Belle is sick in the Dark Castle but won't admit it. Will Rumpelstiltskin be able to convince her to take the day off? While she's sick will he be able to get any work done?
Belle walked down the stairs, pale as a sheet. When she got to the top step she took a deep breath, stifled a cough and steeled herself for the day ahead. Unfortunately she had to go through the dining hall to get to the kitchen to make Rumpelstiltskin his morning cup of tea and he was already up. He stood there stirring his tea in the chipped cup; seemingly calm and patently waiting. She wondered to herself why Rumpelstiltskin kept that cup, he could easily cut himself, and even though he had magic it would still hurt.
Rumpelstiltskin didn't look up as she walked in, just kept on idly stirring. "A little late on the tea dearie; since you slept in I had to fix it myself—I do hope you had a good rest" he said sardonically.
Her eyes widened. Sleep in? Oh no, she was not here for sleeping she was here for working. Belle hoped that he would forgive her this time and she would be sure to make up for the lost time and work when the next chance arose.
She bowed her head and gave a rushed, yet tired, curtsy and Rumpelstiltskin looked up at her.
"I apologize for sleeping in my lord, it won't happen again. I'll get started on breakfast right away."
Belle took a step forward—the room spun around her and she placed a hand on the table to steady herself. Not looking at Rumpelstiltskin and praying he didn't see her weakness, she was about to make her way out of the room when he appeared in front of her with the slightest hint of concern in his eyes. Startled, Belle stumbled back but Rumpelstiltskin caught her arm and pulled her to his chest to keep her from falling. He held her tight seconds longer than he needed to while looking quite skeptical.
Rumpelstiltskin had noticed the slight rasp in her voice and how pale she looked. Reaching to feel her forehead Belle tried to step away and he gave her an admonishing look. With the smallest smile she stayed where she was and Rumpelstiltskin placed his hand gently on her forehead.
"Dearie," he said giving a half-hearted smile, "You're sick."
"I am not" she stated firmly.
Then she squared her shoulders trying to look like the perfect vision of heath. But it didn't take much for Rumpelstiltskin to see past her act, Belle's attitude only made the lack of sleep and pale pallor more evident to him.
"Now if you will excuse me there is breakfast to be made, unless you want us to stand here and starve"
"You will not be making any food today dearie. I will not have what little staff I have wandering around sick in my castle."
She looked at him in unconvinced disbelief at the idea of Rumpelstiltskin giving her the day off. "I am the only staff you have."
"Well it taints the magic" he added on quickly, waving his hand about. There was no use letting her know that he was definitely more worried about her than his magic at the moment.
Belle rolled her eyes. "I am just fine thank you very much. Besides, how are you going to run this castle without me?"
She put her hands on her hips and looked at him defiantly which was returned it with a smug grin. "Oh don't thank me yet dearie, I haven't done anything. But what I have been doing is keeping up this castle on my own for far longer than you know. I think I can handle it one day more."
She felt a little deflated. Did he really not need her? Even if it was for just one day, why was she here if he could do it all himself with a wave of his hand?
He saw a flicker of self-conscious sadness in her eyes, but it was gone in an instant.
Rumpelstiltskin softened his voice. "You wouldn't believe how hard it is to come by good help Dearie" He let out and exasperated sigh, and before Belle started protesting any more he placed a hand on her back and began guiding her back to the stairs. "So the good help that I have I would like to keep healthy" As an afterthought he added "No matter what people may say about me"
She rounded on him, a questioning look upon her face. "My room is downstairs."
"The dungeon is no place to stay while you are sick." Rumpelstiltskin said as if she should have known that. Actually, he hadn't thought of where he was taking her, it just seemed natural that she should stay somewhere comfortable to get well as soon as possible. Then he thought for a moment, why did he care? It was strange…
Belle verbally shook him from his thoughts "You're making me go to bed…in one of your rooms?"
He was taken aback at the thought of her in his room. It wasn't a bad idea for her to stay there but…if she had a room of her own, it might be more comfortable for the both of them.He sighed giving her an impish grin. "I am a monster remember? I'm going to be making you do a lot of things to help around here, and some of them you might not want to do. This time, that something you don't want to do means you going to bed in one of my guest rooms. As you are no guest however, you might as well keep the room so long as you ensure it stays clean as well. We monsters always make people do things that they do not want to do" he said flourishing his hand upwards.
The fire left Belle's eyes and she tilted her heard. "You're not a monster Rumpelstiltskin."
Rumpelstiltskin's hands came down a fraction and a look of shock passed through his eyes and the grin was wiped from his face. But so quickly did Rumpelstiltskin's smug attitude return that Belle almost missed it. Then he waved away the comment. "You're just delirious from the sickness."
Belle crossed her arms. "I might be sick but you are certainly no monster"
"Ha! So you admit it!" Rumpelstiltskin giggled triumphantly ignoring the fact that for some reason…she didn't think of him as a monster.
Belle simply rolled her eyes at his childishness; then she thought back to her fiancé Gaston and shivered. No, Gaston was more of a monster than Rumpelstiltskin would ever be.
At the sight of the shiver a worried look creased Rumpelstiltskin's face. How could be make her warm if she refused to go to bed or let him help? All of a sudden the mischievous smile reappeared on his face. "I'll make you a deal."
Belle opened her mouth to protest but he put up a hand to stop it. "Ah, ah, ah. Listen first."
He flipped his hand around scooping the air and a large, leather bound book appeared on his hand. Belle gasped, it was a beautiful book. The cover was intricately designed yet had no words or pictures on it.
"Any novel or story you wish to read will appear on the pages of this book. When you are done, close it and it will become blank again, ready for a new story."
Her eyes widened and Rumpelstiltskin let a real smile escape his lips, he had her attention now. "I will give this to you for the day to read as much as you want, so long as you stay in bed upstairs and let yourself rest."
He could see the inner struggle going on in her eyes but, with her feeling ill and her favorite past time only an arm's reach away, he knew exactly what she would chose. Belle looked up to his eyes and saw no sign of trickery there.
"Deal" she said.
Rumpelstiltskin held the book out to her, trying his best to squish the look of triumph threatening to appear on his face least she not want to cooperate. Belle took the book fragilely and looked at in wonder. Closing his hand into a fist and bringing it to side, Rumpelstiltskin tried to subdue the warm feeling that rushed through him when Belle's hand had brushed over his.
She began to sway a bit as she headed to the stairs and in an instant Rumpelstiltskin was there with a hand softly on her back helping her gently up the stairs and, to his amazement, Belle didn't resist or push him away. He tried to convince himself that it was just the fever preventing that reaction, nothing more. Rumpelstiltskin led her through the upstairs hall and down a side corridor. He stopped at a door with beautiful swirled carvings on it and with a wave of his hand the door opened to reveal a large room complete with a spacious bathroom through another door in the room.
Rumpelstiltskin stood in the threshold as Belle looked around. "This…is for me?"
A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips and disappeared but he nodded. Belle made her way over to the bed and sat down in it.
"Try to get some rest" he said quietly. "If you need anything I'll be downstairs and all you have to do is call my name."
Belle looked at him and settled herself down into a sitting position under the covers. "Do you always treat your house keepers like this?" she questioned.
"I have only ever had one dearie, and I would like to keep you around for just a little while longer."
He gave Belle his favorite impish grin, turned around and, with a flick of his wrist, shut the door. For a moment he stood outside hoping that he had done the right thing. She did seem ill, but also she didn't want to go back to bed. He had been about ready to beg her but…why? Why did he care so much? Rumpelstiltskin wondered about this. You're not a monster she had said. Did she really believe that?
Rumpelstiltskin shook his head to clear the thoughts swirling inside and began to make his way back down the stairs; by now he was quite hungry and decided to wander into the kitchen to fix some breakfast for himself. He got out the eggs, some bacon, bread, and a few potatoes. It had been a while since he had had to cook since Belle has arrived, but it was one thing he had learned to do very well as a boy and still found himself cooking on occasion with ease. It wasn't that he liked it per say, it just came naturally too him and he was able to let himself slip into thought as he cooked. When he was done he realized that unconsciously he had made enough for two, it must have been the fact that he had been thinking about Belle.
Rumpelstiltskin put her food on a silver try with some orange juice and left his on the counter for when he got back. Then he wondered, since when had he started playing nurse maid to his maid? A small sigh escaped his lips. If anyone else saw him now they wouldn't be able to get over their shock to even believe he was capable to care for someone. It wasn't like he didn't know how though; he loved taking care of Bae when he was a child, Milah didn't do any of the work anyway. Now, here was someone else that, for some reason, he felt the need to take care of. He felt responsible for Belle, and there was something about her that just made him need to make sure she was ok. Without a doubt he knew she was a capable young woman and he respected her for that. But he also felt strangely protective of her. He guessed it must have first started around the time a guarded wanted to trade him information for the 'use' of Belle. That had infuriated him. Belle was a lady and even though she worked as his maid she was not an object that he would just throw away for information.
After much thought, Rumpelstiltskin found himself at the door to Belle's room and he knocked softly. "Belle?" There was no answer. Instead of panicking he let himself in hoping she was asleep. Looking inside he found her lying down curled into the book she was reading, it was open with her hand placed lovingly atop it to save the page. Deciding it was best not to wake her, he set the tray with the food down on the nightstand, enchanting it so that it would stay fresh and warm for when she woke up.
He went over to consider what book she had ended up reading and in large, fancy cursive the title read Beauty and the Beast across the front. He clenched his jaw but stopped himself from shutting the book. He knew that story had a happy ending, but that wasn't life. He almost felt as if the story was a mockery of his own. But Belle didn't know that. She said she didn't think of him as a monster; and here she was reading a book where the beast, was not really a monster at all, and even gets a happy ending. He skimmed the pages to see how far she had gotten. She was at the part after Belle had seen the Beast's rose and she had left the castle. In the woods she had been attacked by wolves but the Beast had rescued her and they returned to his castle.
The page ended and Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help but give a thin smile. He regarded the food tray and with a small twirl of his hand, a single red rose appeared in a small crystal vase at the head of the tray.
Rumpelstiltskin went over to the window and shut the curtains and Belle stirred. He turned back to her and gently felt her forehead; she was still burning hot but was shivering from cold. It was not a good sign. Pausing for a moment to think about the best course of action, he gave a defeated sigh and pulled the covers up around the sleeping Belle, tucking her in and conjured up another, thicker, blanket on top of her sleeping form. She stirred again, settling down deeper into the covers as Rumpelstiltskin made his way back to the door.
"R-Rumpel…?" Belle whispered.
He stopped short, the nickname surprised him, but he told himself that she probably didn't call him that on purpose.
"Yes dearie?" he said quietly, forcing a flippant tone.
"Thank you…for everything"
Rumpelstiltskin was taken aback; this day was turning out to hold many firsts for him. She was actually thanking him, so vulnerable and so…innocent. Almost like a child; but no, she had too much fight and maturity in her to be compared to a mere child.
"Go back to sleep dearie, you need the rest. Everything will still be here tomorrow when you are feeling better."
He turned to go again but Belle stopped him. "Wait…will you please read to me?"
Rumpelstiltskin couldn't hide she utter shock in his voice. "What?"
She buried her face in the covers. "I know you have your work to do but, at least until I fall asleep, will you please read to me?"
He bowed his head, smiling to the floor. "If you really want me to dearie" and adding on quickly he said "but only this once."
With a hand he gently brought the covers away from her face and she was smiling. So Rumpelstiltskin picked the book up, turned the page and sat on the edge of her bed to begin reading to her. While he was reading Belle settled back into the covers and he didn't even notice that, silently, she had drifted off to sleep until she had rolled over, leaving her pressed up against him.
He jerked his head over to where she lay beside him, her eyes closed and her mouth was tucked into a dreamy smile. Brushing the hair out of her eyes, Rumpelstiltskin left the book open next to her and went to get up. But before he had even moved an inch, Belle's hand ghosted over his and he froze. The same tingling sensation he had felt earlier had returned.
"Rumpel…" she murmured.
"Yes Belle?" he whispered.
Belle didn't answer—she must have been talking in her sleep. But to him? He was tempted to look into her dreams but decided against it. Dreams were a private thing, and he had no business spying on hers. He turned away and walked silently out of the room, shutting the door behind him. In a daze he made his way to the spinning wheel and began spinning idly, going thought the morning's events in his mind. He didn't even bother to keep track of how much gold he made or even when he ran out of straw. He just kept spinning the wheel and watching it turn until the sun, ever so slowly, began its descent into darkness casting small shadows over the Dark Castle's walls.
All of a sudden a voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Rumplestiltskin?"
It was Belle, and she was still in her room. Encasing himself in purple fog he disappeared from his spinning, leaving the wheal to stop on its own, and appeared in Belle's room seconds later.
"Oh!" startled, Belle dropped a piece of toast and crumbs spilt all over the covers. "I'm so sorry!" she said trying to brush them off only to make them land on the floor and she grimaced. "I thought you were going to come in through the door, or something…you startled me." She giggled at her own silliness. He was the Dark One, and such simple means were not the only way for him to move about. Belle smiled at Rumpelstiltskin.
"I can come back in through the door if you prefer" he said backing away.
"Well, you are already in here so why don't you stay?" Belle replied with a smirk catching him off guard—again.
He nodded slowly. "Alright. So what did you need? You did call…" he looked at Belle with a hint of worry then looked at the food and back to her.
She caught the look and rushed to put his mind at ease. "Oh no! The food was wonderful, that's actually what I wanted to tell you. It is positively delicious, thank you. I didn't know you could cook so well. I hope you saved some for yourself."
At the mention of that his stomach growled a little and his eyes widened. His food…was on the counter in the kitchen…where it had been all day. He had been so deep in thought that he had forgotten to eat. His lip quirked up. "I did make some for myself, but I am afraid I forgot it entirely when I began my work."
She smiled playfully at him. "And you said that for all those years you were able to take care of yourself. How you didn't starve is beyond me."
"I said I took care of the castle…I would have remembered to eat eventually" he said feigning injury.
"Well," Belle said coming to a conclusion. "Seeing as how you haven't eaten yet, would you like to eat with me here?"
Rumpelstiltskin swept into an elegant bow. "It would be my pleasure"
Belle brought her hand up to her mouth and giggled again.
He sat on the end of her bed and in a swirl of magic his breakfast from the counter appeared before him, warm and fresh once more.
Belle crossed her arms. "I was going to give you some of mine…"
Rumpelstiltskin leaned over and used a finger to tip her chin up so she could meet his eyes. "As much as your generosity moves me, I want you to eat all of it to get better; and if you're feeling up to it you can even have some of my food too."
Finishing off a piece of bacon Belle gave a sly smile, reached over, and grabbed another piece from Rumpelstiltskin's plate. "I might just take you up on that deal, dearie" she said, using his pet name against him. Somehow it sounded more…intimate when she used it. He couldn't help but laugh. It was a good chuckle, one that Belle had not heard before and she looked at him in surprise. "You laughed!"
He tilted his head towards her as if he was about to let her in on a secret. "I do laugh that on occasion dearie."
"But this was different!" she cried. "You sounded…happier" she nodded her head as if to confirm it.
"Hmmm" he intoned, scrubbing his hand over his face. "And if, by some chance…I was?"
Belle tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Then I'm glad I was the one who was able to make you happy."
Rumpelstiltskin raised his eyebrows. Was there no end to the number of surprises Belle had in store for him today? Then he shook his head becoming serious.
"You're playing with fire Dearie. And those who play with fire; well…they tend to get burned."
He made a move to get up but Belles next words stopped him.
"Am I really playing with fire? Or is it something much more breakable that you just don't want to trust anyone with?"
"Breakable Dearie?" he gave a strained laugh. "Now what might that be?"
Belle looked him straight in the eyes. "Your heart" It was a simple but bold statement.
He walked over to where she sat up and looked down at her. "Be careful dearie, you're toying with a dark force that has no business even being near you."
"And yet here you are."
H gave a dark laugh. "Yes, here I am, and can you tell me why that is Dearie?"
"It is because you care about me. More than once you have saved my life and kept me safe when it would have been so much easier just to turn your back on me. But you didn't."
He had not expected an answer from her. And the one she gave…could it really be true?
"And you know what else Rumpelstiltskin? I know you probably won't believe me when I say this but care about you too and I wish I could prove it to you."
He grabbed her shoulders and shook his head. "Belle…stop it. It's not true. No one cares about me and that's how it's going to say. No one could ever love a—"
Before he could finish Belle leaned forward, placing the softest of kisses on his lips. His eyes widened in surprise but when she didn't pull away they closed and he melted to her touch. Eventually when they broke apart, Belle looked him in the eyes and said "You are not a monster Rumpelstiltskin. No matter what people say or what you have done. The past is untouchable now, but the key to your future is in the present."
"I…I want my future to include you Belle" he said softly. "You are the most special girl I have ever known."
"Then I get to be a part of your present as well." She concluded with a small smile.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Rumpelstiltskin said, warmth shining in his eyes.
Belle soon fell asleep again, tucked in Rumpelstiltskin's arms. He listened to her calm breathing and thought about the past day. It had all begun with a cold. Small cough began to tickle the back of his throat, it looked like it was going to end with one too. Hoping he had not disturbed Belle, he pulled the sheets tighter around them. If he had to get sick, at least he finally had her by his side and in his arms.