I do not own "Once Upon a Time."
Chapter 21
A week into their honeymoon, Nick lay in bed fully dressed, waiting for Belle to finish getting ready so that they could go out for the day. Belle came into the bedroom area of the suite wearing a sundress and flower in her hair. "What are you reading?" Belle asked as Nick sat there scanning his phone.
"Film reviews." Nick said.
"Nick don't read those, I never do, they're usually crap. I trust my fans more than I trust the reviews. And we said we were tuning the world out on this trip – put it away." Belle said, as she reached for the phone. Nick pulled the phone back and ignored her.
"Belle you need to hear these." Nick said.
"I need to go get breakfast, I'm hungry." Belle said. "Come on – put that away and let's go."
"Belle French proves herself to be worthy of her A-list status." Nick read from the phone. "Belle French is heartbreakingly brilliant."
"It says that?" Belle asked, now curious.
"Belle French is certain to be an Oscar contender with this role." Nick continued. "That's just three of them Belle. The movie is number four at the box office."
"Four? It's in limited release, it's not even showing on half of the screens that the other holiday films are." Belle said.
"Well – it's still number four. My guess is they'll be adding more screens next week." Nick said. "You're going to get an Oscar nomination for this you know."
"Right. I'll get an Oscar nod for spending an hour and a half crying over you." Belle said.
"Is that what was motivating you in the movie? ME?" Nick asked.
"Yeah. Any time I needed to cry in the movie, which was about half of the scenes – I just thought about you and what an idiot I was for walking away." Belle said as she sat down on the bed next to Nick. "August thought I was method for the first few weeks." Nick sat up and put his arm around Belle and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"I'm glad I could depress you so much." Nick teased.
"I deserved it." Belle replied.
"You did. But that's no matter now. And the people who see the movie don't know what was going on in your life when you were filming. And you were absolutely amazing. You're going to be nominated, and you're going to win. And then I get to go to bed with an Academy Award winning actress."
"Nick – I'm not part of that crowd. And one movie role isn't going to get me there." Belle said.
"You don't realize how good you are, do you? You talk about me putting myself down all the time, doubting the way I look and how people see me – you do the same though with your work. You're a lot better than you think you are." Nick said.
"This from a man that I had to bribe with sex to watch my movies, and you still haven't seen all of them. You're not exactly an expert in this area. You're biased because it's me." Belle said. "Now are we going to go to breakfast or not?"
"Alright, fine. Don't listen to me, I'm only your husband, what do I know?" Nick said, standing up and putting his phone in his pocket. "I just want the right to say 'I told you so' when we get home and you're bombarded with requests for interviews."
"Permission granted. Let's go." Belle said, taking his hand as they left the room together.
A week later, back in New York . . . .
"No, Aurora, I'm not coming back to LA right now. Because Nick is back to work at his shop and I'd have to leave him and I'm not doing that. Well, that's just how it is, deal with it. I'll do Letterman, I'll do the Daily Show, that's fine, I'll do any shows that tape here in New York but if anyone wants from LA wants me they'll have to come to me. No I'm not being difficult – I fulfilled my obligations to this movie. I did the press junkets, the premieres, anything more is extra. I'm married now, I can't just flit off to wherever and leave my husband, we don't have a relationship like that, if he can't go with me, I don't go." Belle said, pacing the bedroom as she talked on the phone while Nick watched. "Alright, fine. Get back to me." Belle said as she ended the call. She looked at Nick and sighed.
"I told you so." Nick said, lying back on the bed and grinning smugly.
"Shut up." Belle said.
"Hey, you gave me permission to say it, I have every right. I told you so, I told you so, I told you so." Nick said. Belle climbed on top of him and kissed him.
"You want a medal?" Belle asked.
"Can I put it on display next to your Oscar?" Nick teased.
"Sure why not." Belle joked, not taking him seriously at all. They started to kiss and remove one another's clothing when Belle's phone rang again. Belle sighed, rolled over from on top of Nick, and answered the phone. "What now? No – no we're not doing that."
"Not doing what?" Nick asked. Belle looked at him.
"Dateline wants to do a piece on the two of us, they want to come film in your shop, we're not doing that, any interviews I do I'll talk about the movie, not my personal life." Belle said, then she returned to her call. "Well it's nobody's damn business, I don't care if it makes for good ratings. Because it'll cause more chaos for Nick – we've already had to hire security for the store since the movie came out and the wedding pictures were sent out. This is Nick's business, I'm not turning it into a three-ring circus. Well I'm sorry if I'm being difficult but I have a right to a private life. Well figure it out – call me tomorrow, I'm done with this crap tonight, it's getting late." Belle said, and she hung up the phone, then looked at Nick. "If you say 'I told you so' one more time I will slap you." Belle said.
"Now depending on where you'll slap me, that could be fun." Nick joked, and he grabbed Belle and pulled her back on top of himself.
"I didn't think things would get this chaotic. I'm sorry." Belle said.
"Your movie is a success, what are you sorry about?" Nick asked.
"Well, all of the insanity at your shop for one thing." Belle replied.
"Insanity? Belle my business has never been better, and I'm making record profits even WITH me having to hire help." Nick said. "I'm sure it'll pick up even more when the Oscar nominations are announced and your name is called."
"Are you still on that? Sweetheart – I'm not going to get nominated, it's all just bullshit from the press." Belle said. "Can we not talk about this right now and move on to more important items of discussion like – this." Belle pressed her lips against him and kissed him hard as she began to unbutton his shirt.
"Well, what do you think?" Belle asked as she and Nick finished the tour of the house. It was an old, renovated home with gothic style architecture on the outside but a modern interior, located on the outskirts of Greenwich Village. "It's still close enough to the shop. Just a cab ride over. And it's close to school for me."
"It's ten million dollars, Belle." Nick said.
"I can afford payments for that. It has a garden, Nick. Just like I want. And the sitting room – that can be your workroom. And the master bathroom already has a Jacuzzi; it's a bit old but we can put in a new one. The kitchen is huge; it can be easily renovated." Belle said.
"Again – ten million dollars. My Manhattan apartment wasn't even a quarter of that." Nick said.
"I love the exterior too." Belle said.
"Because it looks like a castle. Which you said you didn't want." Nick said.
"But it's not a castle, it's very modern inside. Nick we've looked at so many places. This one is perfect – I don't know what you want." Belle said.
"I want to be able to give you the home you want – and I can't. I couldn't ever afford something like this, Belle. Even when I was working on Wall Street – I netted three or four million annually, and half of that went to Milah's shopping habit, another quarter to the kids, and a good portion of the rest to my drinking habit. I know you want a nice place Belle, but this is – this is more than nice."
"Nick, its five bedrooms, three bathrooms. Two living areas, one of which will be your workroom. Kitchen, dining room, laundry room, and a lovely garden in the back. It's half the size of my home in California. If we're going to have a child we need a room for that child, and then we need guest rooms. My papa will visit at times as will some of my friends and I want a nice place for them. And I'd like to convert one of the bedrooms into a storage room and extra closet space. I can't control the cost of real estate in New York. We can pay less and move further out to Queens or Jersey but do you really want to do that commute every day? Given what we're looking for, this is a modest home, it just has a fancy exterior. And I thought we discussed the whole money thing already, and that I can afford this." Belle said. "Cost aside – do you like it?"
"Yeah. I do." Nick replied.
"When we married Nick, everything of mine became yours." Belle said. "This feels like home, Nick. Don't you feel it?" Nick nodded yes, though he wasn't sure why he felt that way.
"Alright. We'll take it then." Nick said.
"Really? We can get the house?" Belle asked excitedly.
"On one condition. My work area – I get to decorate it however I like. With no interference from you. In fact – you're not even allowed to see it until I'm done." Nick said.
"Alright – I can live with that. The garden is mine though. That's my condition for your condition." Belle said.
"That's fine. The rest we do together. Or – you pick things out and I nod in agreement, whichever works." Nick said, and Belle laughed a bit.
"You really do like it? I mean - we're going to be living here together for a long time." Belle said.
"We'll have to do something about the front steps, they're too hard for me to maneuver as they are." Nick said.
"Of course, we can fix that." Belle said. "You didn't answer me, though. You do like the house, right?" Nick pulled her into a kiss.
"I love you. And yes, I like the house. It makes you happy – and that's all I want, Belle. I want you to be happy. But honestly, I'd live in a shack with you. Only problem with that would be we'd have nowhere to put all of your clothes, so that's not an option." Nick said, and Belle smiled at him.
"I will miss my library though. That's my favorite room in my house in California." Belle said.
"What are we going to do about that place? Sell it, what?" Nick asked.
"Well it's paid for, all I pay on it are upkeep and taxes." Belle said.
"We're hardly there, Belle. Wouldn't it be more cost-effective to just get a hotel room when we go to California?" Nick asked.
"But less private." Belle said. "I love my house. Plus – if Bae or Ruby or any of our friends want to go to California, they can stay there any time they like. Henry will be old enough to go to Disneyland in a few years, and I'm sure Emma and Bae would like to take him. And we have some – nice memories there. Nick, lots of people in my line of work have a home on both coasts, it's not a big deal. You've gone over my finances with me, you know that it's affordable, even with me taking a break from acting to go to school."
"This is what I get for marrying a movie star, isn't it? Being forced to live in a castle with a beautiful princess." Nick teased, and he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Such a torturous existence." Belle quipped.
"Only when you're away from me." Nick said, and he kissed her on the cheek. "You are right. This feels like home. Like we've – been here before."
"We'll be happy here, Nick. I promise we will." Belle said.
"For at least forty-seven years." Nick said.
"Why do you say that?" Belle asked.
"Well, I do plan to live to be a hundred. If not longer." Nick said.
"How are you going to manage that?" Belle asked.
"Because I have the most beautiful wife in the world that I am madly in love with. It took me too long to find her, and I'm not willing to only have a short amount of time on this earth with her. Even if that means I have to live to be a crabby old man." Nick said.
"You're already a crabby old man." Belle teased.
"Well then I'll just be crabbier. But at least I'll get to live in a castle with a beautiful princess." Nick said.
"And I get to live with my prince." Belle said. Nick laughed.
"I'm no Prince Charming, love." Nick said. Belle turned around and faced him.
"You are to me. And you always will be." she said, and she pulled him into a kiss. "Come on – let's go outside, you haven't even looked at the garden yet." Belle took his hand and dragged him toward the back door.
"Belle, there's about a foot of snow on the ground, I've seen snow." Nick said.
"I want to show you what I want it to look like." Belle said. They approached the back patio door and Belle ran into the yard, quickly trudging through the snow. Nick stepped out but didn't walk out into the yard with her.
"Belle, it is cold out here and it's snowing." Nick said.
"I'm going to plant some shrubbery in this corner here." Belle said, ignoring his complaints. "And in front of it a small flower bed, I'm not sure what I want here yet. I'm thinking about some vegetables too, in the other corner, maybe some tomatoes or cucumbers, how does that sound?"
"Lovely. Let's go back inside." Nick said, and he turned around to head back in. He had barely taken two steps when he felt something cold slam him in the neck. Nick turned around. "Did you just throw a snowball at me?" he asked.
"Maybe." Belle said, grinning at him. Nick reached behind his neck and started to brush the snow off. He looked down for a second, and another snowball hit him in the chest. Nick looked up at her.
"Oh, that's it." Nick said. He moved into the center of the yard, reached down carefully, formed a snowball in his hand, and threw it at Belle. Belle ducked playfully. The snowball hit her in the shoulder, and she laughed as she fell to her knees and started forming several snowballs. "Now that is not fair, you have an advantage, you have two working legs." Nick said as Belle pelted him with several more snowballs.
"Okay, you're right." Belle said, and she got up and ran over to his side, then tackled him and pulled him onto the ground into the snow with her. "Now we're even." They both started to laugh as they rolled on the ground kissing in the snow.
"You'd better have a plan on how to help me stand back up in this damn snow." Nick said as Belle pinned him to the ground.
"I'll drag you to the door by your hair." Belle teased, and she kissed him.
"You know, if we plant shrubbery all around the fence, no one will be able to see back here. So when the weather gets warmer we can – come out here and – play." Nick suggested, then pulled her into another kiss.
"I may have to do that then." Belle said, and they spent several more minutes laughing and kissing as the snow continued to fall around them.
A week later . . . .
"Aren't you going to watch?" Nick asked as he sat up in bed with the television on. The Oscar nominations were about to be announced.
"I have class in an hour, I'm trying to get ready, Nick." Belle said as she searched through the closet. "Shit – I can't find my shoes."
"Belle, you have about a hundred pairs of shoes, pick another one and sit down, they're about to announce your category." Nick said.
"I don't have a category, Nick. This is the first day of class, and I'm going to be late if I don't find a pair of shoes to wear." Belle said. Exasperated, Nick stood up, picked up his cane, walked up behind Belle, grabbed her with his left arm and dragged her to the bed, then pushed her down onto it. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Belle shouted, and she started to stand up.
"Sit down." Nick said tersely, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto the bed as he sat down himself. "You're not going to miss this announcement; now sit down and shut up for two minutes and then you can worry about finding your bloody shoes."
"Did you just tell me to shut up?" Belle asked angrily.
"Yes I did. And you're still not doing it." Nick said. "Good god, you're the most annoying, bullheaded woman sometimes." Nick moved his lips to hers and kissed her before she could reply again. "Listen." Nick said as the announcements for the Best Actress category began. Belle sighed and glared at Nick angrily, then looked at the clock, worried about being late for class. Four names were called; none of them were hers.
"Alright, are we done now?" Belle asked, and she started to stand up.
"Sit. Down." Nick said, gritting his teeth and pulling her back onto the bed. He squeezed her hand as the final name was read.
"Belle French for Choices." the announcer read.
"That – that can't be right. Best Actress? How is that possible?" Belle asked, practically in shock.
"Belle, have you even bothered to read any of the fucking reviews? I mean, I've read you bits and pieces but obviously you tune me out because you don't seem to comprehend what a big fucking deal this film has been for your career. You're going to win that Oscar, love." Nick said, and he gave her a kiss. Belle's phone started ringing.
"I – I have to go to class." Belle said. Nick glanced over at her phone.
"Sweetheart, that's Mulan calling – I'm sure she needs to go over some things with you." Nick said.
"I have to find my shoes." Belle said, and she stood up and started walking toward the closet.
"Belle – you just got nominated for an Oscar and you're worried about your fucking shoes?" Nick asked. Belle sat down on the floor in front of the closet and started tossing shoes out of it.
"They're not in here! I wanted to wear them today and they're fucking not in here, nothing is where it's supposed to be right now!" Belle screamed, and then she started sobbing. Nick stared at her in disbelief for a moment, then carefully knelt down on the floor next to her, then painfully maneuvered himself into a sitting position.
"Sweetheart – what's wrong?" Nick asked as he reached out for her. Belle fell into his arms and continued to sob.
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong, that's what's bloody wrong!" Belle said through her sobs. "Everything's perfect."
"Alright so then – what's going on, sweetheart? What is all of this about?"
"Am I making a mistake, Nick? Walking away?" Belle asked, finally looking up at him.
"Walking away from what, love?" Nick asked.
"My career. This is – this is what I've dreamed of Nick, ever since I started acting. And now it's happening and I'm – going to school and we're married and we just bought a house and – I want all of that but – am I going to regret it? I know I'll be getting offers now – offers I couldn't have even considered a year ago. And I'll be turning them down. And I'm not sure I want to." Belle admitted.
"Sweetheart – if you've changed your mind, if you want to continue acting, I am not going to be the one to stop you." Nick said. "I will never stop you from doing what makes you happy."
"What about you? What if I get offered some fantastic role that requires me to move to Canada or Germany or New Zealand or god knows where for five months?" Belle asked.
"I'll move with you, and then we'll come back." Nick said.
"You have your store, Nick." Belle said.
"Belle, I have employees, the store can manage without me. I can take my equipment anywhere, set up a workroom wherever we're staying, have materials shipped and orders and designs emailed to me, and I can work while you're filming. It's doable." Nick said.
"Your kids are here." Belle said.
"And they'll still be here when we get back. Belle – don't use me as an excuse to step away from this. If you're retiring from acting, I want you to do it because it's what YOU want. Alright?"
"I'm scared." Belle admitted.
"Of what?"
"Everything. So much in my life has changed in the past year, and – it's just been so overwhelming and I'm happy but now we're married and we have a house and I'm going to school and it's all hitting me and now there's this Oscar thing and – I'm sorry, you must think I'm a crazy person." Belle said.
"Well, a bit but – as long as you don't storm out on me and go to Ireland for four months without calling I think we'll be good." Belle started crying again. "That was a joke, love. Sweetheart there's been a lot of change in your life recently and it's okay to be overwhelmed by it, do you think I'm not? What was that you told me your mother used to say?"
"Do the brave thing and bravery will follow." Belle said.
"Well there you go then. We'll be brave together. And know that I love you."
"Even when I'm sitting on the floor in front of the closet crying over shoes?" Belle asked.
"Even then." Nick replied, and he hugged her tightly and kissed her on the cheek. "You alright now?" Belle nodded.
"I'm sorry. On top of everything else, my hormones are just all out of whack – I haven't been off birth control in years, and my doctor said the first few months I might be a bit – out of sorts emotionally while my cycle adjusts."
"Sweetheart I was married for twenty years and I raised a teenage daughter, I know far more about all of that shit than I really wish I did." Nick teased. "Would you like to settle on a pair of shoes because I don't think going to school barefoot in January in New York is the best idea."
"I suppose these will be fine." Belle said, grabbing a pair off the floor.
"You want me to meet you on campus for lunch?" Nick asked. "I can pretend to be one of your professors and we can make out in the student union and have people stare at us disapprovingly."
"They stare at us disapprovingly everywhere, that's nothing new." Belle joked. "I'd like that, though. I was thinking about how much I was going to miss you today while I was in class."
"I'll miss you, too. I always miss you when you're not with me. I about went mad when you were filming that movie." Nick said.
"It was hard, wasn't it?" Belle said.
"It was. But we figured it out. We always do." Nick said.
"So you – you'd be okay if I did a movie here and there? I mean, not every year – I definitely want a break this year, I want to focus on school and us but – maybe next year?" Belle asked.
"If you get an offer that you really feel strongly about, we'll make it work." Nick said. "Now – can we get up off the floor because it's really not that comfortable for me to be down here."
"Of course, oh I'm sorry love." Belle said, and she stood up and helped Nick up.
"Here, why don't you take my phone and I'll take yours and field all of your calls for you today." Nick suggested as he handed his phone to her.
"You don't have to do that, you'll be on the phone all day, and you won't get a thing done." Belle said.
"Belle – you were just nominated for an Oscar. I don't even want to think about what the store will be like today. I'd rather not even be there to find out. Let Jefferson deal with that shit, maybe he'll scare everyone off. Besides – I have to get some things settled at the house as well, I said I'd make sure all of the decorating is going as planned while you're dealing with school."
"Are you ever going to let me see your workroom design plans? "Belle asked.
"Well that's – my space in the house, I want it the way I want it, and if I let you go poking around in there you're going to try and change things. I already let you decorate the rest of the house as you please, all I asked for is one room done my way." Nick said.
"Fine – you can have your little man cave, I won't bother with it." Belle said.
"You'd better get going – you don't want to be late for class. I'll meet you at the student union at noon then." Nick said. "How about I wear a suit – it'll make the role play more fun. Maybe you can call me Dr. Gold."
"You do know I'm a good actress, right? Just got nominated for an Oscar, in fact. You'd better be able to keep up with me, Dr. Gold." Belle teased.
"Well I'll do my best." Nick said, and he pulled her into a kiss.
"So are you ready to see it?" Nick asked as he and Belle approached the door to his workroom in their new house.
"How much will I hate it?" Belle asked.
"Well that remains to be seen. Close your eyes." Nick said.
"Why?" Belle asked.
"Because I asked you to. Come on, close them. Take my hand." Nick said.
"You're up to something." Belle said.
"Why on earth would you think that?" Nick asked. Belle closed her eyes and took Nick's hand, and he led her into the center of the room. "Alright – open them." Belle opened her eyes and looked around in awe. Nick's work area was in a small corner of the room; the remainder of the room was surrounded by bookshelves on all of the walls, and a sofa was located near Nick's work area. Half of the bookshelves were filled and the rest were empty.
"Nick – what is this? This is YOUR room, sweetheart." Belle said, completely surprised.
"No – it's our room, love. I know how much you like to sit and read while I work at the store, and this was far more space than I needed, so – now when I'm working at home, you can sit with me. I know how much you miss your library from the house in California, so I had half of those books moved here, and you can fill the rest of the shelves with whatever you like."
"Oh Nick – I love it. And I love you – I love you so much." Belle said, and she hugged Nick tightly. "Thank you."
"Well like I said – I miss you when you're not with me. I don't want you going off to some corner of the house with your nose in a book. I want you with me." Nick told her. Belle noticed one corner of the room without any shelving; the tapestry that Belle made for Nick was hanging on the wall, and a pillar was placed in front of it. On the pillar was the chipped cup that Belle had dropped over a year ago, and it was covered with a clear display box.
"Nick – our chipped cup." Belle said as she walked over to look at it. "And my tapestry."
"I thought they deserved a place of honor in our little room." Nick said, and he walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
"It's perfect. All of this – it's absolutely perfect." Belle said.
"By the way, I picked out that sofa personally. It's very comfortable. Could have lots of uses aside from sitting on it and reading."
"Is that an invitation to test it out?" Belle asked.
"Why yes it is." Nick said.
"Now?" Belle asked.
"Well it is our house. We have to christen it at some point." Nick said.
"We don't even have the heat turned on yet, Nick." Belle said.
"Do we really need it?" he asked. Belle smiled at him with a gleam in her eye.
"I suppose not." she replied. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. Nick dropped his cane and put his arms around her as Belle helped him maneuver over to the sofa. They fell backward onto it together, kissing the entire time. "I don't think you're going to get much work done in this room." Belle said as she climbed on top of him.
"That's alright. I doubt you'll get much reading done in here, either." Nick said, and they both began to smile as they started to remove one another's clothes . . . .
Nick and Belle arrived at the Oscars together; just as it was at the film premieres, Belle worked the red carpet, talking to the press and posing for photos, while Nick stood back and watched for the most part. Belle wore a yellow designer gown and her hair was perfectly coiffed and hanging down her back. Nick donned a tuxedo and felt completely out of place but, as always, proud of what his lovely wife had accomplished. They took their seats and sat through the lengthy ceremony, waiting for Belle's category, Best Actress, to be called, which they knew wouldn't happen until nearly the end. Nick was still convinced that Belle would win, but she was sure it wouldn't happen. When the moment for her category finally came, Nick took Belle's hand and squeezed it tightly as the names of all of the nominees were read.
"And the winner is . . . . Belle French for Choices!" the presenter read. Belle gasped when her name was called. All eyes and cameras were on her as Nick turned to her and kissed her. Completely surprised, Belle stood up. August Booth, who was sitting in front of her, turned and gave her a hug. Belle made her way onto the stage and was handed the award, then she made her way to microphone.
"My um – my husband kept telling me I was going to win and I guess I should have listened to him because I have absolutely nothing prepared to say." Belle said, her voice trembling with excitement. "I – I want to acknowledge all of the other lovely women I was nominated with, because I admire all of you so very much. I – I want to thank August Booth for writing this incredible role and allowing me the honor of portraying her. All of the cast and crew, those back in Ireland watching who worked on the set. My manager, my publicist, all of my dear friends, especially Philip who is always there when I need him. To my family and friends watching back in New York, I love all of you and am so grateful for your support and for allowing me to be a part of your life. My papa who's probably been up all night in Australia watching, I love you papa. And to my mum, who I know is watching over me, I love you, mum. And finally – my wonderful, amazing husband Nick – who taught me what true love really is all about. I wouldn't be up here tonight if it weren't for him. I love you, Nick." Belle looked out into the audience and smiled at Nick. The cameras turned to him as she spoke of him, and Nick blew her a kiss as she finished her speech. "Thank you all so much!" Belle said as she finished and headed backstage.
Belle and Nick attended several parties that evening. Nick could not believe the extravagance of the celebrations, and the amount of swag that the actors received just for showing up. He watched as she spoke to more members of the press, and posed for endless photos with a parade of A-listers. Belle was chatting with an interviewer at one of the parties when Nick looked across the room and noticed a man standing there that he recognized immediately: it was Leroy Miner, Belle's former agent. Nick glared at the man from across the room, and wanted desperately to approach him and simply beat the hell out of him with his cane. Philip noticed Nick glowering at the man and walked over to him.
"You want me to hold him down while you punch him?" Philip asked.
"I was thinking more along the lines of just whacking him with my cane, but that would do as well." Nick said. "That lousy bastard has never paid for what he did to Belle."
"Well, as much as I would like to beat the living shit out of him, this probably isn't the best time or place to do that, and Belle would likely be furious with both of us." Philip said.
"Hey – how much longer do you want to stay?" Belle asked as she joined the two of them.
"That's up to you, sweetheart." Nick replied.
"I'm getting a bit tired, I think I'd just like to go home." Belle said.
"Alright – let's go then." Nick said.
"I think I'll head out with you – these parties are nothing but bullshit after a while, I'm pretty much done." Philip said, and he walked toward the exit with them. Nick tried to steer Belle away from Leroy, hoping that she wouldn't see him. He noticed Leroy moving in their direction, and it was clear that the man was going to pass by them. Leroy was moving toward Nick on his right side, and Nick knew that he shouldn't do what he suddenly got the idea to do, but he didn't care. As Leroy moved closer, Nick took his cane and placed it strategically to his side just as Leroy passed by. The man didn't notice, and he tripped over Nick's cane, falling flat on his face. Everyone around them gasped. Leroy was stunned for a moment, but then stood up and brushed himself off.
"You did that on purpose!" Leroy shouted at Nick.
"I'm very sorry but I don't know what you're talking about. Perhaps you should watch where you're going." Nick said.
"You better hope I didn't break anything. I'll sue your ass." Leroy said.
"Go ahead and try." Nick said, gritting his teeth.
"Nick come on – let's go." Belle said, trying to pull him away.
"Actually, I saw everything that happened." August Booth said as he walked over to the crowd. "It was an accident – nothing more."
"You're a liar." Leroy said.
"Maybe." August said, getting in Leroy's face. "But who do you think people will believe? A three-time Oscar winning director, or a sleazy agent who takes kickbacks from investors." Several members of the press snapped photos were recording the entire aftermath. Leroy stomped off in a huff after being bombarded with questions, ignoring the members of the press that followed him.
Later that evening, Nick and Belle cuddled together in bed. "You sure you're not mad at me?" Nick asked.
"He had it coming. And you're a very bad influence on me for making me think that." Belle said.
"I displayed quite a bit of restraint Belle; I wanted to beat him with my cane to be honest." Nick said. "Philip even offered to hold him down."
"Well I'm glad you didn't go that far." Belle said. Nick gave her several kisses then cuddled with her again.
"You know – it's always been a fantasy of mine to be in bed with an Oscar-winning actress. But, since Audrey Hepburn is no longer with us, I suppose you'll do." Belle laughed a bit and then yawned. They lay there for some time in silence, and Belle spoke up just as Nick was about to drift off to sleep.
"Nick, I'm pregnant." Belle whispered.
"Okay." Nick said sleepily, then his eyes shot open, realizing what Belle just said. "You're – what?" he asked, now awake again.
"I took one of those tests this morning. It was positive." Belle said.
"What?!" Nick said, and he sat up. Belle sat up with him and turned the light on. "Sweetheart you – why didn't you tell me?" Nick asked.
"Because I knew you would be acting paranoid with concern all night, and the press would have picked up on that. I'm a bit late, and I was told I might skip a cycle once I went off the pill but I didn't think I'd skip two, and I was feeling a bit off the past couple of days so I bought one of those home pregnancy tests and – it's positive." Belle said. "I just need to confirm it with a doctor but – it's my understanding that those things are pretty accurate. I made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon."
"Belle we – I know we said we'd try but – you've only been off the pill since the wedding, just a little over two months." Nick said. "I thought you said it wasn't likely anything would happen this soon."
"Well, apparently things that aren't likely to happen tend to happen to us." Belle said. "Are you mad?"
"No, of course not, I just – thought we'd have a bit more time together, you know – but it's alright. A baby. Belle, we're going to have a baby." Nick said, his eyes widening with excitement as he kissed her. "You – you want this, right Belle?"
"Yes. I do. Actually this – kind of makes it easier." Belle said.
"What do you mean?" Nick asked.
"I'll be getting lots of offers now and – it won't be so hard turning them down. Because we're having a baby." Belle said with excitement, and she smiled at him. Nick climbed on top of her and started to kiss her, then suddenly backed off.
"I'm sorry I – I don't want to hurt you, I shouldn't have -"
"Nick – I won't break. I'm fine." Belle said as she smiled at him. "I'm not going to have you acting like an overprotective watch dog for the duration of this pregnancy." Belle snuggled up close to him once again.
"What about school?" Nick asked.
"What about it? I'll still go – I'll just take a leave of absence when it comes time, I'll talk to my professors, maybe I can do some online courses for a while. But I'm finishing this, Nick."
"We're not naming our child some crazy, bullshit celebrity name, I just want to make that clear." Nick said.
"Oh, and I was kind of hoping for Rumpelstiltskin if it's a boy. That's disappointing." Belle teased. Nick kissed her forehead.
"You're alright then. You feel okay?" Nick asked.
"Been a bit nauseous the last couple of days, but other than that I'm fine, love. I am tired though, it's been a long night. Let's get some sleep and start planning for all of this tomorrow, okay?" Belle asked.
"Of course." Nick said, and he gently rubbed her belly as she fell asleep in his arms.
A little over three months later . . . .
"Alright, this is going to be a little bit cold, just bear with me." the technician said as she spread the gel on Belle's protruding belly. Nick was seated in a chair next to her holding her hand. "Alright, are you ready?"
"Yeah." Belle replied, and she and Nick both looked up at the display screen. The technician moved the device over her belly.
"Right there – that's your baby." the technician said, then she looked at the screen, puzzled.
"Is something wrong?" Nick asked.
"Isn't this supposed to be your five-month ultrasound?" the technician asked.
"Yes, why?" Belle asked.
"Because – this baby is further along than five months. More like five and a half or a little more." the technician said.
"I went off the pill at the end of November. My cycles were always off before I went on the pill, she said I might skip one while my body adjusted." Belle said.
"Did you have a period after you went off the pill?" the technician asked.
"No, I didn't. But like I said, I thought that was normal, it wasn't until I skipped a second one that I started to wonder." Belle said.
"I think you were already pretty far along by that second cycle. I'd say about September 15th for your due date." the technician said.
"You mean this um – this is a honeymoon baby then?" Nick asked. "She's been pregnant since our honeymoon?"
"Could have even been a wedding night baby." the technician said. Belle looked up at Nick and they both laughed.
"Well I doubt that." Nick said. "Is everything alright then?"
"Looks good so far. Right there – you can see a hand, do you see it?" the tech said, pointing to the screen.
"Yeah, I see it." Belle said, smiling. "Can you tell if it's a boy or girl?"
"Well, let's see if the baby will cooperate and turn the right way so that we can see." the tech said. She continued to maneuver the wand across Belle's stomach. "There it is. Well congratulations – it's a girl."
"A girl. Nick we're having a girl." Belle said happily.
"Oh sweetheart." Nick said, and he gave her a kiss on the forehead. The technician finished up the ultrasound and left the room. Nick helped Belle get dressed as she took out her phone and made a call.
"Papa – it's a girl!" Belle said into the phone. "Oh, she's fine. We're getting a video of the ultrasound, I'll send it to your email so that you can watch it. She said um – well, it's earlier than we thought. September 15 is the date she gave us. What? No, we weren't fooling around in the bedroom at the house before we got married, it probably happened over the honeymoon. Alright papa – I need to go, we still need to talk to the doctor. Yes, I'll call you later. I love you too." Belle hung up the phone. "Did you text Bae and Ruby?"
"Yeah, they're both thrilled." Nick said. "So um – Ruby just sent me this." Nick showed Belle the link to story titled 'Belle's Baby Bump' with several photos of Belle out and about in New York and various speculations about her being pregnant. "So much for not going to the press yet."
"It's not like it's something I can hide; I'm starting to show, I figured that would be happening soon. I'll have to talk to Aurora, put out an official statement. You do realize that um – once the baby is born if we don't provide photos they'll find ways to get them. It'll be best to make a deal with one of the magazines for a cover story and then send press releases to the rest; they won't bother us as much if we do that. Kind of the way we handled the wedding." Belle told him. Nick sighed.
"Alright, I suppose. Do you think they'll ever leave us alone?" Nick asked.
"In time. It's all too new right now, with the wedding and the Oscar and everything." Belle said.
"They're still waiting for you to come out and say that you've come to your senses and you're leaving me." Nick said.
"Well they can wait all they want. That's not happening." Belle said, and she wrapped her arms around Nick and kissed him. Her belly was pressed against Nick as they kissed, and they both suddenly gasped and pulled away from each other. "Did you feel that?" Belle asked.
"She kicked. Yes, I felt it, she kicked." Nick said excitedly, and he kissed Belle again, and they both felt another kick.
"I'm not sure if she's kicking because she likes us kissing or if she wants us to stop." Belle said as she laughed a bit.
"Not even born yet and we're already embarrassing her." Nick teased. He gave Belle one more quick kiss on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Belle replied. Nick put his arm around Belle as they walked out into the hallway together, both of them happier than they had ever been before.