A/N here is the newest chapter. Thank you to all of you who read and took the time to review. You have no idea how inspiring it is to me. So thank you again!

Please enjoy, read and review!

Hugs and kisses!

-Moxie

Belle let the phone clatter to the floor.

"Gordon?" She wanted to very rudely ask why in the world he was standing in her home, but instead said, "What brings you here?"

"I came to visit my Aunt Lori Anne and decided to drop in. It's good to see you Belle."

He reached over and hugged her. She wriggled out of his embrace as politely as she could thinking Oh goodness...this is bad.

"Come on outside you two." Charlotte said, "Pappy and Mo are grilling and I'm making my famous lemonade.

Belle didn't understand why they were acting like it was summer. It wasn't even the first of spring and `spring' in Maine just means muddy winter. It's almost as cold as winter, but with more mud to trek through and just a little less snow.

"Uh. I'm uh. I'm sorry guys." Belle began when she got outside, "But I already have plans."

"Aw come on now Darlin' Said her grandpa in his southern drawl. "You can't cancel your plans just this once? We have a guest over."

"I'm sorry Pappy. But I made a commitment and I plan to keep it." Belle replied, giving her grandfather a hug and turning to leave. Every member of her family tried to convince her to stay, even her father. Finally Gordon spoke up.

"I'll be in town for the whole week. Maybe we can do this again, when Belle doesn't have plans."

Belle left first and Gordon followed her.

"Please God," She prayed silently. "Show me how to treat him with kindness."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned around.

"I've missed you so much Belle. I...I honestly haven't been able to get over the way that things ended between us."

"I know it was hard Gordon. It was hard for me to do that to you but I just-"

Gordon cut her off. "I still love you Belle. You are so beautiful and would make such a wonderful wife. You would love going all over the world with me on my mission trips. Do you think that you...would reconsider our engagement?' Somehow in the middle of his sentence he had grabbed a hold of her hand. She gently removed it before she spoke.

'Gordon...I'm so, so sorry. You are a good guy and will make some girl a wonderful husband one day, but not me. I'm sorry but I don't love you and I'm not cut out for a life of constant travel."

"Oh Belle." He sighed, running his hand through his raven hair. "I know that you could learn to love me."

"I can't." She said tearfully. "And I think it would be best if you didn't come visit again."

She turned away from him and walked over to Ruby's. But instead of leaving behind a brokenhearted, dejected man, she left behind an angry one who was determined to win her over.

That night when she got home from a hilarious time with out-going Ruby (Who asked her about a zillion questions about Sydney. Some normal like "Was he funny?" And then there were the weird ones like, "Does he really smell like Scotland?" And "Did you spend all the time kissing, or some of it talking too?" At this Belle had rolled her eyes and answered "All of it was spent talking, Einstein.) Belle was exhausted.

In a rush to get away from Gordon she had left her cell at home, so when she got there she checked it and found that she had a message from Sydney.

"UH, Hello Belle. It's me... call me back when you have a free moment."

She was too tired to call him back that night so she called him the next morning when she was about to have her breakfast. As she walked down the stairs she dialed his number and sat at the island with a vanilla scone and up of tea.

He answered the phone and they talked for a moment before he said he had to go and hung up.

It had sounded like he wanted to tell her something before he had hung up so quickly, but she decided that if it was really important he would call her back and tell her.

"Arabella! Come here please" Charlotte yelled from the front door. Belle rushed to her grandmother who was toting in duffel bags of stuff.

"Oh Grandma." Belle sighed. "I thought that after the bag full of purple owl pot holders, you were done bringing things into our house."

Her grandmother beamed and said, "These things aren't for me." Now be a good girl and run them upstairs to your mother's sewing room."

Belle obliged without grumbling but she hoped that her grandparents wouldn't be staying with them much longer. She didn't know how much more animal shaped household items their house could actually hold.

While Belle sat on the couch watching re-runs of BBC's Sherlock, there was a knock on the door.

Someone else can get it. She thought.

That was a mistake.

Belle's Pappy answered the door. Belle had no idea who was there, but she heard the door slam and a few minutes later the knocking continued. Belle sighed heavily and got up to answer the door . It was probably the avon lady again.

Belle opened the door, and who stood there but Sydney.

"Your Grandpa isn't too fond of me, eh?" He said, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry about him. I'm sure he didn't mean-"

"Oh yes I did." Clark interrupted, appearing out from the kitchen where he had been standing. "What business do you have here?" He asked Sydney, moving Belle out of the way.

"I came here to see Belle." Sydney replied. He would not be intimidated by this man. He wasn't a seventeen year old boy, he was a grown man and was coming to see a grown woman. They could make their own choices.

"Belle and I have an...appointment." That's when Belle remembered. She and Sydney had plans to go to Molly's diner for lunch. She had completely forgotten their plans.

Belle pushed past her grandfather and took Sydney's outstretched hand. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when their hands touched. She didn't care about the horrified look on her grandfather's face, or the fact that the moment she left the news would have spread to her entire family.

He drove them out to Molly's, talking all the way. She couldn't help but notice that he smelled a little more like whiskey than normal.

She felt more comfortable with him now, more comfortable than she felt with most people.

"Sydney, is something wrong?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

She just gave him a knowing glance and he sighed. "Today is the day Belle. The day I lost my son."

He looked over at her and saw the tears glistening between her cinnamon lashes.

He pulled the car to a stop in front of Molly's and sat back in the drivers seat. She reached out her hand and placed it on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Sydney. So, so sorry." She whispered, leaning over and laying her head on his shoulder.

He reached down and lifted her face to his. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were pressed against hers. It was her first kiss and the sensation was unbelievable; like one thousand dancing flames were touching her lips.

"I'm sorry Belle. I don't know what came over me."

Belle barely heard what he said. Her vision seemed clouded and her mind was off somewhere else. When she realized he was apologizing she covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.

"Don't apologize ! Unless you didn't mean it. Then you can apologize, but if you didn't then I don't want you to... regret it or anything. I mean I..." She was interrupted by another kiss.

"I don't regret it in the least."

There were a few more kisses, and then he opened the car door for her and took her inside the diner.

They sat down in the red leather booths and ordered hamburgers and iced tea.

"So what do we call what we are?" Belle asked when their food was almost all gone.

"What do you mean?" Sydney asked, taking a bite of his juicy burger.

"Are we...dating. Or just friends. Or what?" Belle asked quietly, feeling the blush creeping up her cheeks, not sure if she should have asked that question.

"I would like that. The, uh dating idea." He laughed. "I never thought at this age I would be `dating'. But I very much enjoy your company Belle. And I am not too fond of the idea of sharing you with any other man."

"You don't have to worry about that." Belle said. "I've never met a man quite like you. And I'm not fond of the idea of sharing you with other women."

"Yeah right." He scoffed. "Everyone in this town have shunned me. Except for you. You're...different than them. But it's a good kind of different. A special kind. The kind that only comes around every once in a while. And any man who finds a woman like that would be crazy to let her go."

"It's not right, the way they treat you, I mean. We are supposed to love people like Jesus does, but they turn away from you, and other people in the town they don't approve of. Like my friend Ruby."

"By the looks of it," Gold said, "You're the only one going by the book."

Sydney took her home and walked with her up to the front door. It was close to dark now, they had stayed out longer than they had anticipated.

"I'll see you soon Belle." He said, and kissed her goodbye on the front porch, just like in all of the romantic movies that she adored.

She walked inside with a dreamy look on her face, but it disappeared when she was met by her parents.

"Please tell me I didn't see what I think I just saw." Her father said quietly, covering his eyes with his hand like he did when he had a headache.

"That depends upon what you think it is that you saw."

"You. Kissing. Mr. Gold."

Belle smiled a little dreamily, but her family didn't notice.

"Yes, you saw what you thought you did." She said.

Martha burst into tears. "Oh my poor baby. Please Belle no. Not Gold. Anybody but him. I'll stop pushing for Gordon now. Just please stop rebelling by being with him."

"Mom!" Belle exclaimed. "I am not a fourteen year old girl who's dating a biker or something to rebel. I'm with Sydney because I enjoy being around him. He's sweet and funny and good looking and-"

"Twice your age, maybe more." Her grandmother said, from behind.

Belle whirled around.

"I don't know why you have a problem with him. What did he ever do to you?"

"Nothing Belle." Her father said. "We just don't think that's a wise choice is all."

She was done with the conversation. She started walking up the stairs to her room, but was met halfway by Gordon.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, not caring about politeness at the moment.

"I came down to see what all the commotion was. Hey, Mrs. F, your sewing room works great for a guest room."

Please God. No. Just...no.

"Mom is Gordon...staying with us?"

Her mom smiled up the staircase at her.

"Oh. Why I believe I forgot to tell you." Her mom laughed. "Well isn't this just a swell surprise!"

"No Mom, it most definitely is not." She practically ran up the stairs and into her room, but Gordon followed her.

"So what was all the commotion down there?" He asked, his green eyes sparkling mischievously.

"You weren't talking about me were you?" He winked.

"No. We were talking about the fact that my entire family was spying on me and saw me kissing Sydney Gold."

Belle knew she shouldn't have said anything, but something came over her. Maybe she wanted to make Gordon jealous, but either way, telling him was a mistake.

"Aw come on Belle." He laughed. "You seriously thought I'd fall for that? No sane woman would go nearthe old drunk."

"Well I must be pretty insane then." Belle stated.

His smile disappeared completely.

"No Belle. Come on. He's a no good drunkard who wastes his life and money on whiskey and gambling at card games. He isn't ashamed of it either. So cocky and proud about his skills."

"Wait a second." Belle said. "How would you know how he acts when he plays cards?"

Suddenly she knew. "You gamble!"

The silence told her that her assumptions were correct.

"I can't believe you!" She scoffed. "Going around condemning Sydney when you're no better. Maybe even worse."

"Worse? How am I worse?"

"Sydney doesn't go around pretending to be someone he's not." She said, and pushed Gordon aside and going into her room, locking the door behind her.

Her mother came knocking and Belle opened the door.

"Listen Honey," She said.

"I have to give you an ultimatum. Break things off with Sydney, or you can no longer live in our home."

After her mother left she laid on her bed and called Sydney, crying.

"Please come and get me." She cried.

"I'll be right there, what's the matter Sweetheart?"

"I'll tell you when you get here."