I do not own Once Upon a Time. I'm just playing with the characters :)
"Rumplestiltskin?"
The name – his name – drifted to him as softly through the stillness.
"Belle?" he gasped, his voice rough from the screaming and crying he had been unable to contain during his sleep. Who would ever think the Dark One would suffer from something so human as nightmares.
He looked up.
She was there, her hair curling around her face in gentle waves and her eyes glowing with a concern he had only ever seen from her.
"Are you alright?" her soft smile was filled with care.
He nodded dumbly, although the tears still falling unheeded from his eyes contradicted his answer.
She giggled, tilting her head to the side and studying him.
"You need to work on your lying skills, Dark One,"
He snorted and scrubbed at his damp cheeks.
"I have been lying convincingly since before your grandfather was a twinkle in his father's eye," he told her.
She giggled again, this time throwing her head back as her shoulders began to shake with her mirth.
He had made her laugh and the sight was enchanting.
"I don't believe my grandfather was ever capable of a twinkle and my great grandfather even less so," she told him, smiling as she stepped further into the room and perched on the window seat, the moon spilling through the glass and casting her in an unearthly glow.
She swung about to prop her feet up in front of her and rest her chin on her knees once she had her blue dress modestly arranged around her limbs.
"Now tell me all about it. What has my deal maker all in a pickle?"
He was losing his mind and he didn't care.
He approached her slowly expecting her to jump up and vanish any minute.
"What are you doing here deary?" he asked her, drawing closer, meandering – it wouldn't do to appear too eager after all (even if all he wanted to do was throw himself at her and burry his face in her hair).
"I heard you," she smiled.
Such a simple answer, but he didn't trust it.
She sighed, exasperated.
"And I wanted to see if I could help."
So simple. But Belle was like that. It didn't matter how much he growled or snarled she was always there was a smile and occasionally an embrace.
He finally reached her side and slumped onto the floor – lacking his usual grace – she flattened her legs and he rested his forehead against the coolness of her skirt, her hands gently ran through his hair. She felt cold. He never felt the cold himself and he forgot how chilly the castle could get. He could have to fix that.
His tears began to fall in earnest and he couldn't stop his shoulders from shaking.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed as she crooned above him, her hand moving to and fro over his head, so gently he could hardly feel it.
But what was he sorry for?
"I'm sorry," he cried again, wrapping his arms awkwardly around her. She felt so cold and maybe he could warm her a little.
Her fingers felts icey as they threaded through his hair.
"Hush now," she crooned, "Shhhhh"
Why was he sorry?
The chill began to soak into him from her and his shivers were being caused by more than his tears.
He blinked.
"Shhhhhhh,"
And blinked again.
Gold woke with a start, his knee paining him from where he was kneeling by the window seat, his face pressed into a pillow and his arms awkwardly wrapped around the rest of it. The window was open and the cool early morning breeze drifted across his skin.
"Belle…" he whispered groggily, peering about the room in the semi-darkness.
No one but him.
Gold sobbed.
This turned out to be A LOT sadder than I first intended...
Another migration from tumblr.
:)
