A/N: I was going to split this into two chapters, but then decided against it. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

It was 6:45 pm and Belle had only been home for ten minutes. "Oh, Chip, he's going to hate me," Belle grumbled. "All this build up and I'm running so late." She huffed and ducked into her shower.

Chip just cocked his head to the side while she talked to him and wagged his tail. He perked his ears when the bathroom door closed behind her and hopped onto his spot on the couch. It sagged under his seventy some pounds.

While Belle was in the shower, she tried not to think about the week that followed her and Gold's little coffee date. Somewhere between point A and B, Gold decided to stop sending messages through Carter and contacted Belle himself.

Ms. Hayes, Carter informs me that we are supposed to match at this little get together. What color dress are you wearing? RG

Belle had to admit that she was a little shocked to be getting a text.

Mr. Gold, I didn't know you sent texts. You struck me as more of the email type. :)

I'm just full of surprises, dearie. What color dress are you wearing? I don't want to have to ask again. RG

Belle giggled, unable to help it. That sounded like a distinct challenge.

Will I get to figure out any more of those surprises?

Before he could respond with a text breaking off the agreement, he got another one. A one word text that, for some reason, made his tie feel considerably tighter.

Red.

When Carter came over for the forced movie night that weekend, he looked over at Belle and smirked some. "You made quite the impression on my boss," he said. "He's been asking about you a lot. Preferred flowers, topics of interest. It's like he's prepping for a date."

Belle rolled her eyes and passed him the popcorn while Rent played on her TV. "You're hilarious," she said drily. "He probably just wants to make sure there's not going to be any awkward silences. Or that he didn't accidentally agree to take an idiot."

"He loves awkward silences. Especially when he's the one making it awkward," Carter said. He rolled his eyes at Joanne getting jealous about Mark being at the sound check. "I hate this song," he mumbled.

Belle laughed. "You hate all songs."

"I'm serious though. I really think you made an impression on him," Carter said.

"Sounds like a hard feat. The man is practically a ghost from what I've tried to dig up. Aside from his high profile cases, the man doesn't seem to have a life at all. No wife, no kids, no mention of family. It's like he appeared from thin air."

Carter arched an eyebrow. "You actually did research on him?"

Belle snorted. "Oh don't look so shocked," she said. "You know I like to know what I'm getting myself into."

The next day, she sent Gold a text: Maybe we should just meet there? Less fuss.

A reply came within two minute. What's the matter, dearie? Don't want to be seen walking in with me?

I don't want you to go out of your way to pick me up.

You're not out of the way in the slightest. I'll see you at 7. Carter's already given me your address.

They continued texting, never really getting too personal, but by the time Friday came around, Belle couldn't help but be a little excited for the event. Gold seemed to have a charming streak about him, but she picked up on that the day she met him. And then a last minute meeting turned into an hour long bloodletting considering an important merger that Belle was taking point on. It ended with the other party firing their legal counsel and Belle's client looking fairly smug.

Belle to Gold: Running late! This merger is going to kill me. I'll try to be ready by seven, but I make no promises.

That text had been sent five minutes before she walked into her apartment. And then she had to walk Chip. After one of the quickest showers of her life, Belle was trying to get her hair to dry properly while dressed in only a matching red lacy bra and panty set. Her phone stayed by her side, but so far there had been no word from Gold on if he was still coming or not.

And then there was a knock on the door.

Chip's head came off his paws and a soft woof came from deep in his chest. There was a hint of a growl to it.

Belle cursed. That meant a stranger. Her phone said 7:00. She tugged on her silk knee length robe and went to check the peephole with Chip as her loyal guardian. Sure enough, there was Gold standing in her hallway in his standard suit, but he was wearing a flashy red tie. She nudged Chip out of the way and opened the door for him. "Sorry, sorry, I know I'm supposed to be ready," she said and let him in.

Gold took in the rather large red nosed pit bull beside Belle and arched an eyebrow. He didn't have anything against dogs, but this particular dog was not what he had in mind when Carter told him that Belle had a pet. He slowly stepped inside and watched as the dog's tail dropped and he ducked behind Belle. He noted the torn ear and looked at Belle when the dog showed teeth at him. "Quite the lion heart you have, Ms. Hayes," he said.

Belle hushed Chip gently and nudged him to the couch. "It's probably your cane. He's a rescue." She turned to go back to the bathroom. "I'd say you could sit, but he sheds like crazy. I won't be long."

Gold smirked. "Take your time, dearie. I'm in no hurry to be there." He eyed the dog who eyed him back and then looked around the living room.

It was filled with warm, earthy colors and pictures filled the shelves along with nick-knacks from various places. He stepped closer to see a slightly younger, paler version of Belle with her thumb up and a face splitting smile crouched next to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Humphrey Bogart's star to be precise. The picture beside it was of her in the same pose with Lauren Bacall's. The corner of Gold's mouth curved up. Cute. He saw various other pictures, a lot of them with her and Carter in various locales. One place appeared to be Morocco. And then there was Paris. He couldn't help but notice how she looked more gaunt in some of them than others. Miniature framed advertisements for The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Key Largo, Dark Passages, To Have and Have Not, and The Big Sleep covered her walls as well as larger framed poster for Sabrina. He spotted a homage to Breakfast at Tiffany's and Roman Holiday as well.

"When I asked Carter about some of your interests, he didn't mention your intense love for classic movies," Gold called out to her. The sound of the hair dryer stopped so he assumed she'd be able to hear him.

"I already told you I liked Noir," Belle called back.

Chip left his perch on the couch to go see what Belle was up to now that the noise was gone.

Gold chuckled despite himself. "I'd hardly call Roman Holiday a Noir."

"Good point. But Audrey Hepburn is a goddess, so can you blame me?"

"I don't see you with her star."

"That picture is by the TV," Belle giggled.

Gold turned so he could find said picture and noted that, like the rest of the pictures from her travels, she had shorter hair. He turned when he heard the clicking of heels and blinked when he saw her.

The dress had a sweetheart neckline which revealed the tiniest speck of black just by her collarbone. It hugged her curves and once it got to her hips, it flared out into a style he had seen on professional tango dancers. Not form fitting, but not poofy like some ball gown either. It stopped just below her knees and her legs were bare. Black heels adorned her feet and she had what he assumed to be natural makeup on. The only other accessories were onyx earrings and a matching necklace.

"I hate evening gowns," Belle said when Gold raised an eyebrow at her. "They give me flashbacks to when my grandmother forced me into a debutante ball."

"So you were a society girl," Gold mused. "Interesting. And a little surprising."

Belle snorted and grabbed her clutch. "My grandmother was the society girl. I was raised on a farm."

Gold's eyes went blank as he thought about his own past in Scotland. Where he grew up wasn't even big enough to be called a farm, and it certainly wasn't the posh penthouse he now owned filled to the brim with whatever antiques he could find.

Her chin jerked up when his eyes reacted to her upbringing. "What's wrong, Mr. Gold? Got something against farm girls?" she asked.

Gold's lips pulled into a smirk, thoughts of poor orphaned Rodric Glenn pushed to the side. "Not at all, dearie. If anything I'm relieved." He took a few steps towards her and offered his arm to her. "I find society girls to be tragically boring."

Belle studied him for one brief moment before accepting that and looping her arm through his. Before they left, she took a dog treat from the ceramic cookie jar she kept on the table by the door and tossed it at Chip. "You be good."

Chip thumped his tail against the couch and went to retrieve his treat.

No one expected Rodric Gold to show up tonight. And certainly no one expected him to show up with Bellamy Hayes. Belle's name was starting to get around because of her no nonsense attitude and the way she handled herself in litigation, but now her name was going to get around because of whose arm she was on tonight.

"They look shocked," Belle said softly to Gold.

Gold snorted and rolled his eyes as they made their way inside. He was grateful to Belle for letting him set the pace. Too many times his ankle caused him to get dragged along like a child. She didn't seem to mind being tied to him. Yet. "It's because they're imbeciles," he growled, his Scottish brogue getting deeper.

A few familiar faces were in the crowd and they looked like they wanted to come over and say hello to Belle, but her – date? – was enough of a deterrent for right now. Just as well. Belle didn't feel like talking to Gaston Lamont anyway. The French immigrant lawyer prided himself on being able to charm his way up many an American lady's skirts. Belle shut him down from the beginning.

Gold and Belle wandered around for a bit and sipped champagne. Belle discreetly checked her phone. They had only been there five minutes.

"Bored of me already, dearie?" Gold asked.

Belle looked up at him and smirked. "If someone looks at me sideways one more time, I might ask to borrow your cane," she said, her drawl coming out.

Gold let out a rather impish titter that only served to make Belle's smile even bigger. "You're welcome to it, Miss Hayes."

"Gold, you actually showed up," a snide female voice said from over Belle's shoulder. "Regina said you were going to, but I must admit I didn't believe her." Cora Mills, the epitome of style and grace, was every bit of Gold's age, but she had surgeries to make sure no one ever knew it.

Gold's lip curled in a slight snarl. "Ms. Mills," he said coldly. "I wasn't expecting you to be here either."

Belle shifted so she could see the woman coming towards them. Obviously she wasn't the only one who had a thing for red. The woman was covered in it from head to toe. A regular Queen of Hearts. Belle moved to slip her arm out from Gold's so he could speak to her privately, but Gold's arm tightened around hers, preventing the action.

"This is my daughter's big night," Cora gushed. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." Finally she turned her eyes to Belle. On any other woman the expression she wore would have been a sneer, but the botox injections only made her look like even more of a haughty bitch. "And you're here with him? Did you lose a bet, darling?"

Belle could feel Gold tense up even more and saw how white his knuckles were around his cane. She flashed her most charming smile and leaned into Gold's side carefully so she wouldn't knock him off balance. "Rodric and I are actually old friends," she said brightly. "He worked for John Richardson while I was a clerk at his firm. I ran into him at Marco's last week and he asked if I would join him. Granted I already had an invitation, but I hate coming to these things alone so I agreed. Funny little world, ain't it?" she asked. The whole time she was all southern charm and smiles. She even looked up at Gold with an endearing smile before looking back to Cora.

Cora's eyes were a little wide and she looked at Gold. The smug look on his face betrayed nothing. She gritted her teeth before smirking back at the younger woman. "You two enjoy your night."

Gold snickered as she walked away and then looked back down at Belle. He took a step away so she wouldn't feel obligated to keep up the ruse and his face went from smug to almost shy. "You didn't have to lie, dearie," he said.

"But I didn't. You did work for Richardson while I clerked there and you did ask me to join you at Marco's. And I did have an invitation already, and I do hate coming to these things alone," Belle said. She allowed her arm to fall from his since he was looking uncomfortable. She smiled up at him and cocked her head to the side. "You had a thing with her, didn't you?"

Gold's eyes widened and then narrowed. "What makes you ask that?"

"Oh come on," Belle said, not at all intimidated by the glare. "She might as well have a sign that flashes jealous ex-lover. Women know these things."

Gold sighed and glanced after Cora, shadows falling over his eyes for a second before he looked back at Belle. "It was a long time ago. I don't care to discuss it."

"Not to the 'spilling your guts about disappointing exes' level of friendship yet then," Belle said. She sipped at her champagne to hide a grin. "Got it."

Gold looked around, trying to find other people to avoid. "I didn't know that was a level," he said.

Belle giggled. "You don't have many friends I'm assuming."

"I don't have any actually, dearie," Gold said, turning his eyes back to her.

Belle pretended to pout. "Not even me? Well that's a shame."

She was about to say more when a man in a Victorian style three piece suit and top hat skipped up to them. "Milady," he said and took off his hat so he could perform a sweeping bow. "You're a vision of beauty and grace. The very moon envies you on this night. The sun cannot –"

"How are you, Jefferson?" Belle asked fondly.

Jefferson jerked his chin up so he could look at her and frowned. "I wasn't finished."

"Oh, sugar, you know how you get when you start rambling."

A slightly unstable grin split his face and he straightened up. "Fair enough." Jefferson held his hand out to Rodric. "Mr. Gold, a pleasure to see you again."

"Mr. Hatter, isn't it?" Gold asked as he shook the man's hand briefly. "I wasn't aware you mingled with business lawyers." As far as he knew, the fashion designer was rather reclusive, and only came out to certain events a year.

Belle giggled. "Before I was in business law, I was in family law. I helped Jefferson with a custody case."

Jefferson took Belle's hand and kissed it softly. "My own to be exact. My Gracie's grandparents thought me unfit after my beloved Alice was taken from me." They weren't exactly wrong. Jefferson did go a little mad after his wife died, but he remained every bit the devoted father and with Belle's help, he was able to maintain custody of his daughter. "Oh. She wishes to invite you to her piano recital," he added as he looked into Belle's eyes.

Belle slipped her hand out of Jefferson's grasp and took out her phone so she could enter it into her appointment book app and they shared a chaste kiss on the cheek before Jefferson flittered off to find someone else to talk to.

"I had heard he was eccentric, but I've never expected him to take the Mad Hatter quips so seriously," Gold said.

"He's a good father, and Grace is precious. She made me a card for my birthday last year," Belle said and put her empty glass on a tray. "I would kill for something stronger," she mumbled.

Gold snickered at that. "Perhaps if you're not tired of my company, I could invite you to my home for a night cap."

Belle smirked. "Let me guess. Johnny Walker Blue Label?"

Gold rolled his eyes and sighed. "Too common, dearie, far far too common."

"Well that's unfortunately the best I can do as far as Scotch. I'm more of a Jack Daniel's girl myself."

"I find that oddly fitting," Gold admitted.

Finally they decided to walk around, if nothing else to relieve the pressure on Gold's ankle. They found a seat away from the majority of the crowd and spent the vast majority of the night commenting on the dresses and suits of the passersby. Belle took an admittedly immature amount of pleasure when Gold laughed at a quip she made considering Cora Mills' obvious plastic surgeries. Before long, their chairs were close together and his arm was draped across the back of hers. She found his cologne spicy and intoxicating, but that could have been the champagne doing the thinking for her. And the fact that she hadn't been on an actual date in about a year. Not that this counted as anything of the sort. It was a favor for her best friend. That was it. Right?

Gold wasn't sure what to do with Belle. She was practically lounging against him and seemed to be genuinely enjoying his company. She laughed at his snarky, borderline cruel, comments, and she was able to come up with some pretty fantastic ones herself. When she said Cora's breasts looked like obvious watermelons he laughed harder than he had in years. Just the thought of her southern drawl forming the words brought a small smile to his face.

Cora and Regina came up to their table after Regina's big speech about being grateful for the generous donations to her favorite adoption charity: Wish Upon a Star. Belle had to admit it was cute, but she wondered how much of the proceeds would actually be going to charity. She put on her bright smile, but stayed close to Gold's side. He seemed to be able to stay calmer when she was close. "That was a very nice speech, Miss Mills," Belle said as she looked at Regina. It was easy to see that Cora still had a strong hold on her daughter, but Regina was trying to break that bond.

"Thank you, Miss—"

"Hayes," Belle provided. "Bellamy Hayes."

"You work at Nolan, Blanchard, and Associates," Regina said. "I've seen your name come across my desk a few times."

Belle smiled graciously. "Girl's gotta make a living somehow."

"Most from your background just choose to become kept, don't they?" Cora sneered. "You know, marry out of high school and pop out babies."

Belle's jaw clenched ever so slightly, but she managed to keep her polite smile.

"Speaking of popping out babies, how is your eldest, Cora?" Gold asked. His eyes were hard, and his mouth was a cruel twist. "Last I heard, Zel was channeling you while she played the Wicked Witch of the West on Broadway." He hadn't missed Belle's reaction to Cora's remark.

Cora's eyes flashed and she bared her teeth in more of a snarl than a smile.

Regina coughed to hide a laugh and Belle took a sip of water to cover her own smile, but her eyes danced.

"Your son still getting in trouble for being a thief?" Cora finally snapped back.

Gold's face instantly shut down and he moved to get up, but Belle leaned into him a little harder to prevent the action. "Well I guess it's true what they say," Belle commented dryly.

Cora barely glanced at Belle. "And what do they say down in your neck of the woods?" she mocked.

Belle let her hand lower discreetly to Gold's leg to further keep him planted in his seat. "You can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of the girl."

Cora nearly flinched. Like Gold and Belle, she didn't come from means and she did whatever she had to in order to get to where she was. Including giving up her first born daughter for adoption.

Regina leaned forward to Cora. "Mother, we should be going," she said. "George Paxton is waiting to hear from you." She shot a secret smile to Belle and steered her mother away.

Gold was practically vibrating with rage. How he wanted to go after the woman and make her take back those words about his son. He was slowly brought back down to earth by Belle rubbing his leg. She was sitting differently now because her other hand was petting the hair at the back of his neck. "Cow," he finally mumbled.

"Well, you did kind of open yourself up for it," Belle pointed out gently. She stopped rubbing his leg once he came back to himself and checked the time. "Oh look, ten o'clock," she said. Belle looked up at Gold and smiled some. "Better go before you turn orange."

Gold deflated at her words and allowed her to lead him to get their coats and they waited outside in the chilled air for his driver to come get them. They sat in silence for a long time before Gold finally huffed. "Thank you," he said quietly. "It would have done me no good to make a scene at the event."

Belle laughed softly and looked over at him. "Yeah well, luckily for you I have mastered the art of 'company face'; not to mention I've been dealing with women like her my whole life," she said. She stayed leaned against him for the rest of the ride. On impulse, she leaned up to kiss Gold's cheek before moving to get out of the car.

"Miss Hayes," Gold said, catching her hand before she was all the way out of the car. "You reacted to something Cora said. Getting married out of high school and popping out babies. Why?"

Belle's expression darkened for the briefest of moments before the look was gone and she gave his hand a squeeze. "We're not to the tragic backstory level," she said. "Good night, Mr. Gold." Belle slipped her hand out of his and made her way back upstairs to Chip. She instantly changed out of her dress, washed her face, and fell into bed. That had been an interesting night.

Gold went home and poured himself a glass of Craiglodge Scotch. He took a deep breath and shook his head. Of course Cora was going to be there. He hadn't even considered it. Hell, she's probably the one who wanted Gold there in the first place, not Regina. He paced a little, cursing himself for ever allowing himself to get so close to that blasted harpy. She was poison. Nothing but poison. His thoughts turned to Belle. What was she? Brave certainly. She was the only thing keeping him in his seat when Cora attacked his son's character. Sure Neal wasn't a perfect citizen, but he didn't have much guidance. When he and Milah divorced, she made it impossible for him to see his son, and when they were able to make contact, Gold was unable to really connect to him and their relationship remained strained ever sense. He shook his head again and downed his scotch. He hadn't even remembered to ask her if she wanted to join him for a drink. Tomorrow Miss Hayes was going to get something to thank her for being so gracious, and maybe one day, they'd make it to that tragic background level that she mentioned.

I had fun writing this chapter. Not even gonna lie. R/R!