True Love's Proof

Chapter Two

Happy endings never came after the first few chapters of the book, Belle knew this better than anyone. Most of the girls in her father's court spent their time refining their manners, honing their sewing skills and spent hours coiffing their hair and polishing their skin. She could always be found in a wrinkled dress, hair hastily and half-way pulled back and her unpolished nose in a book. She learned from those countless books that the happy endings always came after hundreds of pages filled with countless trials and obstacles.

She held onto the hope that reality would work the same way. Her life was nothing more than the "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale out of Henry's book. She had to have a happy ending but only after she had endured through those hundreds of pages of trials. She wondered how far she still had to go until her Beast turned back into a man so they could start their ever after. Surely after almost thirty years of being locked up put her close to the end of their story, closer to their happy ending.

She locked the door to her apartment, tucked her books under her arm and started the five block walk to Storybrooke High School. After Rumplestiltskin had brought magic back to Storybrooke and had taken a certain measure of delight in that feat, she had decided to strike out on her own. He had told her once that his power meant more to him than her and she called him a liar for it. She still believed it to be a lie but that didn't mean he wasn't addicted to the power and she refused to live with the addiction.

So while she waited for Rumplestiltskin to complete whatever mission he had set before him where magic was necessary, she decided to experience her independence. She couldn't see the world, not yet at least, but she could do the brave thing here and support herself. She enjoyed the freedom, after so many years of being a prisoner, to come and go as she pleased. To work hard, pay bills and only answer to herself. But the loneliness of having her true love across town tainted her happiness and it was a current state she hoped wouldn't continue for much longer.

"Belle! I'm so glad I caught you."

Snow White crossed the playground where students were milling around and heading into the building. Snow was one of the few people in town who actually treated her as a friend. Being the true love of Rumplestiltskin didn't exactly endear her to the townspeople. "What's going on?"

"There's a new physics teacher that showed up today and I wanted to warn you before you saw him."

"What happened to Mr. Allen?"

"Apparently, on his way home from work yesterday, his brakes failed on his car. He's in the hospital, pretty banged up and has a broken leg. He'll recover but he won't return to work until next year."

"How terrible. Who is the substitute then?"

Snow gave her a very serious look. "He says his name is Dr. Nicholas Rush. Emma picked him up on the outskirts of town two nights ago. He doesn't have a record and is more than qualified to teach the class."

"So why warn me about him?"

Snow leaned forward and whispered. "He looks like Rumplestiltskin except he has a beard and glasses."

She knew that Snow was taking this very seriously but Belle couldn't help but laugh. "So they look similar."

"They look identical." Snow motioned towards the building and Belle immediately looked to the second floor where the science classrooms were located.

Belle felt her books slip out of her fingers, barely registering the sound of the them hitting the ground. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the man peering down at them from the window. Snow was right, he was a carbon copy of Rumplestiltskin. She barely registered the beard and glasses, all she could stare at were his eyes.

Snow had picked up Belle's books and was watching her closely. "Belle?"

"Are you sure it's not Rumplestiltskin?"

Snow frowned. "Yes. I double checked with Emma, Henry and even Red."

"Where did he come from?"

At this, Snow actually managed a smile. "Henry says he came from outer space."

That statement was enough to snap Belle's eyes back to her friend and she retrieved her books. "Outer space? As in, another planet?"

"No, a spacecraft. Henry said he was Scottish actually."

"Of course he is." The bell rang signaling they only had three minutes before their first class started. "Thank you for the warning, Snow."

"Let me know how it goes up there. Emma and James are on stand by just in case."

Belle nodded to her friend and hurried into the building. Her literature class just happened to be next to the physics room so this would be very interesting indeed. By the time she passed his room, he was already calling the rowdy bunch to order. She tried not to be distracted by the brogue that she had missed so much.

This was more than just a coincidence and it looked like she would have to pay a visit to the pawnshop to find out what was really going on with this Dr. Rush.

She remembered the first time she stepped into the shop, no memory whatsoever of who she was or even where she was for that matter. She enjoyed coming here, it was the closest thing in Storybrooke that felt like home to her. She recognized so many things that were from the Dark Castle and longed for those six months of her life to return.

"Belle."

She can't help but smile at how he says her name. "Rum."

He left the cane by the register, he doesn't need it now and only uses it for show, and embraced her. She folded easily against him, thankful to feel his hands on her, reminding her that no matter what, he loves her. But despite his warmth and strength around her, she had to remember not to kiss him when he released her. It was just another reason why they couldn't inhabit the same home.

His curse was still lurking under his skin and he voiced the concern of not wanting it broken just yet. Even though he assured her he would allow her to break his spell as soon as his son was found and the Storybrooke curse was broken completely, he still wanted to hold onto his power until that time. It pained her to no end but she held to the promise of her happy ending nevertheless. It was the waiting that was difficult, to have your true love but not be with them.

He pulled back from her, running his hand over her face in place of a kiss. "What brings you in here?"

She gave him a knowing smile. "I think you know."

At least he has the decency to look slightly abashed. "The physics teacher, Dr. Rush."

"Who is he, Rum?"

"Just another person trapped with the rest of us."

She had a theory. A far fetched theory, but right now nothing seemed far fetched anymore. "You said magic doesn't work reliably here because magic was never suppose to be here. Is it possible that when magic finally settled, it..." and her words failed her.

"Split me?" he finished. "The cursed one and the man?"

"Yes." She choked on the word.

He considered for a moment. "Possibly."

Belle's breath hitched in her throat.

"But not likely."

She released the breath and tried to looked to stern. "Rum."

"I'm sorry. No, Dr. Rush is quite different from myself."

"You've met him? Spoken to him?"

"Oh yes," he gave her a pleased smile. "We had a lovely chat yesterday afternoon over tea."

Belle returned the smile. "Lovely chat, I'm sure. You should have heard him yelling at his students today. I had half a mind to interrupt and box his ears."

Rumplestiltskin laughs. "Call me beforehand if you do."

"You weren't laughing when I did it to you."

His laugh diminished but he reached out for her hand anyway. "I did deserve it."

Belle rubbed her thumb over his knuckles and remembered what had brought her to that degree of anger. She had only been in the Dark Castle for two weeks. He had handed out scraps of kindness, like a nice room and bearable company. He even choked down her attempts of cooking meals with nothing more than a grimace. But the one thing that they did argue about were the pair of wooden puppets.

She told him one afternoon while he was spinning that she just couldn't bring herself to dust the things anymore. They frightened her too badly. He had teased her in his reluctant biting fashion, as if he was trying to be mean but couldn't quite manage it. She told him that they felt alive, like they were watching her. He made a quip about that being entirely possible and the horror of someone being reduced to an inanimate object was too much for her to take, she clapped her hands against his ears before she could stop herself.

They stood there staring at each other in abject horror for half an hour, her fearing she was going to end up a puppet herself while he had just kept his ears covered with his own hands. It wasn't until the clock chimed and started them moving once more. She apologized and offered to bring them tea. He nodded mildly and went back to spinning. Later on, over the rim of a chipped cup, he promised to dust the puppets himself.

"Do you still have those awful things?" she asked.

"If I did, I'm not telling you."

Belle gave him a solid nod. "At least you've learned your lesson."

The bell over the door rang and Belle turned to see Dr. Rush stepping through the door. Once he caught sight of the two of them, their hands entwined on the counter, he started to turn back towards the street. Belle was surprised when Rumplestiltskin called him back.

"Ah, Dr. Rush, I want you to meet someone, if you haven't already." He motioned to Belle. "This is Miss Belle French."

The man looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in front of her but shook her hand regardless. "Nick."

Up close, she noticed the differences in their faces, however slight they were. Nick's eyes were a shade darker than Rumplestiltskin's, his hair threaded with slightly more gray. "Belle."

"You teach in the classroom next to mine."

Belle straightened her back and gave him her best serious look that she usually reserved for out of hand students. "Yes, I was having difficulty keeping my students on task today on account of your yelling."

The man's unease quickly melted into defensiveness. "I wouldn't have to yell at them if they would just focus."

"Perhaps they would have a better chance of concentrating if you didn't yell at them."

"They're seventeen years old, concentrating on schoolwork shouldn't be a skill they're still developing."

"They're children!"

"They're practically adults!"

Rumplestiltskin coughed, though Belle heard a slight laugh behind it. "I was going to invite you both over for dinner tonight but if you two can't play nicely..."

Belle bit her lip. She had let her bearing slip, something that had been trained into her at a young age. She was a princess, she must behave like one. Or at least give it a solid try. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

The poor man looked as if she really had just boxed his ears, eyes wide and slack jawed. "Quite alright. I'll try not to yell tomorrow."

"I'll think you'll succeed," Belle smiled. "Tomorrow is Saturday."

His laugh was short and still uneasy. "Small victories then."

"Belle can meet you at Granny's and bring you to my place around 7?"

Belle gave Rumplestiltskin a hard look. He was up to something, she could see it in his posture, his eyes. He was normally overly protective of her, not wanting her in the company of others, particularly of the male persuasion.

"I'm sure I can find it on my own," Nick offered.

"No, that's fine." Belle answered. "I'll be at Granny's around 6:45." She wasn't sure what Rumplestiltskin was trying to do, but ultimately, she trusted him. Whenever they had a moment alone again, she was certain he would tell her. He promised to protect her and he always kept his promises.

Belle opted to drive instead of walk, so the time that she and Dr. Rush spent together was minimal. Less chance of a fight breaking out between them again though Belle determined to hold her temper. They barely said two words to each other in the car and they successfully arrived at the sprawling Victorian with no feathers ruffled.

"It's pink," Nick commented as they made their way up the sidewalk.

"It's salmon," Belle corrected mildly. "Don't say 'pink' in front of him unless you want to listen to an hour of the finer points of color shades."

"Salmon it is."

Their dinner was filled with questions about where Nick had come from and his experiences on board the spacecraft and various planets. Belle had to admit feeling a pang of jealousy. She always wanted to see the world but never thought about seeing other worlds. It held a certain appeal but she realized once the barriers came down around Storybrooke, the world she found herself in would be large enough to explore. And hopefully, she would have her true love with her to do the exploring. Perhaps even his son.

However, after dessert, the mood seemed to shift from easy conversation to heavy unease. So much so, Nick excused himself and opted to walk back to Granny's. Belle offered to drive him but he politely declined and took his leave with thanks for the meal. They had made it through the entire evening without one harsh word between them and it left her feeling hopeful that they could conduct themselves politely. Perhaps he wouldn't yell at his students come Monday either.

"I wouldn't count on it."

Belle folded her napkin and dropped it on the table. "Wouldn't count on what?"

Rumplestiltskin just smiled. "He'll be shouting at his student's within the first ten minutes of his class on Monday."

"Perhaps you should warn him and his ears."

"I will, have no doubt."

Belle watched as the smile faded from his face, a touch of sadness replacing the good humor. The heavy feeling returned and she finally recognized it. When she concentrated enough, magic acted as a weather vane for Rumplestiltskin, twisting with his shifting moods. She reached out and took his hand. "What is it?"

"You're not happy."

A nervousness bubbled up and settled behind her rib cage. "We all are living in a curse, Rum. No one is happy right now."

"I don't care about everyone else's happiness but I do care about yours."

The nervousness fluttered into hope. He was tired of their living arrangements, weary of the distance between them. He was going to ask her to come back, damn his own curse and they could truly be together. Here was her happy ending, finally.

But his lips were pressed together in a thin, straight line and he wouldn't raise his eyes to hers. "I want you to be happy, enjoy your life. God knows you've had enough of it taken from you."

Her hope shattered into a million pieces. It was the dungeon all over again. He was letting her go for a third time and the hurt, betrayal and anger overtook her. "You promised to protect me."

He sat back in the chair, all business now. "Believe me, dearie, I am."

"By letting me go? Again?" Tears sprang to her eyes but she refused to let them fall. "How can you still be a coward after everything that has happened to us?"

His cheek twitched as the word coward but he held his tongue.

Belle stood, smoothed her skirt and knotted her shaking fingers together. "You do realize that if you continue to send me away, I may just stay gone one of these times."

"I'm well aware of that."

She noticed how he seemed to choke on those words. "Why are you doing this? Why do you keep pushing me away?"

"To protect you."

"From what? What we have is true love!"

"It's not going to end well, Belle."

And then she understands. There were times at the Dark Castle when he would sequester himself, asking for her to go someplace on the other side of the fortress and just quietly read so he could concentrate on whatever the future decided to show him. "What did you see?"

He smiles sadly. "You'll get your happy ending, just not the way you think."

"So why do you need to push me away?"

"Because I promised to protect you and this is the best way that I can do that."

"You really don't understand the whole love thing do you?"

He stood up from the table slowly but with purpose. "I understand it enough to know I love you and want to ensure your happiness. I've lived long enough to value the joy that is found at the end of the ordeal and not sacrifice it for temporary happiness in the present."

"But-"

"Someday you'll understand." His smooth palm slid across her cheek, his thumb tracing her cheekbone. "Good bye, Belle."

She waited until he had disappeared into the recesses of the large house before letting her tears fall. She grabbed her purse and caught sight of the china cabinet in the corner of the room. The last time she had stormed out of his home she told him that all he would have was an empty heart and a chipped cup. Before she could talk herself out of it, she opened the cabinet and swiped the cup with the chipped rim.

She wouldn't leave empty handed this time.