Remus Gold went to his shoppe the next day, quite like everyday he had had the shop in his possession. Bae was safe at school, and Miss Belle French was most likely a safe distance away from him, at her own shoppe down the street from his.

However, fate had decided that his jealous rage should be reared back up. Indeed, for there was Belle, leaning against the window of his shoppe. Mr. Gold's Pawnshop was not exactly a good leaning spot, however clean it was, and so Remus walked over towards her, however much he was screaming with agony in his head.

"Hello, Mr. Gold." Belle greeted him, her voice having a wistful note that Remus could not quite place. "Hello, Miss French." Remus responded gruffly, not exactly looking at her. He stared at his feet.

"I missed you yesterday, are you alright?" Belle asked, and was that concern in her voice? Why was this woman concerned for him, him of all people? Remus nodded anyway, unsure how to respond truthfully. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just rather busy." He lied smoothly.

"Oh," Belle said softly. "I understand; I just wanted to make sure you were okay. What are friends for, if not to make sure the other isn't on the brink of death, and all that." Belle continued, and if things were normal, Remus might have laughed at that.

As it was, he gave her a tight little smile. "Well, thank you." Remus murmured, and she'd leaned in to hear him, and he'd leaned in to take that last breath of her scent, and so it was quite by accident when their noses bumped together. Belle jerked away, blushing a little. "Sorry." he muttered.

"Don't be. It was just an accident," Belle pointed out. "Anyway, I've got to go open the shoppe, I just wanted to make sure you're okay. You're really sure you are?" Belle persisted, her hands wringing together.

"Yes, Miss French, I'm quite alright." Remus told her. "However, I may have to put our daily routine on hold this week." he searched her face for a reaction, filling in his brain the way it fell. He'd dissect that later.

"Oh," Belle looked down, trying to hide her crestfallen face. "Okay. I'll see you next Monday then, I guess." she said, trying to be cheerful at least in her voice. It didn't quite work, Remus knowing her as well as he did.

"I certainly hope so." Remus admitted, looking at her hands for a moment. He almost reached out to take one of them in his before he remembered that man. "I, uh.." he stammered, trying to find the words. "I'm very happy that you've found someone, Miss French." he said at last, as he turned away to go inside.

He was in the shoppe before she could reply, but long did she stare at the door with feelings so mixed that she couldn't even decipher them.

It took her about five minutes to get her bearings, before she checked her watch and decided that, as owner of the shoppe, she could be twenty minutes late if she wanted to. And so she marched into his shoppe, his door slamming behind her.

"Is that what this was about?" Belle demanded, and Remus whirled around with wide eyes. "You think I'm dating someone, so you won't speak to me?" her voice was shaky, and Remus wanted nothing more to calm her down with a kiss to her forehead, but knew that what he coveted could never be his.

Remus flushed, looking down at his feet. "No, of course not. I told you - I'm quite busy this week." Remus stuck with his lie, unable to voice that yes, he was jealous as hell that someone had taken his tea-brewer from him.

"I don't believe you." Belle snapped, looking at him and reaching out, taking his hands in one of hers like he'd wanted to not ten minutes before. "Remus…" she whispered, using his given name as she was wont to do. The 'Mr. Gold' she'd greeted him with always irked him, and she knew that. Had she known this all along, this jealousy sparked in his belly?

"Miss French, please-" he tried to pull away from her, even as his body screamed in protest. "Belle." Belle groaned, releasing one of her hands to throw it up in the air in exasperation. "My name is Belle, Remus, you know that." She told him firmly. "I'm not the Miss French you didn't know when you came into my shoppe the first time, twelve weeks and two day ago." she admitted. "I'm Belle. Your friend."

What? She had begun to count the days since he'd met her? He'd marked it on his calendar, and held the day in high regards, but he'd never dreamed that she would have. "Belle, then." he murmured, quite nervously.

"See, you can listen to me." Belle whispered in what he thought was an affectionate tone, but he didn't dare believe it. "Now I want you to keep listening to me, please?" She requested, and God, he would have promised to swing a rope around the moon and pull it down for her if only she would be his.

"If you insist." Remus said at last, trying for smooth and faltering in the end. Belle gave him a Look, one that clearly said he would pay for this, but even that he held close to his heart. If she was mad, it would be a small price to pay for her to be thinking of him. Wouldn't it?

"I'm not seeing anyone." Belle's voice broke his thoughts, and she spoke clearly, enunciating the last word. Was she serious? His tea-brewer, the one that had snaked her way around his heart wasn't… But who was that man? His thoughts were, once more, interrupted as she spoke again. "Well, I thought I was seeing someone, but then he ditched me.. Said he was too busy this week for me." She admitted in a teasing little voice. "Does the man sound familiar?"

"Belle, that was what I told you." Remus reminded her, confused and all muddled up. Belle let out a loud sigh, and took one of her hands away from his again, and he mourned the loss before she had it wrapped around his neck.

"Yes, Remus, it was." Belle agreed, her face inches from his. "You're the man I thought I was seeing." she whispered. "I-I don't understand." Remus gulped, and God, he ached to close the distance and just snog her senseless.

"We've been eating lunch together for two and a half months, sir." Belle retorted. "I don't think I value a friend's company that much. No, I only value your company like that. I love our week lunches, I do, but it makes me long for more, Remus." She told him quietly.

"You…. You thought we were dating…" Remus echoed in wonder, and Belle must have read something wrong in his voice, because her face fell and she tried to pull away. "I'm-" She began, still struggling to get away from his lovely arms, but she wasn't even truly trying because even if all he saw when he looked at her was a friend, she valued him.

"No, don't." Remus told her pleadingly. "Don't apologise. Let me." he whispered, and she paused her struggling to stare at him with wide eyes. "I thought all you saw me as was a friend." Remus began, softly. Belle flinched, and their eyes met. "I.. I saw you with that man yesterday and I was… jealous." he admitted quietly.

"What man?" Belle asked, confusion written on her features. Could it be, could he hope that she truly saw no man but him, as he saw no woman but her? "He was dark haired, and very.. muscular." he told her truthfully, albeit a little nervously.

"That was Gary French." Belle said with a little laugh, and she finally broke the distance and put her head on his shoulder. He squeezed her hands, and a little gasp escaped his mouth as he recognised the last name to be the same as hers.

"I don't-" he whispered, shock filling his body. "That's my brother, Remus." Remus blinked, understanding dawning in his mind. No wonder she looked comfortable and happy with the man, he was her blood. It still didn't quite make sense why she was comfortable and happy with him, but he'd let that one go for now, seeing as Belle had pulled him down and her face was inches from his once more.

Telling himself to be brave, Remus lowered his face further, until their lips met. Belle's lips parted in a sigh, and though he desperately wanted to deepen the kiss, he kept it chaste. He held her waist as they kissed, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Remus." Belle whispered as he pulled away, and wasn't it nice to hear his name when she was dizzy from all the kissing she'd been doing. "Belle." he responded, his voice full of longing. He opened his mouth again, but Belle put her own open mouth on top of his, and words were lost to him.

"You had that apologetic look on your face." Belle whispered as she pulled away, still playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "And if you apologise for taking my breath away, I'm going to be very angry with you." she told him in a no-nonsense voice he'd heard her use many times with Baedan.

"Maybe I was going to say I was sorry for pulling away." Remus said, even though he hadn't been. She had it all right, and he was a coward. He could fake the brave face, though, well enough. Belle just snorted. "Sure you were." she muttered, but she was smiling at him still, and he'd take all the insults in the world if she would just keep smiling at him like that.

"I am sorry, though," Remus told her quietly, and she gave him another Look. He hastily continued. "That I wasn't going to hear you out. That I was going to just ignore you." he told her. "It was wrong, and I shouldn't do that. Not if…"

Belle's eyes widened at his small confession, and she kissed him once on the mouth before whispering, "If?" Remus blushed, looking down at their joined hands. "If I want you to myself." he murmured.

"You've had me to yourself an hour every weekday for the past two months," Belle teasingly said as she kissed his neck, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Aren't you bored by now?" It was then Remus' turn to snort. "Sweetheart…" Remus whispered. "I couldn't be bored of you. Not ever." he told her truthfully.

"I'm just a tea-brewer." Belle reminded him. "I didn't hang the moon." she smirked a little at his little snicker of protest. "You are the moon, Belle." Remus told her after a brief pause. "You shine where there is darkness."

"You're not all darkness," Belle frowned at him, and he kissed her again. "And I'm not exactly bursting with sunshine, either, dear." he pointed out. "Yes you are," Belle giggled. "Whenever you come for lunch," she said. "Which I expect to be happening an awful lot, by the way, it brightens my day considerably."

"Everyday, if you'll have me." Remus promised against her lips. "I'll have you." she vowed in return, kissing him softly. "But I'm the only one who gets to share your tea." She told him, tiptoeing against the slippery subject.

"Would anyone else want to?" Remus retorted. "Deal, if I'll be the only one you test flavors on." he told her in response. "Would anyone else want to?" Belle echoed his response, smiling at him. "Thousands of men could throw themselves at your feet, darling, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least."

"Well," Belle hummed. "It's a good thing you'll stand in front of me." she whispered, and they kissed again with a small sigh of contentment. Now they just had to tell Baedan….

All was right, and Remus Gold found himself… happy.

That's a wrap. I may be persuaded to write more or do an epilogue. Send me a prompt.

Lots of love, Kindle