This was written as part of Rumbelle's Sixth Month Anniversay on Tumblr. Prompted by Sparrowluvr2. Hope you all enjoy!
Hidden in one of the side streets in Storybrooke was the town's only bookshop: "Once Upon A Time". The evening sun was setting and Belle was busy stacking the last of the newly arrived books, getting ready to close up for the night.
Her boss, Jake Grimm, had left hours ago, trusting her to be able to lock up on her own. He often did that; left her to take care of the shop, while he went off to "discover hidden tales." At least that was his excuse. She expected he was out drinking with his brother William, the owner of Maine's largest publishing company.
With a stack of books in hand, she climbed the ladder attached to one of the bookshelves, carefully placing her blue ballet flats on one step at a time.
"Need some help, love?" she heard behind her, startling her, making her lose her footing, and the books in her hands clatter to the floor. A startled gasp passed her lips as she felt herself fall, the wooden floor beneath her offering anything but a soft landing.
He was by her in an instant, his arms stretched out, ready to catch her. She landed safely in his arms, and he chuckled at her startled expression.
"That's twice now, dearie," he chided, his mouth twisted into a smirk. "People will start to think you're unstable."
"I don't care, as long as you're there to catch me," she said softly, pressing a kiss to his cheek, before hopping down to pick up the books she dropped. Rum watched her as she climbed up the ladder again, admiring how her jeans clung to her body, and how her shirt rid up when she stretched, revealing the small of her back.
"How much do you have left?" he asked.
"All of those," she sighed, gesturing to the large unopened boxes of literature she had to sort through.
"Well, allow me, dearie," he offered, clicking his fingers. Belle watched as the boxes opened themselves, the books flying out and settling on their designated shelves, the other books making room for them. The empty boxes then stacked themselves and flew into the storage room in the back of the shop. It was all over in less than thirty seconds.
"I wish you wouldn't use magic so much," she said sternly.
When magic had returned to Storybrooke, Rumpelstiltskin had managed to pocket some for his own personal use. Now he used it whenever he felt like it, much to Belle's dismay. Want of magic was what had separated them in the first place, and she didn't want to endure such suffering ever again.
"It got the job done, didn't it? Would you have preferred to have done it yourself?" he asked, already knowing her answer.
"That's not the point," she said, unable to hide her smile.
"Well then, I don't see the problem," he whispered, before kissing her lips delicately. She quickly deepened the kiss, anxious to taste him, to feel his tongue caress hers.
All too soon did he pull away. "Get your coat, dear. I'll be in the car." He quickly kissed the corner of her mouth before heading out the door, magically turning the "Open" sign to "Closed" with a flick of his wrist.
Grabbing her jacket from behind the counter, she quickly locked up and jumped into the car. He revved the engine before speeding off down the street, barely keeping the speed limit. She could tell he liked to bend the rules. He was Rumpelstiltskin, after all.
He drove past the turning to their house.
"Aren't we going home?" Belle asked.
"I thought we could go on a fieldtrip," he said, excitement clear in his voice.
Belle cocked an eyebrow. "A fieldtrip? Now?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes," he confirmed cheerfully.
"Rum, it's nearly dark outside. What could possibly be worth seeing in the dark?"
"You just wait and see, love," he assured her, his lips curled into a knowing smile.
They drove to the outskirts of town, leaving the town's lights and noises behind. They came up the sign announcing they were leaving Storybrooke, and the car accelerated as they sped past it. Ever since the curse had been broken, Storybrooke's residents were leaving the town on a regular basis, visiting Brooklyn or going on vacation. But none of them had left for good. Storybrooke was their home, where they belonged. They had nowhere else to go.
Rum turned on the radio, and settled for a station playing a song about someone walking numerous miles to get to the one they cared about. Rum sang along, his accent fitting the song perfectly.
He turned off onto a country road lined with tress, and soon their headlights were the only source of light for miles. All Belle could see were tall, dark shapes in the distance; the outskirts of a forest, and the only sounds were tires occasionally hitting gravel and static from the radio, which had lost its reception a few minutes ago.
"Are you not going to give me any clues?" she pressed, trying to decide if the fluttering in her stomach was excitement for Rum's surprise, or uneasiness at the fact that they were out in the middle of nowhere.
"We're very close," he promised.
The trees on either side of the lane gradually disappeared, and soon they were parked on a grassy hilltop, facing nothing but darkness.
"We're here," he announced, grinning as he stepped out of the car, walking around to open her door, swinging his cane casually beside him. Since he'd had his magic restored, he'd had no use for his cane, but he liked to keep it with him. He claimed it was because it made him look stylish. Belle was sure it was because he liked to keep something that could be used as an intimidating weapon with him at all times.
He closed the door behind her, and moved to retrieve something from the boot of the car, leaving her to stare at the hardly-visible scenery. The grassy hilltop was bare, besides a lone oak tree, its leaves swaying gently in the late summer breeze. She could make out the lights of Storybrooke far off in the distance, but other than that they were surrounded by nothing but grass and the dark night sky overhead.
"What are we doing here, Rum?" she asked, turning to look at her beloved. "There's nothing here-" She stopped when she saw that he was carrying a picnic basket in one hand, and a bundle of blankets and a flashlight in the other, its light casting a beam on the ground between them.
"It's not about what's in front of you, dearie. It's about what's hiding amidst the darkness," he said softly.
Her brows furrowed, clearly puzzled. Rum held one finger in the air, pointing upwards. She tilted her head to look, and her eyes widened in amazement. Countless stars decorated the clear night sky, seeming to illuminate every corner of the universe.
He had taken her out to look at the stars.
Tearing her eyes away from the beauty above her, she saw that Rum had already laid out a large wool blanket on the grassy ground, and was busy placing candelabras on either side of the blanket.
Her heart swelled at the thought that he had planned all this for her, for them. That he had driven them out in the middle of nowhere to show her beauty where it was hard to find. And oh, how she loved him for it.
He sat down on the blanket and patted a spot next to him, inviting her to join him. She positioned herself next to him, their fingers laced together on the blanket. With a flourish of his fingers, the candelabras flared to life, illuminating the blanket and letting them see each other more clearly.
They merely looked at each other for a few moments, revelling in the fact that they had found one another again. The past few months had been a constant celebration of their reunion, and clothes had been nothing but obstructive. They had touched and tasted every inch of each other, their tears of happiness mixing with lust-induced sweat. These displays of love had been raw, physical and longed for. Tonight was a different kind of love: a love for each other's souls and minds.
"It's starting soon," he whispered, turning to look at the stars above.
Belle inclined her head and was about to ask what they were waiting for, when a beam of light shot through the sky, vanishing as abruptly as it had appeared. It only took a few moments for another to grace the night sky, leaving a trail of burning light behind it.
Belle didn't know how long they sat there in silence, their eyes strained to not miss a single descending star. Rum slipped his hand around her waist, urging her to come closer. She nestled herself between his legs and leaned against his chest, while he rested his chin on her head and covered them both in a blanket. She could hear his faint heartbeat through his suit jacket, and felt him press his lips to her hair. It was tender, it was loving, and she never wanted it to end.
The picnic basket drifted to Rum's side and he pulled out a thermos flask. "Cup of tea, my dear?"
"Why, thank you, kind Sir," she said playfully, accepting the cup he handed her. She ran her fingers over the blue and gold detailing, and soon she noticed the chipped rim. Her smile faded slightly. "I can't believe you kept this," she said quietly.
He sighed, remembering how he had displayed that cup as the last remainder of his True Love. "It was all I had left of you. I have never owned anything more precious." He trailed his fingers over hers to caress the chip, watching their hands touch the symbol of their life before Storybrooke.
"I'm sorry I walked out on you," she whispered, her voice catching ever so slightly.
"You have nothing to apologize for," he reassured her. "I was the one at fault. I should've stopped you, I should've shown you." His voice was suddenly tainted by anger, and she knew it was anger directed at himself.
"Shown me what?" she asked, craning her head to look at him.
"How much I loved you," he said against her lips, before capturing them and trailing his tongue across them, begging for admittance, to which Belle happily complied. Her fingers trailed across his jaw and down his neck, stopping at the collar of his shirt. She playfully tugged at his tie before pulling away, holding up the teacup.
"Pour me your finest, my prince!"
He laughed, and poured them both tea from the same flask, although hers turned out to be green tea, while his was lemon flavoured.
The tea warmed their souls as they gazed up at the sky, and Rum began pointing out various constellations and stars.
"Do you see that star?" he asked, as he pointed to one of the brighter stars amongst a sea of dimmer ones. "That's Vega. It's part of a constellation called Lyra, The Harp. Do you see it?"
She squinted, trying to distinguish the stars and find the shapes they created. "Are there any spinning wheels up there?" she joked.
He chuckled. "Perhaps. Let me know if you see any."
It was after a few minutes of silence that she spoke again. "Rum?"
"Mhm?"
"Do you wish on stars?" she asked.
He pondered for a few moments, trying to remember if he ever, in all the centuries he had existed, had wished for something and hoped the universe would sort it out for him.
"No, I guess I haven't. I believe if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. You?"
She nodded. "When I was little. If I'd see a shooting star, I'd squeeze my eyes tight and whisper my wish, hoping the star would hear it and carry it somewhere, somewhere it could come true."
Rum envisioned Belle as a child, clad in gold, out on a balcony, her blue eyes that hadn't seen the world's cruelty watching the sky, hoping to see a flicker of light.
"Did it ever work?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to hear her answer.
"Well, I did a pony for my twelfth birthday," she joked, not wishing to dwell on sad moments in her past. Those sad moments didn't, and shouldn't matter anymore. Here and now, she had never been happier.
Rum laughed, admiring her good humour and her will to not let the past affect her. She was so much stronger than he was. If it were possible for him to fall in love with her even more, it would've happened there and then.
"There's one!" she exclaimed, pointing to a trail of light, pulling him out of his reverie.
"Make a wish, Rumpelstiltskin," she said, closing her eyes, her lips moving silently, uttering her heart's desires. She wished that nothing would change, that they could stay like this, forever in each other's arms.
He wished to remain by her side for eternity, and to find his son.
"Did you make your wish?" she whispered, her eyes still closed.
He gently pulled her hair aside to reveal her neck, before placing gentle kisses there, making her shiver.
"I did," he said between kisses. Her breath caught when his teeth nipped at her delicate skin.
"Do you think it'll come true?" she continued, trying not to get lost in the feel of his lips on her skin.
"I will certainly try to make it so," he said, wrapping his arms around her, not sure if he would ever be able to let go.
Time seemed frozen and the world seemed to halt, as the two lovers sat like this, watching stars falling from the sky, hoping they would carry their wishes with them.