Putting this out there again, but I'd love some prompts for the Elf. ''Tis the season for more Elf on the Shelf Belle. So what would you like to see Elf Belle do next?
Okay, so I’m working a lot this week, but I finally finished my RSS fic and I decided I want to do something more for the Elf. So please send me some prompts for the Elf. I need to figure out what to do next after Gold’s rather naughty dream.
If you want to catch up on this fic, you can find it on AO3.
So please, fill my inbox with prompts, I desperately need them.
Finally getting a chance to work on Elf. I’m reminded again that I am going to Hell, and Santa won’t deliver my presents this year, and it’s all @standbyyourmantis‘s fault.
MademoiselleDearie: After Bae falls asleep, Belle and Gold decide to watch a Hallmark channel Christmas movie (which of course is a RomCom...with plenty of romantic scenes). This leads to Belle asking a lot of awkward questions about dating in the human world.
LizBee added: and maybe the movie makes mention of the "three date rule" and of course this leads to Belle asking what that means!
The show they are watching is Frasier. I couldn’t think of a rom com that mentions the “third date” rule, but I remembered it was brought up on Frasier once.
Also on AO3.
Neal had made a new friend.
He had been exploring the town when he had found August Gepetto, the adopted son of a local carpenter, playing with a basketball at the park. The two had hit it off and decided to spend the entire day together. Gold was glad to see his boy making friends in Storybrooke. He had already started speaking to his lawyer about getting more time with Neal. If his son made some friends, it would be easier on Neal if he were successful in his bid. Gold gladly granted his permission for Neal to hang out with August for the rest of the day. Even little Emma had joined in on the fun, carefully observed by her father.
It was close to eight when David carried in a sleeping Neal, completely exhausted from his day of fun and full of pizza. Belle was tucked under his arm all the while. “He’s pretty out of it,” David said.
“Did he have fun?”
“Yeah, I think he did,” he said warmly, “Emma and August are just as beat. They played pretty hard in the park. Even ice cream couldn’t recharge them.”
Gold chuckled and took Neal from David, placing him on his good side. Neal let out a murmur and rested his head on his shoulder. “Thank you, Mr. Nolan. Perhaps Neal would like to play with Emma tomorrow.”
“I’m sure she’d like that. Thanks, Mr. Gold. See you later.”
It was murder on his ankle carrying Neal up the stairs to the boy’s room, but it was well worth it. He tucked Neal in bed, kissed him once, and then left the door ajar in case he woke early and needed him.
Belle had already transformed into her full size and was sitting on the couch where he had left her. She gave him a warm smile when he returned. “He had a lot of fun today,” she said, “they had a big snowball fight and even made a whole army of snowmen.”
“I’m glad to hear he had a good time.”
Her stomach let out a very long and audible growl. He bit back his own smile while her cheeks turned as pink as a rosebud. “I take it you didn’t get any pizza?”
“No,” she said.
“I’ll whip something up then.”
He went to the kitchen to make her a sandwich as well as a plate of cookies and milk for them to share, having coffee for himself. She had an even bigger sweet tooth than Neal so he made sure to include the double-chocolate chip cookies. When he returned to the living room he saw Belle has turned the TV on.
In all honesty, he had expected her to find some sort of Christmas movie. Certainly that is something and Elf would be drawn to. Instead, she had found some sort of asinine sitcom that he recalled was very popular over twenty years ago or so. There was a very pretentious man complaining to another, far more relaxed, man who appeared to be his father.
“Are you really watching this?” he asked.
“I thought it looked interesting,” Belle said, “Are chocolate covered raisins really as disgusting as that woman said?”
“They certainly aren’t my favorite snack.”
She let out an “hmm” and took another bite of her sandwich. A woman appeared on the screen wearing a very pretty red dress and speaking in a heavy British accent. She was talking about perfume and how she couldn’t decide which one to wear, but the men convinced her to go the sexy route.
“What do they mean by the “third date rule”?” Belle asked.
Gold sputtered over his cup of coffee. “Uh…what?”
“That woman is going on a third date and the men seem to think something important is going to happen. What are they talking about?”
Was this some sort of precursor to the birds and the bees talk? How the hell did you even have this conversation with an elf? He was certain there was no book on how to talk about sex with your son’s elf friend.
“Uh…well,” he rubbed at the back of his neck, “For starters…it’s not a real rule and frankly it’s a stupid idea either way.”
“Okay,” Belle said.
“Well…it some people, not me, think that on the third date is when…when a couple should consummate their relationship.”
“Consummate…” Belle said, “As in…”
“Sex,” he said bluntly.
Belle blushed again. “Oh,” she said softly, staring at her half-eaten cookie. “Why the third date?”
“I honestly don’t know,” he said, “It’s not real anyways.”
Belle nodded. “That just doesn’t seem like a lot of time to know how you feel about someone.”
“Perhaps,” he said, “Some people don’t need that connection though.”
“We do.”
His brows shot up towards his hairline. “Do you?” Belle nodded again. “And you’ve never had this connection with anyone?”
“No,” she said.
A pregnant silence stretched between them, only the TV kept the room from being completely devoid of any life.
“Have you?” she asked.
“Have I what?”
Belle paused over her words for a moment. “Had a real…connection with someone.”
He opened his mouth to say, “Of course, Neal is proof of that,” but the words never came. She hadn’t said a connection; she’d said real connection. The elves weren’t into attraction or lust, but something far more substantial than that.
“I thought I did,” he said, “Twice actually.”
“Twice?”
“Neal’s mother, Milah,” he said, “and then there was Cora, my former fiancé.”
Belle blinked at him. “But it wasn’t real either time?”
Gold shook his head. “No.”
He’d never really been in love. Other than his son, he’d never known actual love between anyone. Well it wouldn’t be Christmas if he weren’t depressed over how unlovable he was.
“Are those cookies?”
Belle and Gold both turned to look at the stairs. Neal was standing their, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. Belle gave him a smile and lifted one from the plate. “Yes, do you want one?”
Neal nodded, padding down the rest of the stairs and jumping onto the couch between them. “What are you watching?”
“Nothing you’d like,” Gold said, quickly grabbing the remote and changing the channel. One sex talk for the day was enough.
He flipped through the channels, pausing on that old Christmas movie about the little boy who wanted a BB gun from Santa. It was terrible, but when he saw Neal laughing over the pink bunny suit, Gold smiled. Maybe he didn’t understand everything about Christmas, but at least he knew that love was making someone you care about happy, even if it means watching a stupid movie.
I finally got home at a decent hour from work. I still have a long shift tomorrow, but at least I’m not bone tired like I was yesterday. Maybe I’ll even be able to get some work on The Elf done. ;-D
Elf Belle prompt: Belle decorates the house for Christmas complete with mistletoe. Obligatory kisses results
Anonymous said:
The elf prompt: I don't know when this would happen but gold and belle kiss under a mistletoe
Anonymous said:
Not properly a prompt but can belle explain how love life works in the elves' world?
Anonymous said:
the elf prompt: has belle already explained how love and making baby-elves works among her kind to bae and gold?
Also found on AO3
Gold walked into the kitchen the next morning and was immediately hit by the smell of burnt toast. At first he thought perhaps Neal had gotten up before him, but then he heard a pretty voice grumble out, “Jumping jelly beans!”
“Good morning to you too,” he said.
Belle whirled around, the little bell on her hat jingling. “Oh, Mr. Gold, you’re up.”
“Indeed I am. I see you are battling the toaster.”
“I…well I wanted to surprise you with breakfast.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but how about I help you out here so we don’t burn the kitchen down?”
She nodded in agreement. He decided to make something simple for breakfast since Belle was eager to help him. She tossed the charcoal toast into the trashcan while he showed her how the properly set the dial so the bread wouldn’t burn. He put some bacon in a pan to fry and then showed her how to scramble eggs. Belle seemed to enjoy beating the eggs with a whisk while he finished up the bacon.
Neal came padding down just as he was spooning the scrambled eggs into a bowl. “Belle!” his boy cried out, practically leaping from the doorway to her waiting arms in just one bounce. She hugged him back and even gave him a kiss on top of his floofy hair. “I missed you,” he said.
“I missed you too. Did you have a good day with your dad?”
“Yeah, it was fun.” To Gold’s relief, Neal appeared genuine in his assessment of their time alone together. “What did you go up in the North Pole?”
“Oh, nothing terribly exciting,” Belle said, “Mostly I spent my time with Jefferson, he’s Comet’s handlers.”
Jefferson. It was the first time Belle had ever mentioned on of her fellow elves, besides her father. He knew precious little about her people or her culture, but he knew that in his world, spending copious amounts time with the opposite sex, it usually meant that some sort of romantic entanglement was involved.
Gold felt a sudden tightening in his belly at the idea that Belle could have someone waiting for her at the North Pole. Could it be…? No! It was absurd! There was no way that he could be jealous. She was a bloody elf! She probably didn’t think of him that way. For all he knew, elves were like those frightening orange and green men in that Willy Wonka movie.
Still, he was very curious. What were the personal lives of the elves like? Unfortunately, he couldn’t ask such a thing. Not only was it inappropriate, but he couldn’t even find the courage to voice his questions.
Blessedly, Neal had no such compunctions.
“Is Jefferson your boyfriend?”
Belle blinked at him over a bite of toast. “Boyfriend? Oh! You mean like a sweetheart?”
“Yeah, like my mom and Killian.”
“No, Jefferson isn’t my sweetheart,” Belle said, “We are only friends.”
“Oh,” Neal said, “Do you have one though?”
“No, I don’t.” Gold covered up his smile by taking a sip of his coffee. “My people are bit more selective when it comes to love,” Belle said.
“There is no divorce in the North Pole then?” Gold asked.
Belle shook her head. “There are so few of us compared to you humans, it would make our daily interactions quite awkward otherwise. The advantage of living so long is that we have the gift to take our time in finding our true sweetheart. My father and mother didn’t marry until they were both over three hundred.”
“Sounds rather long for dating,” Gold said. Granted, he’d never been particularly good with dating and relationships so he has no right to judge.
“Well since we live so long, we have to be more careful in regards to love.”
“I certainly can’t disagree with that,” he admitted, “Love has never been my strong suit.” He looked over at Neal who was chewing on a piece of bacon. “Aside from my son, of course.”
Neal showed no interest in where the conversation had turned to, much like boys his age. Instead he started telling Belle at that they had done yesterday, even abandoning his breakfast for a moment so he could run upstairs and show his prizes from the arcade.
Yesterday had been wonderful, but even Gold could admit that Belle’s absence had been sorely felt. She made the days brighter, full of color and fun, something he hadn’t even known he’d been missing. It actually made going to the shop hard to do, as well as coming home actually appealing.
Gold had chosen to let Dove close the shop while he went a collected the rent a bit early today. He arrived home before dinner, deciding he’d call in an order for Granny’s rather than whip something up. He found Neal in the living room doing his homework, but Belle was in a peculiar spot. She was perched on a ladder that looked far older than him, with a hammer in one hand and was nailing a sprig of something green to the doorway.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh!” she cried out in surprise, “You’re home! Mrs. Claus gave me some of her special mistletoe. She says it always brings two people together who are meant to be and I thought it may help for you and Neal.”
“Mistletoe?” he questioned. He had some vivid recollections of his school years when eager young lads would bring sprigs of it to dangle over the girls they liked in an effort to steal. He had braved such a feat, but his crush had refused his suit vehemently, a most humiliating experience that made him the laughingstock of his class. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“It’s just a bit of fun,” she promised him, “I’m sure Neal will—whoa!”
The ladder gave a dreadful rock just as she began her climb down, pitching her off of her perch. There was only seconds to react. Gold didn’t even think about it, but launched himself so he was just below her. Belle tumbled down into his arms. He held her for a moment, but then the pain in his ankle caused his knees to buckle. They collapsed to the ground in a heap of limbs, bruised but unharmed.
“Jumping jellybeans, are you all right?” Belle asked.
“So much for heroics,” he mumbled but nodded at her, “I’m fine.”
She helped him back to his feet, brushing at his coat with her hands. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right, Belle. I’m glad you’re not hurt from that fall.”
“Thanks to you,” she said, giving him a warm smile. He could feel his heart racing inside of his chest. It had been a long time since a woman as beautiful as her had looked at him with such affection.
“Are you guys okay?” Neal’s voice startled them both.
“We’re okay, son,” he said, “Belle just fell off the ladder, but she’s not hurt.”
“Oh, that’s good…hey, isn’t that mistletoe?”
Belle nodded at him. “That’s right, I thought you might like it.”
“Yeah, but you guys are standing under it, doesn’t that mean you have to kiss now?”
Gold’s head snapped up to stair at the doorway. Sure enough, Belle had fallen just beneath the gaze of that vile piece of greenery. Now her little addition was once again mocking him.
“You’re right,” Belle said to Neal, “So we are.”
“Belle, it’s just for sport,” Gold said, “We don’t have to do anything.”
“But its Christmas law,” Belle insisted, “We elves take these things quite seriously.” She gave him a little smile and took a step closer. “Please?”
He couldn’t deny her that, not when she asked so sweetly. His heart galloped in his chest as he leaned forward, giving the mistletoe it’s due. His lips brushed hers, getting a taste of her warmth and sweetness, igniting a hunger for more. His nerves one out in the end, keeping the kiss chaste, much to his heart’s discontent. Eager flames of desire licked in his belly. It took all of his control to keep his arousal from making itself known.
“There,” he said, clearing his throat, “Tradition fulfilled. Now your elf police can’t arrest me from breaking Christmas law.”
Belle’s cheeks were pink as she smiled back at him. It was Neal who broke the spell, giggling at his playful joke. “Is there really an elf police?” he asked.
“No,” Belle said, “but we do have toy inspectors.” She followed Neal back to the living room, telling him all about the workshop, and all the special jobs that were found there for the elves. Gold lingered a bit, staring up at the mistletoe. It was supposed to bring two people together who were meant to be, had it done just that? And if so, what did that mean?
“Papa, can we have pizza for dinner?” Neal called out to him, “Belle has never had any.”
“Of course,” he said, shaking off his thoughts. What a ridiculous notion. Belle was an elf she didn’t belong here. It was just a parasitical plant now used for decoration, nothing more. Still, while he dialed the number for dinner, he could still feel the tingle of Belle’s kiss on his lips.
