Chapter One: Rainy Thursday

Rain beat against the windowpane of the small apartment above the Storybrooke Library with a rhythmic tattoo. Belle French sat curled up in the window seat, a small blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a book open in her lap. Pale blue eyes neglected the words below, and scanned the view through the barrage of droplets falling from the sky. Her chestnut hair was pulled into a small loose bun with two hair sticks shoved in the silky folds, and a stray lock of hair fell down to curl and twist behind her ear. Her features were drawn and contemplative as she looked out the window, her eyes not truly seeing what she was looking at. Her mind was elsewhere, focused on the recent evens of her life.

Belle had never been a shy person. She was always eager to meet new people, try new things. She had always been brave in the face of adversity. When she had moved to Storybrooke with her father ten years ago from Australia, she had been cheerful and happy about it, so her father never saw her grief at leaving their homeland. She had even tried (with disastrous results) to date guys she knew her father would approve of. That never stopped her from trying though. When she had left for college, she had called him every day with a cheerful facade to keep him from hearing the homesickness in her voice. But when he had disapproved of her choice of career after college, she never had she been so close to caving in to her fear. She had loved the Storybrooke library as a teen, and had spent many a day lost in the stacks, her nose in a book. When she had returned to find it closed, she had been the fiercest advocate in the town to get it re-opened. It had taken a lot of support, but she managed to convince Mayor Mills, and due to her being the lead voice on the matter, she was chosen to be the Librarian. Her father had been very adamant in his opposition to this decision, and after several horrible fights, she had moved in to her new apartment, and had not spoken to him since. It had taken three weeks of renovations, but after one ruined pair of overalls, several stained shirts, and more than a few scrapes and paper-cuts, the library was ready.

Belle sighed, snapping out of her daze and tried to concentrate on her book. She was almost done with the page before she realized that she didn't remember a word of what she read. She snapped the book with a huff, and turned back to the window. She found her eyes wandering about before finally settling on the little building just down at the end of the block, as they usually did when she looked out this window. Mr. Gold's Pawnshop was a small little storefront, but it was not the shop it's self that drew her eye, but the knowledge of who owned the shop. Belle French, brave, intelligent, kind, and sensible Belle French, had a crush on Mr. Gold.

It had started as soon as they had moved to Storybrooke really. Belle had been a young girl of fourteen, walking down the street with her new friends Mary Margret and Ruby when she saw him for the first time. He was walking down the street towards them, his cane tapping against the pavement with an imposing scowl in his face that caused people to shy away from him. Mary Margret and Ruby had instantly tried to keep their heads down and move to give him room, but not Belle. She had simply continued walking towards him, her expression one of intense study, and when his eyes met her's she had smiled at the fierce expression in his brown eyes. He passed by her, and her head turned to watch him walk away. After that, she had never went out of her way to see him, the teasing from Mary Margret and Ruby enough to stop her. But every time he had come by her father's house to collect the rent she had relished the sight of him. Every time she heard his voice, with that distinctive Scottish brogue, her stomach had done little flip flops, and when his eyes met her's she could feel her heart ache. When she had gotten older and gone off to college, she had thought herself over the infatuation. That is until she saw him again when she moved back.

Hints of gray had snaked it's way into his hair, and the lines in his face had grown. To Belle though, he was even more handsome than before but just as grumpy, if not more so. She didn't care though. He was a puzzle to her, and had she had an overpowering urge to get to know him. However, she knew that she should not give in to the desire. It was a silly crush, a feeling left over from teenage fantasy, and something that should probably be repressed.

Belle stood and stretched, deciding to walk down to Granny's for an early dinner. She couldn't read anyway, so might as well see Ruby. She grabbed her keys off of the kitchen counter, and walked to the door to put on her coat and shoes. She grabbed an umbrella on her way out the door, not wanting to risk a cold even for the short walk.

"Hey Belle! How are the renovations coming?" Ruby asked as Belle shrugged out of her coat, and lay it on the stool next to her. Ruby was dressed in her usual work outfit, with a little modification to make it more...Ruby.

"Hello Ruby. I just finished yesterday, it's all ready to go for the opening on Monday." Belle said as Ruby wrote down her usual order of tea and a cheeseburger on her little pad. "How are things going in Ruby land?"

"As well as you could expect. My date last night stood me up so I spent the evening at home." Ruby said, not seeming to mind the affront of her date. Ruby had long since resigned herself to not caring about that, commenting to Belle after one particular occasion that if he was willing to stand someone like her up, then he wasn't worth her time.

"Oh I'm sorry. Well if it's any consolation I always spend my evenings at home. You should come over some time and we'll have a girl's night." Belle said, her tone somewhat sad. Ruby rolled her eyes and placed her hands on the counter and leaned toward Belle.

"You know I could fix you up with someone Belle. Jean-Loic is hot as hell and if I hadn't already dated him once I would be all over that hunk. You should give him a shot, you know he's had a crush on you since high school." Ruby said, giving Belle a knowing eye. Belle snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Jean-Loic Gaston is a self absorbed, chauvinistic priss. I wouldn't date him in a million years." Belle stated, a tone of finality in her voice. Ruby just gave her the look she always gave Belle when she turned down her offer, the one that said 'You're-still-holding-a-candle-for-Mr.-Gold-aren't-you?'. Belle gave Ruby the look she returned to aforementioned look that said 'What-do-you-think? Of-course-I-am.' Ruby stalked away to take care of another customer while Belle was left to stare at her cup of tea that Ruby had slipped her midconversation. She sighed and stirred in her milk and sugar, not noticing the entrance of the subject of her thoughts.

Mr. Gold entered the small diner sopping wet from the rain. He had stupidly thought that he would be saved from the rain's brutality due to the walk being rather short from his pawn shop to Granny's. Now he knew he had been sorely mistaken as he tried to shake off the water from his shoulders and hair. He limped into the room, his cane tapping against the linolium as he made his way to the back corner of the diner, his eyes scanning the room. There was a couple in the front booth and Moe French's daughter at the counter, but other than that the diner was blissfully empty. He gave a small sneer at the thought and slid easily into the booth, choosing to face the front of the resturaunt. Ruby, Widow Lucas's granddaughter took his order, a cup of tea and a rare steak, and he sat back and sighed as she left.

Business was not as good today as he would have hoped, but it was better that it had been in the last few weeks and he was happy for it. 'Well happy is a strong word. I'm never happy.' He thought as his eyes wandered from the table. The couple across the room were talking and laughing away, making Gold scowl. His eyes then turned to the French girl, finding nothing else to amuse him. She sat stirring her tea, her shoulders slumped in obvious melancholy contemplation, a strand of her hair determined to excape the confines of her loose bun. A twinge of sympathy for the girl made him examine her fully. Gold had always liked Belle French. She was a pretty girl, obviously intelligent even with a misguided and pompous father, and unlike everyone else in the god forsaken town, she smiled at him. No one smiled at him except Regina, and she did so to toy and manipulate him. No, Belle French really smiled at him, a true and shy smile. It had always made him wonder why. It was a question that had plagued him for years. He'd never asked her though. His eyes turned back to his table again, not wanting to stare at her.

"Here you go Mr. Gold. Here is your tea." Ruby said, placing the cup in front of him. Belle practically jumped out of her skin when she heard Ruby say his name, and fought her instinct to whirl around and seek him out. Ruby slid back behind the counter and gave her a knowing look as Belle's blush crept up to tint her cheeks. She risked a quick glance at Mr. Gold, trying not to look like she was spying. He was more interested in his tea however, and Belle couldn't help but think of how he liked his tea, a splash of milk and a tiny bit of sugar. Belle turned back toward the counter, Ruby still looking at her. She blushed even harder as a cheeseburger was slid across the counter to her.

Silence reigned over the diner as the young couple left. Belle and Mr. Gold ate in silence, Belle stealing glances at him from time to time, unable to help herself. As Belle dug into her piece of key lime pie, Mr. Gold stood to leave, dropping a ten on the table and pulling on his overcoat. He walked towards the door, realizing that the rain had not let up and sighing. He had almost gotten dry. With a grimace, he opened the front door and stepped out into the rain. Belle had watched him leave, and was struck with an idea. She scrambled to pull out some bills and put them out on the counter, and put her coat on.

"Hey where you going in such a rush?" Ruby called after her as Belle hastened to the door.

"Gotta go...run some errands! Bye!" Belle called, pulling out her umbrella and tripping out the door in her haste.

"Riiiight." Ruby said with a shake of her head, grabbing Belle's money and heading over to the cash register.

Gold had not walked a block when Belle caught up to him. The awareness that someone was near him made him turn his head to see her face, flushed with the cold and her jog. She was smiling at him like she always did, and Gold couldn't help but scowl at her, trying not to smile back.

"Miss French. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked her as he stopped walking and faced her, both his hands on his cane as a sign of control over the situation.

"Hello Mr. Gold. I uh...I saw you didn't have an umbrella when you left the diner. I thought I could...walk you back to your shop." She said, giving him a shy, hopeful smile. His heart stopped when she gave him that smile. The smile, the one she always gave him that he found so...facinating.

"Why do you smile at me?" The question slipped from his lips before he even realized he said it. Her expression changed to a curious and perplexed one as she stepped closer to let him under the umbrella.

"Why shouldn't I?" She asked back. He was momentarily stunned by her answer. 'Because I'm your father's landlord. Because I own half the town. Because I'm not a nice man. Because I like you more than I should.' He thought as he stared at her, her blue eyes capturing his. He cleared his throat, momentarily uncomfortable at the way her eyes seemed to see past his mask of cool disdain.

"Well I suppose I could use an escort. Thank you Miss French." He said, his old fashioned manors automatically kicking in as he held out his arm for her hold. She gave him a real smile then, not that shy little tilt of the lips but a perfect happy smile that seemed to warm him.

"You are welcome Mr. Gold." She said, taking his arm as they began to walk down the sidewalk towards his shop. They were silent for a while, neither knowing what to say to the other. Belle was first to break the silence.

"You know, I have never been in your shop Mr. Gold." It was a simple statement. Gold couldn't help but chuckle a little at that.

"I don't suppose you ever needed to Miss French. Not many people buy what I have in stock, and only the desperate come to me for a deal. You are neither desperate, nor do you need an antique clock so I doubt I shall ever see you set foot in my establishment." The last comment seemed to have an undertone of bitterness that Belle picked up. She did not make a comment on it, but continued on in silence for a moment.

"Well I don't suppose I do need a clock, but it would be nice to see what you have sometime. Who knows, I may see something I can't live with out." She said her tone almost flirtatious. This caused Mr. Gold to glanced at her with a surprised look. Belle blushed faintly, just now realizing what she had been insinuating.

"I highly doubt that, but I won't persuade you otherwise. I have a feeling that once your mind is made up, there is no stopping you." He commented, giving her a knowing smile. She smiled back, unable to stop herself.

"You would be right. It's a common failing in my family." She said, giggling. He smiled at that, keeping his eyes forward.

"Don't I know it." He muttered, hoping she wouldn't hear him. If she did she said nothing until they arrived at the door to his shop. She removed her arm from his and smiled as they faced each other.

"Thank you Miss French for the escort." He said politely, suddenly feeling very awkward and out of his element. Belle couldn't help but giggle at his discomfort.

"It was my pleasure Mr. Gold. I suppose I'll see you when I come to visit." She said shyly, giving him a hopeful look. Gold couldn't help but give a small smile at her beautiful expression.

"Yes I suppose I will. Have a good evening." He said, turning to enter his shop.

"You too." She said, waiting until he was inside before turning and walking back towards the library, and her apartment above it.

Mr. Gold watched her through the front windows as she made her way back across the street towards her home. He had never thought when he woke up this morning that anyone would have gone out of their way to help him in such a way, let alone Belle French. He sighed as he turned back towards his shop, and made his way over to the back of the shop. He had thought her pretty at first. Now he had to admit to himself that she was beautiful. More than beautiful, she was stunning. With her chestnut hair and sky blue eyes, she could have conquered the world with her beauty. And he hated to admit it, but her smile did things to his insides he had thought himself beyond at this point. With a poignant sigh, he had to admit to himself that he was beginning to become infatuated with Belle French.