#lacey french x nicholas rush

[notonlymice]

Any chance of a Vampire!Lacey x Werewolf!Rush au moodboard, please?

vampire!Lacey x werewolf!Rush au moodboard

[ace-of-spaders]

I must admit that there's a reason I came back here today (two, actually, because I want to gif every single Rush scene 😁) and that reason is a prompt list I accidentally found while logged into my Belle rp blog because I realized most of those prompts could go well with Lizzington, so if anyone wants a ficlet about our favorite couple, just go to the prompt list I just reblogged (of course, you're more than welcome to also scroll through my 'prompt list' tag and choose a prompt from any other list I ever reblogged), pick whatever prompt you like and send it in!

You can also send a prompt for a ficlet about Rumbelle, Golden Lace, Woven Beauty, Woven Lace, Rushbelle, Rush x Chloe (can be platonic) and Nick x Mandy)

[myrefugeblog]

Rush / Lacey

[shiftingmuse]

the lives we live;

Once Upon A Time x Stargate Universe

Detective Weaver and Dr. Nicholas Rush; No Slash. 

{Mentions of Belle French and Lacey.}

About; Just two men meeting for dinner at the end of their days of work. Neither in the best of moods and both in need of something more in their life. Yet neither are willing to let things happen as they should. 

It had been another one of those days on the job. One that was both dull and unrewarding. Where a man only knew one thing to do when it came to the end. “It took ye long enough.” A middle age man was seated alone at a table. Close to the back of the establishment that another man. A police officer had walked into. “Aye, well. I got backed up by the fuckin’ rookie cunt needing my signature on the last of his shite papers.” 

Neither man that had spoken were in the best of moods. 

One looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. Stubble upon his face that was growing all the more thicker by the days. While the other was clean shaven but worn down. His hair more gray than the man before him. But clean cut as the other male was shoulder length and still a vibrate brown peppered with silver streaks.

“Always blaming the rookie...”

The officer sat down at the table where the other man was seated. It was always odd staring across the table at a better looking version of yourself. That’s what the officer thought at times. When he came to his favorite restaurant and found the other waiting for him. 

“Tell me. Is this the same one or have they traded you out again?” The younger man spoke and the cop smiled. 

“New one of course. The last didn’t make it a week before he was trying to fault me for every little thing.” He shook his head. As an officer; Detective Weaver had his ways of doing things. That even the people above him didn’t care for...but he got the job done. 

Which was all that ever matter in the end. 

“And you...what was it. That government shite you were going on about last time.” 

Dr. Rush; or Professor Nicholas Rush to his students. Gave a frown and shook his head. “Nothing is going on with that.” He lied. Of course the detective knew he was lying but also knew Nicholas had his reasons for it. 

“Right.” 

Weaver didn’t have a chance to try and pry into the topic. When a waitress came over with two beers and sat them on the table by the men. “Your orders will be ready shortly.” She informed while Weaver nodded and then shot a glare across at the other. 

“So yer ordering for me now?” Nicholas laughed and shook his head. Taking a notepad out of his blazer and nodding across at the other man. 

“Aye, you were late and I ordered the same shite you always decide on.” 

Weaver would have tried to argue with him if it were any other day. But this one was different. He reached for the bottle before him and took it in hand. “Ye think ye know me so well.” The detective spoke as the other man gave a smirk. Turning his attention down to the notepad in his hand. 

“She came back for more.” Weaver braved. 

It was then that the older male took the first sip of his glass bottle beer. While the man seated across from him gave the other his full attention. “You can’t be serious.” It was a topic the two had been on for the past few weeks. The thought of a young woman in her mid twenties going after the fifty something detective was insanity. At least the forty something across from him thought so. 

“You are making this whole thing up!” 

It had happen not too far back. From what Rush had gotten and the way the detective had put it. That he had charmed a young thing so much that she had asked him back to her place. 

In the picture Weaver had painted. She was this smooth seductress with an eye for things she didn’t dare speak of. A woman who went by the name of Lacey when he was sure it was just a name of choice and not something given. “Ye wish I was; but last night there she was. On her knees begging me.” Nicholas shook his head and closed the notepad in his hand. 

“Say I believed you. Why do ye keep lying about the way you are with her?” 

Something about the way he described the woman. It had struct a nerve with the professor. “You’ve gone on saying she was the most beautiful lass ye ever saw. Her eyes are like the ocean and her beauty is unmatched...but then ye talk about making her beg for ye...and ruining her.”

Nicholas shook his head at the thought. The first time Weaver had brought up the woman. Something about her was familiar. As if she was someone he knew, or had once known. “Ye ur just jealous.” Weaver retorted. Just as the waitress returned placing two plates in front of the men. 

One of the men had a simple plate of bangers & mash. While the other half shepherds pie with a monticello salad. At McPherson’s the two men where able to revisit a taste of their past. They were able to let their Scottish blood show true and even slur the word that almost seemed watered down at times. 

By the lives they now lived in the states. 

“What about you?” Weaver spoke after a moment. 

Grabbing his plate and pulling the thing closer to him. “That girl ye had a fling with. Anything going to come of that?” 

Nicholas sat back in his chair and let his eyes fall to the Shepard's pie. “We haven’t spoke since it happen.” Rush admitted. “I-I don’t think she wants anything tae do with me.” At least from his prospective. Nicholas believed the school librarian was now on the run from the affair the two had, had away from school grounds. 

“Her name was Belle, aye?” 

Weaver asked as Nicholas gave a nod. Picking up a fork and picking at his plate. “Ye need to just walk up to the lass and say...’Hey, if it was really that bad. Why not have another go and we figure out where we went wrong!’” Rush pushed his plate away and threw himself back in his chair. 

“Shut it! Belle isn’t some daft bird like the tart ye have been going with. She is a well respected member of the university and a bloody fine researcher.” 

It was clear Rush was smitten with the younger woman. “Lacey is nae a tart, she is no better than yer prissy book worm.” He snapped then stood up. “For Christ sake Nicholas. Stop sulking and go after the bloody lass. She’s probably been avoiding ye because she thinks you want nothing to do with her. Now that she’s conquered territory.” 

“Fuck off!” 

Rush retorted causing Weaver to give the other man a look of ‘really?’. He smirked before slowly sitting back down. Weaver chuckled just to start on his meal. The professor sighed and reached for his plate to do the same. Both men sat there eating their food in silence for the longest time. Enjoying the meals and the beers. Until one of them finally spoke up again. 

“Would it kill ye to try and be happy for yourself?” Weaver told his friend. “It’s been almost five years since Gloria’s passing. It’s not going to hurt to enjoy life a little.”

Rush didn’t say anything towards that. He glanced at the note book that had been lost aside on the table. Forgotten for the moment as he was dealing with his ‘so called friend’. 

“She wants nothing to do with me.” Nicholas spoke reaching to tap the book before his eyes came up to Weaver. “Besides; I have something important going on...and I don’t think it would be right to have something come between my work and-..”

“What’s important, Rush? Finding someone worth living for...or your work? For Christ sake! You’re better than this!”

Nicholas chuckled listening to his friend’s shite response. “If what I’m dealing with is correct. If my research is correct. This is the only thing I have worth living for.” Rush tapped the note pad and Weaver just couldn’t help but feel sorry. 

“I don’t believe that is true Nicholas. That can’t be true.”

Neither men spoke to one another after that. Weaver stood up not long after what he said and went off to find the waitress serving them. Nicholas sat alone in the restaurant for the longest time. After the detective had paid the bill and gone. Rush just sat alone feeling that the only man he trusted anymore. Now wanted nothing to do with him. The man he considered his only friend and family. Was now someone he was afraid to be truthful with. 

 “I’m sorry..” Rush whispered. An apology spoken to no one; Not even himself. 

[timelordthirteen]

And Then Us - Part 3

Nicholas Rush/Lacey French, Explicit overall, Explicit this chapter.

Summary: Lacey goes back to Storybrooke for a little while to take care of some things. Towards the end of her trip, she calls Rush and they sort out a few things.

Notes: No real warnings for this chapter. It's basically angst to setup the next parts which are almost entirely porn. ;) Blessings to @mariequitecontrarie without whom you would not be reading this right now.

[AO3]

Lacey looks away from Rush, turning her face into the breeze and letting it blow her hair back. Her eyes drift closed and the soft wind dries the tears caught in the corners.

“You don’t have to do this,” he says. “Not like this.”

She turns again and sighs heavily. “I know, Nick.” His lips twitch and she gives him a look. “I know, okay? This is just -” She bites her lip and meets his eyes. It feels like they’re trying to stare through her, into her soul or something, and she has to look away or she’ll break down again. Crying is so fucking exhausting.

She owes it to him to look him in the eyes when she tells him. “This is something I have to do on my own.”

Rush nods but doesn’t say anything. There really isn’t anything he can say once Lacey has decided something. She’s as stubborn as he is; single-minded and determined. He both loves and hates that quality--in her and in himself. The more he tries to persuade her, the harder she will dig her very considerable heels in and resist.

They sit quietly for a little while, the tension that’s been between them since her minor breakdown a couple of days ago stretching thin and make them both uneasy. Part of him understands why she has to do this, but another part wonders if she’s ever coming back. Maybe he was just a way to escape for a little while, a pleasant diversion, and now that she’s had a taste of freedom she might want more. More than he can give her.

Lacey touches his shoulder and then slides down his arm to give his hand a brief, sharp squeeze. “I have to go. My flight leaves in two hours.”

He sighs and starts to reach for her hand again, but she’s already standing up so he lets it fall into his lap. “I could drive you.”

She gives him a small smile and shakes her head. “I called a cab earlier. I’ll be fine.”

He nods again and sighs, stretching his legs out over the bottom step and looking out into the garden. “Good luck.”

She worries her lip again, her hand reaching to curl into the hair at his nape. There are things she should say, assurances and promises she should make, but they don’t feel like things she can give Rush right now.

She can’t even give them to herself.

Lacey sighs and flops down on the bed, tossing the damp towel from her bath in the vague direction of the bathroom. The TV is on but she isn’t paying attention to it. The newsman drones on about Brexit, and then something about an earthquake somewhere in the world. It’s all too depressing and she can’t bring herself to care, not when she has her own shit to deal with. She finds a Law and Order rerun on the next channel which is good enough for background noise, and drops the remote on the nightstand.

She’s been in Storybrooke for almost two weeks, which is a lot less time than she thought it would take, thanks to Midas. The whole thing feels strange, and she thinks she might finally understand the phrase ‘you can’t go home again.’ It hasn’t been long, but already she’s changed too much for this place.

Rolling onto her side, she reaches for her phone on the bedside table and checks her messages. There are none, and she rolls back to stare blankly at the TV, laying her phone on her chest. She texted Rush when she got to the airport in Boston, and when she arrived at Granny’s in her little rental car. Both times he took a while to reply with nothing more than a simple ‘okay.’

The night before she had to go to court, she attempted some half-hearted apology, but his only reply was to tell her ‘do what you need to do.’ So she did. Now it’s almost over and she doesn’t know how she feels.

Well, she does know she misses him. A lot. The kind of a lot that makes you feel like part of you is missing, like you’ve lost something you need to find again. She keeps turning around to tell him what’s on her mind or to make a funny quip about someone. Except he’s three thousand miles away and she can’t. Without Rush by her side, she feels restless in a way she hasn’t felt since her mother died. She loves him, and she kinda fucked up by not really telling him everything that was going on, by not telling him one last time how she feels.

Lacey thinks about her mom, about the car accident, and about how in a split second someone is there with you and gone the next, She could have done that to Rush, and she sucks in a breath, her chest tight and aching. She stands and paces, holding her phone to her chest as she tries to calm herself. She doesn’t want to cry again, she did enough of that earlier today and all it did was give her a headache.

After a few minutes she feels like she can breathe again and stops moving. She looks at her phone and bites her lip as she sits back on the bed. Her thumb taps the screen a few times, and then pauses, hovering over the green call button.

Time to rip the bandaid off.

The line on the other end rings for the fourth time and Lacey shifts nervously, the mattress squeaking beneath her. Just when she thinks it might roll to voicemail, the ringing stops and there’s a moment when she thinks she can hear him huff.

“Hey,” comes Rush’s voice.

She closes her eyes and exhales the breath she was holding, her lips wavering a little as she smiles to herself. It’s so good to hear his voice that for a moment she just closes her eyes and smiles at the soft brogue in her ear. “Hey.”

Rush licks his lips and leans back in his chair. It’s almost six in California, but he hasn’t left the office yet. He’s wanted to call or message her a hundred times, but every time he stopped himself. If she needed him or wanted him, she’d let him know. He wanted to let her work things out for herself, however long that took.

“How’s Storybrooke?” he asks lamely.

Lacey sighs on the other end. “Oh, you know,” she says, waving her hand as if he can see the posh accommodations at Granny’s. “The same as ever; small and boring.”

He smiles at that and starts fiddling with his dry erase marker, clicking the cap on and off. It feels good to hear her voice, to hear the soft sound of her breathing, and he swallows hard, not knowing what to say. It’s only been twelve days and yet it feels like months with so much distance between them.

“Did it - ?” he starts. “Did it, uh, go well?”

She shrugs like he can see her and settles back into the pile of pillows against the headboard. “Yeah, actually. Graham was there, and Ruby. Garrett wouldn’t even look at me while I testified, the fucking coward.”

“Good.” He grins a little , at knowing that Garrett Gaston might be scared of her. As well he fucking should be, the bastard.

She takes a breath and rubs at her nose. “He got eight months, so that’s something. And two years probation or whatever.” Rush is silent, and she fidgets, picking at one of the rubbery buttons on the TV remote. “His dad was there.”

Rush’s eyebrows lift and he turns in his chair, facing the fading sunlight peeking through the blinds on his office window. “Oh? How did that go?”

Lacey laughs humorlessly. “Apparently he had no idea his son was a giant abusive asshole. So it went - strange, I guess? I don’t know, it was weird seeing him again after everything, you know?”

She won’t mention the money just yet, not until she has a plan.

“Yeah.” He nods to himself, remembering how it felt to see some of Gloria’s family again at her funeral, and how patronizing it all was despite their good intentions. “How’s Granny?”

“She was discharged from the hospital this afternoon,” Lacey replies, sighing. “Dr. Whale says it was just a minor cardiac event.”

Rush scoffs. “How the fuck is any cardiac event minor?”

She snorts and whatever tension there was between feels like it’s dissolving. “I have no idea, that’s just what he said. She has to take it easy for a few days, but Ruby is doing fine with the diner and stuff.”

“That’s good,” he says, twisting back and forth in his chair as he eyes the batch of exams on his desk. He has the weekend to grade them, but he’s not looking forward to another one alone.

“So what have you been up to?” she asks, finally breaking the not entirely uncomfortable silence.

Rush blows out a breath and clicks the cap of his marker loudly. “Not much. Keeping busy, you know.”

She bites at her lip and shifts the phone from one ear to the other. “Busy torturing your students and bugging Mallory?”

He lets out a short laugh, but he can sense something in her voice. It’s the same as before she left. There is something she wants to get out but she’s holding back. He’s guilty of it too, and one of them has to give if they’re going to get anywhere. Since he’s the reason she had to go back he reasons it ought to be him.

Rush sighs and lets his head drop back against the chair. “I miss you.”

Lacey presses her lips together and smiles. “Yeah?”

He closes his eyes and nods. “Yeah.” He pauses, imagining the smile he can hear in her voice and hating every fucking mile between them. “You know I never realized how I was before,” he starts. “How - alone I was, I guess, until I came home yesterday. I had all these things to talk about, these things I wanted to tell you.” He sighs and smiles. “And you weren’t there.”

She blinks and tears spill down her cheeks. She sits up, her palm swiping across her face and coming away wet. “I’m sorry, Nick,” she manages between rather loud sniffles. “Shit. I messed up, I know, I -”

Rush shakes his head and swallows against the lump in his throat. “Lace, don’t - don’t do that.” The sound of her sniffs and wet gasps makes his chest hurt all over again. “Come on, love, it’s all right.”

She huffs and slaps her hand down on the bed. “No, it’s not, Rush!” She shakes her head and rubs her eyes. “I fucked it all up. I’m such a-”

“No,” he interrupts. “Fuck - look you didn’t do anything of the sort, okay? Listen to me. Please.”

Lacey sniffs again and leans over to pull two tissues out of a box on the nightstand. She dabs at her eyes and her nose, then crumples the soggy tissue and throws it towards the foot of the bed. “I should have told you. I should have - I don’t know. I suck at this.”

She brushes her hair back from her forehead and huffs. “Maybe I’m - maybe it wasn’t like all Garrett’s fault, you know?”

“No. Don’t say that, that’s not -” His hand curls into a fist. He’s not sure if he’s ever hated anyone as much as he hates Garrett, not even his father. “None of this is your fault, okay?”

There’s nothing but silence on the other end, briefly interrupted by a light sniffle and shuffling.

“Lacey.”

His voice is so soft, and she hates herself just a little bit more. “Three more days,” she says. “I, uh, I already bought my ticket. I’ll be home Friday night. Is that - ?”

After a moment she realizes what she said and her eyes go wide. Home. As true as the word might feel, she’s not sure that’s something either of them is ready for.

“I mean I’ll be - be back -” She swears under her breath, and rolls her eyes at herself.

A smile splits Rush’s face and he stands, running a hand through his hair. “Lacey?”

She sighs. “Yeah?”

His lips twitch as he looks out the window, the sun almost set now and the moon faintly visible over the building across the courtyard. Home. She called it home. And something feels like it’s changed in that moment. Everything feels more solid and real. It feels like they can do this, like they’ve progressed from a fling and an affair to something bigger.

“I can’t wait for you to come home.”

Lacey bites her lip and smiles, resisting the urge to kick her feet against the bed. “Yeah?”

“Yes.”

She flops back on the bed, still grinning. “I love you, Nicky,” she says, catching her tongue between her front teeth and barely holding back laughter.

Rush snorts and rolls his eyes, muttering a quick fuck you before answering. “I love you too.”

On the other end, three thousand miles away, Lacey laughs.

[writing-crocodiles]

I just finished What Remains of Edith Finch. Very good game, but very sad. I want to write some angst. Basically, I’m taking prompts.

:) 

Hit me with your worst. If I can make you cry, I win.

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Warm Bodies

Summary: Somewhat inspired by @emospritelet‘s Neverland/Pixie Dust verses and an extension of my own escort!Belle verse.

Nicholas Rush has not been able to sleep well since the death of his wife two years ago. The bed just feels too big and cold without her. In a last ditch attempt to have a proper night’s sleep, he hires an escort to share his bed and give him a warm body to hold through the night.

Belle French is that escort…

Rated: M - no smut, but adult themes.

Previous escort!Belle fics can be found here and here and here and here. This fic takes place prior to Belle’s first encounter with Gold, or can stand alone.

=========

Warm Bodies

The phone seemed to be ringing for a very, very long time and Rush was beginning to think that no-one was going to pick up. Perhaps it was an omen, telling him that this was a stupid idea and he should never even have considered it.

He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose against the rapidly oncoming tension headache caused by too much caffeine and too little sleep. He’d always been a light sleeper and he could get by on very little sleep, but this was just getting ridiculous. He couldn’t go on like this much longer. He’d managed, sitting on that edge, for a long time, for two years in fact, but he’d finally had to admit that he’d reached his tipping point. It couldn’t go on.

When the phone was finally answered by a somewhat breathless voice, as if the person on the other end had just run up three flights of stairs to get to the phone, it startled him a little.

“Dragon Escort Services, Cara speaking. How may I help you today?”

Rush took a deep breath. “I’d like to book an escort please, for tomorrow night if possible.”

“Certainly, I’ll see who we have available. Are you looking for a male or female companion?”

“Female, please.”

“All right. Do you have any of our escorts in mind?” the voice asked, calm and patient.

“No…” Rush cringed. “This is the first time I’ve done this.”

“That’s not a problem. Do you have any characteristics that you would particularly like? Personality or looks? I’d just like to try and match your preferences as closely as possible.”

“Just… not blonde,” Rush said. If he was going to do this, then he didn’t want to be reminded of Gloria at any point.

“Not a problem. We do have a suitable lady available tomorrow evening; her name is Lacey. Would you like me to tell you a little more about her?”

“Please.”

“She’s brunette with blue eyes, in her late twenties, very petite. She’s been with us for a few years now and is one of our most praised ladies; she’s very sweet-natured, well-read and highly intelligent, so you won’t be wanting for conversation topics depending on where you would like your appointment to go.”

Rush nodded slowly. “She sounds good, thank you.” He paused. “I… I wasn’t intending there to be any…”

“Intimacy?” the woman on the other end of the phone suggested.

“Yes. No. Well, yes, sort of…” Did bed-sharing count as intimacy? “I’m not looking for sex, but there might be… intimacy.” Rush suppressed a groan; he was making a right pig’s ear of this.

“Don’t worry sir. You are paying for time, not for services. What you do in that time is entirely up to you. Like I said, Lacey is an excellent conversation partner.”

“Yes. Thank you. Can I book her please?”

“Certainly. How long would you like the appointment to be? I can give you a breakdown of our prices.”

Rush listened as Cara told him how the pricing worked, but he already knew how long he wanted.

“I’d like a full twelve hours, please, an overnight stay. Eight till eight?”

“That’s absolutely fine. Can I take a name please?”

“Nicholas Rush.” Dammit, he should probably have used a pseudonym, but it was too late now.

“All right, Mr Rush, you’re booked in. Where is the appointment taking place?”

Rush gave her his address. He knew he’d never be able to get to sleep in an unfamiliar bed, however strange it might be to have an unfamiliar woman in his own.

Cara took him through the motions of payment, and then it was all over. Lacey would be coming to him at eight o’clock the next evening. That would give him a couple of hours to get used to her before it was time to go to sleep.

He hadn’t slept properly since Gloria’s passing, and he had finally come to the begrudging conclusion that it was the lack of a second person in the bed beside him that was causing his restlessness. They had shared a bed for over twenty years. The only time they’d slept apart had been when Nick was at conferences, which didn’t count because the beds were uncomfortable and unfamiliar, and when Gloria had been in the hospital, which didn’t count because then he couldn’t sleep for worrying about her.

A part of him hated himself for resorting to this, paying for overnight company just so that he could get some sleep with a warm body to cling to through the night, but in the end, as he had to keep reminding himself, Gloria wasn’t coming back. She wasn’t ever going to be there for him to hold again. He knew that if he could talk to Gloria right now, call her up on the afterlife hotline – not that he was entirely sure there was an afterlife at all, but the thought gave him some measure of comfort – then she would back him up and tell him that he was doing the right thing and that if this was what it took to stop him running on empty, then this was what he should do. He had held her close for the last time, and as much as he hated to feel like he was marring the memory of their relationship by inviting another woman into their marital bed, he really, really needed to sleep, and to get to sleep he needed someone to hold.

Well, at least, he thought he did. Whether his appointment with Lacey would prove fruitful or not remained to be seen. A small part of him was considering calling the agency straight back and telling them that it had all be a terrible mistake and cancelling the booking, continuing to struggle along with his insomnia as best he could.

He took a deep breath. He could do this.

X

Although for obvious reasons, the escort agency’s details were not programmed into her phone, Belle recognised the number immediately and answered, shoving it under her ear and continuing to type up her latest lab results. That number would always be Cara Mallory calling her from Dragon.

“Hi Mal.”

“Hello Belle, love. I’ve got an assignment for you for tomorrow night.”

Belle grimaced at her laptop screen; although she’d said she’d work the next night she’d been hoping to have it off in order to get up to date with this latest part of her thesis for Gold’s review; she was on the verge of running behind having worked three nights already that week.

“It’s an overnight,” Mal added, and Belle screwed her face up even more. If she had an overnight, then she’d be good for nothing the next day, and Sunday would be spent playing catch up. She wouldn’t be able to take any appointments next week at all if she wanted her latest appraisal data handed in on time. Gold wasn’t as strict with his PhD students as he was with his under- and post-grads, but the longer she took to complete this doctorate, the longer she had to keep working to pay her way. It was a Catch 22.

“Ok,” she said, replying with a brightness that she didn’t feel and that she knew Mal would notice was false. “Who and when and where?”

“His name is Nicholas Rush, and it’s a private home address in North Street. Dove will drive you, of course.”

Belle’s brow furrowed in a reaction that had nothing to do with losing study time. She’d heard that name before, she was sure of it, but she couldn’t place it.

“Belle? Is everything ok?”

“Yeah… Just trying to figure out where I know the name from. I don’t know him, but the name’s familiar. Enough of that, go on.”

“Tomorrow night, eight till eight.” Mal paused. “I think you might be in luck with this one, actually. He said that he wasn’t anticipating sexual contact, but you know that sometimes these things change once the nerves have worn off a bit. I’ve had the type before, although I’ll admit this is the first time I’ve had a man make such a request. Jeff has a regular who just doesn’t like to be alone at night. Sometimes people just want someone to hold.”

“All right.” Belle nodded, perhaps her weekend wasn’t as wasted as she thought and she’d still be able to meet Ruby as she’d planned. “Any special requests, anything to be wary of?”

“No. It’s his first call and he’s obviously incredibly nervous, but I thought that you could put him at ease. It’s what you do best, after all.”

Belle gave a snort of laughter. “Oh yes, indeed. Anything else?”

“He didn’t want a blonde, so no last minute bleach jobs,” Mal said wryly. “Actually that’s why he’s come to you. Ariel’s not working tomorrow as she’s out of town, Mei’s already booked and Anna isn’t taking overnights yet.”

Belle sighed. All the other ladies on the agency’s books were blonde except Merida, who didn’t take male clients, so naturally she was the last one standing.

“Ok, I’ll be ready for Dove to pick me up. I’ll even pack nightwear, just in case.”

“That’s my girl.”

Belle laughed, rolling her eyes, and set the appointment in her diary before saying her goodbyes to Mal and hanging up, running a hand through her hair and stretching the cricks out of her neck. If she wasn’t going to have tomorrow night to work on her thesis, then she would have to make up for it now.

She went into the kitchen to make some more coffee; she was going to need it if she was going to get anywhere. Waiting for the kettle to boil, she wondered again where she knew the name Rush from, and whether it was going to cause a problem when she arrived at his home the next day.

Belle shrugged, taking her coffee back through to her room and getting going on her work again. The niggle was still there at the back of her mind, but she’d managed to get through enough strange situations before that she didn’t think she’d have any more trouble with this one than with any of her other clients. It was strange for her to get someone whose main goal in hiring an escort wasn’t sex. She’d had a few jobs in the past that did involve actually escorting people to places, but there had always been added perks afterwards in the hotel room once the event had finished. She’d never had a home address visit that didn’t end with sex.

Anything could happen, after all. Belle knew that; she’d been doing this job for long enough that she didn’t think that anything would shock her anymore. Whatever happened, happened, and she would be prepared for all eventualities. She always was, that was one of the reasons why she was the go-to for Mal whenever something unusual came in.

Still, she really did want to know where she’d heard that name before.

X

It was almost eight o’clock, and Rush was beginning to regret his decision again. Any moment now, Lacey would be coming to his doorstep, and whilst he had no idea what she was expecting, it probably wasn’t someone who was as jittery as a deer in the headlights and who was doped up on over-counter painkillers to overcome the splitting headache he’d suffered under for most of the afternoon as a result of caffeine withdrawal. He’d reluctantly admitted that the vast doses of coffee he was taking to stay awake during the day were probably not helping him at night, but the combined force of no caffeine plus his mind second-guessing this all-important appointment had turned him into a bundle of tension. He was dressed in his normal jeans and shirt, pacing up and down the hallway and ducking into all the rooms as he tried to calm down. At least he knew that it was too late to back out now. Turning into the study, he looked around at all the whiteboards and post-its, things that had, about an hour ago, made perfect sense to him. Now they could have been in Cantonese for all he was taking in.

A car pulled up outside and idled; he heard a door close and the sound of high heels making their measured way up the garden path. Perhaps he could pretend that he wasn’t home? No, he’d paid a not insubstantial amount of money for tonight, and if he chickened out now then he was still in exactly the same position as he had been in before. Besides, whoever was outside could see that the lights were on and could probably see his silhouette moving around behind the thin drapes in the study. It would look incredibly strange if he were suddenly to hide under the desk now.

The doorbell rang, and Rush went to answer it, blinking at the sight that met him. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but the woman standing on the doorstep was certainly not it. He knew that Cara had told him that she was petite, but he hadn’t been expecting someone quite so petite. She must be tiny when she took her shoes off. Her overnight bag looked like it was almost bigger than she was.

“Hello,” she said brightly, with a warm smile. “You must be Nicholas. I’m Lacey.”

Rush nodded, and stepped aside to allow her into the house. The black hatchback waiting at the curb pulled away, but not before Rush had got a glimpse of the person driving it, a huge bald man who could probably lift Lacey off the floor with one hand. He gulped, glad that the chauffeur wasn’t sticking around.

Rush closed the door against the cool evening air and turned back to face Lacey, who was standing looking at him a little expectantly, but there was nothing judgmental in her gaze. He felt a little bit more at ease now; since her presence was very much in proportion rather than the larger than life personality he had feared, it gave him a feeling of being a little bit more in control of the situation, of knowing a little bit better where he stood. Of course, now that she was inside the house, he had even less idea what the hell he was going to do now, other than the fact she was there, and she’d be there for the next twelve hours, and hopefully at some point during those twelve hours he’d get some decent kip.

Lacey glanced around the hallway, as if she could tell that just looking at him was unnerving him a little bit, letting his mind catch up to the situation. Rush took a deep breath. He could do this. He was a scientist for fuck’s sake, and that meant that he ought to be thinking logically and rationally and not getting caught up in this spiral of jumbling emotions that he really couldn’t make sense of. For a start, Lacey was beautiful. Oh, he had no doubt that all of the agency’s escorts were very good-looking, but there was something in Lacey’s natural, open smile that gave her true beauty. Having not made this appointment with any kind of attraction in mind, his brain was now going into overdrive, not knowing whether finding her attractive was going to be a help or a hindrance when push came to shove. She was wearing a deep blue coat belted at the waist, and black tights with shiny stilettos like polished onyx, but he couldn’t see a hemline below the coat, and for a terrifying moment he wondered if she was wearing anything other than underwear beneath it. Thankfully she chose that moment to undo the coat and slip it off her shoulders, revealing a classic little black dress beneath. Although there was a coat stand right next to her, she folded the garment neatly over her arms and continued her appraisal of the hallway as Rush got his act together. He saw the moment her eyes alighted on the dresser, and banged his head back against the door with a groan as he realised that she was looking at the photo from his and Gloria’s wedding that resided there.

“I’m not married,” he said quickly, although since he hadn’t taken his wedding ring off either, he knew that he couldn’t exactly be inspiring a lot of confidence. “Not… Not anymore.”

Lacey just looked at him with her lovely, open smile.

“It’s not my place to judge, Nicholas. This is your time and I’m here for you.”

“I know, I just feel like that ought to be said.” He paused, and felt his shoulders sagging. “I have no idea what I’m doing,” he muttered. It was a terrifying admission to make, really, for someone who was so used to being in charge and being in control of situations as he was. Saying that he was completely lost was not something that he would ever do, and admitting to needing help was difficult.

“Shall we move out of the hallway?” Lacey suggested.

Rush nodded.

“Yeah, that would be a good start.”

X

That Nicholas was completely out of his depth was obvious, but as Belle had said, it was not her place to judge. This was his time and his appointment, so they would go at whatever pace he wanted and do whatever made him feel the most comfortable.

He led her through into the living room and indicated for her to take a seat wherever, and he ran a hand through his hair.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

Belle shook her head. “I’m fine, thank you, unless you’re having something.”

“No… I mean, I’d happily kill someone for some coffee right now but I need to sleep later, so…” He tailed off. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. I can understand that it can be a bit overwhelming.” Belle patted the seat on the sofa beside her, and Nicholas sank into it, still looking at a complete loss. “Why don’t we start by discussing what you want from tonight, and that might make it less awkward.”

He nodded, but remained silent for a long time.

“How much did Cara tell you about what our conversation entailed?” he asked eventually. “I don’t want to go over it all again if possible.”

“She said that you were looking for an overnight stay, and that you weren’t anticipating any intimacy. Are you just looking for companionship?”

“Yeah.” Nicholas sighed. He was staring at the middle distance rather than looking at her, but Belle didn’t take her eyes off him, trying to read the mixed signals that he was giving out. Now that she had the opportunity to really observe him at leisure, she could see that his face was familiar to her just as his name was, but she couldn’t place it at all, and he was clear that unless he had an extremely accomplished poker face, he didn’t know her either. His general discomfiture put paid to the poker face idea, although she thought that he might have a very good one if he hadn’t been so highly strung at that particular juncture.

“I just want to share a bed with someone,” he said, still not looking at her. “Since I lost my wife, I haven’t been able to sleep, and I think that it’s because I miss having someone else in bed with me. Not doing anything,” he hastened to clarify. “Just sleeping. But being there.”

Belle nodded. “That’s absolutely fine,” she said. “That’s normal. It can be hard to get used to such a big upheaval.”

There was a long silence as Nicholas digested her words, and finally he sprung up off the sofa into animated life once more.

“I think I need a drink,” he muttered, going over to a cabinet and taking out a bottle of whisky and a heavy crystal tumbler, pouring a generous measure and knocking back half of it before turning back to Belle. “Do you want one?”

Belle nodded. She would drink if he was drinking, to make him more at ease, although she never liked to have too much when she was working. She liked to keep her wits about her all the time. There was something in her line of work that made her think of the chameleon, changing tastes and looks and manners to suit the mood and the person that she was with. She read the mood and reacted accordingly, although she had to admit that Nicholas was incredibly hard to read.

He was frustrated, she could tell that much, and she knew that he was floundering and too proud to ask for help. He refilled his whisky and brought hers over to her, settling back down on the sofa. Belle took a sip of the amber liquid and let it burn down her throat. She’d never been much of a whisky drinker, but this was good stuff, proper scotch. Well, he was a Scotsman; he probably knew his whisky a lot better than she did.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. “About your wife?”

Nicholas scoffed. “Are you a therapist as well?”

Belle shrugged. “Listening is an important skill in all lines of work. Whatever’s going on in your head and whyever you asked for me are your business, of course. I don’t want to pry, but it’s obvious that you’ve got something on your chest that you need to get off it. Sometimes it’s easier to confide in a stranger than in someone you know.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Really.”

“You know I’m not going to judge you, and you know that we never have to see each other again after tonight. I’d say that took some of the pressure off.”

“I suppose you’ve got a point.”

There was a long silence, and Belle continued to sip her whisky, observing Nicholas. She could tell that he was lonely, him hiring her was proof enough of that. But she got the impression that not only was he lonely in that sense, but he was truly alone in the world, with no-one to confide in at all, no friend to lend a hand or a shoulder to cry on. He was prickly and guarded, walls up, and she had no desire to try and break them down if he didn’t want them broken.

It was a delicate balance to be struck, between needing privacy and needing help, and Belle would help him to strike it if she could. This was a man very obviously at the end of his rope, so used to not needing anyone and perhaps not having anyone to turn to that now that he had hit this impasse, he had no idea how to handle it. This wasn’t something that he could fix by himself; the very nature of his problem required a second person in order to fix it. That was what Belle intended to do.

“It was cancer,” Nicholas said eventually. “I think that made it worse. The fact that I had so long to get used to the idea and yet I still can’t get over it.”

“Maybe. But there’s no point in beating yourself up about it. You’re not betraying her at all. You’re just trying to save yourself.”

Nicholas sighed, and Belle knew that there was a lot more to this story than met the eye. She wanted to know what it was; she wanted to comfort this man and help him heal as much as she could, but at the same time she knew that it would be a difficult thing to work through. He wasn’t going to volunteer any more information, so she didn’t ask for it. It would come with time. At least she had an insight now.

“Self-preservation is something of a skill of mine,” Nicholas said, and Belle just nodded, continuing to watch him over the rim of her tumbler.

They fell back into silence, but there was an ease to it now. The air was a little clearer, although things were still awkward, and Belle finished her whisky, setting the tumbler down on the glass end table with a chink that sounded far too loud in the quiet living room.

“Shall we go to bed, Nicholas?” she asked.

He looked at her startled for a moment.

“I meant to sleep,” she clarified. “Unless you want something more, of course.”

Nicholas shook his head. “No. I just want to sleep.”

“Then maybe going to bed would be a good place to start.”

Nicholas led her up the stairs into the master bedroom and Belle slipped into the en suite to change. The pyjamas she’d brought weren’t exactly demure, but they were the least sensual set that she owned aside from her outsized sleep t-shirts with Harry Potter logos on, and she had wanted something pretty and feminine in case the appointment did take that turn. A silky camisole and shorts in dark magenta pink with lace edgings, nothing overly revealing.

Nicholas was also wearing pyjamas when she came out of the bathroom, a plain t-shirt and plaid pants.

“I normally sleep on the right,” he said.

Belle nodded. “However you feel most comfortable.”

They got into bed and Nicholas killed the lights, and they both lay there for a while. Belle propped herself up on one elbow, wondering how the logistics were going to work and deciding that it would be best just to let Nicholas take the lead for a while. She could prompt him along if necessary later. He stared up at the ceiling for a while, but then he reached across and took her hand, closing his fingers lightly around her own.

“It’s the lying here that gets me,” he said. “Every time. Just me in the dark, alone with my thoughts. It’s easier to stay awake working most of the time. At least then I don’t have to think about any of it.”

“You need to sleep, Nicholas,” Belle said. “Everyone does.”

He laughed softly. “Gloria used to say that. She asked me what I was trying to prove by staying awake all the time.”

“What are you trying to prove?”

“That it was all worth it in the end, I guess. That her death meant something. I thought that if I just kept working, I could make it mean something. But now I just can’t function anymore.” He sighed. “You don’t want to hear all this.”

“I don’t mind. It’s what I’m here for. I’ll give you what you need, and if that’s a friendly ear and another body beside you, then that’s what you’ll have. I’m here. I’ll take care of you.”

“Thank you.”

He turned onto his side, moving a little closer, and Belle chanced to put an arm around him. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed into her embrace, closing his eyes.

“Thank you,” he said again.

He didn’t speak again. Belle could tell that he was still awake; she had spent so much time lying beside sleeping men that she could tell within just a couple of breaths. Still, he seemed to be much more relaxed now than he had been throughout the rest of the evening. She stroked his hair out of his face, not feeling sleepy herself yet.

She didn’t get to do this often, the kissing and cuddling part that usually came after the deed. Normally it would then be time for her to get up and go, and it was one of the few regrets that she had, the lack of closeness. Even though she and Nicholas were still both fully clothed and had no intentions of taking this any further, there was something in the act that was much more intimate than her usual appointments. There was a raw and naked vulnerability in what they were doing, and Belle felt privileged to think that this man, so obviously guarded and alone in the world, would trust her to see him in such a vulnerable position.

He was a complicated man, that was certain, but she thought that she understood enough to know what he needed. She pulled him in a little closer against her and he did not resist, instead just putting a warm arm around her middle.

“Is this ok?” he asked, still not opening his eyes.

Belle smiled, continuing to stroke his hair.

“This is perfect.”

X

Nicholas was still fast asleep when Belle’s alarm went off, warning her that Dove would be pulling up outside soon. He had turned over during the night but kept his hold on her arm, and now she was spooning up behind him, her chest pressed in close against his back and her fingers still interlaced with his.

It was so different to how she usually woke up. She hadn’t woken up with her arms around someone for a very long time, and if she wasn’t careful, then she was going to get used to it.

Carefully, she detached her hold on him, trying not to wake him as she moved away and went to get changed. She stretched out all her limbs and took a look in the bathroom mirror, smiling as she saw herself looking bright and refreshed, a far cry from how she usually looked in the morning after an appointment. If they were all like this one, then she’d happily work a lot more.

Nicholas stirred as she came out of the bathroom, rolling over onto his back and looking at her through sleepy eyes.

“Is it time already?” he asked.

Belle nodded. “Yes. I didn’t want to wake you, not when you looked so peaceful and I know how much you need your sleep.”

“Yes. That’s definitely the best night’s sleep I’ve had in the last two years. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Belle smiled. “I think I can probably say the same, at least when it comes to appointments. I don't often get to wake up next to someone. It’s a strange feeling.” She paused. “If you ever want to do this again, I would be more than happy to return.”

Nicholas nodded. “Thank you.”

She heard the car pulling up outside the house and went over to peer out of the curtains; as expected it was Dove, right on time as normal.

“I’ll see myself out,” she said. “I think you could probably use all the extra hours you can get.”

Nicholas gave a snort of laughter. “You’re probably right. Thank you again.”

“My pleasure.”

She made her way out of the house and slipped into the passenger seat.

“Everything all right?” Dove asked.

“Yes. Everything’s very good, actually.”

“You’re certainly perkier than you normally are of a morning.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you have a good night’s sleep.”

Dove didn’t say anything else, content to know that Belle was safe and happy. He had always been a man of few words, and his silence gave Belle time to reflect on what had been one of her most interesting appointments.

It was only once she was back on campus on Monday evening, walking away from the chemistry department and past the physics building that she realised where she knew the name Nicholas Rush from and why he seemed familiar. He was there in the foyer, speaking to one of the other astrophysics professors, and it suddenly clicked that she was so used to knowing him as Dr Rush that knowing him as just Nicholas Rush had thrown her off course.

Presently he looked up and their eyes met. Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and then Belle just gave a little nod of recognition. You’re safe with me, she was trying to say.

Rush returned the nod, a little unsurely.

I know. Thank you.

[thenaughtyscandalousscorpio]

For Your Consideration- The Naughty Scandalous Scorpio’s T.E.A. Promo

It’s T.E.A. Time again and I’ve been asking for other author, artists, and gif makers to do promos to help get some awesome nominations for this years Espenson Awards... so I thought it was only fair to do one myself.

I only wrote three stories this year, but I was proud of all three... and there is an old favorite I would love to see nominated again.

For your consideration:

In Time

Nomination Categories: Best Rumbelle Christmas In July, Best First Meeting

Summary:  Rumplestiltskin comes into possession of an enchanted object that is supposed to take him to his heart’s desire. He is sure it will take him to his lost son, but instead it keeps transporting him through time and space to entirely different person… one that will change his life forever.

Reasons to nominate: You get to watch a hopeless Dark One Rumplestiltskin slowly fall in love with Belle at just about every stage of her life and struggle over if he is allowed to have a happy ending with his son or Belle or both.

Read it here:

In Time

Ladies Of The Night

Nomination Categories:  Best Rumbelle Revelry, Best Supernatural Fic

Summary:  A beautiful woman under a dark curse is stalking the town of Storybrooke, Maine and claiming the lives of any who dare give into their desires.  Dr. Nicholas Rush and Belle French rush to stop her and find a way to break her curse, but will they be in time to save the residence of the small town, especially a very unsuspecting, lonely man named Mr. Gold?

Reasons to nominate: You get to watch Lacey kill off all your least favorite OUAT characters and watch Belle struggle with her feelings over Dr. Nicholas Rush and Mr. Gold (Oh... the poor girl!).  There is some Golden Lace, some Rushbelle, some Rumbelle, and even a hint of Rushacey!  Plus, it’s a world where OUAT coexists with The X-Files & Buffy The Vampire Slayer... three of my favorites! 

It has two parts and you can read it here:

Ladies Of The Night

Infinite Possibilities

Nomination Categories: Best Rumbelle Secret Santa, Best Trend (Multiple Rumple Incarnations In One Story)

Summary:  Belle’s curiosity about Rumplestiltskin leads her to snoop in The Dark Castle for answers about her mercurial master.  When she finds a locked door, she can’t help but wonder what is behind it and once she finds out, she will realize when it comes to her and Rumplestiltskin, there are indeed infinite possibilities.

Reasons to nominate:  You’ve got all your favorite Rumbelle interactions here! Sweet, fluffy Spinner Rum with Lady Belle!  Passionate SB Mr. Gold & Librarian Belle!  Darker Dearies Post-Curse Gold & Lacey!  Hopeful Goldstiltskin & Belle! Domestic Bliss Sir Rumple & Lady Belle!  Naughty Dark Castle Dark One Rumplestiltskin and Maid Belle!  

Read it here: 

Infinite Possibilities

The Big Tease

Nomination Category: Smut: PWP, Best Belle

Summary: Belle finds a book in the Dark Castle’s library that makes her see her Master in a whole new light. Rumplestiltskin, however, isn’t making it easy for Belle to discover if he feels the same way about his little maid. As Belle’s fantasies grow, so does her desire for her Master to join her in her naughty thoughts. My RSS gift based on the prompt “Teasing in the Dark Castle”.

Reasons to nominate:  Dark Castle smut that I’m awful proud of!  It’s my favorite things I’ve written for this fandom!

Read it here:

The Big Tease on AO3

The Big Tease on FF .net

Keep those promos coming, you amazing authors, artists, and gif makers and happy T.E.A. Season to all!!!!! ;-)

[notonlymice]

"haha what if I jokingly shipped them" + anyem/anyelle

[notonlymice]

list of moodboards

rumbelle+fairytales series:

the raven king || alice in wonderland || little red riding hood || sleeping beauty || bluebeard || the goose girl || slavic fairytales || mermaid!belle || cinderella [1] || cinderella [2] || snow white || nutcracker || allerleirauh || rapunzel [1] || rapunzel [2] || the frog princess || rumpelstilzchen ||

characters aesthetics:

• princess!belle || belle french || lacey french || adventurer!belle || dark one!belle ||

• spinner!rumple || dark one!rumple || mr. gold ||

• dark castle!rumbelle || storybrooke!rumbelle || golden lace ||

• ally craig || francesca romero || phoebe macnamara || alice shelly || claire littleton ||

• nicholas rush || lachlan macaldonich || frank keane ||

random rumbelle:

sherlock au || twilight au || hogwarts au || hades and persephone au || lucifer au || pride and prejudice au || labyrinth au ||

lacey x ghost!gold || bookshop owner!gold x tourist!belle || queen!belle x dark one!rumple || barista!lacey || paranormal investigators!rumbelle || tavern maid!belle x spinner!rumple || student!belle x headmaster!gold || school au || florist!belle || tattoo artist!lacey || adventurer!belle x knight!rumple || pirate!belle || peasants!rumbelle ||

"i shall have her" || "perhaps you are haunting me" || amnesiac belle in the EF || winter holidays || wilde rose ||

anyelle:

lachlan x belle || lachlan x belle (summer) || lachlan x belle (roommates) || hamish x belle [1] || hamish x belle [2] || barney x belle || don x belle ||

begbie x lacey || shaun x lacey || lachlan x lacey || lacey x father macavoy || succubus!lacey x father macavoy || vampire!lacey x werewolf!rush ||

anyem:

ally x rush (all moodboards) || lachlan x alice || frank x sara || ally x lachlan || phoebe x tom || weaver & emily || robert sutherland x francesca romero || brooke x barney || ally x frank || gold x gina ||

[writing-crocodiles]

Okay everyone! I'm here for one shot prompts! Hit me with it!

[shiftingmuse]

🤞 // for Rush? I'm thinking from Belle but could be Lacey if you like

It wasn’t exactly an instant reaction. Feeling the touch of another tapping at their shoulder. His eyes were so focused on the notebook in his hand. That it took the equations he was trying to follow mixing up in his head. For the older man to jump and turn quickly at the presence of another. 

“Shite..” He spoke and glared at the woman. “Excuse me? Do ye mind!?” Nicholas asks the woman sharply. 

[queenapplebea]

havent watched their other tv/movies just because it's not on Netflix brr BUT LISTEN WHY DO ALL THESE MATCH?! 😍 bobby and em are just~ gorgeous together even in diff roles.

"haha what if I jokingly shipped them" + anyem/anyelle