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31_days2014-11-26 08:29 pm
insaneladybug.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2014-11-26 08:29 pm
[November 26th] [Once Upon a Time] Family Togetherness
Title: Family Togetherness
Day/Theme: November 26th - Because it is always the smallest things that are the most important
Series: Once Upon a Time
Character/Pairing: Rumpelstiltskin/Belle, Neal, Mary-Margaret
Rating: K+/PG
Continuing from the previous two pieces posted here. Seasons 3B and 4A haven't happened.
By Lucky_Ladybug
Belle wasn’t sure what to think as she closed the library on the day before Thanksgiving and Mary-Margaret was there to greet her.
“Um, hi, Belle,” she said slowly, awkwardly.
Belle started and turned, crunching in the leaves scattered freely over the sidewalk. “Hello,” she said, immediately on guard.
“I know it’s short notice, but David and I were wondering if you and Neal and . . . er, Mr. Gold would like to join us for Thanksgiving dinner?”
Belle raised an eyebrow. It would be nice if she could just believe it was a kind gesture, but considering the lack of kind gestures when they were needed most, she was suspicious. “Well, I don’t know,” she said. “Rumpelstiltskin might have something else planned.”
The flicker of relief in Mary-Margaret’s eyes was obvious. “That’s fine,” she said. “We just thought we’d extend the invitation.”
“Why?” Belle couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking.
Mary-Margaret blinked in surprise. “W-Why? Well, Thanksgiving is traditionally a family holiday in this world, and thanks to Neal and Emma, we’re all connected. . . .”
“If Emma and Henry were here, I could believe that Henry might suggest something like this,” Belle said. “He showed an interest in getting to know his grandfather on his father’s side. But . . .” She looked straight into Mary-Margaret’s eyes. “You’ve known about our ‘connections’ for a long time now, and it didn’t make one bit of difference when we thought Rumpel was dead. I could have used some dinner invitations then, or even something as simple as a kind word or a smile, but those things were rarely offered to me.”
Now Mary-Margaret clearly looked guilty. One of the complicated things about her was that she wouldn’t deliberately try to be nasty or exclude anyone. Yet her personal feelings couldn’t help but come out anyway, and she did not like or trust Rumpelstiltskin. Belle couldn’t blame her, but after he had sacrificed himself for everyone else, she had thought that at least the woman who was Snow White in the other world might think him of more favorably. And she had also thought that Snow White might extend some compassion to the heartbroken girlfriend, who hadn’t ever done anything negative to her.
“We’ve been so worried about Emma and Henry,” Mary-Margaret finally stammered.
“And I thoroughly understand,” Belle said. “We’re worried as well. Still, I don’t think that is the only reason. We’ve passed each other on the street or at Granny’s many times. You haven’t made an effort to so much as smile at me or ask how I’m doing on any of those occasions.”
Mary-Margaret looked down. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I have been thinking about you, but not enough.” She shook her head. “I guess the Thanksgiving invitation was how I hoped to make up for the past.”
“Is it?” Belle returned. “Or is it because of Henry, even though he isn’t here? Maybe you were doing it for him.”
“Maybe I was,” Mary-Margaret admitted.
“Thank you for finally thinking of us out loud, at least,” Belle said. “I don’t think Rumpel and I can make it. But Neal might be free; you’ll have to ask him.”
“I’ll do that,” Mary-Margaret said. She started to back up to exit the awkward conversation. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
Belle nodded. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
They headed off in opposite directions.
****
Belle was surprised again when she reached the pawnshop and noticed Neal inside, walking past the doorway with a box. Curious and confused, she took out her key and slipped inside. “Neal?” she called. “What’s going on?”
Neal paused and looked back. “Oh hey, Belle.” He set a box down. “We’re looking for that locator device.”
Belle’s eyes widened in understanding. “For Emma and Henry,” she realized.
“Yeah, that’s right. We both thought it might help. Papa’s in the back room, if you want to go on back.”
Belle smiled. “Thank you.” She headed past him and into the storage area. “Rumpel?”
He looked over from where he was pushing a box onto a high shelf. “Belle!” He smiled and turned away from the shelves. “How was work?”
She smiled too, happy to be back with him at the end of another busy workday. “It was . . . unusual. Well, it was fine until I was leaving to come here. Mary-Margaret was coming to talk to me. She was inviting us to Thanksgiving dinner.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really. Did you accept?”
“Would you have wanted to go?”
“Mmm. Not particularly.”
“I didn’t think so. I didn’t really want to, either. I told her we probably wouldn’t be able to make it.” Belle sat on a long table near him. “And I told her quite a bit more, as well.”
“Such as?” Rumpel could guess, but he would let Belle tell the story.
“I wondered why she was inviting us now, after virtually ignoring me for weeks.” Belle frowned. “She tried to excuse herself by saying how worried she’s been about Emma and Henry. Then she said she had been thinking about me. I can just imagine what she’s been thinking.” Idly she placed her fingers on the table.
“Surely she realized that you wouldn’t be blind to her lack of sympathy,” Rumpel said. “Did she expect you to jump up smiling and immediately accept as though nothing was wrong?”
“I don’t know what she expected,” Belle admitted. “She said she was trying to make up for the past. Part of me wonders if I was being too unreasonable not to accept.”
“No, Belle.” Rumpel came over, gently grasping her upper arms. “If anything, you were more reasonable than she deserved.” His eyes narrowed, flickering with that familiar darkness. “They never treated you well. Even after you had amnesia thanks to Hook and were supposed to be protected in the hospital, Regina was able to get into your room more than once.” He stood back. “If they had been doing their jobs as they should have been, it never would have happened.”
Belle looked down. “And Lacey never would have come into being.”
Rumpel took her hand between his. “That was never your fault, Belle.”
She smiled. “I know, but I still feel terrible for the way I acted back then.”
“Think nothing of it.” He paused. “But if we’re not going to share holiday joy with the Charmings, we should have some of our own.”
“A dinner?” She smiled impishly.
“With whatever you would like,” he said with a grand gesture. “We could try the traditional meal they seem to have for Thanksgiving dinner. Or we could experiment with other, more unusual dishes.”
Belle beamed. She always loved when Rumpel tried to educate her on living in the modern world. He had become so adept at it over the past decades. “It will be our first Thanksgiving,” she said. “Tell me about the traditional meal while I help look for the globe.”
Rumpel took her hand and she slid down from the table. “Well, most people have a bird, usually a turkey,” he said. “But unless you kill it fresh, a store-bought turkey typically needs several days to unthaw enough to be cooked.”
“We could find a way around that, couldn’t we?” Belle said.
Rumpel smirked. “I’m sure we could.”
Neal peeked in through the doorway as they continued to talk and plan for the meal. He had heard most of their conversation while going through another box. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do for his part. On the one hand, it seemed that his father and Belle should spend their first Thanksgiving alone together. But he knew they would be happy for him to join them, and really, he would like that himself. He had never spent a Thanksgiving Day with family before. And of the family in town, since Emma and Henry were not here, he felt he would rather try reconnecting more with his father than spending the evening with Mary-Margaret and David.
“Bae?” Rumpel was looking out at him now, through the doorway. “What would you like to have for dinner?”
Neal blinked in surprise but then smiled at the inclusion. “Anything’s fine,” he said.
“You are coming,” Belle said hopefully.
“Yeah,” Neal smiled, coming to the doorway.
Rumpel, who had momentarily tensed from wondering if his son would not be interested, now relaxed and smiled as well.
They would finish today by going through the rest of the boxes and other places where the locator could have got to. Tomorrow they would have a peaceful dinner, and the day after that, if they were lucky, they would embark on the journey to bring back Emma and Henry.
And they would be doing it all together, just as it should be.
Day/Theme: November 26th - Because it is always the smallest things that are the most important
Series: Once Upon a Time
Character/Pairing: Rumpelstiltskin/Belle, Neal, Mary-Margaret
Rating: K+/PG
Continuing from the previous two pieces posted here. Seasons 3B and 4A haven't happened.
Belle wasn’t sure what to think as she closed the library on the day before Thanksgiving and Mary-Margaret was there to greet her.
“Um, hi, Belle,” she said slowly, awkwardly.
Belle started and turned, crunching in the leaves scattered freely over the sidewalk. “Hello,” she said, immediately on guard.
“I know it’s short notice, but David and I were wondering if you and Neal and . . . er, Mr. Gold would like to join us for Thanksgiving dinner?”
Belle raised an eyebrow. It would be nice if she could just believe it was a kind gesture, but considering the lack of kind gestures when they were needed most, she was suspicious. “Well, I don’t know,” she said. “Rumpelstiltskin might have something else planned.”
The flicker of relief in Mary-Margaret’s eyes was obvious. “That’s fine,” she said. “We just thought we’d extend the invitation.”
“Why?” Belle couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking.
Mary-Margaret blinked in surprise. “W-Why? Well, Thanksgiving is traditionally a family holiday in this world, and thanks to Neal and Emma, we’re all connected. . . .”
“If Emma and Henry were here, I could believe that Henry might suggest something like this,” Belle said. “He showed an interest in getting to know his grandfather on his father’s side. But . . .” She looked straight into Mary-Margaret’s eyes. “You’ve known about our ‘connections’ for a long time now, and it didn’t make one bit of difference when we thought Rumpel was dead. I could have used some dinner invitations then, or even something as simple as a kind word or a smile, but those things were rarely offered to me.”
Now Mary-Margaret clearly looked guilty. One of the complicated things about her was that she wouldn’t deliberately try to be nasty or exclude anyone. Yet her personal feelings couldn’t help but come out anyway, and she did not like or trust Rumpelstiltskin. Belle couldn’t blame her, but after he had sacrificed himself for everyone else, she had thought that at least the woman who was Snow White in the other world might think him of more favorably. And she had also thought that Snow White might extend some compassion to the heartbroken girlfriend, who hadn’t ever done anything negative to her.
“We’ve been so worried about Emma and Henry,” Mary-Margaret finally stammered.
“And I thoroughly understand,” Belle said. “We’re worried as well. Still, I don’t think that is the only reason. We’ve passed each other on the street or at Granny’s many times. You haven’t made an effort to so much as smile at me or ask how I’m doing on any of those occasions.”
Mary-Margaret looked down. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I have been thinking about you, but not enough.” She shook her head. “I guess the Thanksgiving invitation was how I hoped to make up for the past.”
“Is it?” Belle returned. “Or is it because of Henry, even though he isn’t here? Maybe you were doing it for him.”
“Maybe I was,” Mary-Margaret admitted.
“Thank you for finally thinking of us out loud, at least,” Belle said. “I don’t think Rumpel and I can make it. But Neal might be free; you’ll have to ask him.”
“I’ll do that,” Mary-Margaret said. She started to back up to exit the awkward conversation. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
Belle nodded. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
They headed off in opposite directions.
Belle was surprised again when she reached the pawnshop and noticed Neal inside, walking past the doorway with a box. Curious and confused, she took out her key and slipped inside. “Neal?” she called. “What’s going on?”
Neal paused and looked back. “Oh hey, Belle.” He set a box down. “We’re looking for that locator device.”
Belle’s eyes widened in understanding. “For Emma and Henry,” she realized.
“Yeah, that’s right. We both thought it might help. Papa’s in the back room, if you want to go on back.”
Belle smiled. “Thank you.” She headed past him and into the storage area. “Rumpel?”
He looked over from where he was pushing a box onto a high shelf. “Belle!” He smiled and turned away from the shelves. “How was work?”
She smiled too, happy to be back with him at the end of another busy workday. “It was . . . unusual. Well, it was fine until I was leaving to come here. Mary-Margaret was coming to talk to me. She was inviting us to Thanksgiving dinner.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really. Did you accept?”
“Would you have wanted to go?”
“Mmm. Not particularly.”
“I didn’t think so. I didn’t really want to, either. I told her we probably wouldn’t be able to make it.” Belle sat on a long table near him. “And I told her quite a bit more, as well.”
“Such as?” Rumpel could guess, but he would let Belle tell the story.
“I wondered why she was inviting us now, after virtually ignoring me for weeks.” Belle frowned. “She tried to excuse herself by saying how worried she’s been about Emma and Henry. Then she said she had been thinking about me. I can just imagine what she’s been thinking.” Idly she placed her fingers on the table.
“Surely she realized that you wouldn’t be blind to her lack of sympathy,” Rumpel said. “Did she expect you to jump up smiling and immediately accept as though nothing was wrong?”
“I don’t know what she expected,” Belle admitted. “She said she was trying to make up for the past. Part of me wonders if I was being too unreasonable not to accept.”
“No, Belle.” Rumpel came over, gently grasping her upper arms. “If anything, you were more reasonable than she deserved.” His eyes narrowed, flickering with that familiar darkness. “They never treated you well. Even after you had amnesia thanks to Hook and were supposed to be protected in the hospital, Regina was able to get into your room more than once.” He stood back. “If they had been doing their jobs as they should have been, it never would have happened.”
Belle looked down. “And Lacey never would have come into being.”
Rumpel took her hand between his. “That was never your fault, Belle.”
She smiled. “I know, but I still feel terrible for the way I acted back then.”
“Think nothing of it.” He paused. “But if we’re not going to share holiday joy with the Charmings, we should have some of our own.”
“A dinner?” She smiled impishly.
“With whatever you would like,” he said with a grand gesture. “We could try the traditional meal they seem to have for Thanksgiving dinner. Or we could experiment with other, more unusual dishes.”
Belle beamed. She always loved when Rumpel tried to educate her on living in the modern world. He had become so adept at it over the past decades. “It will be our first Thanksgiving,” she said. “Tell me about the traditional meal while I help look for the globe.”
Rumpel took her hand and she slid down from the table. “Well, most people have a bird, usually a turkey,” he said. “But unless you kill it fresh, a store-bought turkey typically needs several days to unthaw enough to be cooked.”
“We could find a way around that, couldn’t we?” Belle said.
Rumpel smirked. “I’m sure we could.”
Neal peeked in through the doorway as they continued to talk and plan for the meal. He had heard most of their conversation while going through another box. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do for his part. On the one hand, it seemed that his father and Belle should spend their first Thanksgiving alone together. But he knew they would be happy for him to join them, and really, he would like that himself. He had never spent a Thanksgiving Day with family before. And of the family in town, since Emma and Henry were not here, he felt he would rather try reconnecting more with his father than spending the evening with Mary-Margaret and David.
“Bae?” Rumpel was looking out at him now, through the doorway. “What would you like to have for dinner?”
Neal blinked in surprise but then smiled at the inclusion. “Anything’s fine,” he said.
“You are coming,” Belle said hopefully.
“Yeah,” Neal smiled, coming to the doorway.
Rumpel, who had momentarily tensed from wondering if his son would not be interested, now relaxed and smiled as well.
They would finish today by going through the rest of the boxes and other places where the locator could have got to. Tomorrow they would have a peaceful dinner, and the day after that, if they were lucky, they would embark on the journey to bring back Emma and Henry.
And they would be doing it all together, just as it should be.