I do not own Once Upon a Time
WARNING: This chapter contains descriptions of violence, violence against women and obscenity. It is up to the reader to read this chapter, knowing that the same was duly warned.
Belle sat in the office of James, standing guard beside the window, along with Mary Margaret, so they could see when James was approaching. The night was not cold, but fear gave her chills.
The clock on the mantelpiece recorded every second that passed slowly and she could not stop thinking that Gold was behind what was happening in the cafeteria. Belle believed he was responsible for delivering information on where the members of the Resistance would meet, to the Germans. He may even participate in the action that night.
When her climb the stairs to prepare for the martyrdom that she would face later with Gaston, Belle asked herself if things could get worse. When finished preparing, she went downstairs and continued her vigil.
The hands of the clock marked nine forty-five p.m. when Belle heard footsteps leading to the front door. Running until there, she saw Mary Margaret opening the door and James falling into the arms of his wife. Panting, he managed to put in some effort to walk and Belle gasped horrified to realize that blood dripped down coat he wore, at shoulder height.
"Holy God, James, you're hurt! What happened?" Mary Margaret asked.
"I couldn't arrive in time. When I was entering the cafe, the place was already surrounded by the Gestapo. Chaos was everywhere, both sides opening fire... Don't know who hit me. Don't worry, Mary. The wound is not deep and I'll be fine. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same of your friend, Isabelle. I'm sorry".
Belle felt a lump form in her throat... Ruby was dead...
"James" Belle said, distraught. "It was him, wasn't it? James, I need to know. Gold was the one who snitched? He was there?"
James' eyes didn't fixed on Belle, but on his wife, and the silence was answer enough for her.
So that was Adrian Gold. A coward who believed that power would cause him to become a courageous person. But Belle knew the power would never bring bravery to the heart of that monster. There, studded in his heart and in his soul, he was just a coward. And that was how he fulfilled his promise to protect her? Coward.
"Isabelle..." James tried to speak but could not continue, his voice choked with pain.
"No, James. You need to climb." Margaret Mary stopped him to talk, and led her husband down the stairs. "I'll ask Laura to prepare your bath."
James tried to say something, but had no strength to argue, and when they disappeared down the hall, the doorbell rang.
"Oh, no! God, help me!" Belle whispered to herself, and opened the door for Gaston entered. With a beautiful smile on her face, she said: "I'm ready! Shall we?"
Surprised and pleased with the enthusiasm, Gaston nodded, gave his arm to Belle and the two went down to the car that awaited them. The driver opened the door for Belle, and Gaston entered the back seat beside her. She could smell the putrid breath of the German, marked by alcohol consumption, as usual. The swastika armband he wore cherishes his jacket brushed against the bare skin of Belle and she felt Gaston planted firmly his hand on her thigh.
"Oh, it's great to be able to escape some of the work. I had a full day" Gaston said.
"But had good results?" Belle asked, struggling to sound calm.
"Arguably. We managed to get some information and captured twenty rebels, but unfortunately, they drew their weapons and caused the loss of a good officer, who was also a good friend. Some of them managed to escape, of course... But it is interesting how they spit the names of his accomplices when pressed in the right way. Don't worry, because we'll find those who escaped. But now..." he said, patting on Belle's thigh. "Well, that's a topic for tomorrow. Tonight, several of them are behind bars and I intend to relax."
Gaston was elated with his triumph. When they entered the club, Belle excused the German, went to the lavatory and locked herself inside one of the cabins. She sat on the lid of the toilet and put her head between her legs. She felt incredibly weak and her breathing was ragged. Belle gasped, struggling to breathe the air in gulps short and intense. Does everything was finished?
When Gold tells Gaston about James, that he had seen him in the cafe at the time of the attack, helping the French, the german would begin to distrust James. If Gold hadn't already alerted the Gestapo or the SS.
And it was her fault. She betrayed the trust of James and Mary Margaret and tried to warn Ruby, she put at risk the lives of all of them.
"Oh, my God, my God! What did I do?" Belle lamented.
And Ruby? All her charm and cunning were not enough to save her from death.
Belle left the cabin and went to the sink and splashed water on her face. Reapplied her lipstick and gave a scolding in herself in front of the mirror. Tonight, she knew she had to give James all the time he needed to recover.
Regardless of what was needed...
James was lying on his bed, gritting his teeth with the pain he felt in his shoulder. After bathing, Mary Margaret cleaned the wound, applied an antiseptic and made a bandage.
"Oh James..." Mary said, desperately, "Why have you insisted on going to that place? You were lucky that Gold has a bad aim and the bullet only grazed you. You could be dead!"
"Mary... It wasn't Adrian who shot me..." He said, his face contorted in a grimace, feeling the antiseptic burn like a thousand bee stings. "What? What do you mean?" Mary Margaret was confused. "You told Belle he was there. That he shot you...".
"No, Mary. Gold saved my life...".
Silence engulfed the room as Mary Margaret was trying to understand what her husband was saying.
"Gold has saved you?" She asked, aghast. "But... Why?"
"I don't know. When I got to the cafe, the Gestapo had surrounded the place. There were no way the people of the Resistance to escape. So some of them reacted and started shooting in all directions. It seemed a hell. There were people screaming and running in all directions, trying to get away from that massacre. I watched as Belle's friend was hit. She was trying to escape through an alley and some Germans persecuted and... My God, Mary Margaret... What they did to her... I just heard the desperate screams of that poor woman while she was being raped by those monsters and... Oh Mary, I couldn't do anything to save her... And it was not just her. I saw dozens of people being killed in front of me... I was not able to save them, my God..." James tried to sit up, but fell back on the pillows, affected by pain, disgust and sadness.
"There was nothing you could do, my dear. None of this was your fault..." Mary said, holding her husband's hand affectionately in hers.
"I don't know if I would live that place. When I tried to evade, I got shot, and falls to the ground. I couldn't see who had shot me, but then I saw one of the Germans came toward me, realizing that I was hurt, and he pointed the gun at me. At that moment I knew I was going to die..." James closed his eyes, trying to erase that image from his mind. "I could only think of you, my love... I would break my promise. I wouldn't come back... But then when that Germany was about to kill me, a bullet hit the center of the head of that miserable. The shot had come from behind me. It was Gold. He was holding the gun in hand, in the direction that German was, and he looked at me, but showed no surprise at seeing me there." James looked at his wife, stunned. "I knew I couldn't bear to stay lucid for a long time, so I felt that someone was helping me up. Gold was not alone. One of the men that work for him came to my rescue and took me to a side street where a car was parked... They left me two blocks from here. Gold said nothing during the entire route... Oh, Mary Margaret, I am alive because he saved me.".
Mary Margaret was silent, absorbing, perplexed, everything that James had told her.
"Why didn't you say this to Belle?" She asked finally.
"Because we don't know what she really thinks about Gold." James said, almost succumbing to sleep. "We both know from the outset that there is more in this story that Regina didn't told us. Isabelle is acting on her orders, and we don't know to who Belle is loyal. Regina manipulates people, and Isabelle may be one of her puppets."
Mary Margaret sighed, lifting the bed so that her husband could rest.
"I don't know James, but you should not judge Belle this way. She is a very intelligent and noble woman. I'm sure she's already suspicious of Regina." Mary Margaret looked sadly at James. "I just hope she stays well tonight."
"The only thing we can do is ask God to have mercy on her " James said finally, closing his eyes and sleeping soundly.
Belle was able to rejoin Gaston, displaying a fake smile on her lips as the red lipstick that adorned.
Gaston ate voraciously, she barely touched her food. The German did not ask any details about Belle's life before the war, nor about anything to make her the center of attention. The only thing that mattered was him. It was all about his life and his achievements during the war, and how he managed to get to the coveted post of the Gestapo. Everything was about him, except when Gaston began to ask about James.
"And what do you say about your cousin James? He's an interesting man, don't you think?"
"He is really interesting," Belle said, flatly.
"A member of the French bourgeoisie, with a family history that extend for several centuries. A family tree full of men of valor, who risked their lives to defend the country they love."
"The family of James had many brave men," she agreed.
"And yet, James managed to swear loyalty to Germany and his growing empire. I always wonder how, and why a man would do that." Gaston mused, his eyes still fixed on the face of Belle.
"Maybe because he sees the future in the same way you do." She said. "He knows the old France cannot survive in the old way and he recognizes the superiority of Hitler's regime."
"I must admit that our feelings rightists benefit rich men like him. Still, there were times when others doubted that the support he demonstrates to our cause is sincere" Gaston sighed. "His name was linked to a certain organization of the underworld and the French Resistance. Of course, I ignored all these comments. Nothing more than gossip."
"You're right, Gaston. It seems that no one in Paris can be free of suspicion. Maybe not even me!" Belle said with a slight chuckle.
"No, Fräulein, I guarantee that your records don't have any brand that raises suspicions. James is in the house tonight?" Gaston said. "Maybe at the end of our meeting, I can talk to him and tell him that his name was mentioned to me on a recent activity of the Resistance. After all, it is the least that a friend should do for another. James has always been a great host for me."
"Of course he will be there, but it will be too late. I'm sure he will already be asleep." Belle said, sure of herself. At that moment she needed to be brave. Would have to do everything necessary to keep Gaston far away from that house. She had put the live of James in danger, and the least she could do was protect him that night.
But who would protect her? Belle knew the answer. Nobody. "And I thought that tonight would be more appropriate to relax. Is not that what you said?" She asked, tilting her head seductively and grinning.
Gaston's eyes widened and he slapped the table.
"Yes! You are right. Tonight is reserved to pleasure. Let's dance."
Belle pressed her body intensely against the German, as they danced. She accepted the caresses he did, as if she really wanted to. She could feel the excitement of Gaston against her thigh as he kissed her lips tightly, feeling his lizard tongue exploring her mouth.
Belle could not help but compare Gaston with Gold. Although Adrian Gold appeared to be much more dangerous than the German, he treated her with respect. But it was no use thinking about him more. Gold had shot James and he was not there to protect her. He was as bad as Gaston. And she needed to be strong. To be brave.
"Let's go somewhere we can be alone" Belle whispered in the ear of Gaston, wishing away the idea of visiting James.
"Right now."
Gaston called his car and got in the vehicle with Belle. After shouting his address to the driver, he wasted no time and began to explore the body parts of Belle who were within reach. Stopping in front of an indistinct apartment building, just minutes from the headquarters of the Gestapo in Avenue Foch, Gaston dismissed the driver, pulled Belle into the building and took the elevator to the second floor. Upon entering the apartment, Belle was quickly taken to a dark room.
"Mein Gott! I'm waiting for this since the first time I saw you."
Ripping the clothes covering the body of Belle and stopping only to take his coat, he threw her on the bed and unzipped his pants. Belle closed her eyes tight to hold back tears when Gaston forced himself into her, squeezing her breasts hard as he did. She moved her hips up toward him to indicate that gave her pleasure, hoping that would do the martyrdom finish faster.
Belle heard him mutter curses in German and felt his nauseous breath on her face. Her insides were dry, burning with pain while the German continued to stockpile the flesh of her private parts. When she was beginning to think she was going to faint, Gaston let out a roar and plopped down on top of her.
As his breathing became normal, he propped himself up on one elbow and turned to look at her.
"For a French aristocrat, you make sex like a whore." He said, rolling to the side and closing his eyes.
Belle was silent, trying not solution as tears streamed down her face. Was for this she had come to France? Was for this that she had left the comfort of her home in London, the safety of her father? All this, to protect her country? But the only thing she could think about was Adrian Gold. He promised. He would protect her. He would never let Gaston hurt her. He had promised. And he was lying.
Belle, feeling a false sense of security, thanked God for all be finished relatively quickly.
But ten minutes later, Gaston was awake. He looked at her and began to fondle himself. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he dragged her over the bed, bringing her rudely to the ground. Moving the legs quickly, he placed her among them.
"Herr Gaston! Please, I..." She could not say anything more as he forced her to grasps him.
"Your bourgeois French, you think you're superior to us. You think that Hurensohn Carruthers will come here to defend you?" Snapped Gaston, holding the head of Belle tightly. "Would you rather him instead of me, your Hündin. You women are all alike: sluts and whores!"
As the night dragged on until turn into a dawn shy, Belle was subjected to a series of degrading and perverse sexual acts. Throughout the night, the insults against her and Gold seemed to have no end. She cried, begged, but her words had no effect as he continued with the abuse. At one point, when he turned on her stomach and invaded virgin cavities that were not created for that purpose, the agony was so big that Belle lost consciousness.
She awoke with a dim light that shone through the window and saw that Gaston was not in the room. With tears streaming down her face, she gathered her clothes, staggering and feeling disoriented when she did so, and put her body bruised and bloodied in what was left of her clothes. Checking her watch, she saw that it was past six o'clock in the morning. Struggling to stand, feeling her muscles violated shouted indignantly at each step, Belle opened the bedroom door. Looking desperately for a way out, she realized she was in the living room.
Belle was devastated. Every part of her body was mistreated and raped. But it was her soul and her heart that were not chipped, but destroyed. And Adrian Gold had not been there to protect her. He had lied.
Belle staggered back to the bathroom to throw up, wiped her face and swallowed a bit of tap water. Then, she left the apartment, leaving her soul and her heart backwards.
Omg, what did I do? I'm so sorry Belle i-i. And please don't kill me guys for this. But you all must remember that this is not a fairy tale, it is World War II. I promise that everything will get better for Belle... Well, at least I think. I think I'm learning well with our lovely writers of OUAT how tho hurt people ehehehhe. I love to write this chapter... (love because it was something really difficult), and I'll appreciate your lovely thoughts!.
Please, share your thoughts. review ;)