So, here it is: the last chapter.

Thank you all for reading and commenting. I do hope you all enjoyed this story :))

Tasertrickshipper was a beta for this chapter, thank you :*
And thank you Snowwe1011 for correcting all the previous chapters :*

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A little puff of air around her ear, sweetly whispered "Wake up, my beautiful", a kiss to her earlobe, a little nibble there. She cracked her eyes open, a tiny moan escaping her. A warm hand was resting at her stomach and now it moved upwards, brushing against her left breast so very lightly, like a graze of leaf. His lips trailed sweet little kisses down her neck, through her collarbones and lower still.

She stretched and relaxed, enjoying his ministrations. It really felt nice to wake in that way, she had to admit. The day hadn't even started yet, and she already was in a good mood.

His hand brushed against her mound and she moaned, squirming under him. He slid his fingers through her folds, grunting when he felt them slick. She shifted, trying to get his touch where she wanted it most, but he ignored it, just teasing her entrance for a next few long moments.

When she finally groaned and tugged at his hair with impatience, he just smirked and withdrew his hand. With widened eyes she watched how he brought it to his face, inhaling deeply the scent and then licking each finger clean.

It surprised her how her insides boiled at the sight, at his pleased face and tongue seductively flicking between and around his fingers. She gave a tiny, strangled moan, and he grinned, leaning in and blatantly pushing his tongue into her parted mouth, so she could feel her juices on him.

Already she felt highly aroused and this only added to that. She whirled some more, moaning again when he returned to kissing a path down her body. He only however planted one kiss at the top of her curls, before he went back again to her neck, gently biting the soft skin there.

After several seconds he raised his head, cocking it slightly at the side, when he looked at her with his expression somehow sheepish.

"I know it wasn't perfect at your birthday, but… Could we maybe give it another try?" He asked with a little tremulous smile and a plea in eyes. She ran a hand through his hair, a genuine smile stretching at her face. "I would very much like that".

He relaxed visibly, returning the smile with a wicked spark in the eye, and he bent down, kissing her passionately. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her hands in his hair, scraping at his scalp, knowing how he liked it. He moaned in response and thrust his hips forward, his erection grinding against her stomach.

He moved to attack her neck next, in his fervor sucking the skin strongly, leaving a mark. She knew people will look at her oddly tomorrow and start to wonder about the nature of her recent acquaintance with Mr. Gold, most likely even condemn her.

And she didn't give a damn about it.

She grabbed his head, pulling it even closer to her skin, when she felt him retreating. He made a little grunting sound and continued suckling and biting at her skin. She wanted people to know, no matter their opinion. She wanted them to see that she's his and just how good he is, and how he makes her feel.

He wouldn't be probably so eager to let them know, more afraid about her reputation than she was. She was pretty sure that after they finished and he had his head clear again, he would apologize and regret leaving that mark. Well, then they will just have to talk about it.

His hands cupped her breasts, fingers brushing her hard nipples, and she moaned and writhed against him, all previous thoughts suddenly floating out of her mind, bringing her to the present and grounding her.

She scraped her fingernails across his back, surely leaving her own marks, but he seemed to like it, judging by his deep groan and arching his back under her touch, his hips bucking again too.

She could tell he was quite desperate, but so was she.

In this new courageous tide, she wound her legs around his hips, her hands firmly at his shoulders, and she pushed at him, rolling them over. He made a surprised gasp, which quickly changed into a moan, as she started to trail a searing kisses down his chest and stomach. When she reached his groin, she gave his cock just a little kiss at the head, not wanting to force Nick to keep fighting for control.

She scooted up, kissing his mouth, and his hands wandered all around her body, positioning finally at her hips, helping her to lift her up. Slowly she lowered herself at him and they both gasped at the sensation.

It felt a little different in that position, but no less exquisite. There wasn't also the stinging feeling this time, though his thickness was still stretching her, and she needed a little time to adjust.

He reached for her, hand burying in her hair, stroking gently, and they kissed again, slowly and sweetly, before resting their foreheads against each others. Now, when they were joined, some of the steam seemed to evaporate from him, and he sighed deeply and contentedly, embracing her and smoothing over her back.

There were words at the back of her throat then, words she needed desperately to say. She pulled back a little and, as the thick closed curtains were hiding most of the morning sunlight, she reached for the night lamp, turning it on. Only now she was able to see Nick properly, and she looked him deeply in the eyes.

Already yesterday she wanted to say these words, when he told her about his terrible, loveless marriage, but she couldn't find a courage then. Now though, now she felt courageous.

Though they knew each other, really knew each other, for pretty short time, she knew how she felt. Where earlier there was some tiny space for misapprehension, now there was none.

It was so wonderful to spent time with Nick, to share closeness with him, to fall asleep in each other arms and to wake up together. She couldn't imagine now a day without seeing him or hearing his voice, and a night without him next to her.

He's become a world to her, stealing her heart and mind completely. All her thoughts and feelings were directed towards him, and truly, it didn't even terrify her, because in his eyes she could see he felt the same. Or was it just her imagination, just her mind showing her what she wanted to see there?

No, it was real, she told herself. Her feelings were reciprocated, her heart knew it. She just had to utter them aloud now. She's never done it before, truth to be told. She's never felt that way to any other man before.

But Nick… He was special. What they had, it was special. And her heart was not her heart anymore, it belonged to him now. She just had to let him know that.

She touched his cheeks, her heartbeat so wild, that almost deafening.

"I love you, Nick".

The words left her, before she could funk, and now she held her breath, waiting for his answer.

He went still as a statue, his expression mix of so many emotions, that it was basically unreadable. She could clearly make out the shock though, and her body stiffened just like his, as she tried to calm her pounding heart and nerves.

After a few seconds, which seemed for her like hours, she felt hot tears under her fingertips, and she brushed them away immediately, her own threatening to spill.

He hugged her tightly then, his embrace almost taking her breath away, as he said in a tremulous voice the words she's been waiting for.

"Oh Belle… I love you too".

She let out a sobbing little laugh, letting the tears drop, and she kissed him, a kiss sloppy and wet, but the best so far, because now there was absolutely no doubt in their feelings.

And now she knew that not only he had her heart, but also she had his.

: : . . . : :

When she finally pulled away, she rocked her hips, aware suddenly that they were still joined, and relieved that he was still hard inside her. He stroked her back and sides for a moment, before dropping his hands to her waist and resting his head against the pillow, looking into her eyes, still shining from happy tears.

She placed her hands at his chest to stabilize herself, and she moved slowly, her eyes locked with his, they both wearing a joyous smile. He let her establish her own pace, staying passive himself, and just enjoying the feel and sight of her.

After few minutes she felt the tension in her building, her desire mixed with the love they felt and confessed to each other just minutes ago, and she increased the tempo, reveling in the feeling. He slithered his hands up her sides, cupping her breasts and gently pinching the nipples. She moaned loudly and increased the pace even more, feeling the peak approaching, and he couldn't keep himself still anymore, bucking his hips up to meet her movements.

She felt him tensing underneath her, his hands falling down to grab the sheets, when he fought for control. He didn't manage though, and with a few hard thrusts, he spurted himself into her with a loud groan and her name on his lips. She sneaked her hand between her legs, and shortly after she followed him over the edge with a shout, her climax stronger than any before, and she collapsed at him, panting heavily. His arms immediately surrounded her, hugging her with all the strength he could muster at the moment, which wasn't all that much.

After several long minutes he gently pushed her away from him, raising himself to a sitting position. He leaned his back against the headboard and pulled her into his arms again, kissing her cheek before he tugged her head under his chin.

She breathed a deep contented sigh, snuggling into him comfortably and relaxing. They sat like that, quiet and feeling pleasantly sluggish, she with closed eyes and listening to his steady heartbeat, and he running his hands through her back in a lazy circles.

It felt so peaceful, that she almost fell asleep again, but then a sudden thought appeared in her mind, a mental image so nice that she couldn't shake it off, and so she titled her head up, flicking her eyes up to meet his.

"Do you have a family album?" She asked, and his eyebrows raised in surprise, but he nodded.

"I do have one. Why?"

She entwined their fingers together, smiling at him sweetly. "I thought that you could take it to my place after work and we could look through it, and through my album too, together" she explained and tried her best to not look overly excited. She just couldn't help that the idea sounded so cute to her.

Though Nick didn't look quite convinced, he nodded agreeably anyway. "Okay, sweetheart. We may do that". She grinned and rewarded his consent with a long, sweet kiss. Only when he moaned and tried to grasp her breast, she did pull away, gently batting his hand away.

He gave her a feigned offended look, and she shook her head with amusement. "I need to open the library soon, and you need to open the shop." She kissed the tip of his nose and he grunted, pulling her closer.

"I would much prefer to stay all day in the bed with you" he murmured into her hair, his face buried in the crook of her neck. She wrapped her hands around his torso, sighing. "Me too… But we can do that tomorrow". She felt him grin against her skin and she smiled at her own.

"We most surely will", he whispered into her ear and nibbled at her neck.

After a moment he pulled back, with a deep pained sigh. "We should start getting ready". She nodded, but for several next minutes neither of them moved.

When they finally managed to get to the work, they both were late.

: : . . . : :

He stood before her doors, waiting for her to open them. He still couldn't believe what happened in the morning. It all seemed like a wonderful dream, not a reality.

She did say she loves him. He grinned. He never felt more happier and relived and shocked, all at once, that he did in that moment. It almost completely overwhelmed him. With just three words she washed away all the doubts he may had earlier, and his heart almost burst with all the joy and love he felt himself.

Everything what happened next was almost just a blur to him, and so he was relieved that he remembered to take the family album with him. He still wasn't quite convinced about the idea, though. He didn't look at these photos from years. Didn't want to bring back the memories.

Right now he didn't even remember what photos he had there. He just hoped it was just him and his son, no Milah and no his father.

Maybe he should have look through it first and threw away all the photos he wasn't comfortable with? He was so wrapped out in their confession of love, that he didn't even think about it.

And it was too late to do that anyway, because the door opened, and there she stood, his angel. He smiled at her, forgetting his worries at the mere sight of his beauty.

Before he knew it, she launched herself at him, almost kicking him out of feet, kissing him senselessly. She clung to him as if she hadn't seen him for days, not just a few hours. Not that he minded it of course. He missed her too.

When they finally separated, she took the small bag from him and grabbed his hand, dragging him inside, basically bouncing on her feet. In a good mood she was, wasn't she? He grinned mindlessly, her good humor spreading onto him immediately.

He was kinda surprised when she pulled him straight to her bedroom, but he didn't comment. He actually liked to let her take the lead and just observe what she was about to do.

With her still unabated bright smile, she eased him on the bed, giving back to him his bag, and putting his cane and jacket aside, and then she perched herself down next to him, picking up a nicely framed photo album from a nightstand. With a slight hesitance he took from the bag his own album and laid it at his lap, depositing the bag on the floor, and he looked at her, unsure of what to do next.

Belle smiled at him broadly, taking the album from him and placing it at the side. "We can start with mine" she said, to his relief, and he nodded.

She scooted a little closer to him, with her album in hand, bending her legs in knees and leaning the album against them. He sneaked his right arm around her shoulders, resting his second hand at her left knee, and giving her a chaste kiss to the cheek.

She looked up at him and smiled sweetly, making his heart miss a beat, before she turned to the album again and opened it. He followed her sight, and smiled despite himself when at the first side he saw a little girl, with ridiculously big blue eyes and a chubby cheeks, a lollipop in her mouth, and a huge smile stretching from ear to ear.

"I was around five then." Belle said, and pointed a finger at the woman standing next to the little version of her. "It's my mother". Yes, the woman looked quite like Belle, now when he looked more closely; the same blue eyes, the same charming smile, the same nest of chestnut curls, the same nose even. But there was some sad melancholy in Belle's voice and he looked at her concerned.

She sighed and looked up at him. "Remember when I told you that my father was from here and that I was coming here for holidays?" He nodded, and she smiled sadly. "All three of us has been coming here actually. And this picture was taken here, too. It's been my best summer." She looked at the photo for a moment with a wistful smile, before sighing again, and lowering her eyes at his hand.

"After few years… My mother got sick. And when she… was gone, my father never took me here again. Said that this place, where they met, it reminded him of her…" She fixed her eyes at the photo again, touching her finger to her mother's face and sighing deeply once more, and he cursed in his mind. He knew it was not a good idea to look at these albums.

He gave her knee a squeeze and kissed her shoulder, not really knowing what to say.

She looked back at him, her face a little lighter now, even a tiny smile sprouting there.

"It's a happy memory. This photo, I mean. All the moments I've spent with my mother are a happy memories. And I cherish each of them". She said, running a finger through the photo one last time, and then turned the page over.

He swallowed through the lump in his throat, the mood somewhat becoming heavy, but it lightened at once when she suddenly screamed 'Oh my god!' and then burst into a nervous laugh, quickly covering the page with her hands, before he could look at it.

His heart felt light again, and he grinned at her.

"What are you hiding there, dearie, hmm?" he crooned into her ear, gently gripping her small hands and moving them away, her little strength not able to give enough resistance against him.

"Don't look at it, it's embarrassing!" She pleaded through her laugh and tears, before he uncovered the picture completely.

And there it was.

She was a little bit older here than on the previous photo, her face all smeared with chocolate from a piece of cake she was holding in her hand, and grinning with her brown-painted teeth at the camera. He grinned himself, biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from chuckling.

It was quite charming, actually. She's always been a charming thing it seems, his sweet Belle.

His eyes were almost immediately drown to her eyes though, looking straight at the camera and sparkling with joy, and when he turned his head to the side, to the real Belle next to him, her eyes were just the same. The same spark in there. Even the same crinkles around her nose, making her entire face lit up.

He grinned at her even more, and she hid her face in her hands with an embarrassed groan.

"It's pretty cute, not embarrassing, sweetheart" he tried to ensure her, but she shook her head in disbelief. "Let's just look on another photo, please…" She uncovered her face, still red and shining from tears, and she kissed him briefly, snuggling more into his side, and flipping the page.

: : . . . : :

When they reached the last photo, he had to admit, it'd been quite a lot of fun. And he had a chance to learn something more of her, as she talked about each photo in great details.

There weren't more photos that made her sad like the one with her mother, but there were definitely more that made her feel embarrassed, and made him… well, he couldn't contain his laugh anymore, and just had to join to her unceasing giggles. Especially at her photos with little Ruby. They were just so sweetly hilarious, that he simply couldn't help himself.

Yes, it definitely was a good fun.

But now, when they finished with her album, there came the inevitable.

She shared with him, though, so he wasn't going to back away now. No matter what photos they would find there and what memories they would awake. He'd been diving into more bad memories in last days, than he let himself to in years. And slightly terrifying as it felt, it also felt good, to be letting her in and finally be opening the shell.

So, bravely he put the album on her lap and opened it, taking a deep breath.

He released it immediately, when the first photo to pop out was him as a kid. He stood on some beach, squinting his eyes from the burning sun, his long fluffy hair spread all around his face, as he had his head tilted down slightly, and he wore a shy smile. He couldn't be older than ten, on that picture.

With shame he had to admit that he couldn't recall the occurrence the photo had been taken, but then, he didn't remember much of the time with his father, trying to bury it all deep into his mind. He smiled at the photo though, the boy on it so innocent and pure, not knowing what horrible things were yet to happen.

Belle made a long 'aww' and it put him in the present again. She looked at him with big eyes, a face of a person who just saw a puppy.

"Oh, just look at it! You were so cute!" she exclaimed, her voice and huge smile, as much as her words, making him blush. He coughed nervously and averted his eyes, casting them down on the picture. Her reaction shouldn't really surprised him, he always got quite a positive reaction from the other people. Especially older ladies, yes, they particularly seemed fixated about him. Not that he really minded it, to being spoil. It didn't matter to him that it was from stranger people, as from the closest he didn't receive any warmth.

Belle sighed and he shifted his gaze at her.

"You look so adorable at this photo... I wish I could hug you then…"

For a moment she seemed disappointed that she couldn't, but then something seemed to click in her mind, and she turned to him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him with all her strength. Her hand slid up to his head and tousled his hair, and he heard her mutter something about it being us fluffy as it looked on the picture.

When she eventually pulled away he was blushing so much, that his skin stung, and he coughed again.

"Can we look at another picture?" He murmured, his voice betraying him, and she nodded with a giggle.

He breathed a sigh of relief, flipping the page, only to change from embarrassment to nostalgia. It was a photo of him with his boy, and he recognized it instantly, remembering every detail from when it had been taken. It was a very nice memory.

"Is this your son?"

"It is." he confirmed, a proud and fond smile on his lips. "He's been six then and it was summer, the middle of July if I'm not wrong. I took him to the lake, for an entire day. We had a lot of fun then." He smiled at the memory, feeling tears gathering in his eyes at the irretrievable loss of those days and his wonderful boy.

He blinked them away, before Belle would have noticed, but of course she did anyway, and with a tiny sympathetic smile she ran her hand through his hair.

"You both look so happy."

"We were. Those few years I spent with him… spent being a father… they were the best years of my life" He let one tear drop, and she kissed it away.

"You are still a father, Nick. And you will see your son again, someday" She said with such a confidence, that it filled his used heart with faith.

He looked at the photo for few more seconds, at the face of his smiling boy, the face he hasn't seen in reality for years, and at his own face, much younger than now, and smiling too, pointing a finger to the camera.

Many years with Bae has been taken away from him, but at least he had these eight years he had spent with him, eight years he could cherish, just as Belle cherished the memories of her mother.

With a deep shuddering breath he flipped the page.

It went smoothly from there, and recalling all this felt actually better than he anticipated. He vividly remembered the happy years again, though short they were, but how joyful still. And he unnecessarily was afraid of the photos; there was none with his father and none with Milah, just him and his son, and even one photo with his two aunties that had raised him.

The one picture really enchained his attention, though. The one almost at the end of the album, and he couldn't tear his eyes from it. It was a photo from Bae's eighth birthday, the last they spent together. They didn't know it at the time, that it was going to be the last time they celebrated that special day together, and they enjoyed it as much as all the previous Bae's birthdays.

In this photo Bae was standing by the ludicrously colorful cake, eight big candles stuck into it. He had a funny hat on his head, and Nick wear similar too. They both looked ridiculous, but also ridiculously happy.

He could remember that that's exactly how they felt.

The funny thing was that it's been the first Bae's birthday they've spent without Milah, because she decided she had more important places to be. And it was one of their most enjoyable birthdays. A completely crazy day, he remembered. At the end of it he was so wore out, he fell asleep on the couch, but it was all worth it. Right now though, looking at this photo and recreating the day in his head, his mind shaped the image of Belle, being there with them. Having fun with Bae and him, and laughing and scooping Bae up into her arms with a joyful whirl around, and kissing him in the cheek, and then kissing him, her husband. They were a family; a real, happy and loving family, he'd always dreamt about having.

The image seemed so real, so vivid in his mind, it almost made his heart jump out from his chest. He looked at Belle and saw her eyes glued to his face, a fond smile at her face and a hopeful glint in her glassy eyes.

Could she be thinking the same? That they could be a family? A husband and wife, and get his beloved son back, and maybe have their own child too?

It was suddenly all he could think about. All he ever dreamed about, but never thought he would have.

And looking into her eyes, it didn't seem like an unimaginable future anymore. It was in his reach now, he knew it.

He pulled Belle closer to him, and kissed her with all the love, and passion, and desperation he felt.

It's not going to be only in his mind, only a wishful thinking, he determined.

It will be their future.

Their happily ever after.

THE END