"This is going to be so much fun!" Belle squeezed Gold's arm as they exited his shop and made their way down the street.
It was three days before Christmas and the town was lit up and decorated for the Storybrooke Annual Christmas Sale. All of the shops, which usually closed by 6:00 pm, stayed open until midnight. There were carolers and elves strolling the streets and the individual shops were offering up a variety of drinks and sweets along with their discounted prices. Because Belle was so anxious to take part in this annual tradition, Gold had closed up his shop for the night so that he could accompany her.
At first she had objected, not wanting him to miss out on the biggest shopping event of the year, but when he had assured her that his business was more about deals than sales, she reluctantly accepted his offer. He knew he'd made the right decision as he'd watched her anticipation grow over the course of the week.
"Rum, it's snowing!" Belle's delight was evident in her voice and in the way she clung tightly to him. Her excitement over this whole shopping excursion was a joy to witness. His feelings for her were growing each day and he wanted to do nothing more than to make her happy. He just wished he knew exactly what she wanted.
Belle stopped to look at him and began to giggle. "Your hair is covered with snow. I told you that you should have worn a hat."
Gold grimaced and opened his umbrella. "This will do just fine."
She reached up to brush the snow from his hair. Her fingers lingered on his cheek as her eyes locked with his. She stroked his cheek and then stood on her toes to kiss him where her fingers had been. She gripped his arm and allowed him to cover her with the umbrella.
His heart beat rapidly. She'd been hugging him and kissing him on the cheek a lot lately, and though he knew that she was affectionate by nature, a small part of him thought that she might be trying to tell him something. The problem was that he was too much of a coward to act on it. True, they'd been sleeping in the same bed since she'd recovered her memories, but that was mostly due to her need to be held and comforted. At least that's what he'd been telling himself.
"I can't wait for Saturday night!" There was evidently no limit to her enthusiasm for holiday activities. He could see her eyes sparkling with happiness.
Gold held his tongue. The whole town was gathering for a Christmas Eve party on Saturday night that was also a fundraiser for local non-profits. It was the last thing on earth he wanted to attend, but he'd never seen Belle as excited about anything. The holiday season seemed to have brought a joy to her that had been missing. He was almost jealous that he hadn't been able to bring that joy to her himself.
"So what's our plan for this evening? I suppose you have last minute Christmas shopping to do?" Having no friends, he had very little shopping of his own. The only person he had to buy a gift for was Belle and it had been almost impossible to decide what to buy her.
She giggled. "In a way. I thought we'd spend tonight doing a different kind of Christmas shopping. I want to buy a few things for us to wear to the Christmas Eve party. I want us to look festive."
Gold groaned.
Belle stopped to stroke his cheek again. "I promise it will be fun."
He couldn't argue with her. Being with her was fun. It was being with everyone else that wasn't. He sighed. Maybe she'd let him buy her something tonight.
"There's Mary Margaret and David!" From the sound of her voice, you'd think she hadn't seen them in ages.
He groaned again. He was in no mood to engage in small talk with them. It was bad enough that they'd have to spend all of Christmas Eve together.
To Gold's relief, the Nolans turned into The CandyShoppe, conveniently averting an encounter. "What a pity." He hoped Belle didn't hear the sarcasm in his voice.
"I guess we'll catch up with them later." Belle lamented. "Let's go into The Mad Hatter's." She directed Gold into the shop before them.
Gold was puzzled. "You need a hat for the party?"
Belle giggled. "Jefferson sells hats, hair accessories and neckties. I'm hoping that he has some red ribbons that I can wear in my hair."
She smiled at him. "Plus I'd like to find a red tie for you to match the ribbons."
Her smile was infectious. He couldn't help smiling at her in return.
"Belle!" Jefferson greeted her with a hug as soon as they walked in the door. Gold did not appreciate the familiarity.
"Mr. Gold." He nodded to him.
"What brings you in here? Does Mr. Gold need a new tie?"
"That's part of it. I also need some red ribbons to wear in my hair for the Christmas Eve party."
"I have exactly what you're looking for." Jefferson pointed her to a display of holiday-themed ribbons. They were green, gold, plaid, blue, silver…
"I love these." Belle removed two bright red ribbons from the display. "Do you think these would work in my hair?" She directed her question to Jefferson.
"Absolutely… Come here." He took her hand and led her to a stool in front of one of his counters. "Sit." He patted the chair and she did as he said. He placed a mirror in her hand. "Let me show you."
He began to play with her hair, running his fingers through it and pulling it back and to the side.
"I'll help her with that!" At first Gold didn't recognize his own voice. He didn't know what had come over him. He'd felt intense jealousy the moment Jefferson had touched her.
Jefferson stepped away. "Of course, Mr. Gold."
Gold moved to where Jefferson had been standing behind Belle. He gently ran his fingers through her hair and arranged it the same way Jefferson had, over to one side and off her neck. When he bent forward, he thought he heard her moan softly. He wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or not, but his body responded. His eyes focused on her smooth exposed skin and he had the strangest desire to bite her neck and nibble on her ear.
He had to get control of himself. "How's that Belle?" He locked eyes with her in the mirror.
"Perfect." She caught her bottom lip between her teeth.
He needed to look away, but was frozen to the spot.
Jefferson cleared his throat. "Should I tie the ribbons?"
Belle giggled. "Yes, please."
Gold held her hair in place while Jefferson obliged. "You look stunning, darling."
Gold glared at him. Then he bent over and whispered in her ear. "I've never seen you look more beautiful."
A blush spread over her cheeks. "Thanks, Rum." She smiled shyly at him and he shifted nervously. He didn't know what had gotten into him.
Jefferson cleared his throat again. "Do we have a sale?"
Belle recovered herself. "I'll definitely take the ribbons." She removed them from her hair. "Do you have a red tie that will match them?"
She smiled at Gold again. He reached over and straightened her hair for her. She bit her lip again and he almost bent down to kiss her.
"How's this, Belle? I think it's a perfect match." Jefferson held up a tie.
"I love it!" She took Gold's hand in hers. "What do you think?"
"Yes, perfect." He was still focused on her lips.
"OK, then. I'll take both." She approached the counter to pay when Gold intervened. "Let me get this, sweetheart."
"I want to pay for this, Rum. It's mostly the tie. Let me buy it for you."
The look in her eyes made him give in. "Promise you'll let me buy you something tonight."
"I promise." She squeezed his hand.
He didn't want to let go. He suddenly felt a need for physical contact with her.
They finally made their purchase and headed back out onto the sidewalk. There was already a light coating of snow on the ground.
"This is so beautiful, Rum." She put her arm around his waist and he put his around her shoulder. His heart felt about to burst.
They strolled a few doors down the street before Belle directed them into the next shop. It was The Glass Slipper run by Ashley Boyd and Sean Herman. Gold was none too fond of either of them.
"Hi Belle! Mr. Gold." Ashley greeted them as soon as they entered. "Are you having fun tonight?"
"Yes! We're having a great time!" She looked up to catch Gold's eye. "I'm trying to buy a couple of things for the Christmas Eve party. Is there a chance that you have a pair of red heels in my size?"
"I think we have a few pairs left in the back. I'll have Sean bring them out."
She left the area and Gold turned to Belle. He put his arm around her waist. He almost didn't recognize himself. "You're going all out for this party, aren't you?"
"I don't know what it is, Rum. I feel so happy lately… especially when we do things together." She looked deeply into his eyes.
His heart almost stopped. His feelings for her were beginning to overwhelm him.
"Here we go." Sean approached them with several boxes in hand. "Take a seat, Belle. Let's see if any of these fit."
Belle sat down and Sean proceeded to remove her shoes. He took her right foot in his hand and slipped a shoe on it.
"I'll help her with that!" Once again, Gold didn't recognize his own voice. He just knew that he didn't want Herman's hands on Belle.
Sean looked questioningly at Belle who nodded her head at him. Gold switched places with him and took her left foot in his hand. He slipped the other shoe on. His hand lingered on her ankle and he could have sworn that she moaned softly. Once again his body responded.
Belle got up and walked around in the heels. Gold's eyes were glued to her extremely shapely legs.
"Can you help me with another pair? These are a little loose."
Gold had to tear his eyes away from her legs. He was mortified by his behavior. "Of course, sweetheart."
She sat down and allowed him to remove her shoes. His hands caressed her foot and ankle and calf while helping her with the next pair. He heard her moan again. This time he had no doubts about it. He allowed his hands to linger on her.
When he looked up at her she smiled and nibbled on her lower lip. His body responded more than appropriate. He was glad he was sitting.
Belle got up again and modeled the shoes. His eyes were riveted to her. Why was he suddenly thinking about how sexy she looked? He never thought about her that way.
"Do you like how these look on me?"
It took him a minute to realize that she was talking to him. "Yes, they're very flattering on you." That was putting it mildly.
"I'm going to buy them. They're very comfortable."
"Let me buy them, Belle. You promised." As far as he was concerned, these shoes were more a gift for him than for her.
She began to object, but thought better of it. "OK, but I'm going to buy a little something for you."
She led him up to the counter and plucked a pair of fuzzy red socks from a display. "I thought you could wear these on Saturday night."
He could see that she was trying not to giggle. "They're not really my style."
"Please…" She pouted and bit her lip.
He gave in. He put his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the top of her head. "OK, you win." His heart began to race. He had just initiated a kiss with her. He'd never done that before. He really didn't know what was happening.
"Thanks, Rum." She reached up and stroked his cheek. He wanted to grab her hand and kiss her wrist, but he restrained himself.
"You're going to owe me, darling." Now he was flirting with her. He really didn't know what had come over him.
"I'll be happy to pay you any way you want." The look she gave him could not be mistaken.
He felt panicky and excited at the same time.
To his relief, Ashley interrupted them. Belle exchanged a few pleasantries with her while they checked out. Gold was happy when they were back out on the sidewalk.
He immediately put his arm around Belle and she snuggled close to him. He'd never felt this sure of himself with her.
They walked all the way down the street and then crossed over. Gold tried to ignore where they seemed to be heading.
"I need to buy a slip to wear under my dress. I think this is the only place where I have a chance of finding one that will be short enough."
Gold groaned internally. He knew it. It was bad enough that they were frequenting a store called Naughty Nighties, but the fact that Ruby Lucas worked there made it all the worse. The woman would no doubt turn their visit into some type of town gossip. He could only hope that she had the night off.
"Well hello, Mr. Gold." Gold gritted his teeth when he heard her voice. "Hi, Belle! I'm so happy to see you here!"
"I bet you are." Gold thought to himself. He was sure her brain was already spinning some sordid tale about them.
"What can I help you with?" She grabbed Belle by the hand and led her further into the store. He heard her whisper. "Do you want something extra sexy as a Christmas present for Mr. Gold?"
Gold pretended not to hear. This was not going well.
"Actually, I just need a slip that I can wear under my dress for the Christmas Eve party… something with enough support so that I won't have to wear a bra… and it needs to be very short."
Gold's body involuntarily responded to her statement about the bra. He wondered if he should wait outside. The thought that others would see him loitering out on the sidewalk stopped him.
Ruby squealed. "I have the perfect thing for you. It's a slip that can double as a nightie…," she looked up and caught Gold's eyes, "…a very sexy nightie. The bottom half is completely see-through. I wouldn't wear anything at all under it."
She smiled widely at Gold and he glared back at her.
"It's exactly what I'm looking for."
Gold could feel Belle's eyes on him. His eyes met hers and she smiled. He smiled back.
"I suppose I should try it on to make sure it fits."
"Definitely. There's a dressing room in the back." Ruby pointed it out to her. "Do you need help?"
Belle giggled. "Rum likes to help me."
Ruby squealed before Gold even realized what she was saying. He stared at Belle.
"Did you want to help me with this?" She giggled again.
"No… I mean yes… I…" He was completely thrown.
"It's OK, Rum. I was only teasing." She giggled again.
He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed.
Ruby grabbed her by the arm and led her to the back. "You have to tell me what that was all about."
Gold groaned and followed them to the back. He was going to have to help her if he didn't want Ruby prying into their personal affairs.
"I'll help her with that!" Gold was surprised by how forceful he sounded.
"I had a feeling you would. Take your time. I'll make sure nobody else comes back here for a while." Ruby gave him a knowing smile that made him cringe.
Belle giggled "It's OK, Rum. You don't have to help. You can just tell me if it looks OK under my clothes."
Once again he didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed.
After a few minutes in the dressing room, she emerged with her clothes on.
"Does this give me enough coverage? I'm not wearing a bra."
She was asking him to stare at her breasts. Even though they slept together at night, she was always covered up and he was always careful not to look at breasts… at least not when she was aware of it.
His eyes now fixated on her breasts the same way they had on her legs. She had the most perfect breasts he'd ever seen. The moan that he heard this time came from his own lips. Everything about her was perfect. "You're beautiful, Belle."
She blushed. "Thanks, Rum. So it's OK?"
"Yes, it's fine." He realized that he hadn't answered her question.
"OK. I'm going to buy it. I'll be right out." She went back into the dressing room and emerged a few minutes later, the nightie in hand. Gold couldn't help glancing at it. He imagined what she'd look like wearing just that and nothing else.
Belle linked her arm in his. "Thanks for helping me tonight, Rum. It was very sweet of you."
"It was my pleasure." He wanted to bite his tongue after he said it.
She giggled. They walked out to the counter where Ruby was waiting with a huge grin on her face. "So are you taking it?"
"Yes, it's exactly what I was looking for. And I love that it can double as a nightie."
Gold pretended not to hear again.
"I'll bet you're not the only one."
Belle giggled and looked shyly at Gold.
"I have something else you might be interested in." Ruby gestured to a rack of men's boxer shorts. The display sign read "For the Man in Your Life".
"Are you interested?" Ruby asked Belle.
"Yes. I like the red." She looked shyly at Gold again.
"Let's see." Ruby rummaged through the rack. "What size are you, Mr. Gold? Belle wants to buy you a present."
Gold gripped his cane tightly. There was no way of dealing with this gracefully. "Medium."
Ruby sized him up and then pulled a pair off the rack and handed it to Belle. "I'm giving you a large, relaxed fit. I have a feeling he's going to need the extra room once he sees you in that nightie." She giggled and Belle giggled with her while turning a bright shade of red.
Gold did not offer to pay for her purchase. He did not want to give Miss Lucas anything else to gossip about. He was relieved when Belle finally turned to leave.
As she approached him, a brilliant smile lit up her face. He followed her eyes as they focused on something above his head. He looked up to see that he was standing under a sprig of mistletoe. His heart stopped. Was she going to kiss him?
Before he could think about what was happening, she had wrapped her arms around his neck and had pulled his head forward to kiss him on the lips. He froze briefly as her soft lips pressed against his, and then he suddenly found himself kissing her passionately in return. When their lips parted she looked deeply into his eyes. His heart was pounding.
Belle bit her lower lip and then whispered in his ear, "I've wanted to do that for a long time now."
He didn't know if he responded to her statement. He only remembered her saying good-bye to Ruby and leading him out of the store. His heart was still racing when they got back out on the sidewalk.
Belle looked at him and giggled. "I think we should head home now. I bought everything I need."
Gold recovered himself enough to respond. "So we're all set for Christmas Eve?"
"Yes..." She hesitated. "I want both of us to wear everything we bought tonight to the party."
"As you wish." He was willing to do anything she requested at this point even if it meant wearing the red socks and boxers.
"Good." She paused again. "Don't forget that we're going to exchange our gifts on Christmas Eve after we come home from the party."
Gold's heart sank. "Belle, I'm not very good at selecting gifts. I hope you're not going to be disappointed with what I bought you."
She put her finger over his lips. "The only thing I want for Christmas is you, Rum... and I was hoping the only thing you wanted was me." Her eyes searched his. She could see panic and confusion.
"I chose everything we bought tonight very carefully... I thought they'd make the perfect wrappings for our gifts to one another."
It took Gold a few seconds to grasp what she was saying.
She placed her hand behind his head and kissed him on the lips for the second time that night. Her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. His panic subsided as he returned the kiss. Months of self-control began to give way.
When they finally broke the kiss, he drew back from her and caressed her cheek. "Belle." It was all he could say.
She took his hand in hers and kissed it. "Let's go home."
He willingly let her lead the way.
"I can't wait for Christmas Eve." She smiled shyly at him.
"Me neither." As nervous as he was, he finally knew what she wanted... and it was the same thing he did. It was going to be a very Merry Christmas.