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Dec 21, 2013

RSS Fic for Seistira

My sweet JuJu, Happy Christmas! The following is an untitled labor of love. Bises!

The Storybrooke streets were deserted. Ominous clouds rolled in from the waterfront, blotting out any light the small sliver of moon might have provided. The darkness was consuming and oppressive. A lone dark figure ducked out a side window of Mr. Gold’s pawn shop, and disappeared into the night shadows.

Belle sat poised in front of several pieces of paper, pen in hand at the dining room table across from Mr. Gold. Her breakfast plate full and forgotten off to the side. “Is a ten pound ham large enough for the five of us?” She mused aloud, the end of her fountain pen tapping idly against her delicate chin.

Gold chuckled and looked up from the morning newspaper, and assured her, “More than large enough. You might want to consider something half that size.”

“Hmm.” She mused, looking down at her lists.

He watched her make a notation on the paper in front of her. The morning sunlight came streaming in through the windows behind her, making the auburn highlights in her hair shimmer. Absently playing with the pendant around her neck, brow slightly furrowed in concentration she was perfect.

Her eyes looked up from the lists she was compiling, a smile erasing all traces of tension in her face, “What are you staring at?”

“You.” He answered simply. Before he rose from his chair he tidily folded up the paper and asked, “Are we still meeting for lunch?”

“Of course,” she replied with a laugh, “why wouldn’t we?”

“Oh, I thought you might remain a slave to your lists today. When you get lost in thought, you frequently lose track of hours instead of minutes.” With a wink he turned to leave, then called over his his shoulder, “Until this afternoon, Belle.”

Smiling coyly to herself after the minor flirtation, she watched him walk away and waited until she heard the door shut behind him before turning back to her work. How many potatoes per person? Three? Nodding, she noted 15 Potatoes on her shopping list.

Mr. Gold unlocked the front door of his pawn shop and walked inside. He began his regular morning routine; turning on the lights, turning up the thermostat, taking off his gloves and overcoat, and starting a kettle of water. Gold went to collect his teacup and saucer off his desk and paused when that space on the desktop was empty. He glanced over to a work table near the wall, it wasn’t there either. Where did he put his cup yesterday? The back room of the shop was checked twice, before he felt nauseated. The front of the shop was looked over for good measure, and the back was given an additional search before panic set in.

A possibility occurred to him abruptly, dousing his fears like a bucket of water, Belle. Belle had been tidying the back of the shop yesterday, playfully chiding him about a few items left scattered about the worktable. Being a man of action, he retrieved his cell phone and dialed Belle’s number. She could tell him where she had placed it, or if it had been taken home for any reason she could bring it to the shop with her when they met for lunch.

The phone rang through to voicemail, and he smiled in spite of himself hearing her voice on the recording. He left a message explaining the frustrating debacle of the morning thus far. Sighing, he closed his phone and got to work for the day.

The morning crawled by. Gold took the clock off the wall to deter himself from looking at it again. At some point he must have gotten absorbed in the paperwork surrounding him as he didn’t hear the bell tinkling when the front door of the shop was opened and closed. The first thing that alerted him to Belle, was the smell of her floral perfume followed by the click of her heeled boots on the hardwood floors in front of his desk.

Gold looked up from his correspondence and smiled, “Is it lunchtime already?” He paused seeing the lines of worry etched in her forehead and around her eyes. “Is everything alright?”

“Rumple,” she walked around the desk and knelt down next to his chair reaching for his hand, “I-- I didn’t move your cup yesterday. I don’t even remember seeing it.” She continued hastily before he could interject, “Of course, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t here. Or isn’t here, rather!” Eyes wide with concern she searched his face, trying to read the emotion beginning to contort his features.

“It’s not here, Belle. I’ve looked everywhere.” He whispered. Anger slowly started forming in his gut. He started to rise out of his chair, but she put her hands on his knees to still him.

“Hold on. I see you jumping to conclusions, it’s written across your face. Not moments ago you thought I had it, so I doubt you have been prey to a thief. You would know if someone had been in here uninvited. You always know.” Softening her voice she suggested, “Perhaps it was brought home by mistake. It could have been scooped up and put in a shopping bag with the Christmas gifts I brought to show you yesterday.” Smiling reassuringly, “I’m sure that’s where it is. Don’t worry.”

She laid her cheek against his knee and sighed when he stroked her hair. “You’re probably right, sweetheart.” He comforted her as the emotions inside him curdled the contents of his stomach.

Belle stood outside the slightly ajar door of his study, her heart ached when she took in his defeated posture. She rapped lightly on the doorframe to attract his attention and asked brightly, “Too busy for tea?”

He stirred from his trance and offering a weak smile, nodded his head slowly, silently declining her invitation. He lowered his eyes back to the plush carpet.

Inviting herself into his space she walked into the room and sat on the desktop in front of him. Taking a deep breath to steel herself she told him what he already knew, “We’ve searched the entire house, and I checked the library just to be sure. We’ve spent the last four days looking everywhere. I think-- I think it’s time to concede the cup is gone.”

Blindly he reached for her hands, and squeezed them almost painfully. Still he was silent.

“You once told me it was just a cup, and it still is. We’re together now. It was a symbol of our love, our love doesn’t hinge on a talisman.” When he still said nothing she continued softly, “I’m sorry it’s lost, but I’m right here, please don’t shut me out.” She gently kissed his hands that were still grasping her own.

His voice came out in a broken whisper, “Oh Belle. I’ve not intended to push you away! I know how excited you have been for Christmas this year, and would loathe to see my mood cloud your enjoyment.” He stood, and looked down into her upturned face. Reverently he brushed his fingertips against the curve of her cheek, “You are so precious, and you deserve more than this old man and his gloomy outlook for company.”

“All I want is you!” She insisted. “If you lock yourself away in here, your attitude is only going to continue to sour. Come down for tea. Please?”

Forcing a smile for her, he agreed, “If you don’t think it will dampen your Christmas spirit I would join you.”

“Being with you only increases my Christmas spirit.” She declared, hopping down from the desktop. Tugging gently at the front of his vest she urged him forward.

Gold followed her through the study door and into the familiar hallway. Except it was no longer familiarily decorated. The small Monet’s ornate gold frame had a cheerful red bow fashionably eskew on a top corner. Each door was festooned with a wreath. The banister was threaded with red and gold garland.

Out of the corner of her eye, Belle watched him take in the Christmas decorations yet again. Would he ever get used to it? His space being invaded and festively decorated for each season and holiday. She knew he didn’t like change, but his expression did seem softer this evening than it had the past few days. Reaching over, she interlaced her fingers with his and they descended the stairs together making their way toward twinkling Christmas tree displayed proudly in the bay window. The tea service was artfully arranged on the coffee table and classical christmas melodies were quietly drifting through the air from the stereo. Together they settled on the loveseat, and enjoyed the rest of the evening in companionable, comfortable silence.

The next seven days passed without incident. Gold kept busy during the day in his shop and spent the evenings doing his best, for Belle’s sake, to become involved in her festive activities. Belle spent the afternoons rushing around town gathering last minute items and the evenings revising her checklists in preparation for the fast approaching Christmas dinner. They didn’t speak of the teacup.

A week before Christmas Gold came home from the shop to find Belle bundled up and locking the front door. There was a large yellow tote sitting at her feet, she had two rolls of wrapping paper gently pinned under her left arm, and a cheap bottle of pink sparkling wine in hand. She turned, hoisting the tote over her right shoulder and a broad smile swept across her face when she saw him standing at the base of the front steps.

“I was hoping that I would see you before I left!” She cried, making her way carefully down the few steps with her awkward sized parcels.

He reached out and lifted the tote from her shoulder relieving her of the largest burden. “I had forgotten you had made plans for the evening.” Gold confessed. “Let me drive you. It’s getting colder and this bag is heavy.” As he finished his sentence he heard the distinctive rattle of Sheriff Swan’s vehicle.

“Emma called offering me a ride earlier today.” She reached out to take the yellow bag back from him, but he held it away with a smile. The VW rolled to a stop at the curb behind them. She hastily pressed a kiss against his mouth, then started toward Emma’s idling car.

He took a few long strides, to beat her to the passenger’s side door. “Shall I wait up for you?” he asked as he opened the car door.

She smiled, “I’m not sure when we’ll be done, don’t worry about waiting up. I’ll see you in the morning.” She sunk down into the seat and turned to Emma, “Hey, thanks for picking me up!”

“No problem.” She smiled back at Belle who was busily arranging the long rolls of paper in the seat with her. “Hey, Gold.” Emma acknowledged him.

Gold bent down and gently placed the cheerfully bright bag in Belle’s lap. “Hello, Sheriff.” He replied. Looking back to Belle he instructed, “Have a nice time ladies,” before firmly closing the car door. He stood on the curb and watched the the noisy Beetle drive away. He waited until the red taillights vanished before turning to walk up the steps to his front door.

Emma and Belle walked into the bright apartment, decorated in a classic Christmas style. Bottles of wine were lined up on the breakfast bar and Belle walked over to put the bottle she was carrying along with them.

“Can I take your coat?” Mary Margaret offered, suddenly at her elbow.

“Yes, thank you.” Belle replied, shrugging a shoulder out of the sleeve. “Where are you staging the wrapping paper and supplies?” she asked.

Mary Margaret took her coat and draped it over an arm, then gestured to the dining table behind them, “You can put everything on the table. Pour yourself a glass of wine and make yourself at home.”

She turned to arrange her items at the table as Emma opened the door for Ruby and Ariel. Both of the females were heavy laden with shopping bags and wrapping paper.

“Someone get me a glass!” Ruby asked, as she hung her coat up on the rack. “It’s been a long day.”

“Any preference?” Emma asked, walking to the counter of still neatly arranged bottles. “What about you Ariel?”

“Red, please.” Ruby answered

“I’ll have the same.” Ariel replied, moving toward Belle and the dining room table. Dropping the armload of shopping bags in a chair she smiled at her friend, “Hey, Belle.”

“Hey, Happy Christmas!” She greeted, pulling her into an embrace.

“Thanks for having us over, Mary Margaret. This is a really good idea.” Ruby said, pulling two bottles of wine from a shopping bag and setting them with the others

“Oh, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. It was Emma’s idea. I like the idea of a holiday party that simultaneously checks something off my to-do list.”

Emma added, “The goal is to get the gifts wrapped and tagged before you’re intoxicated. I, personally, like to add all the ribbons and bows after I’m foxed. So, as soon as everyone has a glass of wine in hand I say we get started.”

The five women gathered on the floor, wrapping holiday gifts for their loved ones. Occasionally sharing the idea behind an obscure looking present. Secrets were exchanged, wine glasses capped off at an alarming rate, and shouts of laughter regularly filled the room.

“Oh!” Belle exclaimed, as she pulled the last, and smallest of the gifts she brought out of her yellow bag. “It was delivered last week,” she said handing it to Mary Margaret.

She smiled and took the long rectangular box from Belle’s hand. “Thank you for keeping it. There’s not enough room here to keep anything a secret.”

“What is it?” Emma asked.

“A gift for your father.” Mary Margaret explained, lifting the lid off the box and handing it to Emma.

“A knife.” She said flatly.

“His knife.” Mary Margaret corrected. “Back from before. Mr. Gold found a way to retrieve it from the castle for me.” Her smile widened, “I wanted to give him something unexpected this year.”

“Oh, I’m sure it will be unexpected.” Emma declared.

Ruby got up, slightly wobbly, from her place on the floor to retrieve another bottle of wine. “Speaking of David and Mr. Gold, they were having lunch today at Granny’s whispering about Christmas gifts and surprises.” She loudly announced.

Belle let go of the ribbon she was measuring out, turning to look at Ruby’s departing figure.

“Did you hear anything useful?” asked Mary Margaret.

“No, they were pretty hush-hush.” Ruby confessed, making her way back with the last bottle of red wine.

“Did you know they were in one another’s confidence?” Mary Margaret asked Belle.

“No.” She answered, shaking her head. “I wasn’t expecting anything for Christmas actually.” Seeing everyone’s faces turn shocked, she quickly explained, “Rumple doesn’t like being told when to give a gift or show affection. He would much rather give sporadically, and spontaneously. He- he also hasn’t been himself lately, I’m still not sure he even wants to celebrate..” Her voice trailed off, “I’m sorry, that was a bit gloomy.” She forced a laugh as Ruby refilled her wineglass again.

“Is everything alright, Belle?” Ariel asked, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

Belle nodded, “Of course, everything’s fine. Things have been difficult for Rumple the last few weeks since our teacup went missing.”

Ariel wrinkled her nose, “The chipped cup?”

“Oh no, Belle!” Emma exclaimed. “The last time that teacup went missing Gold went apeshit, I’m surprised he hasn’t been out on a rampage.”

“It’s more of an internal ‘apeshit’ this time.” Belle confided. “We decided after it had been missing almost a week that it was gone forever, and we just need to move forward without it.”

“I’m sure it’s in Storybrooke somewhere!” Emma cried. “I’ll find it. I will.”

“Thank you, Emma, but I’ve looked everywhere. It’s gone. It really must have been my fault, Rumple would never be so careless with his things. I’m the one who chipped the cup in the first place, leave it to me to lose it too.” Belle took a large swallow from her wine glass.

“It’ll turn up. It will. You’ll see.” Emma reassured.

“Yeah, of course.” Echoed Ariel

“Sure it will.” Mary Margaret affirmed.

“Don’t worry.” Ruby advised.

Belle smiled at her friends, “Thank you.”

Mary Margaret cut a length of wrapping paper to cover her final parcel. “There are only three bottles of wine left. Is that going to be enough?” She asked, her cheeks flushed.

The other four women laughed.

Two hours, and three shared bottles of wine later Belle was assisted up her front steps by David their designated driver, her bright yellow tote filled with gifts slung over his shoulder.

Christmas morning dawned not unlike any other morning, except Belle and Gold didn’t get out of bed until close to noon. They spent the afternoon in the kitchen preparing Christmas dinner together. At four o’clock the doorbell rang. Belle dashed to the door with excitement, and opened the door wide ushering in Neal, Emma and Henry. “Welcome, welcome!” She greeted each of them with a hug.

Henry held up a shopping bag, “Can I go put these under the tree, Belle?”

“Of course, thank you, Henry!” She replied.

“Happy Christmas, Bae.” Gold greeted as he entered the room, and approached his son for a hug. “Emma, a pleasure.” He nodded to her.

“Shall we go in to dinner?” Belle suggested. She linked arms with Emma to follow the boys into the dining room. “I think I made too many potatoes,” she confessed.

Emma chuckled, “Wait until Henry starts eating, you might be surprised.”

The atmosphere at dinner was better than Belle had hoped to imagine. The brittle, forced conversation she had feared between Rumple and Neal was nonexistent. Instead, they spoke easily with one another on a myriad of topics. Henry sat captivated by his father and grandfather, and nearly jumped out of his chair when Rumple turned to him and asked his opinion. She saw Emma, elbow Neal in the ribs playfully while he was teasing her about being a blond. Watching it all unfold from her own chair at the foot of the table, Belle privately decided she had the best seat in the house.

"Is everyone ready for dessert?" Belle asked as the eating began to taper off.

Before anyone could answer her, Rumple tapped his finger to his lips and then nodded toward Henry. Everyone turned their eyes to the youngest member of their family. He was sitting sideways in his chair, oblivious to their conversations, eyes fixed on the gifts and Christmas tree in the next room. The smile on his face could have been permanent.

"I believe the boy will pass on the pie." Rumple offered to a round of laughter."

"Yes, it would appear that way." Belle smiled.

Henry looked back at them briefly and then back to the gifts - his smile never wavered.

Rumpel stood and motioned toward the front room, "Shall we?"

Everyone filtered into the room behind Henry, who had dashed out quickly from from his seat and was situated in front of the tree, his excitement almost palpable.

“Should we let the girls go first?” Neal asked his father conspiratorially.

He nodded somberly, in agreement with his son, “It would be the gentlemanly thing to do, but, maybe we should let the ladies decide.”

Henry turned to look at his mom and Belle with big, sad eyes.

“Oh go ahead, Henry.” Emma laughed.

Henry dove for the tree and unerringly selected a gift tagged for him and pulled the trail of ribbon on the big bow. The ribbon cinched tightly against the box and the knot became tighter. He tried pulling at the knot to loosen it, and it became a tangled mess.

“He may need a knife to open that. Belle wrapped it at my place. We put the bows on last.” Emma explained, smirking.

Later, after a few rounds of gift giving everyone was holding onto something new and were busily thanking one another. Neal briefly excused himself and returned with a large, heavy looking gift. “Papa, this is for you and Belle.” He said, placing the cumbersome box on the coffee table in front of them. “Happy Christmas.”

Gold smiled affectionately back at his son, and carefully unwrapped the large gift. He lifted the lid revealing an achingly familiar tea set, he stopped breathing.

Belle gasped, and her hands flew to her chest. “It’s beautiful!”

Quickly Gold scanned the rims of the four teacups nestled in paper. Nothing was damaged. Upon closer inspection he saw this was not the tea set he had destroyed a lifetime ago, but Belle was right, it was beautiful. It was by far the most thoughtful gift he had ever received. Looking up and meeting his son’s eyes he smiled, “I don’t know what to say.”

“It was Henry’s idea.” Neal confessed.

Belle looked at Henry and exclaimed, “It was the best idea!”

Gold looked at his family around him and for the first time in weeks felt the weight in his chest lift. Belle was right, that chipped teacup was only a cup. It was gone, and for the first time it was okay. He couldn’t focus on his future, if he was constantly mourning the past. He had everything he needed.

“That’s why my dad broke into your shop, Mr. Gold.” Henry said, forcing him out of his reflection.

“What?” He asked, sure he had missed something in the conversation.

“I was the one that let myself in your store almost three weeks ago.” Neal admitted.

Emma interjected, “Henry found a man that specializes in discontinued and antique china replacement and replicated pieces. Of course, we needed an original piece to submit to the proprietor. So, that’s where Neal comes in.”

Neal pulled the chipped teacup out of his coat pocket and placed it in his father’s trembling hands. “I didn’t know any other way that wouldn’t raise suspicion.” He offered by way of an apology.

Standing abruptly, he pulled his son into a rough embrace. “I understand, son. Thank you.”

“I told you, I’d find it.” Emma reminded Belle.

“I did have my doubts,” confided Belle. “Thank you, this means so much to us.”

“I think I’m ready for pie now.” Henry announced loudly from his place on the floor.

Belle watched Rumple turn and wink at the boy, and agreeing “I think I am too.”

#seistira #rumbelle secret santa #rumbelle fic

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