Rating: PG-13

Note: The language gets a bit salter in places, since twin Lacey makes an appearance. This story has become a bit more serious turn. A happy loving ending will happen, I promise.

Every time I edit this, I add more, so I need to edit it again. It just gets longer and longer. I hope it is smooth and there aren't too many errors. I've gone over everything, this time only re-reading the new additions. Hopefully I didn't miss anything.

Enjoy

Ch 2 - Bits And Pieces Mixed And Shaken (AKA Mr. Gold's Magic)

By Latte

Heavy rain hit the small town not long after Dove left Belle at her apartment door. The storm brought with it colder temperatures and sleet by early morning. There were large gray clouds that promised snow, but never delivered. According to the reports, there was a low-pressure front headed down from Northern Canada that was stalled north and east of Maine. Instead of dumping its fury on Quebec City and Montreal it was waiting patiently to strike Storybrooke.

Belle's small apartment above the library smelled of cookies, cakes and pies. She'd been baking every night after work to fill the orders for her pastries.

When growing up, all of her time had been devoted to studies and working at Game of Thorns. She hadn't discovered she had a flare for baking until her freshman year in college. It relaxed her when life in the city became too much to bear. Best of all it gave her a source of income other than her scholarship and grants.

The money she'd carefully saved allowed her to spend the last year of her Master's program doing an internship at The British Library in London, while she completed her thesis. The library was the largest in the world by items catalogued. Belle worked hard, but she also carved out time for travel. Who knew when, if ever, she'd make it back to Europe.

The Brit Rail system allowed her to take daytrip all over England. She made friends quickly at work and soon Belle and her group explored further afield. They hiked in the Pyrenees, spent four days in Paris, three of them devoted exclusively to the Louvre, bicycled in Provence, and took a quick trip to northern Italy. Her friends convinced her to extended her stay so she could join them to hike The Highland Way. She'd been avoiding Scotland for obvious reasons, but her three traveling companions from the library were going and didn't want to leave her behind.

After weeks of saying no, Belle finally gave in. She joined them on the ninety-six mile trail. They started north of Glasgow and ended up at Fort William in The Highlands. There were bed and breakfasts scatter along the route. Her hiking party had reservations for each night. After a long day of hiking, all four of them looked forward to hot food, warm baths, and comfortable beds.

It was the trip to Scotland that changed things for Belle. She had received two job offers and had been leaning toward the position with Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. The job was interesting and she would be on the same side of the country as her sister, who was in Los Angeles and showed no desire to budge.

Her second offer was from the town of Storybrooke. It had exciting challenges, though it lacked the ease for scholastic advancement of the first. Her dad still lived and worked in the small town and despite their estrangement, she wanted to put the anger behind them. Moe French was not a young man and according to letters from Ruby, was having health problems.

Then there was Ian Gold-" Her thoughts came to a screeching halt. It was like that old fairy tale; if she said his name three times he would appear, and suddenly he did, but not in the flesh. Everywhere she went she couldn't stop thinking about him. That must be her punishment for deliberately bringing him to mind.

By the end of her second day in Scotland, she realized she was cooked. There was beautiful scenery and interesting architecture but all day his face had slipped through her thoughts. "Damn you, Gold," she muttered at one point.

She knew it was impossible, but every step along the trail, she wondered if he had traveled that same path, drank at the same pub, or breathed the same air. She ground her teeth in disgust. She was acting like Ruby with a sixth grade crush.

Belle had always prided herself on making her own decisions and she realized the main attraction of the position at Lewis and Clark was that it was approximately twenty-two hundred miles from the two men who had created the most havoc in her life. Her dad could almost be excused. He was her father and teens were supposed to have problems with their parents. But Mr. Gold was a whole other matter. This obsession of hers was giving the pawnbroker too much power over her. It had to stop. She needed to reclaim her life and in order to do that; she needed to face him. She also needed to come to terms with whatever could be salvaged in her relationship with her dad.

That night in the privacy of her room at the bed and breakfast, she emailed Mayor Regina Mills accepting the job of head librarian at Storybrooke Public Library. The salary wasn't as high as the one in Portland, but an apartment was part of her compensation, and the cost of living was far less, so she came out ahead.

The job would be what she made of it, since the library had been closed for years. It was an exciting opportunity to create something from nothing. Regina had outlined the budget and assured her repairs were well under way. Belle French went to bed content that she was taking a major step toward gaining closure with the two men who meant the most in her life. She had the rest of her hike to look forward to, hopefully no longer haunted by Ian Gold. She would deal with him and her father in her own good time.

It wasn't until two months later when, she was sitting in the Mayor's office, to sign her contract that Belle discovered they were asking for a five years commitment. Her lips curled unhappily. It was an item that Madam Mayor stated was non-negotiable. The town wanted someone who would get the library up and running and guide it through its early years. It made sense, but it was unusual.

She read further and discovered one other issue. She was prohibited from working anywhere except in the library. It wasn't that she had plans for a second job, but it seemed odd that it was placed in her contract.

"Gold wrote this, didn't he?" She asked with a sense of foreboding that she refused to acknowledge. He used to complain that she worked too hard, when it was none of his business.

"Of course, he writes all the contracts for the town." Regina examined her deep red nails and smiled. "Mr. Gold is the only competent attorney who isn't all ready working for us. I can't have our prosecutors or judges writing their own business agreement."

Ian had given her a loophole or two. If she wanted to move on, all she needed to do was wait tables at Granny's once or twice a week, or go to work for her father. It would nullify her deal with the city. Belle glared at him in her mind. The darn man knew just how stubborn she was and how she prided herself on always finishing a job once it was begun. He had given her an out, but was most likely sure she'd never use it - the bastard.

The wording on her work restrictions bothered her. It stated she could only work 'in the library' and since her apartment was 'in the library', she could do whatever she pleased. She would have expected Ian Gold to be clear and concise. If the intent was to have her work only as the town librarian, it should have said just that.

Belle read through the agreement one more time, with her pen poised above the paper. She kept sticking on the odd wording of her work restriction. It made her wonder if he knew about her side business at Boston University. But no, that was too absurd. She was being paranoid and giving him too much credit.

The important issue was that if she decided to revive her small baking business, there was nothing in her contract to prevent her. Screw the sneaky bastard she thought as she took a deep breath and signed the document.

She had been home from school a week when her friends Ashley and Thomas became engaged. Ash was pregnant, so they were on more of a budget than most young couples. Belle offered to bake their wedding cake as her gift. From there, each month more and more people where requesting her deserts and candies. This Thanksgiving, she'd been in such demand, that she'd had to turn down orders. It looked like Belle's Baked Goods were as popular in Storybrooke as they had been at Boston University.

Belle wrapped her hands around a warm cup of tea and relaxed on her window seat. She was finally through. It was Tuesday night before Thanksgiving and her last batch of cookies was cooling on the racks. She sighed and stretched tired arm and back muscles. It had been a quiet few days at the library, but she'd used the time to make changes to the adult mystery section and shelve five boxes of new books. Tomorrow she closed at noon and wouldn't open until Monday.

From her perch above Main Street, the librarian watched people completing last minute errands. Dove was leaving the pawnshop down the street. Quickly dialing his number she waited as he reached into the pocket of his large overcoat to pull out the phone.

"Hello, Miss Belle."

"Hey, Simon, I know I can't use my fireplace until Leroy cleans out the chimney and that won't be until Monday, but would it be alright to light some candles on the hearth. I promise not to spill any wax."

"That won't be a problem, Miss." He looked up at her window seeing her silhouetted above him. "Should make it look real nice."

"Not as pretty as a real fire, but much safer." She smiled. Since the temperature had dropped Sunday night, she was itching to use her first fireplace. Dove had promised to teach her what she needed to know.

"I've been invited to Thanksgiving Dinner with Ruby and Mrs. Lucas. Will I see you there?" He was hoping she would. Having Miss French at the meal would make it feel a bit less like 'meeting the family', though he'd known Anne Lucas most of his life.

"Not this year. Lacey will be home for a few days." She was thrilled Lace was coming home. Her twin had returned to Storybrooke for their dad's funeral, but had been in town less than twenty-four hours.

"Ahhh so it will be Double Trouble roaming the streets of Storybrooke for the weekend."

Belle laughed at old memories. "No one has called us that since we were nine." Between Belle's curiosity and Lacey's refusal to accept boundaries, they had been a handful for their widowed father. The summer they earned that reputation they had climbed the tallest trees and became stuck. Were lost in the mines under the town on three separate occasions. But their favorite prank, the one that almost got them in real trouble was stealing apples from the Mayor's special tree. When Ms. Mills finally caught them, the situation had been a life-changer for Belle, unfortunately Lacey only laughed and stuck out her tongue.

Mr. Gold's Antiques and Pawnshop didn't do much business the days before the holiday, but he hadn't expected to. With few exceptions his customers were the occasional desperate soul or tourist. He spent his time at the store going over accounts and carefully taking apart a particularly complicated, but fine antique pocket watch. He was determined to repair the timepiece.

His life had improved greatly during the last year. It started when his ex-wife remarried. Though he hadn't seen her in years, they'd had a child together and the custody agreement was the bane of his life.

Milah's second husband made her truly happy, and had the added bonus of having a job that required he travel most of the year. Ian's ex finally acquiesced and allowed their son to return to Storybrooke, so she could join her new husband in exotic places. It had taken a complicated legal dance between the divorced couple's attorneys to hammer out an agreement. But Bailey Neal Gold now spent most of the year with his dad. He visited his mom during July and August. Just thinking about the complete reversal in custody arrangements made the usually frosty pawnbroker smile.

One other factor added to Ian's pleasure. Belle French had finally returned to Storybrooke. She'd signed his five-year contract with the town. He needed time to break through the wall of silence that surrounded her since she'd stormed out of his shop in a temper over three years ago.

While she was in Boston and Europe, Gold had kept subtle tabs on her from a distance to be sure she was safe and well. He kept his patience carefully in check, knowing it was necessary for her to come to him. The first hurdle was getting her back in town.

It had taken two years of careful maneuvering on his part and it could still fail, but he'd done all he could. Gold owned the old building in the center of town for a long time. When he discovered that Belle was serious about completing her Masters in Library Science and Communication, he applied for building permits to turn it into condos.

The town council, led by the Mayor, had a screaming fit. When they discovered he was well within his legal rights, they quickly responded by having the structure declared an historical landmark. It was Dr. Hopper who suggested that Storybrooke reopen it for its original use. The school board, and PTA jumped on board. Soon there were fundraisers all over town, but Ian Gold refused to sell. Instead he drew up a contract offering to rent the library to the city for one hundred dollars a month. It was far less than anyone had expected he would charge. When challenged, he reminded them he had custody of his son in the summer and the boy liked to read.

The only glitch in the agreement was Gold demanded that if the library wasn't a going concern five years from the time it opened its doors, it would revert to him, free and clear, to do with what he wished, with the exception of the roof of the building, including the bell tower, which would remain intact to keep its historical charm.

Regina grinned at the structure of the deal, thinking she'd gotten the best of her friendly adversary for a change. Ian hadn't stated that the library earn a profit, which she knew it wouldn't, simply that it be successfully used for the purpose declared by the council. To strengthen her stance as leader of the community, she demanded a lower rent if the city agreed to his stipulation, since it meant they would need to hire a well-educated librarian.

By the time the haggling ended, all of Storybrooke knew that Gold's son was going to be living with him most of the year, so no one was surprised when he gave in and agreed to rent it to the town for half the original request.

While he'd been carefully creating a good option, if Belle chose to come home, Gold had done his best to keep her family safe. All he wanted in return was to never have to see her crack and almost break the way she had when she walked out of his life that late summer morning. It was a conundrum. One day she had been enjoying his kisses and kissing him back, two days later she vanished.

It could never be said Ian liked Moe French and the florist didn't like him, but the town beast had quietly done what he could to be sure her dad didn't drown in debt or Bourbon. Gold exerted discreet pressure here and there, so the older man received help in the shop and with his accounting. The florist's credit was cut off at the underground gaming tables that were popular in some of the bars, and no one in a fifty-mile radius would sell him alcohol. None of it could be traced back to the pawnbroker, but it was his magic at work.

Eighteen months after Belle's hasty departure, and while he was in the midst of negotiations with city council, Lacey French pounded on the side door to his shop. It had been raining so hard he'd planned on spending the night on the cot in the back, so despite the late hour he'd been there. Bae wasn't living with him yet, so there was no reason to further irritate his already throbbing ankle by going out.

He answered the door with his loaded weapon in hand. The girl who hid in the shadows looked like a drowned kitten and so much like her sister he unthinkingly gasped Belle's name. Anger tore through him as she stepped into the light and he saw she was sporting a split lip and her left eye was beginning to swell.

"Nope, sorry Gold, wrong twin." Lace tried to look smug, but it lacked its usual fire. "I need help and you're the only one I know who is powerful enough to pull it off. I can't go to the Sheriff. He's a good man and really tries, but he doesn't understand that some people are inherently evil."

"Who. Hit. You?" Fury and disgust filled each word. Ian had no use for men who used their fists on women. It had been his father's favorite sport. Nothing brought out Ian's darker side faster than an abuser.

"Keith fucking Nottingham, that's who." She spit out the man's name and shook with temper. "I kneed the bastard in the balls or I'd never have gotten away." She began to tremble. The adrenaline rush that had saved her life and gotten her to the one place she perceived to be safe was crashing. "Please Mr. Gold, I've worked hard at the Rabbit Hole, haven't picked up any guys there, stayed away from booze, and gambling since the summer before you helped me get a job there."

"It is apparent that you have made changes in your life." Gold knew exactly how Lacey was doing. He owned the bar. His manager Robin Locksley was under stick orders to keep him informed of everything that went on there. It was one of his shadier businesses and Ian watched it and all of the employees carefully. He was willing the skate close to the line of illegality, but not cross it.

"I'm not like Belle, not sure I even want to be, but I know I don't want to end up like my dad." Her words were edged with panic. She was caught in the middle between a smart, accomplished sister and a father who had given up on life years earlier. "I've been trying to stay out of trouble. Even been going to Al-anon meetings. Never miss a week. Came too damn close to needing AA, like my old man."

"Young lady, you and your sister are identical twins. That means you are the same in many ways. Sometimes it can take one person longer to find their footing than another, that is all." He spoke sternly. "Besides, just because you look alike, there is no reason you can't be unique people."

"No wonder she cares so much about you." Lacey felt hopeful for the first time in a long while.

"Sarcasm will get you no where, dearie." He glared at her.

"I wasn't…" she bit her lower lip wishing she had the nerve to tell him what she'd done, to tell him why Belle was being so stand-offish, but she was fighting for her life. If he threw her out of his shop, Lacey didn't think she'd survive 'til morning. Keith Nottingham was a dangerous enemy.

"Enough," he ordered. Seeing a bleached blonde, beaten version of the woman he'd cared about for longer than he considered decent, was fraying his nerves. "Tell me about the trouble you're in. If it took place at The Rabbit Hole, is Locksley involved?" Gold had given her an old blanket and dimmed the lights, though he kept his pistol handy. It was best no one knew the shop was occupied but be prepared for any unexpected surprises.

"I found drugs stashed under the floorboard of the private poker room at the Hole." She shook her head, sending hair off her face and over her shoulder. "I don't know how long they'd been there, and I really don't think Robin knew about it. He just isn't the type. 'Sides he's away this weekend with Marion, visiting her folks, before the baby comes." She looked into the distance and suppressed a sigh. Everyone was pairing off, but her.

"Go on." Gold nudged.

"I closed tonight. The place was locked and I thought it was cleared. Not sure how Nottingham got past me, but he and his buds had been in there since eight o'clock, coming and going like they do every few night, all private like. They filled out all the paperwork and paid the fee to use the room…it's all on record if it is needed." She knew she was getting off track, but she didn't want him to think she hadn't been doing her job. Lace wasn't sure what Robin owed Gold, but one word from him and she'd been hired. The pawnbroker could as easily have her fired.

"Lacey, just tell me what happened." He relaxed on the high stool behind his glass display case. She sat against the curtain to the backroom on a small red-velvet footstool. "I agree, Locksley is most likely not involved, but he should have noticed something odd was going on. It is Sheriff Nolan's job to follow all the trails."

"No!" She jumped to her feet. "That's why I came to you. If I go to the cops, Nottingham will know it was me. I'm a dead woman."

"Miss French, despite the rumors to the contrary, I am not a gun, or shall we say, cane for hire." He smiled wickedly and rolled his walking stick between the palms of his hands. Once, a tenant had pulled a knife on him, in retaliation to an eviction notice. Gold had given the man a thrashing. Not long after that he'd hired Simon Dove as bodyguard, assistant, and general right-hand- man.

Ian watched her closely searching for any hint she wasn't telling him the truth. "Continue, I need all the facts when I go to David Nolan. I will do my best to keep you out of it, if you are truly out of it. But it is likely Nottingham will know you are the one who turned him in."

"Pa-leeeze." She cried indignantly, looking downs her nose at the man. "I would not get involved with Nottingham and John Prince for all the money in the world."

"Miss. French," he ordered. "If we want these men caught while the evidence is still in their possession, I need the facts now."

She huffed in irritation but he was right. They needed to act quickly. "I was doing the post closing walk-around to be sure Jack Quick, the cleaning guy, had gathered all the barware. One of the floorboards was loose in the private room. It moved when I stepped on it. When I tried to push it back into place, it popped off at one end. The area below was stuffed full with bags of white powder." She pulled out her cell and showed him a picture of what she'd seen.

"Very good," he murmured. "Very good indeed." He took a moment to email the attachment to his phone. Once it arrived he saved the photo. It would to be sent to Nolan shortly. If luck were with them, Storybrooke police wouldn't bother to follow the evidence back to the original picture once they had the drugs in their possession.

"What are you doing with that?" Lacey glared. What if she'd been wrong and she'd trusted the wrong man? She was beginning to think he might own the bar. Most of the real estate in Storybrooke belonged to him and he'd asked some odd questions about Robin.

"I'm just gathering evidence, like any concerned citizen." After disabling her GPS, in case she was being tracked, he gave her back her cell and put his on the counter beside him. "How did you get caught?"

"I don't know." She frowned going over that moment in her head. "One second I was alone, trying to understand what I'd discovered. Then, it was like the air changed and Nottingham grabbed me from behind. He must have been in the Rabbit Hole all the time and I didn't see him. I drove the heel of my shoe into his instep, but he's big and fast. He took a swing and I couldn't get away. When he came in close, I kneed him as hard as I could." She grinned in triumph "He squealed like a girl and hit the floor. I took off running."

Forty-five minutes later Sheriff Nolan and his deputy Graham Hunter raided the Rabbit Hole. Gold as owner, had given his permission for them to search the premises. There was no need to lose time waiting for a warrant.

The law officers found Jack, the man who cleaned the bar, dead in a pool of blood on the floor beside the pool table. He had Nottingham's knife stuck in his chest. They discovered later that his aorta had been severed and his left lung collapsed.

It took some scrambling, but Graham was an excellent tracker. He led David and three quickly deputized men from town, to Prince and Keith's hideout in a cave under the Old Toll Bridge. Shots were exchanged, before the suspects were apprehended and a large stash of drugs was confiscated.

When Gold called the Sheriff, he hadn't mentioned Lacey's name, though he'd forward the picture she'd taken. He stated the information had come from an anonymous tip. No doubt Nolan, like the rest of Storybrooke, would assume Dove had sniffed out a problem at a property that had caught the landlord's interest.

While the raid was being conducted, Gold drove Miss French to the large train station in Heaven, Maine. It had an express to Logan International Airport and was far enough away from home that if she was careful no one would recognize her. He'd purchased her tickets and given her some cash.

Mr. Gold had a business associate in Los Angeles, Mallory Faith. He'd called in a favor, so Mal agreed to help. She would put the girl up and give her a job at her restaurant, The Unicorn. Lacey would be starting at the bottom, bussing tables, but if she was anywhere near as smart or determined as her twin. It wouldn't be long before she'd be earning excellent tips as a member of the wait staff in one of the most expensive dining establishments in Los Angeles.

"Are you sure you don't want to visit your sister and leave later in the week? Public transportation is readily available in Boston." Gold asked as they pulled into the station. "It is easy enough to arrange tickets."

"No, I don't want her to know anything about my messed up life. Treat this like one of your deals. I want your word you won't tell Belle." Lacey insisted.

"Very well." Gold knew he owed her, even if she didn't. There had been a major problem at one of his businesses. The help he was giving her and his silence paid his debt. He reached over and pulled a one-dollar bill out of the stack he'd given her. "This, Miss French, is my legal retainer. All you've told me falls under attorney client privilege and allows me to represent you if the Sheriff has questions. I'm going to have to tell him you are safe, so he doesn't spend the next month digging up the forest looking for your body."

"All right, I've trusted you this far and it wasn't a mistake. I'll continue to do so." She pulled on her jacket and gathered her things. "I'll send back the money, I promise. It may take me a year, but you'll get it back, every penny. And Goldie," she gave him a grin that was pure Lacey. "If you do care about my sister, give her a chance. She's pretty clueless in the ways of men…and…well, things aren't always what they seem." With that she was gone. It was the best she could do for the time being.

On the fifty-mile drive from Heaven to Storybrooke, Ian wondered why he hadn't simply handed the older French twin over to Dove and let the large bodyguard see her safely on her way.

"French twin," he murmured, "That is why." It was a matter that was too close and too personal. The girl may not be Belle, but she was someone Belle loved. It was his job to be sure she was taken care of and he wasn't about to delegate it.

Gold looked down at the watch on his worktable and realized he hadn't done any work in the last half an hour. His mind had been in the past. Unfortunately, he wasn't any further along in the mystery that was Belle French.

TBC