Author Notes: This is my contribution to the Rumbelle Newlyweds Celebration. I chose the prompt "The Charmings interrupt (whatever you want them to interrupt!)" So, that's basically what you're going to get. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time. It belongs to ABC, as well as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.
(Un)interrupted Bliss
By the time she entered the kitchen, he was already making breakfast. He'd gotten up earlier than her, careful not to wake her as he started his daily routine.
"Good morning, my dear wife," he greeted her with a teasing smile as he handed her a mug of tea – spiced chai, two sugars, just the way she liked it.
"Thank you, my darling husband," she replied jokingly – the word 'husband' sending a thrill down her spine – before hopping up onto the kitchen counter, her usual perch. She'd always sat on the table in the great hall of the Dark Castle when she talked with him, and it was turning out to be a hard habit to break in Storybrooke. Rumpel didn't seem to mind, however.
"You're welcome," as he spoke, he moved to stand in front of her while she sipped her tea.
"So," Belle began, setting her tea down to cool, "What's the plan for today? What crisis do we have to prevent?"
"None," Rumpel replied.
"None?" she raised an eyebrow sceptically. She'd only been in Storybrooke for a short time compared to most of its residents, but even she knew that not a day went by without some sort of panic-ensuing problem threatening the lives of everyone in town.
"None," he repeated, "Every crisis has been averted. Every threat, defeated. The biggest problem facing the town now seems to be the Evil Queen's crumbling love life."
"Then what in the world are we going to do with our day?" she asked coyly, a grin spreading across her face.
"Anything you want," he answered with a smile to match hers, taking another step toward her and setting down his own mug. He placed his hands on her hips before asking, "So, how would you like to spend the day, sweetheart?"
"Well," she began, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I'd like to start with something… like… this."
With each word she leaned closer and closer until he could feel her breath on his lips as she spoke the last syllable. She was teasing him, the way she always loved to, and with that look in her eyes, he couldn't help himself. By the time she'd finished her sentence, he was already in motion. He captured her mouth with his, bringing her – his wife – as close to him as possible without pulling her off the counter.
She deepened the kiss without hesitation, responding with wholehearted enthusiasm as her lips moved against his, opening her mouth to allow him better access. She wound her fingers into his hair, savoring every inch of him.
He ran his hands over her back, feeling her shiver beneath his touch through the dark silk shirt she wore – one of his. She loved wearing his dress shirts to bed, loved having a little piece of him that proved he was hers. And he loved seeing her in his button-downs – too big and boxy for her petite form – because, like both the ring on her finger and the hickeys on her neck, seeing her wear one of his shirts was like leaving his mark on her. Belle belonged to no one, her choices were always her own, but if she chose to show that no other man was allowed to love her the way he did, then he wouldn't complain.
She wrapped her bare legs around his waist, pulling herself even closer to him. Her hands moved from his hair to his shirt, tugging and pulling at the soft cotton fabric with evident desire. She wanted him. He never understood why, but she cared for him; she loved him; she wanted him.
He separated his lips from hers, only to begin trailing kisses along her jawline, her neck, her collar bone.
"Shall we move this upstairs?" he asked between kisses.
"Yes," she gasped out, digging her fingernails into the fabric of his shirt.
Just as Rumpelstiltskin was contemplating the best way to lift her up and carry her back to his bedroom – their bedroom – the doorbell rang.
"No," Belle sighed exasperatedly.
"If we're quiet, maybe they'll just go away," he suggested, placing another slow kiss to her neck.
That small hope was dashed only a second later when Emma Swan's loud voice carried from outside, "Gold!"
"No one's home!" he shouted back over his shoulder.
"We need your help." Mary Margaret called.
"We're busy!" Belle retorted, almost more exasperated with her extended family than he'd ever heard her.
"This is an emergency," Emma added, "Whatever you're doing can wait."
Rumpelstiltskin reluctantly released Belle, storming toward the door. She hopped down from the counter a moment later, following quickly in his wake. He threw open the door to find the Savior and both her parents standing before him, all looking slightly distressed and entirely uncomfortable.
"And what can I do for you today, Miss Swan?" he asked, pouring all of his usual sardonic charm into the words.
"It's Regina," Emma said.
"She's been pretty… unstable since Marian arrived," Snow continued, "And she kind of went on a bit of a rampage last night."
"Destroyed some property, scared a few teenagers. No permanent damage, though," David chimed in.
"And we wouldn't have bothered you," Snow added, "Except that we're afraid she's becoming a danger to everyone again. The people of this town are our citizens – our responsibility – we can't put them in harm's way again."
"Since when did they care about anyone who wasn't related to them?" Belle mumbled behind Rumpel, just loud enough for only him to hear.
He suppressed a smile as Emma asked, "So, is there anything you can do to help?"
"Regina's suffering from a broken heart – something she hasn't really experienced for some time now – what she needs isn't magic, it's time," he answered, surprising the three people standing before him.
"We can't just let her run around taking her heartbreak out on innocent people," the blonde replied indignantly.
"Then don't," Belle said, stepping out from behind her husband. Without her usual towering heels, the others had to look down to meet her eyes.
"She just found out that her boyfriend's long lost wife is still alive and that said wife is also back to being a part his life," Belle continued, "She needs time, yes, but she also needs comfort. She needs someone to sit with her and listen to her and just be there while she's going through all of this. That someone could also make sure that she doesn't start attacking people in the streets."
"So, you're saying one of us should look after her?" Charming asked, attempting to look at anything besides her bare legs.
"Absolutely not," Belle responded emphatically, "She hates you," she gestured to Emma, "for bringing Marian back to Storybrooke. And she hates you two," she turned to Snow and Charming, "for a lifetime of bad blood between your families and for giving birth to the reason her love life is now falling apart. None of you should try to make her feel better."
"Then who?" Snow asked.
"Talk to Tinker Bell about it. The two of them seem to be close, or at least what qualifies for 'close' when it comes to Regina. Tink's probably the best person to send."
"She'll need to bring alcohol, ice cream, and a cheesy movie, preferably something with a happy ending and a horse," Rumpel added.
"So, that's it?" Emma replied, her confusion obvious in her voice, "No potion? No magical artifacts or spells? Just wine and desert?"
"A broken heart is a broken heart, whether it belongs to a lovestruck teenager or the Evil Queen. And either way, it must be treated in the same fashion.
"Now," he said, wrapping his arm around Belle's waist, "If that's all, I'd like to get back to… spending time with my wife."
All three of the Charmings suddenly looked even more uncomfortable, the full extent of what they'd interrupted finally sinking in.
"Come on guys," the Savior said, taking both her parents by the arm and leading them away from the house, "Let's leave the newlyweds to… whatever the hell it is they do."
A moment later Rumpelstiltskin slammed the door shut behind them before his hands quickly found their way back to Belle's hips.
"Now, my wife, where were we?" he asked playfully.
"I believe," she answered, slowly leaning forward again, "We were right about here."
She placed one kiss – soft and gentle and sweet – on his lips before he unexpectedly scooped her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs to his – no – their room.
Author Notes: So, what did you think? Don't forget to tell me! Reviews are, as always, very much appreciated.