Rumplestiltskin sat at his spinning wheel. Bae's birthday would have been yesterday. It consumed his mind, wondering where his son was. Was he even still alive? Could Bae have forgiven him? Would Bae even remember him? These thoughts made him spin faster. He needed the motion of the wheel to keep going, to let him lose himself in it. Belle was dusting his multitude of trophies, but he barely noticed her presence. Bae was gone, Bae's mother was gone…how long until he lost Belle? After all, it was not question of if but when she would realize what a monster she was trapped with. Losing Belle was inescapable. Looking up, he realized he might have lost her already. She wasn't dusting, and yet he hadn't heard her open the door, which would undoubtedly require a bit of grunting to move the heavy door. Just as he was about to turn around, he felt a sharp pinch on his arm. He spun and saw Belle dancing away, a small smile growing on her pink lips.
"What in the name of the gods was that for?" he shouted, examining his arm. It hadn't hurt so much as it had caught him off-guard. He couldn't remember the last time someone had surprised him like that. She shrugged,
"It's St. Patrick's Day and you aren't wearing green. Hence, you get pinched." She walked away, a victorious swagger to her steps. Rumplestiltskin jumped up and followed her, hovering above the ground to prevent footsteps. However, Belle turned just before pinched her,
"And what are you doing?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.
"I was going to pinch you. You aren't wearing green either." said Rumplestiltskin, crossing his arms. He looked to her like a pouting child. Belle smiled her smug grin,
"And who says I'm not?" she asked. Rumple both blushed and grinned devilishly at her implications,
"How can I know you aren't lying? Perhaps I should take a peek…" He leaned down and she smacked him soundly before his hand even touched her dress.
"A gentleman would trust the lady." She said and walked away, back to her dusting. Rumple almost said something then jumped a bit to realize that she had implied him to be a gentleman. He shook his head at the little minx and walked back to the spinning wheel, this time his thoughts filled with plans for revenge.
