Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a work of pure fiction. All characters and events depicted in this story are entirely fictitious. Any similarity to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Tags: *Belle/Rumpelstiltskin|Mr. Gold, *Jefferson/Emma, *Snow/Charming, *Ensemble Cast, *Angst, *Fluff, *Smut, *Happily Ever After, *Season 1 & part of Season 2 rewrite, *Rumbelle-centric, *AU – Canon Divergence
Summary: A dark sorcerer, mired in loneliness and a desperation for companionship as he readies to cross realms to find his son … a loving yet stubborn princess who refuses to give up on true love … and an eccentric and slightly mad friend who will stick with them until the end. Sounds like a fairytale. A Rumbelle-centric retelling of season one.
A/N: This is a re-posting of the first fic I wrote after discovering the wonderful world of fanfiction. Again, this has gone through some extensive editing, so hopefully, you won't find any mistakes. I hope y'all enjoy it … Happy Reading!
Why Did You Come Back?
By:
CharlotteAshmore
I
Belle could feel herself falling. Stubborn man and his blasted nails! Who nails their drapes to the wall? She'd just wanted to bring some sunlight into the gloominess of his life and she was going to have to pay the price for that. For once he wouldn't be able to throw his favorite saying up into her face, because no magic had been involved this time. Only her innate clumsiness. It felt as though she were falling in slow motion as the floor rushed up to break her fall. If it didn't kill her, she was sure to have a broken bone or two. And then … not the floor, that was certain.
She could feel a blush creep up her neck to stain her cheeks as she landed softly in Rumpelstiltskin's capable arms. She smiled tentatively up at him, nervous and uncertain. It felt as though a thousand butterflies had taken flight in her belly, but she couldn't be certain if it was from the fall or from her proximity to Rumpelstiltskin. And why was he looking at her as though he'd never seen her before? It had been months since he'd brought her to the Dark Castle to be his caretaker, yet he gazed down at her as if seeing her for the first time, those deep amber eyes unsettling.
Very odd, Belle thought as she murmured a quick, "Thank you."
Rumpelstiltskin dropped her legs back to the stone floor and helped to steady her, his brows knit together in confusion. Recalling himself quickly, he said, "No matter."
"I'll … uh … put the curtains back up," Belle mumbled, thinking quickly, trying to mask the raging river of strange emotions flowing through her.
He'd moved away from her slightly, needing to distance himself from her. At her softly uttered words, he turned back to her. "Uh … there's no need. I'll get used to it."
Escape! Must escape before I'm driven insane with her incessant chatter. He was going to set fire to that ladder as well. She didn't need to be climbing. God's teeth! Next, she would, no doubt, be swinging from the chandelier in the foyer. There seemed to be no end of the mischief she could cause … even if it was quite innocent.
Rumpel froze in his tracks and swung back around to face her, feeling more certain of himself now that she was well on the other side of the room. "And stay off the ladder, dearie. I'd hate to see you splattered all over the rug. Blood is so hard to get out." He raised a brow and grinned crookedly, leaving her staring blankly at him.
Library! Escape! His sanctuary had offered him little solace of late. He used to be able to spend hours there, brewing and mixing his potions, or simply staring out the windows lost in thought. At least, until - in a moment of weakness - he'd given it to Belle. And since when did he just let people get away with wronging him? Belle had actually talked him into letting that wastrel get away with his best wand. She was making him soft.
And speaking of soft … bloody hellfire, he could still feel her in his arms, soft and supple and smelling of roses. His skin tingled where he'd had her pressed innocently to his chest. A shudder rippled through his thin frame. It had been so long since he'd held a woman, he'd forgotten what it felt like. The sorcerer groaned and ran a hand over his face to banish the thought of how close her lips had been to his own. He threw his hands into the air and flopped down onto the small settee he'd provided for Belle in one corner of the library. Lovely! Now I'm lusting after my housekeeper! He shifted uncomfortably and grimaced.
Rumpelstiltskin was just about to scream down the stairs for his tea when he thought better of it. No, it would be best if Belle stayed far away from him for the time being. He waved his hand at the low table set before the sofa and willed the tea service to appear. He leaned forward and groaned. Today, on top of everything else he had to contend with, his favorite leather pants were not his friend. What else could possibly happen to bedevil him?
The Dark One sat back against the soft back of the sofa and sipped his tea, sighing as the quiet seeped into his body. Bam! Footsteps. Bam! He sat up and listened, his heightened hearing picking up a familiar tread. Well, just, shit!
"And how are you today, my darling girl?" Jefferson asked, dropping a kiss to Belle's cheek. The mage couldn't claim to have many friends, and if you asked him directly, he wouldn't claim Jefferson … unless he needed a favor. However, it didn't stop the hatter from showing up regularly to trade barbs, magic and gold with Rumpelstiltskin. He and Belle had become fast friends during his recent visits, her sweet nature allowing her to be open and friendly with him. Rumpelstiltskin didn't care for their friendship, but what could he really do about it? Jefferson cringed inwardly as he thought about the many things Rumpel could do, on second thought.
Belle smiled warmly at her friend. "I am well, Jefferson." She motioned to the tea service on the table which served as the centerpiece in the Great Hall. "Would you care for a cup of tea? Rumpelstiltskin usually has tea at this time, but he hasn't come down yet from the library."
Jefferson laid his cloak over the back of Rumpelstiltskin's favorite chair and smiled, knowing it would annoy him. "That would be lovely, Belle. So, why is Lord Sourpuss hiding in the library? And what happened in here?" he asked, waving a hand in the direction of the fallen drapes.
Belle handed the hatter a cup of tea and looked in the direction he pointed, a pretty blush staining her cheeks as she remembered landing in her master's arms. "Please don't let him hear you call him that. You know he hates it," she scolded gently. "And as to the drapes, I was trying to brighten up the room by letting some light in."
"Then why stop with one window?"
Belle's blush deepened. "Rumpelstiltskin forbade me to get back on the ladder," she mumbled sheepishly.
Jefferson's grey eyes narrowed on her with suspicion. "What aren't you telling me, Belle?"
"Jeff, could you possibly help me get the remainder of the drapes down? Rumpelstiltskin may have forbidden me to get back on the ladder, but he didn't say anything about you helping me," she coaxed, smiling hopefully up at him, and at the same time avoiding his question.
Before the man could answer, the drapes disappeared from the windows, bathing the Great Hall in sunlight. Belle jumped back as they landed in a heap atop her shoes. Rumpelstiltskin's voice boomed down the stairwell. "Stop standing around in idle chit chat and get back to work, dearie!"
Belle covered her ears with both hands and groaned. Jefferson frowned towards the archway which hid the stairs, his eyes watering from the noise. He turned to Belle. "Do you have to listen to him shout all over the castle like that very often?"
She leaned over and gathered an armful of drapes before glancing up, giving her ears time to stop ringing. "No, just when he's really upset about something. He's harmless." She raised a brow at Jefferson when his jaw gaped at her remark. "Why don't you go on up to the library." Belle turned to make her way through the hall to the corridor which led to the kitchens and then outside to her wash bin, but turned to whisper, "And you better hope he didn't hear you call him Lord Sourpuss."
Rumpelstiltskin stood between two bookshelves on the east side of the library staring out the window at Belle. She was on her fourth trip into the small courtyard where she did the laundry, her arms full of drapes. It was going to take her well into the evening to get everything laundered and it wasn't even lunch yet. He waited until she'd gone back through the kitchen before he twitched his hand. Far below, the drapes scrubbed themselves in the wash bin and hung themselves on the line to dry. That should cut her workload down, he thought smugly.
"Was that little gesture to apologize for deafening the darling girl?" Jefferson asked from over Rumpelstiltskin's shoulder as he watched the show below.
"What do you want, hatter?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, refusing to look at the milliner as he crossed to the settee and sat down. Jefferson's lips parted to answer, but no sound passed them as the sofa opened up and swallowed him whole.
Rumpelstiltskin giggled as he watched the hatter struggle beneath the cushions. After several minutes of him fighting to get out, the sofa opened up and spat Jefferson onto the floor, filthy and bedraggled. Jefferson crawled hastily away from the offending furniture and pulled himself to his feet.
"You … that …" he stammered, pointing an accusing finger at the mage. "You did that on purpose! Go on, deny it." Jefferson moved next to the window by Rumpelstiltskin's workbench, the farthest spot in the room away from the bedeviled furniture.
"Well, who else would've done it, dearie? The white rabbit?" Rumpelstiltskin seated himself behind his workbench, his back to Jefferson. Now I have to attend the village idiot. He'd enchanted the sofa, knowing Jefferson was going to intrude upon his solitude and have himself a cup of tea. He hadn't even done it because he'd heard the Lord Sourpuss remark. No, he'd done it because the hatter had made himself at home and immediately started flirting with his maid. He rolled a clear glass potion bottle in his hands and sneered over his shoulder at Jefferson. "I'll ask once more. What do you want?" he asked, his voice rising in irritation.
"I brought the mushrooms you asked for," Jefferson said, tossing a small leather pouch onto the worktable.
"And?"
"And what?" Jefferson asked innocently.
Rumpelstiltskin's eyes darkened as his mood spiraled downward. "I don't have time for your games today, Jefferson. What —"
"Grace is visiting her aunt for a few days and I thought if it —"
"No."
"… would be okay with you —"
"No."
"… I could perhaps stay here at the castle," Jefferson finished, ignoring the ominous glint in the Dark One's eyes with every emphatic no.
"What would make you think I would want you loafing about the castle for days on end, eating me out of house and home and trying to bed my housekeeper?" Lay a hand on her, hatter, and I'll string you across the front gate by your entrails.
Rumpelstiltskin drew a mortar and pestle off the shelf behind him and tossed the dried mushrooms inside, grinding them into powder with so much force, Jefferson knew there would be new grooves in the bottom. "For one, I don't eat that much and two, I don't see Belle in such a way. She's a lovely, sweet girl, but she's my friend. I wouldn't ruin my friendship with her just to bed her, Rum. And," Jefferson's voice trailed off as a new realization struck him, "wait a minute … you're not jealous?" he asked, his mouth gaping and his hand slapping his chest over his heart.
Rumpelstiltskin denied it, of course. "Don't be absurd," he said as he continued to grind the mushrooms.
Jefferson pointed at him with glee, laughter bubbling from his throat. "You are!"
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Rumpelstiltskin said in an offhand manner, trying his best to be blasé. The last thing he needed was for Jefferson to learn he was attracted to Belle. Did I just admit to myself that I am attracted to Belle? Ack! He turned back to his work and stifled a groan, mentally shaking the image of her in his arms from his head.
Jefferson was nearly hopping from foot to foot with giddiness. "So, what happened?"
Rumpelstiltskin's eyes lifted from the mortar and pestle in his hands and pierced Jefferson with a murderous stare. "Out."
"Rumpel —"
"Out, before I lose my patience and turn you into a snail. I happen to need a nice, slimy, squishy snail for the potion I'm working on," he warned menacingly, turning back to his work.
"Fine. I'll see you at lunch. Hopefully, your mood will have improved so as not to alarm our lovely Belle." Jefferson ducked the fireball and let it hit the stone wall. "Maybe Belle will tell me what happened. I do so love to spend time chatting with the darling girl."
Rumpelstiltskin's lips flattened into a thin line, his eyes narrowing dangerously before he could stop them. He did not need Jefferson filling Belle's head with fanciful notions of romance. "Stay away from Belle, Jefferson, and you can stay the week," he spat out testily.
Jefferson leaned against the arch next to the stairwell, his brows pulling together in a frown. "Rumpel, I didn't mean anything. Can't you tell by now when I'm joking?" Rumpelstiltskin didn't answer, his lips firmly pressed together. "Would it really be such a bad idea?"
"What?" he asked, his head snapping up to stare at Jefferson.
"To love Belle?"
For once, Rumpelstiltskin's trademark giggle was curiously absent. "Certainly, Jefferson. I'll fall in love with her and a lovely multi-hued rainbow will permanently shine over the Dark Castle. And let's not forget the fairies and unicorns which will prance and dance to a melodious tune in the courtyard," Rumpelstiltskin snorted derisively.
Considering how much Rumpelstiltskin loathed fairies, Jefferson knew that wasn't going to happen. Well, maybe if Rumpel could use the fairies for target practice. Jefferson shook his head and looked sadly at his friend, finally realizing the crux of the matter. "You don't think she can love you."
Rumpelstiltskin slammed the mortar and pestle onto the worktable and disappeared in a puff of thick purple smoke, putting an end to the conversation. Jefferson didn't miss the pain and confusion in his friend's eyes. He left the library, no longer interested in the room and went to seek out Belle. One thing for sure … it was going to be an interesting week at the Dark Castle.