Author's Note: I am so sorry I completely neglected this story. I had a lot on my mind, struggling in my own university and real life just took over. However, I hope I will be able to update more regularly. I am very thankful for your lovely reviews and I apologise for keeping you waiting. Here's a short chapter as I'm warming up for writing some more.
Aidan spent days pretty much daydreaming about Regina. He dreaded that a man of his intellect would daydream, but the fact that she read his books and even more, read his personality thrilled him. And, even though he would be shy to admit it, he thought she flirted with him, barely noticeable.
"No, you old fool. She's nice, that's all", he scolded himself and went on with his day.
It was Saturday, and he and Neal were invited to Gracie's weekly tea party. Aidan looked forward to this. He liked seeing his son happy and for some reason, because he was more sensitive than other children, Neal didn't have a lot of friends. There were a couple from his kindergarten, but Gold felt he was really comfortable only with Grace. He took after him in a lot of ways, and while he prided himself when people would say "like father - like son", he wished he was more sociable like Millah. The only person he could call his friend was Jefferson and even with him he was hesitant to discuss his problems, focusing more on work and sports they both watched.
He hated to admit it, but he was happy to spend some time away from Millah. Since he noticed Regina ("God, how royal does her name sound! And it suits the lovely aristocratic face features she had...ok, stop it now"), he felt as though he cheated every time he looked at his wife. He knew that was ridiculous and that it was the most normal thing to notice a beautiful woman as long as you don't act on that attraction, but he still felt oddly guilty.
Neal was happily jumping down the street, holding his father's hand. Grace was older than him, but she played with him as though they were peers and he loved their visits to Jefferson's house. They were almost there.
Jefferson's house had a white picket fence. Gold never would have thought him for a white picket fence kind of guy, but the outside of the house was very traditional. The inside, however, was filled with Jefferson's trinkets, every bit of it holding either his or his daughter's personality. He turned the entire hallway into Grace's little gallery where they would weekly put here new drawings and poems. Her favorite toys were all over the house. Sometimes, Gold would go to pour himself a cup of coffee and find her toy rabbit bathing in a pot or something like that. But Jefferson didn't mind the mess. In fact, he thrived in it. He was a physicist, very good at his work, who only started teaching university students after his wife died and he decided that long hours in labs and traveling to important conferences were stopping him for being a good father to his little Grace. He never regretted it, although he sometimes missed feeling more important in his field of work. Jefferson still published a lot, his main focus now being the wormholes. Although he made no scientific breakthrough, he was fascinated with the possibility of wormholes being able to alter time flow. Time-travel was the topic he geeked out about, often spending numerous hours discussing it with Gold.
"Come on in", Jefferson happily greeted his friend and Neal.
Neal and Grace hugged and decided right away they wanted to play in the yard, testing one of the new toys Jefferson made for Grace. It was a giant dragonfly controlled by a remote. Jefferson was quite proud that even though he was a theoretical physicist, he had enough engineering skills to make fun stuff for his daughter. And it was good for her, since she always wanted to know how they worked and her questions and fascination with her father's work made their bond even stronger.
Aidan would never admit it, but he wished he could be such a great father. He was often bad at balancing his job and his family, but when he was with Neal, he was good with him. The boy loved his Papa very much and was probably more attached to him than his mother. Gold always wondered why. She spent a lot of time with Neal and was in no way a bad mother, but she did sometimes feel that if it wasn't for her son, she would be able to leave her marriage with less regret. It was one thing to hurt a man she once deeply loved, but another to break her son's family.
Two university professors were sitting in the living room, making small talk about their workplace, students and upcoming tests they were supposed to give. Suddenly, Gold decided to confide in his friend.
"Um...Have you ever...", and he mumbled the rest of the sentence so Jefferson didn't actually hear it.
"Have I what?", asked Jefferson.
"Have you ever been attracted to a student?"
Jefferson almost choked on his tea, spilling a bit on his lap. He looked at his friend with a devilish smile on his face and Gold regretted asking instantly. He knew he was about to be mercilessly teased.
"Oh, scary has a thing for students. What do you want to do to her, spank her while she recites Maxwell's equations in differential form?"
The thought was very appealing to Gold, but he laughed and brushed it off.
"No, I just think she's pretty." And smart. And well-read. And a good judge of character. And sexy.
"I guess everything is fine then. It's not like you're doing anything wrong with noticing a beautiful woman. As long you don't do anything about it. Or tell your wife", Jefferson tried to put his mind at ease.
"I guess. You never thought about a student in that way?"
"Once. But I was quick to remember that I value my position at Uni more than an affair with an undergrad. And I was never attracted to her personality. I always compare every woman to Alice, and they just don't measure up. But enough about that, I'm sorry for bringing up the sad topic".
Gold was overwhelmed by emotion, although he kept his expression stone-cold. Jefferson had found his true love, and then lost it. He wondered how it is to have something so perfect, but he never wanted to feel such loss.
They sat quietly for a while, then soon returned to their scientific topics, both uncomfortable with previous talk.
When their children finally came inside, exhausted and happy, not a trace on their faces could show their thoughts. Jefferson thinking about his late wife, Gold still feeling guilty as hell.