It isn't often that Rumplestiltskin needs someone else's help. With the power that he wields, he can do most things himself. Tame a dragon? Got it. Get into the palace of a King and steal a precious artifact? No problem. Create a potion that will temporarily stop time? Well, that one is a bit tricky.
And it requires someone who is both brave and true. Rumplestiltskin is neither. He was the village coward long ago and even having the curse of the Dark One in him, even being able to wield magic the likes of which most mortals can only dream of, he is not as far removed from the lowly spinner he one was as he would like. And true? Rumplestiltskin has never been true.
Not even with Belle, though he tries to put that from his mind. He had tossed her out, caused her death, and it was all because he didn't know how to be true. Not to her, not to himself. He tries to be true to the son he lost so long ago, but he worries that he's not even true to him.
But he knows someone who has bravery and trueness, both in spades. He doesn't like that he has to go to him, but he knows that he can and, perhaps more importantly, will do the job for him.
He pops in late at night, no swirl of magic to accompany him. He doesn't want to be noticed. Not right away at least. But it's only a moment later when the sword is at his throat and the threat is being issued.
"My, my we're awfully testy for one who just got married." He uses one finger to push the sword back from where it's pressing at his neck.
"Rumplestiltskin?" comes the voice from the darkness and then he's flooded with the light, the lantern held out in front of the man who speaks. He looks him up and down and rolls his eyes.
"Do you mind, dearie?" He snaps his finger and the formerly unclothed not-quite prince is dressed if not well, at least...well...in something.
"I was enjoying my Honeymoon," the other man points out, glancing down at the clothing he's now wearing.
"Ah yes," Rumplestiltskin says, one hand making a somewhat lazy gesture in the air. "And how is our dear Snow?"
"Sleeping," Charming says and it comes out more like a growl than anything Rumplestiltskin has heard from him before.
"Of course," Rumplestiltskin responds with. "I suppose there's no need to wake her. If you come along, dearie..." He waves the shepherd-turned-prince toward the door.
Charming sighs, runs a hand through his hair. "Do you mind telling me what you're doing here?"
"I thought that should be rather obvious."
"Well, it's not," Charming mutters, glancing back at the door to his bedroom.
"Oh don't worry," Rumplestiltskin says airily. "She can't hear us."
"What did you do to her?" Charming asks quickly.
Rumplestiltskin puts a hand to his chest, lets out a little gasp. "You wound me." Charming just gives him that look and so he sighs, exasperated. "Silencing spell. Your precious lady love will slumber on peacefully no matter how loud you scream."
Charming gives him another look.
"Must you take everything so seriously?" He rolls his eyes at the other man.
"When it comes to you…"
"Yes, yes. The scourge of the Enchanted Forest and all that." Charming's eyebrows shoot up and for a moment Rumplestiltskin is afraid they'll fly right off the man's forehead. How ridiculous would he look without them? He contemplates magicking them away just to see what he looks like without eyebrows and actually has his hand up to try it when he realizes Charming is waiting for him to respond. He sighs. "Yes I know about that. No it doesn't bother me. Just…come along already, will you?"
Charming hesitates but finally steps nearer to him. "Where are we…"
He doesn't finishing getting the words out before Rumplestiltskin touches his arm lightly and the two disappear from the room.
They reappear standing outside a cave. Or at least, standing some twenty yards away from something that resembles a small cave. It's set into the hillside, slightly below where the two of them are standing. Rumplestiltskin rebalances himself and points at the cave.
"Just beyond that entrance lies a stone."
"A stone?"
"Yes dearie. Now listen carefully. The stone is blue, smooth, about this big." Here he holds up his hand to demonstrate.
"And you want me to get you this stone?"
Rumplestiltskin rolls his eyes. "Do I really have to spell everything out for you, dearie? Yes. Yes of course I want you to get this stone."
"And you can't get it because…"
He's afraid if he rolls his eyes again, they might just roll out of his head. Your face will freeze like that, he can well remember the spinsters telling him. "It requires someone both brave and true."
"And you're not brave?"
He feels his metaphorical hackles rise. Charming would get right to the heart of the issue, wouldn't he? "That is not the issue," he says with a small sniff. "The issue is the guardian. If the guardian senses any cowardice…any at all…if the guardian sense any lack of honesty…any. He will not let you pass."
"And you're not honest." It's a statement and Rumplestiltskin feels his ire rise.
"I am always honest."
"Really? Then if you're brave and true, why aren't you walking in there to get your damned rock yourself?"
Rumplestiltskin heaves a large sigh. "Stone, dearie. It's a stone. And it has particular properties that make it worthwhile for me to have." Particular properties that will work especially well once ground up and added to the potion he's been creating. Stopping time…such a ludicrous thing.
"And yet…"
Rumplestiltskin gives the much larger man a slight shove. "Will you just go get it already?" He forgot how difficult Charming could be. It's not that he's obtuse or anything. Quite the contrary, Rumplestiltskin is sure that behind his propensity to grab his sword first and ask questions later, there's some sort of intellect. Charming just needs to know everything first. And that doesn't generally suit Rumplestiltskin's plan.
"What do I get out of this anyway?" Charming mutters.
"I'll owe you." And he hates owing anyone anything. He's sure that Charming knows this fact about him. But he needs him and he doesn't think the young man will tell anyone such a thing anyway.
"Fine then." Charming steps away, gets just a couple feet before Rumplestitlskin is speaking in his sing-songy voice again.
"Just be aware of the beast, dearie!" He lets out a little giggle. He wouldn't send Charming on this task unless he knew he could succeed. He wasn't the Evil Queen after all, sending child after child into a candy house and expecting them to be mature enough to do as she asks without getting sidetracked by the enchanted candy. Oh, she doesn't know he knows this. But he does. Rumplestiltskin knows everything.
Except how to get into that cave himself.
Charming doesn't get too far before he sees the guardian. He stops and looks back at Rumplestiltskin. "It's a bunny," he says, as if that were the most ludicrous thing he'd ever imagined.
"Rabbit, actually. Don't be fooled by it," he says with a wagging finger. "It's actually quite ferocious."
Charming looks at him and speaks slowly. "It's a rabbit." As if Rumplestiltskin is not bright enough to know that things are not always as they seem. As if Charming simply cannot fathom why the greatest sorcerer in this world refuses to face down one small white rabbit.
"Of course it is. What did you think you'd find here? A dragon." Charming starts to speak but Rumplestiltskin holds his hand up. "Brave, dearie. Just be brave and honest with yourself." He makes a little shooing motion with his hands.
Charming rolls his eyes and steps toward the creature. Rumplestiltskin can tell that he doesn't believe him, not for a moment. He's nearly upon the creature when it turns its beady red eyes up at him and Rumplestiltskin has to restrain himself from shouting boo at the unfortunate man. But Charming doesn't hesitate, just shakes his head and steps right by the beast.
Rumplestiltskin breathes a sigh of relief. Charming is in. He'll find the stone and get out to him and they can get the hell out of there. Together. Safe. And he won't have to go back to Snow White and explain why he sacrificed her husband on this little impromptu quest.
It's not long before Charming emerges, a little dusty, squinting into the sunlight. He holds something aloft and Rumplestiltskin finds himself smiling.
"Is this what you wanted?" He tosses it over the rabbit's head and it's only Rumplestiltskin's extra abilities that allows him to grab it out of the air. He holds his breath for a moment but the rabbit does nothing more than look at him and then back to Charming.
"It is indeed. Come then, dearie. Let's get you back to your new bride."
Charming steps past the rabbit, giving it one last amused look as he pauses for a moment.
"Come, come. I don't have all day. I have work to do with this thing, you know." He holds the stone up, flips it around in his hand and watches the way it catches the light. Yes, it will do quite nicely for the potion he's working on. But not if he doesn't get back to his tower soon.
"Right," Charming says and steps back to his side. Rumplestiltskin is about to send him back to his home when Charming suddenly puts a hand on his shoulder. He doesn't do this often, reach out and touch him. No one does, now that he thinks of it. Belle did and that memory causes him a momentary pain. He knows his face is taut as he meets Charming's eyes.
"That rabbit out there..."
"Yes dearie?"
"It wasn't really some horrid beast...was it?"
Rumplestiltskin gives a low chuckle. "Quite the contrary. It is indeed a terrible monster with nasty, big pointy teeth." He makes an odd gesture with his hands and Charming backs up a pace. "You're lucky you're such a brave man, shepherd." And then Charming is gone, back to where he'll no doubt find his wife sound asleep.
A moment later Rumplestiltskin disappears as well. And if, as he disappears, he gives the rabbit one last shuddering glance, who is there to notice?