18
Another Beauty and the Beast
After their interrupted night, Rumplestiltskin and Belle slept in late the next morning, which was fine, since the only thing planned for that day was an afternoon at the theater to see the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast, and a dinner at Jekyll and Hyde, one of the family friendly restaurants in the area.
The two slept in until nine thirty, not very late for some people, but it was for them, who were used to rising at six thirty. After getting dressed in some rather casual attire, Belle and Rumple made their way into the kitchenette for some coffee, wondering how much Regina would recall of last night . . . and how they were going to explain what had happened to Snow and David.
Rumple decided that conversation would go much easier if he'd had a cup of coffee in him, and that's what they were doing in the kitchenette when the Charmings, Emma, Bae, and the children came in.
As Belle stirred some Splenda into her coffee and sipped it, Snow asked, "So . . . how was last night?"
Belle managed to set her cup down before replying, "Dinner was incredible! Like nothing I've ever tasted before. And thank you so much for the vase with the roses. They're lovely," she gestured to the roses sitting on the table.
"And thank you, Bae, for paying for our dinner," Rumple said to his son.
"We wanted to do something for you since you gave us Dom Perignon on our dinners, and that was the best we could come up with," Baelfire said, smiling.
David poured himself a cup of coffee and noticed the water bottle on the table next to the roses. "Hey, who left this out?"
"Umm . . ." Belle said, flushing.
"It was mine, Daddy," piped up Regina, she was dressed in a cute skirt and top set with pink roses and yellow ruffles on it. "I was thirsty an' you was sleeping, so I had to get Unca Rumple to open it for me."
"Uh, about that, David," Rumple began, looking quite uncomfortable. "You see . . ."
"She was awake when you got home?" Snow asked, surprised. "What time did you get in?"
"After midnight, I think," Belle said.
Snow's eyebrows rose. "But Regina was in bed at eight last night." She looked over at her daughter. "Sweetie, why were you up so late? Did you have a bad dream or something?"
Regina shook her head. "No. I had to go potty an' then I was thirsty an' the light was on in Unca Rumple's room, so I went there an' he was playin' some game with Auntie Belle called EMT's."
Charming gasped, and nearly spit out his coffee all over. "Excuse me?" he stared at his small daughter and then at Belle and Rumple, who looked down at their mugs, flushing.
"What sort of game is that?" Snow asked Regina.
"You know . . . when somebody drowns an' you gotta arrive them, like what Unca Rumple was doin' to Auntie Belle," Regina explained.
"Arrive them?" Snow repeated, then she said, "Baby, you mean revive them, like when an EMT gives someone mouth to mouth . . . oh!" she gasped as it suddenly dawned on her just what sort of game Belle and Rumple had been playing. "You mean she . . . umm . . .?"
"We weren't expecting anyone to be awake," Belle began, her cheeks pinking. "We had the door closed, but—"
"She opened it and came in while we were . . . uh . . . sort of . . . involved," Rumple said, also reddening.
"Oh my God!" Emma gasped. "You mean, it was like that day I came home and you and Dad were . . . uh, resting in the middle of the day so I decided to make tacos with Henry?" She was starting to turn pink too.
"You too?" Rumple stared at Charming and Snow.
"We weren't expecting anybody to come over," David said, looking slightly embarrassed. "You see, Mary Margaret, this is why we need to partition the loft."
"And we need to remember to lock our door at night," Rumple muttered.
"So you don't get any surprise visitors, huh?" Bae pointed out, then he started snickering into his hand.
Rumple glared at his son. "Glad you find this so amusing."
"Sorry, I can't help it. Just imagining it . . ." Bae said, his eyes crinkling with mirth.
Emma frowned and poked her husband in the shoulder. "It's really not funny. Regina might have seen something . . . and been scarred for life . . . it's a good thing she didn't. At least I don't think so."
"Like you were?" Charming teased.
"Dad!" Emma cried.
"Mom, when are we going to eat breakfast?" Henry asked. "I'm starving."
"Me too," added Alina.
"We can go down now," Emma said, anxious to get off this topic of conversation. She herded the children before her out of the suite.
"We're really sorry," Belle said. "We're not used to having little kids around, and Alina knows to knock before she comes into our room, so . . ."
"Hey, it happens and it doesn't look like she saw anything, so . . . let's just think of it as an object lesson," Charming said, then he flushed slightly too. "Uh . . . that didn't come out right, but . . . well, you get the idea."
"So, what's everyone eating for breakfast?" Snow asked brightly. "I think I'm going to have cinnamon pancakes."
"That sausage skillet looked good yesterday, so I think I'll try that," Rumple said.
"I think I'll have the chorizo breakfast burrito," Bae said.
"Isn't chorizo really spicy?" David asked.
"Yup. But don't worry. If I pass out, I'll just have Emma play EMT and revive me," he smirked.
"You're a riot, Baelfire," Rumple grumbled. "And I cannot wait until you have another kid and watch you get driven crazy."
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
They had tickets at The Palace Theater in midtown Manhattan for 6 o'clock for top orchestra seating, the play was being reprised at its original venue with actor Terrance Mann playing his old role at the Beast. The rest of the cast was all new, but it was said they were superb. Everyone dressed in their good clothes, Regina wearing a pretty frock of butter yellow with a pink rose in the middle of it, her hair dressed with a glittery golden headband with small roses on it and black patent leather shoes. She also wore her Disney princess coat and looked adorable.
Snow snapped several pictures of her with each family member before they left for the theater.
They took a limo to the Palace Theater, arriving early so they could get their seats and get settled before the rest of the crowed came pouring in. Regina sat beside Rumple on one side and Snow on the other side, with Charming next to her, and Belle next to Rumple, with Alina and Henry inbetween her and Emma, and Bae on the aisle seat beside her.
Regina had never seen a play before, and kept asking Snow if it was like TV. Snow had never seen one either, and so didn't know what to tell her. Emma had been to a production of West Side Story, however, and knew what to expect, and she told Regina it was like a live TV, with real people who sang and talked right in front of her, as well as a live band that played music.
They were having a drawing for this first opening night, and one lucky child would get to meet Belle and the Beast on stage after the performance, at the last curtain call. Gold promptly bought ten chances for each of the children, which was the maximum per child, at five dollars a ticket. Snow wrote Regina's name and age on each ticket, while Henry and Alina did the same on theirs and handed them into the usher collecting the tickets. The money gathered for them would go to charity, for Columbia Medical Center Children's Ward.
Then it was time for the play to begin, and from the moment the curtain rose on the stage all the Golds and Charmings were riveted to the story unfolding before them. The acting was excellent and the musical numbers wonderful, especially Terrance Mann's singing.
"Look, it's our cup!" Belle exclaimed, when Chip came on stage.
"Yes, only ours wasn't a little boy to begin with, thank goodness," Rumple said. "And I'm glad my curse didn't cause other people to be cursed along with me."
"But this Gaston is still as nasty as the real one," Belle whispered in his ear. "What did happen to him after the curse broke? Do you know?"
Rumple shook his head. "No. I suppose he's somewhere in Storybrooke . . . probably hiding from me. Or perhaps he wasn't taken with the curse and remained behind in our old world. I could really care less where he is . . . unless he tries to make trouble for us."
They thrilled to the couple's eventually understanding of each other and though the story followed the traditional fairy tale as told in this world, it still retained enough of its true flavor and message to make them all smile and gasp at the ending.
Regina grew so excited at the end, where the Beast was dying from a chance stab wound by Gaston's hand, and Belle was beside him, begging him not to leave, saying that she had found her home with him, that she stood up on her seat and yelled, "You gots to kiss him, Belle! True love's kiss breaks all curses!"
Snow quickly whispered, "Regina, sit down, and just watch the play, honey."
"But Mommy, she's gots to kiss him to break the spell!" Regina insisted.
Rumple gently put an arm around her and said, "Not everybody knows that, little imp. Now sit down, okay, dearie?"
Regina sat down, and clapped when the Beast's spell was broken by Belle's love for him, and he became a man once more.
Then she turned to Rumple and said, "But they did it wrong, Unca Rumple. She shoulda kissed him. That's the right way to break a curse."
He chuckled at her authoritative tone. "Regina, this is just a story and they do things differently here. It's not real."
The curtain came down and the cast came out and bowed to the audience, who gave them all a standing ovation and clapped wildly. Roses were thrown onstage and the cast picked them up and vanished behind the curtain, only to reappear again when people screamed "Encore!"
Then most of the actors went backstage, leaving Belle and the Beast, now in his human form, and an announcer said they had drawn the winning ticket for the lottery.
"And tonight's lucky winner is . . . a little lady from out of town. Miss Regina Nolan from Maine, please come up here and shake hands with Belle and the Beast!"
Snow gasped. "Regina . . . you won!"
"I did?" the little girl cried. "I can say hi to the storybook Belle and the Beast?"
"You sure can, baby," David grinned, proud as punch. He started to stand up, then had a better idea, and turned to Rumple and Belle. "Go with her, Rumple. You too, Belle. It's only right that you have the chance to meet your counterparts in this world . . . even if they're only actors."
"But David . . . you're her father," Rumple protested. "You should go."
"Nope, old pal. I want you to. Now go on, before they think we've left or something."
"Are you sure, Snow?" asked Belle.
"Yes, David's right. Now go! Hurry up," she urged, grinning.
So Regina, Belle, and Rumple made their way down the steps to the stage and were shown how to get onto it by an usher.
Regina kept hold of Rumple and Belle's hands when she reached the stage, suddenly shy and needing the comfort of their presence as she stared at the actors in trepidation. She looked up at her aunt and uncle nervously.
Belle squeezed her hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid, Regina. Nobody will hurt you here. Not with me and Uncle Rumple by you. They just want to say hello to you."
Belle's words restored the child's normal self-confidence and curiosity, and she was no longer shy so long as she had her family standing behind her. She pulled free of Rumple's and Belle's grip and walked forward towards the actors standing there, her head high.
As she reached the storybook Belle, the actress knelt and held out a hand to her, smiling. "Hi, sweetie! I'm Belle, it's so nice to meet you."
Regina smiled back. She took storybook Belle's hand in her own and said, "Hi! I'm Regina."
The Beast knelt too so he could greet her. "Hello, little lady. I'm the Beast, how do you do?"
She shook his hand also. "Fine, thank you," Then she asked softly, "What's your real name? You're not the Beast anymore, so what's your name?"
The actor coughed. "Err . . . well . . ." The truth was the old tale never really said what the prince's name had been before he was cursed. But being a true thespian, he quickly found an answer for her. "My real name's Terrance. But you can call me Terry."
"Hi, Terry," Regina said.
"How old are you, Regina?" Belle asked then.
"I'm three," she said, and held up three fingers to emphasize the fact.
"Three years old! Wow! You're practically a grown-up," Belle laughed.
Regina beamed. "I know."
Terry chuckled. "And you come from Maine, right?"
"Uh huh. We're visiting here on vacation," Regina told him.
"So this is your first trip to Manhattan?" he asked. "Are you here with your mom and dad?"
"Yes, and my aunt and uncle, and my big sister and cousins," Regina said.
"Oh, so it's a family thing?" he asked. Then he looked over at Belle and Rumple, and beckoned them over. He introduced himself and shook Rumple's hand. "Are you her dad?"
"No, I'm her uncle," Rumple answered. "Name's Gold, pleased to meet you."
"He's Unca Rumple," Regina put in. "He's a wizard."
"Uh . . . she means I'm a financial wizard," Rumple said, smiling indulgently at his niece.
"Oh, I see," Terry said. "Rumple?"
"It's a nickname," Belle explained.
"Short for Rumplestiltskin," Regina said, rolling her r's like her uncle sometimes did.
"You know, like the fairy tale, because of my last name," Rumple said quickly. "It's a kind of family joke."
The two actors smiled. "I like that!" said Terry appreciatively.
"And this's my Auntie Belle," Regina introduced Belle to her counterpart.
"Really?" said the actress.
"Yes, that's my real name. Belle Gold," Belle said, and then she reached out and shook her storybook counterpart's hand.
Meanwhile, the rest of the family was gathered close to the stage, snapping pictures like crazy, and grinning like fools, sort of like a van of foreign tourists.
"That's so amazing," said storybook Belle. "It's almost like fate that we met."
"Quite, dearie," Rumple smiled, and shook her hand as well. "I believe there are no coincidences."
"Your niece is absolutely adorable," storybook Belle cooed. "She must be the apple of your eye."
"She is," Belle said, putting her hand on Regina's shoulder. "You gave an incredible performance tonight. I really enjoyed it."
The actress flushed slightly. "Thanks so much. Glad you liked it." She turned to Regina. "What was your favorite part, sweetie?"
"Um . . . when you broke the spell over the Beast and turned him back into Terry," she replied. "But, Belle, you was supposed to kiss him."
"I was? Why?"
"Because True Love breaks all curses," Regina informed her.
The actress looked startled. "And how do you know that?"
"It's in the fairy tale book Henry has," Regina answered.
"Henry's her cousin," Belle said quickly. "He reads this fairy tale book to her. It's like a retelling of the Brothers Grimm."
"And the book says true love's kiss breaks all curses," Regina repeated.
The actress looked at her partner and said, "You know, I like that solution. I like it better than the one written in the script."
"You know . . . so do I," mused Terry. "Maybe we ought to suggest it as an alternative to the producer?"
"It's a universal concept in the book," Rumple said, fighting back a smirk. Trust Regina to point that out! She had learned her lessons well, he thought proudly.
"It's a good one," said Terry. "Thank you for telling me, Regina. You're a smart kid."
"Like Unca Rumple and Auntie Belle," she said proudly. "They're the smartest people I know."
"Aww! How sweet!" storybooke Belle cried. "She's a real charmer, isn't she?"
"Takes after her father," Rumple said.
"Come over here, Regina," said the Beast. "You too, Belle and Rumple. We're going to take a picture with you."
Regina walked fearlessly up to him. "You gonna pick me up?"
"Uh, sure," the Beast said, and then he gently lifted her in his arms.
Storybook Belle came to stand next to him, with actual Belle on her other side, and Rumple next to the Beast.
"Say cheese!" storybook Belle said, and they all smiled for the camera over on stage left.
Several clicks were heard as the professionals took shots of them all . . . and so did the Charmings and Golds on their phones.
Now there's a photo to remember, David thought as he snapped a picture. The real Beauty and the Beast and the former Evil Queen meet this world's Beauty and the Beast. How brilliantly ironic. If only they knew!
The Beast and storybook Belle, whose real name was Annie Sefton, gave Regina a pretty light up toy rose, just like the enchanted one in the play, and also autographed their playbills and the photo of her, Rumple, Belle, and themselves.
Then they waved goodbye to Regina and her family, and bowed to them before exiting stage right.
Rumple picked up Regina just as an usher appeared and escorted them off stage, to where their family waited to congratulate them.
Snow held out her arms and Rumple handed Regina to her. "How'd you like meeting Beauty and the Beast, Regina?"
"It was nice, and Mommy, the Beast's real name is Terry," Regina told her. "But Unca Rumple and Auntie Belle are smarter than those pretend people."
"They are?" her mother asked, smiling.
"Uh huh. Because they know true love breaks all curses. I thought everybody knew that!" her precocious daughter declared.
"Not everybody, sweetheart," Snow chuckled. "But I'm glad you had fun. Now let's go hail a cab and go to Jekyll and Hyde restaurant. I'm starving."
As they made their way out of the Palace theater, David asked Rumple, "So did you enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame, buddy?"
"Fame's overrated, Charming. Thought you knew that," Rumple remarked, his brown eyes twinkling.
"I do. But I got some nice pictures."
"Oh, joy," Rumple rolled his eyes.