Hope you enjoy, folks. Just a quick little RumBelle one-shot :)

She was staring at him again. He could feel her inquisitive gaze from the opposite end of the table; he kept his eyes on his meal. She had prepared lamb tonight. They ate in silence usually, though on occasion, she would plague him with questions.

Any second now…

Belle cleared her throat. His eyebrow raised, but his eyes did not deviate from his meal.

"Something occurred to me," she began.

"Oh?" He pushed the semi-eaten lamb shank around the plate with his fork.

"It's interesting that Rumplestiltskin, feared by all the land, the magical 'beast' endowed with inconceivable power, is unable to combat a few dust bunnies on his own. Aren't you able to just…I don't know, will your house clean?"

He paused, finally elevating his gaze to meet hers. His scathing stare didn't seem to intimidate her in the least. She grinned right back, as if she knew all of his secrets. The prospect of that terrified him.

He didn't respond. Instead, he went back to his dinner, stabbing at a spear of asparagus. And then, Belle radically shifted topics.

"I want you to take me riding," she stated simply. "I noticed you have a stable out back, but no horses."

"You like horses, do you dearie?" He laid his fork down neatly beside his plate. The asparagus was momentarily forgotten.

"I'll make you a deal," she ventured playfully. Immediately, Rumplestiltskin perked up. Those were words that were difficult for him to ignore.

"You conjure up some horses and take me riding, and I'll…." she trailed off in thought.

He steepled his fingers under his nose and narrowed his eyes.

"Well," she continued, perplexed. "I already do everything around here for you. What do you want in return?"

He pursed his lips, his mouth still hidden behind his hands. It was true; there was nothing else he could request of her that she wasn't already doing. There wasn't anything else he wanted from her. Except…

"I'll tell you what," he murmured pensively. "You can owe me a favor."

—

He strode briskly across the back lawn with Belle trotting along behind, trying to catch up.

"Where are you going?" she panted. "You walked right past the stables." She stopped in her tracks when she realized where he was headed. An impish smirk tugged at Rumplestiltskin's lips, his teeth baring in delight, and he trudged on while she called after him: "The Dark Forest?"

He halted at the edge of the wood, spread his arms wide, and inhaled dramatically. "Ah, nature. It's a shame you didn't stipulate the terms of our agreement, dear. You want to go for a ride—I'll take you for a ride."

In truth, there was really nothing to fear in the Dark Forest. Dark Castle, Dark Forest…it was all just a ploy for intimidation. Ordinary people were so gullible.

Belle lingered several paces behind, her face tense with alarm. But then, something caught her eye. Something was moving through the trees—something large. And there was more than one.

She tilted her head, unable to believe what her eyes were showing her. There, gliding towards them from the depths of the forest, was a pair of black unicorns. Rumplestiltskin raised his hand slowly, and the nearest beast came to him, lifting its nose to his palm. He slid his hand the length of the creature's velvety neck before he spun to summon Belle.

"Well don't be afraid," he scoffed, as if this was the most normal, mundane activity in the world.

She approached slowly, her jaw still dangling, eyes wide with fascination and disbelief.

"How did you—?" she breathed. Moving close, her trembling fingertips reached out to touch the unicorn. The animal bowed its neck and snorted, pawing at the ground.

"I think he's ready to go," Rumplestiltskin tittered wryly, and without warning, he hefted Belle onto the beast's back. She clung to its mane, her face blooming with exhilarated panic.

Quickly and easily, he swung himself up onto the other unicorn's back. He guided the creature without needing bridle or bit, and their gait was delicate enough to not require stirrups for balance.

For awhile the two rode side-by-side through the trees; they reached an open area, and without warning, he slapped the rump of Belle's unicorn. The animal bolted. She clung for dear life and shrieked with joy as they tore gracefully across the secluded meadow.

Rumplestiltskin simply sat with quiet ease and watched her go, his fingers idly scratching his beast's elegant neck. A serene sort of smile crept into his face, and his head leaned pensively as he observed the woman frolicking through tall grass with her mythical creature. Her expression of sheer delight made his chest ache. The late afternoon sun turned her hair bronze and her pale skin golden, and as he began to notice all these little details, his smile slowly began to sink.

—

By the time they arrived home, the sun was nearly gone.

He helped Belle slide down from the unicorn's back, and waited while she pecked the animal on the forehead. Unexpectedly, she turned and flung her arms around Rumplestiltskin's neck. He staggered a bit and regained his balance, nearly bowled over by the force with which she launched herself at him.

After a moment of uncertainty, he laid his palms on her back. She was hot and damp from exertion, and her heat radiated into his chest.

"I'm glad you enjoyed your ride, dearie," he murmured, gingerly pulling himself out of her arms. He turned away and sauntered back towards the house, dismissing any likelihood that anything even remotely erotic had just occurred.

"'All magic comes with a price'," she quoted, calling after him. "I hear you say it all the time. What price did you pay to summon those unicorns today?"

"It was really nothing," he waved his hand dismissively at her.

"What do I owe you?" she insisted. He shook his head with complete disinterest.

She ran past him, and defiantly blocked his path. "Tell me what you want." She was fishing for it—he knew. He knew exactly was she was expecting him to say. But it wasn't going to happen.

He stepped past her and continued towards the house.

"I'm not going to kiss you again," she finally blurted. He stopped in his tracks and pivoted to face her. "I'm not going to kiss you," she continued unsteadily, "because…I don't want you to change. I like you just the way you are."

He blinked, and a mixture of something like derision and wonder welled up inside him. He knew she wasn't being completely honest. He knew that somewhere deep inside, she craved for him to be human. She approached, not hesitating to once again invade his space. He gripped her by the shoulders, gently pushing her out to arms' length.

"Belle…." He clutched her tightly, keeping her at bay. "Don't you understand? The world needs to be kept safe from her." He was, of course, referring to the Queen. If he were to give up his powers, become an ordinary man once more, she would dominate everything. There would be no chance at a happy life with Belle; the Queen would ensure that would never happen. Their entire world would be in ruin.

"I know." A mischievous sort of grin tugged at her small, soft mouth, and right then Rumplestiltskin knew—he knew that this girl had been planning something sinister. His grip on her shoulders faltered. Drawing close, Belle pressed her knee into the inside of his thigh. His body went rigid, and he stared down at her without batting an eye. He was a statue, frozen and unresponsive.

This. Was cruel.

Before he could react, her lips were pressed gently on the underside of his jaw. In his mind, he screamed for her to stop; he feared would be unable to control himself. But she did not stop. And he did not move. He remained stone-still, unable to run or push her away or even yell at her.

He stretched his hands out and away from Belle, refusing to touch her with any purpose or willingness. She smiled, and her mouth ever-so-lightly began to trail down the curve of his throat.

Rumplestiltskin stomped his foot on the ground.

"Stop," he pleaded, his voice low and hoarse. This was more malicious and wicked than he could have ever been to anyone. He could not reciprocate; it would have been dangerously irresponsible of him to do so.

Her hand moved then, reaching inside his collar and wrapping around the back of his neck. Her lips, soft and warm, had reached his exposed clavicle.

He felt like weeping. Girding himself, he let slip a sound that one might hear out of a man being publicly lashed.

Belle paused, her heat still lingering on his skin. Her gaze trailed up his face until she met his horrified stare.

For a moment they remained there, eye-to-eye, the woman exuding dominance and power, and the so-called Beast, utterly weak and helpless.

"The way I see it," she murmured, trailing a fingernail along his chin, "we're even now. I really don't like owing favors." With that, she released him. As though nothing had happened, she pranced and skipped back to the house, and disappeared inside.

Rumplestiltskin stood alone and flabbergasted, the cold dark night descending upon him. Only then did his breath finally return; it escaped him in a large cloud of vapor, and he was finally able to move again.

She was going to make his life miserable.