Before story note: Not much of a note today. I do appreciate all of the reviews, and keep em comin! I like to know if you guys like the writing, and there is no point in writing something everyone hates. Anyway, thanks for the support. :D
Also, I know it wasn't too long of a delay between chapters, but it was the longest so far, and I'm sorry to say thats how it's gonna be from now on. :( I got 30 hours of school plus 40 hours of work, so I'll try to cram some writing in here and there, but it's gonna be a little spaced out between updates. But please do enjoy, because we all know I do it for the children.
After Archie left the history teacher's home, Mr. Gold tried to put his own thoughts into order. He knew that he needed to stay away, and that was the only option that would insure everyone coming out of this unscathed, including himself. Despite his feelings for her, he had no idea how she felt about him, and he couldn't risk everything on a maybe.
Knowing all of this though, he didn't know how he could, and he still didn't Monday afternoon when she strolled in ten minutes after the final bell.
"Hey Mr. Gold." She said, setting her book bag onto one of the empty desks. She pulled out the worksheets he gave her the previous Friday. "I finished those papers already." She walked over to his desk and set them down with a smile. Belle couldn't help but notice the chipped tea cup was still on his desk, this time filled with tea, and a warm feeling rushed through her body for a moment.
"Hello Miss. French. Already started I see?" A twinkle was in his eyes as he looked over the paperwork. "Trying to get rid of me that fast?"
"Do you want me to be around longer?" Belle countered, smirking at her teacher. "I can always work slower." She bordered on the edge of flirting, and she knew she was in dangerous territory.
As did Mr. Gold who quickly steered the conversation into a different direction. "Alright I'll take a look over these papers. Here are the new worksheets. There are ten open ended questions." He handed her the school work, and she took them silently, and went back to the desk that she set her things on. Pulling out her heavy book, she started on the papers in quiet.
After a few uncomfortable minutes in the dead air of the classroom, Belle spoke out. "So how was your weekend Mr. Gold?"
"Oh it was alright dearie." He said, intending to leave it at that. However after he noticed her shoulders drooping as she went back to work, he blurted out, "How was your weekend Belle?"
Her smile lit up the room as she recalled the past couple of days events. "Oh it was a great improvement over Friday. I went window shopping with my friends." She conveniently left out the Victoria's Secret purchase. "And most importantly, I broke up with my boyfriend too."
"Is that so?" Mr. Gold said, no longer paying attention to his own work. "Are you glad for it then?"
"It's like a weight has been lifted. I haven't felt this free in months." When Belle looked at him, he had to admit that she did have new light in her eyes. "I only wish I had done it sooner."
"We live and learn dearie, live and learn. But I am happy for you that you feel better. So is that all for your weekend?"
"Yeah." Belle began to say. "Oh! We saw Mr. Graham and Ms. Swan at the mall. We are pretty sure they were on a date. However, I think you already knew about them." The light in Belle's eyes had been replaced with a knowing look.
"And why would you think that?" he replied casually.
"Because you said that with a little persuasion, you were able to convince Principal Graham to let me work this off. And um, Ruby told me that she was sure that Ms. Mills was already..." Belle faltered, not sure how to discuss sex with her own history teacher. "With Mr. Graham. I just put the pieces together is all."
"Well you certainly are a smart girl. I shouldn't be telling you this, but seeing as how you already know, I don't see what harm it can do. Yes there seems to be quite the love triangle between them. Ms. Mills however has Mr. Graham wrapped very tightly around her finger, so if it got out that he was going seeing Ms. Swan aw well, it would be quite destructive."
"What could she possibly do to him? He is the principal after all." She asked, her work long forgotten.
"Regina has friends in high places. If he left her, especially for Ms. Swan, then you can say goodbye to Principal Graham." Looking up at the clock on the wall, he noticed that they had already chatted half of the hour away. "Now see here Miss. French," he said teasingly. "Stop trying to distract me. We both have work to do."
"Me distract you?" Belle playfully said. "I don't think I could ever do that."
'Oh you do that better than you know.' He thought to himself as both he and Belle went back to work.
"God Belle, I have no idea what I'm going to wear to prom." Ruby said over the phone. "I need to figure this out soon!"
Belle laughed at her friend. "Ruby, you still have a month before prom. I'm sure you'll find something." She made her way to her closet and looked at her own prom dress. A sky blue gown hung off a hanger, with a shimmering golden trim. She had saved her money since freshman year to afford it.
"Oh that's easy for you to say. You already have such a gorgeous dress." Ruby pouted. "I'm sure Mr. Gold will love it."
"Ruby..." Belle warned.
"What?" her promiscuous friend said innocently. "Everyone will love it. It's not my fault all of the teachers have to chaperone the dance, and he will inevitably see it and fall head over heals in love with you." Ruby paused for a moment while Belle sighed with frustration. "Oh, so how did it go today after school?"
"Alright. We talked for like thirty minutes though. Turns out that Mills, Graham and Swan all have some sort of complicated love triangle."
"He told you all of that?" Ruby was taken aback.
"Well I guessed it and he confirmed it."
"What else did you talk about?"
"Just how each others weekends went. I told him I broke up with Gaston, and he said he was happy for me."
"You mean he was happy for himself. Now he can sweep you off of your feet." Ruby teased. "It's only a matter of time Belle."
"When will you give it up Ruby?" Belle was at her wits end. "He's my teacher for goodness sake. That right there is enough for this not to work!"
Ruby was suddenly serious. "You know Belle, not once have you said that you didn't want it to work. I'm beginning to get suspicious that you do."
"Oh I don't know." Belle fell backwards onto her bed. "If I were to be honest with myself, then yes, yes I would say I'm attracted to him." She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She never admitted it out loud to anyone before, although she suspected it was easier to admit it to Ruby, seeing as how she was in the same boat."There is just something about him. He's the polar opposite of Gaston in every single way. He's smart, he carries himself well, and I can have an actual conversation with him without having to carefully choose my words. Everything is so easy with him. But there is no way that he would risk his job for some young high schooler who is probably just overly emotional."
"Belle, for as long as I've known you, I've never seen you overly emotional. You are a very sensible person, and calm headed. Yes this whole thing with Gaston was a hot mess and it should have been dealt with sooner, but you did take care of it with a very level head. Hell if I was going out with him and he called me a slut, I would have grabbed a lunch tray and beat him upside the head with it." Both Ruby and Belle laughed because they both knew it was very true.
"Thanks Ruby. What should I do about Mr. Gold then?" Belle was still at a loss. "How smart and level headed would I be to try and pursue a relationship with my teacher of all people? That's probably the dumbest thing anyone could possibly do."
"Well, you could wait until after you graduate. Then it doesn't matter." Ruby suggested. "You'll be over eighteen, and he wouldn't be your teacher anymore either. Keep going to his after school sessions and keep talking with him, and maybe a solid foundation will grow. And who knows, maybe you won't feel the same way about him at graduation anyway. Then it wouldn't matter, and no one will get hurt or go to jail."
"Yeah maybe." Belle said, but she wasn't very convinced. If her current dreams about him were any indication, this was going to be a very long, and uncomfortable, few months. "You know what Ruby, maybe you are the calm one of the two of us."
"Yeah and Mary-Margaret is a home wreaking whore." Ruby countered, lightening the mood. "So when are you going to take me dress shopping? All of this deep talking has me itching for a beautiful new gown."
"We can go tomorrow after school. I don't have to meet with Mr. Gold then."
"Oh and I can practically hear the disappointment in your voice."
Because it was after school on a Tuesday, there was no one out and about at their small mall, and they were able to find a dress for Ruby within an hour. Belle was not at all surprised with the gown Ruby fell in love with. It was absolutely Ruby. The bust was a shade of candy red, as were the matching gloves, while the long flowing skirt was black. The slit that ran thigh high revealed that the inside of the skirt was also red. All in all, that dress was made for Ruby and no one else could ever hope to wear it and pull it off half as well.
Also despite her protests, Ruby bought Belle a new blouse. "Think of it as an early birthday present." Ruby insisted. It was white and low cut, with a ruffled neck and a bow on the front. Belle had to admit that she loved it. So on Wednesday morning, after she slipped it over her head, along with a knee length black skirt and saw her reflection in the mirror, she knew it was going to be a good day. Walking into the kitchen, she noticed her father was still eating breakfast before heading off to work.
"Hello papa." She said brightly. Grabbing the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, she poured herself a bowl.
"Hey Belle. Don't you look nice today." Her father said looking up. "Trying to impress someone?"
"Of course not papa." Belle responded with a mischievous grin. "So that means you like it?"
Her father laughed. "As your father, no I hate it. But as long as you like it, then it's fine with me." He drank up the rest of his coffee and put the cup in the sink. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, he wished her a good day at school and headed off to work.
Smirking to herself, Belle thought, 'Well if it my father hates the shirt, then it must be good.' Finishing her cereal, she double checked her outfit in the hall mirror, making sure it looked perfect, and grabbed her back pack. Throwing it over her shoulder, she left the house ready to face the day.
Or so she thought.
Arriving at school on time left Belle plenty of leeway to make it to her locker before Mr. Gold's class. Navigating the empty halls, she let her mind wander to what Mr. Gold would think of her get up. 'Ha, as if it matters.' She thought, smiling to her self. Reaching her destination, an older senior was hanging around her locker. She recognized him immediately as Victor Whale, Ruby's one time fling. They went out once, and much to Belle's dismay, they had sex. Surprise, surprise that he didn't call the next day. He's what Mary-Margaret would call, a scuz.
"Um excuse me." She said, trying to get the guy to move. She didn't need anything from him, so the quicker she left, the better.
"Why hello Belle." He said, moving a bit more in the way. "How are you doing today?"
"Just fine." She said coolly, realizing he was not going to budge any time soon.
"I heard about you and Gaston. Shame really." he said to her nonchalantly.
"Hardly." Belle scoffed. "Would you please move out of the way. You are in front of my locker and I need to get my books."
Victor pretended not to hear her. "Really? I thought you'd be heartbroken."
"And why would you think that? I broke up with him."
"Oh really now? That's not how he tells it."
She knew she shouldn't take the bait, but before she could shut her mouth she blurted out, "Well then how does he tell it?"
"That he finally got you to say yes. But the thing was, you were a bad lay, even for a virgin, so he broke up with you. I can teach you a few things if you want." He grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him.
Belle struggled to get out of his grasp. "Let go of me!" There was no one in the hallway to see the struggle and help her. Finally gaining freedom, she glared at Victor. "That is not how it happened. He's just pissed that I dumped him."
"Oh, so you're ready for a real man." He flipped them so that he was pressing her against the lockers, her hands restrained with only one of his. "It's a good thing your first time wasn't wasted on Gaston. I'm so much bigger than he is, and so much better." She felt him grind against her as she strained against his hold.
"Dammit! Get off of me!" She tried to knee him in the groin, but his leg was to quick to pin the rest of her down, spreading her legs apart.
"Oh I like a fight in a girl. Makes it so much better in the end." He moved his free hand slowly up her skirt. She could feel his hand right over her panties, trying to rub circles over her clit.
"Stop it Victor!" She summoned enough strength in her to tear free of his grasp and throw a punch across his face.
Even completely stunned, Victor wasn't stunned into silence. "Oh you bitch." He progressed to her, still against the lockers, but the sound of the bell stopped him. "Shit. Looks like we will have to finish this later. And trust me, I will finish it." And he stalked off before the crowd filled the halls going to their first period class. Her heart still pounding, she pulled herself together just enough to grab her books and shuffle to Mr. Gold's class.
For the first time he could remember, she was the first to arrive to class. Noticing her outfit, he had a quick relapse of his first dream. Quickly shoving it out of his head, he mentally scolded himself for even thinking of that dream again, especially with her ten feet in front of him.
"Hello Miss French. How are you..." Mr. Gold began before he took in her appearance, aside from her clothes. 'God she looks shaken.' He thought to himself as she ignored his hello and found a seat near his desk. "Miss French are you alright?" No response. "Miss French?" Still nothing. Getting up from his desk and grabbing his cane, he walked the short distance to her. "Belle?" Another first. He'd never used her given name in conversation, aside from roll call. "Belle are you alright?" He said gently, laying a hand on her shoulder. She jumped then, not completely out of his touch, and she looked on the verge of tears. "What's wrong?" She only shook her head and bit her lip. Sighing, he noticed the rest of the class sluggishly flowing in through the doors. Leaning down, he whispered, "See me after class ok?" For a moment he thought she didn't hear him, but eventually she nodded her head yes.
Forcing himself to leave it at that, he left her side and took his place at the head of the class and began teaching. Not even Mr. Gold could tell you what he taught, because his whole attention was focused on the trembling girl in his peripherals. 'What the hell could have happened to her?' was all that was running through his mind, so fifteen minutes before the end of class, he gave up trying to teach. "Just read chapter seventeen." He said as he dismissed his class to a free few minutes to talk. This was unheard of in his class, so everyone made sure to take advantage of it.
Except for Belle.
He saw her friend Ruby come by and try and talk with her, but she hardly said a word. He could overhear the one sided conversation and the frustration oozing out of the black haired girls words. "Belle, you have to talk to me if you want me to help."
Still though she remained silent, as she did for the rest of the time. Finally the bell rang, and everyone gathered their things. Waiting for the last student to leave, he shut the door behind them. He had a feeling this would be a private conversation. Once again he walked over to Belle, but this time he sat in the student desk next to her.
"I don't want to take up your free period." Belle said impassively.
"You take up as much time as you need dearie." Mr. Gold responded, and was met again with more silence. Putting his hand on her desk, he calmly said, "Listen, obviously something happened. You don't have to tell me what it was, but maybe I can help you. Or maybe I can find someone that can." He saw tears threaten to fall at the corners of her eyes.
"I don't know if I can tell you..." Belle trailed off, still holding onto her tears.
"That bad huh?" He tried to make a joke of it. "Well who cares, it's stupid teenage drama. It won't matter in a month."
That broke her dam. She let the tears fall, and she couldn't stop. Mr. Gold was bewildered and he didn't know what to do. So all he did was rub her back as she cried, telling her small platitudes. "Shh dearie, it's ok. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."
"It's not your fault Mr. Gold." She said softly. "You didn't know that... that..." she just couldn't say it. The last thing that she wanted was for him to leave her, even if it was to go get help. So she kept her mouth shut, and instead she took his hand in hers for comfort.
"What didn't I know?" he quietly said. "Did someone hurt you?" She slowly nodded. 'Ok we are getting somewhere.' He thought. Aloud, he said "Did you get in a fight?" He didn't see any bruises, and his suspicions were confirmed when she shook her head. "Well if you didn't get in a fight, how did someone hurt..." he was shocked. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew. Someone had touched her. And she didn't want it.
Hearing his sentence stop short, Belle looked up at him with tear filled blue eyes. Expecting him to take his hand back, she loosened her grip so that he could retrieve it. What she didn't expect was his grip to tighten on her hand. One word. "When?"
"Right... right before class. Next to my locker." Belle's voice got smaller.
"And there was no one else there?" He inquired.
"No the halls were empty. He was just waiting for me at my locker.
"Who was it?" Mr. Gold struggled to keep his voice level, despite the rage.
"Victor. Victor Whale." Belle said as a whole new turret of tears fell from her face, and she slowly fell apart, with Mr. Gold her only witness.
TEH_AUTHORS NOTE
Gah, I always thought that Dr. Whale was such a pervert. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and hopefully I'll update again soon, but no promises. I gotta sleep too ya know!