Rumple had been gone for over a day.
And normally that wouldn't concern Belle; she knew that he was busy making deals in far off lands. But tonight was different. Tonight, she heard the wind howling mournfully, beating against the castle walls without mercy and, if this castle hadn't been Rumple's, she'd be afraid the whole room would collapse in on itself.
Belle normally liked storms; the far off sound of thunder mixed with the rain tapping on the windows gave a nice backdrop while she was reading. But this storm was different, unlike any she'd experienced back home in Avonlea.
Thunder rumbled directly above them, like an enormous dragon about to eat up the world. And when lightning flashed, the entire room lit up, as if the sun had come out for just a moment. Peeking out of the windows, she could see nothing but blurs of white and grey as the wind whipped bursts of snow back and forth.
All day, as she had cleaned, dusted, swept, and read, she waited for it to pass, but it only seemed to grow in intensity as day wore into night. And as each hour dragged by, she couldn't help a gnawing feeling in her stomach as to where Rumple was, and if he was safe.
And sleeping in her "room" was nearly impossible – despite bringing down extra blankets and even wearing a cloak to bed, she couldn't stop her teeth from clacking together and her hands from shaking.
So she brought her things upstairs; she was sure Rumple would do little more than scold her, and that was if he even came home tonight. After all, she was the one who would have to put everything away in the morning.
But the couch next to the fire, although warm and comfortable, was directly below the window, making her positive that with each gust of wind, the glass would shatter into a million pieces above her.
She gave up on sleep, but even her book couldn't hold her concentration: Where was Rumple? Despite everything, she couldn't help but feel terrified, both for him and because of the storm raging outside.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, he appeared in the middle of the room, shaking the snow off of his cloak as he unbuttoned it and tossed it onto a chair.
"Rumple?"
He spun around, a look of surprise on his face. "Belle? What are you doing here?"
She just shook her head and stood up, relief flooding through her as she saw he was alright. She smiled, making her way over as quickly as she could and throwing her arms around his shoulders.
She couldn't help but grin to herself as she felt his whole body stiffen, hesitantly hugging her back. "I-Is everything okay, dearie?"
"You've been gone all day," she replied, stepping back to look at the perplexed expression on his face. She wanted to brush the snowflakes out of his hair, but she knew better. "Where have you been? I was worried sick."
"It was just a deal. I had no idea you'd be so frightened of a little snow."
She rolled her eyes, stepping over to the cloak that had been thrown aside and hanging it by the door. "It's terrible outside. Anyone would be frightened. And besides, I thought something had happened to you," she admitted.
He paused a moment before answering. "I didn't think you'd worry."
"Of course I worry," she said, turning back and facing him. "Why wouldn't I?"
He shrugged her off and gestured towards the window. "This really is the biggest storm I've seen in years."
She shivered, walking back over to her couch and sitting down, wrapping the biggest blanket she could find over her shoulders.
He stared at her for a minute, as if she was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. "Are you really frightened?"
"Can't you hear the wind? Why is it so surprising?"
"I simply find it odd that you have no problem gallivanting into the castle of the beast, and yet you can't sit through a little storm."
She rolled her eyes, laughing quietly. "You're not a beast, Rumple."
He didn't say anything, just gave her that small smile, as if surprised that she was even sitting there. So she patted the space next to her, inching to the edge of the seat to give him room.
When he raised his eyebrows, she laughed. "Oh, just come sit. It won't do you any harm, will it?"
After a moment's hesitation, he awkwardly sat next to her, sitting as if he was afraid to take up too much room.
Belle grinned, pulling her legs up next to her and scooting next to him. The wind was still roaring – if anything, it was louder – but yet, she barely noticed it. There was nothing to be afraid of when she was with him.
He glanced at her warily, as if he had no idea what unpredictable, terrifying thing she might do next.
"Aren't you tired?" He asked. "You look as if you hadn't had a second of sleep all night."
"I haven't," she replied. "But then again, neither have you."
He just shrugged, and Belle noticed how, little by little, he seemed to relax. "I had a deal to make."
She nodded, wondering what kinds of deals he actually made. Resting her head on his shoulder, she sighed. She felt her head buzzing with the lack of sleep; this was the latest she had stayed up in a long time. "Rumple?" She asked quietly.
She felt the weight of his arm as he wrapped it around her shoulders – still uncertainly, she noticed. "Yes?"
"Will you stay with me tonight?" She felt her eyelids getting heavy as she began to drift off. "The storm…"
"Of course," he said softly. "Of course I will."
But she was already asleep.