Author's Note
Guys, I'm absolutely excited about Scarlet Beauty.
I love(d) Rumbelle, and I think it's also endgame. But I really don't like Rumple's behavior towards Belle in Season 4. I know I know, he just wants to have his Happy Ending, but pls not by manipulating his (ex-)wife.
Anyways: I ship Belle and happiness - no matter who she ends up with.. :)
So, I loved the pawnshop scene, and I wanted to take it as a basis for this short Scarlet Beauty One Shot with dark, jaleous Rumple.
Characters are pretty OOC in this.
Enjoy!
She smiled as she closed her eyes, leaning forward to inhale the sweet flowery scent. Her mouth touched the soft petals, causing a tickling sensation that reminded her of the soft lips that belonged to the man who had placed the red rose before the pawnshop's door.
Belle had never thought that she would find that kind happiness so shortly after her marriage had ended so bitterly, that she could bring herself to open up to another man ever again. But whenever Will's fingers would touch hers, always so cautious as if afraid to do something wrong, whenever he would gift her with one of his cheeky and at the same time loving smiles, she knew that he had been able to prove her wrong – that she maybe had a second chance at a happy ending.
The ringing sound of the pawnshop's door bell sounded through the room, making Belle turn around to see as Killian walked in. He closed the door behind him, staying there for a little longer as his eyes were solely focused on her.
"Killian" Belle sighed in relief, offering the man a genuine smile. "Is… is the dagger safe?"
The pirate wore an unreadable expression on his face as he slowly approached her – and something about his behavior made Belle's heart flutter nervously in her chest.
"Yes." Hook finally said, and nodded his head curtly. "And now that it's hidden, we have one last piece of business."
He was now standing right in front of her, staring at her with a thoughtful expression.
"You must swear a pirate's oath." the pirate continued seriously. "We must promise to never talk about what happened to day again. To one another or anyone else."
Belle cocked her head at that, narrowing her eyes a little at his words.
"It's the only way to ensure the dagger stays safe." Killian urged as he saw the indecisiveness on Belle's face.
The beauty looked up at him, meeting his genuinely concerned eyes.
When it came to the dagger, she had always been too wary, too nervous that any decision she would make would have severe consequences. But Killian was right. The less they talked about it, the less likely would the Queens of Darkness be able to find it.
She let out a deep breath as she finally nodded her agreement.
The flicker of a smile washed over Hook's lips. Belle felt how the fingers of his good hand gently wrapped around her wrist, lifting her hand up to his chest. Puzzled, Belle followed the movement of their hands, uncertain what to think as her hand lay right above Hook's heart. She could feel the warmth of his body through the thin fabric of his dark shirt, could even feel the nervous beating of his heart against her fingertips. She let out a startled gasp as the pirate placed his good hand on her own chest, and her eyes widened a little as Hook took a step forward, bringing his body closer to hers. The beauty felt a flush appear on her cheeks as she met the pirate's eyes. The way he was staring at her as if she was the reason for the world to spin, the way his eyes were glistering with so much intensity and longing made her feel more and more uncomfortable.
She knew that look, had seen it many times before.
But not on the pirate's face.
"You have my word." Killian breathed lowly without breaking eye contact.
His face was now merely inches away from hers, and the closeness made Belle's breath hitch in her throat. There was a long moment of tensed silence between them, and it was only when the pirate's lips started to move even closer, and Belle feared that he might actually try and kiss her, did Belle swallow hard before answering: "And you have mine."
She felt how Hook's fingers curled a little at her words, and Belle herself felt a short pang of pain pierce her heart as she realized that both of them had used exactly the same words Rumple and she had uttered so many years ago to seal their fateful deal with one another.
But before Belle could follow the thought, she noticed how Hook's eyes flickered towards the rose that was standing behind them.
"I'm guessing that's a gift from your new admirer Will." he said with a strained smile on his face and took a step away from her.
Belle turned, and the sight of the beautiful rose suddenly washed away all the fears, concerns and sorrows she had felt only moments ago.
"Yeah." she replied, smiling fondly at the flower. "It was outside when I got here."
She turned her head to face Killian again, gifting him with a happy grin.
Killian gave her a short nod and shifted awkwardly from one side to the other.
"If… if you don't mind..." he then said, sounding strangely nervous, almost concerned. "Things are.. serious?"
Belle noticed how he lifted his chin and straightened his spine, clenching his jaw as if to prepare himself for her answer.
She furrowed her brow at his strange behavior, and suddenly, the portentous feeling from earlier, when he had asked her for the dagger started to form in her stomach.
Killian was staring intently at her, the strained smile on his face not able to distract from the strange glimmer in the depths of his stormy eyes.
Out of instinct, she took a small step away from him.
Something was not right.
"Pretty serious, mate." a cold voice suddenly sounded through the room.
Belle's and Hook's heads turned towards the voice, and Belle's mouth dropped open as she spotted Will who was leaning casually against the doorframe that led to the backroom.
The shade of Hook's normally light blue eyes turned significantly darker at the sight of the thief, something that didn't go unnoticed by the Knave. The corners of Will's lips twitched upwards in amusement, and his eyes glistered with an unmistakable spark of triumph as he locked eyes with the pirate.
"Will…" Belle croaked out, making the thief finally turn his attention towards her.
"Hello there, love." he said with a soft smile on his lips. "I hope I'm not intruding?"
The Knave gave her a mischievous wink, and under normal circumstances, Belle would have probably giggled at his cheeky remark, as he was obviously referring to their earlier encounter with Hook at Granny's.
But Belle had the feeling that the situation was far from normal.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice sounding hoarse to her own ears.
The Knave just shrugged his shoulders and pushed himself away from the doorframe, making his way towards her with a broad grin on his face.
"A valid question." Hook growled, his eyes following the other man.
"Isn't that obvious, love?" Will replied, pointedly choosing to ignore the pirate and gave her a peck on the cheek as he took the place next to Belle. "I wanted to make up for the time we lost due to your…" Will lifted his eyes, turning his head slightly to look at the pirate with a significant colder look on his face.
"… friend here." the thief finished, spatting the words dismissively.
Belle noticed how Hook's eyes narrowed dangerously, the blue within them almost vanished and replaced by a glistering blackness.
"I let myself in through the backdoor." Will continued happily, focusing his attention back on Belle. "Hope that's alright with ya?"
Belle's eyes were firmly glued on the pirate before them, her eyes wide with fear as she noticed the murderous look on Killian's face as he glared at Will.
"Shouldn't you better be stumbling around town, getting mindlessly pissed as always, Scarlet?" Hook growled lowly through clenched teeth.
Will let out an unamused laugh, shaking his head a little.
"I'd rather enjoy the company of my lady instead, thank you very much."
"Your lady?" the pirate echoed lowly, stressing the first word pointedly.
Belle's blood ran cold at the sound of Hook's voice and as she watched how he slowly took one step forward towards them.
"Will" she whispered feverishly, grabbing the Knave's hand and squeezing it tightly. Her heart hammered vigorously in her chest, the fragile organ beating painfully against her ribcage as she moved her gaze to look at Will, desperately trying to get him to look at her.
But Will's focus was entirely on the hooked man before them, gifting him with another of his cheeky triumphant grins.
"Why of course." The Knave retorted, and wrapped his arm possessively around Belle's waist as if to emphasize his words, pulling her closer to him. "And last time I checked, you've got a lady yourself. So if you don't mind… leave mine alone."
"Will please stop." Belle whispered, looking at his profile with pleading huge eyes as she tried to wiggle herself out of his strong hold.
That finally got the thief's attention, and with an unmistakably puzzled expression, he looked down at her.
"What's wrong, love?" he asked and shook his head in confusion. "Just telling him that he should stop approaching a lady who's taken."
Belle had already opened her mouth, aiming at telling, imploring Will to better leave, when a cold, low laugh made the words die on her tongue.
"Oh taken she is." Hook said with a chilly smirk on his face. "But she doesn't belong to you, dearie."
Belle' heart stopped beating as she heard the familiar endearment, and she pressed herself further against Will's body as a cloud of purple smoke suddenly enveloped the pirate, transforming the man into her husband.
Belle felt how Will's body tensed, and a shocked gasp escaped his lips as he stood face to face with the Dark One.
"Rumpelstiltskin." The Knave all but breathed, tightening his grasp around Belle's form.
"Oh, so you have heard about me?" the Dark One laughed cheerlessly, his eyes burning with pure malice. "Then I suppose you do realize that your arm is currently wrapped around my wife."
Rumpelstiltskin approached the pair with predatory steps, a murderous expression carved into his features as his gaze was glued on Will.
"That it's my wife's lips and face you apparently are so eager to kiss." he hissed.
The fear was apparent on Will's face as he met the Dark One's gaze who looked at him like a predator at his prey. The Knave felt how Belle's small form shivered against his body, could sense the fear that was running through her veins. Rumpelstiltskin's gaze shifted from Will to Belle, and a spark of pained betrayal and hurt appeared within the depths of his eyes as he looked at her.
"That she promised me forever – in this land or any other." Rumpelstiltskin added hoarsely, but significantly softer than before. "My happy ending."
Will heard how Belle took in a shattering breath, grasping his hand more tightly as Rumpelstiltskin continued to approach.
"Belle… I…"
But before Rumpelstiltskin could continue, Will suddenly shoved the beauty behind his own form, blocking her sight from the Dark One's view as the Knave stood protectively before her.
"You squandered your chance at a happy ending with Belle the moment you chose power over her love, Dark One." Will spat in return, his eyes burning with fury. "You lied to her, used and manipulated her – and you still do."
"Will please don't!" Belle urged heatedly from behind him, trying to step back beside him, but Will's determined arm consistently pushed her back.
"I only did what was necessary to ensure our happy ending." Rumpelstiltskin growled through clenched teeth, his eyes flashing darkly at the younger man as he watched how the Knave kept Belle safely behind his body.
"Yours, not hers!" Will snapped. "You made your choice, Dark One. We made ours."
"You won't speak for her, Knave!" Rumple growled darkly, and dark magic crackled at his fingertips as he spoke. "You don't know what's best for her."
"But I do." Will insisted lowly. "She went through hell to get you out of her life, and you are not coming back! You nearly destroyed that beautiful soul the first time you had her…"
Will shook his head determinedly, staring the feared Dark One straight into his eyes.
Without breaking eye-contact with Rumpelstiltskin, Will reached behind him, taking Belle's hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly as he laced his fingers with hers.
"And as long as I live, I won't let that happen – ever again." he added firmly, gifting the powerful sorcerer with a determined look that held all of the strength he was able to muster.
Rumpelstiltskin stared at the pair before him for a long, thoughtful moment, before his lips suddenly quirked up into a malicious grin.
"Well then I suppose I know exactly what to do."
With one quick movement of Rumpelstiltskin's hand, an invisible force lifted Will up from the ground, choking him mercilessly as he hung helplessly in the air.
"NO!" Belle screamed as she had to watch how Will fought for his life. "Rumple, STOP! You're killing him!"
"Well that was the original purpose, Belle." Rumpelstiltskin retorted icily, but with a heated and satisfied gleam in his eyes as he watched the Knave's struggle for air.
"Let him go!" Belle begged with tears in her voice and on her face. She ran forward towards Rumpelstiltskin to stop him, but her husband just held out his other hand, freezing her to the spot.
"I'm sorry Belle." Rumpelstiltskin said with an almost sad tone in his voice. "But no one steals from the Dark One."
"Rumple please…" Belle sobbed in desperation, seeing how the life slowly but steadily parted the Knave's body.
"You want me, not him!" she screamed. "Rumple, I'll come with you wherever it is you want to go… just let him live!"
"Belle NO!" Will screamed in a strained voice, but immediately let out a pained groan as the magical force tightened even further around his pipes.
"Please Rumple…" the beauty begged, her eyes firmly fixed on the Dark One. "It's not too late! But if you kill him, it surely is!"
Rumpelstiltskin shifted his gaze until it settled on his wife. For a moment that felt like forever, he stared at her with a thoughtful expression on his face. Suddenly, he let both hands drop, and Belle felt how she was freed from the spell that had trapped her in place. She heard how Will crashed noisily to the ground, the thief on the ground panting desperately for air.
Belle wanted to run to him, check if he was ok, but was stopped when slender fingers wrapped around her wrist and holding her in place.
"You've made the right decision, Belle." she heard Rumple whisper as he pulled her gently towards him.
Tears were running down her face as she kept her gaze glued on the panting thief on the ground. Rumple turned her around so that she faced him, and with his thumb, he gently wiped away one thick tear from her cheek.
"He'll soon be merely a faint memory of a nightmare, sweetheart." Rumple said softly, smiling at her in a way that made Belle sob even harder.
"We will be fine…" he continued, kissing her forehead affectionately. "I promise."
She felt how her body was enveloped in a cloud of purple smoke, magically announcing that Rumple would transport them to an unknown place.
Before her vision blurred, she turned her head once again, looking at Will's direction.
The Knave was still lying on the ground, but had his head lifted to look back at her.
The last thing she saw were brown eyes that were filled with tears of hopeless realization, and her heart shattered to pieces when Will shook his head in desperation with her name on his lips.
"She's my wife." Rumpelstiltskin growled, and with that, he and his wife vanished into a cloud of purple smoke, leaving behind a shattered Will Scarlet on the ground pf Mr Gold's pawnshop.