"Okay Belle, that's the last of it" Mulan's voice echoed through her apartment her voice sounding strained from the heavy boxes she held in her arms.
The brunet came running out of the kitchen "Thank you so much" she almost squealed taking the boxes from her friends arms and leading her to her temporary room. "You wouldn't believe how much I've missed my books" she sighed as she dumped the boxes on her bed.
"It really wasn't that bad you know" Mulan told her friend as she leant against the door frame and watched Belle pull out each book and smile at it lovingly.
At her friends words Belle froze and shook her head "that's because you weren't the one who left Gaston at the Alter while you drove off with another man and disappeared from almost a week" the beauty explained as she hurriedly put her favourite books on the limited shelf space.
"Come on Belle, that was months ago!" The raven haired women huffed as she pushed herself from the door and to the arm chair in the corner of the guest bedroom.
"It doesn't matter anymore, thanks to you I have all of my things and don't have to worry about Gaston or my father" Belle sighed before flopping down on to the bed, looking at the ceiling.
"So you can move on, find something new" Mulan suggested. Watching her friend mope around for the last couple of weeks was really taking its toll.
"What, like you?" The brunet almost snorted then realised what she'd said, "Oh I'm sorry" She almost yelped as she saw how her words had hurt her friend.
"No it's okay" Mulan shook her head to stop the tears welling in her eyes.
Belle moved from her place on the bed and made her way over to her friend to force her into a hug of apology, "It's not okay, I mean your letting me stay here for free"
"Well, you'd do the same for me" Mulan gave her a small smile "Plus it's not your fault that your a descent person and actually paid that Gold guy the IOU even though Gaston's company fired you and you have no money" she explained.
"Yup" Belle nodded as she and her friend fell back onto the bed, moving from the chair, laying side by side and looking at the ceiling.
"I mean the Gold guy must have been a real jerk to hold you to the IOU" Mulan spoke after a moment of silence.
"He's not a jerk" Belle spoke almost dreamily as she remembered the man who had captured her mind, body and soul. "He was sweet, a real gentlemen" she continued "A little rough around the edges but he just needs to be shown that someone can care for him".
"You sound like one of those crappy romance novels" Mulan almost snickered before they once again fell into silence "You didn't sleep with him did you?" she asked.
Belle shook her head "No" she smiled "Kissed though" she bit her lip as Mulan laughed.
"Any good?" her friend asked making Belle laugh too.
"A lady doesn't kiss and tell" Belle informed her friend "But yeah" she added after a while, she began to wonder where he was, if he ever thought of her, if he was happy or did he get to see his son.
"Did you really like him?" Mulan queered as Belle was still lost in thought.
"Yeah" Belle sighed, knowing she would probably never see him again. "But, he just came out of a divorce, he has a son, I just ended things with Gaston" Belle spoke as she thought of Gold's letter.
"That was months ago and as to the fact he has a son, you're awesome, who could hate you" Mulan stated as if Belle was stupid.
"It's not that simple Mulan" Belle rolled over on the bed, so her face was hidden, "I'll never see him again" her friend could just make out what she'd said.
"Oh I dunno, he might be more interested than you think" Mulan almost grinned as she watched her friend roll over to face her.
"What are you talking about?" Belle asked, gripping at the bed sheets under her.
"When I got the mail today, I noticed there was a hand written envelope addressed to Miss B French and other than Gaston and your father, he's the only other person that knows my address since you sent me those letters when you were with him". Mulan explained before pulling the letter out of her jacket pocket and holding it out to her.
Without saying anything Belle snatched the letter from her friends hands, hopping off of the bed and going to find privacy of the kitchen.
Taking a moment to look at the envelope, she noticed that the stamp wasn't like a usual stamp but instead had a tree. the symbol was familiar but she wouldn't put her finger on why.
After steadying her breath the brunet ripped open the back of the envelope before pulling the piece of paper out of the middle. opening it out she noticed that at the top there was the symbol of the tree once again, only now it had a banner underneath reading "Storybrooke".
The little town they'd stopped in, the last place she saw him. But why would they be sending her a letter and how did they know where she lived. So she began to read.
Dear Miss French.
I am writing to congratulate you on the acceptance of your bid to re-open the old library under the clock tower. You are now entitled to the books which it contains along with the small apartment above.
I am expecting to see you at 10 am Monday at my office (attached below) where we can sign all the paper work and you can get the key.
I look forward to seeing you again and welcome you to Storybrooke.
Regards Regina Mills (Mayor of Storybrooke).
"Mulan!" Belle called and within seconds her friend came running into the kitchen. "Do you know anything about this?" she asked shoving the letter into her friends hand before she herself started pacing the kitchen in an almost blind panic.
"So you own a library" Mulan stated after a few minutes, her tone light and full of humour "When did you do this, where even is Storybrooke?"
Belle turned on her heels "I didn't do it, do you really think I could even afford it if I wanted too?" She almost yelled "Storybrooke was the last place Robert and I stayed" Belle explained.
"So he bought you a library?" Mulan asked, full of shock. The man did know her friend well.
"He wouldn't" Belle shook her head "He couldn't no...No" She continued to shake her head trying to think of a different explanation but yet there was only one.
"I guess you're going back to Storybrooke"
Belle sighed, running a library was her dream, given this wasn't an accident, she just couldn't pass it up. "I guess I am" she smiled.
...C\_'/...
It was half past nine on a Monday Morning and Belle found herself once again on the streets of Storybrooke. The sun shone brighter than it had when she'd been there last.
She wasn't sure why, perhaps it was because she was free, there was no having to face Gaston or her father looming over, it had all be dealt with.
The streets were filled with people going about their days, all saying good morning to one another, like they'd all done the same routine for the past hundred years.
Taking a deep breath of the air the beauty managed to calm her nerves, she wasn't what she was going to say to Regina. She wanted to know how she knew of her interest of the library and also how did she receive belles payment without her ever knowing about it.
As she was lost in thought she was brought to the present by something running into her legs, she looked down and was surprised to see a boy about ten or eleven looking up at her with big brown eyes, full of apology.
His eyes, they were dark, scared, full of apology, something familiar but also full of light and hope. "I'm Sorry Miss" He told her, his voice a little shaky.
"It's no problem" Belle assured him with a warm smile.
After a few minutes a familiar blond girl came running up "Come on Bae, I want hot chocolate" the girl grabbed the boys arm and pulled him along with her in the direction of granny's.
"Bae" Belle said the name on her lips, it couldn't be the same boy that Gold spoke of, because that could mean Gold was here then that would make the whole situation more confusing and a little more obvious as well all at once.
"Miss French" she turned to find the women who she recognised as Regina standing behind with a cup of coffee in her hands.
"Miss Mills" Belle smiled "Lovely to see you again" she added.
Regina's lips quirked up in a smile "And it seems my dear that we will being seeing a lot more of you" she added "How about we discuss the rest at my office like we planned, ill drive us" she said before leading the brunet to her car.
Five minutes later the pair arrived at the mayors black and white office, "I was surprised when you didn't approach me yourself" the raven haired women spoke, motioning to the spare chair which Belle took. "But going through that Boyfriend of yours does pay off, he's quite the business man"
Belle was almost lost for words "Boyfriend?" she asked leaning forward on the chair.
"Yes, Mr Gold" Regina spoke with a sense of confusion "You were with him the last time you visited, he moved here with his son and you wanted to join them"
To say Belle was confused was an understatement, but she now knew he was in the town which meant she could see him and they could talk about this.
"Is something wrong Miss French?" Regina asked the women in front of her.
"No" Belle shook her head and gave the women a smile "Could you tell me the exact price I offered, just so were clear" she needed to know how much more she owed Gold, how much he'd spent on her.
"Of course, it's just here on the documents" Regina told her as she handed her a three page document. A Smile graced Belle's lips as she read the price, the down payment had been the money she'd given him as the IOU and the rest would be paid in rent. It seemed a little too generous as her IOU wasn't that much.
Twenty minutes later, once going through Belle duties as the new librarian such as reading to the school children and having a booth at the miners day festival, she finally signed the last of the papers.
"So here are the keys to the library and to the apartment" she held out the keys to Belle, who took them gratefully. "Welcome to Storybrooke Miss French"
"Thank you" Belle gave the mayor a small smile before getting up to leave, the keys still in her grasp, he'd bought her a library, Gold had bought her a library, why would he do that? what would make him do it? she needed to talk to him and soon, she just had to figure out how to find him.
As she left the office and began to walk down the street Belle felt like everyone was watching her, she guessed she would have to get used to if she was living there, as she walked she noticed the boy and girl from earlier walking on the other side of the road as thick as thieves.
She almost wanted to call out to him and ask him where his father was but decided against it, not wanting to scare the boy, it wouldn't be a good thing to do since she was new to the town.
"Sorry you look lost" Belle looked up to find the brunet pixie cut women standing in front of her, Mary something she'd said her name was when she'd introduced herself a few months ago.
"I um yes, I'm fine" the beauty shook her head, "I'm new that's all, just need to get my bearings" she explained,
"You're French aren't you?" The Mary women asked. "Sorry I mean Miss French, you visited the other month with Mr Gold, Mayor Mills said you were coming to open the new library"
Wow it seemed the town really did gossip "Yes i am" Belle nodded "but you can call me Belle"
"Of course, Mary Margaret, I teach at the school" the short haired women explained. "But the boilers broken and school is shut for the day" she began to ramble "Would you like me to show to the library?" she asked after a moment.
"Actually" Belle took a deep breath before speaking again "Do you know where I can find Mr Gold, I need to talk to him" her palms felt clammy, why did she feel so nervous.
She watched as Mary Margaret thought for a moment "Well it's not rent day so he should be at his shop" she explained.
"Shop?" Belle asked, in shock more than of wonder where it was.
"His antique shop" Mary said as if it was obvious "Didn't you know?" she asked "it's more or less opposite the library".
"I haven't seen him in a while" Belle confessed, "Thanks for helping me but i have to go, maybe we could grab coffee some time?" she suggested, feeling Mary Margaret could be a good friend to have.
"Of course, I'll see you later" Mary Margaret nodded before she continued on her journey. At that Belle headed back to the parade of shops.
She saw the library under the beautiful clock tower, still she couldn't believe that she now owned it. Swivelling on her heels she looked up and down the street and still couldn't see it, or come to think of it the abandoned dress shop.
It was then that it hit her. The sign and writing was very small but she could make out the gold words on the black background. 'Gold's Pawnbroker and Antiques dealer'. She smiled, he'd bought the dress shop and turned it into his dream and he had his son. He was happy, or at least he thought he would be.
Looking left then looking right to make sure it was safe, she crossed the road, praying that the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't take flight. Her hands where once again starting to get clammy and she felt nervous, though not sure why.
After taking a few deep breaths she entered the shop, the door hitting a bell, making it ring lightly. "I'll be with you in just a moment" she heard a familiar Scottish brogue call from behind some curtains near the back of the store.
Belle looked around, it was just as she'd thought, every surface was covered in sort of antique, everyone had a story and was covered in a thin layer of dust, it was then that she noticed it, sitting on the counter.
There sat the tea set, the one that matched the tea cup she'd chipped. He was selling it, she guessed she couldn't judge him, it cost him money, still she thought he might want to keep it, perhaps to remind her of him, he probably wasn't that sentimental. she picked up one of the tea cups and held it close, perhaps she should buy it, she could be sentimental about it then when she didn't want to be she could smash it.
"Sorry but that's not for sale" His voice made her jump, but this time she kept a grip on the tea cup. she spun slowly on her heels to face him. "Belle" he breathed her name not believing that it was really her, she looked as beautiful as ever in her blue dress, brown belt and blue high heels with her hair half up and half down.
Meanwhile Belle eyed him in his dark suit, grey shirt and grey pocket square, looking as good as ever, very very good, she bit her lip before smiling "It seems I've bought a library" she told him as she put the tea cup back with its brothers and sister. "You wouldn't know anything about that?" she asked him.
"Uh Well" Gold look down at his shoes "I heard that Mayor Mills was looking for someone to open the library and I thought that there wouldn't be anyone better" he explained, still a little unsure of how she felt about the whole situation.
"Okay" Belle nodded "And you knew I'd come?" she asked, her fingers running along the cabinets leaving trails in the dust.
"Lucky guess" He shrugged his shoulders.
"You're shops beautiful" She told him with a soft smile "Has a lot of character, secrets, a lot like you" she sighed turning on her heels to face him again. "What's going on Robert?" she asked him, her voice full of emotion.
Gold shook his head "I honestly don't know" he sighed, "I'm sorry that I left the way I did" he explained taking a step towards the women "I didn't want to hurt you" he admitted "But we needed to get things together, I needed to get my life together for B..."
"For Bae" Belle smiled "It seemed to have worked, I ran in to him this morning" she informed him before adding "Literally"
The older man smiled at the mention of his boy "When I got home, Milah told me that she had made a mistake and thought i would be the better parent for Baelfire, I moved us here and started this business" he explained "He needed a good stable life"
"And where do I fit into this?" Belle asked him.
Rubbing his hands on his trousers Gold sighed "I just want you to be happy" he admitted. "I thought that...But I guess I was..." he began to get frustrated so Belle stopped him. Moving forward to capture her lips with his in soft gentle kiss.
His hands naturally fell to her waist, pulling her closer before he ran his hands up her back while her hands ran through his hair, oh how it was as soft as she remembered.
After a few moments they broke apart, instead holding one another, her nose was buried in the crook of his neck while he dropped a kiss to her brown curls. it felt right, being in each other's arms, like they'd been together for years.
"You told Regina you were my boyfriend?" Belle spoke after a moment with a small giggle.
Gold shrugged, feel a little embarrassed "The Mayor assumed and who am I to correct her" he told her.
"Well now it's not far from the truth" She told him with a smile before reaching up and kissing him, he thought the exact same and smiled again before kissing her again. He would happily do that forever.
After a moment Belle moved away from him, her hand taking his and giving it a squeeze "I have to go, the library wont set itself up" she told him with a grin as she headed to the door.
"Belle wait" Gold called making her turn to face him "Would you like to have dinner with me later...and Bae" he suggested, wanting his son to meet the women he was falling in love with.
"I hear Granny's makes excellent burgers" was her only response.