Aftermath Deal
Rumpelstiltskin slowly walked the quiet streets of Storybrooke until he got to a particular corner. A storm was coming and everyone was preparing for it, still he had to take precautions. Smiling at how delightful the next ten minutes would be, he turned the corner and ended up behind a small, quaint shop. It was his own shop, full of mysterious items and magical artifacts. There was only one chipped cup in there, non-magical in the definition sense, but not in the matters of the heart sense. This one useless sentiment was the only thing he truly cherished, and he didn't think he could have survived these last 28 years without it.
The sorcerer wanted to be inside with the cup that brought warmth to his heart, rather than outside his shop in the cold. But this meeting could only be done in the privacy of the alley behind his shop. Only somebody who was in the locked back room of his shop could see the rendezvous about to take place. Since the curse breaking, and his harmless spread of purple magic, everyone needed him. Whether it was to find someone, help with restored memories, or in the savior and her parents case, accuse him of a crime, they wouldn't stop barging into his shop and knocking at his door. Besides, the person he was meeting was being kept on strict surveillance. If they were seen together, the whole town would think they were in cahoots together. Little did they know that that was the last thing he wanted with her. He didn't think he could even look at her without wanting to rip her black heart out of her chest and crush it slowly. Very slowly and tortuous. Remember your promise, he told himself as the image in his head got him worked up.
Rumpelstiltskin looked at his watch and he knew the witch was late. He figured she was too scared at what he might do to her. She had heard about the break in at the hospital and knew he was going after her when he had set up this meeting. If she doesn't come in another minute, he thought bitterly, but his thought was cut off short by her sudden appearance. She was dressed in a sliver blouse, a black skirt, and beautiful done makeup. Her clothes, makeup and expression made her seem like she was someone who had very little time left to live.
"You're late dear," he practically snarled.
"I had a hard time getting away from the guards posted around my house," she said pointedly. Rumple knew she was lying and probably had spent time with her son for the last time. He let it slide for now. "Alright let's get on with it, kill me. Better you than Emma and the two idiots." She stood in a non-defensive stance, with her arms stretched out a little.
"Oh, I'm not here to crush your heart dear. I promised someone I wouldn't kill you, and besides death would be too good for you. I'm here to make a deal dearie." He had said all of this with a twinge of regret, but he knew it was worth it.
Regina readjusted her stance so she looked like she was wanted to do business. "It must be someone important if you promised her that."
"She is important, and beautiful from the inside out. I think you know who she is."
"Yes, well I didn't come here to talk about your love life, you said you had a deal to make. Come on let's get to it, what do you want?"
Rumple agreed that they should get down to business, because the storm was approaching fast and his bad leg was acting up. Otherwise, he would have let her sweat it out a little more. "I want you to stay away from me and Belle."
"Alright, I can definitely do that. I don't need to see you love sick birds anyway."
"No, your word will never be good enough for me now," he said and instantly brandished a small cuff-like bracelet with purple magic surrounding it. "It will alert me to your presence if you come within 20 feet of Belle."
"Can I go now?" Regina asked after he had put the bracelet on and it turned the exact shade of her skin."
"No, dear. I want something else, the key to Storybrooke's library."
"I can guess why you want that. All the time I had her captive in the Enchanted Forest she begged for two things: books and you. Never for freedom, which I thought was odd."
A growl erupted from Rumple's throat when Regina hit that sensitive spot, but remembering his promise to Belle, he controlled himself. "Give me the key," he said in a firm tone.
"Fine, you can have it. The doors and windows are boarded up anyway. And the book collection is really slim to none."
"No, I want it now," he commanded overlooking her comments about his precious Belle's new library. The one in his mansion back in the Enchanted Forest had always made her smile, and that one was pretty small too.
The witch lay out her hand, smiling her evil grin, and with a poof of purple smoke, the key appeared. The greater magician took it from her before she could protest. "And one more thing I want before this deal is complete dearie." He snapped his fingers and a dazed pair of guards came out of nowhere. However, they weren't that way for long and instantly began to drag Regina back to her house.
"Hey, stop. You did this so Emma would think I'm using magic and won't let me see Henry." She cried out stop over and over while she thrashed about making it hard for the guards to get a good hold on her. She wouldn't let that evil man take away her chances with Henry before she got a chance to explain herself. Then she realized something, a deal goes both ways. "The deal is not finished, I can take back the key if you don't give me my side."
"Dearie, I thought your side was clear, But I guess it's not. You give me what I want, and I won't kill you like you deserve. Besides this part of the deal is because you lied to me about seeing Henry before coming here. If you would have just told me the truth, I would have let you go willingly. Instead you take a quick trip to see your boy for the last time, lie about it, and now it will really be the last time you see him. No one lies to the Dark one dearie." Regina was dragged away without a problem when she turned stiff with shock at how easily Rumpelstiltskin had tricked her.
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Rumple didn't want to walk all the way around his shop in the cold with a storm coming, so he magiced himself to the locked back room of the store. There was Belle, who he thought was sleeping on the cot, but was really looking out the window. That little eavesdropper he thought lovingly.
"How did you get in here?" She asked startled at his approach.
"Magic," was his simple answer. She made a cute pouting face and said "You know I don't like it when you use magic."
"You seemed to like it last night when I used it to take that ridiculously short night gown off of you." Blushing, Belle stepped forward into his open arms, and gave her Rumple a small kiss. He turned the kiss passionate, which she quickly broke off. She was never one to do things hastily. "You got me the key to the library," she said astonished.
"You were listening to our conversation," he accused lightly.
Belle always knew when he was joking, so she said simply "Yes, and I'm so very proud of you for not killing her. But I am curious, where is the key?"
"My darling Belle, always one for ruining the surprise. I was going to give it to you tomorrow along with a gold necklace I was making for you. Thank you for keeping me in align, if it wasn't for my precious beauty I would have killed her out there."
Belle savored his words of praise, and decided to let him keep the key for now. She was still in his arms, and gave him a chaste kiss in response to him calling her his beauty. Of course he tried to turn it into something more, but she wasn't having that, yet.
"You know what I heard," he said thoughtfully and with a cute grin when she made them break apart, "that when you were locked up, you begged for me." Belle was red because once she had heard the evil queen give her up, she knew he would mention it, and she still hadn't thought of something to say. Instead of talking, she leaned back into him, giving him what he wanted. She began kissing him fiercely and running her hands through his hair, making a low growl escape from his throat. Words were not needed from this passionate couple, but Belle had one last thing to say before the evening ended up in moans of love. "I would beg for you every day of my life if I couldn't have you." At that statement, and Belle's roaming hands, Rumple's magic was set off. A fire instantly appeared in the large fireplace, and a blanket beside it. Belle didn't protest to how it got there, or why her true love was laying her on it without her clothes that had mysteriously disappeared. They came together, just as the first lightning strike lit up the sky, and they continued well into the lasting receding thunder. The couple spent the night there, uninterrupted by the fire and snuggling in a warm blanket, with the promise of a gift that contained a well sought after key tomorrow.