Belle watched Grace and Henry with a proud smile on her face. They were talking in the field of lilacs and it appeared to be going well. Regina angrily tried to make her way over to her son but Robin grabbed her arm and held her back.
"Regina wait!" he said. "Let's just let them talk it out first. I think they need to speak."
"I don't care what they need!" snarled Regina. "That boy nearly gave me a panic attack and now he's flirting in a field of flowers like everything is okay!"
"They're lilacs," said Belle gently.
"What?" hissed Regina turning at Belle.
"Lilacs," she repeated. "They're Grace's favorite flower."
She looked back toward the school lawn and tilted her head. "You know, given everything that's happened these past couple days I would bet that he planted them for her. You know, as a romantic gesture."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Well vandalism is certainly romantic. However…"
"When I'm done with him this baby will see sunlight before he does," growled Regina.
"Agreed," said Emma sternly.
"Just try to stay calm dear," said Robin rubbing Regina's shoulders. He didn't want her anger to trigger another response from the baby. With the words she'd just said Henry could very possibly end up blind.
Belle tore her attention away from the two teenagers on the lawn and looked out over the crowd. There were a decent amount of people there. Parents, teachers, students. They were all staring at Henry and Grace curiously. She even spotted Jefferson watching the action from next to his car. She made her way over to him.
"How's the view?" she asked.
"It just got a whole lot better," he answered with a smile.
She chuckled and gave him a quick kiss. "So were you here when this all started?"
"I was dropping Grace off for school so I've seen pretty much everything," he said nodding toward the teenagers. He let out a sigh as Grace wrapped her arms around Henry. "And now I've seen more than I am comfortable with."
Belle gave him an incredulous look. "You can't be serious? It's just a hug!"
"A hug with a boy," he grumbled turning to lean against his car.
"A boy she's been dating for nearly a year," added Belle. "C'mon the hugging really can't come as a shock to you."
"I held her in my arms when she was less than ten minutes old," said Jefferson. "Every romantic, semi-adult thing she does will come as a shock to me."
Belle just shook her head at him lovingly. "Well you can look now. They've separated."
He turned his head to see Henry walking over to his mothers. "Do you think it went well?"
Belle looked at the grin on Henry's face and nodded her head. "Yes. I think it did."
"Good," said Jefferson with a small smile. The existence of his daughter's love life might make him uncomfortable but he was glad she was happy. He took another look at Belle. "Well I hope the show was good for you. I mean you did rush here in your pajamas for it."
The smile on Belle's face vanished at his words. She looked down and her eyes widened at the realization that she was still in her silk sleeping shorts and matching tank. She didn't even have shoes on. Or a bra. She folded her arms across her chest modestly. "Oh my god!"
Jefferson let out a hearty laugh at Belle's reaction. She harshly smacked him in the chest. "It's not funny!" she hissed. "There are children here."
"Teenagers," he corrected, shrugging off his trench coat. "And trust me your outfit is nothing compared to what they can see on the internet."
He handed her his coat and she quickly put it on with a sigh. "Thank you."
He smiled down at her. She was practically drowning in all the fabric. Without her heels she just looked positively tiny.
"Would you like a ride back to the mansion?" he asked. "Because that"- he pointed behind her- "that looks like it's gonna take a while to resolve itself."
Belle looked in the direction of his finger and frowned when she saw Henry with his mothers. They both appeared to be yelling and gesturing wildly. She turned back to Jefferson. "A ride would be nice. Are you sure you don't want to check on Grace first?"
"No," said Jefferson softly. "I actually think she might be able to handle things on her own."
XXXXX
Grace sat a table in the library with her head over an open textbook and lilacs in her hand. She was attempting to study but that was impossible given the events of the day. She leaned back in her chair and gazed at the flowers adoringly. She still couldn't believe he'd planted them for her. She felt a little guilty being so happy when Henry was so clearly in trouble with his mothers. She was still mulling over her boyfriend's fate when the flowers were snatched out of her hand.
"Well what do we have here?"
Grace looked up with groan. Victoria. The blonde princess pursed her lips as she ran her fingers over the flower petals. "Lilacs," she said raising an eyebrow. "Bit of a cheap flower. Don't you think?"
"I've always valued symbolism over price tags," retorted Grace with a frown. "Lilacs represent early love." She reached to take the flowers back but Victoria held them out of her reach.
"Huh," she said with a sneer. "Well I suppose it's not surprising you don't want to take anything at face value. I mean back in our world you could hardly afford face value right?"
Grace glared at her and crossed her arms against her chest. "What do you want Victoria?"
The princess tilted her head in mock concern. "I just wanted to make sure that the events of this morning didn't go through your head."
Grace just narrowed her eyes at her.
"I mean the flowers were sweet of course but I don't want you to think that they actually meant anything," she continued in a sickly sweet voice. "Sure the gesture was public and romantic but you shouldn't get your hopes up. Your relationship is just like this flower. Pretty and blooming now but eventually it's just going to wilt up and die. Henry's still a prince. And you're still… well you. And girls like you don't belong with princes. One day Henry will see that."
"Is that a fact?" said Grace.
"It is," answered Victoria with a smirk. "And you'd be better off if you just accept it."
"You know," said Grace with a sigh. "I've always wondered about you. The beautiful princess Victoria. Ever since the curse broke you've always been a fleeting thought in my head. I mean, you are beautiful. You're a blue blood. You have wealth and status. You mattered. And there were even some days where I really wished that I could be you."
Victoria just smiled smugly at Grace's words.
"But then I realized one crucial thing," continued Grace. "And that is despite your wealth, and your blood, and your beauty… you are always alone!"
Victoria's smile faltered at that.
"I mean really before you made it as your personal mission to belittle me at every turn you were never around anybody," said Grace. "And I always wondered just why that was. But then I met you and I realized that there were a couple reasons for that."
She stood from her seat and stared into Victoria's eyes. "Maybe it's because back in our land your kingdom was so poorly run that the citizens could barely feed themselves yet you and your family were always selfish enough to buy robes of silk and rings of gold. Maybe it's the fact that in this land you're at the bottom of the class rankings because you claimed learning with others was beneath you. Or hey maybe it is just that toxic mess you call a personality. Maybe those are the reasons that no one, not even the royals, can stand to be around you for longer than necessary."
By this point Victoria was practically vibrating with rage. How dare this girl speak to her in such a manner?! She was a princess damn it!
"I don't know," said Grace shrugging her shoulders and gathering her things. "I don't really care. All I know is this: You might be a princess Vicky but you don't get to decide my worth. Not in this realm or any other. Because no matter what you say or do one thing will remain true: I showed up at homecoming on the arm of someone who loves me while you were there by yourself. Maybe it's time for you to do some inner reflection and figure out just why that is."
She shrugged on her backpack and headed for the door. Right before she left, she turned back and gave her one last look. "You can keep the lilacs by the way. I've got hundreds more waiting for me outside."
Victoria clenched her fists and let out strangled groan as Grace left the library.
XXXXX
This is a ridiculous amount of white, thought Jefferson as he looked around Regina's living room. He sat on one of her expensive white couches in front of her fireplace. Despite the comfortable material he found himself unable to get comfortable. Even though he'd been in a relationship with Belle for months this was the first time the Hatter had ever been in the queen's home. He supposed it was… elegant. Certainly warmer than the dark castle ever was. Still he eyed the bowl of apples on the table with apprehension. I wonder if she poisoned them all or just enough to keep the visitors on their toes, he thought sarcastically.
He looked up when he the clack of Belle's heels against the marble floors. She entered the living room fully dressed and relieved to be out of her pajamas.
"Better?" he asked with a smirk.
"Much," she answered as she headed toward the kitchen. He followed her.
"I hope I'm not putting you out with my ride to work," she said.
He shrugged his shoulders at her. "No. It's not like I have much to do these days."
She nodded her head understandingly as she grabbed a muffin from the microwave. For the past few weeks he'd been directing the Merry Men as they mapped out the forest. But now that the new maps were done he'd been a little aimless. He just needed somewhere to point all his productivity.
"Well thanks again," she said leaning against the kitchen counter. "All the excitement this morning put me seriously behind schedule."
He let out a chuckle as the image of Belle in her pajamas flitted across his mind. "Well Henry made a grand gesture and those tend to require a lot of attention."
"We can only hope all his effort paid off," said Belle picking the blueberries out of her muffin.
"It must have," said Jefferson certainly. "If it hadn't there would've been more tears and less smiles."
Belle giggled as she continued to pick apart her muffin. "You know I'm actually quite proud of them both. You know, for being so forthcoming with their feelings. Both with us and each other. It can't be easy at their age."
"Well it's not exactly simple at ours either," scoffed Jefferson leaning next to her. He thought of the deal he'd made with Grace on the ride to school. Bravery for bravery. Grace had fulfilled her end of the deal quite publicly. He couldn't back out now.
He looked over at her. The woman he loved. It still felt strange to think after so many years. After Grace's mother he was sure that love wasn't in the cards for him in anymore. He had Grace to fill his heart and that was all he needed. But now there was Belle. The courageous, intelligent, beautiful librarian. She claimed a place in his heart without even trying. And he was glad that she did.
Belle just looked up at him uneasily. She loved Jefferson. Truly she did but the idea of saying the words… it just made her afraid. With Rumple she'd been so open with her feelings and then he'd stomped on them. She still had to remind herself that what she has with Jefferson wasn't what she had with Rumple. He was a good man. Not one constantly battling the darkness. She could trust him.
Jefferson gave her a small smile and placed his hand on top of hers. "Belle I…"
His sentence was cut short by the sound of the front door slamming against the wall. "WORTH IT!"
They both cringed at the sound of Regina's voice. Timing had never been her strong suit.
"He said it was worth it to my face! To our faces!" she yelled, stomping into the living room.
"I know I heard him," said Emma, tiredly trailing after her. It'd been such a long day… yet it was only 9:30.
Belle gave Jefferson an apologetic look before joining her friends in living room. She found Regina pacing the floor like a caged tiger while Emma on the couch with her chin in her hand. "So… I take it your conversation with Henry didn't go well."
"I wouldn't call it a conversation exactly," mumbled Robin from the archway. "There was just a lot of yelling."
"And punishment," added Emma. "And it didn't all come from us."
"He's suspended from school," spat Regina. "For a week!"
"I still don't think it's that's bad considering what he did," said Emma shrugging her shoulders.
"He'll fall behind!" snarled Regina. Emma just rolled her eyes. Pregnancy hormones aside, she thought Regina was truly overreacting.
"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" Regina hissed at Emma. Suddenly there was a loud crack as the lightbulbs from the lamps next to couches simultaneously burst. Robin rushed to Regina's side and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Calm down love," he said, his eyes filled with worry.
Jefferson protectively moved closer to Belle. "What the hell?"
"It's the baby. She's showing off a little," she whispered to him. She turned to address Emma. "Where is Henry now?"
"He's up in his room where he will stay until we figure out what to do with him," she said sternly.
"Well," sighed Belle. "While you're working on that I have thought up a way to help with the baby's magic."
"How?" asked Robin desperately.
"Pan's cuff," said Belle sternly. "It can be used to absorb magic."
Regina shook her head. "That's true Belle but it would immobilize my magic. Not hers."
Belle raised an eyebrow at her. "I know."
Regina's eyes widened at that. "No!" she said firmly shaking her head. "I am not rendering myself powerless just because of a little discomfort!"
"It's more than discomfort Regina," argued Belle. "Your magic and her magic are both inside of you. Now your magic may have gotten lighter but hers is pure. They are not compatible with each other. It might be mild discomfort now but as her magic grows stronger and starts to battle yours for dominance it'll exhaust you! In a month you'll probably start fainting. In two, you might not even able to get out of bed!"
Emma absorbed her information with wide eyes. "Seriously what books are you reading?"
"Magical theory books," answered Belle testily. "And you'd know that Emma if you visited the library just once!"
Emma looked away and folded her arms guiltily. "I'm… busy… with stuff."
"Right," said Belle sarcastically nodding her head. She turned back to Regina. "I know it doesn't seem ideal but it's your best option. This way her magic will be dominant from the beginning. It might help her grow stronger. Besides the bond between you too has already formed seeing as how she's latched onto your emotions. I bet if you really wanted to you'd be able to tap into her magic if it was necessary."
Regina groaned while Robin grabbed her hand and gave her a concerned look. He turned to Belle with pleading eyes. "Are you sure about this Belle? Are you sure that it won't… harm her or the baby?"
"Yes," she said nodding her head. "Neither of them will be in danger. It'll just help absorb the excess magic."
He turned to Regina with desperate eyes. "Regina please… just consider it."
Regina closed her eyes in frustration and let out a sigh. "Fine! I'll wear the damn cuff."
Robin let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you."
A small smile settled on Belle's face. "Good. Now I have to get to the library. Everything that's happened this morning has already made me late but when I get back tonight I expect you to have that cuff on."
Regina made a face at her. "I don't know when you started thinking you could tell me what to do."
"When I started proving that I was smarter than you," replied Belle cheekily. She picked up her purse and grabbed Jefferson's hand leading him to the door. "I will see you tonight cuff and all."
She let out a sigh as she and Jefferson walked over to his car. "I'm sorry you had to see that. It's normally not that chaotic in the house it's just with everything that happened this morning-"
"I love you," Jefferson blurted out.
Belle stopped in her tracks and wheeled around to face him with wide eyes. "What?"
"Damn it!" he spat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."
"Oh," mumbled Belle, looking down, clearly hurt.
"No!" said Jefferson quickly. "I meant it. I just didn't mean to say it now. Okay this is not going how I imagined it would."
He ran his hands over his face in embarrassment. Belle saw his distress and reached out to put her hand on his arm.
"Jefferson…" she said softly.
As soon as she touched him he found it easier to calm down. He reached for her hand and looked in her eyes.
"I love you Belle," he said sincerely. "And being in there with everyone just reminded me why so I had to say it. I love that you read magical theory books not so you can practice magic but just so you can know. And I love that in a room with a savior, a queen and an outlaw you can still somehow manage to command everyone's attention. You're incredible Belle. And I love you for it."
She smiled up at him with tears in her eyes. "I love you too Jefferson."
He smiled down at her as her scooped her up into a hug. She let out a happy laugh as she wrapped her arms around his neck. It felt good to say the words.