This one is a transitional chapter but I enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it. BTW - the Carlyle Hotel IS a real hotel in NYC. I use it in this fic because the name was too perfect NOT to use!

I do not own "Once Upon a Time."

Chapter 8

"Hi – where's Daddy?" Ruby asked Bae as she entered Bae and Nick's apartment.

"Emma and I just got here, I assume he's still in bed, he was probably out late with Belle." Bae said.

"Oh, I doubt it." Ruby said, making a face. She took out her phone and showed something to Bae.

"Oh, shit." Bae said, as he and Ruby entered the living room together; Emma was waiting on the sofa.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked. Bae handed her the phone. "Oh, geez. Does he know?" Emma asked.

"I don't know." Bae said, and he headed for Nick's bedroom. Ruby followed him. "Dad?" he called out, knocking on the door, but there was no answer. He tried the doorknob but it was locked. "Dad if you don't open the door I'm going to have Emma shoot the lock off and that'll probably piss off our neighbors so you'd better let me in." Bae heard some noise coming from inside the room, and then he heard the doorknob turn and the door opened a crack. Bae stepped inside as Nick headed back toward his bed wearing the same t-shirt and sweats that Belle had worn just a couple of days earlier. He sat down, and Bae sat down next to him. "Dad, are you okay?"

"Fine. Just not feeling very well today, I don't think I'll be joining you for lunch." Nick said. Ruby hesitantly came inside and sat down on the other side of Nick.

"Is this about Belle? Daddy, I'm really sorry." Ruby said, giving him a hug.

"How do you know anything?" Nick asked incredulously.

"TMZ." Ruby said, grabbing the phone from Bae. She showed it to Nick, and he began to read the article.

Actress Belle French and her boyfriend, box office hunk Tyler Gaston, were seen leaving the Carlyle Hotel in New York City together at about 8 a.m. this morning, presumably after an evening of reconciliation. The tumultuous couple had been apart for nearly two months, and friends speculated that they had called it quits for good this time, although no official word was given by either of their publicists. Miss French, one of the most likeable and publicity-friendly stars in Hollywood, had abruptly canceled her entire month's schedule in Los Angeles and has been uncharacteristically avoiding the press and public scrutiny after her press junket tour for the film "Forever and a Day," leading many to wonder about her personal well-being. Sources say that she was spotted several times in various parts of New York in the company of an unknown elderly gentleman.

"Elderly!? I may not be as young as I once was but I'm not quite ready for the retirement home just yet." Gold complained.

"Daddy, I've told you, the cane combined with the gray hair makes you look a lot older than you really are, especially from a distance. You should just let me color it like I've wanted to, lots of guys color their hair when they start to gray." Ruby said.

"After spending a year in rehab re-learning to walk and two and a half years of sharing custody of you with your mother during the final years of your teens, I've earned every damned gray hair on my head and I intend to keep them." Nick replied, then turned his attention back to the article.

The couple darted into a taxi, which sped off quickly. TMZ will update you on any further developments regarding one of Hollywood's favorite pairings.

Nick looked carefully at the photo which accompanied the article. Belle wasn't smiling and the light that he always saw in her eyes was missing. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. "Did you know about this? About Belle and this Gaston fellow?" Nick asked, handing the phone back to Ruby.

"Well, they – kinda have been on-again, off-again for over a year. I just assumed they were off." Ruby said.

"I take it this isn't news to you then, huh?" Bae asked.

"No." Nick whispered.

"Ruby – I want to talk to dad, can you go out in the living room with Emma please?" Bae asked.

"Daddy, come to lunch with us, please? Graham is meeting us and you haven't even gotten to know him really. And Mary Margaret and David are coming, you like them." Ruby begged.

"I'll think about it." Nick said. Ruby gave him a kiss on the cheek and left the room.

"Okay, what happened?" Bae asked.

"We had a lovely evening last night. We got to her hotel and – she asked me to come up to her room. I said yes. She told me to wait a few moments, but when I got there – he was in her room. That Tyler Gaston prat."

"She never mentioned him before?" Bae asked.

"No. Not a word." Nick said. He flopped backward on the bed and ran his hands across his face, grunting a bit. "Bae I feel like such a fool. You tried to warn me but – I didn't listen." Nick sat back up and leaned against the headboard of the bed. "She was such a nice girl. I really thought she liked me. What an idiot. How could anyone ever love me?"

"Dad I'm sure she did like you. But like I said – she's from a totally different world. Jesus, she invited you up to her hotel room, NO woman does that if they're not interested, not even famous ones." Bae said.

"She didn't know he was there. She said they had a fight and she thought it was over. She wanted me to come back after she got rid of him, but then she started talking about publicists and how to "handle" me being in her life and other bullshit that I didn't even understand. I thought it was just for the best to walk away. I think I understand what she meant by things getting complicated. Anytime we were out she was always looking over her shoulder, the poor girl has spent nearly half of her life living under a microscope."

"See – it wasn't you. Dad, if she were a normal girl things would probably be different." Bae said.

"She is a normal girl. Grew up poor, just like I did. She just doesn't get to be that girl anymore, she doesn't even get to use her own name. People treat her like she's a piece of meat, they judge her without knowing anything about her – even that little article from today, they don't know a damn thing about what was happening there. She looked scared, upset, and not at all happy to be there, I know what she looks like when she's happy, and that isn't it." Nick said. "I just think she's so deep into the whole Hollywood business she doesn't know how to live a normal life, and I get that. I had to learn how to live one after 20 years of insanity and it's not easy."

"You also weren't under public scrutiny like she is. Every other move she makes is recorded and photographed." Bae said. "That can't be easy to escape from. Dad, I know how much you like her and everything but – maybe this is for the best."

"So this is what it feels like to have your heart broken, is it? It's lousy." Nick said. "Maybe if we had met sooner."

"Yeah, when she was 19 and you were a 39-year old married man and borderline corporate criminal – that would have gone over well." Bae said sarcastically. "By the way – why are you wearing that? You haven't worn those clothes since your last stint in rehab, I assumed you threw them in the trash as much as you complained about them."

"Never got around to it. And um -" Nick looked down sheepishly. "I – Belle was here the other day, when it was raining, we got drenched and she needed something to wear while her clothes were drying so -"

"Oh, dad." Bae said, shaking his head.

"I know – I'm acting like teenager in love, it's ridiculous. I don't know if I'll ever get over her, Bae. I really thought – I could have seen myself marrying that girl someday."

"Okay – you're getting up, taking a shower, getting dressed in clothes that you'll actually wear in public and you're going to lunch with us. I know this won't be easy but – you need to start letting go, the sooner the better. Okay?" Bae said. Nick sighed.

"I suppose you're right." he replied. "Thank you, Bae." Nick got up out of bed and Bae went into the living room.

"Is Daddy okay?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah – he'll be fine. He's coming with us, he'll be ready in a bit." Bae said. "Emma, don't give him a hard time about this please – he really fell hard for this girl. I think he really was in love with her."

"I won't say a word, I promise." Emma said.

"Well I'm never watching any of her movies ever again." Ruby said.

"As far as I'm concerned, I hope I never hear the name Belle French again." Bae said.

Two weeks later . . . . . .

"Hi, Mr. Gold! We're having a tea party, you want to join us?" Grace asked – she and Jefferson were sitting in the back room of the shop at the table, the tea set in the center of the table. Jefferson was wearing a large black hat.

"Well, I'd love to." Nick said, taking a seat with them. He looked over at Jefferson. "Who are you supposed to be, the Mad Hatter?"

"At your service." Jefferson said, taking off his head and bowing. Grace giggled. Grace was Jefferson's daughter, she was about ten years old. Jefferson Matthews came from an affluent family and was in the same degree program as Bae at NYU, and had obtained his business degree. He married his high school sweetheart, Alice, when they were twenty years old. Alice died in a car accident when Grace was just five – he had a difficult time coping with her death and was unable to hold down a job due to his grief. Alice's parents fought for custody of Grace and won, giving Jefferson limited visitation, which devastated him further. Bae convinced Nick to hire Jefferson as an assistant several years prior – Jefferson said he didn't want to return to the business world and didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, he just wanted his daughter back. Bae felt that if Jefferson worked for Nick it might show Grace's grandparents that Jefferson was trying to rebuild his life. Jefferson enjoyed working at the shop, and as time passed he was permitted to spend more and more time with Grace. Nick felt badly for the man – he knew what it was like to have your life turned upside-down. He wasn't the best employee in the world and he couldn't write down a message or run a simple errand correctly if his life depended on it, but he had a good rapport with the customers. And he loved his daughter. Even if he was a bit off, the man was a far better father to that little girl than Nick had ever been to his children, and Nick secretly envied that of him.

"It suits you. Frighteningly so." Nick said to Jefferson.

"How come your famous girlfriend hasn't been here lately? She was nice." Jefferson said.

"Yes, well – that, I'm afraid, is over." Nick said, reaching for a cup. He noticed the chipped cup sitting among the rest of the tea set, and chose that one.

"Don't take that one, it's broken!" Grace insisted.

"It's fine. It's just chipped, that's all." Nick said.

"Did you drop it?" Grace asked.

"No, I – I didn't." Nick said. "So how long are you staying with your dad?"

"A week. Grandma and grandpa are on vacation." Grace said.

"Jefferson, if you'd like a few days off, that would be fine." Nick said.

"No, it's okay – we like coming here, don't we Grace?" Jefferson said.

"Yeah, it's fun here! Mr. Gold, will you show me more about spinning?" Grace asked.

"Well, I would love to do that dear. Why don't you go pick out a pattern and we'll work on it, how does that sound?"

"Yay!" Grace said excitedly, and she darted into the main area of the shop.

"You're an idiot." Jefferson said.

"I beg your pardon." Nick said.

"I may be a bit crazy but I'm not stupid. That girl looked at you the same way that Alice looked at me. And you let her go." Jefferson shook his head as he began to clean up the tea set. "Idiot." he muttered under his breath. Nick glanced down at the chipped cup he was holding. Jefferson's words stayed with him the entire day. They continued to echo in his mind as he was locking up the shop for the day. Nick went into the back room before he was ready to leave – he picked up the chipped teacup and took it home with him.

Two months later . . . . Nick is with Emma and her and Bae's new apartment looking through some booklets.

Emma slammed the book down in frustration. "Why does this have to be so freaking complicated to decorate a baby's room? You just pick a pattern, I'm tired of looking at them."

"It's not my child, nor is it my home. Which ones did Bae say he liked?" Nick asked.

"He said whatever I like – your son is so damned indecisive on everything I could strangle him." Emma said angrily.

"Well he gets that from his mother." Nick said. Emma glared at him. "What? I am perfectly clear on what I want in my life, you can hardly blame my genetics for that trait of his."

"No, I blame your crappy parenting and all the shit you put him through that made him afraid to commit. You know, it takes him fifteen minutes at least to decide what to eat whenever we go to a new restaurant. He's like that with everything. We looked at thirty-five apartments before we settled on this one – I counted. This was the fourth one we saw, I knew it was perfect right away, but could he commit to it? NO!" Emma leaned back and sighed.

"This isn't about an apartment or dinner or wallpaper patterns, is it?" Nick asked.

"I'm having his kid. We've been together almost four and a half years. He's the one who chased after me, you know, I was perfectly happy being single." Emma said.

"Oh please – you were not. Nobody's happy being single." Nick said. "I've talked to him – and I do realize that my parenting, or lack thereof, along with the horrible relationship example that Milah and I set for him have contributed to him being this way. He'll come around, Emma. He's moving in with you, that's quite a step, right?"

"He's worried about you living alone." Emma said.

"Yes, I know – he's been trying to talk Ruby into moving in with me since Mary Margaret is getting married soon. God forbid – I lived with that girl for a year and a half total and it was almost the death of me – loud music, friends in and out at all hours making a mess, me chasing boys out of her bedroom with my cane, and I don't care how old she is now, if she thinks that she'd be living with me and having that Irish twat spending the night I can tell you right now that won't be happening. I love my daughter but I think I'd have to kill her if we lived under the same roof again."

"Okay, yeah, that's probably not a good idea." Emma said.

"When is Bae getting back?" Nick asked.

"Couple days. He said this will be the last out of town business trip for awhile, but – you know how that goes."

"Don't worry, he's nothing like me in that area. He's just trying to make a bit of extra money while he still can. He won't be wanting to take too many business trips once the baby is here, and I can't see Bae sitting in an office eighteen hours a day like I did, he's not the type." Nick said. "Speaking of work – how are you adjusting?"

"To what? Sitting behind a desk pushing papers? Oh I love it, it's my dream job." Emma said sarcastically, making a face. "It's what I was born to do."

"It's not forever." Nick said.

"Do you know what it's gonna take for me to get back into the physical condition I was before this?" Emma asked. "It'll be at least a year before they'll let me out on a decent case, I mean look at me. I'm barely five months along and I'm huge."

"Again – my ex-wife's genetics, both of my children take after her, neither of them were very small and lord knows she bitched about her figure enough when she was pregnant, as if it were my fault that she used the pregnancy as an excuse to eat everything in sight." Nick said.

"I do not eat everything in sight." Emma said.

"Never said you did – just that – well you're not exactly a petite girl and neither is Milah and Bae takes after her more than me so – you're quite possibly carrying a nine-pounder in there." Nick said.

"Thanks." Emma said, making a face at him. "You know you don't have to come over here every night."

"Bae wanted me to keep an eye on you. Is my company that offensive?" Nick asked.

"No, just – well, you have a life, don't you?" Emma asked.

"Not really, no. I think Bae wanted me to come over here more for me than you, to be honest." Nick said.

"You're not over the whole Belle thing yet, huh?" Emma asked.

"I don't think I ever will be." Nick said.

"Yeah you will. There's probably some woman out there who's just as annoying as you are waiting to meet you. I'll be right back." Emma said, and she got up and went down the hall. Nick picked up the remote control and started flipping channels on the television. He came across one of Belle's movies, and stopped to watch it, sighing sadly. He watched for several minutes before turning off the TV.

"Oh, Belle." he said to himself.

"Nick!" he heard Emma scream in a panicked voice from the other room. Nick grabbed his cane and made his way down the hallway. He found Emma sitting on the edge of her bed, crying.

"Emma? What's wrong?" Nick asked. Emma looked up at him.

"I'm bleeding." Emma said. "A lot." Nick sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

"You think you can make it downstairs?" he asked. Emma nodded. "Come on – let's go get a cab and take you to the hospital. It'll be alright." Nick said calmly.

Emma sat upright in the bed in the emergency room, an IV and fetal monitor hooked up to her. Nick entered the room, putting his phone back in his pocket. "David and Mary Margaret are on their way – they said it'll be about thirty minutes before they get here, they're on the other side of town. I talked to Bae – he's getting the next train here, he'll be here as soon as he can." Nick said, sitting down in the chair next to her bed. "The doctors say anything yet?"

"No. The bleeding stopped but they have to do an ultrasound, as soon as one is available." Emma said. Nick took her hand.

"It'll be alright. That kid is a Gold – he or she is tough, don't worry." Nick said. Emma fought back tears.

"I want my baby." Emma said, trying not to cry. "I know I don't always seem like the most maternal person in the world, but I want my baby." Emma began to cry.

"Hey – I know sweetheart. You're going to be a good mum – the kid will be scared to death of you half the time, but you'll mean well." Nick said. Emma sniffled a bit and tried to smile. Nick grabbed some Kleenex from the stand in the room and wiped her tears away. "Why don't we turn on the telly? It might be a good distraction." Nick suggested, picking up the remote that was on the table and turning on the television in the room. A Hollywood gossip show popped onto the screen.

Belle French has been seen around town lately with former flame and co-star Philip Prince. The popular actress recently ended her turbulent relationship with Tyler Gaston and appears to be seeking consolation with Prince, whom she dated for three years. She starred in two movies alongside Prince, and she also played the lead role in an independent film that Prince directed and co-wrote. The couple has been spotted in Santa Monica and at various places in Hollywood looking cozy as ever. Is this old flame being rekindled or is this just a rebound fling? Belle French is slated to portray the lead role in August Booth's newest venture, which begins filming in Ireland next month.

"Who the fuck is Philip Prince?" Nick asked.

"Actor. He's pretty popular, she's done two movies with him. They were a pretty big item for awhile, it was all over the magazines. Fan girls everywhere cried when that pairing ended, it was ridiculous, they were THE pairing for awhile, only Brangelina could rival them." Emma said. She grabbed the remote from Nick and turned off the TV. "You know what? Screw her. You're too good for her anyway, she obviously changes boyfriends the way most people change socks."

"No – no, she's not like that." Nick said. "Something's not right about this."

"Nick – you dated her for three weeks, you didn't get to find out enough about her. All of these actresses are shallow and borderline psychotic." Emma said.

"I thought you were a fan." Nick said.

"Of her work – I don't really care too much for her as a person after the way she screwed you over. She doesn't get to show up in your life and treat you like crap. That's MY job." Emma teased, and Nick smiled at her.

"And you do it so well." he said, just as a nurse and doctor entered the room, the nurse pushing an ultrasound machine.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Whale – let's see what's going on with the baby, are you ready?" the man said. He turned to Nick. "Are you the father?" Emma stifled a laugh.

"Please. I'd shoot myself. He's the grandfather." Emma said.

"My son is the father – he's out of town, so I'm here instead." Nick said.

"Do you want him to stay with you?" Dr. Whale asked Emma. Emma looked up at Nick and nodded, and Nick took her hand and squeezed it. Both Emma and Nick watched nervously as the ultrasound began. "Everything looks good so far. Do you want to hear the heartbeat?"

"Yeah." Nick said. Dr. Whale handed the earpiece of the fetal Doppler to Nick, and he listened intently. "Amazing." Nick said, smiling, and he handed the earpiece to Emma, who listened and breathed a sigh of relief. Nick and Emma looked up at the monitor as the doctor continued.

"Do you want to know if it's a boy or a girl?" Dr. Whale asked.

"No." Emma said, at the same time that Nick said "Yes."

"I think Bae should be here for that." Emma said. "You can tell us when he gets here. Is the baby okay?"

"Your baby is fine. YOU, on the other hand, have a mild case of placenta previa. It might be a good idea to admit you for a couple of days, just to make sure everything is okay."

"What is that?" Emma asked worriedly.

"The placenta is lying a bit low, that's what was causing the bleeding. The good news is, with bed rest and monitoring it usually resolves itself, but you really need to keep an eye on it and follow doctor's orders. The bad news is you're probably going to have a c-section delivery – normally with the complication the cervix is blocked and we won't be able to deliver normally." Dr. Whale said. "I'll get all of this to your OB and she'll take over from there. Don't worry, your baby is fine. Developing normally, heartbeat is strong – pretty good sized kid for almost five months, bet he'll be at least an eight pounder by the time you deliver, if not bigger."

"He?" Emma asked.

"Did I say he? Sorry, I meant -" Dr. Whale began.

"It's a boy? I'm having a boy?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. It's a boy. Sorry, didn't mean for that to slip out." Dr. Whale said.

"It's okay. We wanted to know anyway, we were gonna find out at our next appointment." Emma said.

"I'll have them get a room ready for you. You try and relax – everything is fine." Dr. Whale said, and he left the room.

"I'm having a boy. You're gonna have a grandson." Emma said, smiling at Nick.

"So are you gonna name him after me?" Nick asked, and Emma laughed.

"Sorry, we already have names picked – at least I got your son to commit to that much. His name is Henry. Henry Gold." Emma said, rubbing her belly.

"May I?" Nick asked, and Emma nodded. Nick put his hand on Emma's belly. "Well, hello there Henry Gold. I'm your grandpa Nick, and I can't wait to meet you. And don't you listen to anything your mother says about me, she's a big liar." Emma laughed. Nick gave her a hug, and for just that moment he was able to forget about Belle French.

"Well, I think that's everything. Dad, you sure you're going to be okay living here on your own?" Bae asked, as he closed up a moving box.

"It's not like you're moving to another planet, you're what, a ten minute cab ride away? I'll be fine. Plus with your room empty I can finally get all of my spinning equipment out of the living room and actually have a home workroom." Nick said. "Besides you and Ruby are in and out of here all the time anyway to check up on me. You know, it's been seven years, I think I'm managing alright."

"Dad I know Regina's been after you to go back and we were afraid that after the whole Belle fiasco that -"

"That I'd what? Go back to being the bastard I used to be?" Nick asked.

"We thought you'd be tempted."

"Well I'm not. I'm fine. Now go be with Emma – she needs you more than I do right now." Nick said.

"Dad, I can't thank you enough for taking care of her the other day. If anything had happened to her I -"

"You tell her that, I'm not the one who needs to hear it. Far be it for me to give advice on love, I've only really been in love once and you know what happened there, but – I'll tell you this, Bae. If I ever do get another chance at love, as unlikely as that is – I'm not letting it go this time. I can't tell you what to do with your life Bae, but that girl loves you. If you don't marry her, you're a fool."

"I know." Bae said. Both of their phones received a text alert at the same time. Bae picked up his phone and looked at it first. "Oh geez, Ruby – I wish she'd stop reading this crap." Bae said, a disgusted tone in his voice.

"What is she sending out this time?" Nick asked, reaching for his phone.

"No, Dad don't – it's not worth it." Bae said, trying to stop Nick from looking.

"Not worth what?" Nick said, grabbing his phone away from Nick to look at Ruby's text. He clicked on the link that she sent, and Bae sighed. "What the bloody hell?" Nick said.

Belle French exposed! An unnamed source has provided Celebrity Gawker with nude photos of Belle French. The popular actress, known for her likeable personality and clean cut image, is set to begin filming a new, untitled movie with Oscar-winning director and writer August Booth in three weeks. These photos appear to have been taken early in the actresses' career, possibly during her tenure on the hit television show "River's Road."

"Dad, don't look at them." Bae said.

"I'm not looking at the pictures, good god Bae, what do you think I am?" Nick asked. "This has to be a mistake. There has to be a logical explanation for this."

"I'll give you the explanation, Dad. Belle French is not this ideal fantasy you have worked up in your head, and you should be lucky that it ended when it did. I'm gonna go – we're still on for lunch on Friday, right?"

"Yeah. Friday, right." Nick said. Bae picked up the box and left. Nick went back to looking at the link Ruby sent him, utterly baffled by it. The Belle he knew would never do something like this. About five minutes after Bae left, there was a knock on his door. "I thought you were keeping a spare key -" he began, assuming that Bae had forgotten something, and was stunned when he saw who was standing on the other side of the door.

"Belle." he said, looking her up and down. She was wearing a leather jacket, a scarf, and sunglasses.

"Can I come in? Please?" Belle asked, her voice trembling. "I didn't know where else to go."