A/N: The idea for this request was more The Best Man and the inspiration came after I watched the movie The Truth About Love starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Dougray Scott. It's pretty corny but it matches where this verse was going and I thought why not?

The Best Man?

Oncer4Life69Dearie prompted: Alistair Gold fell in love with his best mate's girl. Before he knew it, he was the best man and had his opportunity to declare his true love. Now a year later, Alistair is faced with a terrible dilemma when Belle comes to him with upsetting news about her husband. (Rated T)

Just to recap.

Alistair kept his expression neutral as the organ began to play and Belle was suddenly walking down the aisle. He knew if he looked into her eyes he would break. He would literally collapse and his emotions will come flooding out and he would demand her to marry him and not Jefferson because he didn't deserve her.

His hands clenched as he visibly shook but his betraying eyes looked up and his breath caught at the vision the bride presented.

She was so beautiful. Even in white, she was a sight to behold in all that silk and lace.

It wasn't fair.

It should have been him. And now…

"If any of you has reasons why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Alistair took a deep breath…

Now.

Sometimes life can throw you a curveball and this one was a doozy.

Alistair Gold had a problem that probably NO ONE had in the universe. He was in love with his best friend's girl—no, wife.

That's right.

While he had been the best man for his mate Jefferson Hatter, Alistair could not get over the fact that the fates played a cruel trick. He had been the one to have seen Belle French in the bar that night, but he had been too much of a twat and coward to even approach her. Instead, the world's biggest ladies' man (and yes his friend) was the one to snag her in holy matrimony.

Why Jefferson decided to settle down and with Belle… Alistair had never known. It was so unlike him to be monogamous that when the two announced their engagement, Alistair nearly spat his drink at the restaurant. Of course, he kept his surprise to himself as he congratulated the happy couple and bought a bottle of expensive champagne to toast the upcoming nuptials.

Inwardly, he was flagging himself for missing on the opportunity in having Belle become his wife.

He did everything right as the best man. He helped Jefferson with some of the wedding planning that Belle wanted him to do. He even helped Jefferson with his wedding vows.

It really irritated him that Jefferson didn't know what to say to the most beautiful woman in the world. There was so much about Belle to say… her intelligence, her wit, her charming laugh, her love of books… Not to mention her quirky sense of humor and her penchant for drinking tea in this old chipped cup. And how she loved to watch sappy romantic comedies on rainy days.

But Jefferson was completely clueless. The only things he could think about were how good in bed she was and how she was a fantastic kisser and how she lets out this adorable whimper when she…

Well.

Alistair knew quite well what sound she makes. He did live with them for a while and he would sometimes close his eyes and pretend it was him that made her make those lovely sounds.

Such things were not meant for a wedding vow.

Yet somehow… Jefferson was able to get it together for the wedding. He said the right things while pledging his love for Belle as she gazed at him with those adoring, shining blue eyes. Meanwhile, Alistair had to keep the agonizing pain in his heart to himself. He masked his despair with smiles and even though he wanted to announce that the bride and groom should not be wed… He couldn't break Jefferson's heart. As much as he wanted to deny it, Jefferson did love Belle. After all, Jefferson gave up his man-whoring ways to be with this incredible person. He made her happy, and frankly, Alistair had to acknowledge that maybe Jefferson and Belle were meant for each other.

If only he could convince his heart. And he stopped thinking that he and Belle were the real soul mates.

Then… he could accept the possibility that Jefferson and Belle's love was a fairy tale ending.

Happily ever after and all that jazz.

It soon became apparent Alistair couldn't get over Belle, even when he would kiddingly call her "Mrs. Hatter" (it was the only way to make it a reality), and she would flash that dazzling smile and laugh, lightly punching him in the arm, saying, "C'mon Alistair. I'm Belle and that's what I prefer you to call me."

How could he resist her wishes?

He couldn't and that was the sad and painful truth.

So Alistair tried to keep his distance from the happy couple. Of course, he was Jefferson's best friend so "distance" wasn't quite the ideal description. But he would avoid Belle's company when he could, insisting he had a cold, flu, or whatever new virus that was on the news if Belle was going to be present at a party or the pub or the movies. However, his best laid plans fell flat because Belle would show up at his flat with a bowl of homemade chicken soup and freshly brew hot tea with a hint of lemon and honey (just the way he liked it) and she stubbornly refused to leave until she knew he was on the mend.

Unfortunately, his ruse was doomed to fail. Belle was smart—cleverly so—and the last time he pulled the "sick" card to back out from Belle's birthday dinner, she showed up at his door, demanding to know why he always somehow came to be ill whenever she was going to be around.

Alistair tried denying it but Belle was quick to the punch.

"Don't play me as a fool Alistair Gold! I know that when you and Jefferson have plans and I suggest if I can come along… Jefferson will tell me after he rang you that you have a migraine or the cold. At first, I thought to myself—what are the odds that you keep catching all these things, and then it dawned on me: I'm the common denominator. You can't stand to be around me. I honestly don't know what I ever did to upset you Alistair. I really don't. I thought you and I got along quite well. Great, even. I thought we were friends—you and I. I guess you were faking it for Jefferson's sake. Really… you had me there. But I hate to tell you this: I'm not going anywhere. I'm Jefferson's wife and there are times when you and I will have to spend company with each other. I'm not going to insist that my husband doesn't see his friend. That's not me. But I will insist you at least behave civil towards me for his sake and his alone. And to do you another kindness… I won't tell Jefferson you hate me."

Alistair couldn't believe what he was hearing. Belle thought he despised her?! How far from the truth she was and how depressing it was not to tell her that he actually loved her with every fiber and every breath. Yet, he waited for her to finish her scathing tongue-lashing (and trying his best not to fantasize her scolding him for being such a naughty boy), and then told her earnestly:

"I don't hate you Belle. I never have. You're a wonderful, sweet, and loving woman. I can't think of a single reason for anyone not to like you. I'm sorry if you thought I didn't like you but that's not it at all."

"Then what is? Why are you backing out on my birthday?" Belle stood there, impatiently, crossing her arms over as she cocked a thin eyebrow in his direction.

He gulped. The unbidden image of her standing before him in black leather and high heel boots with a crop twisting in her hands flashed before his eyes. Alistair squashed his interest lest she became aware that his feelings weren't as amicable as they should be when she was his friend's wife. Then he began to wonder… What if she knew the truth after all? Belle loved Jefferson and learning that her husband's best friend had feelings for her might help in putting the kibosh on his feelings. She would definitely turn him down, and maybe, just maybe, she would find the situation so uncomfortable and awkward she would understand his reasons for canceling all the time. Maybe she would help with the excuses too! After all, why would she want to spend time with him knowing he was in love with her? It was the perfect plan! Now, he had to tell her. Taking a deep breath, Alistair said:

"It's difficult because you and Jefferson love each other so much. I'm happy for the both of you… I am. But I find sometimes feeling like the third wheel and it's no one's fault but my own. You see Belle… What I'm trying to tell you… You're bloody perfect and beautiful and I'm… What I mean…" He was struggling, floundering so pathetically that he couldn't spit it out. The words kept getting stuck in his throat and he began choking and sweating and Belle was standing there with her features unreadable until something broke in them and a smile blossomed.

Maybe she understood! She must have! So why was she smiling? Could it mean she felt the same way too?

"Oh, Alistair," she said, his name sounding like heaven on her lips. "I should have seen it! Oh my God… Here I was acting so selfish and rude and it never occurred to me that you felt that way. It makes perfect sense now!"

She got it but why was she so happy about it? Shouldn't she be appalled? Disgusted? Embarrassed?

"You want what Jefferson and I have. You could have said something silly. I know a lot of terrific girls who would be perfect for you."

Then in a snap, his hopes were dashed. Belle didn't feel the same way… She saw him as the lonely friend and matchmaking was already glowing in her eyes.

Before he realized what was happening, Belle was pairing him up with her friends. He went along with it because… well, he was a man and he was lonely, but seeing Belle become excited when she would tell him about so-and-so and how they would get along… He agreed to the dates. And they weren't half bad as he thought it could be but the problem was: none of the other women were Belle.

First, he was setup with Ruby. She had a loud personality and she was certainly a wolf in disguise but Alistair felt Ruby was too much to handle. Thankfully, she felt the same way and they parted on friendly terms.

The second was Snow. He couldn't get over how strange her name was and she was nice, but Alistair couldn't stand being with her when all she kept doing was pining over this David guy. That's all she talked about and he learned that David was also married too (he was unhappy with the missus but Snow insisted that it was an accident they fell in love) and she wanted to do the right thing in break things off. Of course, she hadn't expected it to hurt so much and Belle wanted to help her. Alistair admitted Snow was a kindred spirit (not that he would tell her that he was in love with her best friend), but he told her that he loved someone who was unavailable. They did try to give it a go with their heartbreak as the only thing they had in common, but it was quickly apparent they weren't going to be a good fit. They separated also on friendly terms.

The third was Emma. She was blonde and drop-dead gorgeous. And she was a bails-bondwoman which she loved role-playing since she did a lot of that in her line of work in catching the perps. Alistair had to admit she was fun to be with and he thought he could fall in love with her. She wasn't like Belle by any means and that was fine with him, but as lovely as Emma was and how she challenged him on so many levels… Alistair still couldn't get Belle off his mind. It was for the best just like the others. However, he and Emma did have a nasty breakup when he caught her cheating on him with one of the guys she was supposed to catch—a Neal Cassidy, if that was even his real name.

Sadly, every time a relationship didn't work, Belle would feel bereft that she hadn't found the ONE for him. Alistair kept insisting it wasn't her fault and even Jefferson told her not to be so hard on herself.

"I wanted you to be happy like us," Belle told him.

"I know," Alistair said. "Maybe this is a sign for me."

"For what?" Jefferson asked.

Alistair shrugged. "Maybe the right woman for me doesn't need to be found. Maybe I need to wait."

"Whatever man," Jefferson replied, snorting into his beer.

Belle shushed him and elbowed her husband. "Don't give up Alistair. She could be closer than you think."

Holding her gaze, Alistair said, "I won't ever give up."

xxXXxx

He didn't know if Time or the Fates would be merciful to him, but he had hoped Belle's words were prophetic at the moment. As much as he loved Jefferson, he didn't want his friend to be hurt if that was the only way to be with Belle. But over time Alistair became used to the idea that he could be with Belle as a close friend. At least she could confide in him in things she couldn't tell her husband. Not that he would promote secrecy in a marriage, but he did get a little thrill when she asked him not to tell Jefferson when he had noticed once she bought a new pair of earrings that were expensive.

Little did she know that he would never betray her confidence.

On some level, perhaps, Belle did too.

Because on one particular fateful evening, Belle ran to his shop completely drenched with rivets of water streaming down her hair and clothes, but it was her tearful face that had his breath catching.

She was crying.

Belle was crying.

She didn't stop running until she collapsed into his arms, pressing herself against him tight as she sobbed into his tie and shirt. He didn't give two winks about his Armani as he wrapped his arms around her and held her until she was ready to let go.

When she did, he mourned the loss but he instantly scolded himself over his selfish feelings when Belle was clearly in distress.

"Come with me," he said, offering his hand as he nodded to his backroom. Belle sniffed as she shakily walked behind the curtain. Quickly, Alistair ran to the door and flipped the "closed" sign and made sure the door was locked before he joined her.

Belle was sitting in one of the chairs, but she barely acknowledged him as he went about in making a cup of tea. It was pouring like crazy and he figured a hot drink would help warm her up, especially since she couldn't stop shaking like a leaf. She finally looked up at him when he finished the tea and held her cup to her.

She muttered a faint "thank you" and took the cup into her cold hands. He watched as she took a tiny sip, which seemed to put a little bit of color into her pale lips.

Gently, he asked what was wrong.

He could see there was a fresh group of tears ready to fall, but Belle held them back as she dipped her head back to finish off her tea. Alistair was about to tell her to be careful as it was still very hot, but if the drink burned her… Belle didn't let it be known. She set the cup on his work table and finally spoke.

"How long did you know?"

He was confused with the question. "How long did I know… what?"

"Don't patronize me Alistair. You're his best friend."

Alistair was lost. "I swear I have no idea what you're talking about Belle."

She lifted her head as she studied him carefully. It took her a couple of minutes but she must have seen that his confusion was genuine.

"You don't know do you?"

"Belle, I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

Her face started to crumble and she began weeping into her hands. At once, Alistair went to her with a handkerchief in hand. She accepted it by blowing her nose and wiping the few stray tears. Her shoulders were not shaking as much as they had when she entered the shop, and Belle appeared to be calming down. At last she had regained some composure so she could tell the anxious Alistair what happened.

"I'm sorry. I thought you knew and I was so angry that you didn't tell me because I thought we were friends and… I'm rambling, aren't I? Okay. From the beginning. That's the best place to start, right? The beginning."

"Belle." Alistair brought the other chair closer, and then touched her hand that was clutching the handkerchief. "It's all right. I'm here to listen when you're ready—"

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out causing him to freeze. A million thoughts flew through his mind and he was doing his best to stay upright in his seat without blacking out. "I mean… I was. Pregnant. Not anymore."

"Oh." He didn't know what to say. The news threw him for a loop and now… he wasn't sure what to think.

"There was a miscarriage," she explained. "Jefferson and I… we didn't think to tell anyone because it was so early and then I started having pain and it was over. I barely had the chance to absorb the idea of becoming a Mum when I wasn't going to be a Mum anymore. As for Jefferson… Everything went back to normal so fast that it almost felt like a bizarre dream. He acted as if the baby never existed and I guess in a way that could be true but that could have been our daughter or son. I didn't want to bring it up to Jefferson because I was afraid he was hurting and this was his way of coping with the loss. So I kept quiet and—and for several weeks he was behaving strangely. He would come home late and sometimes he would reek of alcohol and we would argue and then it wasn't until last month that Jefferson was his old self again. I thought that he was at peace or something until…until this."

Belle reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone as she opened her photo gallery to show Alistair what she captured. He took the phone as he enlarged the picture to reveal it was a text conversation from Jefferson's phone. It was difficult to make out what was said, but from what he could read… it appeared Jefferson was flirting.

With another woman.

Alistair lifted his surprised brow at Belle as she hiccupped. "You're going to think I've lost my head but I had this picture for a while. I thought maybe I was overreacting or jumping to conclusions and I should have confronted Jefferson but I was too frightened to know if it was true. So I told Emma and she helped me." Reaching into her other pocket, Belle pulled out another cell phone, which was a pre-paid one. "Open it," she told him.

He did and scrolled through the text messages. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This couldn't be Jefferson, his best mate. Not the Jefferson who swore off all women to love only this one incredible woman for the rest of his life.

"I pretended to be someone else," Belle whispered. "I knew Jefferson had a wild history and he told me this while we were dating, but it seemed like he gave all that up to be with me. So I thought if I pretended to be one of the women he had dated, then I could prove to myself I was being the insane jealous wife. But it backfired. He went along and you see how explicit those text messages are. He's cheating on me and I can't help but feel it's my fault. If I hadn't lost the baby…"

"No!" Alistair interrupted sharply. "You can't blame yourself Belle. It was a terrible tragedy but nothing to warrant this. Jefferson… He's the bastard. He shouldn't be mucking around when he has a wife!"

He knew his friend could be a cad but at least Jefferson had always been a cad with morals. He wouldn't play around or mess with a woman's heart. Once he had his fun then he would let the girl know it was over before he moved onto the next one. But this was a whole new low… One that Alistair never believed Jefferson was capable of doing.

"Thank you but I don't know what to do. I love Jefferson. But I can't be with someone who doesn't want me. And I keep thinking—what if this is a one-time fling? What if Jefferson didn't know how to talk to me and he thought this was the only way he could grieve? Am I being too premature? Do I leave him or should I stay for better or for worse? Help me Alistair. What do you think I should do?"

Belle looked at him pleadingly and Alistair knew he was in a precarious situation. This could be his chance to make his dreams come true and be with Belle, but at what cost? Jefferson was his best friend… As his friend and hers, shouldn't he help them try to make it work?

God give me the strength.

"Belle…"

What do you guys think? Should he tell Belle his feelings or help her and Jefferson? Or could this be a misunderstanding? You know the drill! Prompt me what you like!