Chapter 28 Doing Her Best to Stand

'Hey, Belle' Cathy bit down on her index fingernail, her elbow resting on her other arm which was crossed along her middle. The other kids who had come for the weekly story reading had gone home for the day, but both she and the youngest boys had stayed behind. They had stayed so long that Belle had insisted Mrs. Smith should go ahead and take her lunch break and assured her that she would stamp her family's books. She didn't want to think about what John or Micheal were doing at the moment while Cathy had her at the front with their tiny stack of books.

Belle gave Cathy a small smile. As much as she felt sorry for her, she could never feel any real kindredness towards her, not any more after everything that had happened at Morris'.

'How are you, Cathy?' Belle managed.

'We are well.' Cathy brought down her fingers, enclosing her arm making both arms cross her middle. The smile was forced, and small. There was no independence for Cathy. It was not 'I am well' it was 'We are well' and no matter how upset Belle still was with Cathy, her heart still ached for her sister in law, and she felt sorry for her.

The fingers were only still for a moment before she was running her fingers up and down the strap of her purse. The purse was black, of course, it was functional, bland, just like everything else in Morris' house, and since Cathy belonged to it, she must also be so. She looked as if she wanted to say something, her mouth opened once then closed, then finally:

'You are engaged, congratulations.' Her smile, still forced, her finger lifted to point at the ring on Belle's finger for a moment before going back to slide up and down the strap again.

'Thank you, Roger and I are very happy together.' Belle bit her lower lip, then thought better of her own nervous habit and made herself stand a bit taller, pulling her chin up. David must have mentioned seeing her, and she hoped that the circumstances around him doing so were all good.

'Roger is the soldier, the soldier who…'

'Yes.' Belle stated, not really feeling up to hearing the way Cathy might finish the statement.

'I wanted to ask, that is Morris would like to extend the olive branch-to show there are no longer any ill feelings, to also use it as a way to congratulate you and invite you over for dinner this weekend. We would love it if you could come-would you?'

Belle felt her body tense, she felt the shaking, like it would when Morris was mentioned, begin to descend on her. She tried to breathe through it and not show any overblown emotion towards the invitation. Belle only had seconds to think on what she had requested, but even in those few seconds she was sure that there was no peace offering being extended. Morris had never apologized to her or any other family member for as far back as she could remember, and felt certain he was not doing it now. The temptation to see how David was doing was the only thing that made her say-

'Could we instead meet at the diner? I'm not going to act as if we both don't remember how things went the last time I was at your house.' (Morris would have pretended to forget, that was one of his tactics to make her feel as if she were perhaps going mad-'I don't remember saying that.' 'I don't think that happened quite the way you are remembering' 'That's not how it went')... 'and I don't feel comfortable coming back.'

'I thought you would be a more forgiving person than that, Belle.'

The sentence stung Belle, especially coming from meek Cathy. She gripped the front counter hard and tried not to make a face to show how the words struck her. To be called selfish and unforgiving were some of the harder accusations for her-with Morris she had become so used to the constant implication that she was selfish that it didn't sting quite so much as this time from someone who hardly said anything one way or another.

'I consider this being my way to show that I do forgive, Cathy. Morris made it clear that I was no longer welcome, so I'll abide by his orders in this. I'll be at the diner at noon, Saturday, you and the family may come if you like or don't come, it makes no difference to me-I will not be coming to your house. Thank you Cathy, I hope you have a nice day.' And she pushed the books towards her and indicated that the conversation was finished.

Belle deflated where she stood once Cathy went and found the boys and they left. She didn't know why Morris wanted to see her and she still didn't know why she allowed the words of her family to get to her. She wished Roger were with her (and not for the first time and not for even as important a reason). It would only be a few weeks-four-four and two days to be exact, she smile, thinking on the date they had decided on a few weeks ago, it would only be a few weeks more and she would be with him for richer, for poorer, for sickness and health, till death did they part.

She went over to the children's section, where they had finished their craft and began picking up any stray books to put them away.

Belle groaned as she realized what she was touching.

Gum.

Though she would again have no concrete evidence, and it wasn't like you could really ban people from a public library, she knew her nephews had been the troublesome instigators.

There was gum under the top part of each shelf in the children's section of the library. They had also rearranged the books in such a way as it took her a moment to realize, but they had gotten a whole section of books and put them in the opposite order she had them in before. She pulled back her shoulders and began to right the mess they had made.

The diner was busy that day-She had hoped it would be. She stood as high as she could, which wasn't very high, of course, and put her bravest face on, and began to scan for her brother and his wife, hoping that they had not come. She didn't feel like he would. A public place would mean that he would not be able to say what he liked without looking bad in front of others, he would be doing something outside of what he originally intended-therefore against his own wishes, and she imagined he would be forgoing his true scheme, whatever it was, for surely it would be something that had to happen at his home, for why else invite her?

Her heart dropped, for there in a booth too small for them to sit comfortably, was Morris ,Cathy, and-someone else. A tall man, if the way his shoulders were well above the back of the seat was any indication and it was on the side that she imagined was designated for her, since it was the only available spot at their table open.

Belle's face became hot, her body began to shake again and her fingers became sweaty. She grasped an empty chair to steady herself as she forced her body to make the correct amount of steps needed to reach them. She really wanted to turn and run the other direction. They had yet to catch sight of her yet, she didn't have to eat lunch with them, anyone would understand why she didn't want to see or talk to her brother again. She took a deep breath. She would not be cowed by her brother. This was a public place, he would never be so unreasonable in public, and this was the way she showed that she was no longer under his thumb. He could no longer have any sort of power over her. She would stand tall (not literally, but in every way but physically) and perhaps, perhaps if she could make it through this lunch with her head held high, she could get rid of the silly way her body would shake at the mention of his name. She needed to do this to prove to herself that she could do this.

'Ah, Belle.' Morris' spoke with forced cheerfulness, using his public persona, yet Belle could still catch hints that her very name left a horrid taste in his mouth. He smiled, which was more concerning than if he would have glared at her, as it looked so unnatural.

'Hello Morris, Cathy…' She looked over at the other side, the spot she was supposed to occupy next to the large man sitting there.

'This is Guy Gaston, owner of the plastics manufacturing plant in Eastport. This' motioning to Belle. 'Is my sister, Belle French.'

The man in question was already described as large, with dark eyes and hair that was also mostly dark, a stray gray here and there indicating that he was older than he looked at first glance, probably close to her brother's age since he hadn't been conscripted into the war. He smiled a very toothy smile and sent such a glance down Belle's person that made her feel as if bugs had just crawled up her back and she was tempted to bolt then and there. Instead she stiffened, shook the man's very large hand and sat in as small a space as she could possibly fit, on the very edge of the bench.

'It's so good to meet you, Miss French, Belle, if I may.' She would not be rude, but also did not want to smile and say that he may, instead she questioned him.

'You have come all the way to Storybrooke from Eastport, then? That's quite the trip.'

'I have meetings from time to time with certain investors, companies, manufacturers who might want to buy plastic. Your brother mentioned a lucrative deal a while back, an alliance we could make, but I just haven't had the time to get away for the past few months and finally got a chance to come. He told me about this young sister of his I had to meet, and I am so glad I did.'

The smile he continued to sport was oily, and made her put her left hand above her right on the table to showcase how little she wanted the attention of such a man.

The waitress came, and once she left, the man, Guy Gaston, continued to speak about his success in life, his house that was grand but needed a woman's touch, though at some point seemed to finally see her ring and how she had made it purposefully the focal point of her body, and he sent a very knowing look at Morris.

'Oh yes, Cathy and I congratulate you on your engagement.'

'Thank you.' Belle said, with no other emotion than neutrality to offer, the sentiment was not genuine from Morris, so she would not give him anything more.

'He is a soldier, or was I should say.' Morris said to Mr. Gaston as a way of explanation. 'Injured-what were his injuries? I cannot recall.'

The shaking that had been Belle's companion since entering the building went still at this new change in topic. Morris would have no good intentions, Belle would tread carefully.

'He gave his leg for his country.' She pulled her chin up and looked at Morris calmly.

The man beside her laughed.

'That's the daintiest way to say the man's lost a leg I ever heard.'

The joke was quite lost on Belle, who turned a good shade of red towards the horrible man and Morris only smiled thinly, so she wasn't so sure what he thought about either comment, then again, she had never been able to understand her brother. Cathy sat steadily chewing on her right hand thumbnail, which was half gone already, Belle hadn't a clue what exactly she was chewing on.

'I am worried about you, you know. What will there be for you to live on, Belle? Does this- disabled man have any way to support you, a future family?'

Belle's grasp on her water glass tightened and she had half a mind to throw it in Morris' face.

'You lost the ability to claim concern over my well-being a long time ago. I thought this was a family lunch for you to extend the proverbial olive branch, but instead I find that this is some sort of meeting with your associate here and an opportunity for you to put down Roger. I'll have none of it, Goodbye.'

Belle had no idea how her brother took this information, for her body had begun to shake again as she began her tirade and everything in her vision felt like one angry blur. She had stood and was about to leave when a great big, slimy hand grabbed hold of her arm.

'Don't leave just yet, not when I've come all this way to see you. Morris said…'

'Morris lied, now let me go.'

'Stop acting like a child, Belle, sit down and try to act like a proper adult for once.'

Morris came into her view and his face was all rage, though it was a public place, and his jab at her maturity would be all that he would offer at present.

Belle pulled out of the large man's grasp and marched off, not daring to answer lest she get caught in some sort of trap of Morris'.

She had only reached outside, the front of the diner, thankful that the din of the diner had drowned out the drama of what had just transpired, when she heard her name.

'Belle! Listen to me.'

She glared at her brother who stood so angry before her.

'I did this for you, you know.' He adopted his public persona again, the voice sounded softer than she remembered, though she would not be deceived.

'What did you do?' She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

'Showed you what you could have. What does that-soldier.' He motioned towards her ringed hand. 'Have to offer you? You've been spoiled and pampered your whole life. You know nothing of the hardships of life. Someone like Guy is rich, a man's man you know, and he's a bachelor ready to marry. Come inside, get to know him, just see the kind of man you could have if you wouldn't be so emotional and romantic about things. You would thank me later.'

Belle was flabbergasted, angry, gaping, so many other emotions that she couldn't think at the moment was going through her, each one replaced with another in the span of seconds. Finally she found her voice again.

'There are some things more important than money, not that you would understand that.' She tried to calm the shaking, she hated that it made her voice tremble. 'Roger is a hundred times the man that you and that, that other man are, put together. Someone that would rather his sister associate with or marry someone so that he can get some sort discount on plastic has no concept of family love, let alone any other kind.'

And she turned and hurriedly walked away hoping that she would never have to talk to Morris ever again.

She nearly ran back to Mrs. Mildred's, out of breath by the time she got there. Tears blinded her eyes and yet she scolded herself for having taken part in any of it. She hadn't expected Morris to come, she had certainly not expected for him to try to make her 'see the light' and think she would be alright with just dropping Roger upon seconds of meeting his associate because he didn't make near as much money as this other man did, helping him get ahead in business at the expense of everything she held dear-he was a man long gone, long taken by his own illusion of his character, unable to see that others could see his flaws so clearly.

Belle felt as if she stumbled into the house, upsetting a cat even so good natured as Wendy in her wake.

'Belle!' Mrs. Mildred was fluffing two overstuffed pillows, with a duster tucked under her arm and sending cat hair flying into the other parts of the house. 'Why you look like you could drop where you stand!'

The genuine warmth behind the rather comical picture Belle was being presented made her cry again, unfortunately.

'Come, come, dear, sit on the chair there-Not you Tootles, off with you! And I'll fix us some tea, huh? Everything feels better after a nice cup of tea.'

Belle had nodded her head at some point and Mrs. Mildred hummed as she went to put the kettle on.

'Oh, and you'll feel even better when you see these!' She came back bearing two envelopes, which did help, just knowing they were there, in her hand. One from Ruby and one from her beloved Roger.

'Now, Tell me everything. Who has done such a monstrous thing as make a sweet little thing like you, weep like that.'

And Belle told her. They were not landlady and tennant, they were friends, sharing over a cup of tea.

Author's Note:

History Stuff: Gaston's plastics company is based off a very large company in Eastport Maine. Plastics became very popular in the 1940s and became a part of a lot of daily life. Guy became most popular in the 50s, but was still in the top 200-300 names in the earlier parts of the century. It's also a french name, which I thought was appropriate to go along with Gaston :) Story Stuff: 'My what a guy, Gaston!' get it? get what I did there? hehehe This is another instance where I based Morris' reactions on my uncle. He basically told me my boyfriend, now husband, must have some moral flaws (to put it lightly) to want to be with me... all the while introducing and showing me guys HE thought were appropriate. Basically, dating anyone other than who he wanted for me made him decide that it would be a good thing to put me down and make me feel inches tall. He always would end his lectures and 'advice' to me by saying 'You'll thank me later'. I hope it didn't feel too far fetched for what I wrote to happen. I always had this image in my mind of confronting my uncle and basically giving him a piece of my mind, standing up to him and perhaps ridding myself of the 'shakes' I will still occasionally get (over a decade later) when he is brought up. I tried to make this all as realistic as possible-hopefully I did :) And Ruby! and Jeffries! They will get addressed in the next chapter with an update. I apologize for not doing it sooner. This chapter, especially, got away from me and I did not get to all the things I wanted to. I HAVE already typed up part of the next chapter, and I can assure you that an update will happen :) The whole plastics situation put me in mind of Sabrina, with Audrey Hepburn, and made me want to watch it again, lol Let me know what you think! Thank you so much for reading! I am so happy that last chapter was so well received.