Belle sat on one of the windowsills in her apartment above the library. Her thumb idly traced the lip of the cup between her hands that rested on top of her knees. She was waiting for her men to return. Three days had already passed and Rumpel's promise of 'I'll be right back' was wearing thin. The Charmings had been round a few times to see if she had heard anything, worried where Rumpel had taken Emma. Nevertheless, Belle was sure that Rumpel would look after Emma. Even after the many run-ins the two had shared, there had always been a guiding hand from Rumpel to Emma and he had invested a lot into Emma in the past. She had been the key to finding Baelfire.
She sipped at the streaming brew as she watched the sunrise over Storybrooke. Another day and she was still stuck waiting for them. It was never nice to be the one left behind. She understood why, but that still did not stop the hurt of not being picked for the team. Rumpel was always trying to keep her out of harm's way. She just wished she were able to go out on adventures again, as she did after he ordered her to leave his castle and his life.
Rubbing at her neck, Belle was glad she had tidied the back of Rumpel's shop. If he had seen the mess she had made, he would have definitely gone full Dark One on her. He always prided himself on having everything in place, organised to the extreme. She had learnt that the hard way at his castle. Tidying his workshop had been the worst decision of her life. He had flipped out when he had found her in his workshop and then when nothing was in its place. She had gladly ran to her so called room in the dungeon and closed the door on herself. Do not mess with the Dark One's toys!
Belle giggled at the memory and climbed off the sill finishing her tea. Now that the sun was up, it was time she changed out of her nightie and got ready to start the day. She needed to make herself busy to take her mind off everything. Leaving the cup in the sink, Belle ambled through her apartment and paused at Gideon's door. She knew he would be home. She just had to be patient. With that in mind, Belle pushed her bedroom door open and stopped in the doorway.
Lying on her bed was a red rose. Belle frowned at the innocent rose and came around the bed to pick it up from her bed. She quickly looked around her room. Nothing. No one was there. The meaning dawned on Belle. The rose dropped from her hands as she hurriedly ripped her nightie off over her head. She grabbed whatever clothes were first to hand and ended up with a t-shirt and her comfortable track trousers that she wore around the house.
Belle ran out of her bedroom and straight to her front door, but paused. Through the frosted glass, she could see an outline of someone. Snatching the door open, she gasped seeing Gideon standing there. He smiled at her. Belle could not contain herself, she cried as she gathered him up into a hug, clinging to her son. She could hear him apologising but she did not care about that. He was home. He was safe.
She pulled back from him and cupped his face in her hands. "I'm so glad you're home!"
"Me too." Gideon responded.
"Where's your father?" Belle asked looking pass him, hoping Rumpel was behind him or coming up the stairs.
"He's got some things to sort out in the shadow realm." Gideon told her. Belle could not help the disappointed grunt at his words. Yes, she was happy Gideon was home but she wanted to make sure that Rumpel was all right as well.
She shook the disappointment away and dragged Gideon into her apartment to close the door. Belle led him over to the couch where they sat down together. She could not keep her hands off her son, checking him over. There were not any wounds or bruises on him, but then Rumpel or Gideon would have just healed them away. She knew Rumpel would not let their son come home to her with mark on him.
"So, what happened?" Belle asked, her hand tightly holding Gideon's.
"Well… When I left you, I went back to the shadow realm. I tried to find somewhere to put father's dagger, but she must have followed me. She must have known that you would give me the dagger or she was listening to us." Gideon explained. "I fought, mother, I did, but she tricked me. She conjured up a copy of you and demanded that I gave her the dagger for your life."
"Oh, Gideon." Belle comforted him by stroking her thumb over the back of his hand.
"It wasn't till I dropped the dagger that I realised that it wasn't you. But by then, she had the dagger and I couldn't get it back." Gideon sighed heavily.
Belle squeezed his hand. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"
Gideon's gaze dropped to their hands, it was easier to speak to their hands. "She tortured me. She wanted to know what your plan was and the best way to get father to do what she wanted."
"Gideon." Belle said as she stroked his face.
He looked up to his mother and a smile came across his face. "Then she left and locked me in my cell. I didn't know how long it had been, but I started to hear commotion. I was shocked to see father come to rescue me. Emma and father had fought their way through all of the Black Fairy's loyal subjects."
"He would do anything for you, son." Belle smiled at the image of Rumpel coming to Gideon's rescue. Memories of their fake life in the Heroes and Villain book came to mind. Rumpel had really lived up to being a true knight in that book. It was just too bad it showed the goodness that he did have inside of him. Too bad, she could not get him to believe it himself.
"Yeah… But," Gideon stopped and looked at his mother. "There is something I need to tell you."
Belle frowned at Gideon's tone. "What?"
"Father wasn't being father." Gideon stated.
"Wasn't being him, how?" Belle questioned, her frown deepening.
"Well," Gideon rubbed at the back of his head. "He wasn't killing people for a start." Belle laughed whole-heartedly. She was waiting to hear that he had done something so immoral that she could never forgive him.
Gideon looked uncomfortable at his mother's reaction. "But, he's the Dark One. That's what he does."
"No," Belle shook head at him, controlling her giggles. "Your father is more than just the Dark One. He just has a hard time seeing what is deep inside of him."
"But all the stories I have heard, that's what he loves to do." Gideon stated to her.
Belle shook her head. "I, too, have heard the many stories about your father. From a young age, I heard how he took out a group of men singlehanded with just his dagger and that I should be a good girl or Rumpelstiltskin was going to take me away. When I went to live with him in the dark castle, it was rarely that he killed someone. I think actually Regina, or actually the Evil Queen, has a higher death toll that your father. She used to snap people's necks for the hell of it."
Gideon took a deep breath and mulled over his mother's musings. He shrugged it away and smiled at her as he said. "Either way, no matter what he has done in the past. He came for me and saved me."
"You can always count on your father to come for you." Belle told him honestly. "He would do anything for his children."
"It's a shame he couldn't save Baelfire. I would have loved to have known him." Gideon confessed to his mother.
"Right," Belle stood up from the couch. "Let's have some tea!" She said changing the subject. Talking about Baelfire was still a raw subject for Belle. She had only known him for a few months but they had been so close at the end. He would never have been a son in her eyes, but he was a good friend before his death.
"Sounds good to me. I'm going to shower and change first." Gideon told her, sauntering off to his room. Belle smiled watching him disappear into his room, but it sadly fell when she went back to thinking about Rumpel. The disappointment of not seeing him at the door with Gideon weighed heavily in his stomach. It was funny to think but not so long ago, she would have been glad not to see him. Now all she wanted to do was be lost within his arms.
A knock came from the apartment door. Stroking some hair out of her face, Belle came around the couch and could see a blonde headed silhouette at the door. She made her way over to door as Gideon came out of his room with some clothes and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.
Opening the door, Belle smiled at Emma. "Hey!"
"Hi Belle." Emma greeted. "Can I come in?"
"Sure, you can." Belle swept her arm gesturing for Emma to come in to her apartment. "I was just putting some tea on, would you like one?"
"I would love one." Emma closed the door behind her and followed Belle into the kitchen area, positioning herself on the other side of the kitchen counter to watch her. Belle filled the kettle and put it on the stove, lighting the ring underneath it.
"Did you come back with Gideon?" Belle asked, taking fresh cups out of the cupboard.
Emma nodded. "Yeah, Rumpel sent us back together, once we had gotten out of the Black Fairy's fortress."
"What is Rumpel doing? Gideon said he had some things to sort out in the shadow realm." Belle quizzed, dropping a tea bag into each cup.
"When we were searching for Gideon, we came across some children that the Black Fairy was using as slaves. They helped us get into the Black Fairy's fortress. Rumpel promised to find their parents and return them." Emma explained leaning down onto the counter.
Belle nodded her head to Emma, inwardly proud of Rumpel. "How's he going to find all their parents?"
"No idea." Emma said. "But he seemed to believe that he could do it. I am not going to argue with him. A year, I have spent with him in the most horrendous place ever! It was worse than the underworld."
"Wait," Belle stopped pouring the hot water. "A year? It's only been three days!"
"Time is different there." Emma responded as she reached over the counter and took one of the cups of tea that were brewing.
"Hang on. Now I am really confused." Belle put the kettle back on the stove and went over to the fridge.
Emma tilted her head to the side. "About what?" Belle offered the milk towards Emma. "No, thank you."
"Gideon was missing for a day and he aged to twenty eight in the shadow realm. You two have been gone three days and it's been a year?" Belle poured a small amount into her tea and returned the milk to the fridge.
"Yeah, Rumpel did say something about that." Emma said as she dunked her tea bag in and out of her cup. "He thinks that because the Evil Queen used that stuff on you to quicken your pregnancy, it must have left some effects on Gideon, so he grew up really quick."
Belle frowned. "But he's okay now?"
"Must have worn off." Emma replied before taking a sip from her tea.
The door to the bathroom opened, stream filtered its way into the room as Gideon came out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He put his dirty clothes into his room and then joined Belle and Emma at the counter in the kitchen area.
"Emma." Gideon greeted as he reached over the counter and picked up the remaining cup of tea.
"Better now you've had a shower?" Emma asked, smiling at the young man.
"Washing all that grime from the shadow realm away is heavenly." Gideon confessed and sipped from his tea.
"Good. Anyway," Emma turned her attention back to Belle. "The reason I'm here is to invite you both to my parent's wedding anniversary party."
"Oh!" Belle put her cup down on the counter. She had a stab of jealous stick into her side, thinking how Rumpel and she never celebrated their last two anniversaries. Mostly due to him being an idiot.
Gideon's eyes went wide. "I've never been to a party!"
"You'll love it!" Emma told him as she touched his upper arm. "They're going to hold it at the mansion, seeing as it has the ideal ballroom."
"That's where we had our honeymoon." Belle said fondly, her thumb stroking the rim of her cup.
"I suddenly just got the feeling that you shouldn't tell me anymore. I feel awkward at you just mentioning it." Gideon stated and drank from his tea.
"From what I heard, it was very fairy tale like." Emma informed him after finishing her tea.
Belle nodded her head. "We had our first dance in that ball room."
"Yes…" Gideon said unsurely before leaving them for his room. "I'm going to go in room before you mention anything else." He closed his door behind him. Belle and Emma laughed at his reaction.
"Anyway," Emma said heading towards the door. "It's going to start about six in the evening."
"Okay, we'll be there." Belle followed and held the door after Emma had opened it, and said to Emma. "Even if I just take Gideon on a tour of the mansion to show him each room where we had been, will entertain me for the night."
Emma stopped and frowned at Belle. "Even I'm now getting that awkward feeling. I don't want to know."
Belle laughed at her as Emma made her way down the wooden staircase. She closed the door with a smile pulling at her lips. Genuinely she was looking forward to the party on Friday. Belle just did not know whether she wanted to go without Rumpel being home first. How could she miss the celebration though?