Author's Note:

So, this is actually the only Rumbelle fic I know of to be written by a guy. That being said, I'm not sure how it'll go over with the fanbase, considering that most of them seem to be noticeable female. Oh well. What happens, happens. I hope you guys enjoy it.

The setting is in the future, after Rumple and co. have returned once more to their world from Storybrooke. But this fact doesn't really have a bearing on the story, which doesn't really have anything to do with the cannon. I, personally, strictly consider it to be AU.

Ship: Rumbelle

Disclaimer: 'Once Upon a Time' , its characters and settings, are owned by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, and ABC Broadcasting.

She's late.

He glanced out the window again, scanning the seemingly deserted stone bridge that shot straight across the moat only to break off at the foot of the large, wooden entrance. The courtyard was similarly vacant, and the very leaves and soft flowers of the garden plants seemed to wilt with the absence of their keeper.

He huffed and resumed his impatient, nervous pacing. His thin leather boots slapped against the tiled floor of his study with rhythmic succession. Hands clasped firmly behind his back, and his head bowed forward, he was lost in troubled thought.

He knew that it was silly.

He knew they were past this.

But the fear still lingered.

He still feared she might not come back to him.

Again. Still, the window offered no comfort. He resumed his angular, direction-less pacing. He could feel himself perspiring slightly—a cold, light sweat. It made him nauseous.

They had been back for nearly a month and a half. After all they had endured together, after all that he had suffered in his quests, the simple things still remained within him.

The same simple love. The same simple longings. The same simple fears.

He stopped in front of the glass-less case. Inside, leather-bound books filled with knowledge and logic lay perfectly still—logic that had failed him when he smashed the glass that had once protected these books in a fit of uncontrolable anguish. The piercing agony that he had inflicted upon himself when he denied himself the very thing he treasured most—out of fear.

The Window.

Nothing...

Wait.

His eyes narrowed and his breath escaped him.

He stared at the ghost watching him. The sallow face eyed him in disgust. The face was sickly-looking, with greenish, scaly, gnarled flesh and wiry, filthy hair that hung lifelessly from its scalp. The teeth were misshapen and rotting, and the nose was beak-like and twisted.

And the eyes.

The eyes were those of a lost soul—one who has lost everything: love, pride, itself. They were the eyes of a dead man awoken. Sleepless, sad eyes filled with...

Fear.

Rumpelstiltskin turned away from his reflection in the window pane and fell to his knees on the cold stone floor. His breath escaped his lungs in a single hissing whine. Outside, Belle began her way across the great stone bridge with a basket of flowers and pastries on her arm, a spring in her step, and a head full of loving thoughts and hope.

Belle flung her arms around Rumpelstiltskin's thin shoulders the instant he had opened the towering wooden doors wide enough for her to squeeze herself through.

"Hello, love!" She said eagerly as she planted a kiss on the side of his face and hugged him tightly. "How've you been holding up? Miss me?" She grinned coyly and picked up her basket from where she had dropped it on the entry-way floor.

Rumpelstiltskin raised his eyebrows, about to dismiss the playful comment with a witty retort, as was expected of his character. But his mind was a blank. The most he could do was stare at her beaming, rosy face, speechless as he thought of the ghost in the study. He thought of how beautiful and pure and honest this creature before him was, and how ugly and cowardly a monster he would always be. He averted his gaze when she reached out to touch his face, looking at him with those large blue eyes of hers—her brow pinched with concern.

"Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

He forced a what was supposed to be a cocky grin, a final, desperate attempt to build up that wall of playful grandeur that was "Rumpelstiltskin". It failed tragically. He sighed.

"I did miss you," he muttered, finally, pathetically, and offered her the crook of his arm.

She smiled a sweet, sweet smile and refused his offer to carry her basket as the two started off down the hallway, their arms entwined.

The first time Belle had been a "guest" in Rumpelstiltskin's fortress, he had maintained that certain air aloofness and dignity that, while he still kept these traits in his everyday character, Belle was able to convince him to drop this second time around. That meant no more eating in the cavernous dining room, at that table that spanned so far across the room. Instead, they took their meals in the kitchen, at a smaller, circular table, where the ambiance was warmer, and Belle didn't have to yell across the table to be heard or have to stand up to pass the salt.

She brought in flowers each day and set them in the most frequented rooms. She freed the curtains from their shackles of nails and brought light and warmth into the chilly, damp interior. And she performed, on a regular basis, small acts of what could only be described as...magic-

A warm smile here. A hot cup of tea there. Falling asleep in his armchair with a book still held in her slender fingers. The way she scolded him when he said something crass about certain people, like he was a small child and she was a teacher in a badly-acted play. The way she would lean over his shoulder while he spun. The manner in which her leg brushed against his during a meal. The little looks she gave him when she thought he wasn't looking.

She held more magic within her than he ever did as The Dark One.

Belle set the basket on the counter.

The kitchen was rustic-looking, with brazen copper plumbing and grey-slate counter-tops and floor. The iron stove in the corner kept the room warm and comfortable. Rumpelstiltskin took a seat on the edge of the table, watching as Belle began emptying out the straw basket.

"So..." He started.

"Hmm?"

"How was your...outing?" He felt unsure of that last word. For some reason, the idea of going into town, having lunch with a friend, in Belle's case with Red Riding Hood, and picking up goods from the market struck him as...alien. Such innocent, average fare had been lost to him years ago. As The Dark One, he couldn't go out in public. As Rumpelstiltskin in this cursed body, the same applied. The world of chattering social life and crowded markets was but a dim memory to him.

"Oh, it was...nice," Belle smiled, "The weather was pleasant and I found some very good bargains at the market. I got some treacle from that nice baker...do you like treacle?"

"I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure of trying it."

"Oh, you must! It's one of my favourites. Would you like to try some?" She pulled a circular tin from the folds of cloth covering the basket. Rumpelstiltskin shrugged.

"Why not? Something new every day, eh?" He grinned.

"Well, get off the table, then and sit in the chair properly."

"Ohhh...ordering me about, then? Getting uppity? Do I need to put you in your place? Perhaps turn you into... a fluffy little dust bunny?" He drew himself up grandly and giggled evilly, making bold gestures as he often used to in "business situations".

They looked at each other for a moment before they both burst out with laughter.

"That's not actually very funny," Belle shook her head as Rumple continued to snicker fiendishly.

"I know, I know, sorry. I actually really quite like dust bunnies, though. They're like little poofs of magic and history combined. And I sincerely thought that you'd make an exceptionally fluffy one!"

"Rumple!" She cried, laughing, "You're not turning me into a dust bunny! No matter how much you like them!"

"Heheheheh-heheh...hehh...'dust bunnies'..." He mused. He waved apologetically and sighed before "The Dark One" took a seat at the table and crossed his legs, leaning back in the chair. Belle brought out two small bowls of treacle pudding and set them on the table before taking a seat as well.

"Bon appetit!" Belle said before taking a bite. She let out a deep sigh of joy. "Oh my god, it's been far too long since I last had this." She watched the scaly man tentatively lift the spoon to his mouth and gulp down a spoonful of the pudding. He paused a moment after swallowing.

"Well?" She nudged him.

"It's very sweet," he wrinkled his nose and pouted his lips, "It's not bad, though," he added quickly seeing Belle's disappointed expression, "Actually, I can think of some things that are much, much sweeter than this." He cocked an eyebrow suggestively and emitted a high-pitched giggle. The girl laughed and pushed him jokingly. He recoiled in mock pain.

They finished the treat in a comfortable silence and Belle took the dishes to the sink for rinsing.

"You know, I can do that, Belle," Rumpelstiltskin frowned, "You're not my captive, you don't have to do everything."

"Oh, I don't mind. I like to keep busy."

His frown deepened.

"I wish..." He started.

"Hmm?" Belle turned off the tap and put the bowls upside-down on a cloth to dry. The spinner fiddled with his fingers absently.

"I wish I could go out with you. Into town, that is. As a normal couple does," he turned his eyes to the floor. The brown-haired girl was suddenly at his side again. She touched the side of his face comfortingly.

"We are a normal couple, Rumple. It doesn't matter what they think, and it doesn't matter how they see you. What matters is that I love you and I know, deep down, you are a good person. So if you want to go into town with me next time, I think you should. To hell with what other people think! They don't know you."

He looked up at her. He looked upon her large blue eyes, her small, slightly upturned nose, her pink cheeks, and her almost cat-like, pouted lips. She was so beautiful. She was so good and kind and...
He was a Beast.

He averted his eyes back to the floor.

"So how was Miss Red today?" He said abruptly. Anything to change the subject. Anything to divert his attention from the image in his head. Belle started, surprised.

"T-that's-!" She stumbled on her words, "Red was fine. We-uh...just talked...about things at the inn. Nothing very interesting..."

The man-beast frowned."Like what?"

Belle blushed as she tried to disguise her skittishness by busying herself with the flower arrangement.

"Like what? Umm..." she paused a moment in thought, "Oh! Like hunting!" Her eyes lit up with sudden certainty, "We talked about hunting—and the best way to...um, catch a deer."

Rumpelstiltskin gave her an odd look. "Hunting? Really? I didn't know you were interested in that sort of thing, dearie," he said skeptically.

"I found it to be very interesting, actually," she turned up her nose in mock offense, "We were debating... whether it is best to set a trap and wait for the deer to come along on its own, or whether one should take the offensive and hunt it down," She took a seat beside the spinner, "Because deer are very...cautious creatures, you know."

Rumpelstiltskin tilted his head slightly and crinkled the side of his nose in contemplation.

"Deer?"

She nodded.

"That's all very interesting," he said in his slightly nasal, high-pitched voice, shifting in his seat uncomfortably, "But why were you two talking about deer?"

"Oh. Uh...Red's going hunting," Belle stated.

"Really, now..." His voice trailed off as he studied her face.

She nodded quickly before turning away and taking the flower vase to be filled with water. The cursed man followed her with his gaze.

"You're not a very good liar," he said finally. Belle didn't move or respond as she held the vase below the running tap. He felt his stomach tighten.

"Belle...is everything alright?" He said slowly, "Are you... hiding something from me?"

She flinched. He saw her flinch. Fear coursed through him and he clasped his hands together to hide their agitated shaking. He got up, carefully moving towards her, and rested his bony, claw-like hand on her shoulder as gently as possible, in fear she might break if he put to much pressure on her. She turned to look at him and took his thin fingers within her own, kissing them softly before closing the small distance between them and wrapping her arms around his waist, nuzzling her face into his scrawny chest.

He stiffened slightly at first, but quickly melted into the hug. His questions and concerns drifted off only to be replaced by Belle's delicate scent. For that brief moment nothing else seemed to matter but the warmth of contact.

"Nothing bad happened, Rumple," she said in a quiet voice, breaking the silence, "We just talked about..." Her voice trailed off and she took a deep breath, "I just need some time to think...about things."

Rumpelstiltskin broke away from her, taking a step back. His lungs felt stiff, like he couldn't breath quite right. He wanted to force her to tell him everything, he wanted to cast a spell on her and make her relieve this maddening insecurity. But this was the woman he loved. This was Belle. He swallowed sharply and forced a smile.

"As you wish."

Rumpelstiltskin waited by the window of his study, looking out across the land that spanned across the horizon. Most of the land was forest, a rustling creature of pine-needles and mud from the recent rain. He could see the village, with its smoking chimneys and thatched roofs in the distance, just beyond the treetops. Beyond that was naught but mountainous region muddied by grey clouds and fog. He didn't see Belle.

It had been three excruciating days since the princesses' last outing, and the effects of awkward, forced conversation and uncomfortable tension were draining him to the point of lethargy. She still refused to tell him what the matter was, what she had taken council with that wolf-woman. Was that vixen putting ideas in her head about him? Was she trying to turn sweet Belle against him? Was she...

He pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and let out a trembling sigh.

...Is she telling Belle the truth about me? All the things I've done, all the people who's lives I've destroyed? The people I've killed?

He opened his eyes and saw her small, distant form emerging from the edge of the woods and heading down the road to the bridge. He took a step back.

"I've got to put a stop to this."

"Belle, I want you to leave."

She stared at him in shock as she stood in the doorway, basket in hand.

"What?" Her voice was sharp with disbelief.

"I want you to leave. It's for the best. I'll gather your things, and-"

"No!" Belle yelled in unconcealed fury and hurt, "What-what in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Rumpelstiltskin shrank back at this outburst, drawing his arms up before him defensively. "I-I just don't think..." He averted his eyes, "I've been thinking this over for a while now, and...I don't think you can be happy here. I don't think this... is what's best for you."

When she raised her hand up as if to hit him, he shut up and cringed. Her eyes glowed with anger and tears. She returned her hand limply to her side.

"What makes you think I'm not happy, Rumpelstiltskin?" She said with unreadable emotion.

"Well, you were just about to hit me," he said almost half-jokingly. She was not amused.

"What makes you think I'm not happy?" She said again, slowly. He swallowed.

"I—I just-"

"Is it because of the other day when I wouldn't tell you about what Red and I talked about in the village? Is that it?" She crossed her arms and looked him dead in the eyes. He paused for a moment.

"Yess?" He thought she was going to really hit him this time, but, again, she restrained herself. She lowered her hand and sighed deeply—sadly. They stood for a long moment in total silence.

"It's cold," she said eventually and stepped through the doorway into the entry-room, "I'm coming inside."

Rumpelstiltskin moved to let her through, and she started to move past him. But he found himself drawn to her side by her hand, which had grabbed the cuff of his sleeve. Belle dragged him along with her down the hall.

"W-where are we g-...?" He sputtered as they traveled down corridors, turning here there. She didn't respond. They climbed a flight of stairs and went through a few last halls before Belle finally stopped and opened the door to Rumpelstiltskin's room.

"What are you-" He sputtered, glancing around, confused.

"Get in. Sit down," Belle pointed to a large red-velvet armchair in the corner and the spinner obeyed begrudgingly. She looked around the room, which was gaudily decorated with a large, ornate canvas bed, drawers and wardrobes of silk shirts, leather garments, vests, buckles, and other accessories. In the far corner there was also a surprisingly plain full-length mirror that had a large, vein-like crack that spread out from its middle, as if something had smashed into it. It was the only uncovered mirror in the castle, as far as Belle knew. She took this all in with acute fascination before finally turning to the man sitting cross-legged in the red chair.

"I've never been in your room before," she said in an impressed manner. Rumpelstiltskin snorted.

"Well, maybe that's because it's sort of...my room. Private."

"How long have we been together, Rumple?"

"What?" He stared at her in confusion.

"How long have we been together?" Belle huffed, crossing her arms and leaning against the bed-post nearest the chair.

"I...don't...see how..."

"Well over six months, I think. That's a pretty long time, isn't it?" Belle spoke loudly, as if for the world to hear. It made Rumple uncomfortable. "And in all this time..." She took a few steps closer to him, "I've never seen the inside of your room."

Rumpelstiltskin stared forward silently.

"What do you think Red and I were talking about the other day? What do you think I was doing in the village, Rumpelstiltskin?" Her demeanor was completely serious. The scaly man rubbed his forehead, agitated.

"At first I thought..." He took a deep breath, trying to force the words out, " I thought she was telling you about me—about the things I've done. That being with me, here...that it's a mistake. Well..." He bit his lower lip, "It was just a paranoia I had...but the more I thought about it...the more I realised that it was probably right. I don't know what you and Red Riding Hood talked about that day..." He lifted his face to look into hers, "But I do know that...I'm a monster. And I'll never truly change. You deserve...so much better..."

That time she did hit him. Tears stained Bell's face, each small stream leaving a trail of light discolourment on her flushed cheeks. She covered her mouth with her hand, closing her eyes, struggling to catch her breath and focus her thoughts. She wiped away her tears.

"You are such an fool sometimes, Rumple," her voice trembled slightly, "Yes, you have done some horrible things, and I don't forgive you for that. But that doesn't mean you don't deserve to be loved and I don't deserve to be with you. We deserve to be together, because that's what we want," Belle's voice began to steady, "I chose to be here with you. Don't forget that. I chose to come back...because I love you."

She settled herself on the red chair's arm.

"I know you're scared," Belle said, "I know you've been through a lot and lost a lot."

Rumpelstiltskin said nothing, but his eyes were stinging and his face damp. His hands were clasped tightly in his lap.

"But that's why I'm here: to help guide you through your fears," she leaned in and kissed him on the top of his head, smoothing his rough, wavy hair. The cursed man parted his lips to speak.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in a small, cracking voice. The brown-haired woman's face softened and she wrapped her arms around the man's neck, bringing his head close to her chest, as she took him into herself. They stayed like this for what seemed like an eternity, Rumple gently rested against Belle's soft stomach, his arms wrapped around her waist.

Rumpelstiltskin was still afraid.

But Belle was holding him, and she loved him, and she would keep the monster within him under control.

And that was all he needed.

"Do you want to know what Red and I were discussing at the Inn the other day?"

He said nothing; he was too comfortable and snug to care any more. Outside the sun was slowly falling behind the edge of the land, and night settled itself in its place.

Belle fiddled with the man's hair, twirling it around her fingers.

"I was asking her...for relationship advice. Because I don't know how to ask you..." Her face turned crimson, "How to ask you...to make love to me."

And Rumpelstiltskin suddenly found the oxygen that normally flowed to his head and into his chest stopped. He couldn't move; he couldn't speak...he could barely breath. He felt like crying. Maybe he already was and he just couldn't feel it. He gasped for air and pulled himself away from the safety of Belles body.

He wanted to take her, then and there.

He wanted to run away as fast as his legs could take him and hide in a very small box.

But, instead, he merely sat there, staring at her, with his mouth open and his mind blank. Belle tilted her head slightly, as if amused by his reaction.

"You really are like a deer," she said, smiling, "Like a deer on the road about to get hit by a carriage. The way they freeze." She poked him in the chest playfully, "But you're not a deer. And I can't lay a trap for you or try to ambush you. You have to decide for yourself."

"I-I...I can't..." The spinner finally mumbled. Belle brushed the hair away from his face and looked him squarely in the eye.

"Can you tell me why?" She said carefully. A ragged sound escaped from the back of his throat.

"Just...I-I...It's just...been so long. And I...with this...!" He made a wild gesture at himself,

"Every time I look in the mirror, all I see is this...monster! You don't want to see it, trust me. You don't want to touch this body."

Belle gave a quick glance to the cracked mirror and paused a moment in thought. She got up from her place on the chair's arm and moved around to stand directly before the Beast.

"Every time I look at you, Rumpelstiltskin, all I see the man I love," she reached behind her back, "The man I want to be with."

Her dress fell to the floor with a soft, muffled sound. She stood, blushing, in her white, laced undergarments. Her body was soft and curvy and it had a certain plumpness that was almost childlike. She clasped her hands before her shyly.

"T-this is me," she said in a small, fluttery voice. Rumpelstiltskin stared at her in awe. Slowly, carefully, he lifted himself out of the large, velvet chair and placed himself inches from the woman he loved. With two fingers, he touched the side of her face and let them slide down the side of her neck to the curve of her shoulder. The sheer softness of her smooth skin against his calloused, clawed fingers was stunning.

"You're beautiful..." He breathed. She reddened further at this and took both his hands in her own.

"Come. Show me how beautiful you are," she said in the simplest, most radiant manner and led him over to the green-canopied bed and sat him down on the edge of the mattress.

"I'll help you with your boots," she said, eyeing the many laces and buckles of his knee-high footwear. She knelt down before him and started undoing the top buckles. Her supple breasts cleaved together underneath her lingerie, peeking tentatively out from the low neckline.

He blushed slightly before averting his attention to his boot buckles.

Twenty minutes later:

"We have got to get you some different shoes! That was absurd!" Belle picked up the finally undone boots and threw them angrily across the room.

"Hey, those are my nice b-mmff!" His words were cut off by the brown-haired woman's lips as she flung herself on top of him. The mattress creaked as they fell backwards onto it with Belle straddling his chest and kissing at his mouth hungrily. He kissed her back, his mouth parted and his breath ragged. His hands wandered down her sides to her waist and rested there, holding her. Belle broke the kiss, breathless, and slid her hips down his torso to meet his own. She fingered the buttons of his silk shirt.

"I'm going to unbutton your shirt, Rumple," she stated. He swallowed nervously but nodded. She undid the top button. And another. And another. With each button undone, another few inches of scaly, rough, greenish skin was revealed. Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes, not wanting to see Belle's expression as she looked over his deformed, cursed flesh. He bit his tongue.

Then Belle giggled. She giggled like a bubbly little schoolgirl.

He cracked one eye open dubiously.

"What?" He hissed, "Is it that funny?"

The woman put her fingers to her lips, trying to stifle her excitement. She inhaled deeply.

"Sorry," she said coyly, "You're just so cute right now...I couldn't help it. You're being all uptight."

He scrunched up his nose, insulted, "Cute? Dearie, I am The Dark One—the one the people of this land fear most! I hold more power in my little finger than..."

Belle was not handling his little tirade very well. Tiny, melodic laughs managed to escape through her fingers. And he was the cute one? A sly grin cracked across his face.

"Oh, to hell with it," he sat up quickly, almost sending the mirthful, glowing woman on his lap falling backwards. He caught her and held her in his arms, kissing her. Belle squealed with delight as she wrapped her legs around his stomach. Her hands busied themselves with the task of getting Rumple's shirt off his shoulders and onto the floor.

"What about you, love?" He asked, peering down at her own, silky top. She blushed but nodded, permitting him to remove the laced cloth.

Her exposed breasts were smooth and curved and perfect. The sight of her left him breathless. With a single finger, he traced their contours with a certain reverence, admiring the soft, dark nipples and pale skin.

Hesitantly, his gaze traveled further down to her thinly veiled womanhood pressed against the crotch of his dark leather pants. He gulped—his mouth felt dry. Belle's eye's followed his and she smiled gently. Their foreheads met and pressed together as they sat in silence, their arms enveloping one another, pondering the next step.

"Belle..." Rumpelstiltskin said faintly.

"Hmm?"

"I...I, um...I..." He struggled to speak. He couldn't find the words for what he so desired to say. Belle responded by tilting her mouth to meet his and, gradually, pushing him to onto his back on the soft mattress. Her soft, pliable lips traveled down from his slit-like mouth to his harsh jaw, his bony, green-tinted chest and thin belly, to the slightly noticeable bulge of his crotch. The spinner winced at the pressure of the woman's lips on his already sore, hidden erection.

"W-wait," he whispered.

"I'm going to take these off, okay?" She said breathlessly, already struggling to undo the buttons with as much delicacy as she could muster in her eagerness.

"No, Belle—I-"

"Trust me, Rumple," Belle cooed. The final button came undone and Rumpelstiltskin's hands shot down to cover his stiff manhood while the brunette slid off the slightly weathered leather garment.

"Belle, I can't do this..." He sat up, his voice was weak and wavering. She looked at him gently, her face was flushed and sympathetic. She scooted herself closer to him.

"Hey, let me tell you something," she said timidly, not looking at his eyes directly, "I've...I've never actually done this before."

He gazed at her and almost felt guilty for a reason he wasn't sure of.

"I want this," she stated confidently. With that, she took a step off the bed and, standing with her back to him, she bent forward and tugged off her last article of clothing. Slowly, demurely, she swiveled around to face him in her bareness.

She was radiant.

Her face reddened and she clasped her hands together in front of herself delicately. The soft fur between her curved legs was light and moist. She climbed back onto the bed and crawled over to the equally exposed, scaly man and established herself before him.

"Now it's your turn," she said, "I've gotten us this far. Now you have to decide what to do."

He was upon her in a second—his talon-like fingers clutched her shoulders, pressing her down onto the bed, kissing her passionately as she trembled and emitted tiny squealing sounds from her lips, like a small, excited child. His hooked nose caught on her lower lip as he moved down her body to lick and tease at her breasts, making her writhe with pleasure. His jagged, gnarled teeth nipped at her firm, sweet nipples as he moved his hand down her ever-so-slightly plump belly to settle on the point where her slender legs met. She gasped beneath him as he slid a single finger into her, circling it around her entrance, which was warm and sticky. He added another finger, testing her pliability, and she suppressed a moan.

"Belle..." He said quietly, his breath hitching as his member accidentally brushed against her inner thigh. He swallowed, "Are you alright?"

"Oh gods, yes!" Belle's back arched into the curve of the spinner's fingers.

"Good, good..." He mumbled, nervously, "Well, I'm going to...to..."

She touched his face, brushing back the hair that was falling over his eyes as he looked down at her. She gave him a single affirmative nod before she closed her eyes, relaxing her body.

Rumpelstiltskin took a long, unsteady breath before he removed his fingers from Belle and used them to aim himself. Just as he positioned himself, he paused.

"Belle?" He said, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Yes?" She sighed.

"I love you."

She smiled.

He looked up at the window from the drawbridge. The slender black opening that split open the side of the higher stone tower seemed so small, so insignificant from this distance. Belle called him from further down the path and he tugged his cloak and hood tighter around himself before he scurried over to meet her.

"What were you looking at?" She asked, the empty basket swayed in her hand as they walked.

"Nothing, nothing," Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, "So, what are we getting from the market, then?"

"Just some little things...some bread, some more butter...maybe some more treacle. Oh, don't make that face! Alright, we'll look to find something else, too, but I'm definitely getting some for myself."

"Fine..."

"Are you sure this is okay, Belle?" He said suddenly. The forest around them buzzed with the sounds of birds and rustling foliage. The road was empty and the pebbles and dirt below their feet shifted with each step they took, making a steady, crisp noise.

"What's okay?" She peeked out at him from her patterned green and yellow cloak. He swallowed and tightened his grip on his twisted walking-stick.

"Me going into town with you. Are you sure its wise?"

Belle merely smiled.

"Well, it's going to happen eventually. Might as well start now," she looked up at the sky bleeding through the forest canopy, "Don't worry about it. They'll come to understand you, with time. Just as I did."

A grin tugged at the side of the cursed man's lips and he nodded. Then he switched the walking stick to his other side and dangled his hand next to Belle's, brushing his fingers against hers. They looked at each other.

Belle slid her hand into his scaly one as the two continued their way down the straight dirt path to the village.

Rumpelstiltskin, The Dark One, the spinner of gold, The Beast...was not afraid.

-End