~ A City Lost, A City of Love and Pet Rescue Americana ~
Before they travelled to Pompeii and Venice, the group decided to explore the Pantheon and the Colosseum, two of Archie and Marie's favorite stops on their honeymoon five years earlier. There was already a large line when they arrived and outside a group of men dressed as gladiators were offering to pose for pictures with tourists and a group of young women were more than happy to oblige them.
"That sounds like fun," Emma said and just as she was about to approach the gladiators, Neal tugged on her arm and tried to pull her back.
"You wanna go too, Nealio?" she asked him. He shook his head.
"You don't wanna go near those guys, Emma. They're not real gladiators," he said.
"I know that, little brother. They're just actors hired by the site to give it an ancient Roman flair."
"They're not actors neither...they're runnin a scam. Ya know….tryin to hustle ya outta your money."
Emma frowned knowing that her brother wouldn't make such a statement unless he knew it to be true and had seen the truth in their souls.
"Neal's right, Mommy," Maggie spoke up. "I'm gettin' that vibe Daddy calls em...ya know...these guys are gonna take your money when ya pose with 'em then they're gonna try an pick your pocket. Somebody oughta 'rrest 'em and throw 'em in jail!"
The Scorpions looked at each other and smirked. All of them were expert pickpockets and if anyone knew how to outsmart pickpockets and thieves, it was them. Robin was also smiling.
Rumple groaned. "Don't even think about it, dearies!"
"Why not, Rumple? If they're scamming people, they deserve to be in jail," Archie frowned at his brother-in-law. "The police obviously aren't aware of it or they would've stepped in by now."
"Can we no' go one place without getting into trouble?"
"Trouble seems to find us, Rumple but I would feel terrible if we didn't teach those charlatans a lesson," Regina said. "They seem to prey on women the most."
"Because they think a woman can't outsmart them. Well, they'd find out quickly they can't outsmart us, right ladies?" Belle asked her friends.
"Oh I would love to have my broom right now," Marie murmured.
"We can't use them here. Besides, I have my feet," Snow reminded them. David winced, recalling the time his wife injured him with her foot before they were married and she'd even shot him with an arrow in the backside for his part in the 'Manhood Intervention'. He avoided invoking her wrath as much as necessary for that purpose. Snow could be sweet and sassy, especially when crossed.
"If they're targeting women, they won't try their scam on you if they see you with us," Archie pointed out.
Marie laughed wickedly.
"Are you suggesting we set a trap for them with ourselves as the bait?"
He sighed. "I don't like thinking like this. It's something my parents would've done."
"Honey, I know you. You would beat yourself up thinking we could've done something and didn't," Marie argued.
"You would do the same, Rumplestiltskin," Belle reminded her husband.
He sighed. "You're right, dearie."
They decided that they would split up before they got in line to go into the Colosseum, the men would stay with the children while the women stayed in their own group. As the women were walking past the fake gladiators one of them smiled.
"Would you like your picture taken with us, ladies? Only five euros."
"Oh, what the hell. C'mon Gina! Always wanted to meet a gladiator!" Emma said, looking forward to seeing the looks on the fake gladiators' faces when they found out they were going to be outconned.
The men watched closely while the women posed for the picture, all of them seething when they noticed two of the gladiators snatching the ladies' wallets out of their purses and hiding them. They waited until the pictures were done before they approached.
"My wife's wallet. Give it back. Now!" Rumple said coldly, his hands gripping the handle of his cane so tightly that they were turning white.
"Ummm….excuse me? Are you accusing us of stealing?"
"That is exactly what we're doing. I stood there and watched you take my wife's wallet out of her purse," Archie added, glaring daggers at them.
"Our wives too," Robin, Jeff and David were wishing they were back in ancient Rome, eager to feed this pack of lowlifes to the lions.
"You ignorant American..." one of them growled, his fist raised in defiance.
"Hey you...don't you raise your fist to my papa or we're gonna beat ya with our canes a doom!" Adriana threatened.
A small group gathered upon overhearing the dispute between the gladiators and the men and among the spectators were the women that had their pictures taken earlier, all of them now panicking and frantically searching their bags.
"They robbed us too!" cried an angry woman in French.
"I'm calling the police!" another said. "Nobody rips me off! You either give it back or I'm gonna go ancient Rome on your ass!"
The Scorpions tittered.
"You're under arrest. Git up against the wall and spread em!" yelled Maggie.
"I'm gonna lasso 'em!" Jonny cried excitedly.
"Oh no you're not, John Wayne Hopper!" his father admonished and pulled his son back.
"I'm gonna kick 'em in the balls!"
"Eleanor May!" Regina exclaimed.
"Mommy, you an' Miss Snow say that's the best place to aim cause they cry like babies."
"Oh yes they do, don't they, Belle?" Marie asked her sister when the two of them assaulted a cruel baker in their village with brooms, hitting him in said sensitive area. It was during this incident that the legend of the infamous Bordreaux Broom was born.
"Yeah well I'd cry like a baby cause that really hurts!" Jason groaned. "And you hit me there once!" he reminded Ellie.
"Was an accident. Was tryin to hit ya somewhere else. Not my fault. Sides, we was playin Doctor Dodgeball an' he fixed ya up so quit whining!"
"Yeah well let somebody hit you there and see how YOU like it!" Roland retorted.
"I don't have balls, duh!"
Henry was laughing so hard he was having trouble keeping his camera straight.
"And welcome to another episode of Kids Say The Darndest Things!" Grace narrated on her phone. Several people in the crowd were laughing along with them until two police officers approached.
"What's going on here?" one of them asked.
"Officers, these men have been posing as gladiators trying to get women to pose for a picture with them while they rob them. They've robbed our wives and several other women and we've all witnessed it," Rumple explained. "Taking their wallets...and I believe other items as well."
The officers immediately rounded up the gang of con artists.
"You better search 'em good!" Maggie reminded them. "Prolly got stuff hidden in their underwear."
The officers were trying not to laugh while they searched, finding wallets, a few cellphones, IPods. IPod Touches and cash. A few other officers arrived a short time later to take them to the station and many of the items were returned to their owners but some were not.
"Thank you for alerting us to this situation, Signore Gold. We'll be sure to keep an eye out in case there are others around."
"Before you go, may we ladies have a picture with you?" Emma asked them with a grin. Both officers were young and very good looking.
"Of course, signora."
As the women posed with the officers, they couldn't help being amused seeing the jealous looks on their husbands' faces.
"Ohhh I'm going to have a lot of making up to do for this one, Emma…" Regina purred.
"I'm looking forward to it," Marie murmured.
"So am I," agreed Belle with a dreamy smile, anticipating what her husband had in store for her.
Penelope laughed. "Oh my...is it wrong for me to say how cute Maurice looks when he's jealous?"
"Not all Penny, not at all," Snow giggled.
"Was that really necessary?" David grouched to Snow.
"Oh hush! I'll make it up to you later!"
Neal rolled his eyes. "Didn't wanna hear that, Mommy!" he complained.
"You better get used to it, Neal," Gisella advised. "Just make sure you don't catch them making out."
"Gisella!" her parents gasped.
"What? How many times did I catch you?"
"Never mind!" Marie cried.
Rumple wanted to book a private tour for them but hadn't gotten a reservation in soon enough. Instead they were in with a larger group that would tour the Colosseum, the Forum and Palatine Hill. As they were walking through the site, they listened to the tour guide point out some of the highlights of the structure.
"It could hold over 50,000 people, segregated by class. The patricians would sit here," he explained, pointing to the lower tiers. "And the common people would sit there." He pointed to the upper tiers.
"The nosebleed section," Ewan muttered.
"Some of the gladiators were considered the sports heroes of the day," the guide went on. Some of the women in the group giggled.
"Among other things," one of them said.
"There was a documentary I saw on the History channel once where women used to use gladiator sweat in beauty rituals," Becky spoke up. Kat snickered beside her.
Grace made a face. "Gross! I wouldn't want some guy's BO on my face!"
"Did they really kill animals for fun?" Jonny demanded. "That's mean!"
"Ummm….yes...they did consider it their entertainment…" the guide said nervously.
"Yeah well anybody who hurts an' kills animals for fun oughta be locked up an' the key thrown away!" Adriana cried.
"They killed people too!" Neal exclaimed. "Did they eat 'em too?"
"No…"
"Mommy, I don't like this place…." Maggie whimpered.
"Me neither," her uncle agreed.
As they had on Halloween night the previous year, all the mages could sense there were tormented souls who still haunted the ancient site.
"Papa, can you make the ghosts happy so they don't haunt this place anymore?" Adriana asked her father.
He shook his head. "I can't use magic here, dearie. It's too risky."
He also suspected no amount of magic he could use would ease the suffering of those souls. The children stayed close to their parents until they exited the Colosseum and continued on to the Forum.
"Mommy, is this their office like yours?" Ellie asked her mother.
"Yes, it is, honey only Rome had senators like we do in the States and the emperors relied on them to help them make important decisions."
"But Mommy, why did they kill Caesar? Didn't they like him?"
Regina pondered that question for a moment. Ellie had inherited her mother's passion for history and she was always eager to learn about the histories both of this world and their own. She'd tried to avoid teaching her daughter some of the darkest moments in history but Ellie had a way of finding things out on her own.
"Well ummm….they thought Caesar was not acting in the best interests of the people…"
"Was too busy in Cleopatra's bed," her husband chuckled from behind her. Regina spun around and glared at him. "Robin!"
"Well he does have a point," David defended.
"When I want YOUR opinion, shepherd, I'll ask for it!" Regina snapped.
"And she doesn't need to know things like that now!" Snow kicked her husband's foot. "Men!"
"So why didn't they kick him out 'stead of killing him?" Ellie asked.
"Yeah, 'cause don't you always say we oughta kick some of those crooked guys outta Congress, Daddy?"
"Not easy to do that either, Mags," Jeff answered his daughter. "Though I'd love to throw some of them in my hat and send them to the Infinite Forest."
Rumple giggled wickedly. "Well that would be fascinating to watch."
Like most of the sites in Rome, the Forum had also been impacted by time, climate and wars so that not all of the grand structure was still left standing. Still if they closed their eyes, they could see the building as it was back in the day, a grand palace to the government of what had been the most powerful empire in the world at the time.
While Becky and Ewan stood in the very spot where the senators had their meetings, all of them were feeling a bit mischievous and decided to pay homage to one of their favorite movies.
"All fellow members of the Roman Senate, hear me. Shall we continue to build palace after palace for the rich or shall we aspire to a more noble purpose and build decent housing for the poor. How does the Senate vote?" Ewan recited.
"Fuck the poor!" Becky called out. The other Scorpions started laughing.
"Rebecca Halloway!" Archie snapped. "How many times have I told you about that mouth? Do you want another in school suspension on your record?"
"That's enough you lot!" Rumple chastised his son and his friends.
"Sorry, Papa," Bae said sheepishly.
"Papa, is that the movie where they were riding on a chariot with the mighty joint?" Adriana asked. Rumple's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as did Belle's, knowing exactly what their daughter was referring to.
"Bae! Were you watching that movie with your sister in the room?" Belle demanded.
"No! She was probably hiding under the table again!"
"I never get to watch anything really funny!" she pouted. "'Less Bae's watching it."
"Well ye dinna need to be watchin' that, dearie! Next time Bae, would you please for the love of all that's holy lock the door when you're having movie night?" Rumple pleaded.
"Ha ha...Becky's gonna get the soap!" Jonny taunted. She blew a raspberry at him.
"I'm too old for that," she scoffed.
"Don't count on it, young lady. Your parents put me and Rumple in charge of you on this vacation and you're not too old to have your mouth washed out!" Archie said firmly.
Bae sat down and pulled out a small notebook he carried with him and started sketching parts of the Forum. He had at least three sketchbooks full of drawings he made based on the sites he'd visited during his trip. He glanced over at his parents, nodded to himself and continued to sketch while the others continued to tour the site. Andi sat down beside him.
"Your father's going to love that," she murmured, pointing to where he'd sketched his father in emperor's robes and his mother as an empress standing in front of the Forum as it looked in ancient times giving a speech to a crowd of people.
"Hey bro, you comin' or what? We're goin' to the virgin temple next!" Bobby called out.
Their next stop was the Temple of Vesta, the former home of the legendary Vestal Virgins, a small portion of the structure still left standing as portions of it had been reused to construct churches and papal palaces.
Unlike most of the sites they visited, the Pantheon had been well preserved and still in use as a church dedicated to St. Mary and the martyrs. There were also masses held in the temple on Sundays and during the holy days. Angelo told them at the Pulcinellos sometimes attended mass there and one of their sons had been married there. There was an aura of peace and serenity inside the Pantheon unlike other structures they'd visited that morning.
"I am looking forward to attending a mass," Belle confessed. "Will we come here on Sunday, Rumple?"
"Let's see what our hosts want to do first. If they want to go to the Vatican, we'll go there and come here the following Sunday."
Both he and Regina were still reeling from the divine blessings they'd received while visiting the Vatican, neither of them expecting it and reminded them that the long journey they both made down the road to redemption had been well worth the effort.
They decided to finish their day of sightseeing in Pompeii and would spend most of the following day in Venice. The moment they stepped out of their vehicles, they were all overcome by a feeling of sadness, recalling the destruction and death the eruption of Mount Vesuvius brought to the once beautiful city.
"There was nobody to save them, Papa," Adriana wept. Rumple picked his daughter up and cradled her in his arms.
"No, mo astor….there wasn't."
As they had in the Colosseum, all the mages could sense the pain and sorrow of the spirits that still haunted the site, the voices crying out in fear and sorrow, begging for help that would never come and asking why the gods had forsaken them while they were being buried under rivers of burning lava and clouds of ash. At the Garden of the Fugitives, everyone was shaken seeing plaster and resin casts of victims that had been buried in the ash. There were also casts on other sites around the city. The children stood in front of a cast of a child victim, weeping softly while their parents tried unsuccessfully to hold back their own tears.
Who are you? Adriana heard a little boy's voice asking her.
Adriana. Who are you?
Stefanos. How can you talk to me and no one else who comes here can?
I can talk to lots of things...and my friends can do stuff too. My cousin talks to animals.
He does?
Uh-huh.
Maggie kneeled down beside him. "I can hear him too. Can you, Ellie?"
"Hear what? Are you talking to this child, Maggie?" Emma inquired softly.
"Yeah...I think we can all hear him. Right, guys?"
Her friends nodded and even the babies were eyeing him curiously.
Are you like gods and goddesses? Stefanos asked them.
Nope, we're True Love kids so we were born with magic, Ellie sent.
Can you bring me and my mama and daddy back?
Adriana shook her head sadly. My papa says we can't bring back the dead.
And if we had that ability, we would, child, Rumple sent, now hearing the small boy in his mind too.
Did the gods punish us? Is that why we died? the new voice belonged to an adult female, the boy's mother Rumple suspected.
No, dearie. It was an act of nature that no one could have prevented…
Why do so many people come to see us? they now heard from the boy's father.
Because you haven't been forgotten, Regina answered back. Even after all this time you haven't been forgotten.
That's why we're here. To remind you you'll never be forgotten, added Henry.
"I can't believe this….I can hear them too…" Emma whispered.
Did you have a dog or a kitty, Stefanos? Adriana asked him.
I had a dog….he's here with me….but they didn't find him like they found us and put the plaster on us.
What was his name?
"Julius!" Jonny cried.
That's right, little one.
Mama and Papa read me a story once about a blind boy and his dog….was that you? Adriana asked him.
No, but I heard about the story from some of the other children who come here, Julius answered.
It was really sad, added Neal. You stayed with Stefanos and his family?
I could never leave them. The animals of Pompeii...we stayed with our families to the end and we stay on...they need us still as we need them.
Now that they knew someone could speak with them, many other victims at the site began talking, some of them angry but all of them stayed on, not wanting to be separated from their loved ones even in death as they had been in life.
Angelo had dinner ready for them when they returned to the villa that evening and sensed all of them had been troubled by what they encountered at some of the sites.
"That is why I avoid them," he said. "So much sadness and pain for a mage to feel."
"Yeah but we want them to 'member we don't forget them," Ellie argued. "We talked to a nice boy named Stefanon and his dog...like in the book The Dog of Pompeii."
Henry cast a spell on his and Grace's phones that had allowed them to record the conversations his mother, Rumple and the children had with the spirits and the siblings played them back for the chef to hear. He was impressed by the junior magician's skill.
The Happy Army bears sat in the corner of the dining room, all of them waiting anxiously as their masters and mistresses sampled some of their culinary efforts, hoping they'd done a good job though they were still learning how to help cook.
"Angelo, you really outdid yourself this time," David sighed contentedly and rubbed his chest.
"I had a little help from my apprentices here."
"Well they did an excellent job," Rumple praised.
"Yes they did...even you Duke," Archie told his son's bear. All of them were smiling. They knew they did a good job when the two best cooks in their town were satisfied and couldn't wait to cook again the following night since there was little else for them to do while the families were sightseeing.
Everyone was awake early for their day in Venice. The women were looking forward to taking rides on the gondolas with their husbands and children but when they arrived in the city, there were none available.
"Maybe we should wait til tonight. There should be more available," David suggested.
"And it'll be more romantic," Belle murmured.
"Mama, I'm gonna take Adriana with me...don't wanna scar her for life if you and Papa start making out," Bae laughed. Rumple groaned and shook his head.
Adriana snorted. "Then where'm I gonna go if you and Andi start, huh? For a swim?"
The two teenagers blushed. "Ummm….maybe you should go with Mary then," Andi spoke up.
"I can take the children somewhere while you go for a ride," Mary offered.
"We wanna go on the boats!" cried Neal, leaving no room for argument.
"All right...you can go on the first trip with us then Mommy and Daddy can go on the second ride alone," Snow proposed.
"Okay."
"They better have gelato here or there's gonna be a riot," Bobby grumbled.
"Oh calm down, mate!" Ewan held up his phone. "There are alot of them here."
"You're going on a gondola ride with me first, buster!" Kat threatened with a grin and waved her cooking spoon in her boyfriend's face.
When none of the gondolas returned after a few minutes, they walked to the Piazza San Marco. Maurice pulled his two sons in law aside.
"What's wrong, Moe?" Rumple asked him.
"I have to run an errand and I'm going to need your help with it. One of you needs to keep the girls occupied, the other has to come with me."
"This errand wouldn't involve buying a ring, would it?" Archie asked with a smile.
He nodded. "I hope my girls don't think I'm rushing things a bit but this time I've spent with Penny is the happiest I've been in years."
"I'll handle the girls. Rumple, you'd better go with him. You're the jewelry expert," Archie said to Rumple.
There were many stores in Piazza San Marco including a few jewelry stores, a craft store and clothing stores including a Gucci along with a few cafes. Everyone wanted to do some shopping first for themselves and for their friends back home.
"Where are Papa and Rumple?" Belle asked Archie. While their backs were turned, Moe and Rumple went into the Chopard Boutique to see what rings it had for sale.
"Ummm...Rumple wanted to do a little shopping on his own and your father wanted to tag along," he said quickly. Marie eyed him suspiciously.
"Oh did he?" she demanded and pulled him aside. "What's going on?"
"What makes you think anything's going on, my goddess?"
"Because Papa never tags along with Rumple while he shops because Rumple tends to drive him nuts with how picky he is. Need I remind you how insane he drove you when you first went clothes shopping with him?"
"Well...your father wanted to make some changes to his wardrobe."
Marie sighed. "Poor Papa. He's not going to have an easy time of it."
Archie had more confidence but he didn't press the issue fearing Marie would figure out the truth. Hiding anything from the Bordreaux women was difficult as their husbands discovered when they tried to plan romantic surprises for their wives on birthdays and Valentine's Day.
Everyone was relieved they'd managed to beat the crowds and do their tour in the morning. Angelo warned them the Piazza was crowded most of the day and he, Rumple, Emma, and Regina strengthened the protection spells they cast on the group to keep them safe.
Snow was entranced with the flock of pigeons that seemed to be following them around. Emma conjured her a bag of breadcrumbs so that she, David and Neal could sit down and feed them, knowing how much her mother loved birds. Two of them were content to sit on her shoulders while two others sat on Neal's.
"They like us, Mommy!" he cried.
"They are beautiful….I wonder if they're mates," Snow mused.
"They might be honey," David answered.
"I wanna take 'em home!"
"Neal, honey, we can't…."
"Yeah we can. I want a pet and I don't have one!" he pouted.
"Neal, we'll get you a pet when we get home."
"Daddy, I wanna take these guys home!"
David sighed. His son could be as stubborn as Snow when he put his mind to something and it was not always easy to reason with him.
"We can't and if you keep throwing a tantrum you'll be staring at a wall. Do I make myself clear, Neal Leopold Nolan?"
Neal shuffled his feet and stared at his shoes. "M'sorry Daddy."
"Good. Now say goodbye to them...we have to get going."
Neal bent down. "Don'cha worry, birdies….think I gotta plan on how m'gonna get ya to come home with me."
And his plan required the assistance of the two friends he knew who could communicate with animals better than he could: Adriana and Jonny.
Overnight the street had gotten flooded during the high tide and several frogs were hopping around.
"Hey Roland, you think we're gonna find a mate for Kermit here?" Jason asked his older brother.
"I dunno….but do you really think Mommy and Daddy are gonna let ya keep it?"
"We got to keep Pinkie."
"Yeah that's 'cause he wasn't bein treated right but that mean pink lady and ya know Ellie freaks out every time Kermit goes near her cause she thinks he's gonna give her warts."
"Yeah well Kermit needs a Miss Piggy an' I'm gonna get him one."
"He doesn't have Miss Piggy anymore...her name's Denise. Daddy said so." Roland pointed out.
"Well, if I find a mate for Kermit her name's gonna be Missy, ya know...not Denise!"
Roland shook his head. "Whatever but I still don't think Mommy'll let you keep a stray frog. She'll wanna get you one at a pet shop."
As they were walking a plan was forming in his mind. There was a mate for his frog somewhere in the city and he knew just who to ask about finding one.
"I've never seen so many birds!" Bae exclaimed. "And I'm having terrifying images of that Hitchcock movie in my head!"
"You! I was scared to death of birds for weeks after I saw it!" Becky cried.
"They aren't bothering anybody and they're kinda cute," Andi said when one landed on her shoulder and chirped happily in her ear.
"Tell me that when one o' them shites on ya. Aww man!" Ewan groaned. He felt something warm and wet on his head. The others turned around and laughed when they saw his head and shoulders covered in bird droppings.
"Hey you asked for it, bro!" Bobby chuckled.
"Birds have feelings too you know," Kat added with a giggle.
"Dinna remind me." He grabbed a handful of tissues out of Becky's purse and started cleaning himself up.
"I heard this place gets flooded at night and people have fun in it….the water's almost up to your waist," Henry said to Emma.
"We won't be able to stay too long, Henry. Your sister will need a nap and your dad and I will need one too. Oh I cannot wait till I deliver this kid!"
"Yeah so I can stop peeing like a racehorse!" Jeff whined.
"Mama, there's a library!" Adriana pointed to a building to the west in the Piazza called the Biblioteca Marciana.
"Wonderful! Do you want to go in?"
"Uh-huh!"
"I'd like to go too, Miss Belle," said Grace.
"We'll watch the babies for you," Archie offered. The triplets were in their stroller and wide awake. Little Bobby was anxious to go in the water that still filled the streets but having a difficult time getting his ring off. As their mother started walking away, Victoria and Valora wailed loudly and flailed their arms.
"Mommy, they wanna come too."
"Sweetie I don't think they allow babies in the library," Belle said sadly.
"We can ask."
Grace picked up Victoria while Belle held Valora. "All right, I suppose it won't hurt to ask...but I don't know how we can keep them quiet."
"You'll keep quiet, won't you, dearies?" Adriana asked her siblings. They smirked and nodded their heads slightly as if they understood her. When the group walked into the library, one of the employees stopped them.
"Signora...your babies…."
"I know but I promise you they will be very quiet and won't touch anything," Belle insisted in Italian. "And my other daughter is very well behaved. We just would like to see some of your collection."
"Ummm...I may get in trouble for this...but all right. You can bring them in but please, please, make sure they don't mess anything up!"
"You have my word."
The collection inside the state archives rivaled the one kept by her husband at Belle Reve and all of the volumes had been well preserved despite their age. She enjoyed pulling some of the classic texts off the shelves and reading them in their native language while they studied the beautiful murals on the ceilings that were as lovely as those found in the Sistine Chapel.
"Mommy, lookit that! A frownie moon!" Adriana pointed to the ceiling where there was a marble carving of a crescent moon with crossed arrows beneath it. "Why's it frowning?"
"I don't know honey."
"It should be happy."
"Don't try to change it, please," Belle whispered.
"I just don't like frownies!"
"I know but you would disrespect the artist if you change their work," her mother argued.
"Ooookay," she sighed. "What'cha readin,' Gracie?"
"Just a few books about famous inventors." She was always looking for new inspirations for her projects and her heroes were the inventors of the past. She hoped one day to aspire to the greatness they all achieved and help make their new world a better place. She jotted down some ideas on the notepad program she kept on her phone while she was reading and sent several messages to Major Gru and Doctor Nefario while she was reading. The animated stuffed toys also had cellphones that were magically modified to only give them the ability to talk to the Storybrooke residents.
Belle was grateful that even in an age where digital media was all the rage her library still had a lot of patrons, especially children who loved when she and Snow held Storytime every afternoon at four and she wanted her younger children to appreciate reading actual books as much as she and Rumple still did.
While Belle and the girls were in the library Bae and his friends visited the Markus Art Gallery, featuring glass artwork including reproductions of Venetian goblets, jewelry and even some beaded scarves. Along with oil painting, wood carving and sketching, he was interested in sculpting and the beautiful creations he saw inspired him to make some of his own for family and friends. He bought his mother a set of star shaped glass ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree, little glass aquariums for his siblings, a set of black square glass plates for his father's collection and a blue glass picture frame for Andi.
"This is great work. I'm an artist myself and I would love to do something like this."
"If you're interested in glass art, signore, here is the website address of someone who can help you," one of the employees said and handed him a card while he was ringing up the sale.
"Thank you. I appreciate that."
"And perhaps someday signore we may be able to feature your work here, yes?"
Bae chuckled. "Maybe...when I get the hang of it."
The Hoods were at the Basilica di San Marco, Ellie and Regina were admiring a beautiful mosaic depicting the crucifixion.
"Mommy, why'd they put Him on that cross if He wasn't bad?"
"Because sweetie, it was hard to accept that Christianity was becoming the new religion practiced in many countries. Jesus meant no harm to anyone, he was simply trying to instill faith in those who were still searching for it and inspire them to do great things. If there's one lesson I want you to learn from this it's that I want you to respect all faiths and customs as well as race, age, gender and preference. If more people in this world adopted a policy of tolerance there would be less conflict. Sadly, it took a curse and living in a new world for me to realize this. But that day in St. Peter's I learned that despite the mistakes I made in my life, I was forgiven but that doesn't mean I will ever revert back to the person I was back then. When you're given a second chance after you've made a terrible mistake, you learn from it."
"So after three days he came back?"
"Yes and that is what the holiday Easter is celebrated for. Christmas was the day He was born and that is the true meaning of the holiday."
"So s'not about a bunny and a guy in a red suit and beard?"
"Not really...those traditions are still in place mostly for children but I want you and your brothers to always remember the true meanings of Easter and Christmas especially when you have families of your own. We have holidays like this too in our world, only they're a bit different because we worship many gods as the Romans and Greeks did."
They rejoined the boys and the rest of the group at Doge's Palace in the courtyard where there were two large statues of Mars and Neptune, the entrance known as Giant's Stairway.
"More naked people. Sheesh…" Jonny grumbled. His sister and Kyria started laughing as they went inside. When they walked into the Higher Council Hall it reminded Belle of the Grand Ballroom at Belle Reve and she could see the two of them dancing in their finery to a symphony performed by their enchanted orchestra.
"I just cannot believe how beautiful some of this artwork is," Marie gasped. "Rumple is missing all of this!"
"I'm recording it for him," Henry reminded her.
"I'm sorry we're late, dearies." Rumple said when he joined them.
"Where's your bags if you went shopping?" Belle asked him.
"Oh I ahhh...sent them back to the villa," Rumple lied smoothly and winked at Maurice.
Their shopping trip went better than he expected. They found the ring Maurice wanted at Salvadori called the Miraggi Spiral with a white gold band and an oval cut three carat diamond. Before they rejoined the others they stopped at Gucci to pick the perfect outfit for the evening. Moe planned to propose to Penelope later on that evening during their gondola ride.
Belle and Rumple pulled their husbands aside, giving them a Look.
"All right now what is going on?" Belle demanded. "We'll find out anyway so you might as well tell us."
"Your father's going to ask Penelope to marry him tonight," Archie blurted, never being able to hide anything from Marie when she gave him the Look.
"He is! He is?" Belle cried excitedly.
"Calm down, dearie before you ruin the surprise!" Rumple hissed.
"When?" Marie pressed her husband.
"When they go on their gondola ride."
"Knowing you, you probably picked out a nice suit for him to wear," Belle said to her husband.
His suit was a black wool mohair two button closure with a slim tapered silhouette and soft rounded shoulders, silk lining in the jacket. Used to casual dress after so many years, it was difficult for the florist and former lord to get used to wearing formal clothing again.
"And he was easier to shop for than Archie," Rumple chuckled.
"You forget where I came from."
"We should take Penny shopping. After all, she needs to be dressed for the occasion too," Marie pointed out.
Rumple handed Belle his Black Amex card. "Take her to Gucci. Just tell her….your father wants to take her on a gondola ride and dinner...so she needs to dress for it."
The two women were grinning when they approached their future stepmother. "Penny, why don't you come to Gucci with us and we can do some shopping?"
"I'll keep Kyria with me," Maurice offered.
"You don't mind?"
"Not at all."
"Hey Sella, you know what would be cool...if your grandpa married my grandma and we can be related!" Kyria said to Gisella.
"Yeah that would be neat but where's my grandpa gonna live? Greece or back in Storybrooke?"
"I dunno but it'll still be cool!"
"You girls are up to something. I know you are," Penny accused with a smile when the ladies led her over to the racks with the evening gowns.
"Well...you are going on a gondola ride with Papa and dinner...we thought you might want to dress for the occasion." Belle said as she held up a floor length white silk cady evening gown with a crystal jewel neckline and straps. Penelope took it and held it out in front of her and could even imagine herself wearing it until she glanced at the tag.
"Oh no…" She put it back on the rack. Belle snatched it back.
"This one's on us, honey."
"Belle!"
"I insist. You're going to look beautiful tonight, Penny."
"Hmmm...maybe we should dress up too," Marie murmured, having just the gown in mind for the occasion, unaware that their husbands had the same idea in mind.
Later on that afternoon they visited the Giardini Pubblici. The younger children enjoyed playing on the playground while the adults took a much needed rest from all the walking they did. Rumple summoned blankets from the villa and the fathers spread them out on the grass and Angelo sent them lunch through Mary's magic bag. Fortunately they were in an area of the park where no one would see them using magic and Penelope and Kyria had gotten used to seeing it. Little Bobby finally managed to get his ring off and was content to lay on the blanket in cat form.
"I know we should put it back on but he's so cute like this," Belle murmured, picking him up and placing him on her lap while she stroked his fur.
Smelling food and sensing animal friendly humans close by, a group of stray cats made their way to the park. There had been more of them in the past until the animal protection organization Dingo began sterilizing and relocating them but there were still quite a few lurking around.
Rumple was about to take a bite of his tuna sandwich when a cat jumped onto his lap and bit into it.
"Hey! Get off, cat!"
"Meow!"
"Papa, he's hungry," Adriana said.
"Yes, well, why doesn't he go home and...oh now dinna ye start!" Rumple groaned when another cat tried to eat his sandwich.
"Papa, we have plenty….and he's really hungry. Can't you give him some?" his daughter pleaded, giving him the sad kitty look. Rumple, unable to resist that look, tore off several pieces of his sandwich and threw them down to the cats. Another tried to crawl onto Belle's lap and woke Bobby up then curled up beside him.
"Awww... that kitty wants to play with Bobby."
Rumple pulled a ball of yarn out of his bag and tossed it onto the blanket. "There you go, dearies!"
"Driana, I wanna take some birds home with me but Daddy said I gotta wait til I get home," Neal complained. "They were the ones we saw when we got here."
"And I want the frog I saw." Jason informed her.
Little Bobby was having a wonderful time playing with his new feline friend and some of the other cats were attempting to wheedle handouts out of the rest of the group.
Another cat crawled onto Emma's belly while she was lying down, kneading it with its pawns but being careful not to scratch her.
"Hey you...paws off the hat unless you wanna go to the shelter!" Jeff warned a mischievous cat that had the brim of his hat in its mouth.
"I thought the birds were crazy, where'd all these cats come from?" Robin asked.
"I don't know but they're cute." Regina had a black cat sitting on her lap while she fed it pieces of her apple.
"I'm not a cat person but this guy makes a good massage therapist," Emma murmured.
"Don'cha always say your patients ought get pets so they feel better?" Jonny asked his father.
"Having a pet can help reduce stress and anxiety, yes. Sometimes during the curse Pongo was the only one who could cheer me up after a difficult day."
They spent the rest of the afternoon in the gardens with their new furry friends but when they were getting ready to leave a chorus of mournful meows rang out. Adriana glanced up at her father with sad eyes as did little Bobby who protested when his father changed him back.
"Now, now, dinna give me that look. We can't take them home!"
"But Paaa-ppaaa they're hungry and they don't have a home!" Adriana wailed.
"Better brace yourselves she's gonna blow…" Bae sing songed.
The other children turned to their parents with the same look.
"No, no….Jonny...we can't take any of them home….we already have the crickets, the dogs and the snakes…." Archie reminded his son though he felt terrible for doing it.
"We have the room!" Gisella protested and stomped her foot.
"Mommy, I wanna kitty like that one!" Ellie yelled.
"And I wanna Missy for Kermit!" Jason added.
"Pinkie needs a mate too!" spoke up Roland.
"I want those birdies!" Neal glared at his father.
"And Socks and Major need mates so they can be happy!" Adriana was not giving an inch of leeway, having inherited her father's gift of deal making but Rumple was determined not to let his treasure outwit him….this time.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you are watching Storybrooke's Pet Rescue Americana," Henry narrated.
"Henry I gotta side with them on this." Grace said.
"Yeah, cause Mommy likes the kitty that's givin her a ma...what?"
"Massage, Mags."
"They're not happy here! They don't wanna go to the shelters 'cause it's hard for them to get adopted and some of them KILL animals. They KILL them!" Adriana screamed.
"Rumple, surely we can take one…" Belle proposed. "I can't bear the thought that some of these poor cats will be euthanized if they can't find a home…or die on the streets of starvation...be hit by a vehicle…"
All of the cats chose a human and rubbed their backs against them, purring. "See….they wanna come home with us." Jonny pointed to an orange tabby sitting beside his father.
Little Bobby's hands reached for the kitten he'd been playing with and his sisters were staring at a pair of white Angoras.
"I don't know…" Rumple sighed. "The Pulcinellos are not going to be happy if we have all these stray animals at the villa. They only know of the ones we brought with us."
"We can send 'em to Storybrooke with the portal and the shelter people can take care of 'em til we get back if they can't stay with us!"
"But I can't have all these cats in my house!" Rumple cried.
"She's not suggesting we take all of them Rumple, just one."
"That is exactly what she wants dearie and ye know it!" Rumple threw up his hands. "And ye're encouraging her!"
"Of course I am. You and I both know we can find them good homes in Storybrooke, safe ones!"
All of the parents were deeply conflicted. They sympathized with the cats' plight and were having the urge to take one or two home themselves but suspected taking all of them would cause chaos like the mall incident.
"I don't want a repeat of the mall incident. Bae, would you and your friends watch the kids please while we discuss this," Rumple said to his son. "You lot...over here," he said to the rest of the adults.
"Well Bae, are ya with us on the Kitty Side or the Meanie Side?" Adriana demanded of her brother and his friends.
"I'm on the kitty side," said Kat.
"Umm...I know your heart's in the right place, Rumplette but Papa's right. We can't have all those cats in the house. Can you imagine the smell from the litter boxes…" His face paled at the thought. "And you're too little to be a crazy cat lady!"
"What's a crazy cat lady?"
"That's what they called Mommy's old boss when she worked at the call place. She had a whole family of cats and when she died, she left all her money to them but they got swindled out of it by her mean butler," Gisella explained.
"Ya mean like the Aristocats?" Jonny asked her.
"That's who they were."
"Cool!" Kyria cried. "Where'd they go?"
"I don't know," Gisella answered. "They probably lived in the forest."
"Driana, we gotta help the dogs, frogs and birdies too," Neal reminded her. She smirked.
"That look means one thing. Trouble with a capital T," Andi murmured.
Adriana rubbed her hands together gleefully. "I gotta plan and m'gonna need your help with it Jonny since you can speak to animals better'n I can."
"We can all help! M'not some weak little princess waitin' for a prince to rescue me. I can do stuff!" Ellie protested.
"Okay...he's what we're gonna do…" Adriana gathered everyone into a huddle and they formulated their plan while the parents were in the middle of a debate.
"All right….we'll take home the ones the kids want and call around to see if we can find a no kill shelter in the city," Rumple said. "Are we all in agreement?"
"You know those kids of ours….they might be cooking up a scheme of their own, especially yours and Archie's," said Regina.
"They'll have to get up early to outwit ME, dearie."
Belle and Marie shook their heads having learned that Adriana had gotten the upper hand on her father over Christmas when she recorded him talking in his sleep, bragging that he managed to find the cookware set Belle bought him and pretended to be surprised. She would just let him learn on his own as he always did that it was not easy to outsmart a Bordreaux woman.
Rumple called the car service to tell them they wouldn't be needed and opened a portal back to the villa with only six cats returning with them for now. Jonny sent a message to the others to inform the other animals they knew that if they wanted to go to Storybrooke they were to meet up at Villa Pulcinello that night. The cats raced back into the city, excited at the prospect of finding homes where there was warmth, good food and kind masters and mistresses.
Angelo was stunned to find six new faces at the villa and one of the cats took to him right away. It had been centuries since he'd had a familiar and realized how much he missed it.
"You have a familiar now so you can be happy again," Adriana said while Angelo held his new friend on his lap and petted him. He named his familiar Peter after St. Peter. Regina named the black cat she'd brought with her Ebony, Adriana's intended mate for Socks was named Angel for her white fur and blue eyes. Emma named her cat Patches since it was a calico. Gisella insisted her father name the orange tabby Thomas and Snow's cat was named Stuart after one of the Minions.
Once they got the cats settled in Mary, Angelo and the Scorpions would keep the children entertained by having a movie marathon on the big screen TV in the Pulcinellos' living room.
Belle waited for her husband at the foot of the marble staircase wearing her Princess Diana midnight blue evening gown with silver stars, smiling to herself when she thought back to the night she first wore it. It was the night of the school dance and she felt like a princess on her husband's arm and though the night ended in chaos when a fire nearly destroyed the school, there were many wonderful moments for them during the evening.
"Do I look alright?" Penelope asked nervously while she waited beside her in her gown.
"You look lovely," Marie praised as she approached them in the red satin evening gown she'd worn to the opera on her honeymoon.
Emma came downstairs in an oversized maternity shirt and sweatpants. "I'm not the dress up type…." she mumbled.
"Despite my efforts," Snow sighed. She was wearing a pink strapless gown with a princess skirt and sweetheart neckline.
Regina came downstairs in a black strapless gown with a long slit up the side of her pencil thin skirt.
"How the heck are you gonna be able to SIT in that thing Gina!" Emma exclaimed.
She smirked. "Don't plan on wearing it that long….long enough for the ride…"
The men came downstairs in their tuxedos and matching vests except for Jeff who was following his wife's example and wearing an old T-shirt and pants.
"We're gonna be the hoboes tonight," he said as he put his arm around her.
"Aren't we always."
The couples gathered in a circle in the hallway while Rumple opened the portal, making certain to choose a place where they wouldn't be seen. He reached for Belle's hand and they stepped through followed by the others. They appeared near the Grand Canal, all of them pleased to see that there were enough gondolas available for them.
Rumple handed the gondolier some euros. " Take us on the scenic route, please."
"Of course, Signore!"
They made themselves comfortable on the plush red velvet seat. Belle laid her head on her husband's shoulder while he put his arm around her waist.
"This city is so beautiful at night," she murmured. "It almost makes we wish we had something like this at home, or Belle Reve…"
"Ask and ye shall receive, dearie…" Rumple whispered back, capturing her lips in a sweet kiss. She closed her eyes, still seeing the beauty of the city in her mind and thinking that there was no place she preferred to be at that moment than in the arms of her sorcerer who did not always need to use magic to make her happy. Sometimes all it took was just a look or smile. Never again would he need to hide his light in the shadows.
Yet she also knew that her husband would always do his best to make every dream she ever had come true. Years ago in the castle when she was still his chatelaine she confessed to him her dream of seeing the world. It was dream they waited years to make come true but it didn't matter….they had centuries to live out their dreams.
"Y...You would do that...for me?"
"Mo chori, dinna ye no' know after all these years I'd do anything for ye?"
"As I would for you…" She stroked his cheek tenderly. "And all I ask for in return is your love….given freely, not because you feel obligated to…"
Having lived for centuries under the control of another, Rumple made a vow to himself that once he gained his freedom, he would never allow himself to be controlled again. Love was the reason he'd taken the curse but love had freed him.
"Sometimes I look at you and I still ask myself how you love me…"
"I give you my answer every day, Rumple...but if you still need convincing…" She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him ardently. The gondolier smiled to himself yet he didn't dare interrupt their tender moment. Seeing moments like this was what made him enjoy his job.
"Are you convinced now, darling….?" she purred.
"Mmmm...maybe I need a wee bit more of it…" he teased.
"As you wish…"
They kissed again as the gondolier rowed under the Rialto Bridge, several tourists taking pictures of them on their phone but they barely noticed it. The people on the bridge thought they'd just captured a sweet moment between a May-December couple, not the real Beauty and the Beast who were attempting to spread the true message of the story: that the beast was not always a handsome prince in disguise and everyone deserved to be loved, regardless of age, sex and physical appearance.
"I stare through your shadow
I see something more
Believe there's a light in you
I am sure
And my truth makes you stronger
Do you realize
You awake every morning
With my strength by your side…" Belle sang softly, changing the lyrics to their theme song as her own tribute to her love.
I am not a hero
I am not an angel
I am just a man
Man who's trying to love you
Unlike any other
In your eyes I am…
This world keeps on spinning
Only you still my heart
You're my inspiration
You're my northern star
I don't count my possession
All I call mine
I will give you completely
To the end of all time…."
Unbeknownst to them, the gondolier recorded them on his phone. He'd been a witness to many serenades, most of them making his ears bleed but this couple sang so beautifully together that they belonged on a stage for they were doing something most entertainers had forgotten these days...they sang from their hearts.
"I hope you have a lovely evening," he said when they returned to the dock.
"Gratzie, signore. Buona notte." Rumple said, taking Belle's hand in his and leading her down the street to where the portal was still open. Only their group could see it and access it and it would close when the last couple stepped through it. Once they were standing near the foot of the staircase Rumple gave his wife a come-hither look. "The night doesn't have to end yet, mo chori."
She smiled and took his hand in hers. "Lead the way darling..."
Robin stepped into the gondola and bowed, holding out his hand. "My queen," he murmured.
"You always make me feel like a queen, my outlaw," Regina whispered.
She missed moments like this when they could be alone and though they were not completely alone, she didn't mind. They would be later.
"In the summer we're going to take more rides on the lake," Robin promised her. "Ahh Gina….this has been a great vacation….even if we have had a few hiccups."
She nuzzled his neck. "What's life without a few hiccups….and I wouldn't trade this life for the one I could've had if I had allowed Mother to dictate it forever…"
"She can't hurt you anymore, Gina, and anyone who tries to hurt you is gonna have to get through me first….not to mention our friends." He kissed her softly and pulled her onto his lap. "I just...am not looking forward to going back to the grind but an outlaw's gotta make a living!"
Even though they were a hardworking career couple, Regina and Robin always tried to find time in their busy schedules for each other and their children though their time alone as a couple was more limited to when after the children went to bed or on Saturday nights.
All too soon their ride had come to an end. They bade their gondolier goodnight and walked down the street to where the portal stood open. Regina took her husband's hand in hers and they stepped through to their bedroom at Villa Pulcinello. Regina wrapped her arms around Robin's waist. "Well, my outlaw...will you take me to bed...or risk losing me forever?" she inquired seductively.
He laughed and pulled her down on the bed with him. "Does this answer your question my queen?"
"It does indeed," she murmured.
Snow and David took a brief walk before they returned to the dock to wait for an available gondola.
"This reminds me of our special date night when you took me for our sleigh ride," Snow said dreamily. "We had to wait a bit for our Pearl but we have her now, don't we?"
"We have some great kids...and grandkids," he whispered in her ear. "Not bad for a former shepherd and an outlaw princess. Look at us now….seeing a whole new world."
They sat huddled close together sharing kisses under the moonlit sky, grateful for these few hours they had to themselves admiring the beautiful city they found themselves in.
"Now I know why this is called the 'City of Love'," David remarked, spotting a couple standing on the bridge in each other's arms and chuckled when he recognized them as being their daughter and son-in-law. "Get a room you two!" he yelled up at them.
"Ha ha real funny!" Emma called back. "Why don't you?"
"We will...when we get back!" Snow laughed.
"Oookay then...hurry up! We wanna go for a ride while we're still young!" Jeff teased.
"Friends of yours?" the gondolier asked with a grin.
"You can say that."
Emma and Jeff were waiting for them when they arrived at the dock, both of them tapping their feet impatiently. "'Bout time," Emma scoffed.
"Why didn't you get another gondola?" her mother inquired.
"All taken."
"Don't stay out too late," Snow cautioned with a smile as she and David climbed out of the gondola and started walking back toward the portal.
"Our daughter did suggest we get a room, didn't she?" David asked as he took her hand and led her up the staircase, both of them giggling like teenagers.
The gondolier, seeing that Emma was pregnant, placed a footstool in front of the bench so that she could prop her feet up.
"Ooooh thank you….my feet feel like bricks right now," Emma groaned. Jeff lifted her legs and placed them across his lap then took her shoes off, gently massaging her feet. "Hatter, you make one smart remark about smelly feet and I'll whup ya."
He laughed. "Remember that time in Portland when the Bug broke down and we had to walk to the motel in the rain? Our shoes were squeaking up a storm and when we took 'em off...whew!"
"Yeah but we weren't thinking about that the whole time, were we?" she asked, feeling more relaxed as his hands moved up her feet to her calves. "Better watch it Hatter...don't wanna get arrested for public lewdness…"
"Don't think he'll mind this, will he?" He leaned forward and kissed her.
"No…." She wished they could do more once they were alone but being so close to the end of her pregnancy they knew it was too risky. For now she was content with what few intimacies they could have and drifted off to sleep just before they returned to the dock. After he secured the boat the gondolier handed the sleeping young mother to her husband.
"Buona notte."
"Buona notte….and thanks," Jeff said as he carried Emma back to the portal. She awoke when he laid her down on the bed.
"Damn….some company I was," she moaned.
He lay down beside her and took her in his arms. "Sometimes I just like to watch you sleep, Em."
"After we have this kid, we're gonna make up for all the fun we missed."
"That a promise?"
"Guarantee," she assured him.
Maurice's palms were sweating when it was time for his ride with Penelope. All evening he'd been gathering his courage, trying to find the right words to say to the woman he'd grown to love so deeply almost from the moment they met.
"You look beautiful tonight, Penny," he said softly. "Almost like a goddess…"
"Me? I'm just a professor…" she said modestly.
"You're more than that to me. This time I've spent with you has been the happiest I've been in years…."
She sighed. "But you'll be going home soon…and I don't know if I could handle a long distance relationship..."
"Penny….sweetheart…"
"It's not that I don't love you Maurice...I do...but…." She choked up. "We're from two different worlds...and I don't know how we could make it work."
He rose from the bench and kneeled beside her, difficult to do after having hip surgery and his knees weren't as strong as they used to be but he didn't care. He took her hand in his and gazed into her eyes. "Will you marry me?"
"Maurice…." she whispered.
"I never thought I could love again after I lost Jeanette and Collette but seeing how happy my daughters have been with their husbands….I've wanted that happiness for myself and never thought I'd find it...but I have...with you. We may be from two different worlds and I don't want to go home without you."
"I don't want to go home without you," she sobbed and helped him to his feet. He reached into his pocket and took out the box holding her ring. Her hand was trembling while he placed it on her finger. "Yes, I'll marry you...I'd marry you tonight if you wanted!" she cried and kissed him passionately.
He laughed. "We need to tell the kids first but I suspect my girls already know. Their husbands can't keep secrets from them to save their lives."
"They're probably asleep now. We can tell them and Sandro in the morning."
As it came closer for the time for him to return home, Penelope feared it would be the end of their relationship but now as she gazed at the marvellous diamond ring on her finger she knew that her search for the right man had finally come to an end.
When they returned to the villa Maurice walked her down the hall to her room and took her in his arms for a kiss.
"Stay with me tonight," she pleaded softly.
"Penny….it's been a long time for me…" he confessed.
"It has for me too but you don't know how many nights I lay awake wanting you here with me...but being too afraid to ask."
"You don't need to be afraid to ask anymore, sweetheart."
She took his hand and led him into the bedroom, both of them thinking there could have been no better way to celebrate their new life together.
Like Emma and Jeff, Archie and Marie decided to take a brief walk around first before they went for their own gondola ride, wishing they had visited the city on their first honeymoon.
"Ahh, my last customers for the evening," their gondolier said with a smile when they climbed into the boat.
"You've been very busy tonight," Marie chuckled.
"Oh I don't mind, signora."
Archie put his arm around his wife's shoulders and held her close to him as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"This vacation has been wonderful Archie..." she murmured. "But it's more like a second honeymoon to me…"
"It is our second honeymoon my goddess," he reminded her.
"And you do have your little ways of making me feel like a goddess…Little things…"
"Darling…" He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly. She closed her eyes, replaying some of their most precious moments in her mind….their first meeting, their first kiss….their first wedding day and their second. He'd taken a ruined, broken woman and made her believe in love again because it was not what he saw when he looked at her.
She'd taken an enchanted cricket and made him believe he could have so much more in his life if he was willing to take the chance and the moment he had, he never regretted a single moment of it.
He asked the gondolier to stop near the bridge and let them off.
"Are we going back?"
"Not yet." He took his cellphone out of his pocket and turned up the volume so that Luciano Pavarott's version of Nessun Dorma was playing and held out his hands to her. "Shall we dance, Mrs. Hopper?"
"I'd love to Mr. Hopper," she murmured.
A small crowd gathered, watching the couple dance as skillfully as some of the professionals they saw on TV or the stage but Archie and Marie only had eyes for each other. When the dance was over, Archie bowed to his wife and kissed her hand.
"Brava!" another couple praised when they approached them. "Are you professional dancers?"
"No...we're on our second honeymoon," Marie murmured.
"Well you both dance so well we thought you were professionals."
"Oh my husband is one...a psychologist but who says a psychologist can't be a great dancer."
"If they all dance and act like him, I'd want to be on his couch," another woman said, leering at him. Archie flushed scarlet.
"You can look all you want honey but you can't touch. He's mine."
"Well..ahhh...we'll be leaving now...buona notte!" Archie said quickly and led Marie away before she carved the woman's eyes out.
The moment they stepped through the portal Marie jumped into his arms, nearly knocking them both over.
"Marie...what…?" he gasped.
"She may be able to just look...but I get the right to look...and touch…" she moaned.
He grinned.
"Well then, my goddess...why don't we call it a day?" he asked.
"You don't need to ask me twice…"
Later on that night a large group of animals arrived at Villa Pulcinello, including a major portion of the cat population in Venice. They perched themselves on the trees, the windowsills and a few of them were even daring enough to climb through the windows since a few of them had been left open to let in the cool overnight breeze.
Jeff got out of bed in a desperate need to use the bathroom and while he was walking past the window he screamed in hysteria and nearly tripped over his shoes on the floor when he saw a pair of glowing eyes reflected in the glass.
"Holy shit! Ches!?"
"Jeff...quit makin all that racket...m'tryin to sleep!" Emma grouched.
"Honey….that freakin cat is HAUNTING ME!"
"What cat?'
"The Cheshire Cat...hello! Cat with a head and no body. Yeah he's real and that fleabag was always trying trying to rattle me. Okay smartass, you had your fun now git!"
Emma turned on the lamp and sat up. "Jeff, you idiot...it's just a regular ole alley cat but what the heck's it doin here?"
"Oh I know what it's doin here!" Jeff pulled on his robe and stormed out of the bedroom in search of a certain sorcerer.
At first Bae, Ewan, and Bobby thought they'd left the TV on when they started hearing a chorus of cats meowing outside their window. Bae got up and turned on the light to see a group of them sitting on the windowsill scratching at the glass.
"What the hell, bro?" Bobby asked him. He glanced over at the other window. "There's some over there too!"
"Awww shite!" Ewan jumped out of bed with a kitten attached to the leg of his pajama pants. "Git off! How'd ye git in here anyway?"
"Rumplette's got some 'splainin to do.." Bae sang and the three boys left the bedroom, Ewan hopping around like a rabbit trying to shake off the kitten that was still clinging to his pantleg.
David awoke hearing tapping on the window and turned over to see several birds pecking at the glass. "Snow….Snow...SNOW!"
"Whaaaaa…" she moaned sleepily.
"The birds….they're attacking like in that crazy movie!"
"You've having a nightmare...go back to sleep."
"Does THAT look like a nightmare to you?" he demanded, sitting her up and turning on the light.
"Oh my God….and are those...cats?" She pointed to a group of cats sitting on the windowsill staring in at them.
"I don't know what the hell is going on around here but I'm gonna find out!" David grumbled and crawled out of bed. "RUMPLE! GET THE HELL UP MAN! WE'RE BEING INVADED!" he shouted.
Regina was having a lovely dream that she was not quite ready to wake up from when she heard shouting in the hall and ready to let the Evil Queen out to play on a certain prince until she looked on her vanity and saw a group of cats admiring themselves in her mirror, her new cat Ebony among them.
"What on earth...how...how did you all get in here?" she cried.
"Gina, hon...what is it?"
"What is it? What is it?! Ebony decided to invite her friends over for a little party!"
"Huh?" Robin rolled over and started laughing. "Oh my God...look at that…!"
Regina accidently left a tube of lipstick open and now there was a set of red pawprints all over the mirror, the table and the white rug.
"It's not funny!" She waved her hand and the pawprints vanished. "You're lucky I have magic and maybe not because I would have turned you all into maids to clean this mess up!"
"What are they all doing here?"
"I don't know but ahhhh!" Regina screamed when something green leaped at her. She looked down to see a frog at her feet that she knew didn't belong to her son. "I would bet my palace our children had something to do with it!"
While they were walking toward their childrens' room a white poodle breezed past them and nearly made Robin trip.
In the Hoppers' bedroom their cat Tom happily escorted his mate and their three kittens up onto the bed to meet their new master and mistress. Tom plopped down on the pillow above Archie's head while his mate took half of Marie's pillow for her bed and the kittens crawled under the covers.
"Archie….there's something in the bed…." Marie whispered, shaking his shoulder to rouse him.
"One of the kids havin' a nightmare darling…" he murmured sleepily and closed his eyes to go back to sleep.
"MEEEEOOOWWWW!"
Tom's loud screech woke both of the Hoppers up. "What the…? Tom, what are doing in here? You're supposed to be in Sella's room."
"And who are you?" Marie asked, picking up the cat on her pillow and holding it up. Tom crawled out of his warm bed on Archie's pillow and clawed at the cover as three tiny voices cried out beneath it. Archie lifted it up to find three kittens laying by their feet.
"Tom….is this your family?" he asked.
"Meow." He nuzzled the kittens affectionately.
"Oh my God...Archie….we were going to take him away from his family! We can't do that!" Marie cried.
He eyed her quizzically. "Does this mean I'm not gonna get a couch banishment if I suggest we take them all home?"
She glanced down at the kittens then back at the two adults. "I would never forgive myself if we didn't take them all home."
Archie chuckled. "Well since the kids named this one Tom...we may as well name them all after the Aristocats."
After examining each of the kittens to determine their sex, Marie picked them up and placed them on her lap. "Okay...Duchess, Berliotz, Toulouse and Marie….welcome to the family." The cats even resembled their famous cartoon counterparts.
"This bed's gonna be a bit crowded," Archie sighed.
"Just for tonight but then they can sleep in Sella's room from now on."
They lay back down to sleep while their new pets made their bed by their feet.
"...RUMPLE! GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP MAN. WE'RE BEING INVADED."
"And I'm gonna turn that damned prince into a sheep!" Rumple grumbled while he and Belle crawled out of bed to see what the fuss was all about. They quickly got their answer when they discovered a group of cats in their room and several of them were playing with one of Rumple's ties.
"Oh no ye don't ye flea infested furballs! Gimme that back, now!" He leaned down and tried to grab the tie back and another cat jumped onto his ankle and scratched him. "OWWWW! Belle, git it off!"
Before Belle could come to her husband's aid a female with plush gray fur, white feet and chest with a crescent moon on her face bit the tail of the other cat and forced it to release its grip on Rumple's ankle.
Back off you rabid son of a mange...this human is mine! Rumple heard in his head. He turned around to see the cat that had spoken hissing at the others, wearing a golden collar with the word "Magic" written in Latin.
As for the rest of you...the humans in this house are under MY protection. You harm them and I will skin you in more ways than you can imagine!
The other cats backed away in terror.
Well well, where did you come from, dearie? Rumple asked her.
I was sent to you by the gods, Master. You are a powerful sorcerer, the most powerful one I have ever encountered yet you do not have a familiar. Every sorcerer needs a familiar to help him.
"Rumple….it's like she's...protecting you…" Belle whispered.
"As a familiar would, mo chroi."
Indeed, my master. She lowered her head and gently licked the scratches on Rumple's ankle. Seconds later they vanished.
"And a powerful beastie…" He reached out with his senses to assess his new familiar's skills, impressed with what he was seeing. "She can restore a portion of a mage's energy simply by petting her and we've already seen she has the healing gift. Oh….ye've got the Roar of the Temple Cats of Bast and Vesta!" he giggled. "Ye'll be shocking the pants off anyone with that, dearie!"
Just stunning them but you understand. My other gifts and knowledge I shall reveal when needed.
Fair enough.
Now then...your daughter has made a request that some of the animals of Venice come home with you and that is why we're all here. Some of them are a bit...rough around the edges but a good home and a good human is what they need.
Are you suggesting we take them ALL home?
I am. And do not be angry with the children. Their hearts are in the right place...and they could only have learned such compassion from the ones who sired them.
Just then, the door to the bedroom flew open and Robin, Jeff, Bae and Regina walked in.
"Papa, Rumplette's done it again!" Bae sighed.
"She had a little help," he said and held up Magic.
Regina gazed at the cat in shock. "She's a true familiar, Rumple….how did you find her?"
"Actually, she found me."
"Don't tell me we're gonna take all these animals home!" David groaned.
Well Rumplestiltskin, do we have a deal?
"We are," Rumple replied to both questions. "Can any of you honestly tell me you'd be able to go home and not think about what could happen to them if we left them here? I tried not to...and I can't...and where do you think our kids got it from? We've already bonded with some of them...the others we can let people in the town see them and decide. Not so long ago, many of us were in their situation...searching for a place to call home or wondering where their next meal was coming from. They have as much of a right to a good life as we do."
Humans do not choose us. We choose them, Magic corrected.
"Well...what're we gonna do with them in the meantime?" David asked.
"What any sensible person would do….feed them, house them...but most of all love them," Belle advised.
"The Pulcinellos aren't gonna like this…" Ewan groaned.
Gennie will be pleased that her friends have returned. She's missed us since Nutch became ill.
"Magic assures me that won't be a problem and a familiar always speaks the truth to its mage."
Humans and animals returned to their beds for the night and in Rumple and Belle's room Magic jumped up onto the bed and curled up against her sorcerer's arm with her paws tucked under her purring softly.
We have chosen wisely, she thought and drifted off to sleep.
Authors Notes: This chapter is dedicated to our beloved cats the real Magic and Lucky.