Wow guys, I feel bad! It's been SO long since I've updated! I'm sorry about that...I've been so pulled in so many different directions! Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and are getting all ready for Christmas... and survived the winter finale of our favorite show with little pain (DUDE how much did y'all love that episode?!). This chapter is shorter than usual but there should be another one before too long since I've broken through whatever block I had going on. I hope you enjoy! And again THANK YOU for all the favs, follows and especially for the REVIEWS! You guys are amazing!

Chapter 10: Feels

Belle walked from the ice cream parlor with Emma, Mr. Gold headed toward the B&B. They had parted awkwardly, it seemed neither of them knew how to act. Emma with her usual guile simply thanked Mr. Gold for the root bear floats (he insisted that a gentleman should pick up the tab since he'd had the pleasure of such delightful company, and who could argue that?) and said they'd see him tomorrow. Belle hadn't known what to say really, she thanked him too of course, and told him she was going with Emma to have dinner with the Nolan's, to make up for missing before.

She had watched his face intensely looking for emotions, some hint of what he was thinking. After learning some of his sad past she couldn't help wanting to protect the man. Another of her quirks she supposed, always protecting those she thought needed it, especially if they made every attempt to appear they didn't.

"We're still on for breakfast thought? I thought I'd make French toast...it's sort of a family thing," she laughed nervously.

"I'd like that..." he had trailed off but held her gaze, "very much."

She smiled then blushed attention suddenly diverted, "Come on Belle, you know how mom gets if we're late and you're already in the dog house." Emma was tugging on her coat.

"I have to go...tomorrow, 7?" her body was turned toward Emma but her gaze was still trained on the man.

"Of course, go Ms. French, you don't need to get into any more trouble," he chuckled softly.

She nodded, "Belle – really, you are a forgetful man," she laughed.

It was an effort to actually turn her body and walk away, but she did. What was wrong with her?

It took all her will to not look back.

"Well she has a crush on Mr. Gold!" Emma cried pointing at Belle with her fork.

"What? I do not!" Belle immediately flushed bright red even as she denied the allegation.

Mary Margaret and David at the respective ends of the small dining table exchange looks.

"Emma, we are not talking about Belle at the moment, we are talking about you," David raised his eyebrows at his daughter.

"But we'll be talking to you later," Mary Margaret directed to Belle, adding her own meaningful look.

"You're only 15, he's 17 – turning 18 next month. I don't know that I'm comfortable with that, and you know the rule. It's always been no dating until you're 16. Now we're reasonable people though so if you can give us a compelling case we will consider it," David glanced to his wife and she nodded in the affirmative.

Emma looked thoroughly dejected, "Fine. First, I have excellent grades. Straight A's even in Home Ec, which you know Mom, means something considering Mrs. Briers can't boil water without burning it..."

"Don't talk about your teachers that way Emma," Mary Margaret chastised. David raised an eyebrow at her. The woman in fact couldn't boil water.

"Sorry...but I have straight A's. I help out Belle at the shop during the week and on Saturdays. I also babysit. I never break curfew or do anything remotely wrong, I just want to go on this date with Neal... One date, and I'll be 16 in just a few months..."

David actually laughed, "Sweetheart you're barely 15 and a half."

"Well 6 months is a few," Emma folded her arms and tipped her chin up.

"You do make valid points honey and we are very proud of the young woman you are...We'll truly think about it. Right now I think it might improve your chances if you volunteer to clear the table and start the dishes while your father and I talk with Belle."

Emma looked like she wanted to argue or at least complain but she bit her tongue and rose to start gathering dishes. She might have muttered something about only being free child labor but if anyone heard they didn't comment.

"Belle, why don't we go in the living room?" Mary Margaret phrased it as a question but there wasn't any question about it.

The three retired to the living room, Mary Margaret and David on the sofa and Belle feeling a little bit on the hot seat sat in the overstuff reading chair.

"We know you're in trouble with the store and obviously what this Mr. Gold is doing here, we want to help – in any way we can, but we can't if you don't talk to us," David wasted no time in cutting to the chase.

Belle shifted her weight and clenched her hands together, "I appreciate that...more than you know. You guys have always looked out for me, always...and you know I appreciate it," Belle faltered. Maybe it was everything finally settling over her now that she was away from the store...and Mr. Gold. Maybe it was because she was back in the only true home she had known since her mother had passed, there was safety and comfort here among those she called not just friends but family, and in some ways second parents – whatever it was she felt tears starting to pool behind her eyes.

"There is nothing, nothing in the world I can do!" she squeezed her eyes shut and despite her best efforts felt the tears spill down her face. "I've talked to Mr. Gold...I talked with an attorney in Boston. I just don't have any options and it's...I'm scared."

Mary Margaret, always the mother figure was pulling Belle into her arms before Belle had even realized Mary Margaret had left the sofa.

"I knew...I knew this was coming, I did but I didn't know how to stop it. I thought I could recover from all of Daddy's debts and fix this...I thought I could! Now I'm losing everything! Everything! My little bit of savings, my credit...I will probably lose the last of Momma's books! I'm not even 27 yet and I've destroyed my life!" Belle had tears streaming down her face which was buried against Mary Margaret's shoulder.

Mary Margaret patted Belle's back and smoothed her hair. She let her cry until small hiccups came.

"All done?"

Belle nodded and pulled away wiping at her eyes, "Yeah..."

"Okay, good. Now enough of that! No more of this crying... You need to buck up and take back control, okay?" Mary Margaret squeezed Belle's arm.

Belle nodded and laughed softly, still rubbing at her eyes.

"Mary Margaret is right, we will help. This isn't the end of the world. Since we put the addition over the garage last summer the Mother-in-Law apartment is almost completely finished, you would have your own entrance and space for as long as you wanted it," David handed the women a box of tissues. Bell was surprised to see tears in Mary Margaret's eyes too.

"That's right, and I was talking with Principal Poppins yesterday, they really need a history teacher for 12th grade for at least the next couple semesters since Mrs. Gans is taking time off to have her baby... If we really can't save your shop we'll help you rebuild, promise."

Belle starting crying again and hugged Mary Margaret. It was such an incredible relief, such a weight off her shoulders. She had been terrified and didn't know how to ask for help. She had been doing so valiantly in front of Mr. Gold and everyone else, but there was something about letting her guard down and letting, just for a while, someone else take care of her, share her burden, but just for a little while.

"I don't know what to say...I'm just..."

"You're family Belle, and family sticks together no matter what," David smiled.

"That's right, no matter what. I'm not saying we're giving up on the shop, we're still working on that, but you have a backup plan with us," Mary Margaret echoed.

Mary Margaret sent David to the kitchen for tea.

"Now, it's time for us girls to talk...Is it true? What Emma said, do you have a crush on this Mr. Gold?" Mary Margaret pulled Belle with her to the sofa and curled up, legs tucked up under her.

Belle, even with tears staining her face blushed red and had a small smile starting.

"I don't know if crush is right...but I don't know, there is something with him. It's crazy I know. But sometimes when he looks at me, when I look into those eyes it's like I've known him my whole life. Like he's the one I've been waiting for. He quirks his smile in just a way that some times is heartbreaking and pure joy at the same time... I think about him now all the time. He's so easy to talk to and he doesn't judge or pity me, even knowing everything with my dad. I know it's only been a couple days but...I don't know, maybe it is a crush...maybe it's something like early on-set Stockholm Syndrome, I don't know," Belle laughed nervously, "but yeah, I think it's something."

Mary Margaret laughed but quickly covered it with her hand, "Oh Belle...you're almost as bad as Emma!"

Belle groaned and hit Mary Margaret with a throw pillow. "I know! I mean...I know, andit's horrifying. I mean it's not sane! ...is it?" Belle ended just a bit hopeful.

"Well honestly, no it doesn't sound sane, but I've learned to never exclude anything. Are you sure that you're not just stressed out and you're just enjoying the attention of a man? It's been a long time since Rupert."

Belle rolled her eyes, "It's not like that...at all. Have you seen Mr. Gold?"

Mary Margaret tipped her head and narrowed her eyes, "No, why?"

"Well he's older...probably 20 years older than me. He was injured probably as many years ago and has a small limp and walks with a cane. He's a bit...acerbic and maybe a little cold."

With every word Mary Margaret's face seemed to fall though she struggled to hide it.

"Oh, and he's Scottish!"

Mary Margaret shook her head, "Oh Belle, I don't know what to say. Are you sure you want to get involved with this? This could go really bad."

"I'm not sure, I didn't plan it. I didn't mean for there to be feelings and I don't have any idea if he has any feelings for me like I do for him. I mean I think there is something, but he doesn't seem awfully relationship oriented...least not that Google could tell me..."

"You Googled his relationships?! Belle!" Mary Margaret laughed sounding horrified.

"Well! I needed to know, or wanted to...either way."

"20 years is big gap, have you thought about that?"

"I have and I know it's not something to just ignore but...This might, maybe could be..." Belle bit her lip trailing off.

After a moment Mary Margaret spoke, trying to sound sure, "Okay, we'll give him a chance before we call the town to form a mob to hunt him down," she squeezed Belle's hand.

The ladies sat hand-n-hand as David brought in tea in large stoneware mugs.

"Did I miss anything?" he beamed passing a blue mug to Belle and a pink one to Mary Margaret.

"Not really," Mary Margaret and Belle shared a smile.

"Good, think we should talk about Emma?" David kicked back in Belle's vacated chair.

The ladies nodded.

"I think we should let her go," Mary Margaret said firmly.

David raised an eyebrow, "We hardly know him. He's 17! Do you know what boys are like at 17?"

"I have an idea," she crinkled her nose at him and winked, they had been dating at 17, "and we might not know him overly well but I do think we know our daughter. She is right about her grades and showing she's responsible. She has been an ideal, even suspiciously perfect daughter."

David scowled, "Maybe, but she's still a teenager with all that hormonal teenage girl stuff!"

"Hormonal teenage girl stuff, huh?" Mary Margaret made a face that led David to believe he would probably be paying for that remark in someway in the future, "She isn't a baby any more honey, she's 15 and a very mature 15 at that. You can't keep her your little baby forever. She's going to start dating boys."

"Well why can't we wait 6 more months?" David pouted making Mary Margaret smother a smile.

"I think we owe her this. She's done nothing to break our trust yet and she hasn't challenged the 16 rule yet."

David lifted his chin, "Fine. But I think we should invite the Cassidys for dinner. I want to get to know this boy better before we let him take out our daughter."

Mary Margaret smiled and nodded, "I think that sounds like a very reasonable and good thing to do," she looked to Belle, "We're inviting you and Mr. Gold too of course."

Belle looked horrified, "I don't think that's a good idea!"

"We're inviting him. We want to meet him...and I think he should meet us too. He needs to know that there are people who are looking out for you and that he better not hurt you, in any way."

Belle threw up her hands knowing better than to argue, "Fine!"

Mary Margaret unfolded her legs clapping her hands, "Oh, a dinner party and shopping with my daughter for her first big dance! I might cry...there is a definite chance of crying!" she laughed beaming.

"I get to go?!" Emma burst into the room.

The adults startled looking to the teenager that was too excited and happy to bother looking worried she had revealed herself to be eavesdropping.

"Emma, we've talked about you listening in on conversations you weren't invited to..." David warned.

Emma had the good sense to appear chastised, "Yes sir, but to be fair...I wasn't specifically uninvited either."

Mary Margaret covered a snicker with an ostentatious cough.

"Emma..." David drew out his daughter's name.

"Yes Dad, I'm sorry...but since I overhead it anyway, is it true? Do I get to go with Neal?"

"Your mother and I have tentatively agreed to let you go with Neal, yes..."

Emma shrieked happily.

"But, we want to get to know him and his mother so we're going to have them over for dinner."

"Oh thank you, Daddy!" Emma hugged her father fiercely, "Thank you Mom!" she turned to her mother.

"Okay, okay...enough of that. Did you get the kitchen cleaned up for your mother?" David asked with mock sternness.

"Yes, sir," Emma beamed, nothing was going to dim her happiness.

"Why don't we go shopping tomorrow, after you guys close up? We can maybe start looking a dress and talk about the dinner... What day should we do it?" Mary Margaret was clearly in her element.

"We close at 1 tomorrow, and if you're determined to invite Mr. Gold I will ask him what works for him," Belle resigned herself.

"Oh perfect! And yes, I am very determined."

Belle sighed, "Alright, well it's late I really need to get back. Thank you guys...or everything. Truly I don't deserve you."

"Don't be silly, we love you. Don't ever forget that. Lots of people love you...and we'll figure this all out. I promise," Mary Margaret hugged Belle again.

"It's true, now grab your coat and I'll drive you home," David rose grabbing his own coat and keys.

"See you in the morning, Em and congrats on your first big date," Belle winked and Emma blushed.

"Night Belle, you know I love you too...even if you are going all ga-ga over that Beast," Emma rolled her eyes and smiled at her.

Belle breathed in shoulders rising. Maybe it was a little like Beauty & the Beast, or maybe she was just that far gone to the side of crazy.

OH what fun is coming up... breakfast with Gold, dress shopping...oh a little dinner party with ya know the guys and gals...and ya know maybe the kid that might be Mr. Gold's son... Lots of just fun things! Let me know what y'all thought! Lots of love – RA!