Thank you to those who have fanned and faved, new readers, new and returning reviewers - all of that is greatly appreciated, and your feedback and comments are always welcome as usual!

Another familial "twist" in this one - this time within the Charming family. And some pretty direct "Notting Hill" references included as well for those who are fans of the movie.

I do not own "Once Upon a Time."

Chapter 3

Nick entered his kitchen the next morning – Bae was sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee and staring ahead blankly. "Hey – you're up earlier than usual on a Saturday." Nick said.

"Haven't been to bed. I uh – I had to take Emma to the hospital last night." Bae told him.

"Oh my god, is she alright? What happened?" Nick asked, sitting down after he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, she's um – she's in my room, she's sleeping." Bae said. "She just hasn't been feeling that great all week, and last night we were out, she said she wanted to get out of the apartment so I said we'd go to a movie. We got in line to buy tickets and all of a sudden she said she didn't feel good and then she just turned white as a sheet and she passed out. She was only out for a minute, but – well, I took her to the hospital."

"Bae, why didn't you call me?" Nick asked.

"She didn't want me to make a big deal out of it, she wouldn't even let me call David." Bae said. "Anyway – they ran some tests and – dad, Emma's pregnant."

"Oh, for fuck's sake Bae – I thought we had this talk a long time ago, haven't you been careful about this?" Nick asked.

"Of course we have!" Bae insisted. "It's just not always foolproof, I guess. By the way dad, I can count – I know the amount of months between you and mom's wedding and my birthday and it was a lot less than nine."

"And you learned nothing from that?" Nick asked. Bae just sighed. "Is everything alright? I mean, with Emma, is she -"

"She's fine – she's just been working a lot and busy with school and probably wasn't taking care of herself like she should have been with her diet and stuff lately and the doctor said it probably caught up with her this week. He got her on pre-natal vitamins and told her to take it easy this weekend and she has an appointment with her own doctor on Monday. But she's okay. And the baby is fine, they said she's about seven weeks along. She's adamant about going over to Ruby's tomorrow so I told her she needs to stay in bed until then."

"So you're chaining her to the bed then, I take it." Nick commented. Bae laughed a bit.

"Well, she's pretty worn out right now, she fell asleep in the car on the way home, I had to carry her in and put her to bed, but I'm sure when she wakes up I may have to do that. If you hear arguing coming from my room later today, you'll know what that's about." Bae said. "So where were you last night? I came home to change before I went to pick up Emma and – you were gone."

"I uh – I sort of had a – date. I think." Nick said.

"Really? With who, Belle French?" Bae asked jokingly.

"Yes." Nick replied.

"Oh, come on, dad. Seriously?" Bae asked.

"She called me at the shop. Actually, she called me several days ago, but your git friend Jefferson forgot to give me the message until yesterday. I called her back and – she invited me to dinner. We had dinner and we talked and – we had a very nice time. And she's coming to Ruby's party tomorrow." Nick told him.

"Holy crap. Does Ruby know?"

"I thought I might surprise her." Nick said.

"Jesus, my dad is dating Belle French." Bae said.

"We're not dating, we're just – going out."

"What's the difference?" Bae asked.

"She's leaving, Bae. She's only in New York for two more nights, and she said she wasn't available tonight. I asked." Nick said.

"You want to borrow one of my condoms for tomorrow? I mean – just in case." Bae joked. "I won't need them for awhile."

"Why would I take one of your condoms when apparently they don't work." Nick said. "That's not going to happen, anyway. She's just coming to the party with me – that's all."

"Is that all you want there to be?" Bae asked.

"It doesn't matter. She's leaving. I'm not some starstruck teenage boy, Bae. She's a nice girl and I like being with her. What's the harm in that?" Nick asked.

"The harm is you haven't had a girlfriend since your whole – thing seven years ago. I just don't want you to get hurt." Bae said, and he yawned. "Look, I'm gonna go to bed, I'm just really drained after last night and you probably need to get to the shop anyway. If we don't cross paths before that I'll see you at Ruby's tomorrow. Be careful, dad. She's from a completely different world than we are. Just don't let yourself get sucked into an emotional roller coaster that you can't handle."

"I can handle myself just fine, Bae." Nick said.

"Yeah, I still have some pretty vivid memories of seven years ago and – you really can't. And I can't handle a repeat performance of that, I've got my own problems right now. See you later, dad." Bae said, and he left the room.

Nick was working at the loom behind his desk at the shop when he heard a knock on his door. "Hey." he said as he opened the door and let Belle in.

"I wasn't really sure what to wear, is this alright?" Belle asked. She was dressed in jeans and a nice top. Nick was wearing jeans as well and a button-down casual shirt.

"It's fine – nothing fancy." Nick said.

"I uh – I got your daughter a present. It's a necklace and earring set, I hope she likes it." Belle said.

"You didn't have to do that. But she'll love it." Nick said. Belle looked around the shop.

"Don't you get bored being in here all day?" Belle asked.

"Only on days when pretty ladies don't come into the shop." Nick teased, and Belle smiled at him. "It's never boring around here, I'm always doing something, either making a rug or a tapestry or teaching a class."

"You teach classes? In what?" Belle asked.

"Spinning, weaving, looming – I have a class on Tuesday mornings, one on Wednesday evenings, and every other Saturday here at the shop." Nick said. "I'm usually closed on Sundays but I came in here for part of the day to get caught up on a few things before we left."

"My father has a shop – back in Australia. He's a florist." Belle told him.

"Really?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. He still has it. I told him he didn't have to work any more but he loves it – I guess some people just like that sort of thing. I used to work for him when I was a girl, until I started modeling. It was alright, but – I always craved adventure, wanted to see the world. Be careful what you wish for, I guess."

"Well, you seem to have a nice life." Nick said.

"It's alright. Far from perfect. Anyway, we should probably go." Belle said.

"Yes, I guess we should. By the way, I haven't met my daughter's new boyfriend yet, and um – her taste in men is questionable at best, so I really don't know what to expect. I will try to refrain from strangling him though. But I can't promise I won't whack him with my cane if he turns out to be a jackass." Nick told her. Belle laughed a bit.

"Well hopefully he won't be that bad. Come on – we don't want to be late." Belle said, and they left the shop together.

Nick and Belle were greeted at the door at Ruby's apartment by Bae. "Hey – right on time. Come on in."

"Bae, you remember Belle – Belle, this is my son, Bae." Nick said, officially introducing them.

"Hi – nice to actually meet you." Belle said, shaking Bae's hand.

"Yeah – you too." Bae replied.

"Holy crap, it really is you." Emma said as she entered the room from the kitchen. "I thought you were kidding." she said, turning to look at Bae.

"Belle, this is my girlfriend, Emma Swan – she's a bit of a fan." Bae said.

"Hi, Emma – very nice to meet you." Belle said, shaking her hand.

"Yeah – you too. I uh – I cut my hair when I was in high school like you had it back when you were on River's Road – didn't look the same on blonde hair, but – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud just – you know what? I'm gonna go sit down and shut up before I really embarrass myself." Emma said, and she headed for the sofa and sat down.

"Wow – that's some magic power you've got there, I've never seen Emma tongue tied before." Nick said to Belle.

"It's alright." Belle said, setting her purse down on a nearby chair. "It's kind of hard sometimes for people to see you as a regular person when they've watched you on television and in the movies. You should have seen me when I met Leonardo DiCaprio, I probably sounded like a babbling fool."

"Hey, if anyone wants drinks they're in the – kitchen." Mary Margaret Blanchard said, entering the room. Mary Margaret was Ruby's best friend and roommate. "Belle French. Oh my god – are you really -?"

"You didn't tell her?" Bae asked, looking at Emma.

"Like I said – I thought you were kidding. I mean, come on, seriously – your dad and Belle French? Like anyone would believe that." Emma said.

"And there's the Emma I know and love – always ready with a compliment." Nick remarked sarcastically.

"Ruby is going flip when she meets you." Mary Margaret said.

"Oh, Belle, by the way, this is Mary Margaret – my daughter's best friend and flat mate." Mary Margaret and Belle shook hands. "Where is my daughter anyway?"

"She's talking to her mom on the phone in her room." Mary Margaret said. "She'll be right out." Belle's phone vibrates. She looks down at it.

"You know what, I need to take this call, is there anywhere I can go to -" Belle asked.

"In the kitchen, come on, I'll show you." Mary Margaret said, and Belle followed.

"I'm gonna go say hi to mom before Ruby gets off the phone. Anything you want to say to her, dad?" Bae asked.

"Nothing I can repeat in front of polite company." Nick replied. Bae shook his head at him and headed for the bedroom. Nick sat down on the sofa next to Emma.

"You doing alright, sweetheart?" Nick asked, taking her hand.

"Yeah. I'm okay. Look, don't say anything – we haven't told anyone else." Emma said.

"Of course." Nick said, and he puts his hand up to his lips to make a motion mimicking a key locking.

"So seriously – Belle French? How the hell did you pull that off?" Emma asked.

"I have no fucking idea." Nick replied. "So tell me about this Irish prat that you've gotten my daughter involved with."

"Well, you'll find out about him soon enough when he gets here. And Bae already told you to behave. He's a good guy. Be nice. Don't make me have to pull my gun out and shoot you in front of your new girlfriend." Emma said.

"She's not my girlfriend she's – I'm not really sure what she is, to be honest." Nick told her.

"Out of your league, that's what she is."

"Yes, I'm very well aware of that fact, thank you." Nick replied.

"Well, he better not scare him off, that's all I'm saying." Ruby said to Bae as the two of them came into the room.

"There's my girl. Happy birthday, sweetheart." Nick said, and he stood up to give Ruby a hug and a kiss. He glanced down at Ruby's outfit – she was wearing a white lacy top with red frills and a very short red mini-skirt. "What in god's name are you wearing?"

"It's a mini-skirt. Isn't it cute?" Ruby asked. "Mom bought it in Paris, she sent it for my birthday."

"Yes, I'm sure she specifically told you to wear it today, didn't she? She was probably hoping it would induce a stroke in me."

"Daddy, it's not that bad, it's just a mini-skirt." Ruby said.

"I'm not even sure it qualifies as an article of clothing." Nick said. "I take it your gift was delivered this morning."

"Yes, it was– thank you so much, Daddy, I really needed a new phone. It's perfect." Ruby said.

"Yes, I'm sure you will put it to good use. I expanded your texting package, please don't go over it or you'll be working at the shop on weekends to pay me back. I realize that you have a new boyfriend and I'm sure he's as spectacular as all of the others have been but if he can't be bothered to actually talk to you then he can pay the bill." Nick said.

"I thought you said he was going to be nice." Ruby said, looking at Bae.

"Oh, trust me, he'll be on his best behavior. Dad brought a date with him, he's not going to want to kill your boyfriend in front of her, it won't make a very good impression." Bae said.

"You brought a date? HERE? Where is she?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"In the kitchen – she had to take a call." Nick said.

"Where did you meet her? Does she take one of your classes at the shop?" Ruby asked.

"I met her at the shop but – no she doesn't take a class from me. I think you'll like her." Nick said. Just as he said that, Mary Margaret came out of the kitchen talking to one another. Both are carrying plates that they set down on the table where the food is laid out.

"Belle – I'd like you to meet my daughter." Nick said, as he walked over to Belle and led her to Ruby. "Ruby, this is -"

"Belle French. Oh my god, you're Belle French. You're – you're actually Belle French!" she squealed, almost falling backward in shock. Bae remained behind her to catch her.

"Very nice to meet you Ruby. Nick, where did I set my purse down?" Belle asked.

"Right here." Nick said, retrieving her purse from the chair. Belle searched through her purse and took out a small, wrapped box.

"Happy birthday, Ruby. I hope you like it." Belle said, handing her the box.

"Oh my god, you got me a present. Belle French got ME a birthday present!" Ruby practically jumped forward and wrapped her arms around Belle tightly. "Oh my god. I can't believe this." Ruby said, letting Belle go but shaking with excitement. "Thank you so much. I'm your biggest fan, I swear. I've seen every one of your movies, like 20 times. Oh my god, November Rain is my absolute favorite, I still cry every time I watch it."

"Yes – so do I." Belle said, glancing back at Nick knowingly, and he chuckled a bit. "Do you have a bathroom I can use?" Belle asked.

"I'll show you – come on!" Ruby said, grabbing Belle's hand and leading her down the hall.

"Well you just made her day. You probably didn't have to even get her the phone, this would have been enough." Bae commented. The doorbell rang, and Mary Margaret went to answer it.

"Graham – hi, come on in." Mary Margaret said. Graham was holding a bouquet of red roses.

"Hi – where's Ruby?" Graham asked.

"She'll be right out." Bae said. Nick walked over to Graham, eying him up and down. "Dad – this is Graham Humbert. Graham, this is my dad."

"Mr. Gold – very nice to meet you. Ruby has told me quite a bit about you." Graham said, extending his hand to Nick. Nick shook his hand politely.

"What part of Ireland are you from?" Nick asked.

"Northern." Graham replied.

"Figures." Nick replied.

"Dad." Bae said, glaring at him.

"I didn't say anything." Nick replied, just as Ruby came back into the room.

"Oh my god – I actually followed her into the bathroom. I wouldn't stop talking to her, she had to ask me to leave." Ruby said, an excited squeal in her voice.

"Hey Ruby – happy birthday." Graham said, approaching Ruby. He handed her the flowers and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah thanks." Ruby said, setting the flowers on the end table. "Daddy, how the heck did you manage to meet Belle French?" she asked, ignoring Graham.

"He kidnapped her – dragged her here against her will, she's probably in the bathroom calling for help right now." Emma interjected. Nick turned and glared at her. "What? That makes about as much sense as any other explanation."

"Belle French? THE Belle French? She's here?" Graham asked.

"Yeah – she's dating my dad!" Ruby said excitedly.

"We're not dating, she's just – here. With me." Nick said.

"Oh – Graham, I'm sorry. Graham, this is my dad." Ruby said, finally acknowledging Graham and putting her arm around him.

"Yes – we've met." Nick said dryly. Be nice, Ruby mouthed to him. Belle came back into the room.

"Belle French. It – it really is her." Graham said, staring at her.

"I told you! Belle, this is my boyfriend Graham." Ruby said excitedly.

"Hi – really nice to meet you. Huge fan. Listen, my kid sister back in Ireland is just crazy about all of your movies, she's fifteen, has seen every one of them more times than I can count. You think I can get a picture, she'll flip." Graham said to Belle.

"Alright, that's enough – Belle is here to have a nice, quiet evening, not to get fawned over by a bunch of groupies, if she wanted that she'd be out in the middle of Times Square." Nick stated, interrupting them.

"It's – it's alright Nick, really. I'll be glad to take a photo with you." Belle told Graham. He took out his phone and handed it to Ruby, then he posed with Belle. Ruby took the picture, and Graham proceeded to start composing a text message on his phone. "Tell your sister I said hello." Belle said. The doorbell rang at that moment.

"That's David, I'll get it." Mary Margaret said, and she went to the door and opened it.

"Hi – sorry I'm late." David said, giving Mary Margaret a kiss. "Hey – happy birthday, Ruby." David said, handing Ruby a package.

"Thanks." Ruby said. "David, this is Belle – she came with my dad." Ruby beamed excitedly as she introduced him.

"Hi. David Nolan, nice to meet you." David said, shaking her hand, seemingly oblivious to who she is.

"David is my fiancee and he's also Emma's brother." Mary Margaret told her.

"Yes, Emma is the resident matchmaker amongst this group apparently." Nick quipped. Emma made a face at him.

"Well, the food is ready so – everyone just help themselves." Mary Margaret said. "Ruby, it's your birthday, you go first." Everyone makes their way to the food table except for Emma. David noticed and sat down next to her.

"You okay sis? You're usually pushing everyone else out of the way to get to the food." David commented.

"I'm fine. Bae's bringing me a plate." Emma said. Belle sat down next to David, and he glanced at her plate, which contained an array of fruit and vegetables.

"That's all you're eating?" David asked.

"Yeah, I'm kind of on a diet." Belle said.

"Why?" David asked, looking her up and down. Emma elbowed him in the chest.

"Excuse my brother – he's an idiot." Emma said.

"It's fine." Belle said, laughing a bit.

"So, uh – how'd you meet Nick?" David asked.

"Oh, we uh – kind of ran into each other this week when I was doing some shopping and sightseeing." Belle said.

"Oh, so you're in town visiting." David said.

"Something like that. I'm mostly here for work." Belle replied.

"Oh, what do you do?" David asked. Emma's eyes widened at the conversation.

"I'm an actress." Belle replied.

"Cool. You do theatre then? I have a couple friends that are trying to break into the Broadway scene, it's pretty brutal." David said.

"Yes, it can be. I haven't really done much stage work though – I'm mainly in film." Belle said.

"Wow, that's great. That can be a pretty tough living too though – I know some folks that barely make a few thousand a year, they have to work about five other jobs just to scrape by. How much did you make in your last picture?" David asked. Emma tries to stifle her laughter as she continued to listen.

"Ten million dollars." Belle replied.

"Oh. Well that's – wow." David said. Emma finally reached over and whispered in his ear. David's eyes widened and his face turned beet red. "Oh my god – Belle French – oh, I'm really sorry, I can't believe I didn't – why didn't you say something sooner?" David said, turning to look at Emma.

"Because this was more fun." Emma replied.

"It's alright David – I didn't know who she was, either." Nick said, sitting down in a chair across from them.

"Yeah, but you have an excuse – you're old." Emma replied. Bae sat down on the arm of the sofa next to Emma and handed her a plate.

"Here – you need to eat something." Bae said, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Emma, you sure you're okay?" David asked.

"She's fine. She's just been a little sick this week. Upset stomach. She went to the doctor, she's alright." Bae said.

"I'm a big girl Bae, I can answer for myself. I'm fine." Emma said. David got up and fixed himself a plate, and then sat down in the living room with the rest of the group.

"So – Graham – what exactly are your intentions with my daughter?" Nick blurted out.

"Daddy – please don't do this." Ruby said.

"It's fine." Graham replied. "I – I really like Ruby. She's sweet and smart and – we have fun." Nick raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean – not that kind of fun just – look, Mr. Gold, we've only been dating two months, but I care about her very much and I respect her. And whatever happens beyond that remains to be seen. I'm almost done with school, I have a good job, and I'm not some creep looking for a quick lay. Emma has known me for six years she can vouch for me."

"Yup, I don't think he's gotten laid once in the six years I've known him." Emma remarked. Mary Margaret and Ruby giggled a bit, and Graham glared at Emma.

"Well, I suppose if Emma thinks well of you then it's only fair that I give you a chance. For now." Nick stated. "You just be nice to my daughter."

"I will." Graham replied.

"So Belle – what have you got coming out next? I haven't seen Forever and a Day yet but I hear it's really good." Ruby said.

"It's alright – not anything Oscar-worthy, but – it's not horrible." Belle replied. "I actually don't have anything officially lined up yet. My agent has several scripts for me to look over. I'd really like to do an indie film, but – they're sometimes harder to get into than big budget films once your name is out there in a specific genre. It's especially difficult when you started as a model transitioning into acting – nobody seems to want to take you seriously once you've gone down that road. If you take too many roles in a year, you get labeled as one-note, and if you're too picky you get called difficult to work with. Trust me – the acting world isn't as glamorous as it appears."

"Why do you do it, then? If it's so difficult, why don't you do something else?" Bae asked.

"I guess I just – don't think I can do anything else. Don't get me wrong, I do love it. I love the fans, I love the work when it's good. I don't love the paparazzi following me everywhere I go, and I don't love the gossip and the backstabbing that goes along with the territory. You just have to get used to it though. Find a way to try and do normal things as often as possible. Like going to birthday parties." Belle said.

"Well, I'm really glad you're here. It was really nice of you to come." Ruby told her.

"It's been my pleasure." Belle said. The group continued in conversation for a little over an hour. Nick remained fairly quiet the entire evening, observing the ease at which Belle seemed to be with his kids and their peers. It was probably because she was closer to their age than he was. He always felt like the odd man out within the group. Bae and Ruby insisted that he spend time with them though, so he complied. They worried about him a lot. He didn't really have many friends – all of his friends from his old life weren't people he wanted to associate with any longer, and many of the rest took Milah's side in the divorce so his kids and his shop were pretty much his entire world.

"We should probably be going." Nick said, interrupting the conversation.

"Oh, do you have to?" Ruby asked.

"Belle has to leave tomorrow so – yeah, she probably wants to get back to her hotel." Nick said.

"Well, will we see you again?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know. Maybe." Belle replied.

"Just don't tell her what your father's nickname is, because that'll send her running off for sure." Emma interjected.

"You have a nickname? What is it?" Belle asked.

"We should go." Nick said, clearly wanting to avoid the subject.

"No, I want to know now. I can't be that bad." Belle said.

"Oh, it's hilarious." Emma said.

"It's Rumpelstiltskin." Ruby said, laughing.

"Rumpelstiltskin, are you serious?" Belle asked, laughing as well.

"It's the spinning wheel thing. When I opened my shop my daughter made a joke about it, Bae thought it was quite amusing, and it just kind of took off from there." Nick said. "And no, I do not spin straw into gold, nor do I buy and sell children, I've heard all of the jokes, they're not funny."

"They're pretty funny." Emma said.

"And she's the worst offender of all." Nick said, glaring at Emma.

"Well, it really was nice meeting all of you. Thank you for a lovely evening." Belle said. She said individual goodbyes to each of them, and then she and Nick left the apartment. As soon as the door closed behind them, they heard the entire group scream and squeal.

"They do that every time I leave. Very annoying." Nick joked. "Would you like to go for a walk in Washington Square?"

"That'd be nice, yes." Belle said. They headed out of the building and into Washington Square together. "So – Rumpelstiltskin, huh?"

"Oh, please don't. Anything but that." Nick said.

"I could call you Rumple for short, is that better?" Belle asked.

"That's not as bad, but – I do prefer Nick." he said.

"Your kids are very nice. So are their friends. I had a good time." Belle said, as they continued to walk in the park together. After several minutes, Belle noticed that his limp was becoming more pronounced. "Come on – let's sit for a bit." she said, leading him to a bench. "What happened to your leg?" Belle asked.

"I, uh – I had an accident almost seven years ago. I've had a few surgeries and I've been through rehab several times but – they've pretty much done all they can do. I'm used to it – it really hasn't held me back all that much in most things." Nick said.

"Is that the thing that happened seven years ago?" Belle asked.

"That's part of it." Nick said. Belle turned to face him – she reached out and touched his cheek, then moved in to kiss him. This time he kissed her back, gently at first, then becoming a bit more intense, their tongues intertwining with one another. "Would you – would you like to come over to my place?" he asked nervously.

"Too complicated. Sorry." Belle said.

"No, it's alright. I understand." Nick said.

"Do you have any plans tomorrow evening?" Belle asked.

"I thought you were leaving tomorrow morning." Nick said.

"I was." Belle said, smiling at him. From that moment this was no longer surreal to Nick – it was very real. And it was wonderful. She was wonderful. He didn't know how much longer she was staying – a day, a week, a month – it didn't matter. All that mattered was being with her, and savoring each moment for as long as he could.