Secrets & Shadows: a Curses & Claws Sequel

A/N: Alright guys, are ya'll excited for more Belle and Rumple craziness following the wild and frightening events in Curses & Claws? Are ya? Good! Here we go! :)

Chapter One

One afternoon, Rumple drove his wife to the doctor. She was still struggling with anxiety, which they assumed was due to the "incident" with Scar, but she had also developed headaches and nausea, and the mood swings were making him crazy! His sweet little wife was now turning into a weeping basket-case or a snippy vixen at the drop of a hat. He had finally convinced her to get checked out after a twenty-minute meltdown over his neglecting to change the toilet paper roll had led to him having a cleaning sponge thrown at him.

Belle hadn't been keen on visiting the doctor after being locked in a hospital for years; but she knew she had to figure out was wrong. So they had ended up at the primary care waiting room. The couple had been staring at old magazines for half an hour, Belle occasionally asking her husband to explain some gadget or other modern curiosities she saw in them. She had been out in the modern world a while now, but there were many random things that she wasn't familiar with. Heck, even Rumple had to Google "phablet" after they saw the term in a technology magazine.

He had recently bought a new smartphone, claiming he might as well keep up with the "modern magic" if he was stuck in the modern world. He had tried to destroy the phone in frustration at least five times the first week he had it, and kept having to magic it back into one piece. Even so, Belle had caught him red-handed playing Angry Birds with Henry a time or two, so he hadn't totally convinced her of his dislike for technology.

He had bought Belle a smartphone too, an iPhone with a custom case with their names and wedding date monogrammed on it. She wasn't much for technology either-and mainly used it for communication, research, and the occasional selfies she guilted him into-but at least she hadn't threatened to turn it into a roach and squish it.

Finally, the nurse called Belle's name and the couple followed her back to a room. She asked a few basic questions and checked her blood pressure, weight, and temperature. Everything was fine, so the nurse excused herself and assured them the doctor would be in soon.

Belle was swinging her legs from the exam table, so Rumple teased her.

"Hey! I'm not short, I'm petite," she teased back. "You aren't exactly tall, yourself!"

He had once been sensitive about his small build, but years as the Dark One had taught him to use it to his advantage because his enemies wouldn't expect it. Then Belle had come along and she took away a little more self-doubt every time she smiled at him. He was fairly certain her smile was more powerful than any potion. "Hey, what can I say, Dearie? Good things, small packages, and all that."

She smirked at him, and he was suspicious she was about to make a somewhat risqué retort, when a commotion in the hallway distracted her. The noise made her jump, and he saw a flash of fear in her eyes.

He put an arm around her. "Are you alright, Darling?"

She seemed to shake it off, and smiled at him. "I'm fine, Baby, just still a little... unsettled...in a hospital."

He kissed her on top of the head. "I know."

She snaked an arm around his waist and snuggled close to him. "I know you'll protect me, so I'll be okay."

He hugged her close. "Always."

A few minutes passed and the doctor still hadn't arrived. Rumple grew impatient. "Where is that blasted Doctor?"

"It's only been ten minutes, Rumple. I'm sure he'll be here soon," Belle said. "I've got a book in my purse if you're bored of Angry Birds."

Rumple smirked. "'A' book? Just one? You could fit a whole library in that monstrosity." He motioned to her giant handbag and she stuck her tongue out at him.

Another five minutes passed, and Rumple started rambling through the cabinets and nosing about the office.

Belle shook her head. "What ARE you doing?" she teased, mimicking his comment about the curtains all those many years ago.

Rumple laughed. "Just snooping."

"Okay...Why?"

"I suppose the medical field intrigues me a bit," he answered. "Not that I trust them. At least not with you."

"I'll be fine. I'm sure they'll take good care of me... at least with you breathing down their necks." She smirked at him, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

He hoped she was right.

Eventually, the doctor came in. "Hello! I'm Dr. Stevenson," she said, and shook their hands. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mrs. Gold. There was a mix-up about a prescription..."

Rumple frowned and Belle shot him a look.

"It's fine," said Belle.

The doctor flipped through the nurse's notes. "So, your chart says you've been experiencing some odd symptoms?"

Belle took a deep breath. "Yes. It started with the anxiety, then I began getting these terrible headaches. My husband thought it could be migraines. The mood swings are the worst thing, though! I feel like I'm going cra...zy." She seemed to regret that last word, and Rumple noted a look in her eyes that suggested she feared they might actually think she was crazy and lock her back up.

The doctor didn't seem to notice. "Yes, migraines are certainly one possibility for the headaches, though maybe not the other issues. Any other symptoms?"

"Nausea," said Belle. "Well, actually, I pretty much feel like my appetite is off completely, but sometimes I truly get sick.

"When did all this start?"

Belle scrunched her face up while she thought. "A couple months. Maybe two weeks for the nausea."

"Okay." The doctor scribbled something down. "Your stats were good, so I'll tell you what; we'll do a blood draw and a urine sample."

"Alright," said Belle.

"I'll send in the nurse to get your blood, and when you're finished with that, there's a bathroom down the hall."

The doctor left, and after the blood draw, which to Rumple's amusement she wasn't bothered by at all, Belle took care of the other thing. She did not look happy when she returned, and Rumple tried not to laugh, but failed. For things like that, he was glad he wasn't female.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came back into the room, and Rumple thought she seemed slightly amused, which annoyed him.

"Well," said Dr. Stevenson, "you don't have anything serious, and you aren't going crazy."

Rumple let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay. That's good to hear...but do you know what's actually causing my symptoms?" Belle asked nervously.

The doctor gave her answer, and Rumple nearly hit the floor…