~ Soldiers of Love ~
By CJ Moliere and Snapegirlkmf
A/N: In Unexpected Surprise Rumple and Belle's daughter Adriana Gold has a group of teddy bears that become animated based on her emotions and her wishes. They are called the "Stuffed Army" The idea for this little one shot came to CJ while she was at work one night and so without further ado, here is the backstory of how the Stuffed Army came to be and some of the things their little mistress has had them do in the name of love…and sometimes in mischief! We would also like to dedicate this story to the friends and family we have who have served in the armed forces and to ALL who have served. Some of these events take place during Unexpected, others sometime after.
Meet The Majors
Rumplestiltskin Gold, whether people in the small town of Storybooke wanted to believe it or not, was a charitable man. He always made certain he donated large sums of money to noble causes, sometimes doing it anonymously, unaware of how much of a difference those dollars made in the lives of those he supported. Some of those causes he supported because he dealt with them in his everyday life. He always made certain to donate funds for programs for children with dyslexia because his son Bae was dyslexic. He donated funds to support victims of domestic violence and abuse because his sister-in-law Marie had been abused for years by Gaston Devereaux, Belle's former betrothed and the father of Marie's eldest child Gisella. One other cause he supported was not central to Storybrooke but the nation itself. He proudly supported the men and woman of the armed forces. He himself was a war veteran…an Ogre War veteran but a veteran nonetheless and he understood how difficult having a family member off fighting in a war could be…and how difficult being on the front lines away from the family can be. He also knew the joys and troubles a soldier coming home from the front lines faced and if the checks he wrote every month made life easier for just one military family, it was worth it and he only made certain he donated to organizations that used the money for what it was intended for.
One such group was raising funds for soldiers and their families with disabilities and they were selling stuffed bears dressed in army fatigues. His wife was expecting at the time and although they didn't know whether she was having a boy or a girl, Rumple thought the bears would make the perfect toy for his child. He purchased a dozen of them and his baby girl Adriana fell in love with them as soon as she saw them. What he didn't realize was that his baby's emotions would be mimicked by them and that they could be commanded to do her will like an army.
When she was happy, they were happy, when she was sad, they were sad. Adriana Gold was also a strong empath who could bond with animals and people and knew immediately when someone in their circle of friends and family needed comfort or joy and would send one of her bears to them with a thought before she learned to talk and once she learned to talk, she would tell them what they needed to do and they obeyed. They could also follow the commands of those she sent them to if that was what she wished.
All of them had the first name Major but their second name distinguished one from the other. She also made sure all the children in their family had their own "Major" in the house that could come alive if needed. Her cousins, Gisella and Jonny Hopper had two Majors in their house. Gisella's was Major Tom and Jonny's was Major Duke…the nickname of the actor he was named for. Her friends the Locksley-Hoods had three Majors. Roland's was named Robbie which was what his father's friends called Robin Hood, Jason's was called Kermit after he accidently spilled some green paint on him and Ellie's was May…her middle name.
One Major lived at each of the Hatter and Nolan houses. Maggie Hatter named her Major Dora after Dora the Explorer and Neal Nolan named his Gru after Gru in Despicable Me.
Major Maids
The first time Adriana's army went into action was during the celebration of her christening. She wanted to play with her big brother Bae but he did something to make Papa mad and now he had to clean and it would take forever if he had to do it alone.
You help Bae clean. I wanna play with him, she sent to them. The bears came alive immediately and marched over to him and started helping him clean up…until Papa caught them!
"Papa, it wasn't me," Bae groaned. "She did it herself."
The baby smirked at her father.
Belle giggled beside him.
Rumple rolled his eyes. Then he said, softly but firmly, "Now dinna give me that look, Adriana, dearie. No helping your brother, 'tis his job because he's in trouble with me." He waved a hand and all the stuffed animals were returned to the table.
Adriana wailed loudly.
All the animals began crying and wore unhappy faces.
Rumple winced. Then he picked up his screaming infant and hugged her to him, walking a little ways away with her to the bench swing and sitting down on it. He pushed it with his foot and said, "Hey now, little imp, quit having a fit. None o' that now, treasure. When I hand out a punishment, 'tis done, an' ye must mind what I say . . .yer brother knows that .. .and so will you too."
He knew the baby didn't understand what he said, but would understand the tone, and hopefully the rocking motion would soothe her. "I know ye think if ye make me deaf I'm gonna change my mind, but I'm no gonna do it . . .but if ye want to scream about it . . .go ahead . . ."
She loved being in the swing but she was still upset she couldn't help Bae. She stopped crying but gave him a Look.
'She's a stubborn one...just like someone else I know..." Belle said softly.
Rumple shook his head. "None o' that, little lass!"
Not wanting her papa to be mad, she smiled and reached for his nose.
He allowed her to grab it, saying, "No! Not again! You stole my nose!" in a high squeaky voice.
She laughed and tried to hide her hand behind her back.
"Where is it?" He pretended to search for it, muttering, "I canna breathe wid out it!"
She brought her hand around and patted his nose, cooing, then holding her hands out to grab his face so he could give her kisses.
Major Victories
When the family returned to their old world they'd been riding in a carriage all day and some of them wanted to stop for the night but everyone thought with Adriana being a baby, it would not be a good idea to camp outside. She thought otherwise.
Major Rumple, you tell Papa I wanna stay here. The leader bears were named after her brother, father and uncle. The bear grabbed a blanket and pillow then motioned for Majors Bae and Archie to do the same. They hopped out of the carriage and marched over to her father to deliver her message, setting their bundles at his feet and stood at attention to await his reply. When he agreed to stay, the bears carried their bundles back to the carriage.
Most of the time when she wanted to make her displeasure with someone or something known, she would send Major Rumple to them. They were gathered around the campfire making S'mores when Uncle Jeff said something that made Papa, Mama and all the other adults unhappy.
You tell Unca Jeff quit making Papa mad! she commanded Major Rumple. Major Rumple walked over to him, shaking his head in disapproval and pointing. Unca Jeff got the message…quickly.
She couldn't see what was going on the next morning but she could hear Papa, Mama, Unca Archie and Auntie Marie yelling at some lady and the boys with her because they were calling them names and trying to hurt them. She was going to send Major Rumple, Major Archie and Major Bae out with Mama and Auntie Marie's brooms to chase them away but they already had their brooms and Papa turned the lady into a pink mouse and sent her home in her cage.
Bye bye mean mousie an you tell her I said so, she ordered her three favorites. They marched out with the rest of the troops and waved goodbye to the carriage, blowing raspberries. Ha ha, showed you, you mean mousie!
She was even more upset at Grandpa's castle when the man who lived in the kitchen threw pots and pans at Papa and Unca Archie and told them to get out. Well, she would show him Papa and Unca Archie were going to stay in the kitchen and so would she…or else.
Major Rumple, you tell everybody to make a big mess 'less that mean man lets me, Papa and Unca Archie in the kitchen.
"No! No! No children in the kitchen!" protested Arnaud. The baby wailed and the kitchen door swung open and in marched the stuffed bear army. They jumped onto the counters and started taking items out of the cupboards and threw them.
"Adriana! Dearie, enough of that!" Rumple said sternly.
He snapped his fingers and the bears were frozen.
"That child is wicked!"
"You'd better watch what you say about my baby, Arnaud, or I'll take the broom to you!" Belle said angrily. "She's not wicked."
"The hell she's not!"
Suddenly a broom flew out of the closet and swatted the chef across the backside hard.
Bae howled with laughter. "Not even a year old and she can already give a beatdown!"
"No more, Adriana," Rumple ordered his daughter. She blew a raspberry and gave him a Look.
"You may as well let her in here, mister or she's gonna make you miserable," Bae cautioned.
"Fine! She stays but THOSE go!" he pointed at the frozen bears.
Rumple sent the bears back to the nursery and summoned Adriana's bassinet to the kitchen.
Sorry Papa froze you but we get to stay in the kitchen. Yay! Good job!
Another victory for the stuffed army.
Major Helpers
While they were at Grandpa's castle Papa spent a lot of his time making a dress for her Auntie Gina. She picked up on several details, including what items he needed to make the dress and filed it away in her mind for future reference in case she could help him or ask her little army to. Her mama brought her outside after Papa showed Auntie Gina her new dress and she began to dance in it but she needed someone to dance with.
Major Gabby, you dance with Auntie Gina….like we see them dance on that big black thing Papa has at home.
One of Adriana's stuffed bears came out of the castle holding a rose and bowed to the former queen like a suitor asking for a dance.
Regina curtsied to it and took the rose. "Why thank you, Sir Bear!"
Then the baby gestured and the bear grew until it was the same size as Regina and reached for her hand.
Regina didn't bat an eye. "Shall we, sir?" she took the bear and began to waltz gracefully with it across the grass.
Rumple waved a hand and some music began to play.
Adriana giggled excitedly and clapped her hands.
"Oh, you're Papa's baby girl, aren't you, Rumplette?" Bae crooned.
The men came around the corner, their eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets at the sight that met their eyes.
Henry came out and almost dropped his third sandwich on the ground. "Whoa! Mom! You look like a woodland goddess!" He stared at the bear and then looked at Adriana. "Did the baby do that? How come I can't?"
"I don't know...but I don't mind at all..." she murmured.
Emma snorted. "Where's MY bear?"
"She feels, she doesn't think," Rumple explained. "And the magic responds to her."
Uh oh! Major Bae, you dance with Auntie Emma like you saw Unca Jeff do on that big black thing.
Another bear came out of the castle, this one in hunting clothes. It winked at Emma as it grew to her size and reached for her hand.
"You wanna boogie, Fuzzy?"
They started disco dancing like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever like she and Jeff did at Archie and Marie's wedding.
Henry clapped his hands.
"Man . . . I can't wait till she discovers Barbie," Bae laughed.
"What the hell...you bears...paws off the women!" Jeff said jealously.
You be quiet Unca Jeff. I said they can dance an they're gonna dance or I'm gonna make Major Rumple hit ya with Mommy's broom!
"Umm . . Jeff . . .you don't wanna get her mad," warned Bae. His tiny sister also had quite the temper when she was upset.
Adriana frowned at him. The bears glared at him and blew raspberries then continued to dance with Emma and Regina.
Now her Aunt Emma wanted a dress like Aunt Gina. Her Papa could make it but he didn't have what he needed.
Major Rumple, you bring out Papa's dress stuff.
Major Rumple came out of the castle holding a pile of fabrics and a cushion of sewing needles and deposited them at Rumple's feet.
Then it stood at attention, awaiting instructions.
"Those things crack me up," laughed Henry.
Rumple reached into his pocket for a knotted measuring string and said, "Thank you, Adriana, but I need my chalk."
The bear took it out of the pocket of its fatigues and handed it to him.
Rumple took it and tucked it into his own pocket of his leather pants and said to Emma, "Okay, stand up tall dearie, I just need a few measurements."
"Okay…"
He began to measure Emma with the string, marking off the knots with the chalk. The string was purple, so the white chalk would show on it.
Adriana gestured to one of the other bears and it went back into the castle.
As he did so, he memorized what he had measured, since he didn't have his notepad with him or his refillable quill.
The bear returned holding a notepad and quill and handed them to her father.
"Thanks," he muttered and wrote down Emma's measurements in his elegant hand.
"How does she know what you need?" Henry wondered.
"She was with me a lot when I worked on Regina's dress," Rumple answered.
"That and she loves being in the kitchen as much," Belle added.
"And I talked to her while I worked," he admitted, not wanting to think he was ignoring the baby while she was with him.
Adriana then sensed her Unca Archie and Auntie Marie weren't feeling good, their tummies hurt and she would've sent Major Archie to them but he was taking a nap.
Major Gabby...you go get Unca Archie and Auntie Marie some of Papa's tea n' crackers so their tummies don't hurt.
The bear went into the kitchen where the tea had already been prepared by his mistress with her magic and put the teapot, two cups and a plate of crackers on a tray and went upstairs, knocking three times.
Archie opened the door thinking his eyes were pulling tricks on him or he was hallucinating in his sleep. One of Adriana's stuffed bears, now his size, stood at the door holding a tray with tea and crackers.
"Archie…who is it?" Marie asked sleepily.
"Ummm…darling….either I'm seeing things or there's a giant stuffed bear here with tea and crackers."
"What?" She crawled out of bed. "Oh my God! Now I'm seeing things!"
The bear handed him the tray, saluted and left. The couple was still shocked but the tea and crackers would help with their nausea. Marie was pregnant and Archie was having sympathetic symptoms because of the deep bond they shared. Rumplestiltskin also experienced them while Belle was carrying Adriana. After they finished the tea and ate the crackers Archie opened the bedroom window to call down to Rumple.
"Rumple...ummm...when did Adriana's bears become giants? Scared the daylights out of us!"
"Just now. They were dancing with Regina and Emma," Rumple answered.
"So she supersized them," Henry giggled.
"What did it do, Archie?" Belle asked.
"Just brought us some tea and crackers."
The baby smiled. Now your tummy don't hurt Unca Archie.
"Something tells me she's an empath, Rumple." Regina said.
"That is very possible, dearie." Rumple agreed. "She picks up on emotions very easily . . . but I can't test for that till she's older."
"I doubt you need to...she must've sensed her aunt and uncle were feeling under the weather and sent her bear to them."
"Gods, Papa! Empaths are strong healers . . . and they bond with animals too," Bae muttered, recalling some things he'd read in the library about different kinds of magical Talents.
"Mmm," Rumple nodded, busy jotting ideas down on his tablet.
Now Marie came to the window. "Thank you sweetie..." she called down to her niece.
Adriana waved and burbled at her. Your tummy don't hurt anymore so you can sleep now Auntie Marie.
She woke up Major Archie. You, Major Moe, Major Fire an Major Wraith go play with Sella, Jason, n Roland. You not sleep all day like Unca Archie hasta."
The three bears found the children in the family room. "Hey guys…lookit….Driana's bears wanna play!" Jason cried. They'd just gotten done doing some finger paintings. Major Fire looked at the papers and frowned. There was no room for him to paint on. Then he saw a nice white spot where he could draw, smiled and dipped his paws into the paint. He started making strange patterns on the wall.
That's not paper…it's walls! We're gonna get in trouble! Major Archie sent to him.
Major Archie, Major Moe, and Major Wraith ran into the kitchen to get rags and a bucket of water. Major Fire was bored now and wanted to do something else. He faced the wall and covered his eyes, letting the children know he wanted to play hide and seek. When he was sure they were all hiding he turned around and started looking for them by their scents. He caught Roland first.
"Awww! How you find me so quick?"
Major Fire pointed to his nose.
"Okay," Roland groaned. "I'll help ya find the others." He picked up the other children's scents and chased them outside.
"Aunt Belle, lookit...Adriana made her bear play hide n seek with us!" Gisella announced. They were hesitant to tell anyone that they were also finger painting and the bear thought the wall was its paper.
The rest of the army was inside, trying frantically to clean it up.
"How clever, sweetling!" Belle laughed, hugging her daughter.
Rumple smiled as he pinned up the fabric on Emma and made some more measurements with his chalk on it.
She has a kind heart like her mama.
Cogsworth came outside. "Master! That...that toy made a mess!"
"What?" Rumple looked up from tucking away his measuring string. "What mess, Cogsworth?"
"Paint...all over the walls!"
"Uh oh..." Jason muttered.
"Paint?" Rumple repeated. He frowned at the older children. "What were you all doing, children?"
"Umm...we was finger painting an we used the papers like we was 'sposed to but the bear kinda got confused an' it started painting the walls…" Gisella said.
"We didn't meanta, Mr. Rumple!" Jason cried, afraid he was now in trouble. He covered his bottom afraid he was going to get spanked. It was what his bad mommy would have done.
Sensing his distress, Adriana began crying loudly. Papa, don't give him a spanking, pwease!
Rumple sighed and winced, saying over his daughter's wails, "Hush, dearie! Walls can be cleaned, but next time you draw on paper." He shook his head. "Bae drew on the floor and the table in the cottage when he was your age."
"And you made me scrub it off, Papa," his son murmured.
"And you learned not to do it again, didn't you, son?"
"Yeah." Bae agreed. But a week later he'd drawn on the window with Rumple's jewel toned paints, trying to make a pretty window like the one in the gods' church.
"They're tryin to clean it up," Roland piped up.
"And you're going to help them, Roland," Robin ordered firmly.
"Aww!" Jason and Gisella whined.
Regina frowned. "Don't give me that. You all know better. Now you march back in there and help Adriana's bears clean up. Or else no dessert tonight."
The kids raced back inside not wanting to miss out on ice cream and Golden Delights. The three other bears got most of the mess off the wall but not all of it. Rumple had to repair the rest of the damage with magic.
Major Tantrum
I getting tired of everyone 'noring me!
It was her Auntie Regina's wedding day but little Adriana Gold was bored being stuck in her bassinet with her toys while everyone ignored her. She screamed out her frustration, making some of her toys and her shoes levitate but everyone was still ignoring her.
I want someone to play with me, Major Bae an you tell em I said so!
Major Bae grabbed some acorns and threw them at the guests while they took cover behind and under the tables. His mistress said she wanted to play, he'd make them play!
But now Papa was angry.
Rumple sighed and thought his wee one had the Bordreaux temper indeed. In spades. He snapped his fingers and everything currently being flung at people suddenly froze.
Belle breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he teleported over to where his angel was screaming like a lost soul and said in calm yet firm voice, "Adriana Isabelle Gold, enough, dearie!"
The baby glared at him.
Rumple Looked at her. "Dinna give me that, ye wee imp! 'Tis Regina's day here an' ye bein' a crab isna gonna change it," he scolded in a soft yet stern voice. Then he bent and picked her up. "Hush, mo a stor! There! Now ye can see everything. Is that better?"
Once she was in her papa's arms and able to see, Adriana quit screaming and all the toys flew back to where they belonged.
Papa play with me now, Major Bae.
The stuffed bear dropped the acorns and settled back by the bassinet. Rumple gave the guests an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. She doesna like to be ignored and she's got the Bordreaux temper." He patted Adriana's back.
The baby now seemed entranced with the row of buttons on his shirt and kept trying to grab them.
Majorly Sweet Surprises
Using his granddaughter's bears as inspiration, Moe decided to offer teddy grams along with bouquets of flowers as gifts. He hired two men who would wear a teddy bear suit and go to the houses of the women the grams were meant for. Unfortunately, they were also students at the university and partied too much. Both of them had hangovers on Valentine's Day and there were a dozen teddy grams that had been ordered, two of them by his sons-in-law for his daughters and both men were understandably upset.
"I'll do something else for Belle," Rumple mumbled.
"I was looking forward to this for Marie. She's been a bit depressed lately, thinking she's unattractive now that she's gained her baby weight no matter how much I tell her otherwise," Archie said sadly. "I'll think of something too."
"Papa, I help!" Adriana cried from her bassinet.
"How, mo a stor?" Rumple asked his daughter.
She motioned and Major Rumple, now the same height as her father came up to her bassinet. "Major Rumple, you go to Mama at school an give her hug an kiss from Papa." she instructed it. He saluted his mistress.
"You'll need these, dearie," Rumple said and handed the bear a bouquet of roses and a small gift. He saluted again and marched out of the house.
"Brilliant, Adriana, brilliant!" cried Moe.
"Tanks Pappy." Then she motioned again and Major Archie approached her bassinet. "Now you go to Unca Archie an Auntie Marie's house an make her happy. Give her a big hug an kiss from Unca Archie." The bear smiled as he saluted.
"You'll need these too," Archie said and handed the bear his bouquet of roses and another gift. The bear saluted Archie and was on his way to complete his mission. Rumple followed his bear to the school and Archie followed his back to his house.
Adriana then summoned the rest of her army and resized them all with her magic. "You go to Pappy for your 'tructions."
Moe drove back to the shop with the rest of the bears in his van, told them where they needed to go and what gifts to take and sent them on their way. He was just going to ask his granddaughter if she wouldn't mind loaning them to him for this job from now on since the two idiots he hired to do it were too busy throwing up their insides from too much alcohol.
Marie Hopper lay on the sofa in her living room barely paying attention to the movie she was watching. Were she not on maternity leave, she would be at her desk in her husband's office, keeping track of his schedule along with those of his partners, Jack Seward and Mina Harker and riding herd on the answering service to make sure they had the doctors' after hours call procedure current and the current on call schedule. It wasn't that she didn't feel confident Jane Banks could handle the workload in her absence; she was just lonely while Archie was at the office and Gisella was at school. Now she was feeling unattractive because she was almost at full term and barely able to cuddle with her husband anymore, even on Valentine's Day!
The doorbell rang but Marie wasn't in the mood for company. "Mary, please tell whoever it is I'm not feeling well," she moaned.
"All right Marie," Mary Poppins said sadly, wishing there was something she could do to cheer her employer up. She was ready to obey Marie's instructions when she recognized a familiar but much larger sight on the doorstep holding a dozen roses and a gift. "Come on in, Major Archie. I know she'll be happy to see you." Then she winked his human counterpart who was standing behind him with a finger to his lips.
Marie was stunned when she saw the bear her niece named after her husband come into the room holding a bouquet of roses and a gift.
"For me?" The bear nodded and set the roses on the coffee table then handed her the gift. She opened the package and found a gold heart shaped locket inside along with a note.
You'll always be my beautiful Aphrodite.
With all my love,
Archie
Then the bear hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Th…thank you!"
He smiled, bowed and left the room.
"Did you like your surprise, darling?" she heard her husband ask from behind her.
"Yes!" she sobbed. She grabbed his arms and pulled him onto the sofa with her, covering his face with kisses. "I love you…I love you!"
"Happy Valentine's Day, my goddess." Archie whispered and wrapped his arms around his wife, kissing her back.
Yay! Good job, Major Archie. Auntie Marie is happy. Adriana Gold was smiling from her car seat. Now all she and her papa had to do was wait for her mama to get her surprise.
Major Rumple strolled into the teachers' lounge and over to Belle's table. He held out the roses to her and bowed as she took them in her hands.
"Why thank you…" she said demurely and curtseyed. The bear smiled and placed Rumple's gift in her hands. When she unwrapped it she found a rare edition of Charles Dickens Great Expectations inside. She opened the front cover and inside it was a note.
Sometimes the best teacups are chipped . . .and you find your heart where you least expect it . . .I found mine the day I stared into a pair of amber eyes, and I have never lost it-despite curses old and new, it has endured. One year ago today you said those words to me.
I said these to you:
You taught me that you don't have to be perfect to be loved and that you loved all of me, good and bad, for sometimes the best book has the dustiest jacket.
They are as true today as they were on the day we were married and will be till the end of time.
Happy anniversary mo chroi
Rumple
Major Rumple hugged her and gave her a kiss on her cheek before he saluted and left the room.
Rumple knocked on the doorframe with one arm while he held their daughter in the other. "May I come in?" he asked softly.
"Oh yes you can!" Belle cried and kissed him. "That was beautiful Rumple! Beautiful!"
"It wouldna have been possible without our wee one and her army. Your papa's human teddy bears got a bit drunk and are too busy having a conversation with Mister Toilet Bowl."
"Yeah Mama, so we make you happy Auntie Marie happy, everybody happy!" Adriana singsonged.
"Happy Anniversary mo chroi," Rumple murmured.
"Happy Anniversary, darling."
"Kiss 'er Papa!"
"With pleasure, mo a stor!"
They would have their real anniversary celebration later and he would have their chipped cup constellation make a special appearance. Belle in turn would give him her own special gift…herself and if the Fates would have it in nine months' time she would be holding their third child in her arms.
Now Adriana's Stuffed Army had a new mission…to bring joy to people any time of the year, especially on the holidays. Easter was coming up and there were already requests for an Easter bear and many wondered if there would be Santa bears for Christmas. Later that night after her parents went to sleep Adriana summoned her army to her.
You be Santa bears an Easter bears too?
They nodded their heads enthusiastically.
Kay….we be the Happy Army now. No more frownies. You see frownies, you give 'em a hug an make em happy.
The bears saluted their mistress and returned to their places on the toy shelf, eagerly awaiting their next mission.