Anonymousnerdgirl said:
Belle and Arthur find the spot they got lost looking for and they have a moment- which is promptly interrupted by Bae.
Woodlf68 said:
Adoption!verse prompt: Arthur spots a hidden fawn & fetches Bae to see it. Bae worries it's abandoned, but Arthur assures him the mother deer will come back, & they settle down to watch with their telescope. When the mom returns, Arthur draws a parallel, saying they'll never leave him either.
"So this is the infamous spot, huh?" Belle said as they reached the clearing at the top of the hill he'd taken them to. "I have to say, I can see why you wanted to come here."
Gold looked around happily – coming back in daylight had been a good idea (and so had bringing a phone to use as a GPS, but he wasn't about to admit that out loud). They had brought a picnic and were going to stay to watch for stars. Storybrooke was hardly a bustling city, but there was still light pollution, and this was the last night of their vacation. Gold wanted to make sure that his son had this final memory to cherish. This clearing was towards the top of a hill, and far away from the road and other cabins. At night, you could see the Milky Way. He was itching to show this to them, because he doubted that either had ever seen anything like it before in their lives.
"Hey Mom?" Bae's voice broke into his thoughts. "I'm gonna go look around, okay?"
Belle glanced over to Gold quickly before replying to her son.
"That's fine," she said. "Just make sure you stay where you can see us."
Bae nodded and began making a tour of the perimeter of the area.
"Alone again," she said once Bae was out of earshot. "That child spends more time wandering by himself I swear."
Gold had noticed that as well, but hadn't seen anything odd in it. A thought occurred to him, then.
"Does he not usually spend time by himself?"
"He's ten," she said with a shrug. "He's been through a lot of phases. Sometimes he wants me there all the time and I can barely shut the door to pee and sometimes he wouldn't notice if I took a week long road trip as long as I had pizza delivered while I was gone."
"I'm sure he'd notice," Gold replied. "But if you had pizza delivered nightly I can see how he might not care."
She shot him a look and playfully slapped his arm, but didn't say anything. Instead, she just took out the blanket they'd brought for their picnic and began spreading it out on the grass, carefully straightening the corners and weighing them down with small stones. He watched her, because he couldn't really move as easily as she did and he knew if he tried to help she'd just shoo him away. Besides, he had a lot to think about. Belle seemed surprised at how often Bae wandered off and left them alone. Gold had always assumed that he was just an independent child, but then she hadn't been present for the conversation at the beach when Bae asked if they were dating. He had his suspicions.
"Are you going to sit or just stand there staring at Bae all day?" Belle said from where she was now seated on the blanket.
He lowered himself to the blanket, careful of his leg as he went. Belle had gotten herself a glass of ice tea from a large thermos and offered him one of his own as they both watched their shared son meandering through the clearing, hitting tall grass with a stick and occasionally glancing around at various forest noises.
"Thank you for taking us here," she said softly. "We usually wouldn't get to do something this big."
"You don't have to thank me," he reminded her. "I wouldn't have done any of it without you two, either."
"Still," she continued, weaving her arm through his and squeezing for a second. "Thank you."
He didn't know what to say. She was still thanking him for something he wanted her to take for granted that he would do. There was nothing either Belle or Bae could ever want that he wouldn't try to provide.
This was their second picnic, he realized. He doubted he'd been on more than two picnics before meeting Bae and Belle, and yet this was his second one in as many months. He felt a strange sense of calm at that realization, though. Life with these two was wholesome in a way he'd never experienced before. It was as though he was cleansed by their presence, a lifetime of selfishness washed away in a handful of months.
And, of course, he loved them so much he could hardly stand it. Being with either was like coming home, being with both was like waking up in a fairy tale just in time for the happily ever after. Being in love with Belle had actually added a whole new dimension to his happiness. The confusion was gone, and all he had left was a strange sense of relief. He could have it all – she hadn't dated in ten years, aside from the one he'd watched Bae for, and she didn't seem to feel the loss, either. He had no particular need for romantic affection that couldn't be fulfilled by the gentle touches and cheek kisses he already received from her. He could do this, he decided. He could be there whenever she needed him without question, and he'd be there for Bae regardless. They could be a family in every way but name.
He was dangerously close to blurting this new truth out to her when Bae thankfully interrupted his father before he made a fool of himself.
"Mom! Dad!" he shouted as he ran over to them from the forest's edge. "I found an abandoned baby deer!"
"What do you mean?" Belle asked, standing up and offering Gold her hand.
"I found a deer," Bae explained as his mother helped his father up. "But it was all alone. I think it's mom left it. Or maybe she died."
"Bae," Gold replied with a smile. "The mother probably left it there while she went to get food."
Belle nodded in agreement, but Bae still looked unconvinced.
"Where is it?" she asked him comfortingly.
"Back over there in the forest," Bae said, pointing to where he'd been.
"Tell you what," Gold said, glancing down to where Bae had indicated. "Why don't we have dinner, and then afterward we can go back and check on the fawn and see if it's mom hasn't come back for it by then."
Bae still seemed unsure, but his mother was nodding in agreement with his father and rubbing Bae's back and the boy seemed a little reassured by their confidence.
"Why can't we stay with it to protect it?" he asked.
"If we stay," Belle explained. "Then the mom won't come back. She'll be afraid if she shows us where her baby is we'll hurt it, so she'll stay away until she thinks it's safe for them both."
This seemed to placate him a little, and he settled with them to eat. He remained agitated, though, despite his parents' cheerful conversation. Belle had raised a sweet child, and it almost broke Gold's heart how beautiful that was. Finally, sandwiches were consumed, various other bits had been added (mostly to clean out the pantry, since it was the last day of the trip) and dessert had gone a long way towards soothing Bae's worry. Still, though, no sooner had they finished their meal than Bae was springing back to his feet.
"Let's go check on the baby deer," he insisted, grabbing his dad's arm and pulling him a little.
Once everyone was standing, Bae led them back to where he had found the fawn. Sure enough, the baby was gone.
"See, Bae?" Belle said. "Parents don't leave their babies."
"Your mom's right," Gold added. "That's what being a parent is, after all."
Bae seemed comforted by this new piece of information, as well as having two parents to reassure him. They returned to the clearing as the sun was setting, and sat around talking and laughing as they waited for the stars to come out. They shared favorite memories of the trip, and discussed plans for the rest of the summer. Bae was looking forward to starting day camp, and Belle was looking forward to school starting up again – Gold was just happy to be included. They discussed what sports Bae was planning to start in the coming year, and Gold convinced both that maybe he should attend soccer camp next year. Bae was slightly more interested than Belle was, but she was a good sport about it as always.
Finally, he heard Belle gasp and glanced up.
"Whoa," Bae mumbled reverently.
The sky above them was clear and beautiful, shades of purple visible between the sparkling white of the stars and the inky black night. Occasionally, a shooting star would cut across the sky and one of the three would whisper a wish into the evening, but by and large they were silent from then on with only Belle occasionally breaking the silence by pointing out constellations and mythological tidbits to her son. Eventually, all three were reclining on the blanket with Bae in the middle. Gold indulged himself in the occasional glance to his son and the even less frequent glance to Belle – a part of him wished he could reach across the blanket and take Belle's hand in his, but he knew that would be a step too far. Still, though, they were both the most beautiful things he'd ever seen in his life, and on the next star he sent up the silent prayer that this moment could last forever.