They were finally married and asleep in the same bed, but only one of them was in a deep sleep. Belle was tucked into the cool silk sheets on top of her. She was lying on her side facing Rumple, her hair was spread across her pillow and she had a little content smile on her face. It was a smile like that, that melted his heart and reminded him how he fell for her.
It wasn't lust for power, it was love, accidental love.
He had met her by making a deal, obviously, with her father. He made the deal that he would help end the war between their kingdom and the ogres, to save their people, if he could have Belle in return, as a maid. Her father initially said no because she was his daughter, his pride and joy. Belle had other things on her mind than her own wellbeing. She agreed to go with him, if he saved them. Her father and fiancé protested, but she was stubborn and had made her mind up, that it was what was better for the future of their kingdom.
She cried the whole day of her first day in the dungeon, that he called her room, she missed her family, but knew it was the right thing to do. Rumplestiltskin offered her a pillow, 'to muffle the screams' (not as a kind gesture). When he let her out of her room he told her what he expected her to do. When he made references to torturing and killing children, she dropped the teacup that she was holding and started apologising over and over. She was obviously scared about him going back on their deal or about what he would do to her for screwing up. He simply responded "It's only a cup." She only smiled in return.
It was probably at that moment that Rumple relied that this girl was different to the many women he'd met over the years. She intrigued him. He wanted to know her, but without revealing to much about himself. It wasn't love, he kept telling himself. Who would love a monster? He lost his family because he was weak to start with and then he became a monster to protect his son and he lost him, too. Mila and Baelfire, were both out of his life at this point, he only had his maid to keep him company. She was his beauty to her beast, only he didn't know it until it was too later.
He still remembered the feeling when she kissed him for the first time, it was magic. Love is the strongest magic of all and he felt it. So did she and she tried to explain it to him. He denied feeling anything and through her out, only for her to get captured by the Evil Queen and disappear from his life for 28 years, which were torture. It was especially bad, when he heard the story that Regina made up about her killing herself and being treated so badly by her own people. The only thing he never regretted was making her fiancé disappear because when the Mad Hatter set her free in Storybrooke, he sent her straight to him and when she remembered, she remembered her time with him, not that useless prince that she was set up with.
He remembered every kiss they'd had since then, every touch of her lips was paradise.
Another memory of her popped into the sorcerer's head. Her time as Lacey. That was also Regina's fault, but right now he was remembering his beautiful wife and how every event had led to this moment.
She was Belle trapped in the mind of an alcoholic pub crawler.
He got her back again, while his protégée saved the town with the saviour, when he refused to help, because he had nothing left to fight for when Belle barely remembered him and his son was gone.
He was broken away from his thoughts when he felt his spouse move in her sleep, there was light spilling through a gap in the blinds, it was morning. Rumple had spent the whole night thinking about his book worm of a wife. He watched her chest rose and fall with every breath, until his eyes were finally met with her bright blue ones and she sleepily wished him good morning for the first time as his wife.