Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone whom participated in the TEA Awards. This fic tied for the win for Best Movie AU. Enjoy the new chapter and hopefully updates will be more frequent from here on out!

Belle wasn't quite sure how long she stood staring at the monstrosity being built on the corner of Main and Plum Streets, all she was sure of was that it was nothing but trouble. Golden Books had systematically begun eliminating rival businesses from the area for nearly a year now, ever since they had bought their lot. It had been subtle at first but one by one stores were being closed, business owners that had been around since the turn of the century accepting lucrative payouts instead of dealing with the competition that would be provided until there was only one bookstore left, and that was her own, Fairytale Corner.

Fairytale Corner had been her mother's pride and joy from the moment that they opened their doors when Belle was 6 years old. She grew up in the bookstore, playing and reading after school while her father ran his flower shop a few blocks down. Belle always felt that her father was perhaps a little disappointed that she had never shown as much interest in his flowers as she had her mother's books but aside from good natured ribbing, he fully supported Belle when she began to officially work with her Mother.

Her mother had passed away five years ago from a heart attack, but in her will had given her 23 year old daughter sole proprietorship of her business and Belle would be damned if she let some greedy corporation swoop in and erase her mother's legacy. Belle huffed and though it was perhaps childlike to do, kicked the "Coming Soon!" sign in front of her.

Taking a sip from her styrofoam cup of tea, she happened a glance at her watch and realized that she was already five minutes late opening up her own store. She had been standing there much longer than she originally thought. Ruby and Leroy were probably already there to begin opening the store but Belle still felt awful for having gawked for so long, and took off in a jog towardsFairytale Corner, careful not to spill her tea. She rounded the block and had her destination in sight when she crashed into something solid, the lid on her tea flying off as the cup was crushed against whatever she ran into. Especially when she realized it was a person that she ran into.

It was a man, not much taller than herself but radiated an aura of importance. If his attitude didn't give him away then the expensive three piece suit he wore did. A three piece suit that was now completely soaked through with her drink. Thank goodness it was only an iced tea and not hot tea or she might be looking at a lawsuit.

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry, I didn't even see you there," she said and began rifling through her purse looking for napkins or at least a tissue. The man still seemed stunned, his hands held out in front of him in disbelief. The blonde haired woman he was walking with could barely contain her laugh as she looked over her friend.

Belle finally found a crinkled napkin and began dabbing at the mans suit and repeating her apologies before he gently removed her hands from his body.

"Just stop, that's making it worse," he said and Belle couldn't help but notice the slight accent he spoke with. The man took out his pocket square and wiped his hands and his neck where some of the tea had splashed.

"I am truly sorry, it was all my fault…"

"Well, it certainly wasn't my fault," he muttered under his breath still wiping at his wet clothing.

Belle scrunched her nose but continued on. " I was running late for work and I just wasn't looking where I was going…"

"It's fine," he hushed her.

"I don't have much money but the least I can do is pay for your dry cleaning," she started going through her purse again searching for her wallet.

"I think you've done enough, dearie. Just go," he said and began walking away, grabbing the elbow of the laughing woman and continuing down the street.

Belle stared after him for a moment before letting out an exaggerated sigh and hurrying down the street to her shop.

"What exactly are you laughing at Mal?" Gold asked as they made it to the construction entrance of Golden Books and he finally let go of her arm.

"Nothing at all. Except you're always harping to me that you're such a "tea" man even as early as just this morning and I can appreciate the irony of you being completely soaked by your favorite beverage for the duration of this meeting with the contractor," she grinned, her eyes sizing up his soaked shirt and pants.

"Yes, well, it was quite an unfortunate incident," he began and Mal snorted but he felt a smile tug his lips as a new plan formulated in his mind. "Which is why I am not going to be present for the meeting, Mal. You are."

Mal opened her mouth to protest but he raised a hand to silence her and she pouted, knowing that the battle was already lost.

"Meet with Mr. Nolan and make sure everything is still on schedule for opening next month and take care of anything that he or his team may need. Give me a call when it's complete," he said and turned around to walk away. "Also," he called over his shoulder, "don't forget to call Fairytale Land or whatever it's called and make sure you remind Ms. French that this is our non-negotiable final offer and to not take it would be devastating for her business."

"Cal!" she called out before he could round the corner where the company car that had dropped them off was waiting.

"Problem?" Gold asked turning on his heel to look his partner over. If looks could kill he was pretty sure he would have been dead twenty years ago but the look Mal was giving him now certainly would have done him in.

"Of course not," she replied drily. "But if you take the car back to the offices then how the hell am I supposed to get out of here?"

"Oh, Mal. That's what cabs are for my dear," Gold grinned again and this time he did laugh at her misfortune. If there was one thing in the universe that Mal hated it was being forced to use public transportation. He turned the corner before she had a chance to scorch him with her flames.

Belle rushed to through the door of the shop at break neck speeds, nearly knocking the little bell from its spot above the door and felt the eyes of her employees on her.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Belle began walking further into the building.

"You were staring at that ridiculous building again weren't you?" came the gruff reply from the man behind the cash register.

Leroy had been working in the shop since Belle's mother had opened the doors. No one had wanted to take a chance on the man after he had become known for his stints in the local precinct's drunk tank, but Belle's mother had taken a chance on him and with hard work Leroy had been able to pull himself out of the darkness that threatened to drag him under. He always had a keen ability to be able to tell what Belle was thinking or feeling without her ever having to express herself. Sometimes it was bothersome but other times it was a useful trait.

"Partly," Belle sighed placing her purse underneath the counter and clocking in for the day. "I was staring at that concrete monstrosity and when I realized the time I rushed off and ran into this couple, spilling my iced tea all over his really expensive looking suit," she groaned.

"You're lucky you don't drink coffee," he lamented.

"More like he's lucky I don't drink coffee. I felt so awful but he just brushed it off without a fuss. I swear, I can't take one more embarrassing thing happening to me today. It had all started out so well too," she sighed.

"Ohhh a little morning delight?" Leroy asked waggling his eyes suggestively. Belle scoffed but found it hard to contain her laughter.

"Don't be so ridiculous. You know Geoffrey wouldn't do something so scandalous as to have relations in the daytime hours!" she laughed.

For as much as Geoffrey tried to come off as a suave ladies man he was very nearly terrified of sex. The idea of doing somewhere other than the darkness of their own room was absolutely out of the question.

"No, I got another email from my friend," Belle smiled and Leroy rolled his eyes.

"Of course, "the spinner" strikes again. Pray tell, what poetics did you lovebirds wax upon this morning?"

"Leroy! Do I detect jealousy in your tone?" Belle couldn't help but laugh as she continued on to the children's section of the store to begin preparations for storytime. Storytime was one of the shops biggest draws. They would be packed practically wall to wall with people and their children, in just a few short hours.

"Jealous? Of your mysterious literary hero? Please. The guy is probably older than I am and has wives and families in 32 different states and you were just sucker enough to be wooed by his charms."

Leroy didn't truly disapprove of her internet correspondence but never passed up an opportunity to tease Belle about her infatuation. She did value his opinion so she was very happy to discover that he didn't think she was half as crazy as everyone else thought she was. In many ways Leroy was almost like an older brother or a crazy uncle figure to her, so she craved that approval.

"Hush! I finally got him to give "Gone With The Wind" a try. I think we are taking amazing strides in our relationship," she joked before becoming more reflective. "He told me not to take the deal."

"I thought you guys never talked specifics?" he asked as he propped open the front door, allowing the warm air to breeze through the shop.

"We don't. I was just really frustrated after that last offer and may have let my frustrations slip a little. Told him I was being hassled. He said to tell them to go fuck themselves," she grinned and Leroy grunted in approval. "I just don't know Leroy. What do you think that I should do?"

Leroy paused and thought the subject over for a few moments. He offered her an unsure smile as he spoke. "I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do, sister. Only you can decide what you think is right. I know that your mother would be proud of you regardless of what you decide."

Belle instinctively chewed her bottom lip as she thought of what Leroy said, the indecision and turmoil clashing in her mind. The offer from Golden Books had been a more than generous one. Generous enough that she and her employees wouldn't need to worry about finding jobs for a long time but it didn't feel right to sell out either. Who knows what would become of the shop after it was sold. She couldn't bare for it to sit empty like all the other shops that had caved under the amount of money being thrown their way.

The phone ringing cut through Belle's thoughts and she sighed, pushing them out of her mind and answering the phone on the wall.

"Fairytale Corner, this is Belle speaking, how may I help you?"

"Ms. French? Mallory Park of Golden Books how are you doing today?" Belle opened her mouth to answer but Mallory plowed forward in her speech without another moment. "Wonderful. Listen we wanted to touch base and make sure that you were able to review the offer that we faxed to you a few days ago. Have you?"

Belle frowned. "Yes, yes I've looked it over—"

"Excellent, when would you like to close the deal? Mr. Gold was hoping to have this resolved no later than the end of the business day today. Do you think you could have that signed and faxed back over to us and then we could meet around lunch and finalize all of the details?"

Belle was nearly stunned into silence but she felt a deep rage begin to boil in her heart. Golden Books thought that they had already won, did they? That she would simply just roll over and let her mother's legacy simply be lost? Well, they could think again. Any possibility of her considering selling had absolutely flown out the window.

"No," she replied firmly, surprised herself by how calm and steady her voice was.

"No?" came the indignant response.

"No. I am not accepting your little deal. You tell Mr. Gold that if he thinks that he can just push and bully me into selling a business my family has worked hard for then he can think again. Tell him that he can shove this deal right up his arsehole!" she finished and slammed the phone down on the counter.

"Wow…that felt good," Belle said as she turned to Leroy who was watching her with a smile before they both burst out laughing.

"That's the way to do it sister. We won't go down without a fight," he laughed and hugged her.

Callan looked up from his papers as his heavy office doors were nearly thrown off their hinges by the sheer force behind their opening. He smirked and turned back to his papers. Mal was definitely still angry with him then.

"How did it go?" he asked as the clicking sound of his partner's heels came to a stop in front of his desk.

"Which part? The meeting with the contractor that you ditched me at? Or perhaps the part where I had to ride in some filthy cab that smelled like urine and potpourri? Or even better, having that mousy little shop girl telling me exactly which part of your anatomy to shove this deal?"

Gold finally looked up from his work and took in Mal's haggard appearance as she flopped down as unladylike as possible into one of his chairs. She was positively fuming with her lips pursed together and her brow quirked in a way that let him know that she was in no mood for anymore bullshit. If there was one thing that Mal hated more than public transportation, it was losing out on a deal.

He sighed and leaned back into his leather chair steepling his hands. Gold had hoped that they could have made their deal with the shop girl and be done with it.

"What did Nolan say? Is the store still on track for opening on time?"

"Yeah, things are looking good on their end. He said they are actually ahead on a few things, though he does want to meet with you personally to discuss some details. All in all the store is looking great. Just have the little mouse standing in our way," she answered and took a few sips of coffee from her ever present travel mug. It had to be at least her sixth refill of the day. Gold didn't understand how she did it.

"I'm not worried about the girl. Let her fight to stay afloat once we open. We made a generous offer and we won't be making another. One way or the other,Fairytale Corner will not be around for long." He stood up from his chair at that and came around to lean on the front of his desk before Mal. "Have you seen this bookshop before?"

"A couple times. It's a little hole in the wall but it has character and some roots within the local community. Nothing special."

Gold pursed his lips and pushed off his desk, pacing the room in thought for a moment. "You said she has ties to the community? What kind?"

"I don't know Cal, what do all of these little places have in common? Storytime, book drives, local author signings, that kind of thing," she said disinterestedly. "Why, what's going through your mind?"

Gold stopped his pacing. He wasn't worried about the competition that this shop girl could provide. He was more concerned about how her ties to her surrounding community could effect the opening of his store. He didn't want for her to rally the community behind her. That always meant boycotts and picketing and the same thing that all local businesses did whenever a larger corporation came knocking. It was a headache that he didn't feel like dealing with.

"Mal, clear my schedule for the next few hours," he said and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair. He was thankful that when that woman spilled her tea all over him it had only really gotten his shirt wet. Though the black and white checkered shirt was not his favorite, it was one that he always kept on hand at the office. He was known to pull an over nighter or two when he was in the middle of a deal.

"I know that look. What are you planning?"

He smirked at her. "I'm going to check out Fairytale Corner. I need to see how serious she is about rejecting this deal. I don't want her rallying a protest because the big bad corporation came to her neighborhood. I'm sure you don't want that headache as well."

"So, what do you think you're going to do? Go undercover or something? She'll make you from a mile away. Suspicious man in an Armani suit showing up and asking a lot of questions about her business? You're losing your touch Cal."

Gold paused. Mal was right. He may not be as obvious as Mal was trying to make him out to be but he definitely needed a better cover than what he had.

"You said there's storytime?"

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"When is the next one?"

Mal got up with a sigh and dug around Gold's briefcase before she came across one of their files on the little shop. "Noon, everyday."

Gold checked his watch, 10:45am.

"Perfect. Call Henry's school and let them know I will be picking him up at 11:30 for a doctor's appointment."

"You know, when Neal was forced to put you down as one of Henry's authorized guardians for pick ups, I'm not sure that this is what he had in mind," she contested.

Mal had been around from the very beginning of the problems that festered between father and son. They started when Milah divorced him and won sole custody. Despite all of Cal's best efforts the courts had sided with the mother and Neal always blamed him for not trying harder. Abandoned, was the term that most often came up in fights.

In recent years, since Henry's birth, Neal had made more efforts to patch things up with his father so that Henry could know his grandfather. Things were often still tense between them though and Mal knew that if Neal found out about this little stunt in using Henry for Cal's own ends that it would be a real issue. Mal loved Cal on a friendly level and remembered how much it had hurt him when he lost his son. She really didn't want to have to go through that with him again.

Gold sighed and caressed her cheek. "I appreciate the concern, my dear, but Henry and I will be in and out of there and back to his school without anyone knowing otherwise. Call them," he said and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Just for the record, I'm still stating that this is a bad idea!" Mal called after him.

Gold just laughed as he left his office. He appreciated Mal's concerns but he wasn't stupid. He just wanted to get the scoop on this shop, on this Belle French. Getting to see his grandson and accomplishing his work at the same time was just a bonus. Neal would never have to know.

Next chapter: Gold meets Belle, Henry is awful at being undercover, Neal makes an appearance and thespinner61 and bookworm chat again