A Walk in Ashes

Gold locates what may be the murder weapon inside Belle's large antique floor clock and calls for a Forensics Unit to come and get both the clock and the gun. At this point he feels he likely has the murderer identified. Belle reaches out to him and initiates a passionate, very satisfying, interlude. They have adjourned to her bedroom when the doorbell rings. Belle re-attires to answer it, but Gold's intuition belatedly warns him. In a near-panic, he jumps from the bed and follows Belle only to find that Keith Nottingham is holding a gun on her. He attempts to distract Keith but when Keith raises the gun to Belle's head, he makes a diving tackle and the two men grapple together on the floor. They are interrupted by the Forensics Unit but it is a gunshot that stops the fight. Gold is allowed to re-dress and, in astonishment, he watches Belle try to comfort the seriously injured Keith.

Invitations

Chapter 15

Life was trying to return to normal.

But Belle couldn't bring herself to return to her old apartment. She'd spent the one night with Gold, shivering at remembering how well he had kept to his promise to lick her all over. He had done several other things, too, and very well . . . very, very well.

The next morning he'd taken her out to breakfast and then dropped her off at Prêt á Porter. There had been a profuse apology on her answering machine waiting for her from Cora who begged her forgiveness . . . and could she get an appointment to get a couple of dresses for the Christmas party season?

But then . . . then there had been no further contact from Gold, except for an officer coming by her shop and dropping off the clothes and sundry she had left at Gold's house. Belle had heard through the news media that Keith had died in the hospital from the gunshot wound sustained in the struggle. She'd also gotten a call from Emma to let her know that Forensics had found Keith's prints on the clock and on the rifle that was in the clock. The rifle had been loaded with buckshot.

The case was being closed out.

But, Emma also told her, Gold was in trouble for dereliction of duty – being found naked on the job and all. Belle had expressed concerns, but Emma reminded her that Gold was like a cat – he'd land on his feet.

Belle had been staying with her bff, Ruby, for nearly a week now. Ruby was one hundred percent welcoming, but Belle still felt like she was an intruder. She was well aware that Ruby had an active social life and had put this on hold while babysitting her.

"Why don't you just call the man," Ruby had told her more than once.

"But if he hasn't called me then it's because he doesn't want to hear from me," Belle told her friend.

"Or he's shy or has low self-esteem or he was embarrassed and doesn't dare make the first move."

Belle had to giggle at the idea that Lieutenant Gold was shy or had low esteem – a more arrogant, smug, superior individual she had never met.

But then she thought about it. She was, after all, a nationally famous designer and he, well he often would refer to himself as 'just' a policeman. Maybe he thought she thought she was too good for him.

Belle nearly snorted. What nonsense!

"The guy clearly has the hots for you, girl," Ruby had told her. "You told me that he nailed you up against the wall in the hallway. That sounds like somebody so full of passion that he can't even get you back to a bedroom. Call the man!"

"Well maybe it was just the conquest thing. Maybe he thought I wasn't very good. Maybe he was just caught up in the moment."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Just call the man!"

Belle did make a call. But not to Gold. She called back Emma.

"He got a slap on the wrist for not having his badge on him," Emma told her. "Probably right now, he's back to his usual moping around, lying out on his back deck drinking himself into a stupor. I know that because he hasn't come in to bitch at me for anything," the pretty M.E. told her.

"What should I do?" Belle asked. "I thought that maybe we had a connection, that he liked me."

"Oh Belle, this is a man who's been betrayed by every woman he's ever cared for. He doesn't believe that you could possibly have any feelings for him," Emma tried to explain.

"But Emma, we . . . well, we . . ."

"Okay, listen," Emma interrupted. "If you're about to tell me that you did the nasty with the guy, please keep it to yourself. I'm dating his son. I don't need to hear about how my potential father-in-law is in the sack."

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone.

"Oh lord, he was that good, huh?" Emma asked. "No, no, don't answer that. I might get a visual. Here, I've got an idea. Let me check on something. If it goes the way I think it will, I'll call you back and give you an excuse to call him."

True to her word, Emma had called her back within a half hour.

Belle listened and nodded. It was a good excuse. A really good excuse.

# # # # #

Gold had closed out the Belle French affair. He was free to sit on his back deck drinking himself into a state of enervation again. Dearie often joined him, exploring around the back deck but not venturing far from his side.

Oh, he had come through the departmental hearing with flying colors. "Hey, I identified the killer. Stopped him from killing again. Unfortunately, he shot himself in a struggle with me. If you don't like my methods . . . you know what we can do."

His skills, his reputation, his sheer force of personality - they had agreed with him. He was still in the catbird seat. They had backed down and compromised by putting him on paid administrative leave for a month – like he wouldn't have been on paid administrative vacation anyway after solving this case as per his established agreement with them.

He looked over his mail. He had an invitation to a party hosted by Regina. He put it aside. He had another invitation to one of Cora's parties. That one he tossed.

He couldn't stop thinking about Miss French.

They'd spent one incredible passionate afternoon and night together. He'd estimated there had been seven orgasms, not counting the three he'd had himself. At his age, he felt he deserved to feel pretty proud of his efforts.

He knew that Belle had gone back to work. He'd had some of the men in the force check on her and found that she was back in her shop finishing up on next spring's designs, the fall line already well into production and due to hit the stores any moment.

He missed her, terribly, but didn't think she'd welcome any intrusions. She was a dynamic business woman without a lot of time for . . . well, for intrusions.

At best, he thought, he'd been a momentary distraction from the whole ugly situation she'd been caught up in, someone she could regale her friends with. Every woman wants to do a policeman or fireman at some point, just for fun, of course, nothing serious.

At worst, she'd look back on him as a moment of extreme indiscretion on her part, something she'd want to put behind her and forget about – yet another man in her series of disastrous choices in male companionship.

His phone rang. When he saw the number his heart leapt.

"Hello," he answered. He knew his heart was pounding like a school boy's. She'd probably realized she'd left something in his truck.

"Have lunch with me?"

"Sure." He would have agreed to any request she made.

"Pick me up?"

"Can do."

"At the shop?"

"No problem."

"One o'clock?"

"Uh huh,"

"I'll be waiting."

"Great."

He put his phone down. Dearie had jumped up on his lounge chair and had walked along the edge to get a head rubbing from him. She was purring loudly.

Just the sound of her voice had made him get hard. Damn.

There had been that one splendid moment that one awful afternoon. But then he had recklessly, caught up in his own passions, put her in danger, then barely, just barely, he'd saved her. Sloppy police work.

She was too good for him.

But she wanted to see him again.

She waited for him outside of her shop, wearing a bright yellow sundress and white strappy heeled sandals, looking for his stalwart silver truck, so distinctive from all other vehicles. She stood, waiting for him.

She spotted him turning onto Haywood. Her heart skipped a beat. She could feel it pounding like a school girl's.

He slowed up and pulled over to the curb. His truck wasn't easy for the petite woman to climb into but she seemed to have perfected the task.

"Your skirt's too short," he said disapprovingly.

"You like it," she told him.

"Yes, but I don't like other men looking at your legs," he told her honestly.

"As long as all they can do is look . . ." she told him, giving him her dazzlingly smile.

He snorted and changed gears to get them back into traffic. "Where to milady?"

"Local Taco?" she suggested.

He nodded. "We could've walked."

"Will parking be a problem?" she asked him.

He smirked. "No, I have a special tag I can hang in the window."

They drove down to Lexington to the little hole in the wall taco restaurant. Gold parked in a No Parking area and placed his "Police" tag on the rear view mirror.

He got out, walked around and helped Belle down.

They placed their order, smoked salmon for Gold and tequila lime chicken for Belle with iced tea for both to drink. Belle was very quiet while they waited for their meals. Gold watched her.

"You have something on your mind," he finally told her.

"Two things actually," she confessed.

He sat quietly, knowing she would share when she was ready.

"I haven't been staying in my apartment," she told him. "I just don't feel . . . comfortable . . . right . . . safe . . . there."

"Understandable. You need to move into a more secure building."

"I've been staying with Ruby, but . . . well, Ruby tends to have guests."

"So you're another guest," he replied. Their food had arrived.

She shook her head. "You don't understand. Ruby has . . . guests."

"Ooooh," Gold abruptly understood. "So it's a bit . . ."

"Awkward . . . crowded . . . yeah. Regina's asked me, but I don't think I'd be comfortable staying with her."

Gold had to smile at this. "Regina also has guests."

"Yeah, sure. And for a lot of other reasons, I'm just not comfortable staying under her roof," Belle explained. "Now, Emma has also offered."

"My Emma?" he questioned.

"Your Emma, although I don't know she'd appreciate you calling her that."

"Definitely not," he agreed, then shrugged. "So stay with her."

"Well, Emma doesn't really know me. I think she was just being kind." Belle dropped her eyes.

Gold hesitated. This would be a long shot. "Well, I don't know if I could possibly help. But I do have extra rooms in my place. We could put a bed in one of the second floor rooms and make it into a bedroom."

Belle looked at him coolly and he backtracked.

"It would be strictly platonic, understand. I wouldn't want you to think I would take advantage of you in your . . . hour of need."

"So there wouldn't be any . . . sex?" she asked demurely.

"Oh no. I would never think of imposing . . ." he had broken eye contact and was looking intently at the taco on his plate. He lifted his glass to take a drink.

"Well," Belle said slowly. "I had thought of asking if I could stay with you, but. . . well, if there's not going to be any sex, I don't see the point."

Gold spewed his drink. He looked up struggling to recover from nearly strangling on his tea. She was very nearly grinning at him.

"I might want to convert one of those empty rooms into an in-home library or office but as for a bedroom, well, I was sort of hoping you'd agree that there was room enough for the both of us in that rice bed."

He looked at her. "Are you saying that you'd . . . you'd like to . . . move in with me?"

"You act like that surprises you," she said to him. She reached for his hand. "I know we don't know each other very well, but I rather think there's something special between us. Certainly the sex is amazing. I'd like to see if we have anything else going for us."

"You're not offering this, just because I. . . I . . . I saved your life and all? Are you?" he asked.

Belle folded her arms. "Lieutenant Gold," she was using her Business Woman's Voice. "Do you think for one single moment that I'm the kind of woman who would repay a favor using her body?"

"No, absolutely not, no," he quickly answered.

"Do you think I would offer to move into your house, your bed, just because I felt gratitude?" her voice was getting quieter and quieter.

"No ma'am, no," he answered quickly.

"Do you think that I would offer to do this for any other reason than I was falling in love with you?"

"You are?" he asked. "I love you, I mean, I'm falling in love with you too!" He was shaking his head. "I just didn't realize that you were feeling the same way. I mean I'm so much older than you. I'm not one of those pretty people you spend a lot of time with. I'm . . . " he looked up at her, struggling.

She narrowed her eyes, "Oh, I wouldn't be so quick to say you're not going to fit in with that 'remarkable collection of dopes' I keep around me. But, if you're going to say anything about not being worthy, or nice enough, or anything else, so help me, I'm going to punch you, worse, I'm going to have Emma punch you."

He took a deep breath. "I'd be honored if you would move in with me, into my house, my bed, Miss French."

"I will be expecting sex," she told him.

"Yes ma'am."

"And on a regular basis," she added.

"Yes ma'am."

"A couple of times a week," she clarified.

"Yes ma'am."

"Possibly every day," she explained.

"I'll try to rise to the occasion," he promised her.

"At least once a day," she specified.

"I'll put a Viagra salt lick on the back deck."

"Good then, I'm glad that's settled." She sat back to enjoy her lunch. "I don't know if we have anything between us other than great sex but I think it's worth finding out. I want to find out all about you, what you like to do, what you like to eat, what you watch on television. I know it all seems sudden, but I'm accustomed to making quick decisions about very important things. I've been wrong a few times about men, I admit, but I've been right about my business. I'm willing to take a risk with you, knowing it may all fall apart. I'm thinking we'll take things as they happen and not make any long term plans." She took a bite of her food.

He sat digesting what had just happened. OMG, this woman wanted to move in with him . . . and have sex with him. Lots and lots of sex.

"Now there is a second thing," she told him.

"Huh?" he was still thinking about lots and lots of sex with Belle French.

"Oh yes. I've been talking with Emma . . . a lot," she began.

"I didn't know that. That can't be good," he said more to himself than to her.

"You know she's seeing your son?" she asked him.

Gold looked up. "I had heard something of a rumor that that was happening," he responded slowly.

"Well, I got his number and I called him."

"Belle, thank you, but he doesn't want to see me . . ." Gold began.

"Well, there you're wrong," Belle told him.

He looked up. "What?!"

"He's agreeable to having lunch with you - in a public place. He's not making any promises, but he thought if Emma and I were there also, it might make things easier all around, like we could be a buffer. Next Saturday, Razzaz's. We have a reservation."

Gold sat quietly, wordless in astonishment.

"I wanted to do something to thank you for saving my life. I thought getting you re-connected with your son might go a little ways towards that," she explained.

When Gold didn't respond, Belle looked at him. He had tears in his eyes.

"Belle, this is more than I could ever. . . " He reached over and pulled her head to his to kiss her directly on the mouth. When he sat back, he tried to speak. "Even if nothing more comes of this, Belle, this is the most wonderful thing that anyone has ever done for me."

"I'm happy to do it. I was really nervous that one or both of you would reject getting back together outright, but Neil was fine . . . as long as there was a buffer. . . " Belle trailed off. When Gold didn't say anything, Belle looked up through her lashes. He was staring at her intensely. His eyes had darkened.

"What say we finish up here right now?" he asked her.

'All right," Belle immediately agreed.

Gold signaled the waitress and paid the bill. He then took Belle by the elbow.

"Do you need to call anyone to let them know that you might not make it back to the office?" he asked her.

"What?!"

"I'm abducting you . . . for the rest of the afternoon. That rice bed worked well that first night together, but I think we need to have a second trial on it."

Belle hesitated a half-moment. "All right," she agreed enthusiastically.

# # # # #

This time no one rang the doorbell.

Gold had thought it likely that if any unfortunate soul had interrupted them by ringing the bell, he'd've have probably shot them.

They had barely made it into his house, leaving a trail of clothes on the floor of the truck, on the garage floor and the kitchen floor. They didn't make it to the bedroom, instead Gold had set her on his kitchen table running his hands over her smooth beautiful body. He'd lifted her legs so they were resting on his shoulders and pulled her toward the edge of the table. He brushed his hand against her and could tell that she was more than ready, her moisture seeping and dampening his hand. He was certainly more than ready, his cock standing in full salute nearly pressing into his stomach. He set one hand on her stomach to prevent her from lifting up and began to push into her. She was easily able to accept him and soon enough he was thrusting so hard the table began shifting on the floor and Belle, who was holding onto the sides of the table, was yelping with each forceful push. He stepped along with the table, dropping his hand to begin to caress her right at the point they were joined together.

His Belle had exploded around him, screaming his name, her muscles contracting around him and pulling him over the edge with her. "Hellfire!" she'd heard him curse as he relinquished his life force into her and then collapsed on top of her, her trembling legs sliding down on each side of his body. She brought her hand up to stroke the side of his face, brushing his hair back with her fingers.

"Didn't make it to the bed again," he said once he'd regained his breathing.

"Well, we'll have to try again later," she kissed him as he helped her sit up, her legs wobbly with the aftershocks of the intense orgasm he'd just provided her.

"I don't have anything against doing you in a bed," he assured her. "It's that you're so damn sexy, I get caught up in the moment."

"I liked it, or couldn't you tell," she told him.

"I could tell," he told her, kissing the top of her head. "Come on, we're going to try this right."

This time he did get her back into the bedroom and much later, she went to sleep lying on his chest.

# # # # #

She woke up still cradled in his arms. She was on her back and he was lying next to her looking down at her. She startled, "Oh!"

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I am," she told him, lifting her head to kiss him on the chin. "How come I feel things with you I've never felt with anyone else?"

"Hell, I don't know. But I feel the same way about you."

"What should we do?" She relaxed against him. "Do we just take it day by day?"

"Let's do that for a little while," he agreed.

"What if we still feel this way in . . . what? six months, a year?" she asked him.

"I'd be agreeable to making it permanent," he told her without hesitation.

"I'd like that."

-the end-

Thanks to all those who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed this story, including those recent reviewers RaFire, Wondermorena, cynicsquest, orthankg1, kagi-chan2, Grace5231973, jewel415, deweymay, Robin4, Erik'sTrueAngel, Rebecca (Guest)(Chapter 3), MyraValhallah, Aletta-Feather (Chapters 13 and 14).

A.N. This story is based on a classic Film Noir movie, Laura. If you aren't familiar with this genre, these movies are populated by hard-boiled men, femme fatale women and gritty dialogue. Laura starred Gene Tierney as Laura, Dana Andrews as the Detective McPherson and Clifton Webb as the urbane newspaper columnist and radio commentator Waldo Lydecker. The murder victim was Diane Redfern - I kept the last name but altered the character to a clear Belle-look-alike with Lacey. Some of the dialogue is lifted from the film.

I found that some parts were made to order: Lacey as the victim (because of the physical resemblance to Belle), Cora as the cougar, Killian as the smarmy fiancé, Gold as the bitter detective and (what triggered me to write the damn thing) Belle as Laura (another character describes Laura as someone who finds good in everyone and if she can't find good, she puts it there – when I heard that I pretty much wet myself and the story spewed forth).

I did make significant changes in the story line – when I started writing it up I discovered plot holes I could drive a truck through. It also wrote up into only about five chapters and I wanted something a little meatier, so I added more of the investigation (I really like having Jefferson and Emma in my stories), modernized the police methods and added a little more depth and a little more heat to the Laura/Detective relationship. Laura also didn't seem the least concerned that a brutal murder was committed in her apartment, which I didn't think was consistent for her sensitive character – having Belle freaked out about the murder gave me the opportunity to throw Gold into the role as protector. I also, obviously, changed the perpetrator.

(Spoiler Alert) In the movie Lydecker is the murderer (Regina's role). The character is a remarkably deep and complex individual (given that these movies were churned out and little effort towards character development was attempted). The character is subtly, but unmistakably, gay. He loves Laura as the perfect woman and with a purity of heart and soul. But he cannot compete with straight males who can offer Laura a carnal relationship – he is particularly distressed at the growing relationship between the returned-from-the-grave Laura and the hot (but conflicted) police officer who is openly courting Laura (while simultaneously arresting her for the murder). There was just no OUAT parallel to this extraordinary character – Regina with her own complex history was as close as I could come.

I hope everyone enjoyed this and will forgive the changes that I felt were necessary to make things work when merging the two. Thx so much.

Several people have asked what I have next. I have any number of stories in the hopper but none are singing to me at the moment and I will likely take a week or more off to work on things and regroup. - love to all - twyla