It didn't matter how much Belle looked at him, how much she studied every inch of him. She still couldn't seem to get over how different he looked in his new form, and yet, miraculously, so similar.

They were sitting across from each other at his small, round wooden table in the kitchen. Mr. Gold was eating the buttered toast that Belle had made for him and reading the newspaper. She studied him as he ate, mesmerized by him. He looked so foreign to her, but, at the same time, so familiar. His skin was obviously much different; instead of golden green scaly skin covering his body, his skin was now like hers; white and smooth. His hair was neater, too, but still long and the same brownish color. His teeth were, of course, a big improvement, as they were much cleaner, but they were still crooked.

Mr. Gold looked up from his paper suddenly, but Belle didn't look away like she normally did when he caught her staring at him. She couldn't stop herself from looking into his eyes... it was his eyes that really surprised Belle. The Rumpelstiltskin she had known in Fairytale Land had wide, gray-blue eyes that were full of emotions that Belle could never find the names of. Here, in this land, his eyes were a beautiful golden brown and it stopped Belle's heart when she realized that they still held all those twisted emotions.

"Belle? Are you all right, dearie?"

Mr. Gold had looked up from his paper to catch a glimpse of Belle, and now he was rather curious as to why she was studying him so intensely, her lips parted slightly and her eyes opened wide.

Belle snapped out of it finally and bit her lip nervously.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I was just... um, I was lost in a daydream!" Belle gushed, trying to grasp an excuse out of the thick air between them.

Mr. Gold chuckled at seeing Belle so flustered.

"It's all right…. I better be going to the shop, anyway. It's almost nine o'clock," he muttered, looking down at his watch.

"Right!" Belle exclaimed, getting up and taking away their plates.

Mr. Gold got up and put on his suit jacket. He tucked his wallet into his pocket and then, with his cane, walked over to Belle to give her a kiss goodbye.

"I'll see you tonight," he said, leaning in so he could place a kiss on her cheek.

But Belle was feeling daring today, and so, at the last second, she turned her head so that his lips met hers. She kissed him tenderly, sweetly, and then broke away before Mr. Gold could even process what happened.

Belle smiled warmly at him and straightened his tie.

"You'll be coming home at five?" she asked like nothing had just transpired between them, even though her cheeks were rosier than usual and her eyes were opened wide.

"Uh, yes…" Mr. Gold trailed off, still not fully recovered from Belle's surprise attack.

"Can't wait," she breathed.

Mr. Gold gave her a crooked smile and then he was out the door and in his car, on his way to work where he would surely over-analyze what had just happened between him and Belle all day long.

Belle let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding once Mr. Gold was out of the house.

Should I have done that? Especially after he caught me staring at him again…?

But Belle couldn't help but to stare at him, to kiss him. She was, in some crazy, twisted way, attracted to him when he was the Dark One, but now, seeing him in his human form, but with those same expressive features, that cunning personality, and the soft, gentle side that seemingly only existed for her... it was all almost too much for her.

She wanted him, all of him, but she had no clue how to let him know. She thought that maybe her frequent staring would clue him in, but she never had the nerve to tell him her real reasons and he always assumed she was too innocent to be having those types of thoughts. She could count the amount of times they kissed on one hand and it was starting to drive her crazy. Does he think of her the way she thinks of him? Does he lie awake at night, wishing she was there with him?

Belle sighed to herself as she washed the dirty dishes. She had all these pent up feelings, all these desires... and no way to relieve them. She wanted so desperately to tell Mr. Gold how she felt, but how? She was hopeless at relationships. She had no past experience and who could she even ask for help? Everyone in town seemed to despise Mr. Gold, and no one seemed to approve of their relationship.

But maybe now, after that kiss, he would get the hint. She thought back to their kiss and she smiled to herself when she remembered how Mr. Gold had sighed quietly when her lips touched his. He must have enjoyed it, right? He must want her, right?

Belle placed the last of the dishes back in the cabinets and bit her lip, wondering what to do now to distract herself from her tantalizing thoughts about Mr. Gold. There was nothing around the house that needed her care. She had done the laundry yesterday, vacuumed and cleaned the bathrooms the day before that. The library was closed today so she couldn't even go and get another book to read, as she had finished her book in the middle of the night yesterday when she was lonely and couldn't sleep.

She sat down at the table, feeling defeated. She checked the time on the small cell phone that Mr. Gold had insisted Belle have. It was only nine thirty. Mr. Gold wouldn't be back home for another seven and a half hours. She had the whole house to herself. What should she do?

She got up from the table and decided to head upstairs. She was going to go to her room to reread her novel, she really was, but then she saw the door to Mr. Gold's room slightly ajar and she just couldn't help herself from walking in. She had been in his room before to collect his laundry, but she had never really lingered.

The room was marvelous. It was black and gold with long, elegant drapes adorning a pair of large doors that opened up into a balcony. Belle stepped outside for a moment and admired the scenery. It was almost fall, and the leaves on the trees were beginning to change color. A soft breeze hit Belle and she breathed in deeply. When she was ready, she stepped back inside. She further explored Mr. Gold's room, feeling the softness of his silk sheets and admiring the smooth wood of his furniture. He had a large closet full of suits and dress shirts and ties. And then there was another door that led to a large bathroom. Belle stepped inside and gasped. It was a beautiful room. Everything was a deep, glossy black. She admired the pristine marble counters. There was a large, gold-framed mirror hanging by the shower and Belle stood in front of it for a while, staring at her reflection, wondering how many times Mr. Gold has stood in front of it himself.

Belle then walked over to the large bathtub that was toward the back of the bathroom. It was definitely the best and most extravagant part of the room. It looked rather complicated, as it had several knobs and buttons. Belle looked at all of the different soaps sitting neatly by the bathtub and wondered what it would be like to take a bath in it. She bit her lip, her heart rate suddenly increasing at the possibly of her taking a bath in Mr. Gold's bathtub.

Without thinking, Belle started undoing the buttons on her shirt. There was no way Mr. Gold would know she was doing this... He won't be home for hours. She unhooked her bra and then slipped out of her skirt and underwear. Completely naked now, and feeling a little silly, she started playing with the knobs on the bathtub. Finally, water came out, but it was much too hot. A couple of minutes later and Belle had finally figured out how to control the temperature of the water so that it was comfortable. She took one of the soaps and poured some in the bathtub and then stepped in. She laughed out loud, delighted by the feeling of the warm water against her skin. The soap made these huge bubbles and Belle was playing with them like a little kid. She sighed to herself, completely at ease in the bath.

The only thing that could possibly make it better would be Mr. Gold in there with her. Belle snorted to herself. Like that would ever happen. He didn't seem to be interested in doing things like this with her, but Belle could pretend, right? She could imagine that he was here with her, that he was touching her...

Belle took her hands and ran them down her warm body, a soft moan escaping from her lips. She placed them between her legs, imagining that they were Mr. Gold's instead. She began rubbing herself, imagining that Mr. Gold was over her, against her, in her...

She was moaning loudly, but she didn't care. No one was here, no one could hear her, she was alone with her thoughts, her fantasies...

"Belle...? Is that you in here? Are you all rig-"

Mr. Gold's eyes widened when he caught sight of Belle in his bathroom, completely naked and taking a bath.

Belle's eyes shot opened and she picked her head up to look at him. Why is he here?! She took her fingers out of herself, her heart beating frantically in her chest. This is bad. How is she going to explain this?

"I'll, um, I'll leave you! To finish your... bath!" Mr. Gold was blushing furiously, his eyes wandering down to Belle's chest. He shut his eyes and turned around, quickly leaving the bathroom before he could see anything else. He shut the door behind him forcefully.

He was terribly confused. Why was Belle, his sweet, innocent Belle taking a bath in his bathroom? And why was she... touching herself and moaning his name?

Mr. Gold couldn't stop himself when he started pacing his room, wondering what on earth he was ever going to say to her.

This was going to be awkward. Very awkward. He had finally gotten her back and everything had been going perfectly fine in their relationship. He never expected something like this to happen! He was quite curious when she kissed him so suddenly this morning, but for her to… masturbate… to the thought of…. him! Not even in his wildest dreams….

He heard his bathroom door start to open and his heart leaped into his throat. He turned around slowly. There she was, his Belle, in his robe, her wet hair sticking to her face and her cheeks redder than he had ever seen them.

"I accidentally got my clothes all wet," Belle whispered, shutting the bathroom door behind her.

"Uh, that's okay, dearie," Mr. Gold said, clutching onto his cane for support at the sight of her. She looked so vulnerable, so sexy, so beautiful...

"This is so embarrassing!" she gasped, placing one of her hands on her forehead.

"It's fine! We can just... pretend nothing happened, just forget about the whole thing."

Belle shook her head. "No, we can't. You know that we have to talk about it."

"Okay..." Mr. Gold trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Okay, so, I was just wandering the house and I came into your room and went into your bathroom and when I saw that beautiful bathtub I couldn't resist taking a bath and I knew you weren't going to be home for hours..."

"Belle, it's fine! You can use my bathtub anytime you want. What's mine is yours."

Belle smiled, his kind words and his calm, reassuring tone comforting her nerves. "I guess I should explain what I was doing, too..."

"Belle, it's fine, really..."

"No, it's just..." Belle walked closer to Mr. Gold. "I can't stop thinking about you and you make me feel so crazy and I just lose control when I'm by myself in this big house and you're all I'm thinking about and there's nothing I can do about my feelings and I just have to let them out somehow."

"You really feel that way about me?" Mr. Gold could hardly believe what Belle was saying.

Belle laughed. "I've felt this way when we were together in Fairytale Land. My feelings for you have only grown stronger in this land."

Mr. Gold's heart stopped. "Belle," he whispered, dropping his cane so he could wrap his arms around her.

She looked up at him and traced the curve of his lips with her fingertip.

"I love you," she breathed, looking up into those beautiful eyes of his.

"Belle, I love you, too."

Mr. Gold leaned in and their lips finally came together. Belle moved her hands so she could wrap them around his neck and he pulled her in closer to him.

Belle's lips parted and she practically giggled in delight when she felt Mr. Gold's tongue snake into her mouth. This was the most intimate kiss they had ever shared and Belle relished every sweet second of it. Mr. Gold broke apart eventually though so he could look at Belle and catch his breath.

He tucked a piece of damp hair behind her ear. "I don't deserve you," he whispered quietly against her lips.

"Don't talk like that," Belle whispered back.

"But it's true. What can I possibly give you that you would want?"

"You've made me feel things I've only read about in books. You've always cared for me, protected me. I couldn't live without you."

Mr. Gold sighed, pressing his forehead against Belle's. "Everyone hates me. Everyone wants me dead. I never thought I would find someone who could love me."

Belle smiled. "Well, you're stuck with me, so get used to it."

Mr. Gold laughed and captured Belle's lips in his again.

"Do you have to go back to work?" Belle asked, breaking their kiss.

"No, that's why I came back early. I wanted to surprise you and spend the day with you. I couldn't stop thinking about you after that kiss you gave me this morning."

Belle smirked, clearly pleased with herself, and Mr. Gold felt his knees go weak.

"Then you're available to make love to me?"

"You want to make love?" Mr. Gold was in disbelief. Hearing her say it out loud, so bluntly, it threw him off guard.

"Rumpelstiltskin," Belle sighed. "Was what I doing in the bathroom not enough evidence for how much I want you? For how much you drive me crazy?"

Mr. Gold bit his lip. "I just still can't get over it, Belle. I haven't been loved in a very, very long time. It's hard for me to accept."

"I'll help you, then," Belle said, running her fingers down Mr. Gold's cheek. "I'll show you how much I love you." She broke out of his embrace and walked over to his bed. She laid down on it and motioned for Mr. Gold to come and join her.

He sighed at the sight of her like that, laid out on his bed so helplessly, so ready for him. His robe was much too big for her and so it was falling off of her shoulders and revealing her skin.

Mr. Gold slipped out of his jacket and climbed onto his bed. Belle began undoing his tie and the buttons on his shirt.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He had to ask. He couldn't believe someone as pure, as beautiful, as wholesome as Belle would want to have sex with him.

Belle threw his shirt and tie to the ground.

"I've wanted to do this for a long time," she said, looking into his eyes again. They stared at each other for a few moments, lost in the depths of each other's eyes. They both found nothing but love and sincerity as they looked at each other.

Mr. Gold took in a deep breath and finally looked away when he felt ready. He placed his hands on the ties of the robe and pulled at them gently. They came apart easily, and his breath hitched in his throat when Belle started shrugging the robe off of her shoulders. The material slid down slowly until it was pooled at her waist.

Mr. Gold groaned. "You're beautiful," he whispered, leaning in and kissing Belle's soft lips.

He felt her smile and he couldn't help but to smile too as they fell down on his bed. The robe was now completely detached from her body, and Mr. Gold ran his hands down Belle's hips. Her hands were busy at his waist, where she was unzipping his pants. He helped her pull them down so he was only in his underwear.

"I would have worn something nice if I had known...," he said, feeling embarrassed about his old underwear.

Belle laughed at him. "I just want your underwear off of you!"

He laughed too. "That can be done," he said, slipping the last piece of clothing that separated them off of his body.

Belle let out a breathy moan when she felt him against her hip.

"We need protection," he sighed.

Mr. Gold reached into the drawer of his night table, thanking himself for having kept a box of condoms. He quickly slipped one on, aware of Belle's eyes on him as he did so.

He looked up at her when he was done, and she bit her lip. "I'm sorry for staring again… I've never seen a… penis before."

Mr. Gold stifled a laugh. "It's okay. I haven't done this for a very long time. I don't know how enjoyable it's going to be for you, but I'll try my best."

Belle shook her head as she reached for Mr. Gold so he was over her again. "It could never be bad with you… but will it hurt?"

"It's different for everyone, Belle, but it will probably be uncomfortable at first. I can stop whenever you want me to stop. I can go as slow and as gentle as you need me to go. Whatever will make you comfortable..."

"I trust you," Belle whispered, leaning up so she could kiss him.

Mr. Gold kissed her back slowly, their tongues meeting together once again in a way that made both of them moan. Mr. Gold's hand traveled down her body, stopping at her breasts so he could feel them in his hands for the first time.

"Does that feel good?" Mr. Gold asked as he moved his lips to the base of Belle's throat.

"Yes… I'm ready for you, Rumple…"

Mr. Gold moved back up to her face so he could look at her. Her impossibly blue eyes were more alert and excited than he had ever seen them. He lined himself at her entrance properly, and then, never breaking eye contact, he entered her slowly. Belle gasped at the sensation and Mr. Gold felt so bad because all he felt was pleasure... pleasure so intense he felt dizzy.

"Belle... are you okay?" he asked her, needing her to be okay.

She nodded and so Mr. Gold went in further.

It was a feeling that Belle couldn't describe. She felt like she was being stretched and filled. It felt insane. Pain and pleasure all at once. Like a part of her that was missing was being brought back to her.

Mr. Gold began moving in and out of her when he felt that she was used to him inside of her, finding a slow, steady rhythm. Belle held onto him tightly, desperately.

"I can... I can stop if you need me to..."

"No, it's fine, it's feeling better..."

"I love you, Belle." Mr. Gold cupped his hands around her face and willed her to look at him. "You're the most incredible woman I have ever met. I've never met someone so beautiful, inside and out."

Belle moaned softly and so Mr. Gold kept talking, hoping it was helping her, hoping that her pain was easing away and being replaced with something much more enjoyable.

"You're gorgeous. Every inch of you is perfect and I think about you whenever we're apart... I never want to be apart."

He leaned down to kiss her lips, his hands sliding down her body, and Belle's moans started growing louder.

Mr. Gold began increasing his speed, pumping into Belle harder than before.

"Does that feel good?" he groaned, sucking at the skin where her pulse was beating rapidly.

"Yes..." she moaned, "Don't stop, Rumple, please don't ever stop..."

He continued his pace, kissing every inch of Belle he could find. She wrapped her legs around him tightly, her heels digging into his lower back and her hands tangled in his hair.

Mr. Gold moved back to her mouth where he captured her moans in sloppy open-mouthed kisses.

Belle started feeling a pressure so intense building inside of her that she had to bit down to keep herself from screaming. It was happening, finally, the release she so desperately wanted.

"Rumple..." She couldn't talk. She had no idea how she was even able to breathe.

Her body tightened around him and she finally let it all go as she came.

Mr. Gold followed right after, unable to hold it back any longer. He held Belle against him tightly as he released himself inside of her.

They were both panting when Mr. Gold collapsed on top of Belle.

"Are you okay, darling?" he asked her, lifting his head so he could look at her properly.

"I'm amazing," she sighed, meeting his eyes.

Mr. Gold smiled and flipped them, so now she was on top of him.

Belle giggled and laid her head down on his chest.

"I'm glad you left work today," Belle whispered, placing a kiss against his chest.

"Me, too," he agreed, wrapping his hands around her protectively, instinctively. "Are you tired? Do you want to nap?"

Belle shook her head, picking her head up so she could look at Mr. Gold better. "I have something better in mind."

"Something better than a post-sex, mid-morning nap?"

Belle smirked, leaning into his ear so she could whisper, "More sex."

Mr. Gold's lips turned up in a sly grin. "And I thought you were innocent."

"I'm bad just for you," Belle breathed, her breath hot against Mr. Gold's cheek.

He groaned as he rubbed his hands down the length of Belle's back.

"You know, I was pretty lonely in the bath before. Maybe we could try taking one together? We are rather sweaty."

"I think that's a lovely idea, Belle," Mr. Gold said, bringing Belle's face to his so he could kiss her.

When they finally came up for air, they willed themselves out of Mr. Gold's bed and walked to the bathroom, looking at each other's naked bodies properly for the first time. They were kissing again before they had reached the tub. With some rather skillful hands, Mr. Gold managed to turn the water on and throw some soap in the bath while Belle was caressing his body. It was a very, very long time before Mr. Gold and Belle left his bathtub. They were both more than happy to spend the whole day exploring each other, finding each other, loving each other.