(Belle's point of view is in regular text and Rumpelstiltskin's in in italics)
Chapter One
Belle awoke to find the sun beaming in from the large picture window. She lifted her arm to shield her eyes from the bright glow and looked around the room. The fireplace was lifeless and had gray ashes from the fire they had lit the night before. Rumpelstiltskin was still lying next her, covered by nothing except a small blanket. They had both passed out on the floor in front of the couch after cuddling in the warmth of the fire. Belle pulled the blankets over Rumple, making sure he was warm, then wrapped her own blanket around her naked body. She slowly stood up, being careful not to disturb her sleeping beast, and made her way towards the kitchen.
As Belle entered the kitchen she jumped as her feet transferred from warm carpet to cold tile. She quickly stepped back onto the carpet and looked down at the floor, as if stepping on the dark tiles anymore would make her freeze in place. She pulled her blanket tightly around her and turned around, walking towards the front door where her slippers had been placed. She slipped her feet into the warm shoes then walked back over towards the kitchen, sliding her feet along the black tile floor. As she reached the counter, Belle adjusted her blanket so her arm could move freely in front of her without letting any cold air get to the rest of her body. She pulled the pot out of the coffee maker and placed it in the sink, opening the lid and turning on the faucet. She placed the pot under the running water and watched it fill.
Belle gazed out the window above the sink, watching the wind blow through the bare branches of the trees in the yard. She looked back down at the pot to make sure it wasn't over flowing, then turned the faucet off when the water level reached the point she desired. She closed the lid of the pot and walked back over to the coffee maker, opening the top of it and pouring the water into the basin. When she was finished, she placed the pot back in it's original spot and walked over to a nearby cabinet. From behind her, she heard Rumpelstiltskin stirring in the living room. She opened the cabinet in front of her and examined the items inside before finally finding the coffee on the top shelf. She reached up, careful to not let her blanket fall, and stood on her tiptoes, trying to reach the coffee.
Rumpelstiltskin opened his eyes, the sun stinging his fresh morning eyes. He winced and quickly shut his eyes again rolling over and going to wrap his arm around Belle. His arm promptly fell to the floor, for Belle was no longer at his side. He opened his eyes again and looked around him, trying to see if Belle was still in the room at all. Not able to see her, Rumple stretch a little and grunted, trying to avoid the sun beams coming through the window. He slowly sat up and looked around the room again, a little confused as to where Belle had gone. "Belle?" he said softly, still half asleep. He glanced around the room once more before collecting the blanket on top of him and standing up. He stumbled a little as he stood, shivering in the cold air and quickly wrapping the blanket around him. He walked out of the living room and into the the hallway, searching for Belle as he walked through the door.
Rumpelstiltskin finally spotted Belle in the kitchen, trying to reach a can of coffee in the cabinet. He walked into the doorway and leaned against the wall, watching her struggle for a few moments and softly snickering to himself. "Having trouble, dearie?" he asked, almost trying to startled her.
Belle's head quickly whipped sideways at the sound of Rumpelstiltskin's voice. She smiled at him and leaned back on the soles of her feet. She giggled a little and looked down at her feet, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I, um, I can't reach it." she said, almost embarrassed that she wasn't tall enough to make coffee on her own. She looked back up and smiled at Rumple again.
Rumpelstiltskin smiled at her and began to walk towards her. As his feet made contact with the bare tile, he jumped as Belle did and stepped back into the safety of the carpeted floor. "Good God." he said, looking down at the cold tile floor. He looked up at Belle, a shocked expression on his face. "How on earth did you walk in there?" Rumple pulled his blanket tighter around his body, as if making his body warmer would make the tiles less cold.
Belle chuckled and looked down at her feet. She brought one foot out from beneath her blanket and held it in the air, showing Rumpelstiltskin her slippers. She placed her foot back on the floor and continued to laugh at him as he glared at the floor.
Rumple eyed Belle's slippers and nodded. "Oh." he said, promptly turning around and walking to get his own slippers by the door. "Why didn't I think of that?" He stopped in front of the shoe rack and slipped his feet into the safety of his black, fur loafers. He made sure his feet were secure in them, then turned around and walked back towards the kitchen. He into the doorway, then stopped for a moment, eyeing the tiles as if they would spring up and bite him. She placed one foot on the cold floor gently to make sure he couldn't feel the sting of cold through the slippers, then continued walking towards Belle.
Belle continued to giggle to herself, shaking her head and smiling as she watched Rumpelstiltskin interact with the floor. She leaned back against the counter and waited for him to reach her. "You're to funny." she said, watching him shuffle across the floor towards her.
"My dear. I am many things." Rumple said, gripping his blanket tightly and looked down at the floor as he walked. "Cold, tired, hungry even." He nodded his head as he said each word. "But, funny…" he paused and looked at Belle. "That is one thing I am not at the present time." He tightened his grip on the blanket around him. He finally reached Belle and stopped in front of her, trying to be as manly as possible while he shivered.
Belle chuckled once more and unraveled her other hand from within the blanket. She wrapped both arms around Rumple's waist and hugged him tightly, rubbing her hands up and down his back to try and warm him up. "Better." she said softly, placing a small kiss on his cheek and breathing hot air into his blanket.
Rumpelstiltskin returned Belle's embrace and leaned into her, still trying to appear as if the cold wasn't bothering him. "Belle, my darling. Everything is better with you." He rested his forehead on her shoulder and slowly began to warm up in her arms. He kissed the bare skin of her neck and hugged her to him tenderly. For a moment, he closed his eyes and yawned quietly, nearly falling asleep standing up.
Belle continued to hug Rumple, rocking him back and forth like a child and breathing into the folds of his blanket. Hearing his quiet yawn, Belle smiled and released him from her arms. "We might want to get some food and coffee in you soon before you fall asleep again and become worthless to us all." she said, giggling softly and turning her head to look at the coffee can that she couldn't reach.
Rumpelstiltskin looked at Belle, then followed her glance up to the coffee can. "Yes, well…" he said, pausing and shifting his blanket around. He poked his hand out into the frigid air and snapped his fingers, willing the coffee can to the palm of his hand. "There you are." he said, holding out the can to Belle so she could continue making the coffee.
Belle looked at Rumpelstiltskin's outstretched hand, the coffee can resting in his palm. She smiled and took the can from him, slightly giggling to herself. "Why, thank you." she said, pecking his cheek and returning to the coffee pot. She opened the lid of the can and scooped out three leveled scoops of coffee, pouring each one into the filter inside the machine. When she finished, she closed the top and pressed the ON button, the machine coming to life before her and beginning to brew the coffee.
Rumple watched as Belle finished loading the coffee machine. He smiled lovingly at her and leaned back against the counter behind him. "You really are lovely." he said to the back of her head, as if he didn't tell her enough. "Do you know that?" he gazed at Belle, waiting for a response.
Belle turned around as the coffee started brewing and smiled at Rumpelstiltskin. "Um, yes. I think you've mentioned it once or twice." she said sarcastically. She walked over to him and leaned against the counter next to him. She placed another small kiss on his cheek, then gazed out the window in front of her.
Rumpelstiltskin looked at Belle for a few moments then wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side and kissing the top of her head. He let out a happy sigh and joined her in gazing out the window. He was truly happy in this one, small moment. A smile was painted on his face that he couldn't get rid of. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have found the woman of his dreams in Belle.