A Sweet n' Sassy Special Delivery
"Chocolate verse #8"
Snapegirlkmf
A/N: This is the sequel to "Chocolate Cravings" and the moment all Rumbelle fans have been waiting for~ the new Rumbelle baby! Enjoy, dearies! And a special happy birthday to my good friend Terri!
"Belle, what do you mean we have to go to the Godiva store now?" Mr. Gold asked his soon-to-deliver wife. He was currently watching reruns of NYPD Blue on cable and drinking some Yorkshire Gold tea with his feet up on the twin hassock next to his wife. "I thought these chocolate cravings were supposed to taper off in the last trimester?"
His wife huffed. "You thought wrong, Rumple. I'm tired of sitting here, my back's got a crick in it, and I need to get up and walk around. It'll help me to deliver quicker if I get exercise," she said practically.
He gave her an alarmed glance. "Are you having contractions, dearie?"
She shook her head. "No. Just my back is aching because I've been sitting too long." Belle put a hand to her lower back.
Rumple considered the pros and cons of a trip down the street to the Godiva store. He too was growing antsy as the time drew near for Belle to deliver. He also didn't want to be stuck in the house with a snippy wife who was having a meltdown over chocolate. Besides, they were running out of the ice cream he liked to eat, and the new store had it in their freezer section.
"Would you like me to call a taxi, or can you walk there?" he asked solicitously.
"I think a walk will do me some good," Belle assured him. They were only three blocks away from the store.
"All right. Let me get my shoes and coat," her husband said.
He helped his wife up from the couch so she could put her own coat on, and her maternity shoes, which were almost like fuzzy slippers but they could be worn outside.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
The weather was clear and nippy for a New York December day, but neither Rumple or Belle minded too much. They were bundled up warmly in hats, scarves, gloves, and coats. Belle had on a raspberry beret, knitted by her loving husband, and gloves and a matching scarf, while Rumple had on a gold ensemble.
They walked leisurely along the sidewalk, since Belle was too ungainly to do more than waddle like a duck, as Rhee put it. It was a week before Christmas and last minute shoppers thronged the sidewalk searching for those last-minute Christmas deals. But all of them moved aside as the Golds came through, mostly in deference to Belle and also the slightly beastly glares Rumple was giving some people who were rudely shoving their way through the pedestrian traffic.
No one seemed to want to tangle with the slight man in the Armani suit with the gold handled cane. Bae once joked they probably thought he had connections to the Mob or something. His daughter said it probably had to do with the way Rumple projected this aura of presence, like a jungle cat.
"That's my beast," Belle had laughed, and then hugged her husband. He might not be the Dark One any longer, but neither was he the meek spinner. He had come into his own, as the Golden Spinner, and as either shopkeeper or sorcerer, he kissed no one's boot any longer.
Now Belle was grateful that, like Moses, Rumple could part the Red Sea of Christmas shoppers so they could get to the Godiva store before four o'clock in the afternoon. By five rush hour would be starting and be even more crowded. It was at times like these she occasionally missed sleepy Storybrooke. But only a little. Manhattan was more alive and more engaging and somehow more real than that hamlet in Maine which was not on any known map of this world.
She walked carefully, practicing her breathing, and slowly the pain in her lower back receded to a dull throb.
They reached the store and she inhaled the delectable aroma of hot chocolate coming from the hot chocolate bar before pushing open the door and going inside.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Rumple was trying to decide between Godiva Heavenly Hash or Cinnamon Chocolate Praline when he heard a soft groan from Belle, who was down the other end of the aisle picking out some gifts of chocolate for the family and some friends, like Sebastian and Chris from Celebrations. He almost dropped the container of Heavenly Hash on his foot as he spun around, balancing on his cane like Charlie Chaplin. "Belle? What's the matter?"
His wife was bent slightly, clutching a large heart shaped box of Godiva signature Christmas truffles and she was panting softly. "Rumple . . . I think I'm having contractions!"
Her husband went the color of white chocolate. The customer down a few rows dropped his box of chocolate on the floor.
"Dearie, are you sure?" he asked, hurrying over. "This isn't like the false labor pains you had last week?"
Last week Belle had thought she was in labor and had gone to get checked at Columbia, but it was only Braxton-Hicks contractions.
Belle brushed her hair out of her eyes, it was straggling loose from her raspberry beret. "No . . . these are different . . . much more regular and deeper . . ."
Rumple felt a frission of alarm go down his spine. "Maybe I ought to call Bae," he suggested.
"Yes . . .he's done with class in another ten minutes," his wife panted. "Call him. But first, time these with me."
So he used his gold Rolex, timing the contractions. They were approximately five to seven minutes apart.
"Hmm . . .not so bad," he muttered.
Belle frowned at him sharply. "Not for you!"
"Okay, sweetheart. Calm down," he said, trying for a soothing tone.
But Belle was panicky and refused to be soothed. "I'd like to see you calm down if you were having the baby!" she hissed, her nails leaving indentations in the box.
Rumple speed dialed Bae. The call went to voicemail, which meant he had his phone off, which he did when he was teaching. Rumple swore in his head and left a message for Bae to call immediately, that his mom was in labor. Then he hung up. "Umm . . .let's go pay, then we can wait for Bae to come."
They joined the long queue of Christmas shoppers, with Rumple gritting his teeth with impatience and Belle gritting hers because it felt like the contractions were increasing. Please, I cannot have my baby in the middle of the Godiva store, she prayed. I know they have special deliveries around this time, but I don't think they can handle a baby.
There were four cashiers working, but the line was still moving slowly, because apparently some woman up front had a problem telling what was a sale item and another's credit card was declined.
The line ground to a halt.
Rumple's cell rang. He fumbled it from his jacket pocket. "Bae! Yes, I need you to come over now!" he said urgently. People stared at him. He ignored them. "Fine, pick up Rhee and meet us at the Godiva store down the street from my house. Yes, that's right . . . because your mama wanted to get some last minute chocolate. Never mind why, just hurry!"
He hung up. Bae had a silver Santa Fe, which he bought because sometimes he needed to travel all over the state for his own and students' art shows. This was a good thing, since Rumple preferred his son take them to the hospital and not a taxi, since some of the drivers were less than reliable.
"Is he coming?" demanded Belle, starting to pant again.
"Yes, he's on his way."
"What's wrong with her?" asked one customer. "Is it an anxiety attack?"
"No, she's in labor," Gold told him.
Several people gasped and allowed the Golds to go ahead of them.
When the issues with the problematic customers were resolved, Rumple found himself in front of the same nice young woman who had assisted him last time getting Belle some cherry chocolate. She recognized him immediately. "Why, Mr. Gold! Doing some last minute shopping?"
"Of course, Maureen," he said, keeping his tone cordial. He refused to give into panic like some of those first-time husbands did. Belle was not yet into active labor . . .at least he didn't think so. He handed her his purchases.
As Maureen rang him up, Belle felt an odd pressure lower down. "Rumple, where's the bathroom?"
"Just by the chocolate bar, Mrs. Gold," Maureen instructed.
Belle began to waddle in the direction, when suddenly a contraction brought her to a halt. "Oh!" she gasped, feeling her belly ripple and then the odd pressure build to a crescendo and a gush of warm fluid suddenly splattered onto the pristine tile floor.
"Whoa! Lady, you musta had to go really bad!" cried a teenager with a blue Mohawk and a nose ring.
"No . . .my water just broke!" Belle cried, flushing.
"Yeah, Mickey, you idiot, can't you see she's pregnant?" snorted his companion, a girl with pink hair.
Jerry, the young man who was stocking displays at the front of the store, spilled his V-cart all over as he heard the commotion. "Oh my God!"
"Somebody get a towel!"
"Call 9-1-1!"
"Call a manager!"
Maureen groaned. "Umm . . . I am the manager," she groaned, having been promoted to one recently due to Mr. Gold's patronage. "Keep ringing." She hurried over to a display of Christmas potholders and dishtowels and yanked a few down.
As she did so, Rumple rushed over to Belle, dropping the bag of chocolate beside her. "Breathe, dearie," he coaxed. "Bae, move your ass! This is no time to drive like a damned snail!"
"I am breathing, Rum!" Belle panted. "I thought . . . this was supposed to take hours . . . or something . . ."
Maureen came and dropped a bunch of towels down and mopped up the water. "Is this your first, Mrs. Gold?"
"Uh huh!" Belle's blue eyes were wide.
"Do you need me to call an ambulance?" she asked Rumple.
"No, my son's already on his way. He's almost here," Rumple told her. "He texted me. He should be here in about ten minutes."
"Let's get you to a bench," Maureen said practically, and led Belle over to a leather padded bench at the side of the main entrance doors. She glanced around and spotted Jerry. "Jerry, get Mrs. Gold a pillow for her back."
The kid looked like he was going to pass out. "Oh my God, Maureen! She's having a baby!"
Maureen rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious! Now get a pillow!"
"Where?" he glanced around wildly while Belle grabbed Rumple's hand, whimpering.
"Anywhere!" Maureen groaned. "I swear, sometimes I wonder what bus dropped you off, Jerry!"
Belle let out another moan. "Ohh, that was a big one!"
Jerry went white and bolted for a rack of Godiva teddy bears. One of them was the Good Night Sweet Dreams Bear. He ripped the pillow off of one and nearly trampled a little old lady rushing back to Belle. "Oops! Sorry! Coming through!"
He handed the pillow, a small satin gold affair, to Maureen. "Uh, here! Maybe she could rest her head?"
Maureen felt like braining him with the pillow. "Really, Jerry? This is like big enough for a doll!"
"You told me to get a pillow!" he yelped.
"Maybe I ought to have told you to get a brain!" she hissed, and handed Belle the pillow. "Umm . . .this isn't really what I had in mind . . ."
"I'll take it!" Belle said, and Rumple thrust the pillow in back of his wife. "Rumple . . .I think . . . they're getting . . .stronger!"
"Damn!" he swore and timed them again.
"Wow, I bet this is the most excitement you had ever in here," a gentleman remarked as he went out.
"Yeah, besides the hot chocolate machine blowing up," Maureen sighed.
Rumple offered Belle a truffle. "Here, dearie, maybe you ought to eat something? To calm you down?"
Belle nodded then let Rumple put the truffle in her mouth. As she chewed she thought about how oddly fitting that their baby should choose this time to get born—inside a Godiva store.
"How—far—apart-are they now, Rum?" Belle asked, allowing the lingering sweetness to coat her tongue.
"Four minutes," he grunted as she squished his hand.
Horrified, Jerry squealed, "Oh, Lord! I don't know nothing about birthing babies!"
"Neither did Prissy," Bae remarked as he entered the store with Rhee in tow.
"Bae! Thank God!" Rumple gasped. "Let's move!"
As Bae helped Belle to her feet, Rhee said, "You think the baby's coming now, Grammy?"
"Yes, darling . . ." Belle's face was sheened with sweat.
Jerry gaped. "Grammy? Your grandma's having a kid?"
"Yeah, why?" Rhee asked. "It's my grandpa's second marriage. So what?"
"Jerry, go and stock the chocolate," Maureen ordered. "Good luck, Mr. and Mrs. Gold! Bring the baby by after it's born!" She handed Rhee a stuffed bear with some mini chocolates and a balloon that said "For Your Special Delivery". The balloon was half pink and half blue and the bear was wearing a pink and blue knit sweater with a heart on it. The bear was white.
"Thanks!" Rhee said, and then followed her family out of the store.
As she did so, she heard Jerry say, "Oh my God, she nearly had the baby on the floor!"
"Jerry, you're such a wuss! She wasn't even close to having the baby yet," Maureen snorted. "Haven't you ever watched The Miracle of Life?"
"No, I cut class that day," he admitted sheepishly. "The Power Ranger marathon was on with the brain-switching machine . . ."
"Figures. I'm sure they had a good time playing with yours," she muttered, before going to get a mop and a bucket.
Page~*~*~*~Break
They all climbed into Bae's Santa Fe, and he stepped on the gas. "Don't worry, Mama," he called back to Belle, who was in the rear seat with Rhee. "The hospital's just fifteen minutes away."
"Good! Step on it!" Rumple urged.
Unfortunately, it was rush hour, and everyone in Manhattan seemed determined to be on the road trying to go somewhere. Horns blared and Bae swore and slammed on the brakes as a light turned red.
"Ohhhh!" Belle moaned.
Rhee mopped her face with a cloth. "Don't worry, Grammy. Dad didn't hit anybody yet."
"Glad to hear it," she responded.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, swanmay," Bae called back sarcastically.
The light changed, but they were still crawling down the street.
"Can't you go any faster?" Rumple growled.
"You want me to get into an accident, Papa?" Bae snapped.
"No, I want to get to the hospital before your mother delivers the baby in the car!"
"Well, unless you can fly . . .!" Bae grumbled, and swerved around a parked car. "Alternate side of the street parking today, dumbass!"
Behind him, Belle began to pray the rosary inbetween contractions.
"Not another red light!" Rumple swore.
"Ahh . . . Rumple . . .I don't think breathing is helping . . ."
"Please, Belle, you can't have the baby now!" he cried, frantic. "Dammit, we could have walked faster! Maybe you should let me drive, Bae!"
"No way, Papa! You'd get us arrested."
"Well, at least we'd be in a patrol car and could run red lights!" he argued. Then he got a very wicked very impish idea. "I've got it!"
"Got what?" Belle cried.
"The solution to our problem!" he answered.
"What? A portal? The Tardis?" Bae cried.
"No, a siren!" Rumple crowed.
"Papa, I think you've been reading too much Homer . . ."
"Not that kind of siren, Bae!" his father said exasperatedly. "A police siren!"
Then he clapped his hands and summoned one. It appeared on top of the car and began to wail stridently.
"Whoo hoo! Step on it, Dad! Awesome! We're like NYPD Blue!" Rhiannon yelled.
Bae went pale. "Hells bells, Papa!" But he drove around a car and then floored it, while people moved instinctively out of his way. "No, we're impersonating a cop car, and heaven help us if we get pulled over!"
"Just drive, Bae!" Rumple ordered.
"Hurry!" Belle shouted.
Bae drove through two red lights and was almost at the hospital intersection when he heard another siren and a black-and-white police car pulled up alongside. "Sir! You're traveling in an unmarked car with an emergency siren! Pull over!" the cop ordered.
"Aww—hells!" Bae groaned and began to do so. "See, Papa, I knew this was a bad idea."
"We're being pulled over!" Belle wailed. "Rumple, we can't stop now!"
"Dad, you'd better tell the officer that we have an emergency," Rhee said.
When the officer came over to the car, Bae rolled down the window and said, "Look, officer, we have a serious emergency here—"
"Can I see your license and registration, please?"
Bae handed them over.
The cop strolled back to the car.
"Papa, what do we do?"
"Start the car!" Belle hollered. "He can arrest me after the baby's born!"
"Don't worry, dearie. I have it all under control," Rumple called back.
"That's what you said when you put the siren on the car!" Bae grouched.
"Hush, Baelfire. And be prepared to let me do the talking when he comes back."
"Rumplestiltskin, you'd better make the fastest deal of your life, or else you'd better be prepared to deliver a baby!" his wife snapped.
The cop, a young African American man, came back over to the car. "Sir," he said to Bae. "Your car isn't on the list of registered emergency vehicles—"
"That's because he's my son and he's not a member of the Emergency Task Squad like I was back in my hometown up in Maine," Rumple cut in smoothly. "I've recently moved here to Manhattan with my wife so I could be near my son and granddaughter and I used my siren as a last resort because my wife is in labor."
The cop nearly passed out. "In-in labor?"
"That's right, officer, and we couldn't get through to the hospital so that's why we used my siren," Gold replied.
Just then Belle let out another groan. The cop peered into the backseat of the car and saw Belle and Rhee. He went several shades lighter.
"Oh hell no!"
"Oh hell yeah!" Belle hollered back. "And if we don't hurry, I'm gonna have this baby in the middle of rush hour traffic! Ooohh!"
"Better hurry, Dad!" Rhee encouraged.
"No, no, no! You can't do this to me!" the cop muttered. "It's my first day on the job, I just graduated from the Academy and— " He was nearly wringing his hands from nervousness.
"Lemme guess. You don't know nothing bout birthing no babies either," Rhee quoted cheekily.
"No, ma'am!" the cop shook his head rapidly. "Jesus, mister, you'd better step on it! Before we have the reenaction of Melly givin' birth with Scarlett and I'm the male version of Prissy!" He wiped sweat from his brow.
"Then we can go?" Bae clarified.
"Yes sirree! Go on now!"
"Go, Bae, go!" Belle cried.
Bae didn't need any encouragement. He floored it and the siren began wailing.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Belle and Rumple were wheeled off to a maternity room while Bae and Rhee were left in the maternity waiting area. Rhee began reading on her Nook Galaxy tablet, the new Robin Hobb book Fool's Quest, while Bae set the bag of Godiva down and began pacing back and forth. Finally Rhee looked up and said, "Why don't you get some coffee, Dad? There's a coffee machine over there."
Bae nodded and went to the coffee dispenser. There were many choices, but all he wanted was a regular coffee. Unfortunately when he pressed the button, it turned red, meaning they were out of it. "Figures!" he grunted irritably and went to choose another one. But the dark roast was out too. Finally he chose a mocha latte and sat down next to Rhee on the flower printed couch to sip it when Rumple came bursting out of the maternity room where Belle was being checked.
His hair was flying in floofy waves all over his head as he rushed up to them. "Bae, where's the bag of Godiva? Belle needs some now, she claims it takes the edge off the contractions."
"Calm down, Papa. The bag's right—" Bae turned to grab the bag of Godiva only to find that it was a shopping bag filled with women's toiletries, including tampons. "What the hell?!"
Rumple gaped. "That's not my Godiva!"
"I know, Papa! I don't know why that's here!"
"Rhee, where's the bag of Godiva?" Rumple asked in the same hushed tone you would use when you asked someone where a bag of hundred dollar bills had gone.
Rhee came up out of the world of FitzChivalry Farseer to say, "Grandpa, it was right there."
"No, it's not," Rumple said, his voice edged with hysteria. "This is not the bag I left here. It's a bag of . . . women's toiletries!"
"Papa, we left it right there," Bae began, totally flummoxed.
"A bag of chocolate can't walk away!" Rumple nearly shouted.
"Rum! Did you get my chocolate?" Belle called from the room.
"Umm . . .just a minute, dearie!" he called back in a false cheery tone. "Baelfire, I left you in charge of the chocolate, now you'd better help me find it! Before your mother has a breakdown and so do I! And we're both committed and you're stuck caring for your infant sibling!"
Bae paled. "Papa, I swear it was right here when I went to get coffee. Rhee, did anyone come by while I was down the hall?"
"Umm . . . well there was some old lady who had a shopping bag and was looking for her niece's room—or maybe it was her granddaughter's—and she seemed kinda confused." Rhee said. "I think she dropped her bag and when I asked if she needed help she said no."
Bae and Rumple exchanged glances. "Oh no! She took it!" they both gasped.
"I don't believe this! Some old lady ripped off our Godiva!" sputtered Bae.
"Believe it, dearie. This is New York," Rumple coughed. "Anything can happen."
"Rum! How long does it take you to find a bar of chocolate!"
Rumple started sweating. "Bae, we have to find that bag! Rhee, can you remember anything else? Did the lady say what her niece's name was? A room number?"
"Uh . . .I think she was looking for room 312."
"Good. You go and . . err . . . tell your grammy I . . .err . . .ran to the men's room and distract her while Bae and I go and find our little old chocolate thief."
"Okay." Rhee slid off the couch. "But Grandpa, how d'ya know it was stolen? Maybe she picked it up by mistake?"
"There's no way she could have done that and then not realized it once she got to the room, dearie. Trust me, that woman knew what she was doing. An honest person would have brought the chocolate back by now."
"Rumple Gold! You better not be eating all my chocolate!"
Rumple quickly shooed Rhee in the direction of Belle's room and as they set off down the opposite end of the hallway, Bae murmured, "Papa, they're probably eating it!"
"Damn! Freaking chocoholic thieves!"
Rhee entered the tastefully appointed maternity room, which looked more like someone's sitting room and bedroom to find her grandma hooked up to a fetal heart monitor and an IV. "Hey, Grammy, Grandpa had to run to the men's room and he'll be back soon, so I'm here to keep you company."
"That's nice, sweetie. Now could you be a love and get me some chocolate from that bag your dad had earlier? I told your grandpa to get me some but I guess he forgot."
"Umm . . .he really had to go." Rhee said quickly. "Like maybe he has an enlarged prostate, like in those commercials," she said blithely, thinking quickly.
Belle sighed. "You know, I never thought about that. Rumple has always seemed . . . well . . . healthy. You don't think . . .?"
"Umm . . .maybe it was all that hot cocoa he drank before," her granddaughter said, trying to change the subject. "Are you gonna have the baby soon?"
"Well, I'm not quite as ready as I thought," Belle told her. The doctor had told her she needed to dilate more than 8 centimeters.
"That mean you're not gonna have the baby today?"
"No, it just means we have to wait." She checked her watch. "Like a few hours. Or something. I really need that chocolate."
Five minutes passed. Now Belle was growing irritable as her pains increased. "Honestly, where is he? What'd he do, fall in? Find a portal to the sewers to fight alligators?"
Rhee shrugged. "Maybe he got lost. You know this hospital is really big."
"But there's a bathroom right down the hall," Belle objected.
"Yeah, but it's the girl's room." Grandpa, what's taking you so long?
Page~*~*~*~Break
Meanwhile, Rumple and Bae had found the room down the hall. "Who's gonna go first?" Bae hissed.
"I will. You might scare her," Rumple said. He grasped his cane and limped into the room, where he saw an elderly woman with white hair in a neat bun dressed in a printed blue dress sitting beside the bed of a younger woman with red hair and beside the bed was the missing bag of Godiva.
Rumple cleared his throat. "Excuse me, ladies. Pardon the intrusion but I believe there's been a little mix-up."
The women looked up, and the younger one groaned. "Gran, you didn't! Sir, you have to forgive her . . .she's getting up there and sometimes she has a bit of an—err—memory problem—"
"Gettin' up there?" the woman squawked. "Why Fiona O'Malley, I'm not a day over ninety-two and I've still got all my faculties!" She pointed a finger at Mr. Gold. "Who're you, sonny?"
"My name is Mr. Gold, dearie, and I think you accidentally took my bag of chocolate when you . . . err . . .dropped your bag," he began, thinking now he may have been mistaken. Until he saw the box opened upon the tray table and several chocolates had been eaten.
Fiona looked like she wanted to fall through a hole in the floor. "Gran!" she moaned. "Mr. Gold, I'm terribly sorry . . . she told me that a Good Samaritan had given her this bag of chocolate . . ." She reddened. "You see, sometimes my gran . . . forgets what she's doing . . . and takes things that don't belong to her . . ."
"You dropped this by my little girl when she was reading," Bae said, entering the room and holding out the toiletry bag. "We realized it when my . . .err . . . stepmom asked for some chocolate, she's in labor and needed some to calm her down. Until you stole it!" he said accusingly.
Fiona put her face in her hand. "Gran!"
"It was just lying there!" her grandmother protested. "I figured we needed it, especially after the news you just had, darling!"
"What news?" Rumple asked. The younger woman looked pale and sickly.
"I have toxemia and could . . .lose my baby," Fiona said sadly.
"Oh, that's terrible!" Bae began. Now he felt like an utter heel. "Papa, maybe we should . . ."
Gold held up a hand. "Say no more, please. I'm not so desperate for chocolate that I can't buy more. Keep it." Then he recalled Belle and said plaintively. "But could I just have the bar of dark chocolate with almonds? My wife has these cravings . . ."
"Oh, but we couldn't . . ." Fiona began.
"Please," Bae said.
"Now, is it a bargain you be wantin', sonny?" demanded the old lady. "Because the O'Malleys dinna take charity, ya know!"
"Charity? Of course not, dearie," Rumple said, now on familiar territory. "I'll make a bargain with you. You give me . . . this box of . . ." he fished inside the other bag and pulled out some facial wipes. "Clairol green tea wipes and a bar of chocolate in exchange for the bag of Godiva and we'll call it even. Do we have a deal?"
The old lady's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you wanna make that bargain, sonny?"
Rumple nodded. "Yes. Well?"
She promptly spit in her hand and held it out. "You gotta deal!"
"Gran!"
But Gold was unfazed, and did the same thing and then clasped her hand in his. "Deal struck!"
Fiona looked at Bae. "Don't they know that's—unsanitary?"
"Uh, yeah, but . . . in the old country it shows you were willing to honor your word," Bae coughed.
"Then you're Irish too?"
"No, umm . . .Scottish."
"Close enough," Fiona chuckled.
"Well, dearies, we'd best be running along," Rumple said. "Before my wife goes into withdrawal. I hope everything goes well," he said sincerely.
Then he grabbed Bae by the hand and they departed.
As they left, Fiona's grandmother emitted a loud giggle. "Hee hee, my girl! That boy may be handsome, but he sure don't know how to dicker! Dinna I tell you nobody can dicker like yer gran?"
Then she bit into a piece of chocolate and sighed in bliss. "Ahh! Food of the gods, 'tis!"
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Rumple entered the room with the bar of chocolate and the facial wipes feeling very satisfied. "Belle, you'll never guess what happened," he began.
"Rumplestiltskin, did you eat all my chocolate?" his loving wife snarled, looking ready to beat him with his own cane.
"What? Of course not! Look, here's a bar of dark chocolate almond," he handed her it.
She looked at him suspiciously. "Where's the rest of it?"
"Well, that's what I was trying to tell you . . ."
Once she had heard the whole story and eaten half the bar, Belle calmed down from chocoholic virago to her normal sweet self . . . or as much of herself as she could be while enduring labor pains.
"Ohhh . . . that was very thoughtful . . ."
Rumple sat down on the bed next to her. "Belle, I wish I could take away this pain you're suffering . . ."
"Maybe we can, Grandpa," Rhee suddenly spoke up.
"How, dearie?" he asked. "My magic isn't quite what it was before . . ."
"Yes it is," she said with certainty in her voice. "Because true love is there wherever you are."
"What are you saying?"
"All you have to do . . .is this . . ." Rhee said, and she picked up the half-eaten bar of Godiva and let two sparkling silver tears fall, a swanmay's tears of love and healing. They were absorbed into the chocolate and made it glisten.
"Dearie, I'm not a swanmay. My tears can't . . ." he gasped as Belle nearly squeezed his hand in two.
"Yes, they can. All those who love truly can cry healing tears," his granddaughter insisted.
"Rhee, how can you know that?" Bae frowned.
"Dad, I'm the White Prophetess of Lir. Sometimes I just know stuff."
She held out the bar of chocolate. "You can do it, Grandpa. Just think about how much you love Grammy . . .and the new baby . . .and cry . . ."
Rumple concentrated, summoning all the love he felt. Then he wept . . .and a golden tear landed upon the bar of Godiva.
"Now what?" Belle gasped.
"Now you do what you always do with chocolate—you eat it," the small swanmay said.
Belle ate the chocolate slowly.
"Does it taste any different?" Bae asked.
"It tastes . . . incredible . . .better than the best chocolate I've ever eaten," she murmured. She savored every bite. When it was finished, she felt calm, focused, and the pain of her contractions were gone. Or not exactly gone . . . but she no longer felt them as sharp pain, but as glowing soothing ripples that brought her baby closer and closer to being born.
She raised shining eyes to Rumple, and whispered, "Rumple, I can feel our baby . . . ready to come and meet the family . . ."
"And you're not in pain?"
"No, darling. I don't feel any pain—just love . . ." Belle remarked, and she let the sweetness fill her until she was borne away on a tide of pure light and love, which was the gift of Angus Og and his descendants and all those who love truly.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Four hours later:
"You're doing good, Belle!" encouraged her doctor. "The head's out."
Belle just smiled dreamily at Rumple. "Soon, we're going to hold our baby."
"I know, dearie. Now let's concentrate. Okay?" he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Belle nodded and with the next push their baby daughter was born. She was a wee thing, five pounds and five ounces, with fuzzy chocolate-colored hair and huge indigo eyes. She came into the world with a sassy howl that made both her parents laugh when they heard it.
"Uh oh. Sounds like our wee beauty has a temper," her father grinned.
"Wonder where she gets that from?" Belle teased, then all her attention was taken up by her newborn, who was placed in her arms after a proud Rumple tearily cut the cord. "Hello, sweet girl. It's your mama."
The baby cooed and reached out a hand and gripped her mother's fingers in a fist.
"Rumple, isn't she beautiful?"
"She is, dearie. As beautiful as her mama."
"And as sassy as her papa," Belle giggled.
"Welcome to the world, little dearie," her father crooned, and then he kissed her forehead, sealing her to him with his magic.
The baby giggled and brushed her hand across his lips. "Mmmm!"
"You're a sweetheart, aren't you?" a nurse smiled. "You know, most babies are sort of . . . squished when they're born. But your little girl . . . is hardly red at all. And her head is less pointed than most babies."
"The wonder of love," Belle murmured, and she and Rumple exchanged loving glances.
Page~*~*~*~Break
Belle was wheeled into her maternity room half-an-hour later, and Rumple followed holding his new daughter.
Bae and Rhee were dozing on the recliner when the nurses wheeled the gurney into the room. Rhee woke and lifted her head from her dad's shoulder and smiled as she saw Belle and her grandfather sitting on the bed, holding a pink wrapped bundle in his arms. "Dad, wake up!"
Bae struggled up from the mists of sleep. "Huh? Oh, Rhee. Is the baby born?"
"Bae, say hello to your little sister, Carina Beatrice Gold," Rumple said, naming his daughter for the first time.
Bae blinked and a smile of pure joy spread across his face. "That's a beautiful name, Papa. It's Italian, right?"
Belle nodded. "The language of love. For a True Love baby."
"What's it mean?" Rhee asked, jumping up to peer at the baby.
"Carina means my dear little one and Beatrice means bringer of joy." Rumple answered. "Because she's our little dearie and she brings us great joy." He looked at his granddaughter. "Would you like to hold her, Rhee?"
"Dad first," she said loyally.
Bae rubbed his eyes. "Okay, swanmay." He gently took his baby sister from his father. "Hey, small one. You're smaller than Rhee when she was born." He cradled the baby easily in his arm. "You're like Thumbelina."
Carina gave a slight indignant wail.
"Dad, I don't think she likes you making tiny jokes," Rhee objected.
"Sorry. But I'm your big brother, so I'm allowed to tease you."
Carina frowned and squeaked like a tiny mouse. Bae laughed. "You're some sassy little imp, aren't you?"
"Like her papa," Belle smiled.
"Oh, I think her mama has some sass to her too," Rumple pointed out. "Especially when she doesn't get her chocolate fix."
"Dad, can I hold her now?" Rhee asked.
Bae turned and placed his sister in her niece's arms. "Say hi to your aunt, Rhee." Then he snapped a picture on his phone of his two lovely girls.
Rhee took the baby and snuggled her close. "Don't mind, Dad. He's just kidding with you," she told the baby, who cooed happily at her. "I wonder if you'll have magic like me, Carina?"
"That remains to be seen," Rumple said.
"But she's a child of true love. Don't all True Love children have some magic?" Belle asked.
"Yes, but it may not manifest right away. It all depends," Rumple said.
"But even if she doesn't, we'll love her just the same," Bae said. "Right, you sassy sweet special delivery?"
The baby burbled at him.
Rhee continued to hold her until she began to cry loudly.
"Looks like your little dearie's hungry, Mama," Bae said, and watched as Rhee rose and carefully handed Carina back to Belle. "Speaking of hunger, I could go for a bite. How about you, Rhee?"
"Sure, Dad. Grammy, you want a burger and iced tea?"
"You know me well, Rhee," Belle grinned.
"We'll bring one back for you," Bae promised. "Papa, you coming?"
"In a moment, Bae," Rumple said, for he wanted to see if Belle could nurse the baby, or if he needed to send for some formula.
As soon as she held Carina alongside her, the baby turned her head and nuzzled her breast, making soft whimpering noises. "Shh, pretty girl. I know, you want to eat," she crooned, rocking her gently while she undid the snaps on the pink hospital gown. "Just a minute, Miss Impatience" she told her daughter, and found a soft baby cloth as well to put on her opposite shoulder inside the bassinet.
Her daughter kicked her feet and gripped her with a hand, crying a little louder now.
"Hey, hold on. I've never done this before, you know."
Carina was rooting now, her little mouth opening and shutting, plainly hungry, and trying to latch onto Belle.
"Okay, okay. Just a minute," she said, and gently squeezed her nipple until a drop of yellowish fluid, called colostrum emerged. Then she guided the breast towards her daughter's questing mouth. "There you go, baby."
Carina quickly latched on and began suckling, her blue eyes going to half-mast as she did so. She relaxed in Belle's arm, happy now that she was finally eating.
"Looks like she has a good appetite," remarked Rumple.
"I'd say so," Belle sighed and gazed lovingly down at her baby, wincing a little because at first she was tender there, but she had read this was normal at first and in a few days she would stop being so sensitive.
Rumple just gazed down at them, his heart overflowing with love. My beauty and my baby dearie. The balance of me. And now, at last, my family is complete.
Abruptly, Carina drew back with a little squall.
"What's the matter, dearie?" Rumple asked, concerned.
"I don't know. All of a sudden she stopped drinking," Belle said, puzzled. "Maybe she needs to burp."
She put the baby on her shoulder and patted her back gently.
"A bit firmer," Rumple instructed.
Belle patted harder and the baby burped softly. "Good job!" she praised.
Carina wriggled, so Belle put her back to nurse some more.
The baby nuzzled her and suckled for a moment. Then she spat out the nipple and fussed, making an odd little moue.
"She reminds me of you when you taste your tea and it doesn't have enough sweetener," Rumple giggled.
"Come on, baby. Drink so you can grow up big and strong," Belle urged. She gently ran a hand down her breast. A bead of milk formed.
Carina fixed her huge eyes upon it. Then she sucked, and an odd warmth flowed through Belle.
Belle relaxed, then after a few more moments, went to switch sides, and it was then, as she went to bring Carina to her other breast, that she saw an odd dark stain on her baby's lips. "What's this?" she asked, and took a cloth to blot it away.
The cloth was stained brown where the liquid touched. Alarmed, Belle cried, "Rumple! Look at this! It's not white, it's brown!"
"What is?" Rumple queried.
"The . . .the milk!" She held out the cloth. "I don't understand. Should we call a doctor?"
Rumple took the cloth and examined it. "How odd. When did you notice this?"
"When I went to switch sides," Belle said, panicked. Carina began to fuss and reach for Belle. "That's not a normal color for breast milk." She swallowed hard. "Maybe I'm . . .something's not right here . . ."
"Now, don't panic, Belle. I'm sure there's some explanation," he began, fear also making his heart stutter.
Carina turned and began suckling again, making small noises of delight.
"Well, she doesn't seem to mind," he observed.
But Belle was frightened, and pulled the small mouth off her again. This time a drop of brown liquid fell on her hand. "Rumple, look!"
Rumple took her hand and examined it. He sniffed the drop of milk. "Belle . . . this . . .smells like . . . chocolate!"
"Chocolate?" she gasped. "But . . . that's crazy! Women don't produce chocolate milk!"
Rumple gently flicked his tongue out and tasted the drop. "Mmm! This tastes just like the Godiva chocolate milk I make on Sundays for breakfast." He licked his lips.
Belle gaped at him. "Oh, Rumple! Do you think . . . the chocolate I ate has made my milk like this?"
Rumple frowned. "It shouldn't have. It was supposed to just make you unable to feel your contractions because of the love we bore you."
"Then what . . .?" she gazed down in puzzlement at her baby, who was now rooting and whimpering. "Oh!"
Rumple started giggling. "Oh, heavens! It's magically delicious!" He pointed at baby Carina. "And she's her mama's daughter all right!"
"Rumple, you don't think . . . she did this?"
"Who else, dearie? It wasn't me!"
"But she's a baby. How can she even know what chocolate tastes like?"
"Because you've been eating chocolate since you were carrying her," Rumple chuckled. "And they say that a baby eats what her mother does in the womb. So . . . she decided that she wanted chocolate milk and . . .there you are."
"Oh my goodness! But she's not supposed to have chocolate at this age. Won't it hurt her?" Belle wondered.
Rumple gently touched his daughter's tummy, letting his magic flow over her. "No, she's fine, Belle. Apparently whatever magic she inherited that makes her able to change regular milk like this also enables her to drink it without any harm whatsoever."
Then Belle let her daughter continue to nurse, murmuring, "My little chocoholic. Just wait till you taste Godiva ice cream!" She smiled beatifically at her child. "Rumple, if she can do that now . . . what else might she do later?"
"Only time will tell, dearie," he said softly. "Perhaps she'll see into the hearts of people and know who is good and who isn't, like her mama."
"Or perhaps she'll spin straw into gold like you," Belle speculated.
Rumple merely smiled at the sight of the two of them, so perfect, so precious, and his to love and cherish forever.
He drank in the sight of Belle, his brown eyes sparkling with love for her, his heart, his soul, and the mother of both his children. Watching her with Carina reminded him of the statues of the Madonna in church, with her holy child on her lap. She bore the same look the Holy Mother did on her face—serene, wise, and beautiful to behold. Her hair fell softly over one shoulder, clad in a pink gown and button down floral print wrapper he'd bought her months ago for just this occasion, and he had helped her into it before she had lain down in bed.
His baby sighed and then fell asleep on her mother's shoulder, her rosebud lips speckled with tiny droplets of chocolate milk. Soon after, Belle dozed off too, and Rumple gently placed the baby in her lap, then murmured a single word, "Bellissima." It was Italian for "beautiful". For his two beautiful little ladies, so dear to his heart.
Then he snapped a picture, preserving this moment forever.
Three days later, a birth announcement arrived in Maurice French's mailbox in Storybrooke. The florist opened it and found a lovely glossy eight by ten photo of his daughter holding his new granddaughter in her arms, asleep. Beneath it read: Mr. & Mrs. Gold would like to announce the birth of their daughter, Carina Beatrice, 5lbs 5oz and seventeen inches long on December 18th, 2015.
The sight brought tears to the old lord's eyes. Then he brushed them away and headed inside, the picture clutched in his hand, to call Belle and congratulate her and Rumple, and make plans to come to New York for Christmas with his new family, so he could meet the sweet sassy baby that reminded him so much of his own daughter.