Free Sample
A "Chocolate" verse Rumbelle tale
A/N: takes place soon after "Raindrops", 5th installment in my Chocolate verse series. Written for TS to make her smile. Enjoy, dearies!
The Godiva Boutique on Madison Avenue at 67th Street was hosting a free sampling of their newest chocolate, and also a contest to name the creation. Only select stores were doing the samples and holding the contest, and the contest winner would be given a year's supply of the new chocolate bar they had named. Rhiannon read about it in the Sunday paper, after Bae had taken them out for breakfast at the small diner by their apartment, and had been pestering him to take her there for days but it was too close to preparations for the next big art show, and Bae had three students in it plus himself to get ready.
"Sorry, hon, but I have no time to go traipsing across town right now, not even for chocolate," he told her regretfully.
"But Dad!" his daughter pleaded. "They never give away free samples at Godiva! This is the first time ever! And you can win free chocolate for a whole year! Good chocolate too, not the cheap kind. It's better than the other contests where they stick some ticket in a really expensive box of chocolate for a diamond necklace, because you don't have to spend money, you just have to come up with a really good name." She gave him her patented please-I'll-be-the-best-daughter-in-the-world-and-your-slave-for the-next-week-and-I'll-love-you-forever Look.
Bae groaned. "Rhee . . .you know I would if I didn't have schedules to keep . . ." He hated disappointing her, because she wasn't one of those demanding kids who always asked for everything and wanted expensive clothes, shoes, hair treatments, and vacations. Rhiannon's favorite places to go were Barnes & Noble, Central Park, the Bronx Zoo, the Museum of Natural History, the New York Public Library, the movies and her grandfather's antique shop. Thinking about his papa's shop made Bae realize that perhaps he didn't have to disappoint his daughter after all. "Hey, what if you asked your grandpa and grandma to go instead, swanmay? They spend Sundays and Saturdays at home and I'm sure they wouldn't mind going to a free sampling of Godiva. You know how much they both love chocolate."
Rhee beamed at him. "Dad, you're the best!" she hugged him. Then she reached into his pocket for his cell phone. "Lemme give them a call, okay?"
Five minutes later she hung up. "They said yes!" she told him, practically skipping up and down.
"Okay, let me go and drop you off," Bae agreed, then he took his eager daughter over to his father's brownstone. "Maybe you can bring me back some, huh?"
"Sure, Dad! Now don't work too hard and give yourself an ulcer," she teased, and she kissed his cheek lightly. "Butterfly kiss!"
Bae rubbed his nose against hers. "Eskimo kiss!"
Rhee giggled. "Dad, you're silly!"
Bae's dark eyes twinkled. "And here's a kiss for luck, mo cridhe," he said and kissed her forehead. Mo cridhe was Gaelic for "sweetheart", and he had often called Sorcha that when they were courting and even afterwards. Now he rarely used the endearment, though he used to call Rhiannon that when she was small.
"Now we'll be sure to win," she declared, wearing an impish smirk reminiscent of her grandpa Rumple.
Page~*~*~*~Break
They took a cab down to Madison, and it dropped them off about a block before the store, so they had time to window shop and brainstorm about names for the chocolate, which was a dark chocolate bar with a peanut butter center as they walked down the street. Rhee was so excited she could have run the whole way there, but she curbed her enthusiasm in deference to her grandfather, since Gold couldn't match her pace with his lame leg.
"Slow down, dearie, the chocolate will still be there five minutes from now," Gold remonstrated as the nine-year-old dodged an elderly vet in a wheelchair.
"She's a New Yorker, all right," Belle laughed. "Always hurrying." She herself often had trouble adjusting to Manhattan's frenetic pace being used to sleepy half-dead Storybrooke, where nothing ever happened unless some crazed supervillain invaded the town.
Rhiannon expelled a long-suffering sigh and slowed down to wait—again—and wondered when they were going to get to the store—by Christmas?
She waited a few feet from the main entrance of the boutique, tapping her pink Ked against the sidewalk and whistling the tune to "Tale as Old as Time." Then she watched the people entering and leaving the store, thinking gleefully how astonished they would be if they knew that the real live Beauty and the Beast were walking towards them right here and now.
But of course no one could know—and no one here would believe that the thirty-something woman with the soft auburn hair and indigo eyes wearing the Donna Karen blue hydrangea print dress and iolite necklace and earrings was really the Beauty of the tales, nor that her Beast was actually a three hundred plus sorcerer who looked like a model for a middle-aged GQ fashionplate in his Armani suit with his gold headed cane. And no one here batted an eyelash that Gold was two decades older than the woman he was escorting, and clearly was in love with. People were less judgmental here in the city where all kinds of people gathered and worked and lived their lives of all ethnicities, backgrounds, ages, creeds, and sexuality. New York was America in miniature, or at least that's how Rhee thought of it. People from all over the world visited here, to marvel, to admire, and for some to find a home because they belonged nowhere else.
"You can stop putting a hole in the sidewalk now, dearie," Rumple laughed, his voice tinged with that hint of a Scottish accent, even though he had never hailed from that fair isle.
"I just don't want all the samples to be gone," she told him, a hint of impatience coloring her tone.
"Oh, I doubt that will happen," Belle smiled. "I'm sure they have plenty to go around."
They entered the store, with its gold embossed lettering on the shop window and delectable gold boxes and faux treats on Lennox china serving trays on display. The gold awning flapped in the wind, and luscious smells emerged from the shop interior as Belle held the door for her granddaughter and husband.
The most mouthwatering delectable aroma came to tantalize them as they entered the boutique, causing them to salivate involuntarily as they crossed the threshold. It was the smell of chocolate melting, releasing a heady rich pure cocoa and cream scent into the air. Other scents mingled also, cinnamon, sugar, a faint whiff of raspberries and apricots, roasted nuts.
"Oh . . .oh my God!" Belle moaned softly. "I just ate lunch and now I'm—drooling!"
"You're not the only one, dearie," Rumple murmured. "This aroma could bring the dead back to life by the sheer deliciousness of it. If I let myself, I could eat this whole store!"
"Mmm! Can I get a cup of hot cocoa?" Rhee asked plaintively.
Rumple put an arm around his granddaughter. "Dearie, you can get whatever you want. We'll bring some chocolate home for your papa too, okay?"
Rhiannon nodded. "Sounds good to me, Grandpa." But she wondered—surely her grandpa didn't mean whatever she wanted, right?
There were counters where cashiers waited with state of the art registers to ring up purchases. The floor was a light bone color with striations of soft coffee color through the marble, almost like chocolate drizzle. The walls were pale gold and everywhere was the Godiva logo. Several prints of chocolate of various kinds decorated the walls and there were large displays of all kinds of chocolate—in boxes, in bags, held in the paws of signature Godiva bears. There was a round display of chocolate in front of them labeled—New For Summer—in colorful blue and pink boxes with Hawaiian flowers on them.
Further back was a long low display of the traditional Godiva truffles, plain chocolate in dark and light varieties, and chocolate covered pretzels. There were several displays of different kinds of truffles and bonbons, a whole rack of Godiva hot cocoa varieties, a small display of all kinds of chocolate covered nuts and an entire rack of chocolate bars, small and large in all kinds of flavors. There was a counter that said—specialities—order here—and featured one of a kind chocolates and chocolate dipped strawberries and cakes. Seeing a sales associate wearing a brown shirt and a nametag, Belle stopped her and asked, "Would you mind telling us where we can go to do the free sample contest?"
"Right over here, ma'am," greeted the small woman with bouncy red curls. She led them to a counter near a machine that served hot cocoa, and on the counter was a sign and a box. Another associate, this one a tall young woman, about twenty-three, was behind the counter cutting up chocolate bars with a sharp knife into pieces. "Jackie, got another few for you," said the red-haired woman, whose name was Cassie.
"Hi! Welcome to Godiva chocolatier!" Jackie said pleasantly. "My name's Jackie and I'll be your server today. So who wants to sample our newest product?"
"We all do," Rumple said, his eyes lighting up.
"Good, then you can all fill out a ballet there with your name, email address, phone number, date, and the name you picked after you sample the chocolate," Jackie said, and indicated a small stack of slips on the counter with a glass pen holder filled with pens next to it. She set the sample tray of pieces of chocolate next to it. "You can take five pieces and sample them to get a good taste of our product, and remember to take your time and savor the taste, let it roll off your tongue so you can think about it and try and come up with a name that describes how it tastes to you or how it makes you feel when you eat it."
"How many names can we put down?" Belle asked curiously.
"Only one, I'm afraid, because if we have people put more than one it could be seen as someone getting more chances than someone else. So make sure the name you put down is the one you like best," Jackie instructed.
"And when does the contest end?" asked Rumple.
"This weekend is our last day," Jackie replied. "And then we send the results to our home office here in Manhattan and they look over all the submissions and choose one."
"How will we know when to expect a call?"
"Well, I'd say the whole process will take a few weeks to sort through all the submissions. So expect a call or email in about a month or so. Good luck and please, when you're through sampling, don't forget to shop in our store and take some sweet memories home with you or to your family."
"Oh we will," Rumple assured her. He handed Rhee some money. "Go and get your hot cocoa, dearie, while your grandma and I sample the first piece."
"Thanks," his granddaughter took the ten he handed her and skipped off to the hot cocoa machine, then studied her choices before slipping the money into the slot and getting a cup, then pouring the Cinnamon Swirl Cocoa into her medium sized cup. The delicious aroma of melted chocolate filled the air as the machine dispensed her cocoa.
On the side was a small condiment bar with a milk pitcher, sprinkles of different kinds, espresso powder, cinnamon, and whipped cream.
Rhee put whipped cream on her cocoa and sprinkled cinnamon and chocolate crunchies on top, then grabbed a spoon and a napkin.
She inhaled the steam rising from her cup and sipped slowly so as not to burn her tongue. The rich creamy cocoa hit the back of her throat like a caress and she swallowed rapturously. Smiling, she licked her lips, then made her way over to where her grandparents were standing, each with a sample of the new Godiva chocolate in hand. Rhee took her own piece and was about to eat it but halted upon watching her grandparents, wanting to see their reactions first.
Belle put the sample in her mouth and let it dissolve on her tongue. Her tastebuds exploded with the decadent flavor of dark chocolate paired with the sweet creamy peanut butter, melding together in an irresistible combination of sweet and creamy with slightly bitter. "Mmm . . .mmm . . .oh, Rumple, it's soo amazing . . .!"
Rumple rather thought the look on her face was similar to the one she wore after they had made love, but of course, because they were in public, he kept that thought to himself, saying instead, "You look like you've died and gone to heaven, dearie. Let me try." He popped his piece into his mouth and sucked at it.
At once his mouth was filled with the most rapturous taste . . .the bitter dark notes of the cocoa complimented by the rich buttery silky taste of the peanut butter. It satisfied his innate craving for something sweet and something darker, giving the chocolate a fine balance between too much sugar and not enough. His tongue slid out and licked his lips, flicking briefly across his bottom lip. "Ahh . . .that was superb! Just the right balance between light and dark." He sighed in deep satisfaction, his mouth already watering for the next piece.
Belle thought he looked like he did when he woke up after they had made love all night, like a lazy contented satisfied cat, begging to be stroked and purring when she did so. And seeing his tongue flickering like that made her own throat go dry with yearning. His eyes were that same shade of smoky cognac, dreamy with desire. "Do you love it as much as I do, sweetheart?"
"Oh aye, I do," he assured her, but when he reached for another piece, Belle took one and said, "Here, why don't we feed each other?"
"Fine with me, dearie," he agreed, and opened his mouth.
Rhee smiled and ate her own piece, savoring the delicious flavor. "Mmm, I think this is the best chocolate from Godiva I've ever tasted," she said, then took her other four pieces, ate another, and wrote busily on her piece of paper. Then she tucked it into the ballot box and put her pencil back. She looked over at her grandparents—and her jaw dropped.
Belle had just popped the piece of chocolate into Rumple's mouth, and he playfully licked her fingers as she did so, a wicked gleam in his eye. "Sorry, couldn't resist," he purred, rolling his R's in that sexy burr she loved so well. Then he moaned in bliss as the extraordinary blend of dark and light delight spread across his tongue again. Once more, he licked his lips to make sure every bit of chocolate was eaten.
"Darling," Belle hissed. "You keep doing . . .that with your tongue and I'm going to get arrested for indecent erotic kissing in public!"
He smirked. "Belle! Now really, dearie!" he then fed her another piece. "This ought to keep you busy."
"Oooh . . .ahh . . .ohh . . ." she moaned in ecstasy, unable to get enough of the wonderful flavors. She closed her eyes, trying to make the small sample last, then she spotted Rumple's finger coated with some melted chocolate and said, "Ooh, give me that!"
She grabbed her husband's hand and started sucking it to get the last drops of chocolate off.
Rumple didn't mind at all. Not one little bit.
"Mmm . . ."
"I'll have what she's having," muttered another customer as they went by with a basket.
"I'd rather do what she's doing to him!" her friend whispered, elbowing the other woman. She flashed an appreciative grin at Gold, until her friend dragged her away to pick out bonbons.
Rhiannon rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, Grammy, it's just chocolate! I mean it's really great and all but . . ." she didn't know what had gotten into her grandparents. It was like they were ODing on chocolate!
She went and grabbed her cocoa and said, "I'm gonna do a little shopping and meet you back here in a bit." Maybe by that time they'd be back to normal. She hurried down an aisle with a tower of chocolate covered cherries and truffles. She could just hear her dad saying he would love some dark chocolate cherries.
Rumple snagged a third piece and dangled it teasingly in front of Belle's nose. "Open wide, sweetheart."
Belle obligingly opened her mouth. "MmmhmmmMmm . . ." she whimpered in delight. When she could talk again, she said, "Rumple, how about we plan a very romantic evening at home soon? With some chocolate fondue or a fountain for dessert?"
"I think that would be verra lovely," he purred, sounding like a tiger purring. "It's too bad we couldn't have this chocolate to melt and dip our fruit and pound cake into."
"If we did, we'd never stop eating!" Belle sighed.
"You're right—now where's my other piece?" he said, pouting slightly like a little boy.
"Oh it's coming, keep your shorts on!" she mock-scolded, shaking a finger playfully at him. She picked up his third piece.
"Minx!" he growled and opened his mouth.
She gently laid it on his tongue.
He playfully nipped her fingers as he closed his mouth. Then he sighed at the heavenly flavor. "I could eat an entire case of these!" he purred happily, a look of sheer bliss coming over his face.
Jackie tittered. "From the look on your face, sir, I'd say you were enjoying that chocolate entirely too much!" Then she thought about how she wished a guy would look at her with that same expression on his face—of utter love.
"How many more pieces do we have left?" Belle asked.
"Two," replied the associate.
"Really, dearie?" Rumple looked upset. "How about if I make a deal with you for just one more piece?" he wheedled.
"No can do, sir. My manager's very strict. And he has cameras on me to make sure I only give each customer five pieces—and make sure I'm not eating any myself," she told him regretfully.
"Humph! Killjoy!" he snorted under his breath. But a part of him realized that was only good business practice. "Ahh, okay. I don't want you to get in trouble." Then he took his fourth sample and began to nibble it, trying to make it last.
Belle watched his perfect white teeth nibbling the chocolate and her eyes went slightly glazed in rapture. Then she took her own fourth piece and began to slowly lick it. How many licks does it take to get to the peanut butter center of a Godiva bar?
A young businessman going past them did a doubletake as he observed Belle licking her sample. "Oh baby, I wish I was that piece of chocolate, because you are hotter than a Playboy centerfold," he muttered, and wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from his brow, staring at Belle's shapely legs and backside in her pretty dress. His eyes climbed higher, as if drawn by a lodestone, to her breasts, which unfortunately were covered but he could imagine what they were like . . .and then he looked at her mouth, so pert and sweet, and the way her tongue lapped chocolate like a cat with a bowlful of cream . . .Sweet Jesus, I'm gonna self combust right here!
Then he felt hard eyes on him and turned slightly to see the man in the Armani suit giving him a glare that should have slain him on the spot. He felt his sudden lust wither and he gulped and smiled guiltily. "You're a lucky guy," he offered by way of apology, and slipped off down the aisle, feeling his balls cringe in reaction. Too late he registered the fact that she had been wearing a wedding band, and that Mafia don guy must have been her husband. But he carried the image of the hot little number licking chocolate all the way down the aisle where he picked up a heart-shaped box of truffles for his current girlfriend, wishing that she were as stacked as the chocolate tart he'd just seen.
Rhee was happily picking out all kinds of chocolate and putting it in a small cart. She had even stopped over at the custom chocolate counter and ordered a chocolate swan for her dad, with a strawberry ganache and dark fudge center. It would be ready in an hour and she gave them the address of her grandpa's house to deliver it to, since she wasn't sure if her dad would be home and she didn't want the chocolate to melt.
She considered her overflowing cart, wondering if she should get another box of dark chocolate limited edition summertime truffles for her grandparents or another canister of hot praline hot cocoa. Aww, the hell with it! Grandpa did say I could get whatever I wanted so . . . she put both items into the cart.
Then she began to wheel the cart back up the aisle to where the sample counter was. She figured her grandparents must be done by now, and she had eaten all her pieces and drank her cocoa.
Rumple picked up his last piece of chocolate, wishing he could buy the entire sample counter to take home with him. "When is this new chocolate released?" he asked Jackie.
"Umm . . .well in a few months, once we've gotten a name for it and the contest winner is notified," she answered, thinking she'd give him more samples just so she could watch these two eat some more, they were definitely the most amusing and entertaining people she'd had sample yet. She wished she were allowed her phone on the salesfloor to record them eating, it was better than watching America's Funniest Home Videos.
"We'll make sure we pick an appropriate name for it," he said, and almost wished he weren't a principled businessman and white magician now, or he might have used magic to fudge the odds a little.
As if she could read his mind, Belle whispered, "Rumplestiltskin, don't you dare!" in his ear.
He gave her an innocent look. "What are you talking about? Don't do what? This?" he put the last piece of chocolate in his mouth and relished it, his eyes glittering with mischief.
"You know what!" she frowned, shaking her head. Then she ate her own piece, and wished she were not so principled, for this chocolate was worth playing with the odds for. She so wanted to win this contest!
"I know only that you look as delectable, dearie, as this chocolate," he muttered, too low for anyone in the store save her to hear.
Then he leaned forward and said, "You have a bit of chocolate right—here." And he kissed her.
It was an excuse, of course, to kiss her and taste that heavenly chocolate all over again, and he enjoyed every moment of that sweet kiss, savoring both the sinfully rich chocolate and also his wife's lips on his, which ignited a fire within him that he feared he needed a very cold shower—like of arctic temperatures—to put out.
Belle put her arms about him, unable to help herself, and even though they were in the midst of public place couldn't restrain herself from kissing him back, for he tasted irresistible, sweetness and light intermingled with sinful rapture of dark chocolate and the unique spicy taste that was all his own and that made her long to unbutton the Gold One right here and now.
Jackie's eyes widened in glee and she thought the chocolate must have some aphrodisiac qualities to make a couple start kissing like mad in the middle of the store!
"Hey, Grandpa, I think I got everything I wanted, did you pick out a name yet—" Rhee began, then she froze, her hand going to her mouth.
Her grandparents were—making out in the middle of the store! Rhee wanted to sink into the floor. Flushing, she went up to them and hissed, "Grandpa, quit it with the PDA's before they throw us out!"
"Hmmm?" Gold murmured. He felt intoxicated, the sugar coursing through his system engendering such sweet desire that he quite forgot where he was and what he was doing . . .well, he knew what he was doing, but he didn't care who was watching.
Until his intrepid granddaughter nudged him hard in the ribs. "Grandpa! You'd better quit kissing Grammy like some soldier goin' on TDY, or get a room before they arrest ya for improper displays of affection."
Rumple pulled apart from Belle to look down at his pint sized mini me and flushed as he realized just what he had been doing. "Err . . .we were just . . .sampling the last piece of chocolate, dearie," he said lamely.
Rhee groaned. "Grandpa, that was the worst excuse ever! Even worse than the time I told Dad I was coming down with the deadly disease called blueberryitis and I colored blue spots on my face with erasable Magic Marker so I could skip school."
Belle started giggling, to hide her own embarrassment. "Oh, Rhee! You didn't!"
"Uh huh, and Dad knew the spots were fake in a New York minute, cause he is an artist," Rhee said. "Now will you please quit it with the huggy and kissy stuff? You can do that back in your shop."
Rumple coughed. "I'm sorry, did I embarrass you?"
"Not really. But you embarrassed the old lady and those two teenagers over there," the scamp said with a grin.
Belle groaned and followed her pointing finger. Sure enough, several people were staring, open mouthed.
"Wow, I think I wanna try that chocolate!" murmured one.
"Grandpa, you need to submit a name for the contest." Rhee reminded him.
"Right." Gold took a ballot and wrote down the required information, then he took a moment or two to think before he wrote Peanut Butter Rhapsody and submitted it.
Belle also wrote down her choice—Decadent Chiarscuro Rapture, then she dropped it in the box.
Rhiannon tugged on Gold's jacket. "C'mon, Grandpa, come and see what I picked out."
She pulled him away from the sample counter and to her cart, showing him all the chocolate she had picked out, wanting to distract him and Belle as quickly as possible to avoid another incident.
Belle's eyes widened. "Umm . . .Rhee you have enough here for half the store! Who's going to eat all of this?"
"Umm . . .it's not just for me, it's for all of you," she explained.
Rumple examined what she had picked out. It was essentially what he would have picked, save for a few of the fruit truffles, which he wasn't as fond of. "Those are good choices, Rhee. Except I want to get a few of these pecan and caramel turtles."
"And let's get some chocolate covered strawberries, Rumple," Belle suggested. "For later with the Moscato we bought last week."
"That's a good idea." He could hardly wait for dessert that night. There was nothing quite like chocolate strawberries and wine for romance, along with his wife in a sexy negligee and himself in the plaid boxers that she had bought him for "special occasions".
Rhee wheeled the cart and watched her grandparents from the corner of her eye, praying they would recall they were accompanied by a minor who hadn't even seen The Miracle of Life yet.
Rumple and Belle ordered the chocolate covered strawberries and a piece of Godiva cheesecake, and had those items shipped to his shop, along with Bae's chocolate swan. Then they got on line to check out with the rest of their order.
As they were slowly wending their way up to the registers in the queue, the same man who had been ogling Belle before appeared and got on line behind them.
Belle paused to examine a stuffed swan, half-turned to the side.
The businessman got a rather awesome view of her butt and stared in unabashed voyeuristic delight.
Rumple turned to see what had caught his wife's eye and saw the same man who had practically undressed his wife before staring rudely at her ass. His mouth tightened in a grim line. Had he still been cursed, the man would have been lucky to have become a slug under his boot. But since he wasn't, he reined in his temper and leaned on his cane, deliberately sticking it out a little too far into the aisle.
Rhee pushed the cart up and Belle picked up the swan with the Godiva hearts and put it in the basket and followed. Gold turned, the cane still positioned.
The businessman was still ogling Belle's shapely derriere as she moved, and so didn't see Gold's cane until it was too late.
His foot snagged on it and he tripped, nearly falling on his face.
"Oh, dearie me!" Gold said in dismay.
The man stiffened and stood up slowly, saying, "Why don't you watch where you're going, Grandpa?"
Gold raised an eyebrow. "Are you addressing me? Because I do believe I wasn't the one who fell." He turned and followed his wife and granddaughter. "Must have foot in mouth disease," he said, smirking. "Next time, laddie, watch your feet not the lady in front of you. You'll save yourself a trip to the hospital."
His face hot, as behind him several teenage girls tittered and whispered "Burned by a smart old Scottish dude!" the businessman considered ditching his candy and getting the hell out of there. But then he recalled he had promised to get his girl something for their night out, and so he stayed and glared daggers at Gold's back.
Rumple pretended not to notice. He'd gotten worse from the so-called gentle citizens of Storybrooke.
The clerk who rang them up almost swallowed his tongue when he announced their grand total—over eight hundred dollars. "Um . . .would you like our Gold Member Frequent Shopper Card? It entitles you to special discounts and offers available only to members."
"Sure, why not?" Gold said and then filled out the form the clerk gave him and got a shiny gold card for frequent buyers of Godiva.
He handed the clerk his Black Am Ex.
The boy stared, he'd never seen one before and wondered if it was legit. But when it went through, he knew it was, and wondered just who this man Gold was . . . some Wall Street tycoon?
Several bags later, with another associate who carried all their purchases out to the cab waiting on the curb, the Gold's left the shop, and were on their way back to Rumple's shop.
Traffic was a little heavy, but they managed to make it back before the delivery came from the Godiva store.
Bae met them after the delivery came, asking if they wanted to grab a bite to eat—until he saw the huge amount of Godiva piled on the shop counter. He almost passed out. "Papa, what in hell? You buy out the store? I thought you were just going to participate in that free sample contest?"
"We did," Rumple began.
"Yeah and they also nearly got thrown out for kissing during the sample tasting!" Rhee piped up. Now she was sure she never wanted to eat that particular Godiva candy again, because of the memories it conjured.
Bae started laughing. Then he ruffled his daughter's hair. "If your mama had lived, you'd be used to that by now, swanmay," he said, his eyes sparkling. "So, what'd you bring me? Or did you forget?"
"Nope!" Rhiannon ran to get him his chocolate swan, along with a few other things.
"So I guess that free sample tasted good, huh?" Bae teased.
Belle nodded, flushing a dusky rose. "It certainly did, and I hope we win that contest. Because that chocolate was the best I've ever tasted."
"I'll second that, dearie," agreed Rumple enthusiastically.
Bae was delighted with his chocolate swan, saying he'd have to eat a piece a day to make it last, and he thanked his daughter and parents for thinking of him.
Then he took them down to Lo's Kitchen in Chinatown for lunch, hoping that one of them got lucky and their name was picked as the winning one.
Page~*~*~*~Break
A month and a half later:
The phone rang at half-past seven in the morning, startling Belle and Rumple out of a sound sleep.
"What the bloody hell?" growled the antique dealer irritably. "Who's calling at this hour of the morning on a Sunday? This had better be an emergency or I'm disconnecting the phone service!"
He picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, is Mrs. Belle Gold there?"
"One moment. Belle, someone wants to speak with you," Rumple grunted and handed her the receiver.
"Hello? Yes, this is she. You're what? From Godiva? Of course I remember the free sample contest." She gasped. "I . . .won!" She almost fell out of bed. "Oh my God! Rumple, I won the contest!"
"Dearie, that's great!" Rumple grinned. "Now we have that amazing chocolate for a year!"
Belle hung up the phone, grinning from ear to ear. "They said they'll deliver the first shipment tomorrow."
"You always did have a good ear for names," Rumple declared.
"That comes from hanging around you," she crooned, then she drew him close and kissed him deeply.
He smirked. "I think this calls for a celebration," he purred, then he kissed her back, thinking the only thing sweeter and more decadent than a Godiva peanut butter chocolate bar was making love to his beloved wife, with slow and exquisite tenderness combined with bursts of fiery passion.
He drew the covers over them, and set about doing something else he enjoyed as much as spinning, making deals and eating chocolate—seducing his wife.
Later, as they lay together entwined, feeling the lazy languid sensations that followed their lovemaking, Belle's head resting upon Rumple's shoulder, his floofy hair tickling her nose, she murmured, "Rumple . . .I have another announcement to make."
Eyes at half-mast, he muttered sleepily, "Hmm? What would that be, sweetheart?"
"You're going to be a papa again."
Rumple was so shocked he almost tumbled right out of bed. "Belle? Can you—say that again? Because for a minute I thought you said—I was gonna be a papa again."
"You're going to be a papa again, Rumple."
And for once Rumplestiltskin Gold was speechless, as he savored the words his wife had spoken to him—that were sweeter than any chocolate ever made.