Chapter 36 A Good Man

The dense trees that lined the road spread out their colors in vibrant fashion before them. Roger tried to reign in his nerves by breathing deeply.

'Are you alright?' Belle looked over at him worriedly.

'Aye.' He nodded his head and tried to convince himself that the words were true. He would never get used to social encounters. Business was one thing-he could forget for a minute that it was actually people he was addressing, and see it as one in a series of steps that needed to be taken to achieve the end goal…which was to win each case. The moment he allowed a more emotional approach would be the day he would be too nervous to do his job, so he tried to keep them as minimal as possible. Even then, after seven years in a criminal law firm, he had decided that for his own career, he would rather do things as behind the scenes as possible.

That was why, when he finished getting his law degree at the record time of 6 years (faster than most, he was rather surprised to find out) he had settled on becoming a general lawyer only. There was another reason he had chosen to do so. Storybrooke. Storybrooke was Belle's home and always would be. He could see it in Belle's eyes every time it was time to go back to Portland, and though she never complained, it had not been a year into their marriage before he decided that when he finished school, that Storybrooke would be where they settled.

After acquiring Mr. French's home, Belle had set up her friend, Leroy to set the house to rights. Belle had explained Mr. Dunn's difficult life, the struggles he had during the economic turmoil of the 30s and his continued struggle to make ends meet, despite his work ethic. True to what Belle had said, Mr. Dunn had worked well and efficiently, and they paid him out of what they had saved from selling some of his 'treasures' as Belle called them and as he surveyed a job well done, and Mr. Dunn's sincerity throughout, gave him another idea when the time came.

Belle had made the difficult decision to prepare the house to be leased again, just this time with him working up an efficient contract to be given to someone that had good referrals and seemed a little less destructive than the tenants before. Leroy was then put as the contact, as the in-between person while they were in Portland, so they wouldn't have to worry about being so far away from the property. They would pay him out of the money that was given for rent and it would help Mr. Dunn at the same. He had never seen Mr. Dunn smile, really, not until they had explained things and he realized the boost in revenue they were offering. He had been professional, yet a bit gruff with Roger, but he had a smile and a thanks for Belle. Belle's kindness was universal, it seemed, which made him rather glad that though she was kind to all, she had chosen him. Though he lived to be a hundred, he would never understand it, but he would always be grateful for it.

'Mmm' Belle looked at him, all soft eyes and unconvinced, this was not surprising, he had yet convinced himself. Nerves were still a stifling simmer beneath his chest.

'Mrs. Cassidy-she's done all this out of some sor' of emotional obligation, I fear, and our visit will dissolve into awkward silence once it's discovered that she probably would have rather us not come at all.'

Belle gave him a look. A look that told him he was being ridiculous again, but she was too kind to call him out on it. Instead, she raised up in her seat and gave him a peck on the cheek, one that said she was putting up with his foolishness and her eyes danced a little.

'That's what you have me for.' She said in teasing optimism, the surest way of getting him out of the dismal thoughts he could have sometimes. 'And little Bae, of course. Children are the greatest icebreakers that exist!'

Roger gave her a genuine smile, something he couldn't help but have when he thought of the assurance of Belle's support by his side, and, of course, little Bae.

He turned, only so slightly, for he would not do anything to jeopardize them on the road, to see the curly haired, brown eyed child-their miracle, fast asleep on the leather seat behind him. Five year old Barry Cassidy Gold came a couple of years after their marriage, and had remained the only child they seemed to be able to have. He had seen the wistful looks as Belle had watched little Bae play with other children, the sad gleam when someone handed their newborn for her to hold at church. She loved little Barry with all her heart, but the desire to see other mini Golds fill up their now large house was quite strong. He hated that she had not a little girl to be a mirrored beauty to follow her around, or another son to be Bae's playmate, but he felt helpless all the same.

Helplessness and Uselessness was not an uncommon feeling for him, at least not at first. He had dealt with such feelings the first time there was a church picnic and little Barry had looked at the other fathers participating in three legged races, or simply running about, chasing their children. Belle had seen it too, held him close to her when he had gotten back home and wept on her shoulder. She had made him look at her, told him on no uncertain terms that he understood that he provided everything needed and more for Barry-that Bae could not boast a better father were he to compare him to all the other ones combined. He still mourned the inability to be a complete father to Barry, but Belle's love, and Bae's big brown eyes that looked at him as if he might really do anything, helped him through it.

'Papa?' as if he could hear them talking about him, Bae rubbed his eyes and sleepily glanced out the window.

'Mmmm?' Roger answered, though he had a good idea what his question would be.

'Are we almost there?'

Roger smiled-he had been correct in his prediction, Belle smiled towards him with a knowing smile. Tell a child that they were close-that in the scheme of five or six hours, an hour to get there is rather closer than not, but to make him understand that…

'We've got an hour yet, Bae.' Was the answer he settled upon.

'Oh.' There was a bit of silence, Roger also waited for the next question he was sure of asking. 'And how long is that, Papa?'

Belle stifled a giggle, her eyes laughing, even if she had managed to stay quiet.

'Do ye know when we pick up yer uncle Jeffries or Auntie Ruby and Uncle Archie from the airport?'

'Yes?'

'About that long left'

'Oh.' he could hear little Barry's disappointment.

'That just means that there is plenty of time for me to read some of these books I brought for you!' Belle piped up, and saved the moment-like she normally did. Roger settled back into his thoughts as the sweet voice of his wife began to tell stories of knights and dragons to their very imaginative child.

He rather wished they were picking up Jeffries to spend holidays with them, or that Ruby and Archie had come for one of their short visits. Jeffries had sent them a very optimistic letter in September of '45 telling them what they had already heard, that an operation had commenced to bring them all home by the end of that year and would they save a bit of their Christmas turkey to share with him? Ruby had sent a similarly optimistic letter, that things were looking as if she and Archie might get married before the year was out, and would Belle be her matron of honor?

The whole 'Home Alive by '45' was not the most accurate of descriptions for the operation, for Ruby would not see Storybrook until February of '46, and Jeffries did not enter the US until the following month. By that point Belle was several months along with little Barry and was too sick to be so involved in Ruby's wedding. She did attend and Ruby decided that she had waited long enough and so Granny's vision for a decked out church wedding was dashed only a little. In the end there were her close friends and family, and since in the end she walked out married to Archie-ready to go and change the world for the better, Granny had to bow out gracefully and acknowledge her granddaughter's happiness despite the less than traditional way Ruby decided to go about things. Then again, it ought not to have been a surprise, for all of the descriptions Belle gave, and then once he had met the impetuous girl, he wondered that Granny ever held hope for a smidgen of traditionalism at all.

'And to think you thought we were going to have a line of Baeus and break all their hearts when I came back from the war! How very boring we have become!' Ruby had laughed once they were all together, nudging Belle on the arm, much to Roger's chagrin, as Belle's equilibrium was entirely off kilter, which was no good at all since on a good day it seemed a little askew.

Belle managed to keep her balance, and her lunch, thankfully, and shook her head and said, 'If I remember correctly, that was you who said that.' They both laughed and began talking of all the days gone by.

Finally it came to the part that Belle was not overly fond of speaking of, but with everything else being touched upon, the subject was bound to come up.

'And so Morris is in jail! I always knew the guy was a rat, but I didn't realize just how dirty a rat…'

Belle's face went down a few notches, no longer a picture of laughter and levity. Roger's heart ached for her. It had been such a difficult couple of months as everything came to light-no matter that David had been old enough and his parents not care enough, to go to Mildred and stay with her, and his monster of two younger brothers had been so very cruel to Belle, she still cried and wondered what would become of her sister-in-law and nephews.

'Seems like it only took a little push in the right direction for everything Morris built to come tumbling down. It hadnae been enough for him to bribe the guys who did the inspections, but he had to get involved in so many illegal activities it seemed like it was just a ma'er of time before he was found out. We just helped it to be sooner rather than later. He'll be out before the end o' this year but he'll no be getting into Belle's plant any time soon.'

'Not mine, really.' Belle said softly.

Oh yes, Belle had begrudgingly taken it on, but only with the desire to help train David to run the place once he got old enough. Her body could hardly allow her to handle day to day tasks, and she had a grand plan of filling up a home with little Golds (and at that time, the hope was still high). Her father's will had given her 25% of the places' profits, which wound up being very little at first, with how horribly mismanaged the place was-Morris' whole image of being a great businessman had been very little more of a con man in a nice business suit. Belle had been worried at Roger being stretched too thin with his job, school, and now a rent home to keep up, that she had found a few people she trusted, and had them help train David when the time came. It had meant coming to Storybrooke a few times a year to make sure everything was kept up, and more than one night of little sleep trying to make heads and tails of the business side of things, but now, all those years later as he watched the brightly colored trees go by, they had not only found breathing room, but David had been at the helm for over a year and the plant could now boast profits that Morris had never seen.

They were wealthy-it was a rather sobering thought. Belle had given over her 25% once she felt comfortable that David was ready to take over, and no matter that they did not have that anymore, the profits they had seen over the years had allowed them to purchase a few more properties in Storybrooke, anchoring them there all the more. Leroy was their handyman and overseer over them all.

Their most recent purchase had been a large Victorian house. Belle had cried when she had seen it, for it was one that had been known in the town for as long as she could remember.

'I always loved this house.' She had bit her lip and tried not to cry, though she was having a hard time suppressing the tears. 'I could see a great big family…' At this he had pulled her in tight. The lack of other children always dampening every silver lined cloud in their lives. '...living there and being happy. Laugher and people bounding down stairs, and a great big dining room…and a large library, you know.' She smiled despite it all.

Three months ago they had bought it, and Roger had immediately installed floor to ceiling bookshelves for Belle.

That same month Roger had gotten his certification, and now he had one of the townhouses lining the main street in Storybrooke that had Gold Attorney at Law written on the front, and he had enough to do with contracts, minor disputes, and the like that Dove had also moved to Storybrooke with him, to be his right hand man. Life seemed rather settled for the first time in his life. He had done what he set out to do, he had given Belle a beautiful home, and he had a son, a beautiful boy who followed him around as if he were everything. He had, well, friends. There was Dove and his wife, and there was Jeffries who would pop in from time to time. The man was still as infuriating as ever, but so genuinely happy about their success. 'All thanks to me.' He would puff his chest out and wink at Belle who would give him a chastising look whenever they mentioned anything good that was going on in their lives.

He had the people that Belle put around them-there was always someone or another coming and going in their home, and those weren't only the ones coming to buy one of his antiques he loved so much. His life was full, and while there might be the ache in his and Belle's heart's for another wee bairn, their lives were so much better, and so much more than anything he could have ever imagined all those years ago, trudging through the snow or mud of the Italian battlefields.

Then they had gotten the letter.

Corporal Gold, (and wasn't that a name he had never thought to see again. )

When I first learned of the death of my little boy, you can imagine just how devastated I was and the grief I felt. Your letter was received and appreciated, yet I could not bring myself to reply to it. When I finally did come out of my grief-riddled fog, I had no idea where to send a letter even if I wanted to.

Two months ago, I went through my son's things, and half forgotten was your letter that I had also put in his trunk. I determined then and there to find your address and ask if I might thank you in person for your kindness to my boy. It took some time, but I remembered that it was in Captain Jeffries' (then Lieutenant, of course) name that the letter had been sent to me, and it was quite lucky that he remained in the military. His company was mentioned in the direction of the letter and I was able to call and get his information, and in turn he was able to give me yours.

So now I ask if I might somehow meet with you, meet the man my son talked about so much, and thank you for your kindness in person.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Cassidy

Her phone number had been enclosed, he had very shakily called it, and it had been decided that they would take a family trip to up-state New York, to take a must needed family vacation afterwards, and not make a perhaps still struggling widow and her now grown or near grown children travel all the way to Maine to shake his hand and say thanks. Her voice had pleaded so genuinely that he couldn't help but accept an invitation to her home for a mid-day lunch, to meet with her and for her to meet his family, and so that was what they were doing now.

Belle looked out the window, her face rather pale today-he wondered if perhaps she wasn't a bit nervous about it all too.

'I think I see it!' She declared to Bae, his little body craning to see from the back window of the car.

A dark wood cabin stood at the very end of the road that they were on. It was cheerily graced with windows looking back at them and somehow helped to quell some of Roger's fears. It was such a natural place, genuine and without artifice. He could picture a young Cassidy playing among the trees or looking out one of the windows. He could see him swinging an ax where there was a great pile of logs lined up and waiting for a winter's fire. This was exactly how he pictured the place of Cassidy's youth when the boy had recited bits of it all those years ago, and he felt a lump in the back of his throat at the thought.

A hand was squeezing his, he found-of course, it was Belle's, though for a moment he was taken back to a time when Cassidy was still living and they were just fellow soldiers in a hellish war.

'Ready?' She asked, and her voice was fraught with almost as much emotion as he felt.

'Aye. 'spose so.' He said simply and got out to open up the door for little Bae who immediately wanted to climb up his father at the thought of seeing people he didn't know. He had become rather an expert at holding his son and balancing himself on his cane, even though the boy had become really too big for such things. He would hold him as long as his body and the lad would allow him.

He and Belle walked towards the small home-not sure what to expect.

What they found there was a woman who still held so much grief for a boy who had been taken away too soon. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears for most of the time. The meal was not as awkward as it could have been-Belle was her pleasant, social self and smoothed things over for him. Barry was the icebreaker Belle knew he would be, and things had begun rather well, that is until Mrs. Cassidy leaned over to meet Bae's eyes and asked him sweetly, 'And what's your name, dear?'

'Barry Cassidy Gold.' He had said shyly and the poor woman broke down in tears.

Belle had immediately gone to the woman and hugged her, comforting her as best she could.

It was some time before Mrs. Cassidy directed them to the dinner table, asking if Roger wouldn't mind telling her tales of her boy in the war.

Roger didn't like talking about the war, but he got through it-was determined to do so.

Mrs. Cassidy had gotten them coffee and they had settled in the family den. One of the older boys (Cassidy's age when he died and looking every bit like his older brother that it was near impossible for Roger to look at him at times), had taken Barry outside to play.

'I wanted to thank you, Mr. Gold.' (Roger had asked for the military title to be dropped, as he hadn't used it since the war) 'I-you have no idea how much you blessed our family, not only assuring me that my boy was every bit the brave son I knew him to be.' She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. 'But to give of your own money-a whole month's earnings!'

Belle let a small gasp at this and looked at him thoughtfully, Roger only glanced and then desperately wanted to look at the floor, disliking this sort of attention.

'Please forgive me for my delay in thanks, and please accept them now. If I can ever be of help to you…' She went into more, though quieter sobs, and Belle once again filled the role of comforter.

A few hours later they were headed towards a place to stay for the night, now ready to begin their first vacation as family-life had been so busy up to that point.

'You never told me…' Belle began. He knew she was talking about the money. He didn't think she would be upset, yet he felt a sting of guilt at first anyway.

She looked at him and her eyes were lined with tears-and love, so much beautiful love.

'You're a good man, Roger Gold.' She spoke quietly, though he heard every word. She looked over at Bae, once again asleep in the back seat. 'The very best of men. I am so thankful to call you my husband.' His chest filled with warmth at her words. 'And the very best father to our children.' She added.

It was a moment before he processed what she had said and looked over at her in confusion.

'Children?' He repeated, a bit of hope springing up, though wondering if perhaps it might be a mispeak on her part.

'Yes, children. Found out yesterday, and didn't want to tell you while you were so worried about today.' Belle was now, herself in tears. 'Another baby, Roger.'

'I cannae believe it!' He breathed. All those months, and years of praying, all those tearful nights, all those days of feeling an endless ache for a sibling that they so wished to give their little son.

'And you're happy?' Belle bit her lower lip.

'Aye, the happiest of men, Belle. The happiest of men.'

Author's note:

History Stuff: WW2 ended in September of 1945 'Home Alive by '45' was the slogan given to operation: Magic Carpet, trying to get all the soldiers home by Christmas time in 1945. It was a year later by the time they could complete their mission and they were bringing around 22,000 people back each month! Story Stuff: I decided a 'general lawyer' though not as popular, would be the direction that a shyer Mr. Gold would follow. I know that perhaps some of the things as far as Morris goes, and his bad business practices might sound far fetched. I only hope you'll make allowances for me :) In the end I decided to give the plant over to David, as I felt like Belle and Roger might be a little busy to be in charge of a big business as well. The cameos from our favorite pals, Ruby and Jeffries may have been small, but be rest assured that they feature very heavily in Belle and Roger's life together :) They always remained good friends ;) I also hope you were able to keep up with all the flashbacks. It's how I always imagined this last chapter to go, and yet I worried over each flashback, hoping the transition wasn't too confusing. Let me know if you have any questions, or if I've made a blunder (if it hurts the plot too much, you might have to just forgive me, but if I am able to change something, I'll be sure and do so.). Thank you so, so much to those who have continued to read and comment on the story, you've given me so much encouragement over the chapters. I am currently working on a 'serious' work finally. I am not sure when my next Rumbelle story will happen, but if you are new to my work, I would love to hear what you think of some of my other stories in the meantime :) Until next time...