Chapter 1: An unexpected customer

Rumple

Off course I had heard of her, who had not heard of Belle French. She had an enchanting presence on the screen. Everyone in the world wanted her, it didn't matter if you didn't know her. If she batted those blue eyes towards you, you would most certainly lose control. I had seen every movie Belle starred in, yet I wasn't as big of a fan as my roommate Killian Jones. He had lived with me, since me and my wife Milah got divorced. It was a bloody divorce in which she took everything, except my house with the blue door in Notting hill and the small pawn shop a little down the road.
Let me explain the few last years of my existence. I spent my days between the shop and whatever dreams I had at home. I walked those few yards every day and nothing interesting every happened.

It seemed that I was born for bad luck. Especially when it came to love. Milah was the first woman I had ever fallen in love with. When I met her, I thought she was the most gorgeous creature that had ever walked this earth and she was. The only downside was, that Milah was an absolutely awful woman. She liked to lie and when she cheated on me, the relationship ended. Killian said I deserved better and that there would be someone out there, someone that was the one for me. However after Milah disappeared from my life, I gave up on love.

I simply ignored anyone that could be a match for me. First, there was Cora, I had a toxic relationship with her, which ended with more heartbreak that my poor heart could handle. It seemed that every relationship took something away from my believe in true love. Today nothing of it was left, I was a cynic man that believed that there was no such thing as true love. I had never seen it. My mother died before I was even born and my father had been tortured by her death. The truth was that early in life I was unloved and left all alone.
I came to live here when I was in my twenties. I loved everything about Notting Hill. I loved the market, I loved how people came out to buy stuff they needed. I was not a people's person, yet I loved how people interacted with each other. I simply love watching people, in and out my store. I love staring at the busy streets from my apartment window.

When I woke up this morning, everything looked the same that it had before. The streets were filled with people and my head seemed to be filled with bad thoughts. Yet I had no idea that this day would change my life forever, if you had told me, I would not have believed you. I would have told you, you were crazy and pointed you to the closest door.
So when I walked down the stairs, I saw my roommate standing in front of me in his bathrobe. He did that when he was preparing for an important date. He stared at himself in the mirror. Studying his features. He was a handsome man, he had always been. He had dark black hair and brown eyes. He was the thing woman wanted, I was the thing woman got by default.
"Rum, you have to help me with a very important decision."
"How important is this decision you have to make? Is it like the final episode of lost?"
"That's right, I'm finally going out with Emma Swan and I want to be sure I pick the right T-shirt."
"What are the choices?"
"Wait for it…" With that Killian ran up the stairs, not thinking about anything but the shirts. I turned myself to the stairs, knowing he would walk off it with some strange shirt. The first shirt he walked off in a shirt saying that he loved blood. He turned to me with a smile on his face. He could not possibly be wearing this on his first date with Emma Swan. Killian had met Emma Swan about 4 years ago. They had a strange relationship, in which she tried to test his determination to go out with her. After four years he had finally succeeded.
"Killian, she might think you're crazy," I replied. "Plus, you send romance right out the window."
"Okay, you'll like this next one." He ran up the stairs, I could hear him look for another shirt in his room. I wanted to roll my eyes, yet I didn't do it. I waited for him to run downstairs, a couple of seconds later he walked from the stairs in another shirt. On the shirt get it here was written, with an arrow. I rolled my eyes, this shirt was far worst then the first one.
"You can't be that straightforward," I said. "Emma is a true love type. She is searching for prince charming. Someone to save her."
"I have just the thing." He ran up the stairs and returned with a shirt that said: 'I will find you, I will always find you.' I gave him a soft nod. This was the best thing he got, I gave him a soft nod. When he turned around I saw a truly sexist thing written. I didn't call him back, part of me hoped Emma would not see it. Killian was not the person for romance he was straight forward. He had always called me the romantic, ever since we were friends. It seemed that the two of us were meant to be enemies, yet we choose to be friends.

It was strange and that would always be like that.

Belle

My name used to be Isabelle Black. Yet my agent thought it was such a better idea to be called Belle French. Since my mother was born in France. I despised the name, I didn't think it showed who I was. I was okay with being known as Belle. Most people called me Belle. It was the stereotypic French that I had a problem with. Since I don't know much French. I know how to say: Bonjour and some food, but my knowledge stops pretty fast.
In everyday life, I'm a movie actress. They call me this because I have only been in movies. Even though I was in Lost. I was simply known as the pregnant girl. That was my breakout role, from then on I continued to bigger projects. My second project was that movie with the vampire. Robert something. After that, I thought for a moment to go to Broadway for more fame, yet my agent had refused. I didn't have a chance either. My career exploded. There were movies coming my way, movies that I truly wanted to do. Yet there was no one moment for myself.

I obviously dated and broke up with Gaston. It was a bloody breakup. It was all over the tabloids that he had cheated on me. It was painful, yet I kept believing in love. I was looking for someone with layers, someone that was more than they appeared to be. Someone that was romantic. Someone that I could truly love. Yet I had never found him. A big part of me started to lose every fate in it.

I didn't know that this day would change my whole life. I didn't know when I walked in Notting hill for a simple tea set, that I would find something else. I didn't know my love for tea and reading would send me to a store. A store that would shape my life and fate.

Gold's pawnshop.

Rumple

I checked the incoming money. I was still not making enough money and there was always a fear that the shop would be taken from me. I didn't want that, it was the only thing that I had left from my mother. Everything inside was things that I had received from someone. I stared out of the window, seeing people pass by. I turned around to walk to the back of the store when I heard the bell ring. When I looked up, I could hardly believe what I saw. It was Belle French. The actress in my store, she was wearing a soft blue dress and her auburn hair was thrown over her right shoulder. I couldn't believe how enchanting she looked and I could almost directly remind her in lost. I loved her with both blond and auburn hair. Yet when I saw her now there was a different energy to her. She looked at every object full of interest. I knew I should ask if she needed help, yet I couldn't do it. I was nailed to the floor by her beauty. And as I stared at her, I made strange words in my head.
"You help can?" He shook his head.
"It seems you didn't put those words in the right order." She smiled. "But yes, you can help me. I'm looking for an antique tea set. You see mine broke yesterday morning and I can't read my books without tea."
"Follow me to the back." I pointed to the tables in the back of the store. "That's where I keep my tea sets."

I noticed how she followed me pretty close. I could smell her perfume. I could notice everything she was doing. Her breathing was something that sounded like music to my ears. I looked at her when I came in the tea cups. I stared at one of the cups, noticing it was a broken. I wanted to remove it, but she stopped me.
"It's simply beautiful." She stared at the cup. Then she turned her eyes to the rest of the set.
"It's broken," I replied, I reached my hand towards the cup, yet she stopped me.
"It's only chipped." She smiled. "It's perfect, I'll take it."
"You will?" I opened my eyes wider.

"Mister Gold." She batted her eyes at me. Her lips formed in a perfect smile, it seemed that she wanted something else to me and I wanted to plant a kiss on her perfect lips. "Do you have any books?"
"By the register," I replied. "I'll pack the tea set."
"That's okay." I slowly placed the set in bubble wrap and placed each piece in a small box. When I had packed every object, I closed the box. Then I noticed that Belle was standing by the books, picking them out. I had never expected a famous actress to be in reading. Yet this girl was. She took about twenty books and placed them in front of me. I didn't know what to do, did I need to give them this books for free? I stared at the first book, it was Phantom of the opera.
"I'm planning on auditioning for the musical." She smiled. "Don't tell anyone."
"I won't." He said.
"And I will pay for this." She replied. "I want to be treated like a normal customer. Not an actress."
"Okay." I stared at the prices and typed them in the register. After I added everything I took a small percent off. I normally didn't do this, but I was so enchanted by her very presence.
"That's 60 £ please."

She didn't say a thing, she simply handed me her money. Then she took the shopping bag and gave me a soft smile. Her eyes were bluer now than they had been before and I stared at her until she left the shop. Had this truly happened? Had I met the one and only Belle French? I couldn't believe this and I don't think anyone would ever believe me. There was no one part that was not perfect about her, I could still smell her. There was something special about her, little did I know, this was not the last time I had seen her.