Chapter 7
Belle stood in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom, letting the reflection set in. She had never felt beautiful; she never even really thought about her looks. Now and again she would catch a glimpse of herself in a mirror and note how exhausted she appeared or how pale her complexion was, but she never dwelled on it. However, staring at herself in the mirror now, she was almost unrecognizable.
Alice had done her hair and make-up to perfection. Her usual slightly dull, wavy hair was now shiny and pulled back into an intricate bun, with soft wisps hanging in the front. Her face had color to it now and her eyes popped against the golden shadow. Finally, the dress, which fit seamlessly, made her look like a princess. It was difficult for her not to smile.
"Belle, how does it look?" Alice asked from the living room.
She opened the curtain, lifting up the dress as she walked, and revealed herself to Alice and Jefferson, both of whom were already dressed and ready. When she stepped out, Alice's face broke out into a huge smile as she got to see all her hard work pay off. She stepped forward and grabbed Belle's hands, spinning her slowly around.
"Belle you look incredible! I am a genius." She laughed.
"You truly are." Belle agreed, and then looked over at Jefferson. He stood there, handsome as ever, like a true gentleman. The suit fit him nicely and the tie accented his eyes. Belle smiled at him, and he smiled back; he couldn't take his eyes off her.
"You look…spectacular." He said as he stepped towards her. He took one of her gloved hands and kissed it.
She couldn't help but giggle to herself, she felt giddy for the first time. At that moment she tried to appreciate what she had and ignore the nerves that had kept her up all night.
"Well you look very, very handsome." She told him, he smiled.
"Yes, you both look wonderful! But let's not forget what we are doing here okay?"
She walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed the masks.
"Now let's see the completed look." She said as she handed each of them their masks.
Belle gently put hers on so as to not mess up her hair. Jefferson put his on a well and to their relief he was completely unrecognizable. The two of them stood next to one another, matching perfectly with each other. They were a pleasing sight.
Alice stood back and took it all in. She pressed her fingers to her lips, smiling widely.
"This…this is going to work. It really is, I can feel it." She began laughing with joy. Belle couldn't help but join in. She was right. They could do this.
Alice looked at the clock; it was almost 7:00pm.
"I better go. They want the wait staff there two hours early for prep." She began to grab her things.
"You two understand everything completely right? No last questions?"
"Alice for the umpteenth time we got it. Trust me, we can handle it." He smiled gently as he shooed her out the door.
She pulled him into a big hug and then waved goodbye to Belle.
When the door shut, Jefferson sighed deeply and then turned around, leaning against the panel.
"You scared?" He asked, noticing how much Belle was fidgeting.
She shook her head. "No." But in truth she was, who wouldn't be? Even if she wasn't responsible for the actual task of killing Regina, there were so many things that could go wrong. She had to remember her training; that was key.
"Alice said people will start arriving around 9 o'clock. I figured in order to make an entrance we should leave at 9:30."
Belle nodded, sitting on the couch's armrest.
"If this doesn't work Jefferson…"
"Belle stop…"
"No just listen. If something goes wrong and I wind up back in the asylum or even jail I just want you to know…it was worth it. It really was." She smiled at him.
He walked over and pulled her into an embrace.
"I told you I won't let you go back there."
He gently kissed her on the lips and then went into the kitchen. To no surprise, he began to make tea.
"You sure do love tea." She said casually, trying to change the subject.
"It calms me down," He answered as he set the pot on the stove. "I'm going to need about ten cups for tonight."
Belle turned towards the television. There was only one way to really calm herself down; she had to know if the news station was still reporting on Jefferson. She switched to the local channel and to her relief it was covering the event preparation for tonight. She kept it on just in case.
"Things are looking up." She whispered to herself.
In the two and a half hours they had to spare they briefly discussed the plan once more, to be certain that there were no mistakes. Jefferson would throw a situation at her and she would answer how she'd react in the moment. She did the same to him as well. By the time it was close for them to leave, they had assured themselves that they were as prepared as they could ever be.
"I'm going to call the cab." Jefferson finally said and Belle's nerves really became to take over.
The cab would be there in a couple minutes so they put their masks on and made their way down to the front of the building. This would be the first time in two weeks that they had left the apartment. It was a bit daunting yet liberating at the same time.
Jefferson entwined their arms together as they made their way through the halls and down the elevator.
"Just pretend we have nothing to hide." He whispered to her. She nodded.
They stepped outside and the air felt incredible. It was a beautiful night, not too cold but not humid either. They looked down the deserted street, it seemed everyone was already there.
The cab pulled up and Jefferson held the door open for her. He scooted in next to her and told the driver where to go, even though it was obvious.
Every now and than Belle would catch the driver look in his mirror at the two of them and she began to shake a little. Or perhaps she was paranoid, she told herself. There was no way he could recognize them with the masks on.
It took about ten minutes to get there for the reason that it sat on the very edge of Storybrook, on the side no one typical came to since it was the only building in that area. The cab pulled up to a gorgeous all white building, decorated with beautiful statues in the front and a glowing red water fountain with a heart in the center. The two of them walked in and handed the man at the front their tickets. He too stared but only at Belle this time. She sighed in relief.
They were directed down an entrance hall towards a set of double doors with two men on each side. As they approached, the doorkeepers nodded at them and slowly pulled the doors open.
A bright light practically blinded them. They stood atop of a long, wide stairwell that led down to the masquerade. A beam of light rested on them and it took a second to realize what it was. They had forgotten about this aspect of the plan, where one of the guards working with them was going to place a spotlight as they entered so as to draw in as much attention as possible. Jefferson and Belle exchanged glances and then proceeded down the steps. The goal was to get everyone looking at Belle and it was working. The closer they got to the foot of the steps, the more noticeable it became that most of the guests had stopped what they were doing to look at the beautiful couple gracefully walking down the stairs. They were curious about Jefferson, but couldn't seem to take their eyes off of Belle. She smiled softly, closely observing her surroundings.
There was one person in particular she was trying to spot of course, as was Jefferson. As they searched the room, she was nowhere to be found. The mayor was coming, that was certain, but where was she hiding?
When they stepped off the last stair onto the marble floor they slowly made their way through the crowd, watching closely for their cues. Arm in arm, they walked around, nodding at those who smiled at them and keeping a watch out for those who would be a threat to the plan such as the police or Emma Swan.
No one seemed too familiar so they walked over towards the refreshment table, pretending to have a conversation.
"You see anyone?" Belle asked.
"Not yet. But don't worry, if we don't find them, they'll surely find us." He said, grabbing her a glass of champagne.
"I wonder how many people…Jefferson?" She looked up at him and he was staring off across her shoulder. She spun around and not too far from them was the blond sheriff, Emma Swan. She was looking over at them, curiously, like everyone else.
Her dress looked beautiful on her. It was a one-shoulder, body hugging, royal blue gown. Her hair was pulled back in a side bun, giving her a very elegant look; much different than the last time Belle had seen her on the television. She was talking to another woman, just as stunning; with a dark, short pixie cut hairstyle and a lovely red, strapless dress. The two of them eyed Jefferson and Belle up, whispering to one another, most likely trying to figure out who they were.
"Who's that next to Emma?" Belle asked.
Jefferson continued to look over at them, as if daring Emma to come over and chat with them.
"That's her mother." He said as he stepped forward towards the food. Belle stood there, confused. Her mother?
Jefferson filled a plate for himself, looking over at the two women frequently. Finally Emma made the first move towards them but this wasn't part of the plan, this was one of the surprise scenarios they had prepared for. Jefferson didn't think she would actually approach them; he dropped his plate and quickly grabbed Belle by the waist, leading her towards the dance floor.
"That was close." Belle said as they entered the dance area. He spun her around and then placed one hand on her waist and another in her other hand. She laid her arm around his neck and they began to waltz to a soft melody. There were only a few other couples on the floor, but none compared to them. Part of the training involved dance lessons, which they had gotten down flawlessly thanks to Alice swiping the list of songs that would be played for the night.
As they danced, all eyes were on them. Emma made her way through the crowd so that she had a front row seat, watching them closely, as they made their way across the room.
"She knows," Belle whispered. "She recognizes you." Her voice shook a bit.
Jefferson glanced over at Emma who did seem to be paying particular attention to him.
"It's fine. She might suspect something but she knows nothing." But even his voice trembled with some uncertainty.
As they made their way around the floor, Belle continued to scan the crowd. Suddenly someone caught her eye; it was a man. Like Jefferson, he was wearing all black, as well as a gold tie. However, he was older, with brown shoulder length hair and intense dark eyes that were watching Belle's every move. His brow was furrowed, like Emma's, trying to pinpoint where he could possibly know her from. It was no mystery to her who this man was. He fit the description Alice and Jefferson had given her as they warned her to avoid him completely. This was Mr. Gold.
She had wondered just how close of a look he had gotten of them when he called the police the first night. She was starting to believe it was much closer than she had thought as he slowly followed them around the circle that had formed. She stared back as well, not sure why. If she was smart she would look away, he was to be avoided at all costs, she kept telling herself. But why was he looking at he like that? Everyone was curious but this was more than that. It was as if he was looking for something deeper, some kind of recognition or confirmation that he was seeing someone he knew.
Then Belle gasped. Her eyes widened in fear as her gaze landed briefly on a familiar face. She turned back to see that she wasn't mistaken. Regina.
There was no way to miss her. Like Emma, she was right up front, with her arms crossed, intensely scrutinizing the pair of them. She was wearing all black, her dress wrapping gracefully around her body in multiple directions, lacing up the back. Her short hair was pinned back, accentuating her piercing dark eyes. She was stunning.
"Emma may not know but Regina certainly does." Belle whispered. Jefferson quickly followed her gaze and he took a quick intake of air. Then he smiled widely.
"Finally." He said under his breath.
They stared each other down and then he said, "Let's make this count." Belle nodded, her body began to shake in anticipation.
He grabbed her lifted her up in air, spinning her gracefully around, her dress sparkly in the light, and then they bowed, finishing the dance. Applause broke out in addition to a couple cheers. Almost everyone was smiling and nodding in approval, except of course Regina. Even Mr. Gold joined in the applause, still staring at Belle.
They stood up and walked off the dance floor over towards a fountain to the left of the staircase. Once there, Jefferson glanced above him on the balcony where he saw Nick, one of the guards, awaiting his signal that they had spotted the mayor. Jefferson nodded and Nick returned the gesture, walking off to find the others.
During this Belle had noticed Alice walking not too far from them, serving hors d'oeuvres. She glanced over at Belle, turning her head slightly to the left, indicating that Regina was staring directly at them. Belle nodded and then something to her right caught her attention. Mr. Gold was making his way through the crowd, leaning on his cane as he approached. She froze up, pulling on Jefferson's sleeve.
"Jefferson. Jefferson, Mr. Gold's coming over. What should we do?" She asked. He quickly turned around to see.
"Alright. Relax. Just…just follow my lead." He whispered. However, when he was only a few feet away from them Regina stepped directly in his path. As her back faced them, they stood frozen in the spot, waiting anxiously to see what was going to happen. Regina spoke quietly to him; raising her voice at random times as Mr. Gold attempted to get around her. They couldn't hear much but they made out a few sentences:
"Get out of my way." Mr. Gold said and Belle could tell just by his voice that he was not a man to be messed with.
"This is a serious matter that I need to handle myself." Regina retorted.
"Move, please" As he said this Regina moved to the side. At that same instant Jefferson grabbed Belle's hand and pulled her away quickly, moving them swiftly through the crowds and back over to the refreshment area.
Once there, Belle began to panic.
"I knew this would happen," Jefferson said angrily to himself. "We underestimated how involved Mr. Gold would be in this. He clearly wants to find me just as much as Regina."
"You think he's that involved in this?" Belle asked. If he was, then why was he only paying such close attention to her? And why wouldn't Regina want his help?
"I don't know. But we can't take the chance. I don't only have to lead her out of here but him as well."
Belle stared at him in shock. "What…you mean? You want to kill him too?"
"Trust me I'm doing everyone a favor." He said, scanning the crowd for the two of them.
For some strange reason Belle was not okay with this. She had a gut feeling that he wasn't involved in any of this, that he wasn't a danger to them.
"You can't! Jefferson it's bad enough you want to kill Regina but someone completely innocent? It isn't right!"
"Hah! Innocent! Belle I don't have time to explain right now but trust me Mr. Gold is anything but innocent. We have to do what we must. If that means killing Gold, than be it." Belle had never heard him speak so coldly. Her brows pushed together in disbelief as to what she was hearing. How could he think like this? Was he really that delusional in thinking that killing the mayor would bring him back to a magical land? She had honestly believed that the story he had told her was some kind of reasoning he had made up to justify killing Regina. But now that he was involving others it became clear that he truly believed in the lies he spun.
Suddenly his eyes widened as he finally made eye contact with Regina. She stared at him with such intense hatred that it made Belle fearful she would kill him right there and then.
"Wait here. Follow the plan." He said quickly to her, running off towards the mayor. Belle stood there, watching the two of them closely; she had a rough idea of what he was saying to her but Regina's response was unknown.
From an outsiders perspective it looked like Jefferson was throwing insults at her and she was about to slowly crush him to pieces. He continued to smile as he spoke and as every second passed, Regina's eyes got darker and more wrathful.
He was striking a deal with her, or so she thought. Jefferson knew there was a reason Belle was hidden away so he ran with that; threatening that he would expose her if Regina didn't help him to get home. Of course, he knew she would never agree to such terms. So the second part of the negotiation was Jefferson asking for his help convincing the DA to let him go with a shorter prison sentence if he would turn himself in, which obviously wasn't really his plan.
Now Alice had done her research, she happened to know that the DA had been intending on going to this event, until recently he fell ill for reasons unknown. However, no one else was aware of this, hence Regina thinking that Jefferson would be leading her off to go speak with him.
Yet, as Belle continued to watch the two it didn't look as if she was agreeing to these terms either. She began to fidget as passerby's continued to watch, probably wondering where her partner was. Meanwhile, Jefferson had resorted to something else. He leaned in closely to Regina's ear and whispered something. Her eyes widened slightly and for once she actually looked enthralled by what he was saying. They exchanged a harsh glance at one another and then he led her off towards the other side of the building where she would unknowingly be ambushed by Alice and the guards.
Belle took a deep breath; everything was falling into place. As she watched them leave, suddenly a figure stepped in her path. A young man smiled awkwardly at her.
"Um hi. I was…I was wondering if you, you might want to dance? If you aren't…I don't know…if you're in dancing mood." He rambled on for a little and Belle smiled sweetly at him.
"Thank you for asking but I'm a bit tired." She said kindly to him, feeling bad. She just couldn't risk going off plan right now.
He nodded and then walked away, giving her the opportunity to see Mr. Gold talking with Jefferson and the Queen. Belle's heart sunk. This wasn't good.
He had stopped them as they were heading out. Now and again during the conversation, Mr. Gold would glance over at Belle. It looked as though both Jefferson and Regina were both set on keeping him away from her. Regina touched his arm and began guiding him towards the exit.
Belle slowly inched her way closer, wanting to hear the conversation.
"Why exactly would you want to help free this man?" Mr. Gold asked the mayor, who seemed to have trouble answering the question. She looked over at Jefferson for help, but he too wasn't sure what to say.
"Jefferson…Jefferson wants to find his daughter. I think it's important that we help him reunite with her before he gets put in jail." Regina was trying very hard to sound convincing, as if she cared, but it wasn't working. Mr. Gold raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, laughing slightly at her attempt.
He leaned in closer to her, "You really expect me to believe that?" Regina was at a loss for words.
"I know about the curse." Jefferson said quickly, causing Gold to jolt slightly as he turned towards him.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Gold retorted.
"I think you do. The mayor knows and she's agreed to hear me out. If you would be so kind to join us, it would be greatly appreciated." Jefferson said confidently. Now it was Gold's turn to struggle for words. He looked back at Regina, trying to read her face, which was beyond annoyed.
Finally Mr. Gold held out his arm, indicating for Jefferson to lead the way. He and Regina exchanged a peculiar glance that worried Belle. Good thing the guards were waiting to ambush them because something told her they were going to try and kill Jefferson.
Belle wanted to help. It wasn't a part of the plan but she needed to make sure that they didn't try to harm him before he led them to the right spot. She started to follow a distance behind them but was hindered by a figure stepping in her path. It was Emma Swan.
She smiled kindly, "Hi, I'm Emma Swan." She held out her hand and firmly shook Belle's.
"I'm the sheriff of Storybrook, I just wanted to introduce myself. I can't seem to figure out if I know you from somewhere? Are you from around here?" The way she eyed her made Belle feel uncomfortable. She knows, she knows who she is. Kept running through her mind.
"It's nice to meet you Emma. I'm new to town, I'm staying with a family friend." Belle said, trying to remember what she had practiced if someone was to ask her where she is staying.
"Oh really? Who is it? Emma asked, seeming genuinely curious.
"Mac Walters. He actually works here. I promised him I'd come and meet some of his friends…"
"Who was it that you were with?" Emma asked quickly. This was clearly the question she had been wanting to pose the entire time.
Belle took a deep breath, "Oh him, he's an old friend of Mac. They've known each other since childhood."
"What's his name?" She asked, sounding more like a sheriff interrogating a suspect.
"His name? It's um…" Just say a name Belle, she told herself but it was too late. That small hesitation was all it took for Emma Swan to confirm what she had already suspected. Her eyes widened, but instead of turning into sheriff mode as Belle was expecting, her expression softened into something of sympathy.
She reached out her hand and laid it on Belle's shoulder in a comforting way.
"You're her aren't you? The girl from the asylum?" She asked, appearing incredibly concerned for the well being of a girl she just met. This threw Belle for a loop, she didn't expect this reaction, especially from the sheriff.
"I can help you. If he's threatening you with something tell me! I promise he won't be able to hurt you…"
Belle shook her head, "No…he's not…he's." She started to panic again. This wasn't supposed to happen; she didn't know what to say without giving anything away. As she tried to calm herself down she notice the woman in red staring at her, appearing just as concerned as Emma. Next to her was a handsome young man, dressed in a dashing black and red tux. He had his hands rested on the woman's shoulder, whispering something in her ear. The more Belle looked around the more she noticed people were watching her and Emma.
She turned wide-eyed to the sheriff; it honestly made her feel grateful towards her that she was so concerned for her, but she couldn't let this go any further. Jefferson was in trouble.
She began to walk away, "I have to go I'm sorry…" She spun her way out of Emma's reach and moved towards the exit, keeping an eye out for Alice or anyone that could tell her what to do.
However, as soon as she left the hall and turned the corner, she felt a hand gently grab her wrist. She spun to see Emma once more, but she wasn't alone. Behind her was the woman in red, the man she was with, and to her surprise, Dr. Hopper.
"What…Dr. Hopper?" She said and the realized that she gave herself completely away. She began to move backwards, pushing them away.
"I…I'm sorry I have to go…" This time it was Dr. Hopper who moved forward towards her.
"You don't have to do anything he says anymore…we can help you." He said, trying to calm her down.
She shook him off. "He's not forcing me to do anything! He's…" The more she tried to argue, the more she realized there was nothing to argue against. He was actually making her do something that she wasn't okay with, but it was a friend helping another friend. Besides, she wanted Regina dead as well…didn't she?
Emma moved quickly in front of her, placing both hands this time on her shoulders.
"What's your name?" She asked kindly.
There was no point in keeping it a secret any longer.
"Belle." She said quietly and then glanced over at Dr. Hopper. He furrowed his brow, appearing quite confused as to how she figured out her name; wondering if she just made it up.
"Belle," Emma said smiling, "Help us. I can see it in your eyes that you're scared. You don't have to be. We want to help you."
Belle shook her head, she was trying so hard to stay strong and not ruin the plan completely.
"We can. I know you don't know any of us but you can trust me. I saw him leave with the mayor, Regina, and Mr. Gold. You know who I'm talking about right?" She asked her.
Belle didn't say anything.
"I know him, Jefferson right? That's his name?" Still no reply.
"Listen to me Belle, he is a very disturbed man. He locked me and Mary Margaret in his home and forced me to make him a "magic hat"," She said, laughing slightly at the ridiculousness of the statement. She turned towards the woman in red who nodded; this was Mary Margaret.
"It's true! He's dangerous, you have to tell us where he is so that we can prevent him from hurting anyone else." Mary Margaret said, stepping towards Belle as well.
"Please, tell us where they went." Emma begged her. Belle was conflicted. She wanted to tell Emma the truth; there was something about her that she knew she could trust. Looking around she saw that the others seemed trustworthy as well, even Dr. Hopper. They wanted to help, that was clear. But she couldn't betray her friends. She couldn't turn her back on Jefferson or Alice or any of the guards.
"They…they went outside." She lied, bowing her head down.
All of them appeared very relieved and Emma even smiled. She rubbed Belle's shoulder softly and then ran outside, the rest of them following closely.
Belle stood there ashamed that she had to mislead them, but hopefully it would buy Jefferson some time.
She was about to go find him and the others when she heard a gunshot. Her body froze in place; did they do it? Did they really kill her? Or was it Mr. Gold? Or perhaps it was neither of them….
A second later Emma and the rest of them came storming in, looking at Belle for answers but she didn't move. They went past her towards the sound.
As she was about to follow them she heard small footsteps from a distance behind her. Turning around, she squinted and saw a little boy, no older then ten years old, running towards her, carrying a large brown object. The closer he got she came to realize it was an old book of some sort.
He smiled slightly when he saw her and to her shock he grabbed onto her hand, guiding her towards the sound of the gun.
"Come on Belle!" He said as he dragged her along.
"How…how do you know my name?" She asked him as she tried to keep up.
He turned towards her and smiled widely, "You're in this book!"