Welcome to the Hellmouth

[with_aprice]

The Slayer was in Storybrooke.  That much the Council had been able to tell him, but beyond that they were of little help.  It was a small town, at least.  There weren't that many teenage girls, and he'd been able to cross some of them off his list just through observations or carefully worded questions he'd asked Belle.  She was a quiet girl, a

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[onceaheroine]

She'd been in the back, going over a shipment of books that Mr. Gold had received from England. Alright, perhaps she'd gotten a little bit distracted over one of the German bestiaries -- Belle had been taking German for two years now, so it was kind of interesting to see how much she could make out of Der Wesen by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. (Those were the names of the folklorists, she'd thought, and hadn't been disappointed to see some pretty fantastical beasts in the book.)

Her reading had been interrupted by the sounds of a struggle and she'd run out with the baseball bat Mr. Gold kept in the back only to find her employer being attacked by a large, deformed man.

"You get away from him!" she'd yelled, swinging hard and connecting with the man's shoulder -- only to be knocked away hard enough to break the nearby chair. Her bat had gone flying and she grabbed part of the broken chair --

And the man had turned to dust.

She stared open-mouthed at Mr. Gold... because that really, really wasn't normal.

"I --

"But --

"Um -- whatHe

[onceaheroine]

Belle purses her lips, making it plain how much of an issue they'd be having if he'd thrown a knife. She sips her tea thoughtfully. "So, this makes you a Watcher, then?"

[with_aprice]

"Not just a Watcher, pet. Your Watcher." There's a confidence in his voice, and a touch of pride as well. It might have been easier if it had been Emma. He could have been the detached trainer he was supposed to be, then, readying his Slayer for battle. He's never felt cool and detached where Belle is concerned, and this won't be easy but he knows she's going to be brilliant.

[onceaheroine]

She can never quite resist the urge to tease him. Most people seem to see him as such a cool, detached man, but Belle's always been able to make him smile. She smirks at him over the rim of her tea-cup, "So, does that mean you like to watch?" a sip of her tea, "Me?"

[with_aprice]

It's lucky that his mouth is empty, because even with his self control he might have choked. 'Liking to watch' and being a Watcher were two different things in his mind. And while both might be true of him he tried not to think about watching her that way. She was a girl, even if she was the Slayer. A student still, and off limits even if the way she laughs at his jokes makes her beautiful and she seems so much older than a teenager.

"it means I'll be training you. Drilling you." And damn if that wasn't a bad choice of words. "I'll be teaching you how to harness your power."

[onceaheroine]

Belle generally does her best to seem poised and mature around her boss. He's gentlemanly, well-dressed and quite sophisticated, especially for Storybrooke. She likes to seem grown-up around him, and she's always felt more at ease in the company of adults than around kids her own age.

But she just can't help it.

She dissolves into helpless giggles when he follows her quip about watching with promise to train her, drill her and then when he gets to harnessing, she's blushing and laughing and enjoying the look in his eye with a genuine, wicked amusement and affection.

[with_aprice]

Sometimes she laughs at his jokes, but he's never seen her giggle like this. She certainly never has blushed like this.

"Yes, very funny pet." He shook his head, but it's a fight to hide a smile. He takes a sip of his tea for an excuse to look away.

[onceaheroine]

It's probably the tension of, well, everything since she first heard the scuffle in the shop that sustains her giggles for as long as they last. But the tea helps her pull herself together and behave in a manner suitable for conversation.

"Sorry."

[with_aprice]

"I suppose it's not every day that you find out that vampires and demons are real, and that you're something a bit more than ordinary." Then again he's always thought that there was something more than ordinary about her.

"You've obviously done a bit of study on the subject already. Do you have questions?"

[onceaheroine]

"I wouldn't call it study, but I've certainly had a bit of a look over things. It just struck me as folkloric or... well, interesting, at least. I've always liked fairystories or folk tales," Belle mused, sighing thoughtfully. She considered her mug for a moment, before meeting his eyes and shrugging one shoulder self-consciously. "Why me?"

[with_aprice]

"Quite a few of our fairytales, folklore and myths are rooted in truths that are too difficult for most people to handle." He'll never stop being amazed at the rationalizations humans come up with for the things he faces daily. The things that she'll have to face now too.

"There's no clear understanding of that. You're the right age, and you're a girl, but other than that there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to who is Chosen. The Council is generally able to narrow down an area, and sometimes a girl, but not always. This time we knew she was in Stroybrooke, but I had no idea it was you."

[onceaheroine]

It's hard not to be a little affronted that he hadn't picked her out as the 'special' one, even though she's read enough to know that truly, she doesn't want to have been chosen. She'd known him for someone unique the moment she met him, and had felt in her bones that he would be important to her life.

Which is why she'd convinced him to hire her in the first place.

"Well. Disappointed?"

[with_aprice]

Oh, he's known she was special from the start, just not Slayer special. She's smart and brave, and despite the reputation he'd already earned in his time in Storybrooke she'd walked right into his shop and asked for a job, not leaving until he'd agreed. He's never, one day, regretted hiring her, but he regrets this. She's so full of life, and a Slayer's average span of a few years is full of nights and demons and pain.

"That's not exactly the word I'd use."

[onceaheroine]

"You've been watching Emma Swan for weeks." And Belle has watched him watch her, and hated every instant of it. "You thought it was her. She's at least athletic."

Athletic is not a word Belle would use to describe herself. She's soft and previously-clumsy and doesn't really care for sports.

[with_aprice]

"She did seem the more likely candidate." His watching there had only been professional, though, no matter what thoughts Belle might have had. Some of the thoughts he'd had when looking at his employee, though, were unprofessional and wrong.

"You'll be more than just an athlete, though, once you learn how to control your power." And he will make sure she learns quickly and well.

[onceaheroine]

"Maybe I'll try out for the swim team," she quipped and looked down into her empty cup. Fussing with it had been something to do, and she wasn't sure how she felt right now not having something to fuss with.

It all felt so very serious.

"More tea?"