A Golden Christmas part 1

Belle ran through the castle looking for her master. Panic was filling her chest and and she started praying that he was alright. He had to be alright. After everything had gone cold she had began to have a feeling that something was very very wrong. Every room she checked was empty and looked like a stormed had ruined all her clearing. She's worry about that later, right now she had to find Rumplestiltskin.

"Rumple!" Her voice echoed in the dark halls and chambers. "Rumple answer me! Please!" There was no answer. Just her echo. "Rumple! Rumplestiltskin!"

Where was he? He never left the castle this late without telling her. He would also never let his home look the way it did now without insisting on her tidying up again. After a near year with him she had come to learn he liked everything just so. When she found him she wasn't going to hear the end of it.

She looked everywhere she could think to look for him. He wasn't in the library, nor in his workroom. She even gave a small knocked on his bedroom chamber to no avail. After looking all around the castle she went outside to see if he had decided to take a stroll. As soon as she stepped out a pain grabbed her heart. She started to run around the grounds.

She was running around a corner in the rose garden when she saw him. He was laying on the ground on his face. She ran to him and fell to her knees.

"Rumple! Come on get up!" She wished this was one of his twisted jokes. Something she could scold him for latter. He didn't move-not one part of him moved. The tears began to fill her eyes. "Rumplestiltskin please. RUMPLE! NO!" Belle screamed and sat up in bed.

She looked around her room above the library. The moonlight which at first made everything look magical when she had first gone to bed was now gone, replaced by darkness that told her it was early morning. Now everything reminded her of the nightmare she had just had. She picked up the cell phone on her nightstand and called one person she really needed to hear.

"Belle?" Her true love Rumplestiltskin (Mr. Gold as everyone in the world they now lived called him) answered in sleepy voice. In his room he looked at the clock on the wall. "It's two in the morning. Are you alright?"

Belle couldn't stop herself from crying.

He heard the tears in her voice and sat up, now wake. "Another nightmare love?"

"Uh-huh," she cried in a shaky voice.

It had only been a few months since Belle had returned to his life. Although they no longer lived together their relationship had continued. During the past few weeks she had a few nightmares of him leaving and never coming back. Sometime they were of her being locked up again or him being locked up and treated like the beast everyone thought he was and she being powerless to stop it. Once she had the nightmare of him going back to his darker side. Yet never had she dreamed of him being dead.

Gold glanced at the clock. In a few hours he would have to go on his rounds but he knew how much Belle needed him to be near her right now more. "Alright be right over."

"B-bu you have-," she began to tell what he already knew but the tears blurred her words.

"You need me more than the people of this town do right now."

A few hours later Belle was sitting on her bed hugging her knees when he knocked on her door. He had an extra key to the library so he had let himself in.

"Sweetheart?"

She stood, her light nightgown flowing around her as she moved along the bed and to the door. As soon as she opened it she rushed out and threw her arms around him. Gold was still dressed in his nightclothes. He had to drop his cane to catch her.

"Oh my go-o-d! R-rumple!" She sobbed into his silky nightshirt, happy he was alive.

"Shh. Shh. It's alright now. Shh." Still holding her to his chest he planted kisses on her head.

She was struggling to get the words out. "You. W-were. You-u were de-ea-a-"

"Shh It's alright. Look at me." He pulled her away from him gently so she could. "I'm right here, sweetheart. I'm right here." He pulled her back to his chest. "I got you. Shh. Shh. Shh. I've got you love and I'm not going anywhere."

Slowly the tears began to fade and she reach her face to his for a kiss. "You should get back," she told him once they pulled their lips away. "You need to get up in a few hours."

He smiled at her. "I think I'll stay if you let me."

She reached up for another kiss and let that be her answer. Slowly the tears began to fade. He picked up his cane and lead her back to bed He tucked her in and stayed up sitting on her bed until she had fallen back to sleep and her body stopped shaking.

When Belle woke she found Gold next to her, his arm around her small frame. She turned so that she could see his smiling face.

"Good morning dearie," she said imitating him.

"You sound like you're much better. Do you want me to make you some breakfast?"

"No. You need to go out soon." She sat up and stretched then looked at him again. "Can I come with you?"

Gold sat up. "It's the day before Christmas Eve. You said you wanted to read Christmas stories to Henry's class."

"I know. Just for the morning please," she pleaded while getting dressed for the day. "Henry's class won't be around until this afternoon. You can bring me back and continue the rest of your duties around the town."

She turned to look at him, still in his silk pajamas. Raising one eyebrow she smiled at him, looking him up and down. He smile back and chuckled as he slid his legs over the side of the bed, slowly because of his bad leg.

"If I'm going to get breakfast and spend the day with you I won't have time to return to my house to change clothes so," he said. He waved his hand in the air and a fresh suit complete with socks and shoes appeared in a puff of purple smoke on her bed.

She smiled and went over and put her arms around his neck. "I'll wait for you downstairs." She kissed him.

She was trying to keep light but he see she was still looked troubled by the nightmare. She left the room and he got dressed. He left his sleeping clothes on the bed, planning to return for them later. Gold then grabbed his cane from where it leaned against the foot of the bed.

They decided to go to Granny's Dinner first. Belle stuck to his side like glue. She would smile when someone said hi to her but it didn't reach her eyes. It worried Gold very much. He hoped her new friend Ruby (Red in the other land) could help. They entered the dinner and found only Dr. Whale (Frankenstein) there. Whale glanced at them and at Belle a little too long for Gold's like. He sent the man a glare and Whale turned around in his seat quickly.

Ruby was wiping down the counter when Mr. Gold and Belle walked into Granny's Dinner. The waitress had never really understood why such a bright and wonderful person like Belle could fall for such a man like the one she was with. Ruby was sure she could do so much better than that.

Her grandmother told her not to question it. Belle told her that love works in mysterious ways and her friend seemed happy-or at least she usually did. Mr. Gold had his arm around Belle like he was protecting her from something and Belle was leaning against him causing him to stumble a few times on his bad leg. She looked like she expected some force to come and try to do something horrible.

"HI," Ruby greeted them. She noticed Belle didn't look herself. "Are you alright, Belle?"

Belle smiled and shook her head. She snuggled closer to Gold who shifted his weight so that his bad leg wouldn't strain.

"She had a nightmare," he told her. "While don't you join us while we have our usual breakfast and perhaps help cheer her up?"

Ruby nodded and went to get two sets of french toasts with whipped cream and two orange juice. She wanted to know what the nightmare was this time. Belle had come to her about some bad dreams and like the good friend she was, Ruby had listened.

Gold lead Belle to the booth he usually sat at. She stuck to his side like glue. When Ruby brought the food Belle only poked at it. Ruby looked at Gold and for the first time scene she had known him as Rumplestiltskin he looked back at her with a worried face.

Ruby looked at her friend. "Belle?" Belle looked up at her. "Can you tell me what happened? You know I'm good at listening."

Belle smiled. "Yes you are." She picked up a stick of french toast and looked at it. "We were back in the enchanted forest. His castle. I was looking for him but I couldn't find him inside."

"Go on."

Belle put down the stick of french toast. "So I went to look for him outside." She swallowed back the tears. "And I found him. Laying on the ground. He wouldn't wake up." She started crying again and Gold put his arm around her and pulled her close.

"I told you Belle, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here for a long time."

"It's true," said Ruby with a smirk, "He's twice as old as Granny and she's OLD in my book"

From behind the counter Granny shot the she-wolf and disapproving frown that matched Gold's. Belle managed to smile for a moment through her tears.

"After she had fallen back to sleep I had stayed with her," he said. "When she woke up she instantly asked to come with me while I went on my errands around town."

"Yeah, Granny's got your rent," Ruby gestured over her shoulder towards the counter.

"Thank you." Gold gave Belle a kiss on her cheek before getting out of the booth.

Belle hugged herself when he left her side. After a moment she pushed her plate away. Ruby stopped her.

"You need to eat, sweetie."

"I can't," Belle said.

"Come on one bite." Ruby pushed the plate back towards her.

Belle looked at the plate. She picked up one of the sticks and began to nibble it. Almost instantly she found she was hungry and began to eat the rest. Ruby smiled and Belle smiled back. It was good to have a friend like her. Both smiles kept as Gold returned to the table along with Granny.

"Get back to work you lazy girl," Granny scolded Ruby with a smile.

Ruby smiled back in a mocking tone, "Yes Granny. Bye Belle. Good-bye Mr. Gold."

"Bye," said Belle as her friend left and went to refile Whale's cup of coffee.

"Good day," Gold added. He slided into the booth. "She got you to eat something." He looked at Granny, "Give that girl a raise."

"Well I would but not even you have the price for good friends," Granny said as she took their dishes away. Gold looked at Belle and smile.

Belle stayed with Gold all morning. During the morning they meet with many people. She had gotten to say hi to Leroy (Grumpy) while Gold talked with Mother Superior (the Blue Fairy). By then Belle was more her usual self. When he took her back to the library in the afternoon. Henry's class was waiting outside the door for them.

"Hi Belle," the ten year old grinned up. He had grown to love this woman.

Belle smiled. "Hello there Henry."

"Good morning Henry," said Gold with a smile and Henry returned it. "Mary Margaret. Emma"

"Mr. Gold," Emma said respectfully. She was the daughter of Snow and Prince Charming and the Savior who broke the cure over the town.

"Hi," Mary Margaret (Snow White) greeted.

"I would like to speak with you for a moment."

"I've got this," said Belle before turning to the children. "Hello everyone and welcome to Storybrooke Library. Most of you already know me. My name is Belle and I..."

While Belle continued talking with the children Gold stepped aside with the school teacher. At first he didn't say anything and simply watched Belle with the children.

"Gold?" His attention was drawn to Emma who was looking at him with a concerned expression.

"Belle had a nightmare. She's had them before but this time it was much worse."

Mary Margaret asked, "Is she alright."

"She has a strong spirit, but they're starting to become more constant and I'm becoming worried. I spoke with Mother Superior for a spell that could block the dreams."

"And she said no?" Emma asked attempting to fill in the blank.

"She agreed. What I wanted to ask you is to help me. This is Belle's first Christmas in a long time and I want it to be special for her."

"Tell us what you need."

Happy holidays loves. Here's the first part of my Rumbelle Christmas story. I think I've been working on this for a year now. It all started with the art of snoprincess on dA. Amazing what inspiration does huh :) This is my first OUaT fanfic. I'm so proud of myself.

stay tuned for part two