Skin Deep – crossroads
Belle couldn't believe how romantic Rumpelstiltskin was, she hadn't of even thought that he could be romantic but taking a red rose just for her seemed to be something towards romance, at least that's what she had thought she smiled as she headed toward the cabinet to bring out a pretty little vase to put the precious rose into.
"You had a life Belle, before you came here with me, family, friend's a fiancé... Why did you choose to come here with me?" He said curiously.
"Well." Belle stated as she closed the door of the cabinet and walked towards the table "There aren't a lot of opportunities for women in our village to stand up and show what they can do to be heroes." She said in a strong voice as she placed the vase with the red rose upon the table.
Rumpelstiltskin looked at the rose and then back at Belle "So this was the first courageous thing you had done?" He asked, "Well I always wanted to be brave, I figured do the brave thing and courage would follow, but yes this is the first courageous thing I have done, when I saw you there I wanted to be courageous, I wanted to be something." She replied.
Rumpelstiltskin could understand that feeling more than anyone, he always felt that way that was one of the many reason's he had decided to become the dark one. "And what about your betrothed?" he asked in a sly tone trying not to sound shy or jealous about Gaston.
"Gaston?" Belle grunted quietly and shook her head "It was an arranged marriage, honestly i never really cared for Gaston." She leaned over a little bit towards Rumpelstiltskin and looked at him "No, to me love is...love is layered love is a mystery to be uncovered, I could never be with someone as superficial as he." She said proudly.
Rumpelstiltskin was pleased that she felt that way, and that she wasn't in love with Gaston she spoke so passionately about love he loved that about her, he loved her passion it intrigued him, he then thought to himself and wanted to test belle to see where her heart truly lied.
Belle looked at Rumpelstiltskin "So tell me about your son." She said as if it were the topic of the day, Rumpelstiltskin stared at her intensely and then leaned over further to her with a smile upon his face. "I'll tell you what, go to town and get me some straw when you come back I will tell you my story." He said with a lurch in his stomach he feared that Belle wouldn't return but he had to risk it, he had to see if what was between them was true and real and not just some fantasy.
Belle gasped slightly and couldn't stop staring at him, "T-Town." She said in a stutter "you, you trust me enough to come back?" She said surprisingly she couldn't believe what he had just proposed she couldn't even imagine leaving him they had been together here for so long and she had grown very very fond of him, she didn't want to leave deep within her heart.
"Oh Belle, I trust I will never see you again." He said simply with a sad kind of smile, with that he left the room and disappeared into this chamber of the castle Belle was left standing there she was still in a bit of a shock she didn't know what had just happened but she went and grabbed her coat and basket to go and fetch some straw for him.
She walked down a lonely path contemplating whether she should return to him, or whether he really wanted her to at all. Just then a black carriage went past her as it flicked up some water Belle stepped back onto the grass and just looked at it, she was still in a daze and hadn't really realized a woman getting out of the carriage until she was right upon Belle.
"I'm so sorry, did my carriage splash you." Said Regina, the woman dressed in black. Belle smiled politely and shook her head "No, it's perfectly alright." She replied. Regina smiled at her "you know, I'm sick of sitting why don't I walk with you for a spell." She said with a smirk upon her face.
Belle accepted and walked along the track with Regina "You carry very little." Regina said unexpectedly to Belle, Belle looked at Regina "I don't want to be slowed down." She replied in a sad tone. "Oh, you're running from someone, the question is master or lover?" She said more to herself then to Belle. She looked at Belle and saw that hopeless look of love upon her face.
"Oh, master and lover." Replied Regina, she did a giggle that Belle thought sounded a little bit evil Belle stopped walking and turned to face Regina with a polite look upon her face "you go ahead I think I'm going to sit down for a second." Regina disregarded this and continued to push Belle forwards "So you're trying to figure out whether to stay or wether to leave him." Belle sighed "I could love him it's just that...Something evil has taken root in him." She said sadly.
"Sounds like a curse to me, and any curse can be broken." She replied and looked at Belle, Belle looked confused at her "A kiss born of true love will do it." She said in an sickly sweet tone, Belle looked at her surprisingly "Oh child please, as if I would suggest for you to kiss a man who held you captive besides if he loved you he would have let you go, and if he didn't love you, well the kiss wouldn't even work." Said Regina in an evil tone.
Belle stopped walking once more and faced Regina "But he did let me go!" said Belle happily, Regina stared at her "Yes, but no kiss happened." Replied Regina. "So a kiss, that's all it takes?" Asked Belle "True love's kiss can break any curse." Regina replied with a big grin on her face, Belle grinned happily back and thanked Regina and set off back to the castle to find Rumpelstiltskin.
Rumpelstiltskin was busily looking out the window just hoping inside him that Belle would come back he had nearly given up hope but then he saw her walking up towards the castle, he ran down the stairs and quickly came back to his spinning wheel and stared spinning Belle walked into the room and looked at him with a slight smile, He looked up at her in a casual tone and said "Oh your back already?" He smiled cheekily.
Belle walked over to him "hmm, come on your happy that I'm back!" she said happily to him, He smirked "I'm not unhappy." He replied Belle came over and picked up the piece of straw he had in his hands and put her hands on his shoulders "And you promised me a story." She said as she sat down beside him.
He was caught off guard he never dreamed that she would come back or that she could even touch him, he was extremely happy. "Oh did I?" he said startled. "Mhm about your son." Replied Belle Rumpelstiltskin looked down at the ground "there's not much to tell really, I lost him and I miss him terribly." He said admittedly and sadly at Belle as he stared into her pretty eyes.
Belle looked at him sadly "And since then, you've loved no one and no one has loved you?" She asked in a loving voice, Rumpelstiltskin leaned in closer towards her and looked her directly in the eyes "Why did you come back?" he asked softly but seriously. Belle looked back at him with the same intensity as he was looking at her.
"I wasn't going to." She said admittedly "But then something changed my mind." She said softly as she leaned in closer and closer to him their lips met and formed a gentle kiss, their bodies next to one another, Belle's hands clasped around his neck and Rumpelstiltskin's hand clasped around her waist.
Suddenly Rumpelstiltskin felt a tingling across his face, as his face started to change a colour. "What is happening?" He said startled, Belle looked him in the eyes happily with her hand's going through his hair "it's working, kiss me again!" she pleaded happily. "What's working?" he asked curiously Belle looked into his eyes "Any curse can be broken." She said to him directly
Rumpelstiltskin was outraged he got to his feet and knocked over his stool as he yelled "WHO TOLD YOU THAT!" Belle looked at him terrified and sadly as she stuttered trying to think of words to say "I – I Don't know she, she." Rumpelstiltskin growled "She!" As he walked over towards his long mirror covered with a sheet he took the sheet off "You EVIL SORE! This was you! You turned her against me!" He screamed at the mirror.
Belle got up to her feet as well and walked towards him "Who, who are you talking to, what is going on?" she asked him defensively. Rumpelstiltskin turned around to face Belle and pranced angrily over to her "The queen! Your friend the queen!" He said in a high pitched crazy voice. Belle looked at him strangely. "My friend?" she said softly.
"How did she get to you? I knew you could never care for me, or was this you? Was this you trying to be the hero and killing the beast?" Belle shook her head "NO! No don't you see the kiss was working, that means it's real!" "SHUT UP!" raged Rumpelstiltskin "its true love!" Belle squealed "why won't you believe me?" Rumpelstiltskin grabbed Belle's arms angrily as he screamed into her face "Because NOBODY, NOBODY COULD EVER, EVER LOVE ME!" and with that he grabbed her and threw her back into the dungeon and slammed the door shut.
He was hurt, he blamed the queen more than he did Belle, he couldn't believe his temper had gone off the way it did, he felt ashamed but he also felt cheated he was so angry at not only the queen and Belle but also himself, he believed that it was partly his fault and that he should never have let himself care for Belle.
(Please leave feedback, I added some new things to that and just played around with it a lot.)