The Idiot Box: Bonding Moments
Author's Note: The modern names of Baelfire (Baden) and Jefferson (last name Madden) come from the oh so talented thestraggletag. Her stories got into my mind and live in there and now I can't imagine those characters with different names.
repeatinglitanies asked: Much to Belle and Mr Gold's chagrin, Baden Gold has decided to make his tent in Belle's office and refuses to leave.
riskpig asked: The show receives a letter about divorce from Baden
Belle was having a rough day, she was putting out fires left and right. Regina refused to come out of her dressing room until she was given more lines, while two of the children actors had the flu and the writers room was pure chaos.
She went into the office she shared with Jefferson and fell into her desk chair. Thomas, the intern followed her in with a folder in his hand.
"Rough day?" he asked.
"Just another day in Storybrooke," Belle sighed. "And look it's not even halfway done."
"Well, I have just the thing to cheer you up," he smiled, handing her the folder. "Here are some fan letters I thought you might like to see."
Children and even some parents sent letters to the show and as much as Belle would love to go through them all herself, she just didn't have time. But Sean as an intern was in charge of social media and interacting fans. Each fan that wrote in would receive an autographed photo of Mary Margaret and Storytime in Storybrooke bookmark she personally designed.
She smiled as the young man left and looked through the letters. She read about a twelve year old who was sick all time, but Storytime was the way she made friends. She read another by a eight year old boy who said he started reading Peter Pan after seeing the Neverland episode and now it was "his favorite book in the whole world and read it a billion times."
But one letter hit a little too close to home. It was written in crayon by a young a child who obviously put a lot of care into his wrote.
Dear John (lots of the letters would be addressed to Henry's character, since children didn't know any better),
I like watching you on TV. It makes me happy. Papa and me always watch the show together no matter what. You don't have a dad like I don't have a mom but you still do cool stuff. I like that. Watching the show makes me forget that my mum doesn't want me. Papa says Mum loves me, but why would she go away with Killy? He is mean and doesn't smell good. Thank you for letting me watch the show. I hope to see another dragon!
Love,
Bae
Belle was glad the door was closed, because she had started crying. Belle's own mother had left her family when she was seven. Her father, broken hearted, couldn't stand to stay in the place where they all had been so happy, so they moved to America where his cousin owned a chain of floral shops.
It was a difficult move for Belle, losing her mother, her home, her whole country. The children at her school had already been friends with each for three years and thought her accent was weird. So Belle would spend her lunch time in the library reading whatever she could get her hands on. The librarian, Mrs. King, there had been so kind to her and loved to discuss books with the little girl, she ended up being the inspiration of Adriana. She wondered if Mrs. King ever watched the show, she really should look her up when she next visited her father.
Looking back down on the paper, she noticed again the name Bae. While there were millions of kids that watched the show, Bae wasn't a common name, add the age, it could be little Baden Gold.
She shook her head and put the folder away. Grabbing some tissues and splashing some water from cup on her face, she tried to calm herself down again to get back into the dungeon (Jefferson's name for the writer room, since it had no windows).
Into the deep once more she thought.
The next day went more smoothly than the last. She, Victor, August, and Rory had just finished writing the latest episode. She was in her office reading it over once more, when Ruby rushed in.
"Belle, could you please do me a favor?" she said breathlessly.
"Sure," Belle answered looking at her friend with concern.
"I usually drop off Baden at this time to his father, however Mr. Dove just told me that Mr. Gold is still uptown in a meeting, but I have class in 20 minutes and I would ask Granny, but she is about to have a fitting with Regina and she terrifies Baden, the poor thing. Could you watch him for like 15 minutes, you are the only person he likes and Gold approves of," Ruby rushed without even taking a breath.
"Yes, of course… what do you mean I'm the only person he likes?" she asked walking with her friend over to wardobe.
"Well, he must like you, he barely ever talks to anyone, even me," Ruby said sadly. "We have gotten to two words answers now, so its progressing. But he met you and he just started chatting away."
Belle was shocked, Baden never seemed shy to her, other than hiding under a table from Regina (she admittedly wanted to do that some days), he seemed like every other kid she had met.
Bae was reading a book near Granny at her sewing station. The instant he saw her his eyes perked up.
"Belle," he exclaimed, running to her like he did his father a few days ago, hugging her as close as he could. Belle couldn't help but ruffle his soft curly hair.
"How are you?" she asked.
"I'm good! Ruby said we are going to hang out while Papa is in a meeting."
"We are, let's go to my office," she said, taking his hand and waving to Ruby who was already running out the door.
Baden's eyes were huge as he tried to take in all the office, with Storytime posters and memorabilia from the show adorned on the walls.
She lead him to child size table and chair that Jefferson brought into their office for his daughter Grace, who would sometimes play an extra in the library. She thought Bae would love the chance to be on his favorite television show, maybe she should ask Mr. Gold when he stopped to pick his son up.
She gave Baden some color pencils and printer paper.
"Draw whatever you want," she said with a smile. She would have prefered to spend some time with the child, but she need to finish looking over the script so she could get it to the director and the sides to the cast. Regina was known to be furious when she didn't have her scripts on time.
She was finishing reading the first act, when Baden walked up to her with a drawing in his hand.
"It's you," he explained, handing her the artwork. "And this is a dragon, but you don't have a sword, you have a pen, because Papa says a pen is better than a sword. So you are writing the dragon a fun story and you two are friends, because you are nice like that."
"It's perfect!" She pinned up the drawing in the middle of her cork board where she and Jefferson put schedules and reminders. "Now everyday I'll see it and think of you."
Baden smiled and then looked at her computer screen.
"Are you working on a new story?" he asked excitedly.
"Yes, I am. Would you like to hear some of it?"
The young boy nodded at once.
"But you have to promise not tell anymore about the story, we want it to be a surprise for everyone," she said.
He nodded solemnly. She picked him up and placed him on her lap as she read through the script like a storybook, doing her best Goldilock and bear impressions. Baden laughed and 'ohh' at all the right times, it was nice to get a live reaction.
There was a knock on her open door, Mr. Gold with a particular look on his face. Instead of running to his father like he did last time, Bae stayed in her lap, waving at his father.
"Belle is telling me a story, it's really good!" he said excitedly.
"Well that was very kind of Ms. French, but you are probably hungry and she needs to get her work done," Gold said.
"I'm not hungry, not really, I want to stay here with Belle. Plus I'm helping, I'm her key."
Gold had a questioned look on his face.
"He is my key demographic," she said with a smile. "For the first time I'm completely confident in sending a script out after reading it to him."
"That's all well and good, but Baden you need to eat, remember we are going to eat at your favorite, Peanut Butter & Company."
Baden looked at Belle, "They put raisins and bananas and take off the crusts for you, it's the best restaurant in the whole world! You should come with us Belle!"
Belle looked from son to father, Mr. Gold's face was unreadable.
"Maybe another time," she said, pulling the boy out of her lap, so she could stand up.
Bae frowned, but picked up his backpack, and hugged her.
"See you later Belle, thank you telling me the story!" he said happily. Baden walked out into the writers room, but Mr. Gold stayed.
"Um… Thank you again for looking after him," he said.
"You're welcome Mr. Gold," she said with a smile.
He turned to walk away, but looked back at her one more time, again she couldn't read his face, but the look did make her heart skip a beat.
Author's Note 2: I decided to make Belle's mother alive, because really we don't know what happened to her, though my Once Upon a Time headcanon is she died in childbirth, however in our world that isn't as common.