Next few chapters will be a bit lengthy.
I do not own "Once Upon a Time."
Chapter 17
Bae stormed angrily into Nick's apartment on a weekday morning; in the two weeks that had passed, Nick and Bae had spoken very little to one another. "What the hell is this?" Bae asked, and he slammed a newspaper down on the kitchen table in front of Nick. Nick glanced at the headline in the business section.
Spencer Industries Buys out Regal Enterprises – Hundreds of Layoffs Expected.
"I got you that information on Regina because I thought you were going to use it to turn her in to the SEC and let them handle things. I thought your days of this kind of bullshit were behind you. I know the kind of crap you and Spencer used to pull; you helped him with this, didn't you?" Bae asked.
"I don't work with Albert Spencer any longer; I haven't ever since he dropped Regal over a decade ago. Which has been struggling for some time now, in fact." Nick said.
"Well, it's not anymore. So here's my question – how did Spencer obtain just the right data to bring Regina down? Because it wasn't exactly easy for ME to get it, and the only reason I did was because I trusted that you would handle things in a more – ethical manner. I should have known better."
"Why didn't you just do it yourself Bae if you distrusted me so damned much?" Nick asked.
"I don't give a shit what Regina does." Bae said.
"She used Belle. For YEARS. And then she deliberately tried to use her again to lure me back. I will not have Belle be used as a pawn in that sociopathic harpy's game." Nick said.
"So you're in on this with Spencer then? Why am I not surprised? You'll never change." Bae said.
"I'm in on nothing. I just may have – given Albert Spencer some information that I thought would interest him. What he DID with that information – well, that was up to him." Nick said.
"You know damned well how ruthless Spencer can be when he's plotting a takeover. People are going to lose their jobs over this, dad. GOOD people. Do you even give a shit about that?" Bae asked. "Or is that just collateral damage in your personal vendetta against Regina?" Bae stomped out of the kitchen, passing Belle in the hallway but not saying a word to her as he stormed out the door. Unknown to Nick, Belle had been outside the kitchen listening to every word.
"You lied to me." Belle said.
"Belle – I thought you were still in bed." Nick said. Belle entered the kitchen and picked up the newspaper that Bae had left on the table.
"You said you weren't going to go after Regina. You promised me." Belle said.
"Belle – I didn't go after her. Albert Spencer did." Nick said.
"Do you always do this? Toy with words that way? Who is this Spencer person?" Belle asked. Nick sighed and he sat down at the table. Belle sat down with him.
"Albert Spencer is a Wall Street mogul known for raiding struggling companies and making them profitable again by whatever means necessary. I used to consult for Spencer quite a bit – he and Regina had a falling out of sorts about a decade ago. Not really sure of all the details, but I think they were having an affair and things went bad. Very bad. Spencer tried to lure me to his company but Regina tripled his offer so I stayed with her. I would have preferred to work with him on a personal level, but – well, I did mention before that at the time money was my top priority. Spencer's always had it out for Regina but could never quite figure out how to take her down. I just simply – provided him with some information. Free of charge, of course." Nick said.
"And what Bae said is true? People will lose their jobs over this?" Belle asked.
"Unfortunately, that might occur, yes. Regina had many corporate holdings and Spencer has never been known for his compassion toward others." Nick said. Belle was quiet. "Belle – I'm really sorry. If I had turned Regina over to the SEC, at best she would have been slapped with a fine and a warning. She would have kept after me – and you. The only way to stop her – really stop her – was to shut her down."
"At what price?" Belle asked. "I don't want innocent people to lose their jobs. Is there any way I can maybe talk to this Spencer person, reason with him, get him to be – I don't know – nicer about the whole thing?"
"Sweetheart, the words 'nice' and 'corporate takeover' do not even belong in the same paragraph, let alone sentence. Spencer might be willing to hear you out though. If you think you have something you can offer him – he's always willing to negotiate. I believe his granddaughter is a bit of a fan of yours. I'll give him a ring this morning and see if I can arrange a meeting." Nick said. "Is that alright?"
"Fine." Belle said.
"I need to get to the shop, Jefferson has the day off today. Why don't you come by when you've had breakfast and dressed for the day?" Nick asked.
"I'm still mad at you." Belle said.
"I figured that. I'm sorry, Belle. I made a wrong choice. I'll do better next time, I promise." Nick said. He stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "See you at the shop?"
"I suppose." Belle said.
Regina stormed into Nick's shop and slammed the door when she entered. "You're a bastard." Regina said.
"Well, good morning to you too, dearie. Having a bad day, or is that time of the month again?" Nick quipped as he approached the counter.
"You gave those files to Albert Spencer. This is your handiwork – I know how you operate." Regina said.
"Albert Spencer can do what he likes, dearie. I have no business connections with him any longer. Though I hear YOU do. I'm sure the two of you will work things out." Nick said.
"You know that I would rather die than work with that man." Regina said.
"And that's a fine option for you, and one that I would happily support. Now since you no longer have a company to try and lure me back to, I assume you won't be stopping by to visit any longer. What a shame; I do so enjoy our little chats." Nick said.
"I saw the little work of fiction that gossip rag published about you and your new girlfriend. I wonder how much they'd pay for a more – truthful rendition of your life history." Regina said. "Not to mention what your little girlfriend would think." Belle entered the shop just as Regina said this. "Oh look – perfect timing, we were just talking about you, dear."
"Regina was talking – and leaving." Nick said.
"Congratulations to you, Miss French. I'm very impressed that you were able to get Nick Gold to settle down into a committed relationship. He's always been such a – difficult man to love. Just be careful – he tends to leave a path of destruction in his wake. I'd have you ask my father about that but – well, he's dead. I'll let your boyfriend explain how that happened. Perhaps US Magazine would be interested as well." Regina gave Nick a smug look as she walked out the door. Belle turned to Nick.
"What is she talking about?" Belle asked.
"Nothing." Nick said, and he returned to his spinning wheel.
"You're lying. What about her father?" Belle asked. Nick looked up at her.
"Belle, please don't make me tell you this. I've already told you that – I've done things in my past. Things that I'm not proud of." Nick said.
"Things like what? Killing people? Did you do something to Regina's father?" Belle asked.
"Not directly, no." Nick said, and he sighed. "Fuck it, you're already pissed off at me because of this morning, might as well just pile more onto that and get it over with. Cora – Regina's mother – she and I were – well let's just say that she's responsible for teaching me many things, and not all of them had to do with business administration, finance, and corporate raiding." he admitted.
"You had an affair with her." Belle said.
"Yes." Nick admitted. "It was an on-again, off-again thing for nearly a decade. Mostly off, to be honest, aside from the first year. Milah knew, Regina knew – everyone knew except Regina's father, or else he was in deep denial about it and um – well, he walked in on us one evening and – the man wasn't in the best of health to begin with, and he suffered a heart attack. He – didn't survive." Nick looked down in shame, trying to avoid the look of shock on Belle's face.
"So Regina blames you for her father's death. That's what all of this is about." Belle said.
"Regina blames me for many things. That's just one of them." Nick said.
"Is there anything else I need to know about, Nick?" Belle asked.
"Know that I love you. And all of these things I did – they're in the past, Belle. They're not who I am today. Who I am today is this man right here. I'm a craftsman, and a spinner – and I'm in love with the most beautiful woman in the world." Nick said.
"But you lied to me about Spencer." Belle said.
"I know – and I already told you I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Nick said.
"Did you love Cora?" Belle asked.
"At one time – I thought I did. But that wasn't love, Belle. I was enamored by her power – I was her protégé. Eventually I knew her business better than she did. Why do you think Regina kept me on all those years after Cora's death? She knew that I had insider information no one else did. And if she lost me – the company would suffer. And she was right. Belle, I didn't know what real love was until I met you. I just hope I didn't fuck things up beyond repair with you." Nick said. Belle walked behind him and kissed the top of his head.
"No. You didn't. And I've made mistakes as well. But I do think we should talk to Dr. Hopper about all of this." Belle said.
"I'll call him today; see when we can get an appointment." Nick said.
"You don't think Regina will actually go to the press, do you?" Belle asked.
"I really don't know. I'm sorry about that, Belle. I'm sorry that my past is such a burden to you." Nick said.
"I'll call Aurora and give her a heads up. We'll figure it out. I have some things I need to do. Don't forget to call Albert Spencer, too. I'll see you later at home." Belle said.
"Hi – Graham?" Belle said as she approached the security desk at a large office building in Manhattan.
"Belle. What are you doing here?" Graham asked.
"What are you doing here, I thought you worked for the NYPD with Emma." Belle said.
"I do. A buddy of mine is head of security here and I moonlight sometimes on my days off; been doing that for a couple of months now, it's good extra money." Graham said. "So what brings you here?"
"I um – I wanted to see Regina Mills. This is her office building right?" Belle asked.
"Well for now – I understand she's in her office packing, I doubt she wants visitors. But Ruby hates her, so what the hell – go on up." Graham said. "I just saw her about ten minutes ago, she stormed into the elevator in a bit of a mood, do you want me to come up and rescue you in ten minutes if you're not back down by then?" he joked.
"Five." Belle said. "I'm not kidding – that woman is kind of scary. I'm going to try and reason with her but – I'm not sure if I'll get very far."
"Good luck with that. I'll come up in five minutes, I promise." Graham said.
"Okay." Belle said, and she smiled as she got into the elevator. Belle arrived on the 10th floor and proceeded toward Regina's office. The door to the office was cracked open. Belle knocked anyway, then peeked her head inside. "Miss Mills. Can I talk to you?" Belle asked. Regina looked up from behind her desk, where she was seated. She had a box on her desk and was looking through a stack of papers.
"Belle French? Are you working as Nick's messenger now?" Regina asked.
"Actually – Nick doesn't know I'm here. I just wanted to talk to you about – well, about Nick, actually. I know there's a lot of bad blood between the two of you." Belle said.
"Bad blood? Is that what he told you?" Regina asked.
"He told me about your mother – and your father. I know what he's done but – he's not that man any longer. He's changed. Maybe you can as well." Belle said. "I – I have lots of connections in the business world in Hollywood, maybe I can find something for you there."
"You're trying to keep me from talking to the press, aren't you? Did you really think I wouldn't be smart enough to figure that out? Dating Nicholas Gold was a PR nightmare waiting to happen and you knew that the minute you signed on to that relationship. Deal with it." Regina said.
"What happened to your father isn't Nick's fault. It was a tragedy yes, but – Nick said the man had been in poor health already." Belle said.
"Is that all you think I'm angry at him about? He didn't tell you about Daniel, did he?" Regina asked.
"Who's Daniel?" Belle asked.
"Oh good, that's a no. Daniel was a young man that worked here at Regal – he was an office page. I know, not a very prestigious job, but – he was working his way through school. We met here. We fell in LOVE here. But my mother – my controlling bitch of a mother – she decided Daniel wasn't good enough for me. She wanted him out of my life. So she found a way to set him up – made it look like he was stealing from the company so that she could have grounds to fire him. And who do you think helped her with that little project?"
"I – I told you, Nick's not that man anymore, he's changed. I'm sure he's sorry for what he did. And just because Daniel got fired – you could have still been with him, why didn't you go after him?" Belle asked.
"Do you think I didn't? We had plans – we were running away together. I gave Daniel some money and we planned to move to Boston and start a new life. Daniel left first and I planned to join him. I knew my mother would disown me, but – I didn't care. You don't really care about much else when you're in love. Only problem is Daniel never made it to Boston. He was killed in a car accident on his way there." Regina said.
"I – I'm sorry. But – how is that Nick's fault?" Belle asked.
"Daniel wouldn't have even been GOING to Boston that night if my mother and your boyfriend had just left us the hell alone! But she couldn't do that. I lost everything when I lost Daniel. So I decided right then – if I couldn't have my happy ending – nobody could. My mother certainly didn't. And it didn't look like your boyfriend was going to either, at least not if I had anything to say about it. And then you showed up. Little miss movie star – what in the world did you ever see in that hideous man?"
"He's not hideous. He's a beautiful man, in every way." Belle said.
"My mother did always brag about what a good lay he was, as if I wanted to hear about that, but – what on earth can he offer you besides that?" Regina asked.
"There are many layers to Nick that you don't understand. Look – I just want you to leave us alone, and I want to know what it'll take for you to do that? You want money, help finding a job, what? I can get you any of that – just let Nick be. He let go of his past years ago, and you keep wanting to pull him back, and I won't let that happen." Belle said.
"So this is about bribery? Wow – you really are the perfect match for him, aren't you? I'm almost impressed. But you see – I've resigned myself to my fate. I don't get a happy ending in my life. So why the hell should Nick Gold get one?" Regina reached into her desk drawer. Belle's first instinct was to get out, and she started to make her way toward the door when Regina pulled the gun out and pointed it at her, then started to move toward her.
"You – you won't do this. You'll go to jail." Belle said.
"I was gonna use it on myself, I have nothing left at this point. But you know what? I can still watch the fallout from this on television in prison. Losing you will destroy Nick. Nothing else has worked so – maybe this will." Regina said.
"I – I know it seems bad right now but – I can help you, I can get you help, you can start over again." Belle said, her voice trembling.
"You don't get it, do you? I don't want to start over again. I'm done." Regina said, and she raised the gun just as Graham entered the room.
"Holy shit! NO!" Graham shouted, and he lunged for Regina. "Go downstairs, get help!" Graham shouted at Belle, as he tried to wrestle the gun away from Regina. "GO!" Graham screamed, and Belle darted out of the room. Minutes later, she and several security guards arrived to find Regina standing over Graham, who was lying on the floor in a pool of blood.
Nick raced into the private waiting room where Emma said she and Belle would be found. Emma had called him at the store with a quick, cryptic message that there was an accident involving Belle, she was at the hospital, and she'd be in waiting room three on the second floor. A variety of nightmarish scenarios went through his head as he made his way to the hospital. Belle was sitting quietly in a corner while Emma was making notes on her computer. "Belle!" Nick shouted, and he moved to her side and sat down in a chair next to her. "Sweetheart, are you alright?" he asked as he touched her arm. Belle stared off into space, not looking at him.
"I'm fine." Belle said. "I just hope I can say the same for Graham."
"Graham? What does Ruby's boyfriend have to do with this?" Nick asked.
"Regina shot him. Graham saw Belle go into Regina's office. She kind of had a meltdown and pulled a gun on Belle. Graham had a feeling something was wrong so he went into the office, pushed Belle out of the way, and took the bullet himself. Ruby is with him right now." Emma said. "If he makes it, maybe you won't be such a dick to him now that he saved your girlfriend's life."
"Where's Regina now?" Nick asked.
"She was arrested. I don't see her getting out of jail any time soon." Emma said. "I need to go down to the station and file this report, and then I'll be back."
"I thought you were on maternity leave." Nick said.
"So did I. Belle asked me to handle this as a favor. I want it done right; I don't want some other less competent detective fucking this up, and since the only other detective I trust is currently out of commission, I want to handle it personally." Emma said, and she left the room.
"Belle – are you sure you're alright? Did she hurt you?" Nick asked.
"No." Belle whispered.
"Belle, what the hell were you doing at Regina's office? The woman is psychotic!" Nick said.
"How the hell was I supposed to know that? How was I supposed to know that everything she did to you was out of revenge because of her boyfriend?!"
"Oh good god, she brought up Daniel? That was hardly my fault, it was a tragic accident! Belle, I told you some time ago that I suspected that Regina killed her own mother and yet you still went off, on your own to confront her!" Nick shouted. "Do you even give a crap what it would have done to me if she had hurt you?! Or did you even think about that when you impulsively went off on your little mission?"
"I was trying to help you! I was trying to protect you!" Belle shouted back.
"Without one damn word about it to anyone! What if Graham hadn't been there and seen you going up there to her office? Belle, I thought you were smarter than that!"
"I'm sorry, alright!" Belle said. The tears that she had been fighting back burst forth, and she began to sob uncontrollably. "I'm sorry." she whimpered. Nick wrapped his arms around her and Belle melted into him, still sobbing.
"I'm sorry too, sweetheart." Nick whispered as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. Nick heard a noise behind him and looked up to see a photographer that had snuck into the room snapping pictures of the two of them. "Get the fuck out of here!" Nick shouted. He stood up and moved toward the photographer, who kept snapping pictures. Nick raised his cane and with one swoop he knocked the camera out of the man's hands, then he proceeded to stomp on it and smash it to pieces with his good leg.
"Nick, stop!" Belle shouted as she walked up behind him.
"You get out of here before I do the same to your fucking face!" Nick shouted as he pointed his cane at the man's chest.
"Nick please – just let it go." Belle said. She bent down and picked up the broken camera. She removed the SD card and handed the broken camera back to the man. "Call my manager and I'll replace it; now leave." The man grabbed the broken camera and left the room.
"What the bloody hell? You're paying him to fix his camera? That man had no right to be in here taking photos of you and I! How did he even find out?" Nick asked.
"I don't know. Someone in the hospital must have seen me, the press has eyes and ears everywhere. Nick, you cannot do that! We've talked about your temper before, it was bad enough with Graham but you can't react to the press that way, it's what they WANT!" Belle said.
"So it's okay for them to stalk you and profit from you during a difficult time? Bullshit!" Nick shouted.
"It's not fair but that's how it is. Being nice gets you pretty far with them. Nick, it's part of my job, and you have to learn to deal with it, because you're part of my life. And that means controlling your temper. There are many times I've wanted to haul off and punch them but I've had to stop myself because I know what will happen if I do that." Belle said. Nick paced angrily as he tried to calm down. Ruby entered the room. "Ruby – how is Graham?" Belle asked.
"He's – they're taking him to surgery but they said – they think he's gonna be okay. They told me to wait in here." Ruby said. She sat down and started to cry. Nick sat down next to her.
"Sweetheart, he'll be fine. He's a very brave young man." Nick said.
"I thought you hated him." Ruby said.
"I don't hate him, I just – well, it's not easy for a father to admit it when his little girl is growing up and doesn't need him anymore." Nick said.
"I'll always need you." Ruby said, and she gave him a hug.
"Ruby – I'm gonna take care of all of Graham's hospital bills, alright? I don't want him to worry about any of that, this is all my fault anyway." Belle said as she sat back down on the other side of Nick.
"It's not your fault Belle, it's Regina's. She's a horrible person, I hope she rots in that jail." Ruby said.
"Oh, I'll see to it that she does." Nick said.
"I suppose I'll have to testify at her trial, won't I?" Belle asked.
"Given that I seriously doubt she'll admit any wrong doing and take a plea bargain – most likely, yes." Nick said. "Belle, why don't I take you home? You've had enough for one day."
"Oh of course – Graham is the one that got shot, but hey, let's coddle the movie star." Bae remarked as he walked into the waiting room.
"Bae, shut up!" Ruby shouted at him. "If you're gonna be an asshole, you can leave."
"Bae, I'm not leaving until I know that Graham is alright." Belle insisted.
"Do you think that you can keep your damn mouth shut right now Bae, or is that too much to ask of you?" Nick asked through gritted teeth. Bae nodded, not saying a word, and he sat down.
"I'm sorry." Bae said. "How is he?"
"He'll be okay. He has to be." Ruby said.
"Of course he will. You hungry, you want anything?" Bae asked.
"I could use a Coke." Ruby said.
"Okay. You want anything Dad?" Bae asked.
"No." Nick said, still glaring at Bae.
"Belle?" Bae asked, practically spitting her name at her.
"No thank you." Belle replied. Bae stood up.
"Be right back." he said, and he left the room. As soon as he was gone, Belle broke down in tears. Nick took her into his arms.
"It's alright sweetheart." Nick said.
"I'm trying so hard, I really am." Belle said.
"Belle, please just ignore him. I don't know what his damn problem is but it's not just you, he's been a dick to everybody lately." Ruby said.
"Is Emma even speaking to him yet?" Nick asked.
"Sort of. Mostly about Henry. At least he's not drinking anymore." Ruby said.
"Something's upsetting him and he's not ready to talk about it yet, I know what that's like. We'll just keep trying – he'll open up when he's ready. I just hope he doesn't leave as much damage in his wake as I did." Nick said.
"Daddy, I hate to say it but Bae is nowhere near as bad as you were." Ruby said.
"Yes, I recall the typewritten list of 'Reasons My Dad Sucks' that you gave me when you were seventeen and I refused to let you go on a date with that young man, what was his name?" Nick asked.
"Peter Wolfe." Ruby replied.
"Ah yes – he was twenty-one, Ruby, what kind of father would let his teenage daughter go out with a 21-year old man?" Nick asked.
"Definitely not one that four years later would end up being in a relationship with a girl twenty years younger than him." Ruby teased.
"Yes, I suppose I am a bit of a hypocrite." Nick said.
"Did you really give him a list?" Belle asked.
"Oh, she did. Two pages. Front and back. Single spaced." Nick said.
"I was kind of a dramatic teenager." Ruby admitted. Bae came back in the room and everyone got quiet.
"Here." Bae said, and he handed Ruby a can of Coke.
"Thanks." Ruby said, and he sat down next to Ruby. Emma joined them several minutes later, and they all waited for several hours in complete silence, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife.
Nick and Belle got home shortly after ten o'clock that evening. Graham pulled through the surgery; the bullet had hit his liver and they had to remove a portion of it, but a full recovery was expected. Belle used her celebrity status to pull some strings and allow Ruby to spend the night in ICU with Graham, and arranged for him to have a private suite once he was released from ICU, which they were told would be the next morning. Once they were home and settled into bed, Belle broke down into near hysterics, sobbing as Nick held her close, admitting how frightened she was when Regina was holding a gun on her, but she was determined not to let anyone see that. It was over an hour before she was able to calm down and fall asleep.
The next morning, Nick reluctantly sat in bed and did what he knew Ruby would be doing if she weren't so focused on Graham at the moment – he awoke at about 9 am and spent the next two hours combing through the gossip websites to see what they had to say about the prior day's events. It was not pretty.
Belle French Involved in Shooting Stand-off due to Beastly Boyfriend's Past.
That one was his favorite. But there were others. Many others. And the cameraman that Belle tried to pay off decided that even without photographic evidence, he would make more money selling his story to the press. Nick glanced over at Belle's phone as it flashed notice of an incoming call. He had turned the ringer off on her phone after she fell asleep because he knew that as soon as the tabloid stories broke her phone would be ringing off the hook and he didn't want her to be disturbed after what she had just been through. He noticed that the Caller ID on Belle's phone said it was her father calling. That was the fourth time in less than an hour. Knowing what it felt like to be a father worried for his child, he reached over and kissed Belle softly on the cheek.
"Sweetheart." Nick whispered. "You need to call your father."
"Mmmm. What time is it?" Belle asked as she rolled over and snuggled into Nick's arms.
"Almost eleven." Nick said. "Your father's called four times already, and if you don't call him soon my guess is he's going to hop onto the first flight into New York."
"My phone didn't ring." Belle said.
"Oh, it has. Many times. I turned the ringer off when you fell asleep." Nick said. "The gossip pages are having a field day, love. I'm sorry." Belle sat up, now fully awake. Nick handed her his phone and she glanced at the headlines that he had pulled up.
"Shit." Belle said. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and looked at the long list of missed calls and messages. Belle sighed.
"It's going to be one of those days isn't it?" she asked.
"I'm afraid so. Anything I can do?" Nick asked.
"Make sure that you don't open your door wearing just your pajama bottoms?" Belle joked. Nick laughed a bit.
"I think I can manage that." Nick said.
"Why aren't you at the shop?" Belle asked.
"It's likely surrounded by the press; I think it's best just to count this day as a loss and be done at this point." Nick said. "I wish I could say that this will be the final skeleton that will pop out of my closet and leave you with a mess to clean up, but – well, I can't. And I'd be glad to list all of them for you but some of them are so deep I've probably forgotten them and wouldn't remember until I'm reminded."
"This was as much my fault as yours, I shouldn't have gone chasing after Regina." Belle said.
"Belle, after everything you've learned about me – after everything I've done – why haven't you given up on me?" Nick asked.
"I learned a long time ago that when you find something that's worth fighting for – you never give up." Belle said. Nick leaned over her and kissed her.
"Have I mentioned how much I love you?" Nick asked.
"A few times, yes." Belle replied. Nick kissed her again.
"Call your dad. And then the eight million other people that have been trying to get in touch with you. I'll be in my workroom if I need to do another photo shoot interview bullshit whatever." Nick said.
"Thank you." Belle said, and she smiled as she watched Nick leave the room.
Several weeks passed and the media frenzy over the entire Regina incident had settled down. Graham was released from the hospital two weeks prior and Ruby was staying at his apartment while he recovered, and Nick understood that he had no right to complain given that the man had, in fact, saved Belle's life. Belle had been spending quite a bit of time at the shop with Nick over the last few weeks. He didn't want her to be alone for the first couple of weeks with the press constantly breathing down their necks, and then she simply decided that she liked being there. She was getting quite good at weaving and had been helping Nick with some of his work. It was a quieter life than she had had in years, but – she was truly enjoying the change of pace. Nick was concerned that too much 'togetherness' might be a bad thing in the long run, but it really wasn't. Belle spent most of her time working in the back room anyway, so even though they were in the same building he hardly saw her most of the day.
Although Nick's relationship with Belle was getting stronger and more solid every day, his relationship with Bae was strained at best. They hadn't done a Friday afternoon lunch in some time. Bae rarely came by the apartment anymore. And he would stop by the shop for business reasons only. Nick talked to Dr. Hopper about it, and his advice was to give Bae space and let him work this out on his own. It's what Bae had to do for him during his recovery process. He was starting to understand what a toll that entire event must have taken on his son.
Nick was surprised to see Bae enter his shop that day, because he had been by the day before to go over some bookkeeping details. "Bae – hello." Nick said.
"Hi." Bae replied. "Did you hear about Marco?" he asked. Marco owned a woodworking shop next door to Nick's.
"What about him?" Nick asked.
"He's retiring. Closing the shop, selling it." Bae said.
"Really? He never said a word to me." Nick said.
"I only just found out this morning. Anyway – you've talked on and off for some time about finding a bigger space for your shop, and business is even better than before thanks to your new found celebrity, so – maybe we should look into buying the space and expanding. We could knock out the wall behind the desk and we can hire an architect to draw up some remodeling designs." Bae said.
"Bae, I'm still paying the loan off for the shop as it is, I don't want to take another one out." Nick said.
"I could help." Belle said, coming out of the back room. "Sorry, I – kind of overheard. Nick, I have the money if you want to expand."
"No. Belle I'm not taking your money, this is MY work, it's my responsibility." Nick said.
"Nick, really, it's no trouble." Belle said.
"He said he doesn't need your money, we managed just fine without your help for almost six years now." Bae said.
"Bae – enough." Nick said, and he turned to Belle. "Sweetheart, I know you mean well but – this is my store. I built it from nothing, and if I'm going to expand it will be on my terms. Alright?"
"Okay. I understand." Belle said.
"How much is he asking?" Nick asked.
"450. And then there would be the renovation cost." Bae said. "Dad – your other loan is halfway paid off, we can do this. Let me at least look into it." This was the first time in over a month that Bae showed any enthusiasm for anything Nick was involved with.
"Alright. Look into it. But I'm not saying yes yet." Nick said.
"Thanks dad. It's a good move, I promise." Bae said, and he left.
"Nick – 450, that really isn't a problem for me." Belle said.
"Well it is for me. Belle – there are already enough people out there who think I'm using you for your money, I don't want to give them reason to confirm that suspicion." Nick said.
"Alright." Belle said. Nick put his arms around Belle and pulled her close.
"I don't know why people would think that I'm using you for money when it's obvious I'm using you for sex." Nick said, and he gave her a quick kiss. Belle giggled.
"Speaking of sex - you know, if you expanded, you could have a bigger storage closet, it was pretty cramped in there the other day." Belle said.
"You're right it was. Okay, that's one thing to put in the 'reasons I should expand the store' column." Nick said, and he kissed her again.
"Nick, we're going to have to have the money conversation eventually, you know that, even Dr. Hopper has said so." Belle said.
"I know. And we will. Just not today, alright?"
"When?" Belle asked.
"We'll know when it's time. Money fucks everything up Belle – and all of the Regina mess and drama with Bae aside, things have been really nice. Can we have a little more time before we have to fuck everything up with the money talk? Please?" Nick asked.
"Okay. But you know I love you, right? Money doesn't matter to me." Belle said.
"You say that now. But it matters. It always matters." Nick said.
A month later, Nick and Belle walked into the store hand in hand. Nick decided to go ahead with the renovation after all. He had been busy stacking inventory into boxes whenever he needed a break from the loom; the renovation team was set to begin work in three weeks, the same time that Nick and Belle would be in California for studio work she needed to do for August Booth's film. He put a freeze on new orders until his return so that he could finish up what he had left to do and then take a precise inventory of all of his supplies before moving them to storage while the renovation team worked. He had run out of room for boxes in the back and started stacking them behind his desk.
"Nick, this is a mess back here, you can barely move around." Belle said as she took a look at the space behind his desk. She had been busy studying the script for Philip's film and wasn't at the shop much in the past two weeks. "Isn't there anywhere else you can put all of this?"
"Well, I can't put it out on the main floor of the shop, I don't need some customer tripping and breaking his neck and suing me." Nick said.
"No, you'll just trip and break your neck, that's so much better." Belle said.
"Ruby said the same nonsense to me yesterday, I swear, all the women in my life ever do is nag." Nick remarked.
"We only nag because we love you." Belle said, and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for taking me out to lunch today. We're coming here after dinner tonight and I'm going to reorganize this place and make it less of a hazard zone."
"Belle, it's three more weeks." Nick said.
"We're coming here tonight and I'm going to reorganize." Belle insisted again.
"You know, when you get in these bossy mindsets your nose wrinkles a bit, it's very adorable." Nick said, smiling at her. Belle deliberately scrunched her nose up and rubbed it against his, then gave him a quick kiss.
"I'll see you in a few hours." Belle said, and she left. Nick went back to the loom behind his desk and continued work on a tapestry that he was almost finished with. Less than an hour after Belle had left, a young woman entered the store. She was medium height, blonde, and was wearing sunglasses. "Hello. What can I help you with?" Nick asked. The girl took off her sunglasses.
"Are you – Belle French's boyfriend?" she asked. She looked him up and down.
"I'm sorry, Belle isn't here. She has left a stack of autographed photos if you'd like one." Nick said. The girl laughed.
"I don't need Belle's autograph. I need to speak to her." the girl said.
"Well, as I said – she's not here." Nick said. "I'm very sorry."
"You don't know who I am, do you?" the girl asked.
"Have we met before?" Nick asked.
"No. But I'm sure Belle has told you about me. I'm Ashley Boyd." she said, and she flashed a huge smile at him, which Nick did not return.