A/N: Alright, I give up. After that disaster of a story (don't worry, I deleted it), I retreated to my holiday music, which funnily occupies at least half of my iTunes library. Since I have this little thing where I love writing holiday stories, regardless of the month and season, I wrote this in an attempt to quell the self-flagellation my brain has indulged in. Fluff is pretty safe, after all. Anyway, enjoy this and dream of wintry days.
Also, this story is written in a world post-finale. The curse is broken, but the fairytale geography (castles and cottages and such) have not been replaced. Basically, magic is back, but we still have 21-century everything else. And a HUGE thank-you to my wonderful beta, Sky Samuelle. I could never have edited and gotten this up here without my dear Italian friend. Kudos to you, dearie! And now… on to the story!
Rumpelstiltskin sighed. A merry Christmas it was indeed, but his Belle seemed to have forgotten who it was she was married to. Perhaps she was under the impression that while she had been gone, he had become a glistening socialite who flitted from party to party. That was the only explanation he had for where he was now: In a finer suit, his house cleaned and decorated in the holiday spirit, and guests from the town milling around his living room. Belle, his wonderful, alive wife, had thrown a Christmas party. Just the thought made him grimace. It wasn't that he was exactly opposed to the company of everyone. It was just he didn't suffer fools and they didn't suffer monsters. And the worst part was that he couldn't even make anyone cry without Belle shooting him a glare and withholding certain favors later. He had to play nice with everyone. "After all, it'd be nice if you could prove that Rumpelstiltskin isn't the monster they think he is. And what better way than to have a Christmas party to show off your little wife?" she had teased, spinning in a circle to show off the floaty skirt of the dress she wore. He had growled and grabbed her and that was it. The little chit had won.
And that was how he came to this, standing at the top of his stairs and dreading to walk through his own house. Belle wasn't even down yet to field the social questions and queries. She, true to the stereotype, wasn't ready yet. And he wasn't exactly about to let people walk around and try to snatch things they suddenly remembered had been theirs. He descended the stairs, thankful now that he needed no cane with his new-found power. He looked around and sighed. Belle had really gotten carried away with the decorating.
The doorways were decorated with holly and the occasional bout of mistletoe. The Yule Log—a carry-over tradition from the old world—burned in the hearth as the scents of everything gloriously old returned to Rumpelstiltskin's house. A huge Christmas tree glistened in the corner of the living room, angels and ornaments looking beautiful as ever. As he looked at the Christmas lights on the tree, he couldn't help but dream of attaching real fairies to a tree, the infernal creature. Still, even the old world returned wouldn't reduce the meddling winged beasts to their proper size. There were, however, some good things about this broken curse. Rumpelstiltskin loved to walk without the familiar pain of his injured leg.
People turned to look when they saw the lord of the manor descend to mingle, conversations becoming whispers and stares quickly averting to the ground. He nodded to a couple people and only stopped to talk to Jiminy Cricket, who had miraculously stayed human and had Red Riding Hood on his arm in a stunning sparkly red dress.
"Good to see you, Mr. Gold." Stuttered Jiminy. He and Mr. Gold had been something of friends for the past twenty-eight years, but that didn't mean he wasn't wary of the man.
"Rumpelstiltskin, please. You seem to be the only people here who aren't intent on breaking something." He said, glancing around with ill-disguised disgust at the people invading his home. Jiminy looked a little unsure of what to say to that, so Red spoke up,
"It was good to get an invite, Rumpelstiltskin, though I can't imagine why you had a party. Does this mythical Belle already have you wrapped around her little finger?" she said, a little teasing creeping into her tone. Rumpelstiltskin chose to ignore her question and said,
"I hope you enjoy yourself. Jiminy, Red." He nodded to them both and strode off, desperately in need of his liquor cabinet and a certain brunette whom had yet to appear. Just then, conversations flat-out stopped. He turned to see what they were staring at and grinned. Speak of the demon and she shall appear, he thought. Belle was descending the stairs in the gold number he had somehow managed to preserve from the old world. She looked as regal now as she had then, hair falling in perfect ringlets down her back and around her shoulders. The crowd parted around Rumpelstiltskin as he made his way to the bottom of the stairs, taking Belle's hand and pressing it to his lips.
"Belle, I do believe you've struck them speechless." He said. Belle looked around and blushed, a beautiful sight he'd never tire of.
"Is something wrong?" she whispered. Rumpelstiltskin smirked and shook his head. Since the curse had been broken, this was the first time most of the people present had seen Belle. Rumors had abounded, of course, but none of them had been confirmed. Rumpelstiltskin would have been proud to show her off (and maybe rub it in a few people's faces that she wasn't theirs), but he worried about her. Belle had always maintained she was fine, but Rumpelstiltskin could still find the fragility that hadn't been there before her stay in the asylum. Perhaps she would always be a little nervous about enclosed spaces and new people, but he hoped to heal that with time. Rumpelstiltskin shook himself from his thoughts. He leaned in and kissed his lady's lips, something many people gasped at. They gasped again when she returned it, just for a moment before she pulled away. That kiss was doing things to her that would hardly be appropriate. She grinned at the people,
"Hello." She said shyly, waving at no one in particular. A few men waved back with leers on their faces, but the scowl Rumpelstiltskin shot every one of them quickly punctured their hopes. Belle was beginning to think this party was a bad idea after all before a beautiful woman in red stepped up to her,
"Good evening. I'm Red Riding Hood, but just call me Red. And this," she practically pulled Jiminy up from thin air, "is Jiminy Cricket. We're delighted to meet you." Red extended a hand that Belle gratefully shook, flashing a genuine smile.
"Good to meet you. I'm Belle, and I think you know my husband. Rum never told me how nice the people here are." She said, giving him a glance out of the corner of her eyes. He didn't meet her look, instead surveying to see exactly whose legs he would have to break to keep them away from Belle. What he found was a good few dropped jaws. Red did a double-take at Belle's left hand,
"Husband? Let me see that." She snatched up the girl's hand. A diamond ring sparkled on the fourth finger and Red laughed, "Rumpelstiltskin, have you been keeping secrets again?" Normally she wouldn't have been this familiar but this was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Rumpelstiltskin didn't comment, putting a hand around Belle's waist and surprisingly managing a charming smile,
"It seems I have, though you can hardly blame me for keeping this lass a secret." Belle turned and grinned at him before pecking his cheek. She knew how it must be killing him to be civil to everyone. Rumpelstiltskin smiled at her before turning back to Red. He hadn't been overly fond of Red before, but if she was taking Belle under her wing, he wasn't about to pick a fight. Jiminy smiled at Belle, but looked just a bit concerned,
"Are you alright? I heard you were in the hospital for the duration of Storybrooke-time." He said. Belle nodded, a bit of the happy warmth falling out of her eyes,
"I was. Psychiatric ward. The Evil Queen kept me there because I remembered, but I'm much better now." A blazing smile warmed her face, but no one was convinced by it. Jiminy produced a scrap of paper from his pocket and wrote his number on the back,
"I was a psychiatrist in Storybrooke, so if you ever want to talk, just call me." He said. Belle nodded and took the card, handing it to Rumpelstiltskin who tucked it in his coat pocket. Belle vowed to never call. Rumpelstiltskin vowed to knock fifty dollars off Jiminy's rent. Just then, an obviously drunk Grumpy joined the conversation,
"What're you doing with a monster like that, sister? He put a spell on ya? Imprison ya?" Rumpelstiltskin bristled at the dwarf's words, but Belle leaned down to speak to Grumpy eye-to-eye. Well, it would have been eye-to-eye if he had managed to actually look above her neck.
"There was no spell involved, dwarf. I love him and that's that. I will take no criticisms on our relationship. Now why don't you totter on out the door?" she said to Grumpy, who had the decency to blush a bit at Belle's implication. No one else heard what she'd said, so all were surprised when Grumpy muttered,
"My apologies, Mrs. Gold. Merry Christmas." And he stumbled on out the door. Jiminy stared at her in awe, Red shook her head in wonder, and Rumpelstiltskin smiled and smiled. Belle grinned at them all and said to Rumpelstiltskin,
"Shall we go get drinks? Personally, I could use a little fortification before I meet the rest of the town." She led the way, Rumpelstiltskin happily following. Red stared at them, then turned to Jiminy,
"Who's on top, you think?" she asked, a calculating look in her eye as she turned back to the departed couple. Jiminy, who had been drinking his soda (appointed driver), sputtered and coughed. Red laughed and laughed as he turned crimson. She grabbed his hand and dragged him to the nearest dark corner. A girl could only be expected to behave for so long, after all.
Belle gratefully sipped her soda. A good part of her wanted something a little more alcoholic, but now would not be the time to reveal her low tolerance for alcohol. Rumpelstiltskin stood at her elbow, introducing her to whoever decided they had the gumption to meet the new girl. A few couples had been perfectly nice, Snow White and Prince Charming especially. Their daughter Emma had come over soon after, her son Henry bouncing at her elbow. As soon as pleasantries had been exchanged, Belle turned to the little boy, who needed no more prompting.
"Is your name really Belle?" he asked. Belle smiled a bit, amused at his enthusiasm and curiosity,
"It is."
"As in Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast?'" Belle had seen the Disney movie soon after moving in with Rumpelstiltskin so knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Not exactly, but there are certain parallels that can be drawn." She said. Rumpelstiltskin felt just a little bit proud at how she could answer a question without truly answering it. I taught her that, he thought and his chest puffed out just a tiny bit. Henry, however, was satisfied with Belle's answer.
"And the Evil Queen really put you in the psych ward?"
"That she did." Said Belle. She couldn't quite muster a smile for that question and Henry, bless the boy, noticed and questioned that route no further,
"So when did you and Rumpelstiltskin get married?" he asked. Belle brightened at just the mention of her husband,
"A couple weeks ago. It was very small, which is why so few people know."
"Are you gonna have any kids?"
"Henry!" the admonition came from his mother and he just shrugged. Emma turned to Belle, "I'm sorry. Henry, that a very personal question."
"No, it's alright." Said Belle. A faraway look glimmered in her eyes as she said softly, "You never know." Henry grinned at this and Emma steered him away soon after. Rumpelstiltskin was still reeling from her answer. He'd known she loved him, of course, and he had always loved children. The part that surprised him was that Belle, even though she knew his past with both children and the Dark One, would still want to have children with him. He turned to her and whispered,
"'You never know?'" she looked over at him and shrugged,
"You don't. After all, I'm most certainly not opposed to the idea, and I rather assumed you weren't. If you are though, we can—" He silenced her with a smoldering, lingering kiss. Rumpelstiltskin tried hard to communicate both his wonder and thanks in that kiss, and Belle understood both. He pulled back and Belle said, beaming,
"Well then, I suppose this would be a good time to mention that I'm pregnant." Rumpelstiltskin's eyes bugged and Belle giggled a bit as an impish grin overtook her face. He stared at her face, at her flat belly, back at her face. He tentatively placed a hand on her abdomen,
"You…you're…when? How?" he asked in disbelief. Belle laughed,
"I think you know the how. And a month or so back. You got home late from work…I was baking…we got distracted…" she trailed off as she saw the realization dawn in his eyes. He did remember a night that ended in licking whipped cream off her breasts and eating a cherry pie naked on the kitchen floor. He wrapped Belle in his arms and whispered,
"And you saw fit to withhold this information how long?"
"About two days. Just until I had a chance to understand your position on the subject." She said. He leaned in and let his tongue tickle the shell of her ear as he whispered,
"I think you know my position." He hugged her closer and pulled her lips to his. Belle folded into his body and kissed him back before some dim part of her brain registered that the entire town was in the living room and no doubt at least half of them were watching her. She pushed him away and whispered,
"Not here. Later, darling." He pulled back and reluctantly nodded, but Belle did not miss the scheming look to him as he glanced around the room. Snow came over just then,
"Belle! I'm sorry, I didn't really get a chance to talk to you earlier. James wanted to circulate. I just wanted to let you know that Red, Emma, and I are getting together this Friday for a kind of girl's night and I was wondering if you're interested. Movies, margaritas, girl stuff. You in?" Belle grinned, positively ecstatic to have already been accepted by the group.
"I'd be delighted, though I might have to pass on those margaritas." Snow looked at her in confusion for a moment before noting the happy glow Belle exuded and the soft hand pressed to her belly. Snow's eyes grew wide,
"Congratulations!"
"Thank you, but I'd appreciate if you didn't go shouting it around. Rum and I are happy about it, but I want to let people get used to me before we spread the news. I can't imagine everyone is happy about Rum being older than me and I don't want him to get hurt." Said Belle. Snow nodded, remembering how gossipy and rather unforgiving people could be. Snow grinned,
"Not a problem. Do you want to come anyway? I'm sure I could hunt down some soda or something."
"Sounds great. I'll see you there, then? What time and whose house?"
"My apartment at four. We want to get an early start so we can get in all those sappy Christmas movies our husbands or boyfriends don't like." Here she leaned in and whispered, "Rest assured, there will be no 'It's A Wonderful Life' here. Think less Christmas and more chick flicks." Belle smiled, a bit more excited at that prospect. It would be nice to have her first ever girl's night. She and Snow ironed out a few more details before Snow went back to find James and play her part of dutiful wife. Belle looked around. Rumpelstiltskin must have disappeared to terrorize some poor townsperson while she talked to Snow. Finally, she spotted him standing by the doorway to the kitchen, speaking with a woman who had introduced herself as Cinderella. Despite herself, Belle felt just a bit possessive over Rumpelstiltskin and wasn't one-hundred percent overjoyed to see him talking to the beauty in the blue dress. She made her way over, slipping her arm through his,
"I hope I'm not interrupting. I just wanted to talk to my husband about something quickly." She said, pulling him off to the side a bit. Cinderella, it seemed, saw straight through her and nodded, going over and wrapping an arm around her beau, pulling him down for a kiss. Belle couldn't help but nod a bit at that. She was much less worried once she knew Cinderella was taken. Turning back to Rumpelstiltskin, she saw him grinning down at her,
"Not your most stealthy 'Shoo!', dearie."
"I looked over only to find my new husband talking to a beautiful woman I don't know, and in a dark corner no less. What else is a girl to do but interfere?" she said teasingly. Rumpelstiltskin tilted her chin up and swooped down to kiss her. He felt Belle smile against his mouth and deepened the kiss. Belle, ever conscious of the crowd, stepped back a few paces.
"We can't do too much of that, else people will talk, Mr. I-don't-like-public-affection." This only made Rumpelstiltskin grin wider and Belle frowned in confusion. He stared just above her head. Belle looked up and groaned. An innocent little branch of mistletoe hung above her. She looked back at her husband, only to find him directly in front of her. He leaned in and fairly growled in her ear,
"Tradition must be satisfied, my dear. And I intend to satisfy this tradition until it can't walk for a week." Belle felt her knees go weak and she clutched at his jacket for support.
"But surely this can't be good for the baby." She said. He grabbed her elbows to steady her,
"You look a little weak in the knees, dearie. It especially wouldn't be good if you fell. I suppose I'll just have to hold you up." He let his arms slip around her waist and he leaned in, giving her a searing kiss that tasted of dark chocolate and cinnamon. Belle felt her knees fold beneath her. Rumpelstiltskin's arms and her own clutch on his jacket were the only things holding her up, and the infernal man knew it. He pulled back and whispered,
"Merry Christmas, Belle." She looked up at him through her lashes and kissed the juncture of his neck and shoulder, whispering,
"Merry Christmas, Rum." Rumpelstiltskin pulled back and put a hand on her belly,
"Merry Christmas, baby."
Later that night, after all the guests were gone and even Belle was asleep, Rumpelstiltskin stood before the bedroom window. Snow had started falling softly and he looked out into the night, remembering days gone by and people gone missing. Rumpelstiltskin watched the lights in town and whispered,
"Merry Christmas, Bae." The moon shown down and covered the hills in an ethereal light. Rumpelstiltskin sighed and crawled back into bed; after all, hopes and failing plans could only do so much. And as he lay in bed and kept hoping and planning, he couldn't help hope and plan to have both his children home next Christmas. And how was he to know that far far away, in one of those small towns everyone visits, a young man looked up at the same pearly moon and whispered back,
"Merry Christmas, Papa."