On the whole, Belle enjoyed her life in the world without magic. Sheffield was a nice enough place; she and her father ran a quaint flower shop there. Most days passed in a blur. Not the most interesting people came along to buy flowers. The calm and quiet of the neighborhood brought down the stress of two lives in her head. Which was fine.
What was not fine, however, was her True Love not remembering her.
Her flamboyant, facetious Rumplestiltskin had been muted to the beaten and bankrupt Gaz.
She woke up as Belle the lady instead of Rosie the shop girl on the day he had been let go from the steel mill. Frantic, she ran around town until she found him, sitting dejectedly on a curb, taking long draws from a cigarette. He looked so… young. As the Dark One, he was immortal, but he seemed more mature in age than the version of this land. She wanted to run to him, pull him close and never let go. But in this world they were perfect strangers, and he would have thought her mad.
Instead, she settled for a gesture of friendship, offering him a daisy from her little basket.
"What's this, then?" He twirled the flower with along his fingers, flicking away the cigarette.
"You needed cheering up."
That was that. They became good friends. He stopped by the shop every once in a while, sometimes bringing his son over. Not much happened beyond the usual courtesies: "How are you, can you believe this weather," and such. But Belle was pleased that he seemed to go out of his way to visit her.
She was aware that he posed as a player, calling to any attractive woman that walked passed him. It stung a little that he never gave her that kind of attention, but it was refreshing to see him filled with confidence. Even though he barely acknowledged that she was a woman beyond calling her "babe."
That was why his visit today took her by surprise from the get-go.
Gaz came to her shop, casual as you like, put his hands on his hips, and stepped up to her counter.
"Rosie-babe, what makes a woman want to take her panties off?"
She had been spritzing an orchid, and she missed, spraying past him.
He jumped to dodge the attack. "Hey up! No need to get offended, I'm just doing a bit of research."
Belle set down her bottle, and grabbed a cloth to wipe up the floor. She cleaned on her hands and knees, unaware that her friend was admiring her backside.
"And what kind of research," she asked, "involves women getting naked? Never mind, I don't think I want to know."
He barely listened, distracted by her rear. God, Rosie was gorgeous, but with real ladies it was best to admire from a distance. From the first moment he saw her, daisy in hand, he could swear he was smitten, maybe even a little bit in love, but the gentle ones like that never went for bums like him. Who could blame her? He carried all sort of baggage: unemployed, poor, and divorced.
Trying to be a better man than that, he left her alone, seeking comfort in other, more accessible lovelies.
"I have me a posse, you see, and we are going to put on a little show for the women of Sheffield," he distracted himself by admiring himself in a mirror, lest she caught him leering. "At ten quid a head, we will bring the house down."
"I'm waiting for where the panties come in." Finished, Belle returned to tending to her flowers, pretending to pay him no mind.
"Well, you know those Chippendale-like shows? At the club? Dave and I reserved a night, and we are going to give them the best show," he tried a small tap-step, stumbling, "of their fucking lives."
"You? You are going to strip?" He did not appreciate the snort, it did terrible damage to his self-esteem.
"Well, why not? I'm young. Fit." Gaz groped his own chest, sashaying behind her. He followed her around the store, and she laughed at his antics. "And I've had no complaints about the… downstairs department. Any love would climb the walls to take a peek at my John Thomas."
"Wait." She slammed her spray bottle onto the counter. "You're going to be completely naked? On stage for hun - a dozen women to see?"
"Hey up? What was that there? You think I can't pull in a crowd. Well, let me tell you something, Rosie-babe, I've got quite a reputation, and they're all going to want to see me. And I will make it worth their while."
"Alright." Belle leaned against the counter, arms crossed, taunting with that "come-hither" smile. "Show me what you've got."
He hesitated at first, uncertain as to whether she was serious. But, she kept staring, and he felt his manhood was at stake if he chickened out. And that would be silly of him; if he could not dance in front of Rosie, how could he expect to do it for a larger group?
Putting his insecurities aside, he started his routine, slowly shrugging his jacket off of his shoulders. Aiming for smooth and sensual, his movements came out jerky and untried. He had only just begun when Belle cracked, bursting into laughter and tears.
"You cannot be serious! You think that will seduce anyone?"
Gaz picked up his jacket from the floor, shaking off any dirt, and refusing to make eye contact. "Easy on. I've been practicing for two weeks."
"Well, it doesn't show."
"What do you expect?" He waved his arm around the store. "There's no bloody music. S'like making love with the lights off."
"I can help with that."
Belle left for her backroom, congratulating herself. She had to stop the show before she made a fool of herself; he was too cute. Rumplestiltskin did everything with a certain… flair, and it was exciting to see some of it surface. If she had let him keep dancing, she was sure she was going to literally throw herself at him.
She fished out her iPod deck, cursing herself for what she planned to do. But she was tiring of lurking, yearning for him to remember her. To want her. She could not handle the rejection if she made the first move, so, she was going to make him come to her.
"What's this, then?" he asked.
"I am going to show you how it's really done." She plugged in her iPod, and selected a song, feigning a facade of mystery. On the outside, she looked cool and forbidding, but on the inside, she was quivering in fear and a little stage fright, praying that he would not laugh at her.
Letting the intro build, she ran her hands up her body, from her thighs to her hair, running her fingers through the strands. At the words, she began to gyrate to the beat of the music, turning her back to peek at him from over her shoulder.
You got my attention when you make that move
Can't help it 'cause I'm stuck like glue
Am I the only one to see
Girl I really want to get that get that
Rush'n
No doubt about it
Gaz had no idea what had got into her. They were just trading snaps, and then she made a complete turn and started dancing. The song was crap, but he appreciated the garnered results.
Rosie flipped her hair, and he almost lost it. She had not stripped, just kept dancing, but it was enough to make him start drooling.
I'm craving for you
And just like a fool
There's no way I can
Stop
Stop
Stop
My desire
She pulled her skirt higher, flashing him a bit of her thigh, biting her lip like a naughty thing. If he did not know any better, he would consider that an invitation.
I'm craving for you
And you know it too
There's no one that can
Top
Top
Top
Your smile
But Rosie was just a friend, and he would leave it at that. But that did not mean he could not dance with her.
I
Love it when you give me
That smile
I've
Been waiting for this
For a long time
My premonition is
Telling me try
Belle felt tremors in her bones when he came for her, backing her in to the counter, touching her, holding her. They spun around, melding their bodies together, her back to his front. Moving together, music influencing their movement, their bodies shared everything their mouths could not.
I'm craving for you
And just like a fool
There's no way I can
Stop
Stop
Stop
My desire
Reaching behind her, she ran her ran down the side of his face, and it took restraint for him to not kiss the underside of her arm as it passed him.
Yeah you got me
Like a puppet on a string
I can't stop it
Girl
You make my head spin
Gaz spun her around to face him to prevent her feeling his desire hardening along the curve of her bottom.
And just like a fool
There's no way I can
Stop
Stop
Stop
My desire
I'm craving for you
And you know it too
There's no one that can
Top
Top
Top your smile
They joined hands, and stopped dancing. He leaned forward, and Belle felt her breath taken away. They close their eyes, and waited for the inevitable kiss.
"Dad!" Nathan poked his head in, searching for his father. "Dad, we got to go. We're late."
Gaz mentally thanked his son for saving him from making a fool of himself, while also cursing his cowardice for not going for it. He more than likely lost his only chance to charm the neighborhood flower shop girl.
When they left, Belle ran to the back to return her iPod deck, but also to cry.
—
—
—
Belle did not go to the show. Hot Metal. It boggled her to think who could have come up with that one.
She could not go, despite the temptation to see her Rumplestiltskin completely disrobed, because the thought of being able to see but not touch was too much to bear. Besides, it was hard to face him after embarrassing herself the other day.
Resigning to spend the rest of the evening in flannel pajamas and a tub of ice cream, she released an irritated sigh when someone knocked on her door.
—-
—-
—-
Gaz headed for Rosie's place as soon as the show ended. He had to see her. Nathe's push to get him on stage, and going through with the performance gave him the confidence boost he needed to declare his love - or, more likely, lust - to the neighborhood flower shop girl. Said confidence, however, was seeping from his stomach to his toes the longer he waited on her doorstep.
He debated running off when she finally opened the door, an angel in a bathrobe. The light from the foyer formed a halo around her hair, captivating him. Still a little randy from the show, his mind played out a fantasy where she wore nothing under the robe, and invited him inside.
"Gaz. W-What are you doing here?"
"Have dinner with me," he blurted out, not really thinking.
That took her aback. "What?"
"Dinner. With me. I fancy you, Rosie-babe. Have for a long while. You're just… you're just so beautiful." He kept going, not caring that he sounded and looked like an idiot, flailing about outside her door, for all the world to see. But he needed to get everything out, to be honest with her. "I look at you, and you make me want to be a better man. But not for myself, for you. I could give a fuck what anyone thins of me but you. Because, you see, you are the sweetest, most kindest woman on this earth, and from the moment I met you - when you gave me the flower?"
She blushed at the memory, her first response since he began his speech. The lovely flush of color bolstered him to keep talking because it made him feel like he was winning.
"I started feeling different back then, and right now I think, or, I'm pretty fucking certain that… I'm in love with you, Rosie
"So, since it's out there now, will you have dinner with me? Because I love you?"
They spent a long moment in silence, Belle seeming on the verge of tears while Gaz braced himself for the slam of her door. He predicted a million outcomes to this, but he never thought that she would leap into his arms, grab his face, and kiss him hard.
—-
—-
—-
It was not the most romantic speech. Or the most eloquent that she ever heard. But it was perfect, and exactly what she needed to hear. She kissed him, because there was nothing else to do. No other way to answer his plea, but to kiss the living daylights out of him.
The kiss started stiff, due to his surprise, but his lips quickly softened, fitting against hers perfectly, while he tried to breathe her in. His overpowering tactic made her dizzy, and damn it all she swooned against him, allowing his arms to support her. He started to kiss her more desperately, his tongue making itself at home in her mouth, tasting all he could, while he grabbed her hair, doing his damnedest to pull her even closer.
She felt the door on her back, and with the new support, he picked up her legs and wrapped them around his waist. Normally, she would protest, and ask to bring it inside lest they give the neighbors a show, but his kiss was so ravaging and wonderful, she could not care.
He pulled back, and she whimpered at the loss. They looked into the others' eyes, and Belle saw fear and wonder there.
"My darling Belle?" he whispered.