Written for venivedivici on tumblr
Lord Maurice stared out the window in his study at the sea, watching the waves rolling over each other and seagulls diving for fish. He remembered when his daughter would sit on this sill as just a small girl and he would scoop her up, sit down, and place her on his lap. She always said that the best part of his study was that the window was a ready-made seat for her, and before Gaston, before the war, before Rumplestiltskin, she would sit on in the sill in the sun, behind his desk, reading whatever her heart desired. Since she had returned to him from the imp—she said he let her go—she had read there a few times, but always seemed to end up sighing heavily and staring out the window, a frown creasing her pretty face.
Maurice sighed himself and turned towards his desk, putting the window, the sea, and his memories to his back. He looked down at the reports littering his desk, all necessary to the little patch of ground under his control, but all seemed completely useless in the face of the new foe challenging him: his daughter's unhappiness.
Taking a deep breath, Maurice looked up from the papers and spoke, seemingly to himself, four words: "Rumplestiltskin, I summon thee."
Maurice waited, body taut and tense as he watched the room before sighing and turning back to window, resigning himself to the fact that the imp wasn't coming.
As soon as he caught sight of the window, he yelped. Rumplestiltskin was lounging there with his back against one side and his feet propped up against the other, making a "v" with his body that blocked Maurice's view of ocean. The imp smirked at Maurice's fright. "Lovely view you've got here," he said in his high, nasal voice—Maurice had no idea how Belle had been able to live with him for months, even though she had assured him that Rumplestiltskin was nothing but a gentleman to her. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Lord Maurice? So sick of your daughter so soon?"
"Never," Maurice growled, overcoming his surprise. "There was never a happier day in my life than when my Belle returned to me."
Rumplestiltskin narrowed his eyes at Maurice, examining his face, before smiling slightly. The genuine smile quickly gave way to a sneer. "Why have you called upon me, dearie? There are no ogres threatening your land. I may have released your daughter, but I've kept our deal."
Maurice leaned against his desk without taking his eyes off of Rumplestiltskin. "Belle hasn't been happy since she returned."
"And that's my problem?" Rumplestiltskin said too quickly, a harsh edge lying under the teasing tone to his voice.
"I want to make a deal to provide her with what will make her happy," Maurice said.
"Oh, you don't need to make a deal for that," Rumplestiltskin said, giggling as he swung his legs down so that they were hanging off the sill and he could lean towards Maurice. "Tell me, dearie, has your daughter ever told you of her dream to see the world? Hmm?" When Maurice stayed silent, he snickered. "There lies your problem."
"That's not it," Maurice murmured.
As Rumplestiltskin opened his mouth to retort, the door to the study flew open and Belle strode in, eyes fixed on the book she was carrying. "Papa, do you remember where you got this book?" She lifted her gaze and her jaw dropped open at the sight before her. Maurice and Rumplestiltskin had both frozen when she walked in, staring at her in shock. "R—Rumplestiltskin?" she whispered.
Rumplestiltskin giggled and leapt off the window, overcoming his surprise, dancing over to Belle and circling her. He stroked her hair as he walked behind her, seemingly examining her for harm. "Hello, dearie," he said when he finished his circle and stood in front of her again.
Belle's smile lit up the whole room. "What are you doing here, Rumple?" she said, sounding happier than she had since she told Maurice about her adventure in the east.
"Your father wanted to make a deal, but unfortunately didn't know what he wanted," Rumplestiltskin said, shrugging. "But you can help with that." He wagged his finger in Belle's face.
"Can I?" she said, smiling fondly at him.
"What would make you happy?"
The smile faded from her face and she glanced at her father for the first time. He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. "You want to make a deal for my happiness?" she whispered, staring at him with eyes the same blue as the sea behind him.
"If I can give you what would make you happy, I would do it, my girl," Maurice said, walking around his desk to take her hands in his own.
Belle gave him a sad look before glancing at Rumplestiltskin. Returning her gaze to her father, she said, "Neither of you can give me that." Her eyes captured Rumplestiltskin's before she left the room, leaving the two men behind her standing awkwardly together, her father and her captor.
Rumplestiltskin paused in the shadows of the castle, watching Belle where she sat on the palace battlements that were built up from the cliffs, her legs dangling over into empty space as she watched the waves beating against the rocks below her.
"Better be careful, dearie, or you might fall to your death," he said as he stepped out to jump onto the wall next to her, sitting down gingerly.
"You would catch me if I fell," she said, smiling at him, her hair whipping around her face like a halo in the wind. He caught his breath, remembering the day she fell from the ladder in his home—because she made it a home—and, judging by her secret smile, she was remembering the same thing before she turned her gaze back out to the horizon and sighed.
"There would be no price for this new deal, dearie," he said, fidgeting where he sat. "Just tell me what it is that would make all of this bearable for you." He waved his hand around them.
"Oh," she gasped, shaking her head and placing her hand on his arm. "You've done enough for me, Rumple."
Belle took her hand back and placed it in her lap, watching him. "I thought you wanted to see the world," he said.
"I saw part of it." She beamed at him and he caught himself wishing he was the reason behind her happiness. "I saved a village from a Yaoguai." She laughed at his surprised expression and leaned in conspiratorially. "It was really a cursed prince."
"You would be the damsel to rescue the prince in distress," Rumplestiltskin said, chuckling.
She smiled again and he became aware of how close her face was to his. Belle seemed to realize it at the same time as him, but rather than drawing away like the rest of the world would, she leaned in closer, her eyes flicking from his eyes to his lips and back again before closing halfway as she tilted her face up, giving him full access to her mouth, and he froze. She stayed like that, watching him from under her lids as she waited for him to close the gap between them, but when he stayed still she opened her eyes wide and flushed with embarrassment. Just as she began to pull away, he brushed his lips against hers. She leaned into him, adding pressure to the chaste kiss and he became aware of her hand on his thigh, though he had no idea when she put it there. She smiled as she pulled away, her eyes still closed, but it disappeared as soon as she opened her eyes and looked at him.
"What's happening?" she whispered, staring at his face. He raised his hand to brush against his cheek and felt skin. Not scales, but skin. Leaping up, he walked backwards until he hit the castle wall and when he slammed into the brick, he felt scales rippling across his face again.
"You're… you're back to normal," Belle murmured, approaching him like she would a wild animal. "What happened?"
Grabbing her arm roughly, Rumplestiltskin dragged her close and stared into her eyes, which were confused and concerned and innocent. "What did you do?" he said hoarsely, glaring even though he knew there was nothing she could have done, could have known.
"Nothing," she cried, shaking her head desperately. He released her like she had burned him and stepped away.
"Don't leave this castle," he growled, not looking her in the eye.
"I wasn't—" Belle began to say when he disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. "—planning on it," she finished, shoulders slumping dejectedly.
Belle could hear the sounds of the feast still happening in the Great Hall, but she was glad she had snuck away to her father's study. Curled up on the windowsill and watching the moon reflecting off of the ocean, she could think in peace.
When she heard a puff and then hesitant shuffling behind her, she wasn't surprised to see Rumplestiltskin standing there, staring at her.
"I got used to you sneaking up on me at the Dark Castle," she whispered. "You're not going to scare me now that we've been apart for a few months."
His lips twitched but he still stared at her wordlessly. Sighing, she twisted so her back was to the window and her legs were hanging, feet almost grazing the floor. "Are you going to tell me what happened today?"
"I did some research," Rumplestiltskin said slowly, choosing his words with great care. He was speaking quietly, his voice deeper that she had ever heard it. "I didn't think it was possible. I still don't think it is, but I just need—I need to know."
He cut off and began to pace in front of her father's desk. "You need to know what?" she said.
He came around the desk and stood in front of her, staring at her before lifting his gaze and looking out the window. "There's only one magic that's strong enough to break any curse," he hissed. "It's the only magic that would be strong enough to break my curse."
"What is it?" She was quiet, unwilling to disturb the silence of the room with a loud voice.
He stayed silent for a long time. "True love's kiss," he finally said so softly she almost didn't hear it. Her mouth fell open and he laughed harshly, stepping away from her. "But of course that's impossible. No one could ever love me," he snarled.
"No!" Belle cried and his head snapped towards her. "No, I do love you," she breathed. "That's why I said you couldn't give me what would make me happy. I thought you didn't… You… That's why you let me go," she whispered, eyes widening as she slipped off the window and took a small step towards him. "You let me go because you love me."
He moved towards her so quickly he was almost gliding and took her chin in his hand, tilting her head so that she was forced to look into his eyes. "You can't love me," he said, sounding so unlike the feared Dark One. He sounded scared. "That's impossible."
"I do love you," she choked out, watching disbelief, hope, fear, and love flit across his face.
"You can't," he said again as disbelief settled across his features.
Belle lifted her hands from her side and wrapped them around his one, pulling it away from her chin and resting their clasped fists on her heart. "I do. Why don't you believe me?"
"The last two women to say that never meant it," he said, staring at their hands.
She swallowed and squeezed his hand. "I'm not them."
"No," he agreed, lifting his free hand to trace his knuckle across her cheek. "You're nothing like them."
Belle didn't know how it happened, but suddenly she was wrapped in his arms, her face pressed to his neck as she held a shaking Rumplestiltskin.
"You can't kiss me," he whispered into her hair as she clutched at him.
"Alright." She pushed her confusion out of her head and instead focused on the fact that he was holding her, that he loved her.
"Come back with me."
She breathed in sharply before smiling into his neck. She knew by the way his arms tightened around her waist that he could feel her grin against his skin. "Only if you keep our deal."
"I'll tell you everything."
They left a letter on the desk for Lord Maurice before they disappeared in another cloud of smoke.