Nick collapsed at the sofa letting out a heavy sigh, a glass filled to the brim with scotch in his hand, a full bottle of the drink standing at the coffee table before him.

It's been quite a tough day for him…

After yesterday's absolutely pleasant day, he didn't think that today could go so badly and destroy his mood so greatly, but well, it had. Not only it was raining like hell almost entire day and his leg was killing him because of it, but he had a few customers who seemed to come just to piss him off, and there was Regina. No one pissed him more than Regina, and he spent almost an hour listening to her grumbling and complaining. It was raining like a bitch, so to a fucking hell couldn't they just stay in their homes?

But that wasn't even the worst. The worst was that today he was supposed to talk with his son, but the conversation lasted like a five minutes, because Bae was going to a friend's place. It stung Nick's heart strongly, and he had to fight back tears, so Bae didn't notice anything, but when they disconnected he let the sour tears drop.

Had he wasn't important for his boy anymore? He was growing up quickly and Nick knew that with passing years the talks with his dad will be becoming less and less priority for Bae, but he didn't think that the time came already. Bae did apologize and promised to contact him the next day, but it didn't help much the huge fear creeping at Nick's spine. He already lost so many years with his son, the conversations few times a month their only way of contact from years, and now he was even being deprived of that.

He felt angry and sad and distressed, and was planning to get drunk, so drunk that those feelings will subside and the fist tightening at his heart will loosen its painful grip. But of course, fate wasn't so kind.
Just as he was about to drink the third or maybe fourth glass, the doorbell rang loudly and he cursed no less loud. Who the hell was that? Can't these stupid people just leave him alone? The bell sounded again, and he put down the glass at the coffee table with a bang, some of the liquid pouring out.

Heavily raising at his feet, he grabbed his cane, walking angrily toward the front door. Whoever this bloody idiot was, he was gonna get rid of them, not in a nice manner at all of course, and then he will get back to drowning into his drinks, until he will forget everything, even his own name.

As he opened the door, ready to attack, there he saw a petite brunette, standing at his doorway with a small umbrella and smiling at him coyly. "Belle? What are you doing here?" the words came out harsher than he intended and her smile faded, a little frown between her brows.

"We haven't spoke all day, so I thought I would come by… Are you okay?"

He shook his head and took a deep breath. He was surely a picture of misery right now, his hair disheveled, shirt creased and half unbuttoned, his feet bare, and eyes probably red and puffy. And surely he smelled as bad as he looked.

Yes, it was definitely not a good time for visitors, not even if it was his lovely Belle. "I had a tough day… You should go back home, Belle."

"But…"

"Just go away, Belle!" he snarled, his voice raising a pitch and she opened her mouth in a silent shock, but didn't back away from him. His little, brave thing…

He tried to compose himself, and ran a hand through his hair. It wasn't her fault how he felt, and he shouldn't scream at her. He already felt a pang of guilt that he did.

"I am really not good company today, Belle… So just please, go back home." He looked at her pleadingly, hoping that she would go and when tomorrow he will come to her with flowers and apologizes, she will be forgiving.

Belle rocked at her heels for a second and he already saw with the eyes of imagination how she's turning and walking away. But it wasn't what she did. Instead she rushed forward, passing him with a confident step.

He glanced at her in disbelief, watching as she put the umbrella down at the corridor's floor and hung her waterproof coat at the hatstand. She then made few steps toward him, reaching behind him and closing the door, and then taking a hold of his left hand and leading him to the living room.

He just followed after her like a docile puppy, being too dumbstruck to do anything else or to say something.

As they walked in to the room, she shot a glare at the glass and bottle of scotch, and pushed him gently on the couch, his cane landing with a crack at the floor.

She knelt before him, and he wanted to question her what was she doing. He didn't have time however, as she swiftly took his right foot into her hands, rolling up leg trouser to the knee and then her fingers were kneading into the twisted skin of his aching ankle, forcing the tight knots to unravel.

How did she even know he was in pain? Oh, she was not only brave, but also perceptive, … and so caring... She could just leave, save herself his bad mood and grumbling, but she choose to stay and help. He didn't know what on earth he ever did to deserve that attention and affection from such a true goddess, but he couldn't be more grateful for it.

He would have to show her later just how grateful he was, but for now he could just lose himself in her gentle touch. He closed his eyes, head resting against the back of the couch, and let out a deep sigh. His body finally started to relax, a tiny bit at least, and the gradually fading pain of his ankle surely was helping in that.

Too soon her magical fingers left his skin and his eyes slowly opened, just to reveal her staring up and down disapprovingly and wrinkling her nose. "You stink from the alcohol and you look like a mess" she stated, standing up with her hands at her hips.

His brow furrowed and eyes squinted, as he knew she was right. But he told her to go. She could do just that, and then she wouldn't have to look at him in this pitiful state. He was just about to say that aloud, adding another thing to apologize for later, when two small hands grabbed his and tugged firmly.

He looked at her questioningly, but she only tugged harder, until he relented and stood up. He felt kinda lost when she gave him his cane and started to drag him after her in the direction of the only bathroom at the ground floor. No less he was lost when she turned on the tap, and as the hot water started to fill the bathtub, she searched through the shelves, taking out shampoo, soap and a sponge, and placing them at the edge of the bathtub. He just kept standing when she left him, watching in awe her every move as she rummaged through his bathroom as if it was her own.

Finally she seemed to have everything prepared, and after she turned off the tap, she approached him and kissed the tip of his nose, before drawing him a little closer to the bath. Her hands started to work at the bottoms of his shirt, and then finally he found his voice, only if to ask a stupid question. "What are you doing?"

She smiled up at him, his shirt falling open, and she pushed it off from his shoulders. "You are going to take a bath and I am going to help you with it, darling" she gave his nose a little playful flick, before dropping her hands to his belt. He gulped, his breath coming ragged as she started to pull his trousers open. Soon he stood completely naked before her, holding to his cane as if a life line.

His jaw dropped and breath hitched in his throat, as she unceremoniously slid down her brown sun dress and then quickly get rid of her underwear and kicked off her shoes.

He couldn't help his eyes from wandering along her beautiful body, savoring her every soft curve, and stopping for a moment to admire her lovely blush, staining now her entire cleavage, neck and cheeks. He felt his cock twitching, and locked eyes with hers. She wore an endearing little smile, and outstretched her hand to him. He swallowed heavily, leaning his cane against the wall, and carefully placing his hand in hers.

She sit in the bathtub first, and then helped him lower himself in, his back to her front. He immediately tried to turn around, but a gentle though firm press at his shoulders stopped him from it.

When he relented and didn't try to shift positions, her hands left his shoulders and he used the opportunity to turn slightly to the side to see what was she doing. There was a shampoo bottle in her hand, the one with the woody aroma, being actually his favorite, which made him smile.

She squeezed out some at her palm and looked at him expectantly. For a moment he didn't know what she wanted, and he blinked at her in confusion.

"Do you want me to wash your hair when it's dry?" she raised her eyebrow and chuckled when his face turned red at his own silliness.

He carefully eased himself to drench his hair, and when he sat straight again, her palms, wet and cold from the shampoo, dipped into his hair. He closed his eyes and titled his head back a little more, as she started to massage his scalp, her fingers making slow circling moves, fingernails scraping so very slightly.

He couldn't hold in a little moan when she tugged at his hair a little, and immediately he felt ashamed as his cock twitched again, being now half erect. It was not the purpose of this bath, he reminded himself, as he tried to direct his thoughts somewhere else than her touch.

"Will you tell me what had upset you so much today?" Her question brought a nice relieve to his lower body, but added an ache to his heart. For a few seconds he considered the answer. He didn't want to lie to her, but also didn't want to bother her with his problems and fears about his weakening bond with Bae. He would talk with her about it someday, but already he poured out his sour past before her yesterday, and it felt a little too early to be adding to it.

"Just a combination of terrible weather and an unpleasant Regina's visit, that's all" he said a little evasively, keeping the real reason of his distress to himself. She hummed, and he could just sense that she didn't believe him that that was all.

He was grateful when she didn't press the subject any further, instead rinsing his hair. Where there was no trace of the shampoo left in his hair, she gave his shoulder a sweet kiss, and reached for the soap and a sponge. She started to wash his back, and he almost laughed at her gentleness, as if his skin was a delicate silk.

A playful remark was at the tip of his tongue, but then her fingers brushed against his neck and he shivered, all words suddenly forgotten. Her hands leisurely slid down his chest, seeping their way down until they reached the tensed muscles of his stomach.

She rested her cheek at his shoulder, hands roaming back through his torso, and nails intentionally scratching at the sensitive places. In just a few minutes he was fully erect and panting in her arms, and now he was sure she didn't plan just an ordinary bath.

When she leaned back and her hands encouraged him to lay comfortably against her, he obeyed immediately. His head rested at her shoulder, eyes closed and hands laying at her bent knees, caressing them lightly.

Her breath ghosted over his ear, as she whispered, "You need to get some relaxation, Nick…" and her tongue licked at his earlobe, making him shudder.

Her hands run up his torso again, pinching his nipples, causing a pathetic whimpering sound, before they moved down, where one hand took a firm grip at the base of his engorged cock, second gently gripping his balls. He almost howled at the sudden burst of pleasure, his hips bucking and breath coming in a series of sharp pants.

He could feel her grinning against his skin. A little minx was his Belle… And oh how he loved her.

Her pace slow and touch was bliss, she massaged him, at the same time kissing every inch of the skin she could reach. He melted against her, stretching out in the big bathtub (and he never was more grateful for making that purchase than now), completely giving in to her magical touch, capable of vanishing all his dark thoughts and relaxing him no matter how completely unrelaxed he was just several minutes ago.

Faster than he would like, the slow pace became sweet torture and he started to thrust his hips faster, pleading her wordlessly to speed up. She nibbled at his earlobe, as her grip tightened and her hand started to move in shorter and faster moves, giving him a little twist when it reached the head, her second hand leaving his balls to twist his nipple.

A weak man he was, in a minute or less he stiffened and let out a long deep groan, as white bliss embraced him, and all he could do was lay limp in her soft arms, a vague note of little kisses landing at his neck and hands stroking soothingly his chest and stomach present somewhere at the back of his mind.

After some while, when his breath evened and his limbs stopped feeling like they were made from jelly, he titled his head to grab her lips and he kissed her with all the love he felt.

He sneaked an arm around her, turning them around and pulling her at his lap. Her hands tangled around his neck immediately, and he left her sweet lips to trail kisses down her neck. His hands brushed against her breasts and she moaned, wriggling against him. He played with her nipples for a while, taking them into his mouth to lick and gently nibble, until she was panting and pleading for more. When his hands finally slid down and cupped her, she snuggled into him, her arms squeezing him tightly, and she shamelessly started to grind against his palm.

He smiled at her bold naughtiness and kissed her mouth hotly, before burying two fingers deeply into her, his thumb finding her sensitive clit. She had to be very aroused, he mused, as only few strokes were enough to make her come apart for him, moaning and panting into his ear.

He eased her from her peak, rubbing her back gently, as she stayed still plastered against him, even after her breathing had returned to normal. He closed his eyes, his face hiding into her slightly damp hair, and he shifted a little until he was fully hugging her, his arms and legs all around her, and he started to rock them slightly forth and back. Lovely as it was, it couldn't help the water from becoming cold, and after a few blissful minutes, Belle started to shiver. He kissed her hair and reluctantly untangled her from him. "We should get out sweetheart, before you freeze out."

She smiled at him and gave a little kiss to his cheek, before standing and carefully walking out from tub. She offered him both her hands and he took them gratefully, holding on them tightly for support.

When he stood steadily at both feet on the bathroom tiles, Belle bent down to remove the plug from the tub, and he couldn't help but give her round butt a little smack.

"Hey!" She twirled around with a feigned offense, but a joyful gleam in her eyes betrayed her. He grinned at her, and produced a big fluffy towel from a towel hanger, wrapping her in it thoroughly and kissing her nose at the completion.

He himself put on a bathrobe. He leaned over the sink and squeezed out the water from his hair, then grabbed a towel and rubbed several times until his hair was fairly dry. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Belle watching him attentively the entire time, and he couldn't help a little smirk stretching at his mouth. He quickly combed his hair and drew Belle to him for a quick kiss, before they exited the bathroom, not bothering with putting on clothes.

They sat at the couch, both for a long moment being quiet, until it became unbearable for him and he just had to know. "Are you angry at me?"

She raised her head from where it rested at his shoulder to look at him, and he forced himself to not reverse his own eyes. One hand stroked his hair as she smiled at him sweetly, leaning her forehead against his.

"I'm not angry" she whispered, her breath ghosting over his mouth, and he swallowed.

"You should be. I was mean."

She drew away from him, her palms cupping his cheeks, stopping him from lowering his head in shame. "But you are sorry, aren't you?" He only managed a small nod, and she leaned closer again, the tips of their noses touching lightly.

"Then we should just forget about it." She drew his mouth to hers, before he had a chance to answer, and in a second he wholly forgot what protest he may have had. His arms embraced her and held her closely, when she broke the kiss and nestled against the crook of his neck.

"I'm hungry"

"Hm?"

She sighed into his neck, before pulling away. "We should order pizza" she looked around until she spotted the phone, and she swiftly made her way to it, dialing the number and placing an order before his still slightly misty mind could comprehend all this. It was still mostly stuck in the events in the bath, now that he knew she wasn't angry with him. He just blinked at her when she made her way back to the couch, tucking her legs underneath her, as she snuggled at his side.

By the time their food arrived, his mind cleared out coming back to the present, and when the doorbell rang, Nick raised, heading to the entrance door.

"Wait, I can do it!" Belle's immediate protest caught him, and he turned around with a smirk. "You are in a towel Belle" he pointed out and she squinted. "And you are in a bathrobe". He snickered at her remark. "I'm sure that the delivering boy will be much less impressed by my attire than he would have been seeing you half naked, darling". He smiled triumphantly at the won battle, turning around to finally open the door. He almost tripped, when his ears reached "Unless he's a gay" and her laugh followed.

He tied the bathrobe more tightly and opened the door feeling less secure than he should, observing with narrowed eyes every move of the delivery boy, especially paying attention at where his eyes looked and what was he doing with his hands. It was paranoid, he thought. And all Belle's fault. Why she had to make that stupid little remark?

He took the pizza box hurriedly, and placed a twenty in boy's hand, being careful to not touch him, and slammed the door in the next second, taking a deep breath. God, what was he doing? This wasn't Mr. Gold behavior. He glared at the door, and took a moment to compose himself. He couldn't after all let Belle see that her comment affected him.

He walked in to the living room, carrying the pizza box in one hand, and managing to keep an impassive face. From Belle's knowing smirk he knew he didn't fool her. He let out a little snigger, setting the box down at the coffee table and sinking at the couch next to Belle, giving her a playful poke at the nose. "I will make you pay for that someday, dearie".

She kissed his finger when he started to withdraw it. "I can't wait".

They both grinned at each other like two idiots.

After several seconds of this, he finally turned to the table and opened the box. Belle leaned a little closer, sniffing the wonderful aroma of various spices and ingredients, before pulling out one piece and taking a bite. He observed as she chewed with half closed eyes, making little purring sounds, a pleased smile at her face.

He suddenly felt hungry, but not for food, and so he forced his eyes to look somewhere else.

"Maybe we should watch TV?" he suggested, and got a little approving sound from her, as her mouth was too occupied to answer. He found the remote and turned on the television, switching through the channels, looking for something interesting, until a hand grabbed his wrist. "Move back one channel" He did and she looked at him happily. "I love this movie!"

She sat back comfortably, unceremoniously tucking his left arm behind her head to use it as a pillow, and fixing her eyes at the screen, her focus completely at it and at the piece of pizza she was eating.

He kissed her cheek, and reached for his own cut of pizza, focusing at the TV too. After a short moment, as a big furry beast with a horns appeared at the screen, emerging from the shadows, he recognized the movie instantly. 'Beauty and Beast', he recalled, remembering watching it once upon a time with his son. Bae teased him then that he resembled Beast in some aspects, and they had a huge pillow fight after that.

Nick smiled fondly at the memory and looked at Belle, wondering if she would have similar thoughts. He wouldn't start a pillow fight with her, but he could still tickle her mercilessly.

He couldn't stop himself from kissing her cheek once again, and she smiled, patting his hand at her shoulder.

He turned back to the screen, pulling Belle closer to him and resting his head against hers. It was really surprising how relaxed she made him feel, after this awful day... The drink wasn't needed after all.

: : . . . : :

Halfway through the movie she heard muffled snoring, warm breath tickling the skin at her neck. She titled her head to look at Nick, sleeping soundly with his head pillowed at her shoulder and face hidden in the crook of her neck.

She reached for the remote and turned the TV off with a smile. Gently she pushed Nick backwards, careful to not wake him, and when he was laying down, she stood and drew his legs up the couch as well. Then she removed her towel, opened his bathrobe and carefully she lied on him, mindful of not pressing against his bad ankle. She just very much liked that, to be pressed body against body with him, to feel his muscles under hers and the warm of his skin. It simply made her feel good and safe.

She hovered a little above him, looking at his peaceful handsome face. She couldn't resist planting several little kisses at his cheeks, and nose, and jaw, and she smiled with content when his arms hugged her and a little smile stretched at his mouth.

They were so inviting…

She leaned in, capturing his bottom lip between hers, and reveling in a wonderful feel of his lips, even if he still tasted of sharp scotch. After a moment she felt him stir, and he answered to the kiss, opening his mouth eagerly for her exploration.

When she eventually broke off the kiss, he slowly cracked his eyes open and took in their position. A little furrow appeared between his eyebrows, just for a second, before it was smoothed. "There's a blanket in the cabinet over there" he murmured in a voice husky from sleep, pointing a hand at one of the few cabinets in the room. She nodded and hurried to retrieve the blanket.

When she was back, he lied there as she left him, minus the bathrobe. She couldn't help the grin, as she snuggled back into his waiting arms, and pulled the warm blanket around them.

He kissed her forehead, muffling a yawn. "Have nice dreams, sweetheart".

"You too."

She rested her head against his heart, letting its steady beating lull her into the dream.

In the end, she was happy she didn't listen to him and decided to stay.