"Belle, what on earth are you doing?"
Rumple had expected for Belle to curl up in his arms, her head on his chest as she normally would do after they would have sex. Instead, she had turned around, her feet in the air up against the headboard. It wasn't that he wasn't enjoying the view but he would have much preferred to have Belle in his arms.
"I read in one of my books that if you lay with your feet in the air for ten minutes after being together and it will help increase your chances of getting pregnant," she stated matter of factly.
Rumple had to contain his laugh when he knew from that dead set face of hers that it was something that she truly believed would help.
They had trying to get pregnant for months now. Whereas Rumple was more inclined to just let nature take its course, Belle had almost become obsessed with the notion. She checked out every book on pregnancy that she could find from the library, when they had finally decided they were ready to start their own family. The more time that passed from the moment that they made that decision, the stranger the things that Belle would do.
First it had started out with ovulation kits, temperatures and schedules. They could only make love on certain days at certain times. It hadn't seem to bother Belle with the certain mechanical efficiency but it eventually took it's toll on Rumplestiltskin. He didn't mind to do all he could to help his wife become pregnant but he also didn't want to be confined to a schedule.
After that things became stranger. They had to make love during a full moon, they took mini vacations away to the cabin on the weekends. Belle refused to drink anything but grapefruit juice for nearly an entire month before she could no longer tolerate it. Belle had even been so desperate as to seek out advice from Mary Margaret and David and offered her babysitting services as often as possible in hopes that some secret maternal power would be passed to her and allow them to conceive.
Belle had become so narrow minded and obsessed with her quest that it very nearly was taking the fun out of everything. All she did was eat, breathe and think 'baby' instead of relaxing and letting him take care of her.
"Sweetheart, come here," he said at last and opened his arms to her in invitation. Belle huffed lightly before turning over and snuggling into his side, her arm draped across his chest as his own arms encircled her.
"You think I am being ridiculous don't you?" She whispered in a tiny voice that made Rumple hold her tighter and kiss the crown of her head.
"Darling, I don't think that you are being ridiculous. It makes my heart fill with joy at the prospect of finally having a family with you. It's something I have always wanted since that first kiss in the Enchanted Forest. Have you ever stopped to think that perhaps you are putting too much stress and pressure on yourself over this?"
Rumple felt her tears falling against his chest and his heart ached for his wife.
"I was just so happy that finally things were going right for us and then after Baelfire, I never thought that a child would be something that would happen for us. To finally have gotten through the worst of that grief, I just wanted to give you everything you wanted. A second chance. With each month that passes that I can't give that to you scares me," she admitted, the tears still silently falling even as her voice broke at her final sentence.
"Why does it scare you? Are you afraid I would leave?" Belle nodded slowly and buried her face against him. "Belle look at me,"he said gently tugging her face up to look at him. "Nothing in the world would make me happier than to have a child with you. However, regardless of all of that, I would be just as happy to spend the rest of our lives together, just you and I. You are my happy ending Belle."
Belle smiled brightly through her tears and pulled herself up to kiss her husband gently against his lips. "You mean that?"
"Every word," he smiled and Belle settled back against him. "I think that we need to just stop stressing ourselves out to have a baby. It will happen when and if it is meant to. Lets just enjoy the practicing in the meantime," he grinned as he pinned Belle underneath his body without warning. She laughed at his antics and pulled him close to her for another kiss.
"I love you, Rumple."
"And I love you, my darling Belle."
It was a snowy evening nearly two months later when Rumple was nearly tackled at the door by Belle the moment he stepped in from the cold. Her bright smile warmed his heart with ease, as he was presented with a small bow tied box. The contents of which were three plastic sticks with three positive signs.
She was pregnant at last.