A/N: This is a chapter I know some of you have been dying for...the chapter where Neal meets Belle! And also a little bit of Swan Thief at the end! Enjoy!
Neal had been in Storybrooke for five whole days now and despite the awkward stares at first, and that it was just a little boring, he was actually enjoying his stay. And that mostly had to do because of Henry. He made a point to see him everyday, even if it was just walking him home from the bus stop. He could tell Henry appreciated it though and seeing his little face light up every time he came was more than enough.
One morning he was even lucky enough to get a knock on his door at 7 in the morning to find Emma and Henry standing outside, inviting him to breakfast at Granny's before school. Emma seemed hesitant about it and throughout the short meal, she didn't really engage him too much in conversation but she was doing it for Henry.
Neal spent most of his meals at Granny's because at least there was company and Ruby, if she wasn't too busy, always engaged him in conversation.
It was a sunny thursday afternoon and Neal was sitting at the counter, eating away at his sandwich. There weren't many people in the diner that day so he sat and ate in silence.
He heard the sound of the door swinging open and looked up from his meal, curious to see who had entered. Immediately his body tensed and his eyes snapped back to his meal, avoiding any possibly eye contact.
His father had not seemed to notice him yet and Neal could hear his low laughter followed then by a more high pitched giggle. A woman? His brow furrowed and he snuck a subtle look over his shoulder to see a young woman attached to his side, their arms linked together and smiles on both their faces.
They took a few more steps into the diner and then suddenly Rumplestiltskin froze as he caught sight of who else was there. Their eyes met and locked on each other for a very long second and then Neal broke it, snapping his head back down, shifting awkwardly in his seat.
Rumplestiltskin lightly cleared his throat and looked down at his companion, starting to take a step back. "On second thought, perhaps your picnic idea is better."
"What?" The woman asked in surprise. "Oh come on, you can't change your mind now. Besides, this is starting to become our thursday tradition."
His jaw clenched as he eyed his son who was trying very hard to ignore him. "Belle...I really do think..."
"What is it?" She slid her hand affectionately up his arm, staring up at him in concern and then followed his eyes to where Neal was sitting. She stared at the younger man for a long minute and then her eyes widened as she slowly looked back up to Rumple. "Is that...is that him?" She tried to keep her voice low but she was not being subtle enough and Neal rolled his eyes lightly. "Is that Baelfire?"
Rumple let out a heavy sigh. "Yes." He muttered. "Now, please let's go."
"Wait." She said back and squeezed his arm before letting it go and approached Neal.
"Belle-!" Rumple tried calling after her in vain.
Neal flinched as he saw Belle approaching him and he sucked in a deep breathe and turned to her with a tight smile.
A warm smile lit her face and her eyes shone brightly and she seemed like a genuinely sweet woman. "Baelfire?"
He bit the inside his cheek to hold back a nasty comment at the usage of the name. Then he cleared his throat and answered, "I actually go by Neal but yeah."
She shook her head lightly and an even brighter smile lit up her face as she clasped her hands together in front of her. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you! Your father has told me so much."
"I bet he has." Neal muttered under his breath.
"Excuse me?" She inquired, not quite hearing him.
Neal let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "Nothing." He shifted in his seat, giving this woman a once over. "So who are you then? My half-sister or something?"
"What?" Her brow lifted in surprise and he narrowed his eyes. He didn't think that was such an off question. "No, no. Rum and I are together." She explained
Neal's face fell as he stared at the young woman before him. He let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "Are you serious?"
"Yes..." She nodded, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Of course."
Neal scoffed and then bit his lip as he shook his head slightly. "Wow." His jaw set as he looked behind her shoulder to where his father was standing just several feet behind. "You are truly unbelievable. Do you realize that she is probably younger than I am?" He motioned viciously to Belle and she frowned heavily. When Rumple didn't respond, Neal scoffed again and turned to look at Belle. "What has he said to you to make you stay with him?"
Belle looked taken aback. "He has said nothing! I am with him because I want to be and for no other reason."
"Right." Neal muttered sarcastically. "I know how he works and what he does with women."
Belle's face hardened and suddenly the innocent, happy-go-lucky woman was gone. "No offense, Neal, but you've been gone a long time."
Neal shook his head slowly. "So what? He's the Dark One and the Dark One never changes."
"Now listen-" Belle started but Rumple came up behind her, pressing a hand gently into her back and spoke near her ear. "Come on, Belle, let's just go."
"No." Belle protested sternly, turning to look at him.
"Belle?" Neal suddenly questioned and they both turned to look at him. Although the fairytales characters didn't exactly look like their real life counterparts there were similarities and Neal had certainly noticed something familiar about Belle. He'd maybe seen the Disney movie once or twice but there was no denying it. A knowing smile crossed his lips. "You know that makes so much sense. Beauty," He locked eyes with Belle for a moment before turning a glare on his father, "And the beast."
A soft gasp escaped Belle's lips and she moved out of Rumple's light hold, moving toward Neal, a frown fully etched onto her face. "How dare you?" She hissed quietly. "He is not a monster, nor a beast. He's a man and you are his son-"
She was cut off her little angry tirade by Rumple once again coming up behind her and gently tugging at her arm. "Belle, it's alright." He said quietly. "Please, let's go."
"Don't bother." Neal hopped off the other side of the stool, pulled some bills out of his pocket and tossed them on his half eaten sandwich. "I was just leaving." His cold stare matched Belle's and they stared at each other for a long moment before Neal brushed past them and out the door.
When he got back to his room he slammed the door and tossed himself onto the bed, burying his head in his pillow. He didn't think his father could get any worse in his eyes but he did. Belle was a sweet, young woman and though his memories were a little hazy he'd never forget the sight of his father disappearing into the house of their sweet, young maid and returning with blood on his boots.
Even mutes can draw a picture. His sickly, twisted voice rang in his ears and he groaned taking the pillow and covering it over his head.
Did Belle know about his magic? She must have, he certainly made a name for himself. So why was she defending him? What made her want to be with him in that way? He shuddered at the thought of what spell he had her under.
He absolutely hated this. Though he was hurt by being abandoned he loved being able to get away from the monster his father had become. And now his father was back in his life and he was exactly the same no matter how hard anyone tried to convince him otherwise and he had to deal with the fact that he was manipulating other people's lives. And since he was blood, he automatically felt guilty for it but he didn't want that. He didn't want to Baelfire ever again. He just wants to be Neal.
He felt angry tears push behind his eyes and he pushed them back, closing his eyes tightly as he buried his face into the mattress.
He stayed like that until he couldn't breathe and then just shoved his face into the pillow and curled up until he mercifully fell asleep.
Neal woke up just several hours later to the sound of a light rapping on his door. He blinked awake and he let out a soft moan. His head pounded like he had a hangover but of the emotional and not the alcohol variety. He closed his eyes and pulled the blankets over his head and hoped that whoever it was would just go away if he didn't answer. But much to his deep annoyance it only continued and he groaned and called out from under his blankets. "Go away!"
The knocking stopped and then a moment later came a small voice, "Baelfire?" He instantly recognized the Australian accent. Though he had only met Belle just hours before and only talked for a few minutes, the accent was unforgettable.
He cursed under his breath and tossed the blankets off of him, flipping onto his back and staring at the ceiling for a few moments. He wondered briefly if she was there to kidnap him. She was tiny but she proved she was more than capable of handling herself in the diner and besides if she was possessed by magic there's no telling what she could do.
"Neal." She said again and the use of his preferred name truly caught his interest and he turned to look at the door, debating whether he should open it. Her voice seemed calmer than when he had left them and that was enough to convince him to open the door.
With another groan he slid off the bed, trying to ignore the pounding in his head and walked over to the door, pulling it open.
Belle's face was no longer angry and had returned to innocence but she frowned as she looked up at him, this time in concern. He probably didn't even realize it but his eyes were slightly puffy and it was abundantly clear he was upset.
They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence and then Neal grunted, stepping aside to let her into the room. He had a feeling Belle was going to talk his ear off.
"Thank you." She whispered, a small smile crossing her lips as she stepped into the room. Her hands swung at her sides as she looked around the room and then came together in front of her as she turned back to Neal who closed the door behind her.
"Look-"
"Belle-"
They both started at the same time and then paused, sharing a small awkward smile and Neal waved her on first.
She swallowed and let out a breath. "I'd like to apologize for my behavior at the diner earlier. I always knew there was a lot of history between you two but I never truly knew what had really happened. Rumple explained everything and...you have a very good reason to be angry with him."
Neal blinked quietly, still trying to get the grogginess out of his system and process her words but then he nodded and crossed his arms lightly over his chest.
"But," She continued and Neal dropped his head. There was always a but, wasn't there? "I also think you were a little harsh. He left you, I understand that, and because of that you seem in a certain way. Maybe you have the right to judge him, I don't know. But you do not have the right to judge me."
Neal sighed and his hands fell at his sides. "I know. I'm sorry. I just..." He paused and let out another sigh. "It's hard for me to understand why anyone would willingly choose to be with him."
A small smile crossed Belle's lips and she took a step toward him. "He feels that way about himself you know. That he doesn't deserve someone caring in his life. That no one could ever want him. And he gets that because of you." She held out her hands, seeing his eyes darkening in protest. "I'm not blaming you. He blames himself for letting you go and he thinks that because you could not love him that no one could."
"I did love him." Neal responded quietly. "Even after he changed, I still loved him. I was scared of him and hated what he did to people but...he was still my papa."
"But he thinks you didn't and even despite that he searched for years and years to try and find his way back to you. And now he has and he believes you do hate him. But...you don't do you?" She wondered as she observed Neal and how he crossed his arms back over his chest, turning his gaze to the floor and tightening his jaw. "You're just angry. And its alright, its alright to be angry."
Neal just continued to stare at the floor silently, not daring to answer her, knowing deep down that she was right.
"I know, Neal." She continued compassionately as she took another few steps toward him. "He let me go too."
Neal looked up to her at that confession and frowned silently. She smiled sadly and nodded gently. "I'm going to tell you our story and I don't want you to be angry with him because of it, alright?"
Neal narrowed his eyes suspiciously but Belle gave him a look. "Alright?" She pressed.
"Fine." He muttered with a nod although he didn't know if he'd actually be able to keep that promise.
Belle gave him a soft smile and then let out a breath before speaking. "My kingdom was at war and my father didn't know how much longer we could last without help. He heard about a powerful man who had once marched into the front lines of the previous ogre wars and stopped the fighting."
Instantly Neal's face softened for a quick second as his memories drifted back to the particular moment and then it hardened again.
"Rumplestiltskin agreed to come and said he would keep our kingdom safe for a price. My father offered him all the gold we possessed. Though he didn't want gold because he could make gold himself. He wanted me." Neal's eyes widened and Belle quickly continued before he could jump to any conclusions. "Only just to clean his castle, to be his maid. I volunteered to go even after my father refused to accept. I wanted to help my family and my people, even if it was my own sacrifice." She let out a breath. "He was very intimidating at first." She let out a small laugh and shook her head.
"He told me I had to skin children for their pelts. Of course I was horrified and I dropped a cup and that was when he told me it was a joke. I thought he'd get angry with me because I chipped his cup but he didn't. It took a little while but we warmed up to each other. The more days I spent with him the more I realized he was just lonely. He was all by himself and though his appearance was a little unsettling it was nothing to be afraid of. I made that known that I was not afraid of him. I talked to him like he was any other person and he treated me very well. I had only spent a couple weeks with him when he decided to send me off to the market to buy him some more hay...essentially he was letting me go. I was going to run away and I knew he wouldn't come after me, he said so himself. But I met a woman on the road who explained to me that any curse could be broken by true love's kiss. It was then that I realized I had to return to him because I loved him and I was more than certain he loved me. So I did and he pretended not to be happy I was back but I knew he was. I kissed him then and it started to work, I could see him transforming back to a normal human." She shook her head and frowned as she looked down, softly biting her lip.
"That's when he pushed me away. He got so terribly angry and said that no one could love him even though I told him I did, even though our kiss was starting to break the curse on him. He told me to leave and so I did."
Neal's expression was unreadable by the end of the story. "But you are back with him."
"Yes." She smiled softly. "For whatever reason, he was a coward but I knew that wasn't all there was to him. When we were finally reunited he took me into his arms and he told me he loved me. And yes he's made some very wrong decisions that I've gotten angry with him about but there is good in his heart. I am with him because I see it and I want to help him become the man I know he is. He's not a monster but he believes himself to be."
Belle looked up at him and smiled. "I know that if you give him the chance, you will see it too. And Baelfire," His body tensed at the name but he looked into her eyes inquisitively. "That's all he wants. A second chance from you. He loves you so much, you are the most important person to him. He made a mistake, a terrible mistake by letting you go but it was that, a mistake." She walked over so she was standing just in front of him and hesitantly reached out to gently touch his arm and gave him a warm smile as she looked up at him. "Trust me. Give him a chance, you won't regret it." She lightly squeezed his arm and gave him a curt nod before heading toward the door. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, turning to give him one last smile and then walked out, closing the door behind her.
Neal stared at the door where she left, his eyes narrowing slightly. After that story he was no longer considering her to be under any spell, though part of him was still a little weirded out by the whole thing. And he knew he should be taking her words to heart but his own heart kept telling him otherwise.
Even after all that Belle had told him, he still didn't know what to think.
It was nearing sunset when Emma pulled up in front of the docks and hopped out of the sheriff's car, peering over the vehicle to the lone figure sitting on the edge of the docks. She closed the door behind her and shifted her jacket against the slight chill of an evening in Maine. She quietly walked up the docks, eyeing the figure carefully until she got near enough to recognize him.
She let out a soft sigh and shook her head, continuing her way down the docks until she was standing right behind him. "I got a call about a mysterious person hanging around the docks disturbing the peace. You know anything about that?"
Neal looked over his shoulder at the sound of her voice and his lips twitched slightly as he silently grabbed another pebble from the pile beside him and tossed it into the water with a plop.
Emma let out a huff of a laugh and then sat down beside him, her legs hanging off the edge of the dock. She looked over at him, her brow raising inquisitively but there was a slight degree of concern in her eyes. "What's up, Neal?"
Neal sighed heavily, grabbing another pebble and flicking it into the water. "I met my father's girlfriend today."
"Belle?"
Neal nodded quietly, grabbing another pebble.
Emma pursed her lips and looked out into the water, watching the small ripples where the small stone had landed. "She's nice."
"Yeah." Neal agreed, lifting his head to look out at the sky.
Emma looked over at him and smirked at the slightly sour expression on his face. "I know, I was a little weirded out too. Who knew Gold had a girl."
Neal huffed slightly. "One who is my age if not younger."
"Oh, yeah. That too."
Neal rolled his eyes slightly and gave her a look before shrugging. "I don't know. It bothered the hell out of me at first but not so much anymore."
Emma hummed lightly. "Yes I figured you weren't out here sulking because your father's girlfriend is the same age as you."
Neal whipped his head toward her. "I am not sulking!"
Emma shot him a pointed look. "Neal, it is almost dark and you are sitting out here by yourself throwing pebbles into the bay. You're sulking."
She smirked at the expression on his face and she nudged her body into his, making him throw out his hand onto the deck to catch himself before he fell over. When he looked back at her, his eyes slightly wide her smirk broadened. Neal scoffed and shook his head, looking back out into the sunset, a small smirk on his lips.
Emma swallowed as she looked at him. Whatever had brought him out here was truly bothering him. "What's wrong, Neal?" She asked seriously.
Neal sighed as he looked down onto his lap, fiddling with his hands. "I'm so confused, Emma."
"About what?" She wondered.
"What to think." He let out a breath as he looked over at her. "I first saw Belle with my father at the diner and things ended pretty badly between all of us. A couple hours later Belle came to see me at my room and she told me everything from how she met my father to how she feels about him and why she feels that way about him. She told me I should give him a chance."
"And you don't want to." Emma acknowledged.
"Not really." Neal admitted. "I still see the same man that left me. If there was any trace of the man I knew as my father it wouldn't be so hard but...every time I look at him I just see the Dark One."
Emma frowned and stared silently down at the water for a few minutes and she let out a deep breathe before looking back over at him. "Do you wish I'd forgive you?"
Neal lifted his brow, taken aback by the question. "Um...yeah. Yes, of course I do. But I understand why you don't."
Emma's lips twitched slightly upward as she turned her head. "Don't you think your father wishes the same? He knows he messed up and he understand why you're angry with him but that doesn't change the fact that he needs your forgiveness."
Neal furrowed his brow slightly and frowned as he looked at her silently.
Emma sighed and shook her head. "There are times I look at you and still think you're that jackass who sent me to jail."
Neal flinched but didn't look away from her.
"And if I didn't have to drag you back here to meet your father...If I had run into you just out of the blue, I wouldn't have given you the time of the day. I wouldn't have given you a chance. But now... I see how you are with Henry and how you are now and I don't know, maybe you're not just that jackass who sent me to jail."
Neal stared at her in stunned silence. He never thought Emma would open up like that especially not right away. And her words sent a sliver of hope into his heart. A chance, she was going to give him a chance.
Emma saw the beginning of a twinkling in his eyes and she looked away, lightly digging her palm into the wood beneath her. "The point is, Neal, that if I hadn't given you that chance to talk, to be around you and get to know you again then I would probably still hate you. And maybe Belle is right. Maybe you need to give your father that same chance and you might see he's not as bad of a person as you think he is."
Neal stared at her for a few moments and then bit his lip as he stared down at his lap. A large part of his being was telling him no, not to trust the man again but that smaller part, the part that loved, told him to listen to Emma. After all, he was on the side of the abandoner and he knew he was not a bad guy. He had reasons for doing what he did and that ended up hurting Emma in such a terrible way and all he's ever wanted since that day was her forgiveness. And though he hated to admit it, maybe his father just wanted the same.
He sighed and ducked his head against his chest, knowing Emma and Belle were right. He had to give his father that chance to explain himself, to prove that he's not the man he used to be. He dreaded it, fearing that his father could never change into his papa again. But it was a risk he had to take and it had the possibility to turn into an okay situation.
"You're right." He admitted after a long period of silence. "I'll talk to him again, really hear him out." He looked over to Emma and saw her smiling softly and she gave him a curt, approving nod.
He smiled himself and looked back down at the water and for a long minute, silence fell upon them. Then he smirked slightly and lifted his head, turning his gaze on her.
"So you don't hate me, huh?"
Emma shot him a look but there was a small smirk evident on her lips. "Shut up."
He chuckled to himself as she rose up into a standing position and turned to walk away.
"Emma." He called up to her and she looked down at him and he smiled at her genuinely. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." She returned with a slight twitch of her lips and continued her way down the dock back to the car. Only a few feet down she stopped for a second and looked over her shoulder, meeting his eyes. A small but true smile crossed her lips before she turned back around and continued on.
A smile broke across his face as he watched her go and then he finally turned back to face the water. He let out a small, happy laugh and tossed another pebble into the bay.