Belinda was glad that she had received a call from Mr. Gold that morning. Well...not because the call had been from Mr. Gold. But because he had told her that she wouldn't be needed until eleven that morning. A whole extra hour that Belinda could use to her advantage. An hour that she spent doing anything she normally would've done, but with one drastic change. She had the time to dress little Rose and hold her and play with her. A whole extra hour before she had to drop her off at Ruby's. Luckily, Ruby was feeling a whole lot better so she wouldn't have to worry about bringing Rose to Mr. Gold's again. Although she knew he hadn't completely minded. He only made it look like he hated having the baby around.

"Alright then," she smiled down at her daughter who was lying on the bed. Belinda was leaning over her and tickling her feet. "Socks, coat, mittens...hat." She pulled the covering down tighter on Rose's head. "I think we're all set." Rose cooed and Belinda's whole face lit up. "Yes. Let's get to Aunt Ruby's."

Belinda picked the child up and held her close as she left her apartment. It was days like these when she was thankful that she only lived a few blocks from the Diner. It was cold, nearing October, windy, and overcast. She only held Rose closer to her as she walked the lonely streets of Storybrooke. No one was out and about, and she couldn't really blame them.

XxxX

Twenty minutes later, and with two minutes to spare until 11 o'clock, Belinda walked through the pawn shop door and heard the familiar ring of the bell as it closed. There was no one at the front desk, which was strange. He was always there. Waiting for her.

"Mr. Gold?" She called out. But there was no sound. No thump of his cane or the sound of his breathing, or his snide voice, came her way. She just shrugged her shoulders and continued on into the back room. She looked around her, at the space which was now so much cleaner. Most everything was put away in a special place. The room had been given a much-needed dusting. Belinda was nearly done. There was just a bit of something else she had to do today and then...well, she didn't know what Mr. Gold would have her do. If anything.

She slung her purse off her shoulder and placed it into the chair. She set two Styrofoam containers onto the table and then removed her coat.

By the time she was finished, she could hear him coming from somewhere down the hall. She felt her nerves flare as they always did when he was around. Mr. Gold was a very ominous man with a potent reputation. She wouldn't be in her right mind if she wasn't nervous to be in his presence.

"Ah, Miss French. Punctual, I see. Do we plan on making this our new habit?"

His voice wasn't condescending, or else Belinda probably would have felt her temper flare. She turned around and gave him the biggest smile she could muster. "It's my job."

He dipped his head in agreement. "Indeed."

"I'm glad you're here. I thought I would have to eat lunch by myself."

She saw his face become overtaken with confusion. His brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I brought lunch from Granny's." She turned to point at the two containers on the table.

"For me?" The confusion was gone. The look of surprise almost made Belinda feel pity. She doubted anyone had ever brought him lunch, much less, wanted to sit down and enjoy it with him. "Why on earth would you want to do that?"

She shrugged. "I was at Granny's Diner anyways, and I had a huge craving for their open turkey sandwich. So...I figured...do you eat lunch?"

"Of course I do." He gave her a wry smile. He seemed to be trying to mask his surprise, but Belinda could still see it. He wasn't fooling anyone.

She nodded her head. "Good. Well, then..." she took a seat and placed one of the containers across from her. Belinda turned to look at him and saw that he was still giving her a strange look, akin to the look you would give someone if they grew two heads. "Are you going to sit down?" That seemed to shake him out of his thoughts and he limped over to the table.

Once he was seated, he looked at her once. She nodded her head and opened her container. Mr. Gold decided to do the same. When he looked inside, he actually had to swallow down another batch of surprise.

"That is your usual, right?" Belinda asked nervously from the other side of the table.

He looked at her and grinned. "You have a good memory, Ms. French."

Belinda broke into a grin. "Why, thank you, Mr. Gold." She took up her plastic fork and knife and began to cut into her roast turkey.

Mr. Gold took the hamburger in hand and took a bite. He savored the taste and smiled.

"Granny's food is just divine," Belinda seemed to voice his thoughts. He looked at her and just grinned.

And the kind-hearted single mother and the harsh pawn master shared a meal together.

When she was finally finished, Belinda was almost sad that the time had come to an end. She wiped her mouth on her napkin.

"Thank you for the burger, Miss French. You don't know how long it's been since I actually had a meal with someone else."

Belinda almost frowned at the thought. But then again...that's exactly how she lived. Her meals were always just with Rose, and most of the time she was eating in between trying to bathe, and change, and console, and feed her own child. She spoke before thinking. "Maybe we can do it again sometime." The look on his face nearly made her blush. Why had she even suggested that?

But he surprised her. "I would enjoy that very much, Miss French. But next time, I'll be the one buying."

Belinda didn't say anything because she couldn't. She just sat there and watched as Mr. Gold stood up from his chair, gave her one last glance, and then walked out of the room. Belinda felt her cheeks burn with red. What the hell was wrong with her? Saying she wouldn't mind sharing a meal with him again? It had been the truth. But what had actually made her say it? Belinda could only wonder.

XxxxXXXxXXxx

I'm sorry it's so short today, but everything's been so busy with the holidays just around the corner.

I figured I wanted to give you one chapter today, instead of taking the week off, as sort of a present from me to you. And it's kinda fluffy, so an added bonus!

Merry Christmas, everyone! :D