Thanks to wiggles247, echofinley and lattelady for reviewing the last chapter. It's great to hear feedback and comments, it really helps me shape my writing and the fic's plot.

Everything was happening like she was living a nightmare; out of focus, out of control and beyond reality. Gold had presented her with an amazing gift. A second chance to talk to Jenni Jotting's, a second chance to have her book signed, a second chance at hope. But she was throwing it away. Fate had conspired against her.

She'd spent the morning at Charlie's flat above the coffee shop, because it was only a short walk to Gold's Card Factory. But, despite it only being around the corner, a storm managed to blow her umbrella inside out and dump a river-load of rain all over her smart clothes by the time she'd reached the street corner. Determined not to miss her chance and knowing that a good author would not be put off by a little (or a lot) of rain, she continued to fight her way against the howling wind. Regardless of her persistent optimism, the world wasn't finished with her yet.

As she tried to cross the road, she got her heel caught in the drain, trapping her to the spot. She blinked past the rain, which dripped from her hair, catching in her eyelashes as she tried to undo the fiddly shoe-buckle. She managed it eventually and put her foot down in a puddle, which soaked through her tights. Of course it did!

'Oh, come on,' she growled at the shoe, as she crouched in the gutter trying to free it from its cast-iron prison. She kept glancing up at the road, it would be fitting for an enormous lorry to drive past now and splash an oily puddle all over her. None came.

She didn't, however, intend to test fate any longer and yanked extra hard on the shoe. A few twists, grunts and internal curses later, it was free. Or at least the foot-part was. The heal, on the other hand, was still sticking out of the drain like Excalibur.

That wouldn't do. If someone fell on it, or a bicycle rode into it, it could hurt somebody. She'd wasted more time, bashing the heel down until it fell into the drain below. The distant plop of the heal from her favourite pair of shoes landing in sewage water was probably a pretty apt metaphor for her life. And here was the lorry to spread oily doom over her cream coat. She leapt out the way, but only just. A few black spots appeared on her already ruined tights.

By the time she reached the office, it was half past midday, and Mr Gold had been quite specific about being on time. Miss Jottings was a busy woman. She would certainly have left by now, but Belle went in anyway, knowing – if nothing else – she'd have to explain herself to Gold. She was just worrying about the watery footprints she was leaving on the tiled reception floor and dreaming up how to phrase the apology when Mr Gold appeared.

'What are you waiting down here?' he demanded. 'Did my receptionist not buzz you through?' he glared at the oblivious woman behind the reception and snapped: 'I told you that Miss French was to be let straight up.'

'Sorry, Mr Gold,' she breathed quickly. Belle felt compelled to stick up for her, but Mr Gold was already steering her to the lift and asking what had happened to her shoes.

'It's a long story,' Belle sighed. 'I'm really sorry that I missed Jenni Jottings. You must be angry after you did such a nice thing and….'

'Missed her?' Gold interrupted. 'You haven't missed her. She's waiting for you.'

Belle was stunned into silence and didn't recover until Gold had delivered her to his office and swung open the door. Sat behind Gold's desk, spinning a pen idly around in her fingers was Jenni Jottings.

'You're still here,' Belle breathed.

'Hmm.' The author didn't look too pleased about the situation. 'Mr Gold wouldn't let me leave.'

'Oh, he's….' but the compliment died on Belle's lips as she turned to find the man gone, and the door shut. Mr Gold had opted to give them some privacy. 'I'm so grateful to him for organising this,' Belle explained, pulling the book from her bag. She'd wrapped it in a carrier bag just to ensure it stayed dry. She was going to protect it with her life.

'Could you just sign inside the front cover?' she asked, sliding it across the desk towards Jenni. She ended up gushing, just like she had last time, about how wonderful Jenni's work was, how she found herself lost in the story and the words, and had developed a weird crush on the fictional, handsome stranger.

'I feel like its life imitating art,' Belle admitted headily. 'I had this boyfriend, and he was a bit… Well, he wasn't for me, you know.'

'We've all been there,' Jenni hummed, as she wrote her note. 'But you're with a new guy now?'

'Yes,' she nodded.

'Mr Gold?'

'No, no,' Belle laughed the notion away uneasily. 'He's not my boyfriend, he's more of a … Fairy God Father. He just keeps turning up to save the day.'

Jenni apologised quickly, but she didn't seem sorry as she explained: 'He seemed so invested in you having this book signed, I just assumed. So where is your handsome prince?'

'At home, his home,' Belle explained. 'He didn't want to come because of the rain.' She gestured awkwardly to the window. The raindrops were hammering against the glass, but only made a noise similar to rustling paper bags.

'Yes, you do look a little like you swam here.'

'My umbrella broke, but I'd have swum here if I'd had to,' Belle laughed, but quick found herself second guessing whether that sentiment was more creepy than sweet. 'Thank you … by the way,' she gabbled, before the words could gather too much attention. 'I really didn't think I'd get chance to have a book signed by you again.'

'Again? What happened to the first one?'

'My boyfriend threw it out.'

'The bad one?'

'No, the current one, the old one burned it first….' The words escaped her mouth before she could stop them and Belle realised that she sounded like one of those foolish girls in Romance books who can't see that the men around her are scum. It wasn't like that, though. Charlie was perfect, he'd just made a mistake. 'It must sound like I have terrible taste in men,' she giggle anxiously.

'I wouldn't worry about it, darling,' Jenni mused as she packed up her things into a large designer handbag and handed back the book. 'You seem to have a thoroughly wonderful taste in Fairy God Fathers.'

Belle didn't have chance to dwell on the comment, as that was the moment that Mr Gold decided to re-emerge and grumpily demand his office back.

'We're done,' Jenni nodded. 'It was a pleasure to meet you, Belle.' She held out her hand to shake it, which was when Belle had a thought:

'Do you think I could read the Valentines' verse you wrote? I bet it's wonderful.'

'The what?'

'Come on dearie, don't take up all my time,' Gold grumbled, swiftly taking Belle by the shoulders and steering her out of the office. He virtually dragged her to the lift, moving disturbingly quickly for a man with a limp and a cane.

Belle didn't even have chance to thank him before the lift doors were shutting and taking her back down to the real world. As she walked through the sizable reception readying herself for the oncoming storm, she opened the book and read the inscription:

'Dear Belle, Sometimes our greatest adventure is a love that's closer than you think. Follow your heart. Love, Jenni x'

Belle read the inscription, over and over. She'd asked for a repeat of "never give up on your dreams", but Jenni had given her something entirely new. Although Belle wanted to convince herself the message was a reference to the novel's storyline, she had a feeling that Jenni had two other characters in mind. And why hadn't she seemed to know about the Valentine's card? Come to think of it, how had Gold known so precisely when she'd arrived?

Perhaps he was magic? As though to prove the theory, the receptionist sidled up to Belle and gave her a bag containing a cheap plastic poncho.

'It's not much,' the woman said apologetically. 'But it's all I could find.'

'I don't….' Belle frowned, taking the item from her. It had the words "Emergency Poncho" scrawled across it.

'Mr Gold said your umbrella was broken. He told me to find you something for the rain.'

'He did?'

'Sorry it's not more,' she said. The phone started to ring and the receptionist scurried off to get it. Belle realised in that split second that she'd been wrong all those weeks ago when she'd confidently told Gold "I see you." She'd only seen a fraction of him then, but she saw all of him now. She really saw him, and she realised how much of a fool she'd been.

Sorry for any errors, I am editing at midnight so I'm probably editing mistakes "in" to the chapter instead of "out" of it.

Please leave comments and feedback, if you feel generous. If not, thank you for your silent support. ;) I love you all more than Rumpelstiltskin loves Belle (who is his true love, not bloody power!)