Chocolate Effect
Featuring Rumbelle
"Chocolate" verse #9
A/N: Sequel to "A Sweet n' Sassy Special Delivery" thanks for all the inspiration from my Special Guest Star Dearie!
Moe made it down to Manhattan in time for Christmas, and arrived on December 23rd, a few days after Belle and Carina had come home from the hospital. The family was going to spend the holiday quietly, celebrating the first time they were all together, happy and without the horror of being attacked by insane megalomaniac villains who wanted to kill them or curse them. It was going to be a great Christmas.
Moe had volunteered to babysit his new granddaughter while Belle went to pick up Rhee at the bus stop, since Bae was running late—a student had stayed after class to ask some questions about his midterm requirements—and Rumple had run into the shop to be there for the arrival of a special antique cabinet which they wouldn't deliver unless he was there to sign for it.
The new grandfather wore an expression best called "besotted" as he gazed at his grandchild, who was in a soft infant seat with a print of ice cream cones and chocolate bars over a cream colored background on the cushions. A soft cotton candy pink afghan crocheted by her equally besotted papa rested over her knees. Today Belle had dressed her in an adorable dress the color of mocha with real lace on the collar and hem and little ruffled tights and put a little pink bow on her dark hair, which stuck up like tufts of dandelion fluff all over her head. Carina was sucking on her binky while Moe made googly eyes at her and sang her a silly song he used to sing to Belle at that age.
Carina gurgled and Moe laughed and took her little hands and clapped together and sang, "Pat-a-cake Pat-a-cake baker's man! Bake me a cake as fast as you can! Roll it and pat it and mark with a "C"! And put it in the over for Carina and me! Yay!"
The baby's eyes, which were still a smoky blue color, fastened on her grandpa and she spit out her binkie and made little giggling noises, reminding Moe of her papa. She kicked her feet enthusiastically as Moe tickled her tummy and sang another song. "Pretty pretty princess going to the fair! Pretty little princess what did you do there? I ate chocolate ice cream sitting in a chair!"
Carina waved her hands at this declaration and Moe laughed and said, "Just wait till you're able to eat solid food, darling! I'll bet you'll be just as much a chocolate lover as your mama and papa, eh?"
Carina squealed happily.
Page~*~*~*~Break
"Grammy, you're here!" Rhee greeted Belle as she hopped off the bus. "Dad texted me to tell me you'd pick me up since he's got a student with a major bout of confusion." Her granddaughter ran to hug her.
"How was your day at school, sweetie?" Belle asked, ruffling Rhee's floofy hair which was so like Rumple's.
"Good. We just had some seatwork to do since it's Christmas break now. Where's Carina?"
"Your Grandpa Moe's watching her for me," Belle answered. Actually Moe was Rhee's great-grandpa but the girl had decided it was easier if she just called him Grandpa Moe. "I hope everything's going okay."
"Don't worry, Grammy. It'll be fine. I mean, Carina's only a few days old. Don't all newborns sleep a lot? She's probably sleeping." Rhee said breezily.
They began to walk back to where Belle had parked the car. As Belle was putting on her seatbelt, her phone dinged with a text message.
"You want me to get it?" Rhee asked as she slid into the passenger seat.
"No, I've got it. It could be your grandpa, asking me to pick up something for dinner," Belle said, and picked up her iPhone.
But it wasn't Rumple. It was Moe. A very frantic and alarmed Moe.
Belle, Belle! I was trying to change Carina's nappy and her mobile, you know, the one right above her changing table? They're solid chocolate now, Belle. The horses! They're solid chocolate!
Belle almost dropped her phone. "Good gracious God!"
"What happened, Grammy?"
"It's Grandpa Moe. He says—he says Carina's mobile turned to chocolate!" she gasped.
"What? Really?"
Belle texted him back.
Dad, you're kidding! What kind of chocolate? Dark? Milk? White?
All of them, Belle! What should I do? I started giving her a bottle and the milk turned chocolate! Chocolate milk, Belle! I'm telling you, she looks at something and wham! It's pure chocolate! She can't turn me into chocolate, can she Belle? Can she?
"Whoa!" Rhee whistled as she read the text over Belle's arm. "Grammy, maybe we better call Grandpa and get home quick!" But the little girl sounded more amazed than alarmed, since magic was nothing new to her, since she was a swanmay.
No . . .at least I don't think so . . .maybe you'd better call Rumple . . .he's closer than I am and he's the magic guru. Now don't panic, Dad. Call Rumple. Belle texted rapidly, her fingers flying over her keyboard. Once she had sent the message, she put the car in reverse and pulled away from the curb.
"Come on, Rhee, we'd better get home before my dad has hysterics and passes out or something. I cannot believe this! I thought we'd have a nice quiet holiday and now . . ." Belle trailed off as she braked for a traffic light.
"You've got a True Love baby, Grammy. You gotta expect things like this," Rhee stated with all the wisdom of a nine-year-old.
"I wonder if Bae ever had these problems?" Belle groaned.
"Uh I don't think so. Not that he's said anyway. But don't worry, Grammy. Grandpa can fix it," she said confidently, with a granddaughter's utter faith in her all-powerful grandfather.
Belle prayed that would be the case. Then she beeped the horn at a jaywalker.
Page~*~*~*~Break
Rumple had just finished tipping the delivery service and moving the antique cabinet into the shop and putting a price tag on it when he heard his phone ring. He fumbled briefly in his jacket pocket for it before he recalled he had put it on the counter when he had received a call from the delivery service to open the back doors of the shop. He limped hastily over and picked it up.
"Hello, Mr. Gold speaking, how may I help you?"
"Rumple! You get home right away before your daughter turns me into a 150 lb chocolate bunny!" Moe yelled frantically into the phone.
"Moe? What's wrong? Is it Carina?"
"Yes, Carina's suddenly turning everything to-to chocolate! She was sucking on her binkie and now it's chocolate and she's eating it!"
Rumple blinked. "My baby's displaying magic already?" he sounded happy rather than alarmed. "Oh dearie dearie dear!" Then he giggled delightedly.
"Don't you dearie dearie dear me, Rumplestiltskin! This is an emergency! Your house is turning into a Godiva outlet! Quit laughing, for heaven's sake! There's chocolate everywhere! Get home! NOWWWWWW!"
Rumple winced and held the phone away from his ear. "Okay, okay. Calm down before you give yourself a heart attack. I'm on my way." He clicked his phone off, locked up his shop, then drove home. Surely Moe was exaggerating a wee bit.
Page~*~*~*~Break
"No . . . No . . . . NO! Not my PHONE!" Moe shrieked, panicked, as Carina giggled and gazed at his phone which instantly became a chocolate Galaxy 5.
"Stop it! Please! Somebody needs to turn you off!"
The baby turned and looked at some other things.
By the time Rumple got home there was a chocolate bear, a chocolate rattle, a chocolate spoon, teacup, and a chocolate rocking horse. She'd turned Moe's cell to chocolate and also the stool he'd been sitting on at the counter.
Carina was sitting blithely in her infant seat with a big smile on her chocolate covered face cooing away while Moe sat in an exhausted heap on the chocolate stool in the kitchen. He was petrified that if he shouted again the baby would turn him into a chocolate grandfather.
The door opened, and Rumple called, "Moe, I'm home!" He came limping into the kitchen and said, "Carina, dearie, now listen to Papa . . ."
The newborn gazed at him and his Ferragamo suddenly became a dark chocolate tie with milk chocolate stripes! Then she heard his cane tapping and it became a dark chocolate with a white chocolate handle!
"Carina, no!" he exclaimed in dismay.
But his precocious beauty just burst out laughing. Giggles emerged from her like effervescent bubbles from a can of soda, and she clapped her hands in delight.
Moe moaned and put his face in his hands. "What do we do? You're going to end up living in a chocolate factory like Willy Wonka, Rumple!" He opened his wallet. "Look at this! I was counting my money and she looked at it and now I have chocolate coins and dollars! Not to mention a chocolate cell!"
"Some people would think that's an improvement in this economy!" Rumple joked. "Now, baby girl, you need to stop using magic. Really, I can't believe you can use it so much at this stage and not grow tired . . ." the master mage mused.
The front door opened and Belle rushed into the room, not even bothering to remove her coat, boots, and hat. Her purse banged against her side. "Rumple! Dad! Oh my goodness! Look at all this chocolate!" She picked up the chocolate rattle and smelled it. "Mmm! Smells like pure milk chocolate Godiva!" Then she nibbled a piece. "And it tastes like it too!" She nibbled some more, sighing in bliss.
"Belle! Quit sampling the chocolate!" Moe cried, aghast.
"Dearie, what are we to do? She has my magic and your chocaholic genes. Magic is different here but this could be troublesome when she starts preschool," Rumple remarked, and picked up a teaspoon and sucked on it. "You're right, this is good!"
"Good?! Good? This is terrible! And you two are having transports!" Moe wailed. "Why aren't you doing something, Rumple?"
"Dad, relax! We've got it all under control," Belle soothed. Then she bit a chocolate napkin. "Rumple, this one tastes like pralines and chocolate!"
Rhee began giggling. "Yeah, Grandpa, instead of the dog eating her homework she could eat it!" She crossed her eyes and made a funny face at her baby aunt. "Right, Carina?"
Carina burbled at her and waved.
Rumple grinned and said in a voice remarkably like a little child's, "I'm sorry Mrs. Nolan, but I was hungry and I wanted chocolate and the only thing around was my math paper soooo, ... I ate it! You ate your math paper? Yep. I turned it a double dark chocolate peanut butter cup and I ate it!"
Rhee giggled too, unfazed. Moe wanted to check himself into Belleview.
"She'll be the most popular kid in school. Everyone will want to be her friend," Rhee exclaimed. "Hey, Carina, can you turn my science experiment into an exploding chocolate volcano?"
"Rhee, please! Don't encourage her!" Belle exclaimed. "I love Godiva but . . . . Carina, honey, it's time to take a nap, so now you can stop making chocolate things. We have enough."
Carina shook her head. Her mouth turned down and her lower lip stuck out in an adorable pout, one that all little girls seemed born knowing.
"Dearie, listen to Mama," Rumple argued. He changed his cane back.
Then she changed it to chocolate again.
"Carina! That's Papa's cane!" Rumple waved a hand and the cane became wood again.
The baby scowled. The cane became chocolate again.
"Oh dear! Oh dearie dearie dear!"
"Stubborn little imp, isn't she?" Moe remarked, somewhat smugly. Now maybe his son-in-law would start taking this seriously.
The front door opened again and Bae came into the house. "Rhee? How come you didn't answer your phone? I texted you three times." Then he sniffed the air. "Papa, why's your house smell like a chocolate factory?" His jaw dropped. "Ooo-kay, maybe I made a wrong turn and I'm in Willy Wonka's house! Holy cow!"
"Belle, what are we going to do?" Rumple asked his wife, at a loss.
"Papa, why do you have a chocolate cane?"
"Because Carina's got the chocolate factor, Dad. She's like baby Godiva!"
Bae gaped at his sister. "And you thought I was bad as a kid?"
"Rumple, can't you . . . umm . . .?" Belle paused before she said "control". Rumple was not fond of that word at all, given the fact that he had been under a curse that had enabled him to be controlled.
Rumple ran his hands through his hair. "We are going to have to teach her, Belle. I've never had this problem before. There must be something in the chocolate you ate while you were pregnant. Something strong and when added to the True Love mix...it was too much."
"Actually I think it's kinda cool. You'll never need to spend money on Godiva again," Rhee pointed out.
Bae put his face in his hands. "Swanmay, that's not the point." He turned to Rumple. "Papa, can't you . . .err . . .turn her off?"
"Turn her off? Bae, she's not a light switch." Rumple muttered. Then he gently took the baby's hands in his own and said, "Carina, sweetheart, time to go to dreamland." Then he gently cast a mild sleep charm on her.
Carina's eyelids drooped and she was soon fast asleep. Belle got a wet cloth and wiped her face. "Rumple, shall I put her in her cradle?"
"Not just yet, dearie. I need to figure something out before she turns the Chippendale cradle into a Godiva one," her husband stated.
He waved a hand and all the chocolate objects were restored to their normal state, except the ones they had eaten.
"This is sort of like when Midas turned everything to gold, right, Papa?" Bae reminded him.
"Yes, in a way. But Carina isn't cursed. She was born with this gift."
"Rumple, can't you . . .err . . .put it to sleep?" Belle asked.
"I may . . .or I may be able to limit it to a few objects a day for now, until she gains an understanding of what to do and not to do. But I'll have to study on it."
"I thought you were an expert on transformation magic," Moe argued.
"My own, yes. But magic isn't always the same, and true love magic sometimes doesn't follow the rules." Rumple said. "Meanwhile, why don't you rest a little, Moe?"
"Yes, it might do you some good to lie down, Dad," Belle seconded.
Moe agreed and went to lie down in the guest room, while Belle made Rhee and Bae some hot cocoa with cinnamon. Meanwhile, Rumple went into his study and began to read through some of his magic texts, looking for a way to put some limits upon his daughter's powers for the time being. He didn't think it was wise to let her power reign unchecked, because she didn't have control over it at this stage and using too much magic was not a good thing for such a young practitioner. All magic came with a price, after all, and he didn't want his daughter to harm herself unknowingly.
He finally, after about two hours, found a possible solution in a book of ancient Sidhe magic. The Sidhe were not like the fairies of his world, but rather their much stronger, more intelligent and more capricious cousins. However, they were experts in certain forms of transformation and illusionary magic called glamours. And the Seelie Sidhe had notorious soft spots for children.
Rumple found a special elixir that would enable him to prevent Carina from using her magic too much, it would allow him to set limits on her use of it, though it must be administered every day for three days. He set to work making it at once, luckily he had all the ingredients he needed. He finished just as his daughter woke up, wailing hungrily.
He hurried out to Belle, telling her what they must do, and mixed a dose of the elixir with a bottle of milk.
Then he took the baby and changed her, rocking her while he fed her the special formula. As was her wont, Carina changed Belle's milk into chocolate milk and sucked it down. Several drops sparkled a bit to Gold's magical Sight, and he crooned, "That's it, little dearie, drink it all."
Carina, always a good eater, guzzled the rest of the formula obediently.
Once she had burped, Rumple held her for awhile, saying softly, "Magic always comes with a price, little dearie, that's why for now you have to let me make sure you don't use too much. Later, when you're older, we'll have lessons together, okay?" He kissed the top of her forehead, filled with the same overwhelming and all-consuming love he had when he had first held Bae in his arms.
Carina gave a little sigh and then reached out and touched his nose.
Rumple's eyes crinkled and he gave a little giggle. "Papa loves you, Carina dearie. You're the sweetest thing, aren't you?"
The baby nodded her little head, then gave him the biggest smile in return.
Just before she spit up all over him.
Rumple grimaced. "Ahh . . .not my good Armani! It's hell to get chocolate stains out of!"
His daughter just giggled mischievously.
"Belle! Would you mind getting me a wet cloth?" he called. He shook a playful finger at his offspring. "Are you making fun of your papa? Hmm?"
She cocked her head at him, making cooing noises.
"Imp! You're a chip off the old teacup, aren't you?"
Belle hurried in, saying, "What happened? Did the elixir make her sick?"
"No, she just drank too much, too fast, like usual," Rumple said.
"And you forgot to use two cloths," Belle smirked at the sight of her usually spit and polished husband full of chocolate baby spit. "Oh Rumple!"
"Will you quit making fun of me and just wipe me off?" he grumbled. "Now I know where our daughter gets it!"
"You're so cute when you're grumpy," Belle teased, going to wipe him off. "Like a floofy cat!"
Rumple rolled his eyes. "You're reaching with that simile, dearie."
"Oh hush!" she mock-scolded, then she snapped the cloth at him playfully. 'Watch it, before I make you do your own dry cleaning! Right, Carina?"
The baby smirked.
Rumple forgot all about his ruined suit when he saw that. "Look, Belle! She has my smile! How precious!"
"Of course she would, Rumple. She's your little dearie," Belle crooned, then she took her daughter and kissed her. "Right, pumpkin?" Then she winced as the baby tugged at her hair. "Rumple, did it work?"
"The elixir? Well, since she hasn't turned anything to chocolate in the last five minutes, I'd say it's started to."
Belle sighed in relief. "That's good. Because she's eyeing my wedding ring."
Rumple gave a satisfied smirk, one that almost echoed his daughter's. "The Sidhe know their spells. I'll give them that." He playfully tweaked his baby's nose. "Once the elixir has fully taken hold, she'll only be able to turn five objects into chocolate in a day. And if she happens to change something you didn't want her to, I can always transform it back."
"Glad to hear it. Otherwise we might end up like the Hershey chocolate milk commercial—only instead of the chocolate cow by the chocolate stream on the chocolate farm we'd be in the chocolate bed drinking chocolate milk in the chocolate house. And while I do love my chocolate, that's a bit much even for me!"
"Me too. But . . .all's well that ends well." Rumple said, and cleaned off the baby spit with a few passes of his hand. Though the stain was gone, his suit still smelled of chocolate, and would for the next few days, but that was a small price to pay.
"Now, what kind of cookies shall I bake for Christmas Eve?" Belle asked.
Rumple snickered, then said, "Chocolate chocolate chip. What else?"
Both his girls licked their lips in agreement, because in this chocoholic house there really was no other answer.
Belle gave her husband a smile that was pure gold, thinking that this was going to be the best holiday ever—for she now had everything she'd ever wanted. Though she wondered what other surprises having a True Love baby held in store for them? One thing she knew for certain—everyday was going to be a sweet sensational sojourn.