the grief talking; Belle needed time to break the news. When the opportunity arises then she will tell her friends about the pregnancy.

Until then, Belle stuck to her routine like clockwork. If she could keep her mind focused on other things, then she wouldn't let her thoughts return back to him. She was successful (albeit briefly) about not thinking about Rum until she found she was pregnant. Now, he was the only person she could think about besides the little peanut growing inside her.

She thought about returning to the bar more than once. There was a possibility he could be there and then she could break the news to him.

However, she always found herself steering away the building whenever she came too close to it. Sometimes she couldn't even look at it without remembering the consequence she was carrying. Mainly, she was afraid she would see him again. If she saw him, then she would have to tell him the truth, but how would he react? Would he blame her? Would he yell or make some kind of a scene? Or worse… would he decide to take the child from her? It wasn't like Belle was in a bad situation; although, a librarian's salary wasn't big and if he happened to be well off financially…

She couldn't think about that. This child was hers and she was going to raise her son or daughter.

But should she tell him? She made the decision to keep the child, but what if he does what the child? Or be in his/her life? She didn't know the man or what kind of person he might be and she didn't want to do something she regret (of course, one could point out it was too late for that). Perhaps, it was better she never saw him again. She could raise this child fine by herself and she didn't need his help or anything. And if her child does ask about his/her father, then…

Belle hadn't figured that part out. The truth was something she would save when her child was older or an adult. But she could use the same reason her mother gave her when she was younger. It wasn't too mean or harsh, but it satisfied her for the moment.

Yeah, telling her child that she found her Prince Charming but he was lost and now they can't find each other would be appropriate. At least… she hoped it would be.

Walking down a street in Boston, Belle absentmindedly rubbed her belly. Her latest check-up was done and so far she was following the prenatal care to the letter. She didn't want anything to happen to the baby, but she knew she was better off going to her doctor closer to home instead of making these long trips.

Soon, she reminded herself. Until that moment arrived, she was enjoying the trip to the city. Boston was enriched with history and there was a beautiful public library she liked to pass the time in. But she knew it wasn't something she could continue doing the further along she became. For now, Belle was going to take advantage and enjoy the city as much as she could until she had to return home to Storybrooke.

She decided to check out the Christopher Columbus waterfront park and walk around the statues and water fountain. Over by a pond she saw a small boy and his father and they were fishing.

It was such an adorable scene to watch as the father was bent over his son, and showing him how to properly hold his fishing pole as he casted. Then the man stood up and limped over to a chair not far off and sat down.

She wondered if she had a boy if he would like to fish. Maybe I should take some lessons. Then she walked away.

xxXXxx

Ryan Gold had reached the pinnacle of obsession.

It had been a few months since that life-changing evening with the mystery woman and he hadn't any luck in finding her. He knew he was being ridiculous, even stalkerish but he couldn't help it. This woman had him feel something. He might have been drunk but that had been the first time in his pathetic life that he felt alive.

Hope still blazed in his heart each morning he woke, determined that this would be the day when he would find her and find out her real name so he could take her on a proper date. Yes. He wanted to see this woman again. He wanted to get to know her. It was that burning desire that maintained him during the divorce proceedings.

There was no point in dragging it out and the sooner he had Milah out of his life—the sooner Ryan he could move on with his.

Thankfully, it hadn't been nasty (probably since Milah wanted this part of her life to be done quickly), and as soon as the line was signed and the "t's" and "i's" were crossed and dotted (respectively), Ryan Gold was now a single man.

As for his son, Bae, Ryan and Milah agreed to a joint custody with them switching every two weeks. So far, the arrangement was working pretty well, but Ryan knew Bae wasn't happy about going back and forth between Mommy and Papa. He was young, only six, but it was still difficult for him to understand why his parents were no longer living together.

Ryan wanted to make the transition easier for him and he and Milah decided that seeing a counselor would help. Fortunately, the sessions were going well and Bae was doing much better than before when the divorce proceedings started. Except that now and then, something would remind Bae that his parents weren't together and he would get upset and keep to himself.

It wasn't good and Ryan was at a loss on what to do to help his son. Even Milah was having problems too whenever Bae got into one of his funks.

It didn't help that this was Ryan's turn to take care of him, and Bae was experiencing his blues.

The last time Bae felt this way, Ryan took him fishing. That put a smile on his face for a while, but he knew he couldn't always do the same activity.

So he told his son they were going on an adventure. The place: Storybrooke, Maine.

Ryan had some work he wanted to do there. He hadn't stopped his search for the mystery woman and thought a low-profile way was the best option. If he were to ask a bunch of questions to every person he met, then word could get back to her and the last thing he wanted was for her to call the police because he frightened her.

No… He was going to do this quietly and on his own, and if he happened to run into her, then all the better for it to be a coincidence.

He had already started the process into looking at some properties he wanted to invest in, and if everything worked out, then he was going to move there.

The first thing Ryan did take Bae to the library. Bae loved to read and if anything could bring him out of his mood… a good storybook would do the trick.

Or so Ryan was hoping.

He took Bae to the children's section when nature called. After giving his son explicit instructions not to leave the area, Ryan went in search of the facilities. Of course they were on the other side of the building and in the basement on top of it. The grand time total he was gone was about ten minutes. By the time he returned, Bae was all smiles and laughing!

It would seem Ryan was right in that a storybook was the answer.

Except there was no book in his son's hands.

So when he asked Bae what had him smiling? His son's reply: "Miss Belle. She told me a really funny joke about a scarecrow's favorite fruit is strawberries!"

"That is funny. I never knew that," Ryan said, grinning.

"Yeah and she was super nice too. I liked her."

"So where is this Miss Belle of yours?" Ryan asked, looking around.

"She had to leave but can we come back again?"

"Of course."

If it was possible, Bae's smile became even wider.

Infectious was that smile, Ryan could only feel his good mood becoming brighter as he and Bae checked out the book that Miss Belle apparently recommended to Bae. Ryan kept his eyes peeled for this Miss Belle to thank her for making his son happy, but the head librarian didn't know where she was if she wasn't in the children's section. Well, he couldn't stick around until she showed up, so Ryan held Bae's hand as they walked out to his car.

At that moment, Belle came walking up the steps from the bathroom. She hated leaving the sweet little boy abruptly but her lunch didn't agree with Peanut. Rubbing her belly, she walked past the information table where Mr. Page called her.

"You just missed them but a father wanted me to thank you for what you did for his son. You made his day."

Belle wondered if it was the same little boy with floofy hair and smiled. He was so sad looking that she had to go over to him to turn that frown upside down.

"I'm glad to hear."

So close…