Chapter Three: A Few Hours in the Pawn Shop

Mr. Hopper agreed to watch Henry and tell Mr. Gold where the girls were if he asked, but only if he asked, which Belle knew he probably would. She felt daring being away from Mr. Gold and taking the girls back to the shop. This was not like her, but even though she was nervous, she was excited too.

She opened the pawn shop, and they all sat on the floor. Belle made sure that the door was secure, and then she joined the girls, asking the rules, finding that Emma pretty much explained the whole game to her at Ashley's house.

"I'll start with a question," Snow offered, looking around at the girls. "What was the weirdest thing you found out about your guy?"

Emma answered first.

"When I found out Graham was sleeping with the mayor, I questioned his sanity. He was against her, yet he was having sex with her! He was a contradicting man."

Belle's eyebrows lifted.

"Okay, well I'll go next," Ruby said. "I found out Billy likes to read Covergirl magazines."

"What?" Ashley exclaimed. "No way!" Ruby nodded.

"It was awkward..."

"I'll go," Belle offered shyly.

"This'll be good," Snow said, smiling. Belle smirked.

"The weirdest thing I found out about Mr. Gold I have to say is his obsession with children."

"Why that? Not that he spins straw into gold?" Emma smiled. Ruby laughed.

"No, the children thing is weirder. I know he had a son at one point, but-"

"Gold has a kid?" Emma exclaimed.

"He's gone," Belle said quickly. "I don't know what happened to the boy."

"So it was a son?" Snow questioned. "I never knew that."

"Anyway, maybe something terrible happened, I don't know, but his thing with children is odd," Belle replied. Ashley couldn't agree more, and she would know about that more than any of them.

"Okay, Snow?" Ruby asked.

"Well I certainly can't beat that," Mary Margaret smirked, making Belle laugh. "But Charming, he has this odd habit of being somewhere at the worst time possible."

"That is the weirdest thing about him? I wish I could say that," Emma said. "Ashley?"

"I don't know, I really don't have anything. Shawn's pretty normal," Ashley said with a shrug. "If there's something I don't know yet, then I guess I really don't know it."

"Nothing?" Belle asked. Ashely shook her head. "Okay, well I have a question: what is the most romantic thing he's ever done for you? Sex doesn't count!"

"Well, I'm out. The best I got was a kiss," Emma said with a sigh.

"I got secret admirer flowers," Ruby said. "Still don't know who did that so maybe that doesn't count."

"No, it does," Belle confirmed.

Snow told them about the glass casket and what Regina did to her, and then how Charming came and found her, kissing the life back into her when no one else could.

Belle laughed at how sweet Snow's story was. Ashely's moment was when her and Shawn watched the fireworks at the ball for their wedding. They all turned to Belle, and she held a blush.

"Guys, I think Mr. Gold has a sensitive side..." Ashley said, looking around. "You have to tell us Belle."

Belle kept smiling, unable to stop. She then told them her story about how she'd been cleaning the house, trying to pull back the large curtains in Rumpelstiltskin's dark castle. She asked if he had nailed them down, and she pulled on them so hard, she slipped off the ladder, taking the large curtain down on the one side; and of course, when he caught her, and they stared into each other's eyes for a brief moment before he awkwardly set her down.

"Wow," Snow sighed. "That's good."

"Hmm, maybe I should be more clumsy," Ruby told herself with risen eyebrows.

"I never though anyone could love Mr. Gold," Emma said truthfully.

"Well, Rumpelstiltskin is a man of many surprises," Belle explained, no matter how obvious her statement was.

The girls loved getting this new information about Mr. Gold, and Snow began smiling, almost not believing that Mr. Gold had someone like Belle.

"Okay girls," Ruby said. "Now, what happens in pawn shop, stays in the pawn shop... okay?"

"What does that mean?" Belle asked.

"It's like the saying 'what happens in Vagas, stays in Vegas," Ruby said.

Ashley turned to Belle.

"It just means that we don't talk about this stuff outside of the circle, that's all. Don't want any secrets getting out, and besides, it's just for fun," she explained.

Belle agreed to this as did the rest of the girls.

Henry and Archie began talking about the curse over and over, in fact it was all they could find to talk about. There were many things still left unsaid about the curse, things that no one could explain, not even from the book Henry possessed.

"How do you think August is doing?" Henry asked Archie.

"I don't know," Archie confessed. "If the curse is gone, I think he's supposed to be a real boy, but if he wasn't keeping his end of the bargain...well, magic still may have him trapped in wooden bonds."

Henry looked at the book some more, when something tapped on Archie's shoulder. Long, hard, almost metallic, but he knew what it was.

"Ah, good evening Mr. Gold. Care for a hot dog or some ribs? Shawn's really good at this barbecue stuff," Archie offered.

"Cut the crap, grasshopper. Where's Belle?" Mr. Gold asked, remaining standing. Henry watched Mr. Gold as Archie told him that the girls decided to go somewhere else, and that he overheard of a game they were going to play. When Gold demanded to know exactly where they were, Archie smirked.

"Check your pawn shop," Archie smiled.

"What would they want there?" Gold demanded.

"No idea," Archie smiled, for he'd heard more than just that of their conversation. Henry didn't know exactly what was going on, but Mr. Gold didn't seem very enthused about his Belle disappearing.

"Just take a walk. It's nothing dangerous," Archie confided, turning back to Henry. Mr. Gold glanced around at the party to see that Granny was practically to only woman at this party! The rest were the men, and Shawn had an idea to go down to the bar and shoot some pool because the girls left.

As they flocked to the bar, Henry walked with Archie and Granny back to Granny's house behind the restaurant.

Mr. Gold was speed walking down the street to his shop, worried about Belle. As he came to the entrance, Ruby spotted him.

"Rumpel alert!" Ruby gasped, and the girls turned as he inserted the key into the shop. Belle was just in the middle of another funny romantic story about roses, when the bell rang at the top of the door.

The girls giggled, and Belle blushed. Snow folded her lips, trying so hard not to laugh at Mr. Gold's expression.

"Were you worried?" Ashley asked, smiling, laughing a little. Belle's back was facing Mr. Gold, and he was a little concerned.

"Belle?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" Belle couldn't take it anymore, she let the laughter burst out of her mouth and she turned to see him. Her laugh set off a chain reaction, and all of them were laughing. Mr. Gold just didn't get it.

He was surprised to see Belle laughing, but it made him happy inside to see her laughing.

"What are you ladies doing?" he asked, but Belle just kept laughing, as did Snow and Ruby.

"Oh, nothing. Girl talk," Ashely explained. Mr. Gold's face showed it all: there was absolutely nothing he could say. Emma took advantage of this.

"And now, we're taking her to the bar," Emma said, and Belle was still smiling. Mr. Gold couldn't find the words as Emma opened the door behind him, and the girls poured out of the pawn shop, a few still laughing. Belle gave him a glance, and they left Mr. Gold in his own shop.

He was speechless.