Wow, so much feedback for that last chapter! And that little cliffhanger from last time will be dealt with . . . eventually. BTW, I am changing the rating for this story to 'T'. I just think it should be that and not K+.

I do not own 'Once Upon a Time.'

Chapter 9

Belle spent her entire day off engrossed in reading; the library that Gold gave her contained more books than she could possibly read in a lifetime, and she was determined to devour as many of them as possible. She spent her day in the living room reading, since he said she could use the room as long as he wasn't in there.

Belle poured through three books by the time it was nearing 6:30, not even stopping for lunch. When she finally started to get hungry, she went into the kitchen to make herself a quick dinner. She took her plate out to the dining room; Gold was at the table, enjoying his dinner.

"May I join you?" Belle asked.

"Please." Gold replied, and Belle sat down next to him. She glanced at his plate.

"That stuff again?" Belle asked.

"Yes. It is Tuesday." Gold replied.

"What is that with it?" Belle asked.

"Neeps and tatties." Gold replied. Belle gave him a look of puzzlement. "It's Scottish for turnips and potatoes."

"Then why don't you just say turnips and potatoes?" Belle asked.

"Would you prefer I start using some slang that you would better comprehend? Perhaps a phrase from Down Under, such as, 'Belle can be quite annoying with her constant earbashing.'" Gold teased.

"I am not always talking!" Belle said, offended.

"How about we make a deal, just to prove my point? Tomorrow – you can't say one word to me. An entire day without any chatter from you." Gold said.

"And what do I get from this deal?" Belle asked. Gold thought about it for a moment.

"I will answer, truthfully, one question that falls under one of the three categories that you were told you can't ask about." Gold said. Belle pondered the idea for a moment.

"Alright. Deal." Belle said.

"There's more than just that. That's what you get if you manage to last the entire day. If you don't – then you tell me the most embarrassing thing that occurred the evening of my – indiscretion." Gold said.

"Me holding you over the toilet while you vomited wasn't bad enough?" Belle asked.

"Unfortunately, my dear, you aren't the first person to do that. So no." Gold said. "And I know there was something else that you're not telling me. So – do we have a deal?"

"Yes. We have a deal." Belle replied.

"Well then. I'll look forward to seeing – and not hearing – you tomorrow." Gold said.

The next morning, Gold was waiting at the breakfast table when Belle entered the room. "Good morning, Belle." Gold said. "Oh, that's right – you can't say anything today. Too bad – I feel, um – extra talkative this morning." Belle set his plate down in front of him and turned to leave. "Going somewhere? I was hoping you'd join me this morning, I'm starting to enjoy your company." Belle sighed as she went back into the kitchen. Just to prove he wasn't bothering her, she made herself a plate and sat down with him. "You forgot my coffee." he said. Belle smirked at him, went into the kitchen, got his coffee, poured it for him, then sat back down. "So – I noticed the books you were reading yesterday. You're a mystery fan, are you? I enjoy them myself. I'm not that avid of a reader, at least not as much as you, but – that's always been my favorite genre." Belle looked up at him and smiled, then went back to eating her breakfast. "You know – I've been meaning to tell you that I haven't been all that satisfied with the way you've been ironing and folding my bedding; it's too wrinkled. Perhaps I should watch over your work today – you know, supervise, make sure you're doing it right, Mrs. Potts was very particular with what she did. In fact – I really don't have much going on today, I could actually help you with the laundry if you'd like. Would you like my help? Oh, that's right, you can't tell me, so I'm going to assume that yes, you do. We'll finally see once and for all what you've been doing right and wrong." Belle shot him a glare, then picked up her dish and stomped angrily out of the room. Gold smiled to himself. She was definitely going to crack – there was no way she'd be able to put up with this all day without saying something. It was driving him mad not knowing what had happened that night, and if this was the only way to find out – then so be it.

Gold continued pestering Belle throughout the entire day. He followed her as she did her work, critiqued everything she did, and Belle held her tongue the entire time. Gold was impressed – he was certain she'd have cracked by lunchtime if not sooner. What if she didn't? Then he'd have to come up with another way to get this bloody woman to talk. He kept at it, becoming more and more annoying as the day progressed. But Belle didn't give in. She didn't say one word to him.

The next morning, Gold sat nervously at the breakfast table, awaiting the inevitable. She had won. He lost. He wasn't happy about that, but at the same time he was fascinated by her ability to remain steadfast the entire day. Then again – he was fascinated by everything about her. And this little challenge only made that fact all the more true.

Belle entered the dining room with a pot of coffee, and she poured some into his cup and set the coffee pot down onto the table. "I'm assuming my breakfast is coming then." He looked down at his watch. "It's 7:34; you're late." Gold said to her. Belle ignored his comment and went back into the kitchen, then came out with his plate and set it down in front of him. She stood and watched him with her arms crossed as he ate. After several minutes, he looked up at her. "Alright – you've earned your question. Let's get it over with." Gold said. Belle didn't say a word; she just kept staring at him. "I'm waiting." he said.

"Why are you such a jackass?" Belle asked, her arms still crossed.

"Well, that's not the question that I expected but – alright. Yes. I'm a jackass. Always have been, always will be. I wish I could tell you why, but – I'm not really sure. Perhaps I was simply born that way."

"No you weren't. You can be nice - when it suits you. You were deliberately rude and annoying yesterday and the only reason was that you wanted to break me. You were actively trying to break me, it was almost as if you've done the same without effort, hundreds of times. You have, haven't you? You work for them – with Miss Swan, with the FBI." Belle said.

"You've already had your question answered. I have things to do." Gold said. He stood up and turned to leave. Belle grabbed his arm.

"Don't you walk away from me, Ian." Belle said, and Gold turned around. "You want to know what you did so badly that night? What was so embarrassing? Fine." Belle moved close to him and planted a kiss on his lips as Gold stood stoic. "You did THAT. You told me I was pretty. Then beautiful. And you told me that you couldn't have me because you'd only end up hurting me. And you may not remember that you did that and you said that, but that doesn't mean that you don't feel it, because I know you do. And you know what, Ian? So do I. I think you're very handsome. On the days that you're choosing to actually be a decent human being, all I want to do is be with you. And there is so much I want to know about you. I've told you that you can let me in, but you won't. I didn't want to tell you because I was hoping you'd actually admit your feelings in time, but no. You'd rather just play games and be kind and sweet and give me a library one day and then act like a bloody jackass the next day. I'm not some criminal that you're trying to break, Ian. I'm here because I have to be. I didn't ask for the feelings I have any more than you did but there they are. So you need to make a choice – are you going to deal with them? Or are you going to be a coward and run away from them?" Belle asked. Gold stared at her, not saying a word. Then he turned and left the room. Belle sighed, fighting back tears.

Belle took Gold's lunch to his office that day, but he was not there. He didn't instruct her that he was going to be elsewhere, but the only other place she presumed he would be was in his study. She hoped he wasn't drinking again. She hadn't heard anything crashing though, so she assumed this wasn't the case.

Belle headed upstairs and sure enough, he was in his study. He was at his spinning wheel. Belle set the tray down on the coffee table. "You weren't in your office; thought you might be here." Belle said. Gold didn't look up or say anything. Belle was about to leave, but turned around and walked toward him instead. "I'm sorry, Ian." Belle said, putting her hand on his shoulder. Gold stopped spinning. "I just couldn't hold it in any longer. I'm sorry." Gold looked down, ignoring her. She could feel him trembling. Belle sat down in front of him on the stool attached to his spinning wheel. She put her hand on his leg. "Ian, please talk to me. We can't go on like this. Not anymore. At least I can't." Belle moved toward him, and he did the same. They inched their lips close to one another and then they kissed. It was a soft, gentle, loving kiss. Gold was trembling when Belle pulled away from him. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Ian. I promise." Belle said, and she left the room.

Gold wasn't in the dining room at 6:30 for his dinner. Belle waited for him. And he never came into the dining room. Frustrated, Belle went looking for him. She saw the light on in the living room and peeked inside. Gold was sitting on the sofa, staring at the fireplace as it crackled in front of him. Belle entered the room and sat down next to him. "Your dinner's getting cold." Belle said.

"Not hungry." Gold whispered. Belle moved close to him and put her hand on his knee.

"Go away, Belle. I don't want to talk right now." Gold said, and Belle pulled away. She got up and left the room.

The next day, there was an awkward silence between them the entire morning. Neither of them said a word or even looked at one another. Each of them went about their day in silence. Late in the afternoon, the doorbell rang. Gold went to answer, and Emma quickly pushed her way inside. "Where is she?" Emma asked.

"Probably in the kitchen." Gold replied. Emma grabbed his arm and dragged him into the living room. "Miss Swan, what are you -"

"Shhh." Emma said, and she began to search the room diligently. When she looked under the coffee table, and grabbed something that was under it. She pulled it out and showed it to Gold. It was a bug. Emma threw it on the floor and crushed it. "Hopper." Emma said. Gold's eyes widened.

"What?" Gold said.

"There was suspicious activity in his bank account." Emma said. Gold began to fume.

"You told me he had clearance. You ran a full, comprehensive check on him!" Gold shouted, his voice rising.

"Keep your voice down!" Emma said quietly. "And I did. Something must have come up since. Someone got to him."

"I just think you're getting sloppy. Maybe you're a bit too close to this case." Gold said.

"Like you're not." Emma retorted. "Nolan's coming in with a crew to sweep the rest of the house, they'll be here in ten minutes. I'll keep her occupied while they do that. I'll meet you at ten tomorrow upstairs; I'm gonna start looking for another place for her to go."

"What do you mean, another place?" Gold asked.

"Well she can't stay here now. The situation's been compromised, it's not safe. You want me to tell her? Or do you want to do it?" Emma asked. A pained look came across Gold's face. "Oh for god's sake, Gold – something happened between you two, didn't it? Well make it un-happen. Maybe with her out of the house you'll actually get your crap together and be on the ball."

"I'm not the one who hired Hopper." Gold said.

"He was cleared. Like I said – someone got to him. You didn't pick up on any of that? From any of his questions? You're slipping – she's distracting you." Emma said. "It may take a week or so to get another setup for her – in the meantime I'm beefing up security here and you need to start thinking with your brain instead of your -"

"That's enough, Miss Swan." Gold said. "And don't worry about things with my maid – I'll take care of it."

"Yeah, you better." Emma said.

"You're in no position to be giving orders, Miss Swan. Remember who's in charge here." Gold said.

"Then start acting like it." Emma said, and she stormed out of the room.

That evening, Gold ate his dinner quietly. Belle remained silent around him until she could keep quiet no longer. "I had a nice talk with Emma today." Belle said. "She's going to get me some more clothes." Gold didn't respond to her. Belle sat down at the table. "Ian – I think we need to talk about this. About – yesterday." Gold finished his tea and set the cup down – it was the chipped cup that he had used every day since Belle dropped it. Gold stood up and Belle did the same.

"That will be all." Gold said. "I'll clean up."

"Ian – please. Just talk to me." Belle said.

"You're fired, Miss Woods." Gold said. Belle looked at him in shock.

"I'm – I'm what?" Belle asked angrily. "You can't fire me, I don't even technically work for you, this so-called job is just a ruse that I've agreed to go along with."

"I don't need you anymore, dearie. I've asked Miss Swan to have you transferred elsewhere, and she is looking for another safe place for you. Until then, you are to remain in your quarters. You can use the kitchen an hour after I have finished my meals, and the rest of the house is off-limits to you. Miss Swan will be here to escort you to your new residence once it is acquired." Gold said. He turned to leave. Belle walked up behind him and grabbed him, forcing him to turn around.

"You look at me and tell me that kiss meant nothing to you." Belle said. Gold stared directly at her.

"It meant nothing." Gold said, gritting his teeth.

"You're lying. You were freeing yourself from whatever has cursed you to this existence for the past two decades. I know you love me, Ian." Belle said.

"That's a lie." Gold said, looking down. Belle moved closer to him, getting in his face.

"You could have had happiness if you'd just believed that someone could want you." Belle said.

"You're a coward, Ian. You've made your choice. And you're going to regret it. Because all you'll have now, is an empty heart, and a chipped cup." Gold stood stoic as Belle turned and left the room. Gold waited a few moments after she had gone, and he picked the teacup up and went up the stairs. He entered his study and sat down on the sofa, the cup in his hand. He looked at it for several minutes, then began to sob for nearly ten minutes. He then took a deep breath and set the cup down. Gold stood up and walked over to the painting that his stash of liquor was hidden behind. He pulled the painting back, reached for a bottle, opened it, and took a long drink.