Sitting at her desk, Belle was sorting through some returns, marking them off on the computer to stack them onto the trolley beside her. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was ten to six. With a heavy sigh, she returned to sorting through the stack in front of her. It was getting to that point in the evening. She either went upstairs and got ready for the party or hid herself in the library by locking the door.
Rumpel had still not returned. Apart from the rose that now sat on her bedside, there had been no word from him or anything else left for her to find. It had been weighing her down, thinking about him and missing him. Gideon had been trying his hardest to take her mind off it. He had cooked dinner, or more tried to cook, and sat and watched movies with her last night. The movies had been light hearted comedies but they did not interest Belle. She wanted her husband.
The door to the library opened. Her breath caught in her chest until Gideon came through the door, dressed ready to go to the party. It showed that Rumpel had influenced their son with his dress sense. He wore a nice black fitting suit with an open collar red shirt. Belle was overwhelmed for a moment as she thought about how handsome her baby boy was.
"Mother," Gideon said, coming to stop on the other side of the counter. "Come and get ready for the party."
"I… I don't know whether I want to go, Gideon." Belle clutched at the book in her hands.
Gideon smiled at her and said. "You know he would want you to go. As much as father is anti-social, he would still want you to go and enjoy yourself."
"You talk as if he's dead." Belle said with a frown.
"You know that I'm not and that I'm right." Gideon reached over the counter and took one of her hands from the book she was holding. "He'll be home soon." He told her as he squeezed her hand.
"Wish everyone would stop saying that." Belle took her hand from her son's hand and put the book on the trolley beside her.
He rolled his eyes at her. "Mother, please."
"What?" She looked up from the computer as she was entering another entry into it.
"You" Gideon said coming around the counter and grabbed her arm to yank her off her stool. "Are going! Even if I have to dress you!"
"Gideon!" Belle exclaimed trying to fight his hand away as he pulled her to the door.
"No, you're going. I am not going on my own!" He forced her through the door and stepped through behind her clicking his fingers to lock the door.
Belle's eyes went wide at the click of the lock. "My keys are in there!"
"Mother, you have a son with magic." Gideon informed her pushing her towards and up the stairs to their apartment. Begrudgingly she stomped her way up the stairs and swatted away his guiding hand from her back. She opened the door to their apartment and kicked her shoes off beside the door. Gideon closed the door behind her and watched her go into her room.
Belle was not happy about it, but fine. If her son wanted her to be his date for the evening, so be it. She promised herself she was not going to enjoy the evening as she snatched her dressing gown from the back of her door and went off into the bathroom. She was going to sit in a corner and drink, and then come home. It felt wrong to be going out without Rumpel. Not that he would want to attend if he was here, making some excuse that he had some experiment to perform in the basement or inventory to do at the shop.
As she showered, Belle wondered what he was doing at that precise moment. It was honourable what he was doing, returning the children to their homes. However, she could not help the small part of her that wondered what about her? And did it really need to take this long?
She pulled a face at Gideon, as she left the bathroom, not happy that her son was making her go out for the evening. He sat patiently waiting on the couch and flicked through the channels on the television. Belle shook her head closing her bedroom door and then turned to her wardrobe to open it. She sighed at her dresses and selected a blue strapless dress to lay it on the bed.
Opening her underwear draw, Belle stopped looking at the pictures she had displayed on top of her chest of draws. There were pictures of them from after the wedding and their honeymoon. They had spent the day at the beach during their honeymoon, taking selfies with each other. A smile spread across her face. Belle missed him more than ever. At least before, she knew she could just look out of the window and he would be nearby. Now, it just seemed like he was permanently gone.
Belle put on some underwear and then slipped into her dress. Before she left her room, she grabbed a pair of blue heels that matched her dress from the bottom of her wardrobe and headed back into the bathroom to do her hair and makeup. She dragged her damp hair back to twist it and clicked it into place off her shoulders. With an expert's touch, Belle applied her makeup quickly and glanced herself over in the mirror.
She came out of the bathroom to find Gideon pacing back and forth behind the couch. Her eyebrow raised at his behaviour, unsure whom he had inherited it from. Rumpel would never be one to pace and she was more than sure she had never done it, or at least not enough that she ever noticed it.
Gideon stopped when he turned and saw her. "Wow!"
"What?" Belle replied as she looked down at herself.
"You look amazing!" He answered taking a few steps forward to the end of the couch nearest her.
"Don't you sweet talk me! I'm not happy about this. I'm going for your sake." Belle told him slipping her feet into her heels.
"Hang on," Gideon pulled his phone out of his pocket and took a picture of Belle. "One to show father on his return to show him what he missed out on." He said smiling at her and returned his phone to his pocket.
"If he returns…" Belle let her voice trail off, not allowing herself to finish her own sentence. She did not want to think about him not returning, but it was stuck in the forefront of her thoughts.
His hand gently touched her bare shoulder. "Mother, he is coming home. You'll see, I promise."
She looked at him for a moment before marching to the door to leave their apartment. They walked down the stairs and Belle noted how dark it had gotten already. It was going to be long night with no Rumpel at her side. With a heavy heart, Belle climbed into the passenger seat of the car and let Gideon drive them to mansion. He had come a long way with his driving. At least with him, mailboxes were safer than they were with Henry behind the wheel.
There was already many cars parked up the street from the mansion, lining the kerb as Gideon pulled into a free space near the mansion. She climbed out and looked up at the illuminated mansion. Fond memories of their honeymoon haunted her. Belle had not been there since. It did not feel right being back there without him. Gideon pulled her from her thoughts with a gentle hand on her back, leading her up the street as they followed some other people that had arrived in front of them.
The music from inside could be heard as they climbed the steps onto the porch. People were mingling on the porch with drinks in their hands. Belle smiled at a few people that greeted her as she led Gideon into the mansion. There was people everywhere. The Charmings had a good turnout for their anniversary party.
Gideon and Belle came to a standstill in the middle of the doorway to the ballroom. To Belle, she did not see anyone else in there apart from Rumpel and her, dancing their first dance as a married couple. They had been so happy. Alone and allowed to be just Rumpel and Belle. Husband and wife. It had been magical that outside the four walls of the mansion was another world, but inside it was just them. No one running in to ask for help or guidance. Just him and her.
"There's so many people here." Gideon leaned in to talk to her, watching the people dance in the ballroom.
"Why don't you go and find us some drinks, while I go out onto the patio." Belle suggested and pointed to the open doors in the ballroom that led to a patio area, which looked out onto the gardens of the mansion. He nodded his head and excused himself through the people trying to locate the table with drinks.
Belle aimlessly filtered through the crowd and stepped outside into the fresh air outside. They had decorated the patio with some fairy lights, streaming them from side to side. She smiled as she looked at them and thought how nice it would look to do it to Rumpel's patio area at his house. Whether he would let her would be another question. Not that he was around, she thought with a bemused look and then shook it away, a stab of a reminder he was not there.
"Mother!" Gideon called before he appeared through the patio doors.
She turned and thanked him as he handed her a drink before turning back to the garden. "They've done a really good job at decorating it out here."
"There's food and drink in one of the rooms off from the ballroom." Gideon told her, pointing in the direction of the room. "I did not realise there was this many people in Storybrooke."
"It is a big town." Belle smiled at him and sipped at her drink.
His eyes were scanning the ballroom through the patio doors. "If you don't mind, I'm going to see if Lilly has arrived."
"Lilly?" Belle was surprised.
"Yeah… She said she was going to be here." Gideon's cheeks reddened under the gaze of his mother.
Belle chuckled at him. "Go and find her. Have fun. You don't need to babysit me."
"Ok!" He said quickly and kissed her cheek fleetingly, and escaped into the sea of people in the ballroom. It was nice to see her son was settling into Storybrooke and into his new life. She knew how daunting it was too. Suddenly surrounded by all these people. Twenty-eight years in isolation had taken its toll on Belle, but she had pushed through the loneliness to make new friends.
Belle observed the people dotted around the garden. Everyone was with someone except her. She knew she should have stayed at home. All she wanted to do was sit on her couch in her t-shirt and jogging bottoms, watching some films she had borrowed from the library. At least at home, she did not have to put on a front of being happy. There was not much to be happy about when half of you was missing.
A hand touched her elbow, Belle's head snapped to see Emma standing beside her. "Hey!"
"Oh, hey!" Belle greeted and smiled. "This is a really nice party."
"I think everyone in Storybrooke is here." Emma informed Belle as she glanced round to the ballroom behind her.
"Not everyone." Belle said and finished her drink.
Emma tried to smile at Belle and squeezed Belle's arm reassuringly. "He'll be back. Have faith."
"I've spent nearly my whole life having faith in him." Belle responded and her gaze dropped to her feet.
"I know he'll be back," Emma said taking a step back. "Especially if he saw you tonight. You look beautiful!"
Belle looked up to Emma with a smile. "Thanks."
"Anyway, I got to find Hook, he owes me a dance." Emma left Belle to merge into the ballroom. Belle exhaled deeply at the thought that she was not going to dance with anyone. Anyone that she wanted to dance with tonight.
The longer Belle stood there, the more she convinced herself that she should go home. It was wrong to give in to Gideon. She knew better. Her frame of mind was all wrong to be at the celebration. Self-loathing was best done alone. She had learnt that from the master. He had locked himself away in his castle for so many years. Convincing himself that he did not need anyone in life because he did not believe that they would want or even love him.
"What" The whispered breath tickled her ear. "Are you doing out here on your own?" Belle could not breathe. Her eyes clenched shut at his words. She was convinced her mind was playing with her, teasing her that he was here. It was so convincing that the lips that kissed her neck caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She knew he was not here, even as the groan escaped her from the kisses to her neck.
His lips brushed against her skin as he spoke. "I was hoping to see you on the dance floor."
Belle opened her eyes and realised she could smell his oaky aftershave. "Rumpel?"
"Unless you're letting anyone kiss your neck." He replied in a playful tone. As he spoke, Belle spun on her heels to come face to face with him. He was smiling at her with his hands casually resting onto her hips. She cupped his face between her hands, taking in the sight of him hungrily. The grey in his hair had become the more prominent colour now, but he was still incredibly handsome dressed in a dark blue suit with a white shirt and black tie.
"I have missed you so much!" Belle confessed before kissing him. His arms hugged her, pressing her against his body as his hand steadied the back of her head. They forgot about everyone else and the party. It was just them on the patio of the mansion.
Rumpel was the first to break the kiss, breathless as he rested his forehead against hers to whisper. "I love you, Belle."
"I love you too." She sobbed with tears coming down her cheeks. Her hands clutched at his dark blue suit. They stood holding each other, ignoring the other people as they walked pass to go back inside or coming out for fresh air.
He wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled at her saying. "Come on. Let's go show them how to do it."
Rumpel took her hand and tried to lead her inside, but she refused to move from the patio. He looked back at her and saw the resistance. Stepping back to be close again, Rumpel stroked the back of his fingers against her cheek.
"I want to go home." Belle told him. He did not say anything. Taking her hand, he waved his hand and a cloud of smoke engulfed them.