A/N: This is my very first OUAT/Rumbelle fic ever. The idea came to me on the ride home from picking up my nephew from school, and I just ran with it. There is no telling how many installments there will be, or even if these are the only two.

Summary: Storybrooke, Maine is a whole new world for Belle. She needs to learn as much as she can about this strange place.

I do not own Once Upon a Time. The characters and settings are not mine. Feel free to review and to maybe give me some new ideas on what to do with this piece.

"A Whole New World"

BloodDrenchedRose

PART ONE: Belle Attempts to Cook

Belle French looked around the spacious kitchen, her brow furrowed as she contemplated this strange new place she was in. Storybrooke, Maine was totally different from Misthaven in every aspect, from the buildings to the clothes the townspeople wore. In the month she's been here, she's definitely learned a lot in this Land Without Magic (even though Rumplestiltskin changed that slightly). There were still a few things she was confused about.

Cooking was one of them.

Back in her days at the Dark Castle, Rumplestiltskin had ordered her to prepare the meals for each day. It was a task that took many weeks to learn since she had never stepped foot in her own kitchen at her father's castle. In fact, she had been chased out the few times she'd gone in there. From then on, she made do with the cookbooks found in the library. It was apparent that it's only one thing to learn from a book, yet another to do things by hand.

Rumple had done most of the cooking since Belle arrived in Storybrooke. Other times, they ate at Granny's Diner, where they ordered hamburgers and iced tea (Belle was addicted to both, even after a month) and conversed while exchanging warm smiles and slight caresses. But Belle wanted to do something special for her love tonight, a way of saying thanks for being so patient with her as she absorbed all of this new information.

Belle walked over to the cookbook she had placed on the kitchen counter not too long ago and flipped to a page that piqued her interest. After glancing at the ingredients, she smiled to herself. "Hm," she mused. "Seems easy enough." Her eyes shifted to the appliance to her left. "Now…to figure out how to work the stove…."

He sighed as he closed the car door, gripping his cane tightly. It had been a long day of dealing with idiots who thought being an asshole was the best way to get what they want faster. If anything, it only made Gold want to dangle their possession so far above their heads that they couldn't even reach it with a ladder, then watch them flail around in a boiling rage until he got bored. Nobody messed with the Dark One. When will these fools ever learn?

Each limp towards his front door made it seem like it was still miles away. There were days when he wished he'd never injured himself. But then he'd never have met his son, nor his darling Belle. This reminder made every cringing step worth it. Yes, he'd done so many terrible things in his life, but looking into those perfectly blue eyes made it all worthwhile.

Thinking about Belle made him smile. Twenty-eight years. Twenty-eight years of believing she was dead, and every day of it had torn him apart inside. But now she was here, waiting for him in the ugly pink house that used to feel so cold, so dark. Much like his heart. He never wanted to let him go again, no matter what. As he slid his key into the front door, he prepared himself for her warm smile, her gentle embrace, her loving kiss.

Instead, he found himself faced with a rather large cloud of smoke, and an incessant beeping.

"What in the seven realms?" he cursed between hacking coughs.

The extra person in the house had his same reaction, coughing and wheezing as she clattered around the kitchen. A few more clanks and a startled shriek had Gold rushing into the kitchen in an attempt to help.

"Rumple!" Belle's voice wheezed as she faced him. "You're home!"

"Never mind that, dearie," he replied. He waved his hand around, magic tingling his fingers, and relief washed over him as the house became quiet and the grey haze started to clear.

Belle coughed one final time, the sound squeezing his heart as she gazed into his eyes. "What was that noise?" she finally asked.

"That would be the smoke detector." Gold frowned as he looked at the debris that covered the stove. "What is this supposed to be, my love?"

The brown-haired beauty smiled sheepishly and gestured towards the blackened mess. "It was supposed to be spaghetti." She raised her shoulders in a defensive gesture that would have been adorable if the house hadn't nearly burst into flames. "Surprise!" she said weakly.

He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he realized his beauty's true intentions. Gold pulled Belle close and placed a kiss in her hair. "Not bad for your first try, dearie."

"But I ruined it," she replied as she buried her face into his shirt.

"Archie's dog Pongo needs something to eat anyway.

His love looked up at him again, her nose scrunched in confusion. "But what about dinner?"

Gold reached into his pocket and showed her his cell phone. "Let's get a pizza."