It had been six weeks since that fateful day when Belle took her fate into her own hands. Choosing Robert Gold instead of giving her career over to chance had been the best decision Belle had made in well, forever.

The past weeks had been more than she could have dreamed for. Robert, as she called him in her head, was even more amazing than he was on TV. Belle hadn't even imagined that could be possible, but it was.

He'd shaped her into an artist more than ready to take the music business by storm. He'd helped her through obstacle after obstacle. Every week he'd had the most perfect song for her to work on, making sure it fit in with the theme for the week and after she got it down, he'd finetune it until it was perfect. Now there were only three people left, herself, Ruby, and one of Emma's contestants Aurora Stephens. Belle was thankful she'd made it this far at all, let alone standing next to two talented women. After Gold had caught her trying to sabotage Gaston's music for Broadway week, she was certain they'd kick her out, but Gold had reasoned with her and the fact that Gaston was so darn unlikeable had gotten him sent home all on his own.

Now, only two weeks stood between her and the Last Note Standing crown, the tour, and hopefully, a record deal. Winning the show didn't guarantee her a record contract, but no winner hadn't gotten one. Robert would offer her one even if she didn't win, of that Belle was certain. He was renowned for his manners and ruthless behaviour but underneath the mask of the terrifying vocal coach and label owner, he was a truly kind, generous man. He cared about her passion for music, her desire to sing. Every week he made sure she was the most prepared she could be to face the judges and the public.

Belle had fallen in love with him.

She didn't want to, she wasn't even sure where it had come from, but she'd realized that was the only explanation for what she was feeling. She was attracted to him, that part she'd easily figured out. Just being around him had left her feeling fluttery and unfulfilled reduced to squirming when he wasn't looking, but being able to see the kind man lurking beneath the shadows had solidified her feelings.

Robert always left her feeling full of light. The feeling she got when she sang, the soaring in her stomach, the thought that at any moment the notes were going to pick her up and carry her was the same thing she felt when he looked at her.

She only had to work with him for three more songs and then she'd be reduced to a mere client, if she was even lucky enough to be that. She paused outside the door to Robert's small practice studio. She was brave enough to pick Robert that first day, maybe she could be brave enough to pick him again.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained right? Do the brave thing and bravery always follows. Or sometimes follows. Belle shook her head. She couldn't overthink things.

She raised her hand to knock on the door as it swung open and Neal's frame filled the doorway.

"Okay, see you later Papa!" He said in farewell. "Oh hey Belle."

"Hello Mr. Gold." Belle replied, smiling softly. Robert and his son had reconciled a couple weeks ago after she'd implored him, reminding him of the importance of family. Their relationship might not be good yet, but they were talking. It was a start.

"I've told you Belle, it's Neal. Mr. Gold is that grump in there." Neal laughed as his father's voice floated out to them.

"I heard that son!"

Belle giggled before moving into the room and closing the door behind herself. "Hello Mr. Gold." She greeted him quietly. He looked up from the piano bench he was sitting on and smiled softly.

"Hello Ms. French." These past weeks had softened him too, now that Belle was honest with herself. Maybe her crush wasn't as stupid as she thought it was.

"I picked my song for this week." Belle commented, feining nonchalance as she moved to stand closer to him.

"What'd you go with? It's a free pick so you can't waste it." He hummed in contemplation. "We need something to remind them why your voice is so beautiful."

Belle froze. "You think my voice is beautiful?"

It was Robert's turn to freeze, obviously flustered by what he said.

Belle licked her lips, unsure why her mouth was so dry. "I mean, it's okay. You've done more than enough to help me these past few weeks. I know my voice isn't spectacular…" Her voice trailed off as she stared down at the floor. What was she doing? She'd meant to come in here and possibly admit at least a feeling a friendship and now she was as self-deprecating to Robert as she was to herself. He was going to think she was crazy.

She kept staring at the pattern on the floor. Perhaps she could pretend she hadn't spoken. Robert was professional enough to ignore it. A small scrape alerted her to the fact that Robert was standing up. Oh no. This was it. He was going to rebuff her and then everything would be over.

She'd practically stopped breathing by the time Robert was standing in front of her. She knew he was there simply from the fact that she could see his shoes. She felt his hand cup her cheek gently and draw her gaze up to his own.

"Ms. French…" he began, stopping as he took in her expression. "Um, I mean Belle…"

Belle smiled as he spoke her given name. It was a constant topic of debate between the two of them. Belle called Robert by his first name to attempt closeness, Robert used her last to avoid the same thing. She'd called him on it a couple weeks ago and he'd taken to occasionally using her Christian name.

"Belle," he began again, thumb brushing light circles over her cheek, "you have a simply beautiful voice."

A blush crept its way up her cheek while a heat spiraled down her stomach stopping to pool between her legs. She'd have to say something or back away. Now. Feeling and emotion were threatening to overwhelm to the point of irrationality.

Robert's other hand slide up her side to settle on her waist, the first still drawing maddening patterns on her skin. "And," he continued. "I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on."

Belle heard her own gasp before realizing she'd opened her mouth. "Robert." She breathed. "Robert. Stop. Don't say those things unless you mean them. I...I've wanted this for so long. Don't say them if you don't mean them."

Robert's eyes were the warmest Belle could ever remember seeing them as he gazed down into her own. Belle could read the myriad of emotions dancing through his depths as clearly as if he'd shouted his feelings from a rooftop. There was love there. He loved her.

Any coherent thought Belle might have had flew out of her mind as Robert lowered his mouth to hers. As soon as his lips touched her own his hands tightened their grip crashing their bodies together.

Belle traced her tongue over the outline of Robert's lips unable to hold back the moan of pleasure as he opened to allow her tongue to slip into his depths.

She smiled against his mouth as her hands slid up his sides to untuck the dress shirt from his pants, disheveling the man who was always so put together. Her hands explored as much as her mouth did and she wasn't sure which part of her caused him to yelp, the hand ghosting over one of his nipples or her tongue caressing his own.

One of Robert's hands had been gliding up towards Belle's chest but paused before changing direction and slipping over her jeans to cup her ass. He pulled her slight weight up, encouraging her to twine her legs around his as he walked her backwards towards the lone couch he kept in the back of the studio.

She dropped into the pile of pillows with a thump, unable to stop her breath from coming in pants. Her hands lept towards Robert's belt as it was presented so nicely for her. She made quick work of the leather, the belt hitting the floor with a soft clink and she leaned forward to kiss the slight bulge in his pants.

The noise she heard Robert make above her was easily more beautiful than any note she'd ever heard sung.

"Belle, darling, you don't have to do that." Robert's voice interrupted her hands from their unbuttoning of his fly.

"Robert, I want to do this." Belle replied, more interested in getting his pants off than anything else in the moment. Above her, he braced his hands against the wall as she finally eased down his zipper and tugged her pants and boxers down.

His hard length sprung into her waiting hands and the hiss of pleasure Robert couldn't restrain filled her with a feminine sense of pride. He was thick in her hand and literally pulsing, a glossy bead coating his tip. She pressed the pad of her thumb onto the spot sliding the liquid around slowly. One of his hands left the wall to tangle in her curls and she stifled a giggle.

"Feel nice, love?"

All that answered her was a grunt.

She leaned forward slightly, blowing gently on the entirety of his cock before parting her lips and licking him firmly from base to tip. If he hadn't been holding onto the wall, and her hair, Belle knew he would've fallen as soon as her tongue touched his flesh. She continued with firm licks up and down his length, paying special attention to a little spot just underneath the head of his cock. She made it to the top once more before pressing a gentle kiss to his crying slit and opening to welcome his cock into her mouth.

A moment before her tongue made contact with his length, it was gone, Robert having sank onto his knees in front of her. He replaced his cock with his mouth, dropping a most gentle kiss onto her lips.

"Thank you, darling, but I...I don't think I could last through that." He sounded strangely out of breath.

Belle smiled as his hands finally reached her breasts, cupping gently before surrounding her aching nipples and pinching through her shirt. This time it was her moan filling the room as Robert caressed her swollen flesh. "Oh," she panted, "Oh Robert. Harder."

He brought his mouth down to hers, kissing her deeply as his hands continued their magic. She brought her legs up around his waist, trying desperately to gain friction against her throbbing core. She needed more than gentle caresses at this point. The cloth of her skirt and underwear pressing against Robert's naked cock wasn't providing nearly enough pressure so Belle decided to take matters into her own hands. She pawed at her zipper until it finally relented and wiggled her butt until her skirt joined Robert's pants on the floor. The sight of her in her lacy underthings was enough to get Robert to pause in his ministrations on her mouth.

He leaned back to take in her body with his gaze. Belle had never felt more love in a gaze then she did in that moment. As much as Robert was dissecting her with his eyes, she felt she had the right to return the fact. She took in every inch of him, from his mussed hair to his glistening cock, straining to be inside her. The only thing left on his body was his shirt and that was easy enough to get rid of. She slid one button open at a time as she felt Robert to the same for her. Soon enough, both shirts hit the ground with a soft thump and she directed Robert's long fingers to the clasp of her bra.

"Belle." His voice sounded so hoarse and strangled. "Belle. I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you. I'm not only doing this because you're talented, even though you're so so talented, darling. You're the most talented person I've met. And so kind, and beautiful. And if this is the only memory you'll give me, I'm sorry I'm so weak I have to take it and…"

Belle's heart swelled through his speech, beating faster and faster. She reached around and unclasped the bra herself, pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of Robert's mouth as she sat up to divest herself of the garment. His eyes widened even more as he saw her unblemished breasts for the first time. Belle knew they weren't exactly big by anyone's standards, but something in Robert's eyes told her he found them perfect.

"Robert." She spoke softly, not wanting to startle him. Sometimes the man was as flighty as rabbit. She kissed him again to punctuate what she was about to say. She guided him so that they were laying fully on the couch, his comforting weight settled between her legs. "I didn't want you to think I was trying to take advantage of you...sleeping with your coach wasn't how I wanted to win Last Note Standing, but know that I've wanted this for a long time. You're a good man, Robert Gold."

He made another strangled sound deep in his throat as she tightened her legs behind his quivering butt and squeezed, encouraging him to slide into her. As the head of his cock breached her folds, she closed her eyes, relishing in the feelings tumbling one over the other inside her. After what felt like an eternity, he was all the way sheathed inside her and Belle had never felt more complete.

She opened her eyes to find Robert gazing intently at her, one hand brushing a curl off her face. She'd miss the first opportunity to be brave, the situation taking care of that for her, so she was determined not to miss the second.

"I love you, Robert Gold." Filled with him and the warmed by his loving gaze, those words had never wrung as true in Belle's head.

Robert leaned down, brushing his lips against hers as light as a feather. The motion caused him to move within her and Belle moaned, the friction sending waves of pleasure through her body. Robert's smirk ghosted over his face at her squirms before being replaced with a much more serious expression.

"I love you too, Belle. So very much."

If it was possible to explode from so much happiness, Belle would have gladly done so. She was exactly where she wanted to be, on the brink of a career she loved and filled to the brim with love and pleasure alongside the man she'd wanted nothing more than to share it with.

His words had ignited a deeper fire within her and she pressed against him to encourage him to move. He pulled back slightly before sliding in smoothly, picking up speed as he found a rhythm. Her hips tilted up of their own accord seeking out a way to take him even deeper. He thrust again and again, brushing not only a magical place within her, but placing wet, sipping kisses against her mouth and throat.

Their moans mingled in the room, dancing with each other as much as their bodies were and Belle knew in that moment, both of them on their way to that place of joy, that this was the music her soul had always craved.

This was perfect harmony.