Title: The day that changed everything

Author: nicksmom312

Rating: M (mostly for future content)

Word count: approximately 2300

Genre: Romance/Angst/Humor

Summary: Rumple and Belle falling in love, as they carefully dance around one another.

Authors note: I just thought it would be nice to explore the buildup of their relationship, and look at the foundation of their true love.

Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money with this piece. I just do it for fun.

The day had begun like any other that Belle had spent living in the Dark Castle since becoming Rumplestiltskin's 'caretaker'. She had woken early enough to freshen herself and put on one of the three dresses that he had given her shortly after her arrival, when it had become apparent that the gold ball gown that she had come there in wasn't at all suited for housework.

Today she choose the peach colored dress that was trimmed in white and gold and even had a matching pair of peach colored shoes with a gold buckle. She had decided that gold must be his favorite color as practically everything he owned or had given to her had some gold in it somewhere. She had secretly begun knitting him a scarf with some gold and black yarn that she had bribed the grocer into bringing her when he delivered provisions on one of his bi-weekly trips. He had raised an eyebrow at her request, but had decided it was best not to pry into the business of Rumplestiltskin… or his caretaker for that matter.

She sighed as she thought about what people in the village must be saying about her and her 'master'. She had grown up in a small village and well knew that gossip was one of the peoples main forms of entertainment, and what they didn't know for sure they relished in making up. The juicier the better, and the truth didn't matter if it got in the way of a good story.

She remembered that first few days that she had spent in the company of Rumplestiltskin, when she had been terrified that he would force her into his bed. After all he was a normal healthy male (although not entirely human) and she was considered his property. In the sight of many he had every right to use her in any way that he chose, and she supposed most people would assume that he had already exercised that right. They would, however, be wrong. He had always been a gentleman with her. More then her ex betrothed had been, as he had tried to take liberties with her prior to taking the vows of marriage. Her recollection of him kissing, and fondling her as she protested, still made her nauseated. It was not that Gaston had been a bad man, but his touch had revolted her for some reason that she did not understand, and the thought of being married to him and having to submit to his sexual desires had been one of the reasons that she had agreed to go with Rumplestiltskin in the first place.

Belle finished her morning grooming, and paused to check her reflection in the window glass. She had asked for a mirror, but had been politely refused because, as Rumplestiltskin had explained, they could be dangerous. She didn't understand, but accepted his decision, and made due by using window glass. She told herself that she only bothered with her appearance because it made her feel better. It had absolutely nothing to do with a certain impossible imp.

Belle made her way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Rumplestiltskin and herself, pausing along the way to look out the window and admire the beautiful sunrise that still lingered on the horizon. She was always amazed at how the colors changed so much as she walked from one hall to another, going from a deep reddish gold to soft orange in the time it took her to travel from one window to the next. She smiled, it was shaping up to be a beautiful day.

When Rumplestiltskin passed the kitchen, on his way to the main dining hall, he poked his head in to admire his housekeeper as she sang softly to herself whilst preparing breakfast for the two of them. He had come to appreciate many of the qualities he had discovered in her, not the least of which was her ability to be happy and joyful in almost any circumstance. Most women in her place would have been sullen and depressed at having to go from being a pampered princess to a servant over night, but not his Belle. She worked tirelessly to cook, clean, and generally look after him day after day with not a single complaint, and even seemed to take pleasure in her efforts. She was remarkable, he thought to himself, as he turned to make his way to the dining hall, only pausing for a moment when he heard a clatter, a curse, and the sound of glass breaking. He smiled again, she was a bit clumsy though.

Belle entered the dining hall a few minutes after he had seated himself at the head of the table awaiting his breakfast. She carried a serving tray with two plates of eggs, sausages, and toast along with marmalade, eating utensils and tea and juice for two. When she had first come to the Dark Castle she had fixed his meals and served them to him in the dining hall, and ate her own in the kitchen, as the servants in her fathers castle had done. She had had no thought of eating in the dining hall with him. That had not lasted even a week, when one morning she had approached the table with his breakfast, and noticed that another chair had been placed to the left of his. She had placed his meal in front of him and he said quite casually "Belle, I would prefer it if you would do me the kindness of taking your meal in the hall with me, I have some matters to discuss with you and it would save time." Obediently she went to the kitchen and brought her breakfast to the table seating herself by his side. She noticed that he had waited for her to return before beginning to eat. He had discussed some matters related to the types of meals that he preferred and to the scheduling of deliveries of supplies to the castle, but then had turned the conversation to a more personal level, asking her about her childhood. They enjoyed a pleasant conservation as they ate and when finished Belle had cleared the table and begun cleaning the rooms scheduled for that day. She had not returned to the dining hall until it was time to serve lunch. As she approached the table she noticed that the chair was still there, and raised her eyebrow at him as she placed his plate in front of him. He didn't look up as he spoke "Belle, I think that it is more efficient if you take your meals with me so that I can discuss any pertinent matters with you from now on." Belle looked at him and blinked, then stammered "yes… yes of course, whatever you like." She stood there for a moment and he finally looked up at her and raising his eyebrows said "well?", gesturing to the other chair. She blinked again "Oh of course.. uh.. you meant now, .. ok" she knew she sounded like a dim wit, but this was not how most masters treated their servants and she was not quite sure what to make of it. Shrugging her shoulders she quickly went to the kitchen and returned with her lunch.

That had been six months ago. Since then, as she had gotten to know him better, she had determined that he hadn't really needed a caretaker. He was quite capable of taking care of himself, and the estate. He had wanted a companion. Someone with whom he could talk, and share his stories, someone who would be there waiting for him when he returned home from a 'business' trip, someone to perhaps care about him. He, of course, would never admit it, even to himself, but Belle knew that it was true none the less.

"So what is on the agenda for today, dearie?" his question bringing her back to the present. "Oh, uh, I thought since it was such a lovely day that we might go for a picnic" she blurted out before she thought. She realized that she must have been thinking about it for days now, but why she had suddenly proposed it she wasn't sure. She looked up at him to see his gaze fixed on her, a look of amusement on his face.

"A picnic?" he said seeming surprised. "Yes, a picnic" Belle responded somewhat puzzled by his response. "You know, pack a lunch, take a blanket, find a pretty spot outside, and enjoy the beautiful weather while eating. A picnic" He gave her a withering look and replied "yes dearie I am acquainted with the ritual, it is just that I have never actually gone on a picnic." Now it was her turn to be surprised, "you've never gone on a picnic… not in your entire life?" she said quietly. He looked embarrassed, "well no" he said "the opportunity never presented itself, I suppose."

"Well then that settles it" she said firmly, "we are going on a picnic." He raised his eyebrows at her commanding tone and replied "and what if I happen to have other plans for today my dear?" Giving him her sweetest smile, which she knew he had a hard time resisting, she answered "well you'll just have to reschedule" she then batted her eyes, and looked at him hopefully. She really wanted to go on a picnic. "Very well" he relented,( the eye batting having done him in), "I will be in my workroom, let me know when you are ready to leave." Belle, momentarily forgetting herself, jumped up and threw her arms around him, giving him a hard squeeze, "oh thank you, thank you so much" she squealed. She felt him stiffen as soon as she touched him, and started to pull back when suddenly she felt his arms encircle her, returning her spontaneous hug. "No matter" he said quietly.

She pulled back to look him in the eyes "no it does matter very much to me,… thank you." her voice came out rather husky, and she couldn't deny the warmth that spread through her body at the feel of his hands on her, no matter how innocent. She looked at him as a blush spread across her face, and for a moment she thought she saw a hunger in his eyes that she had never seen there before, causing her to blush even more.

She pulled away from him with some reluctance, and began gathering the dishes. "I'll just wash these up, and then start on a feast for our picnic" she said happily. "By the way, do you have a picnic basket?" she looked at him and received a blank stare in reply. "Oh I don't suppose you would. Well no matter, I'll come up with something" and swishing her hips in a way that made him groan she left him alone with his thoughts. It was several minutes before he was able to get up.

Belle began working on the food for the picnic as soon as she had finished washing up the breakfast dishes. She worked happily, humming a tune as she cooked. She decided to do a traditional picnic, consisting of fried chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, and a fresh baked apple pie for desert. She went looking in the storage area just off of the pantry and found a basket, along with some napkins, and then she slipped into the wine cellar and choose a nice bottle of wine. She packed the basket with everything that they would need, and then found a blanket to spread on the grass. By the time that she was done it was almost noon, and she hurried to Rumplestiltskin's workroom to tell him that it was time to go.

She found him pouring over a book with such intensity that he didn't notice her enter the room. "Ready to go?" she said as she approached him, smiling to herself when he jumped slightly. He closed the book that he had been reading, and slowly turned to her with a smirk on his face. "Careful dearie" he said with a bite in his voice "people have been known to regret sneaking up on me." Belle's smile faltered at the rebuke and she stammered "I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to startle you, I promise." He looked somewhat abashed at having been harsh with her and smiled "I just don't want you to come to harm dearie, even accidentally." She nodded and he continued, "just always be sure to knock before entering this room, understand?" "Yes, Rumple, of course, I understand." She felt foolish as tears stung her eyes unbidden, and she turned her face from him in a vain effort to hide the hurt that his words had caused. He reached out and gently taking her by the shoulders turned her to face him, tilting her chin up so he could look in her face. He saw the tears as they started to spill down her cheeks and gently, with his thumbs wiped them away. "I'm sorry Belle, I didn't mean to hurt you" he whispered with more feeling then he would have believed himself capable of. It terrified him.

Belle felt her knees go weak as he gently brushed her tears away. The tenderness that she saw in his eyes made her forget her hurt feelings and lean into his touch, craving more. Just as she was about to reach out to him, he pulled away and with a nervous flitting of his hands asked "are you all ready for the picnic?" Her forward momentum caused her to stumble slightly, but she caught herself and looked at him in disbelief. 'Are you kidding me?' she thought as she stared at him, knowing full well that he had felt the same tug of desire that she had, but now he was pulling away like some scared teenager. She groaned in frustration, he was driving her crazy.

For his part, he pretended not to notice her reaction to his touch, and her surprised look when he pulled away. He turned away from her and closed his eyes as he tried to slow his racing heart. It was getting harder and harder to keep his hands off of her, and he struggled to maintain control of himself. 'God's' he thought, she was driving him crazy.

Belle walked along through the woods following Rumplestiltskin as he carried the basket containing the lunch that she had prepared. She had never been this far out on his estate and she wondered where he was taking her. He had only smiled mysteriously when she had asked, saying "patience, dearie, patience."

At the moment she found herself watching him from behind, and admiring the easy, gracefulness of his movements. He was almost catlike as he traversed the forest floor, lightly stepping over obstacles that littered the ground making her feel almost clumsy. She found her mind wandering to thoughts of how it would feel to have his arms around her, and those long nimble fingers caressing her body. She blushed hotly remembering the steamy dream that she had had the night before. Him in her bed, his body pressed against hers, hands roaming over her boldly, causing her to moan and gasp at his fevered touch. Kissing him with a passion that felt like it would burn her alive, and having an aching need to have him closer to her, ever closer. She had never been with a man in that way, but she knew the mechanics of sex, her married friends had told her the basics after she had been betrothed to Gaston. However she had never felt this sweet ache for him, the ache from deep inside of her that she knew only the touch of Rumplestiltskin would ever be able to satisfy. It made her groan in frustration, and at the same time feel more alive then she ever had. She didn't fully understand her attraction to Rumplestiltskin, but it was there nonetheless, and growing stronger by the day. As a matter of fact she could think of little else.

She was dragged back to the present when Rumplestiltskin turned and offered her his hand to assist her to climb over a large log that blocked their path, and she fervently hoped that the shading of the forest trees would hide her blush from his eyes. It didn't. He smiled knowingly, and she had to resist the urge to smack him for his overconfidence, 'smug imp' she thought to herself.

"Are we almost there Rum?" she asked as he settled her on her feet. "Almost" he murmured, his mouth so close to her ear that his warm breath caused her to shiver. He turned and continued on, leaving her to watch after him for a moment before collecting herself and following. 'Smug imp!' she thought again, smiling at his play with her.

They continued to walk for a few more minutes, and then Belle heard the sound of rushing water. Looking past Rumplestilltskin she gasp as she saw a beautiful crystal blue lake, with a waterfall at least fifty feet high spilling into it. It was surrounded on three sides by mountains which were dotted with massive evergreen trees, and in a clearing leading up to the waters edge there was a large grassy area sprinkled with wildflowers in a stunning display of vivid color. "Oh my gosh"! she breathed as she rushed past him in her excitement, "it's beautiful, Rum, absolutely beautiful." He watched her as she walked up to the waters edge, looking up at the waterfall with eyes that were sparkling with joy. He thought to himself that she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and not just because she was physically beautiful, (although she was undeniably stunning), but because her very soul shone with kindness, understanding and love. Even for one such as himself.

She turned to him, and smiling brightly said "thank you so much." He nodded to her, thinking that she was ridiculously easy to please and replied, "I am gratified that you are pleased, dearie" and with a flourish he spread the blanket on the ground saying "now, I have supplied the setting, lets see what you have supplied" as he began rooting around in the basket in search of food. She couldn't help but smile at him as she heard him mutter under his breath "breakfast was ages ago."

Of course the bottle of wine was the first item which caught his interest. He giggled as he pulled two glasses from the basket, and with a suggestive leer at her said "what's say we begin with a little something to relax.. ummm" Belle felt her heart do a little flip, as she regarded him, his eyes sparkling with mischief and the sun glinting off of his greenish, gold skin. He was beautiful, she thought, and she was in trouble.

Next, the picnic. Hope you enjoyed, and I will update ASAP.

BTW, wasn't the finale great? I am so glad that the writers gave us some very satisfying moments, especially with Rumbelle.

"It was a brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness." Rumplestiltskin

Robert Carlyle is amazing, he absolutely broke my heart with that line and his delivery of it. WOW! It is going to be a long summer. L