Drama in the dutch department

Gold looked critically at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.  He was no longer a young man, but in the past two years, time had caught up with him.  Deep worry lines were etched around his eyes and mouth, warring with the smile lines that Bae had put there.  It seemed appropriate that his son’s impact on his life could be seen so clearly on his face— the highs and the lows.

Fortunately, things had been on an even keel over the past few months.  Bae was climbing the walls with excitement over Belle’s impending visit, and that had been a useful bit of leverage.  Whenever Bae insisted on doing something that Gold deemed bad for his health, like participating in an impromptu soccer game at the park, Gold had been able to distract him by conjuring up a task that had to be done in order to make sure the house was ready for Belle.

So far, they’d redecorated the guest room, had an en suite bathroom installed for Belle’s private use, and rearranged the downstairs furniture to suit three people instead of two.  They were as ready for her visit as they were ever going to be.

“Oh come on,” Gold muttered under his breath as he attempted to answer Belle’s video chat request.  When they arranged a time for her to speak with Bae, she’d told him the exact application she would be using, and it had taken him almost four hours to download the thing and get it set up.  He’d thought he was prepared for this.

“Papa, Belle’s calling!” Bae said impatiently, as if he didn’t already know.

“I’m working on it,” he promised his son, his hands shaking.  There was no reason to be nervous, but for some reason, he was.  Belle didn’t seem like the type of person who would take such offense at her call not being picked up that she would decide the Golds weren’t worth bothering with, but dire possibilities filled his mind anyway.

“Give it to me.”  Without so much as a ‘please’, Bae plucked the phone out of his hand and started pushing buttons at what looked to Gold to be random.  Marvelous.  The boy was going to hang up on Belle, and then he’d have to deal with the fallout of Bae being deprived of the conversation he’d been looking forward to for the past four days.

@noora7 prompted “Can Belle go to confront Ciaran and find that he’s quite unwell and not even bothering to take his medicine because he doesn’t see the point in prolonging his life as he now has nothing to live for?”  I’m also using a suggestion from @thecompletebookworm.

Belle was shaking as she stalked the halls of the hospital, torn between returning to Ciaran’s room and screaming at him until he told her what was going on and simply going home and pretending she’d never met anyone named Ciaran Gold.

Why did he have to be so infuriating?

Her hands itched to shake him until his teeth rattled, and that decided her.  No matter how much he deserved a good shaking, Ciaran was recovering from a heart attack.  She needed to get her temper under control, at least for the time being.  Once he was recovered, then she could throttle him.

@thespinningmeanie​ asked “If Gold would wake to find Belle at his side, would he still insist on pushing her away even though she knows the truth?”

The feeling of gentle fingers carding through his hair sent shivers down his spine, Gold floating along on a current of warm contentment.  When he opened his eyes, Belle was leaning over him, her face only inches from his, and he couldn’t imagine a more beautiful sight to wake to than the face of his beloved.

“Hey,” she said softly.

“Hey,” he rumbled.

One of her curls had slipped free from behind her ear to brush her cheek, and he reached up to push it off her face just for the pleasure of touching her hair.  As he did, a pulse of pain shot down his arm and into his chest, clearing the fog from his mind.

Belle wasn’t supposed to be here.

“There she is, Papa!”  

Gold looked up from the menu as Bae half-stood on his side of the booth at the Polynesian’s Kona Cafe, waving both arms like an air traffic controller as he tried to catch Belle’s attention.

Beaming, Belle waved back, and Bae watched eagerly as she navigated her way through the crowded dining area to claim a seat next to him.  "Good morning!“ she chirped as she pulled Bae in for a hug, then turned her smile on Gold.

"Good morning,” he returned as he admired the picture she and Bae made together.  Today, Belle had opted for a yellow sundress with her hair done up in a messy knot, a casual play on Princess Belle’s ballgown.  As far as Gold was concerned, she looked even prettier in the relaxed outfit than she did in the ornate princess costume.  It was no wonder that Bae was so taken with her.

*smacks the other one* 

Anonymous asked, “Does Whale know that Belle does not know about Gold’s condition?”

By the time Belle burst through the doors of Storybrooke’s emergency room, she was sobbing, terror clawing at her as she dreaded what she might find upon her arrival.  Desperately, she hoped she would be greeted by the sight of Ciaran sitting up and being irascible with the nurses, but her mind kept suggesting other possibilities, each more horrific than the last.

Her sudden appearance startled several medical personnel, who immediately swarmed her, but Dove appeared a moment later to scatter them.  "Oh, Miss French, your poor feet,“ he murmured as he picked her up bodily to carry her to another section of the waiting area.  

Puzzled, Belle looked down to see bloody footprints, and it took her a moment to realize that they must belong to her.  "They don’t hurt.”

Papa, why are there two Belles?

Bae’s question hung in the air between them, and Gold swallowed hard.  In hindsight, he should have seen this coming.  The characters were everywhere.  In the past five days, they’d seen at least a dozen different pairs of Chip and Dale, but since the duplicates were never in the same place at the same time, Bae hadn’t realized what was happening.  Now, they had two Belles and a serious problem on their hands.

“Let’s go sit down.  Papa’s leg is hurting,” he suggested, stalling blatantly for time.

To his relief, Bae looked more confused than upset over the situation, but when he glanced at Belle, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.  She’d bailed him out more than once today, but apparently no rescue was coming from her quarter this time.  He was on his own.

@thebluegardenia prompted, “How does Belle find out Gold is ill? Is she told or does she suss it out herself?”   

Fuming, Belle paced the small library apartment as she mentally replayed the confrontation at the pawnshop.  She’d lived with Ciaran Gold for three and a half years, and in that time, he’d occasionally annoyed and infuriated her, but she’d never been as enraged with him as she was at this moment.  The way he was stonewalling her was one thing, but to involve Dove in the issues between them was unconscionable.  

Her stomach twisted with humiliation at the memory of Dove’s attempt to physically escort her from the shop.  The big man had been mortified at being forced to take such an action, and she…

She had been out of line.

“Come on, Papa!  Hurry!”  

In an attempt to keep Bae by his side as they entered Epcot, Gold took his oxygen tank from him, letting the length of connecting tube serve as a leash.  Even so, Bae was practically jumping up and down as he tried to look in every direction at once.

“Where is she?”

“Calm down, Bae,” he admonished with a shake of his head.  He hadn’t told Bae that Belle was going to be meeting them at the park until they were waiting to board the monorail this morning, and immediately, he’d known he’d made a wise choice.  If left to his own devices, Bae probably would have outrun the monorail in his haste to get to Epcot and see Belle again. If he’d told him the night before, Bae wouldn’t have slept a wink in his excitement.

Anonymous prompted: Does Belle try to confront Ciaran?

Author’s Note: This story is read at your own risk.

Gold breathed a sigh of relief when he managed to slip into the shop without running into Belle.  He’d opted to start his workday a full hour earlier than normal, and he’d bypassed the front door entirely, just in case.  What other people might call paranoia, he considered reasonable caution.  When Belle set her mind to something, she was unstoppable, and right now, she had her mind set on talking to him.

She’d called seven times in the past three days, and last night she’d spent fifteen minutes knocking and trying every one of the Victorian’s doors.  If he hadn’t had the forethought to have the locks changed, he wouldn’t have had a chance of avoiding her, and that would have spelled disaster.

Gold was very aware of his own limitations.  He’d had the strength to send Belle away once, but if she forced a confrontation, he would never be able to do it again.  Looking her in the eye and lying that he no longer loved her had nearly broken him.  There was no way he could say those awful words twice.  If she demanded answers, he would end up telling her the truth, and they’d be right in the middle of the situation he’d worked so hard to avoid. 

When Gold thought of vacations, he thought of relaxation.  To take a vacation was to get out of the daily routine and try something new so you could return to everyday life rested and rejuvenated.

Disney World was not a vacation.

He groaned as he came awake, fumbling for his phone to see what time it was.  Since he’d drawn the blackout drapes, it could be midnight or noon for all he could tell from the lack of light in the room.  The phone informed him that it was ten in the morning, and he had to do a double-take to be certain he’d read it correctly.  He hadn’t slept so late in decades, yet he was tempted to roll over and close his eyes once more.  After a single day in the parks, his leg ached from all of the walking and he could feel a knot between his shoulders from carrying Bae’s supplies.  At this rate, he was going to need a vacation to recover from his vacation.

And Bae is just too precious for word.

Anonymous prompted “Gold has to cancel their Paris trip, and looks at the engagement ring. He can’t help but imagine how the proposal would have gone.“

“Ciaran, I don’t know what to say.  I’m so—”

“Don’t.”  Gold cut Midas off before the other man could say anything else.  He would have much preferred to tell no one about his medical condition, but in order for the lawyer to effectively do his job, Midas needed to know what was happening.  Fortunately, he knew he could trust the other man’s discretion.  

Dying involved a great deal of paperwork.  His last will and testament needed to be updated so that the transfer of his assets to Belle would be as painless as possible.  He needed to make sure that the notarized documents clarifying that he had very intentionally excluded his father and ex-wife from his will were still in order.  Gold knew those two vultures too well.  Once they got wind of his death, they’d be after the estate, and Belle shouldn’t have to deal with such things. 

There... right there... that’s the crux of the matter isn’t it? He still doesn’t truly believe Belle loves him.  Of course, between his father and Milah his concept of being on the receiving end of love is pretty off, but still... gah! 

Gold and sick!Bae visit Disney World and meet Actual Disney Princess Belle.

Happy Rumbelleversary, everyone!

Gold had his doubts about the wisdom of this excursion, but Bae had pleaded to visit Disney World, and there was little he could deny his boy, not when there were no guarantees that he’d have the child for much longer.

Running his hand over his face, Gold tried to focus on the positives.  Right now, Bae was beaming, his smile nearly splitting his pale face in two as he gazed out the monorail window, exclaiming at everything he saw on the brief journey from the Polynesian Resort where they were staying to the main gates of the Magic Kingdom.  An oxygen tube ran from his nose to the tank slung on his back, which he insisted he was strong enough to carry himself.  Right now, he wasn’t even coughing, but Gold was prepared with a backpack filled with handkerchiefs, inhalers, spare clothes, and anything else Bae might need when one of his spells came on him.  His cell phone was in his pocket, fully charged and waiting for a call that might never come.

Bae was next on the list for a lung transplant, but child-sized lungs were hard to come by in the world of organ donation, and none of Gold’s money or influence could help with that.  It was criminally unfair that the one thing he couldn’t buy was the one thing he longed for most— Bae’s health.

At the same time, both the Gold boys falling head over heels for their princess is too adorable for words. 

Anonymous prompted “After the angst fest that were the last two chapters of In The Right Measure can we please see a flashback scene, in which Gold and Belle confess their feelings for one another and begin a relationship?“

Belle drew her knees up to her chest, her copy of Tam Lin abandoned at her side.  One of the things she’d always liked about this apartment was the cozy window seat that seemed perfect for reading, but now that she was putting it to the test, she couldn’t concentrate on a single word.

She pressed her face against the window and canted her neck so far to the side that it was nearly painful.  At this angle, she could just see the pawnshop, its windows dark.  Ciaran had gone home for the day.

Her breath caught in her chest as she buried her face against her knees, the memory of his voice running on a continuous loop in her mind— I don’t love you any more.  I don’t love you any more.  I don’t love you any more.

@ms-gold prompted “Does Dove find out what’s going on?”

Dove emerged from the back room at the sound of the bell, his face composed in a professional smile of greeting for the new customer that faded when Mr. Gold staggered across the threshold.  

“Sir?”  

He checked his movement to come around the counter and assist his employer when Mr. Gold held up a hand to ward him off.  The older man looked dreadful— his steps shaky and uncertain, his eyes bloodshot, his face so pale and drawn that Dove feared that he’d taken ill.

“Ah… Dove.” Mr. Gold braced his full weight on his cane and looked at him like he’d never seen his employee before.

“Are you feeling quite well, sir?” Dove asked carefully.  It would be the height of rudeness to tell Mr. Gold that he looked like death warmed over, but… he looked like death warmed over.

Anonymous prompted “Soooo… what happens after the "last perfect day”?  (Not sure I really want to know.)”

Gold stepped through the stained glass door into the foyer, his cane the only thing keeping him upright.  The time had come, and the thought of what he was about to do clenched around his useless heart like a vice.

Yesterday had been perfection, but it couldn’t be put off any longer.  If he didn’t end his relationship with Belle now, he would never have the strength.  All too soon, his strength would fail him, turning him into the stone chaining Belle to the ground when she deserved to soar.  He couldn’t ask her to watch him die.  

The house was silent and still, and for a moment Gold allowed himself to hope that she wasn’t there.  He often came home for lunch, but he rarely did so without warning her first.  Belle could be out having lunch with a friend or shopping for a new book, and if she wasn’t home, he wouldn’t have to do what needed to be done.  

“Ciaran?  Is that you?”

@quinninthenorth prompted “Gold is determined to break up with Belle but before that, he wants to enjoy one last happy day with her at his side.”             

“Ciaran!  You’re home!”

Belle’s smile was incandescent as she greeted him, her blue eyes sparkling with love and happiness just because he’d walked in the door.  He hadn’t done a single thing to earn that smile.  All he’d done was walk through his front door, and Belle was glowing.

He couldn’t do this.