A/N: Long Hiatus! My beta and I needed a vacation but we are back. This chapter has smut! My way of saying sorry :) It will be in with all the other smut, to spare those who don't want to read it.

Love you!

Regina was furious. Stripped of her title as Mayor, publically humiliated by the District Attorney's office, ten years' probation and for what? Beyond her fury, Regina was extremely bitter at the entire situation. Her Mother was on the loose, bringing the dead back to life in a bid for the city, forcing Regina to make a deal with her former mentor. She wanted to blame Gold for this entire mess but found, despite her intense hatred for him, she still desperately wanted his approval. She wanted his help, even though asking him for it physically disgusted her. He had made her into Ebony Shadow, training her when she was just a teenaged girl, unaware of the scope of her abilities, a runaway from home. He was the one who had helped her climb the ranks, who had bought the election for her the first time.

She had messed up with the Glass family. Gold had asked her to bring them down but power was seductive and the idea of finally being her own boss, uncontrolled by Gold or her Mother was too intoxicating to pass up. She had dived in whole heartedly and then began a complicated revenge plan on both her Mother and Gold, a plan which ultimately had backfired on her. Taking Gold's son, while delicious at the time, had been too far. She could see her mistakes now. It had given Gold motivation to take her down and a common enemy with his stupid band of idiotic heroes. She had practically set him and Belle French up.

What she needed was a way back in. She had gone to him with information but that wasn't enough. She needed to make friends with his people, let him see she was trustworthy. Belle might be resistant to it at first, but she knew Belle's type. She wanted to believe the best in everybody. She would start with Belle, and if that didn't work she would start killing them one by one.

She would have him back if it was the last thing she did.

"Ryan?" Belle asked softly as she made her way into the basement. Gold and David had moved Granny, Graham, and Ryan out of the lair and into the rooms in the basement. Gold had forbidden her from seeing any of them without him present, but she had never listened to him before and wasn't going to start now. She was a grown adult. She could handle the consequences.

She heard the clinking of chains but no vocal response. "Ryan? I brought you something." She stepped in to the room but left the light off. Inside there was a bed but not much else. Gold and David had tried to remove anything that could be used as a weapon.

Ryan was huddled in the corner, his head resting on his knees. "Go away, Belle," he said hoarsely.

"I want to talk to you," she pressed, setting the basket of food down on the floor.

"Go away, Belle."

She hesitated for a moment. "If you need anything..."

"I don't." His tone was flat. She looked at him for another moment before turning and stepping quietly out of the room. She nearly screamed when she rounded the corner and found Gold standing there, waiting for her.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her hand on her chest.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he replied, his hands folded in front of him.

"I..." She trailed off at the look of disappointment on his face.

"I just don't want him to hurt you," Gold told her, reaching out to softly touch her face.

"I know," she murmured, catching his hand and kissing his palm.

He didn't say anything else as he turned to the elevator. Belle followed, surreptitiously checking him out. He was in a crisp black suit with a purple tie and dress shirt, her favorite combination. It had been a while since they had been together and she was starting to notice it.

"Are you going back to work?" She asked him as they stepped out and into the main hall.

"I am not. We have plans," he told her.

"What plans?" She smiled suggestively, gently grabbing his tie. He looked down surprised before glancing up at the large grandfather clock in the hall.

"We have an appointment with the bakery," he told her, his eyes dark. Belle dropped his tie.

"I forgot about that! It took me forever to make that appointment and if we don't leave now we're gonna be late!"

She hurried off towards the car as Gold groaned softly behind her. He would gladly have rescheduled for even twenty minutes of uninterrupted alone time with her. He was willing to pay any amount of money at this point to get it. He wanted to support Belle and her feelings but he was also a man.

On their way to the upscale bakery, Bae called asking if he could have friends over. Belle listened with amusement as Gold argued with his son, knowing all the while he would say yes. Belle was a big fan of Bae having friends over, friends who would keep him occupied and allow her and Gold to have the alone time they both so desperately craved.

Once at the bakery, Gold resumed his business persona, making the owner very nervous. Belle was so used to it that it hardly phased her but found herself a little distracted by the events earlier that day. Ryan refusing to speak to her was disappointing but an improvement over trying to kill her. She firmly believed that she could fix him, make up for costing him his life. There was no other alternative; failure was something she refused to consider.

"Belle?"

Belle looked up to see Gold and Mrs. Potts, the bakery owner, both staring at her expectantly.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Belle asked apologetically. Gold shot her the darkest look as Mrs. Potts began to cheerfully re-explain every flavor and frosting she had and how those could be paired in any number of ways. It seemed impossible that in six short months she and Gold would be married and their family and friends would be eating the cake she decided on today.

"Anything you absolutely do not want?" Mrs. Potts asked, her pen poised over a list expectantly.

"How about you just bring us your most popular flavors and we go from there?" Gold asked seriously.

"That would be lovely," Belle added sweetly. Mrs. Potts nodded and headed to get samples. The moment she was gone Gold turned on Belle.

"This is supposed to be your project, not mine. I've already been married, remember?"

"You're welcome to go home," Belle said dismissively, waving one hand airily towards the door. Gold's eyes narrowed but he stayed in his chair.

"I didn't mean to zone out," she told him, knowing how much he loathed these small chores. "I was thinking about being alone later," she lied, attempting to make amends.

"You were?" He asked, caught off guard. He seemed surprised she missed being alone as much as he had.

"It's been too long. I was thinking, Bae will be downstairs all night...and we can be quiet."

Gold shifted uncomfortably in his chair but maintained his composure as Mrs. Potts came back out with different cakes on a tray. Belle lit up as she began sampling different cakes. Gold seemed pleased just to watch.

Eventually Belle decided on a vanilla cake with a raspberry frosting. Gold made the payment arrangements while Belle took a phone call from her former landlord.

"Is everything okay?" She asked softly, aware that Gold had no idea she allowed her Father to move in.

"No. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to move out," the man on the other end told her sternly. "Whoever you are subletting to has received numerous complaints. I'm sorry, Ms. French, but we can't have an entire floor disturbed every single night." Does this mean that she is being evicted or would that just be her father since he is the one living there right now?

"I understand," Belle said, ending the call. Behind her, Gold had put his hands on her shoulders.

"Ready?" He asked, leading her gently out of the bakery. Belle took a deep breath and turned to face him. "I know that look. What's wrong?"

"I let my Father stay in my apartment," she told him miserably. "And the landlord is evicting him."

He sighed, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. "This is just not your month is it?" She shook her head no.

"Come on; let's go evict your Dad."

They drove the four blocks to her former home. Belle knew she didn't want to see the inside of it. Gold took the lead up the stairs to Belle's place. The moment they stepped on the landing a foul odor assaulted their senses.

"Oh God," Belle said, pressing a hand over her nose. Gold wrinkled his nose but showed no outside discomfort. Belle handed him a key and with no hesitation Gold opened the door. What had once been a nicely furnished apartment was now a mess. All of her appliances and furniture was gone; the lovely cream colored carpet Gold had installed for her was a dirty brown and covered in trash. Belle stepped carefully around used needles, piles of trash, and molding food. In what had been her bedroom, her Father was sprawled on the floor. Gold knelt down a touched him while Belle watched nervously. Gold stood up.

"He's alive," he told her tersely.

"He needs help," she said, desperate to make sense of the mess surrounding her.

"That much is obvious." Gold looked back down at her Father, concentrating hard until Moe shot forward, gasping for air. Belle shot Gold an angry look but didn't say anything as she watched her Father look around.

"Belle...what are you doing here?" He asked as he gasped in air.

"The landlord called," she explained with tears in her voice. "I'm being evicted."

"What did you do?" Moe asked his daughter almost accusingly as he attempted to get to his feet. Gold's rage at the entire situation boiled over causing him to slam Moe against the bedroom wall.

"What did she do?" Gold snarled in Moe's face. "Look at this place you animal!"

"Rush! Stop it!" Belle shouted angrily. Gold turned back to look at her, his hair falling into his eyes. He stepped back but his hate was written very plain on his face.

"You have to leave," Belle said, maintaining eye contact.

"And go where?!" Her Father exploded stepping towards her. Gold immediately put himself between Belle and her Father. Belle put a soft hand on Gold's arm but didn't move from behind him. The last time she saw her Father he had struck her and she wouldn't put it past him to do it again.

"Rehab. Daddy, you need help."

Moe brushed past them. "I don't need anything!"

"Where are you going?!" Belle shouted after him. He followed him into her living room.

Her Father turned back to look at her once but didn't reply as he stormed out, leaving Gold and Belle alone in her trashed apartment.

"We'll get this place cleaned up," Gold said, coming up behind her.

"He's going to kill himself," she said desperately, unable to face him.

"He is a grown man," Gold told her softly. "You can only do so much."

She looked around again, feeling more defeated than she had in a long time. "I just..." She couldn't finish her sentence but Gold seemed to understand.

"I'll take care of this," he told her again, leading her out of the foul apartment. She didn't say anything else until he had her in his car.

"Thank you."

He looked over at her, fully appreciating the beautiful woman in the seat next to him. There were tears on her cheeks and her blue eyes were rimmed red and as sad as when she had spoken at Ryan's funeral and yet she was still the most beautiful woman.

"Always," he promised her, meaning it fully. He would do anything she asked, so long as she never left him.

"Let's go pick up some things for Bae and his friends and then let's go home," she said, wiping away her tears.

"Boys like broccoli and green beans, don't they?" He teased as he drove towards a grocery store. She laughed; shutting the drawer on her Father; ever since her Mother had died her Father had been on this downward spiral. Stealing, drug use, and homelessness was nothing new and yet every time she was confronted with it she felt miserable. She wanted to help him, to make him well again. She could remember how he had been before drugs over took his life and Belle would give anything for that again.

"You're doing it again," Gold told her as they wandered through the store.

"Doing what?" She asked, coming out of her thought about her Father.

"Lost in thought," he said as she pulled chips off the shelves and into the basket.

"I'm sorry. I just can't help but remember who he used to be. I want that back."

Gold nodded, unsure of what to say or how to fix it. He wanted to see her smile like she used to when they first met, before people started dying and coming back to life, before her Father caused her to lose the apartment she desperately loved. It seemed like everything was against her right now but he was determined to make it right somehow.

"I'm sorry; I must sound like a broken record."

"Don't ever apologize for that," he told her, pleased when she beamed up at him.

For the rest of the shopping venture Belle chattered cheerfully about people they knew and things she wanted for the wedding. Gold listened, hanging on every word, taking mental notes of things he could do for her.

They beat Bae and his friend's home, giving Belle plenty of time to put away the snacks and start a pizza. The boys arrived as Belle was pulling the pizza out of the oven.

"Is this your Mom?" One of the boys asked incredulously as Belle cut the pizza.

"Yep!" Bae said proudly, hugging her around the middle.

"Oh good, you're all here," Gold said, looking up from his laptop. "I want to talk to you all quickly."

"Ugh, Dad, don't embarrass me," Bae groaned, sinking into a chair. Belle smiled as she poured chips into large, colorful, plastic bowls.

"Just some quick ground rules before your Mother and I leave you boys to yourselves. Please try not to make a huge mess, keep Bernard in mind tonight. There are blankets in the closet -"

"I'll go grab them, and some pillows," Belle interrupted quickly.

"- But you can sleep in any of the guest rooms if you'd prefer. If you come upstairs please remember that Belle and I are asleep and would like to remain that way. Lastly, my study, the garage, and the basement are completely off limits. Understood?"

The boys all nodded. "Everything will be fine, quit worrying," Bae said as he grabbed a fistful of chips.

"Why do I find myself doubting that?" Gold mumbled, shutting his laptop. Bae grinned and led his friends into the giant living room where Belle was stacking large, fluffy pillows on top of fleece blankets.

"In case you get cold," she smiled, stepping away.

"Am I allowed to use the oven or is Dad gonna freak out?" Bae asked her as his friends made themselves comfortable in front of the TV.

"What do you need the oven for?"

"Duh. That is not enough pizza."

"Just, be careful, okay? If you need help, come get me."

"I do not need help working the oven, okay?"

"If you burn down your Father's kitchen, I cannot save you from his wrath," she said as she ruffled his hair.

"Night!" He called after her.

"Dude, your Mom is hot!" One of his friends said the moment she was out of the room. Belle heard a loud thump as she chuckled to herself.

In their room, Gold was lounging on the bed reading a thick set of documents, his unreadable.

"Looks serious," she commented as she stepped into their bathroom to wash her face.

"Just legal mumbo jumbo," he commented, tossing it aside. "Should I be worried about the boys who have over taken my house?"

"They'll be fine," she assured him. "I was actually thinking about jumping in the shower."

"Oh?" He tried to feign disinterest but he knew he was failing miserably.

Belle smiled as she turned on the tap. "Yeah. It's been such a long day you know." She stepped into the door frame so he could see her as she began to take off her clothing. He was sitting ramrod straight on the bed, his eyes never leaving her as she shimmied out of her pants and pulled her shirt over her head. "Hot water will feel nice."

She unclasped her bra and stepped out of her underwear, letting him look as she pulled her hair out of the bobby pins that had kept it out of her face. She took one last look at him, sitting there frozen like a statue before smiling sweetly and asking, "Are you coming?"

He was up in seconds.

He waited until she fell asleep before getting slowly out of bed. He slid his pants back on, looking at her sleeping peacefully in the bed they shared. He knew she wouldn't approve of what he was about to do which is why he was choosing not to tell her. This was going to be part of his wedding gift to her, even if she didn't know it.

Downstairs he found Bae and his friends playing video games, totally unaware he was there. He grabbed his keys and drove into the city, searching for Moe French. He knew the lowlife would be out looking to score, totally unguarded. The trick would he finding him, Storybrooke was large and while Moe was likely to be where the low lives congregated, that didn't guarantee anything.

He was in luck tonight. He could hear Moe's disjointed thoughts before he saw him sitting in an alleyway, clutching a brown paper bag. Gold parked and got out. With a quick motion he had Moe on his feet, his back up against a brick wall, the paper bag at the man's feet.

"What's happening?!" Moe called out. Gold walked over quickly to the man. "Gold? Are you doing this?"

"You're going to stop talking now," Gold instructed, "And just listen. The only reason I am letting you live is because I love your daughter. Here is what is going to happen. You are going to walk yourself to the hospital and check yourself into the hospital. You will tell them I will pay be paying for it. You will stay until you are completely clean, and then you will call your daughter and apologize. You will walk her down the aisle. Do you understand?" Gold was standing inches from Moe's face as he drilled the words into the man's mind.

"I understand," Moe said tonelessly.

"You will forget we ever had this chat. Off you go now," Gold told him, releasing him from his mental grip. Moe didn't even look at him as he began walking towards Storybrooke Memorial.

When Moe was out of sight Gold began walking towards his car but was stopped by the sound of sarcastic clapping.

"What do you want, dearie?" He asked as Regina stepped out of the shadows.

"Nothing," she said airily. "Just enjoying the spectacle that is The Trickster. Reduced to running errands for his lawyer girlfriend."

Gold snarled, slamming Regina against the same wall Moe had previously occupied.

"Now that's better," Regina smiled, seemingly enjoying his anger. Gold released her, turning his back on her. "Oh, don't be like that. What happened to my callous mentor?"

"That was a long time ago," he told her coldly. "You hardly require my help any longer. If you did, you would still be Mayor."

Her smile slid off her face. "I will be, again."

"I don't think the people will forget your transgressions so easily."

"Maybe not yet. But they will. Someone will have to protect them from whatever evil my Mother has in store for them."

"Whatever you have up your sleeve, you can rest assured that I will have no part in it," he told her as he stepped around her to his car.

"Not yet."

"Not ever."

He slammed his car door and drove away, leaving Regina grinning on the sidewalk. "We shall see."

On his way home he got a call from the hospital, whom he assured he would he paying for all of Moe French's medical treatment. His son and friends were still up when he got back, playing the same loud shooter game. They didn't notice him as he made his way back to bed.

Belle rolled over, cuddling into his chest when he climbed in, clad only in boxer briefs. He wrapped an arm around her, kissing her forehead. Tomorrow would be a better day for her. He had already seen to it.