Isobella arrived at the restaurant and was shown to Maurice's table. Seeing three chairs she shot a look at her father, he hadn't mentioned anyone else joining them, but then she hadn't asked. "Who's the third setting for?" Isobella asked. "Oh, I thought I'd ask Gaston to join us, you and he were such good friends, I thought it would be nice for you to catch up". Grimacing at her father's woefully inaccurate recollection, she saw Gaston sauntering through the door heading towards their table. "Gaston, my boy, glad you could join us" Maurice jumped up and welcomed his favourite enthusiastically. "My pleasure Maurice, wouldn't miss it for the world. Isobella, you look wonderful" He added, turning to Isobella, fixing her with a leer. Maurice's phone rang at this point. "Would you two excuse me, I just need to take this call" he said, walking away towards the exit. "Gaston, I wasn't expecting to see you. Papa didn't tell me you would be joining us until I got here " Isobella said politely, determined to be civil. "Yeah, it was a last minute thing" Gaston replied, mistaking Isobella's politeness for pleasure. Moving his seat next to her he leaned in closer to her. "I've missed you, you know" he whispered, probably in what he thought was a romantic manner. Maurice reappeared with a smile on his face. "You two will have to excuse me, I'm afraid. Emergency at the office, you know how it is" he said, entirely unconvincingly. "Papa!" Isobella exclaimed. "Now now Isobella, you two just enjoy your dinner. I'll return later if I can", knowing full well he had no emergency to attend to. He'd paid a waiter to call his phone. Yes, Isobella would realise Gaston was who she needed. That disastrous marriage to Gold could happily be forgotten.
Isobella sat through the dinner politely making small talk, and throwing in whenever it was appropriate that owing to the recent breakdown of her marriage she was in no mood to start dating again. Gaston ignored her pointed remarks, every little minor success in his life blown up in self aggrandisement and too absorbed in the plans he was making to marry Isobella at the earliest opportunity that he failed to realise that she had no interest in him at all. Isobella let her eyes glaze over at yet another recounting of Gaston's successes on the pitch. Or was it another journalistic success. She really wasn't listening to him so couldn't be sure. If it was at all possible, glamorising his name had actually made him duller. "So, what do you think?" Gaston asked eagerly, jolting Isobella out of her silence. "Sorry?" Isobella replied, "what was the question again?" Gaston frowned at her, incredulous that she hadn't been hanging on his every utterance. "Dessert? We could get one to share. C'mon, your father is paying after all. Why not take advantage of his generosity." Isobella declined as politely as she could manage, desperate to end the worst date of her life. Well, any date she'd been on with Gaston (all of them set up by Maurice) counted as the worst date of her life. "Look Isobella, if you're worried about what your father would say about us, don't be. I already spoke to him about maybe us going out again and he thinks it would be fantastic if we got back together" Gaston reached over the table to try to hold Isobella's hand. She snatched her hand away and tried to remind him that there was never a point when they were together, but he talked over her. "You probably don't realise, and I uh...probably shouldn't say but... he actually set tonight up if you can believe" Gaston mock whispered in a show of conspiratorial intimacy. Isobella glanced up as Gaston stated the obvious. Gods, does he really think I'm that stupid she thought. "Gaston, it's getting very late and I have to get an early night. I really should be going" was the only reply Isobella made. She wasn't prepared to waste any conversation on him, not when he clearly had no interest in listening to her.
Gold left his shop, unable to keep his mind from wandering towards the subject of Belle, or Isobella with the false memories of all their trysts in the shop. He had no hope of finding solace at his house though. False memories of a life with Isobella once happy resounded throughout every room, haunting every corner of his mind. Locking the door he finally turned around, and bile rose in his throat as he caught sight of Belle and Gaston at the door to the restaurant. So it has finally happened. Belle's returned to her former fiancé of the Enchanted Forest. Isobella has seen sense he thought, grimly determined to let her live her life. Stepping quietly on the other side of the street he could hear that Belle did not sound happy with her date for the evening. She didn't look happy either. As neither had seen him, he decided to shadow them for a bit.
"It's been nice Gaston" Isobella said as they left the restaurant, civility pouring off her tongue in icicles. "Lets go to the Rabbit Hole, I really don't want tonight to end" Gaston said, entirely missing the warning tone in Isobella's voice. "Gaston, this was not a date. I agreed to meet my father for dinner, and only stayed out of politeness. I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression..." "Isobella, you know I'm right for you" Gaston interrupted her. "I've always cared for you". Gaston moved closer to her as they walked down the street and put his arm around her. "Gaston please. I'm not interested, and I can walk home by myself" Isobella said, trying to disengage his arm from around her waist. Gaston turned and took her other arm, and pushed her against the wall. "C'mon Isobella. Just agree to one more date" he said, trying to move in for a kiss. A cane appeared from behind Gaston, reaching in front of his throat, arresting his forward momentum. "I believe the lady said no" a soft brogue said gently but insistently. "I strongly suggest that you listen to what a lady says" the voice further advised. Gaston let go of Isobella and, turning his head slightly, moved out of her line of vision, revealing the owner of the voice and cane to be Mr Gold. Gaston fully turned around to face Gold. "Back off, she's left you and we are on a date" he said, trying to inject some menace into his voice. "Just leave. Now" Mr Gold's voice dripped with disdain. Gaston, in a rare show of intelligence walked away, with a parting shot of "I'll call you later" aimed at Isobella.
Gold nodded sharply in greeting to Isobella, not sure of what to say now. "Thank you" Isobella said, not feeling very grateful. "You're very welcome" Gold replied as they walked along towards the library. "I er...I was leaving the shop and saw you here. You didn't look very happy" he continued, trying to make it seem like he hadn't been following her since he saw her leaving the restaurant with Gaston, consumed with jealousy that Isobella could be interested in another. Isobella felt she owed her husband an explanation. "I was supposed to meet Papa, he set me up. I had no idea Gaston was going to be there". Isobella said. "You know, I could have handled him. Your intervention has probably undermined me". Gold chuckled. "Isobella, he's never listened to anything a woman has said before. There's no reason to start thinking he'd listen to you I'm afraid". Isobella smiled in reluctant agreement, Gold had a point. "He already thinks you're a monster that imprisoned me. I'd imagine he's telling anyone he can find that will listen that you just assaulted him with your cane" Isobella said, warming to Gold's appearance. Gold nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "Indeed. I could always actually assault him with my cane, if you think it would help?" Gold suggested, not entirely joking. Isobella laughed. It had been such a long time since she had laughed with her husband. They'd reached the door of her apartment, and Isobella suddenly felt a little awkward. "Well, I should go upstairs". Regaining some composure she added "Try not to kill Gaston. You don't want to add to the litany of grievances the town has against you already". Gold nodded, leaning on his cane. "Well, I should go" Gold said, deciding to add to the air of awkwardness surrounding them. "Good night then" Isobella said, opening the door, wondering why she was disappointed that the few minutes she had spent with Gold were now over. Gold turned, and walked down the street, equally disappointed at the end of the evening, but relieved that Isobella hadn't been on a date with Gaston. Seeing her with Gaston reminded Gold again that he was a poor choice for Isobella. She could have anyone she wanted but it continually surprised him that she had chosen him. She had seen the good in him once, and now that he knew who he was he could be that man for her again.
Isobella leaned up against the wall by the door, listening to Gold's footfalls receding as he walked away; the ease of their encounter being a painful reminder of how the marriage had ended up. One happy moment couldn't erase years of malaise. Its over she reminded herself. She'd left him and he'd handed her divorce papers. She shakily ascended the stairs to her lounge and walked through into her bedroom. It's long past time I get this over with she rationalised, as she signed the papers hastily stuffed into the dresser in the corner of the room.