"You have to help me."

Charming's words reached Rumplestiltskin's ears before he even looked up to see the man throwing himself in the booth he was occupying at Granny's. "I believe that seat would be Belle's and unless you're willing to hold hands across the table, you might want to vacate it, dearie."

For a moment Charming remained silent and then gave the other man a look, lips pursed. "Very funny."

"I thought so," Rumplestiltskin said with a shrug. "So what is it that you so desperately need my help with?"

"Belle's teaching Snow how to knit." He let the words hang and Rumplestiltskin knew all too well what he was implying.

"And let me guess, your lady love is not all that good with the knitting."

Charming gave a small shudder. "Let's just say that I took a good long look at the blob she was knitting when she was out the other day and…well…'not all that good with the knitting' is a really nice way to put it."

Rumplestiltskin simply holds up his own scarf, a testament to how well he understood what Charming was saying.

The other man shook his head. "I don't know how you manage to wear that thing," he muttered.

"Love, dearie. You do it because you love her." He was pretty sure that of all people Charming should understand that. The man had true love after all, no less true than the love Rumplestiltskin and Belle shared. They had fought through their own battles to be together, losing and finding each other several times. They really weren't so dissimilar to them, despite the fact that Rumplestiltskin would deny it in public, even at threat of death.

"I do love her," Charming pointed out.

"Yes, I know that, dearie. But you'll wear it out of love." It wasn't that Charming was obtuse, it was just that sometimes he could be so obtuse.

"But I'm not…"

"Eccentric?" Rumplestiltskin finished with, his hand making a flourish in the air. "You're also not going to see your reputation in tatters for wearing such a thing." He jabbed his finger in the air before sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Your reputation is in tatters?" Charming sounded incredulous.

"It most assuredly is."

"Really?" Charming leaned back, crossed his arms over his chest. Rumplestiltskin raised one eyebrow.

"What exactly are you two doing?" Belle asked as she approached the table, looking from one man to the other, one eyebrow raising as she noted the mirrored body positions and the way they seemed to be rather amusingly at odds.

"Ah and here's the lovely lady now," Rumplestiltskin said. Charming just looked guilty.

"Is there something wrong? Is everything ok?"

Charming didn't answer. Rumplestiltskin smirked.

"Oh gods, what did you do now?" Belle asked, giving Rumplestiltskin a fake glare.

His eyebrows shot up. "I will have you know I did nothing at all. Charming here was just telling me how you're teaching Snow to knit." He waved one hand at the man on the other side of the table who was currently looking like he wanted to dig a hole back to the Enchanted Forest and crawl in.

"That was supposed to be a surprise." Her glare was turned on Charming for a moment.

He held up his hands at the weight of that glare. Rumplestiltskin knew it all too well and it seemed even Charming wasn't immune to being skewered with that fierce blue-eyed gaze. "Snow isn't very good at keeping secrets," he mumbled in defense.

"Hmph," Belle responded with. "Perhaps she needs to talk to Rumple."

"Now why am I in trouble?" He tried to sound offended but he was thankful that Belle was joking about it. They had come far during these months together. It wasn't in his nature to be honest, not with anyone, not even with himself if he had to…well…be honest with himself.

"You're not." She smiled at him. "Now can I sit down and enjoy lunch with Rumple?" She gave another pointed look at Charming.

"Right," he said and stood a little awkwardly.

"Just remember dearie," Rumple said as Charming started to walk off. "Do it for love."

Charming shook his head and stalked away. It wasn't the answer he wanted. Frankly, Rumplestiltskin wasn't even sure what he wanted really. He suspected he wanted him to talk Belle out of teaching her.

"What was that about?" Belle asked as she took her seat opposite him.

"Nothing of any importance," he responded with a slight smile.

"There goes that honesty thing again."

"I know I know. Charming saw what Snow was creating for him and he was less than enthused." A nice way to put it really.

"She's getting better." Belle was always defensive when it came to her friends.

Rumplestiltskin smirked. "I'm quite sure that she is."

"Besides, you loved my first project!"

He reached across the table, looked her right in the eyes and gave her his most sincere smile. "Of course I did, sweetheart." He still wore the damned thing, even though it was starting to get a little ragged around the edges. He knew that his wearing it in the colder months made Belle happy and if he picked at it from time to time to let a stitch or two unravel, Belle would never know.

"Good. And I'm sure he'll love Snow's project. It's shaping up to be a good one!"

"I have no doubt of that. I'm sure you're a fine teacher."

Belle smiled and squeezed his hand.

Sometimes honesty was really not the best policy and he was sure even Belle would agree…if she ever knew.

Rumplestiltskin wasn't usually at his shop after hours these days. He has Belle to go home to, Baelfire to spend time with, a grandson. He has family. But he was running behind that day. The sign had been turned to closed nearly an hour before he was actually ready to leave. The antique clock was almost ready to go to its new owner. Well, old owner really. But he made a deal, promised to fix it before it was returned to its rightful owner.

So when he heard the bell jingle he knew it could be only one of three people. Belle would usually come drag him out when he worked too late, insisting he was getting too thin, working too hard. Baelfire sometimes stopped by just for a chat. They had been growing closer, allowing the old wounds to scab over a bit.

But he was pretty sure it wasn't either of them.

Charming had been on him for weeks about this little project Snow had been working on. Whining, wheedling, doing his damnedest to get him to call Belle off, stop her from teaching Snow how to knit a scarf for him. The project had been an unmitigated disaster since day one and Rumplestiltskin had taken some sort of perverse pleasure in the other man's dread.

It really was just a scarf. He wore the disastrous one Belle had made him. If he could, anyone could.

"Back here, Charming." The words were spoken with a sigh.

Charming poked his head through the curtains. "How did you know it was me?"

Rumplestiltskin just gave him a look. "Because I do." He gave a slight sigh as he finished the process of gluing one of the pieces of the clock back and attached the clamp to keep it steady until it dried. "What can I do for you?"

"This," Charming said, holding out a bundle of…something. Rumplestiltskin took it out of his hands and stared down at the mishmash of threads. It was all one color, that much he could see, but otherwise…well…he wasn't quite sure what it was he was holding.

"And this is?"

"A scarf."

Rumplestiltskin couldn't stop the snort of laughter that escaped him. "Is it now?"

"You damn well know it is," Charming muttered. "It's your stupid girlfriend that is teaching my stupid wife…"

"You're treading dangerous territory, dearie," Rumplestiltskin interrupted with, voice low and silky. He liked Charming. He wouldn't admit that to anyone, but he liked the man, respected him. But insulting Belle was taking things just a tad bit too far.

"Sorry. It's just…" Charming held up the bundle and shoved it at Rumplestiltskin. "Look at it." Rumplestiltskin caught it and spread it out on the counter in front of him.

"Yes well…" He looked up at Charming, his lips quirking in a light smirk. "It does leave rather a lot to be desired, doesn't it?"

"That's such a nice way to put it," Charming grumbled at him.

"So what exactly do you want me to do?" Rumplestiltskin finally asked, handing the mismatched bundle back to Charming.

"Can't you…I don't know…magic it or something?"

One of Rumplestiltskin's eyebrows rose. "You want me to waste magic on what? Making this scarf presentable. Really?" He just shook his head. They really would come to him for anything.

"Well, sure. It seems like a minor enough magic…"

"Oh it is."

"But? You sound like there's going to be a but in there somewhere."

"Oh there is." He smirked, waited for Charming to respond.

"So are you going to tell me what this but might be?"

"Of course," he said and watched as Charming rolled his eyes. "Don't you think your beloved Snow will realize it's been altered?"

"I…"

"And how would she feel about that?"

"Well…"

"Right."

"Can you, I don't know…magic it so everyone else sees something nice?"

Rumplestiltskin shook his head. "A glamor spell? For a scarf?" Charming started to speak and Rumplestiltskin just held up one finger. "No."

"No?"

"No. Let me tell you a little something, dearie." He motioned for Charming to step nearer. "Just between you and me, right?"

"Right," the other man said and Rumplestiltskin could see the wheels turning and the questions he didn't dare ask.

"I hate the scarf Belle made."

"I knew it."

Rumplestiltskin made a slight huff of laughter. "Of course you did. But here's the thing, dearie. I wear it anyway. Because I love her. Because she's proud of it. And because it makes her happy. So if I have to be the laughingstock of this town, and trust me…I know that I am…I'm going to. For her."

Charming just stared at him for a moment, his eyes wide.

"I suggest you do the same," Rumplestiltskin finally said into the silence.

"Right."

Rumplestiltskin made a shooing motion and Charming turned to go. He made it all the way to the door when Rumplestiltskin's voice stopped him for a moment. "Just remember, dearie. She will get better. And at that point, should something…tragic…happen to the original. Well, these things happen." He made a dismissive gesture with one hand and Charming simply nodded, finally stepping out the door and closing it none too quietly behind him.

It was a few weeks later when Rumplestiltskin again joined Belle at Granny's Diner. They hadn't been there in quite some time. He was working on some intricate items at his shop and Belle was working with Snow. It seemed that the good prince's birthday was coming up and she really desperately wanted the scarf ready in time for it. So Belle, in all her helpful glory, had been spending long hours with Snow White.

But it was done. Today was his birthday and Belle wanted them both to be there when he arrived wearing his new scarf. She was incredibly proud of all that she had taught Snow.

He had never told her about Charming's late night visit to his shop, about his attempts to use magic to change the scarf. He didn't have the heart to really. He still wore his, if not proudly, then at least humbly. And Belle was none the wiser for his opinions on it.

Snow entered first, waving at Belle rather enthusiastically before finding a seat. "She's so excited that she actually made him something," Belle whispered. "Did you know that she never learned how to knit back home…"

"Seems there's a glut of princesses back home without said skill," he murmured back.

"I wasn't a princess," Belle pointed out.

"And I'm thankful every day for that small favor." Belle poked him in the chest with one finger and he had to stop the smirk from breaking out on his face.

Charming stepped in moments later and then Rumplestiltskin really had to stop a grin from breaking out on his face. He had the scarf wrapped around his neck…twice if Rumplestiltskin was counting properly, which he usually did. It hung down unevenly in a sort of ragged mess. The stitches were worse than the one he still had around his own neck, though it was at least all one color. One hideous color, really. He hadn't noticed just how ugly of a shade of green it was in the darkness of his shop. In the bright light of Granny's Diner, it was obvious.

Everyone turns to look at Charming, head held high, sporting his hideous scarf. Almost as one they turned to look at Rumplestiltskin.

"Nice scarf," Grumpy muttered and everyone broke out into a bit of nervous laughter.

"Why thank you, Grumpy," Charming said. "My wife made it."

"Oh," the dwarf said and glanced over at Belle quickly. He watched Belle smile at the dwarf and felt a little bit of jealousy before Grumpy spoke again. "Did Belle teach her?"

"I did," Belle said and Rumplestiltskin suddenly found himself giving a frantic look to the dwarf. Don't you dare say a thing.

Grumpy knew. He knew he knew. "Thought so," the dwarf muttered and moved off.

Charming wandered over to their table. "Uh…Snow finished it."

"Oh good!" Belle responded with, clapping her hands together. "So let's see it."

Charming glanced at Rumplestiltskin out of the corner of his eye before pulling the scarf off and holding it out. He heard a couple quickly swallowed laughs from across the room before both he and Charming gave them that look. They shut up soon afterward.

"Lovely," Belle said and Rumplestiltskin stared hard at her. She was lying. He could see the guilt written all over her face.

"It is," Charming said and there was a tightness to his features as he said the word. He was also lying, also guilty. Rumplestiltskin would have snorted over it all if he wasn't also lying about how much he loved the scarf Belle made.

Snow left her seat then and rushed over to them. "I completed it!" she said to Belle and Belle reached out, clasped her hands in her own.

"It's lovely, Snow." And her voice sounded sincere, even if there was a look in her eyes that said otherwise.

Snow just gave her another smile and then rushed Charming off to their dinner.

Belle finally leaned back and glanced at him. "It's hideous, isn't it?" she whispered.

Rumplestiltskin glanced over to Charming who he found was already looking at him. He nodded. The other man nodded. A silent acknowledgement of their mutual torture.

"Yes," he finally said in response to Belle's question, though he felt the words pulled out of him rather reluctantly.

"And yours?"

"It's…"

"Terrible, I know." She didn't even sound upset over it. He tried not to nod at her words. He didn't want her to know that he didn't love it. Well, he did love it. He cherished it. He just wished he could leave it in the back of the closet to bring out and hold close once in awhile instead of having to be seen in public wearing the thing.

"No it's…"

"Rumple." His name wasn't really an admonishment at that moment. She smiled softly, reached out and put her hand over his. "Thank you for wearing it."

He smiled back at her, turned his hand up so that he was clasping hers. "Always," he murmured, sparing a quick glance at Charming, noting that he actually looked happy despite the horrible thing draped around his neck. Good then. Problem solved. He drew Belle's hand up to his lips, placed a chaste kiss on the back of it.

"I'll make you a new one," Belle offered.

"Anything you make me I'll wear with pride." But he couldn't help hoping, at least just a little, that she'd make a new one that looked more like his son's scarf. Though he supposed having something to commiserate about with the prince wasn't such a bad thing, really.