She made a noise of surprise. His thumb ran along her cheekbone, trailing sparks. They kissed again and again, each time with growing urgency and only distantly did she notice that his hands were trembling. His breath tickled her neck as he grazed her ear with his lips, strands of her hair stirring in the current. The whole room seemed filled with the sound of her heartbeat, hammering in her ears and with the soft, quiet moans that escaped from their lips. It obliterated her, drove all thoughts from Belle's brain. There was nothing in the world but this kiss, stretching on for eternity. Nothing in the world but the two of them, alone in the cabin.
God, she wanted this.
Just as the thought seared through her brain, he pulled back, gasping. His eyes were wild, almost luminous in the darkness of the room.
"Rumple," Belle breathed, her mouth framing his name like a caress. She wanted him to close the distance between them again so badly that it felt like an ache, like she might waste away without him.
"Belle," he whispered against her mouth. One of his hands was knotted in her hair, the other pressed against the small of her back, pulling her close enough that only a small space remained between them.
Still, it was too far for her.
"Belle," he said again, some of the desire siphoning away from his voice now. "What are you wearing?"
She glanced down, blood flushing to her cheeks.
"I saw it in the clothes store last week with Ruby," she said, her voice catching in her throat. A tinge of panic began to sink in. Why was he looking at her like that? Oh god, did he hate it? "I thought it would be kind of funny, but I…"
She shrugged, disappointment sweeping through her insides like ice water, freezing away all the heat from their kisses.
"With you gone, I wanted to give you a surprise when you got back, I tried to cook dinner, but I fell asleep on the sofa and by the time I woke up the whole place was filled with smoke."
His eyebrows rose. "That would explain the smell."
Belle sighed. "The power went out before I could do anything else. I guess Zelena brought one of those twisters back with her…" Her words petered out as she realized Rumple hadn't been listening to a single thing she'd said.
"A maid's costume?" He said, his eyes trailing over the short skirt and ruffles, lingering on the tight lace bodice, then on the way the fabric dipped in at the top.
"It's so…short," he breathed, reaching out to trail a hand over the frills at the bottom of the dress.
Belle gasped as his cold fingers brushed against her leg.
"You'd never be able to clean in this," he said. He looked slightly bewildered, mesmerized by the material under his touch.
"Somehow, I don't think that's what it's meant for, Rumple."
"Then for what?"
A phantom of a smile twisted her lips. Feeling confident, she leaned forwards to press her cheek against his, so she could whisper in his ear.
"How about I show you?"
Half a second later, he was carrying her into the bedroom.
His favourite time of day was in the mornings. He loved the way he always woke before his wife, so he could close his eyes and listen to her soft breathing for a while. And when she did finally open her eyes, Rumple loved pulling her close, trailing butterfly kisses down the curve of her neck and her shoulder, her fingers fluttering down his spine. If only he could master time travel, then he would stay wrapped up like this forever.
"We may require magic to fix that costume of yours," he murmured, sparing a glance for the ripped piece of fabric on the floor. If he hadn't known what it was last night, he would never have guessed now.
Belle giggled, propping herself up on her elbow to survey the damage."It might be a lost cause," she yawned.
He nodded, reaching out to brush back a strand of her hair. "That's a shame," he said, a teasing edge to his voice. "I quite liked my Valentine's present."
"Hmm," she replied, snuggling up to him under the duvet. Still half-asleep, he supposed.
He waited a few moments, content to watch the birds outside, flitting around in the trees. Belle was dozing again by the time he slipped out of bed and put on a robe on his way into the kitchen. Everything he needed was in the fridge, and he set about making pancakes, careful not to rattle any of the pans in case he woke her up again.
Once he was done, he put the food on the tray with the tea set and a carafe of orange juice and some glasses, and hastily added a single rose. Then he went into the living room where she'd stored his suitcase and took out the present he'd bought her. Smiling, Rumple took the breakfast back into the bedroom.
"I didn't get a chance to give you your present last night," he said, as he handed her a teacup. It trailed steam into the air, filling the room with its fragrance.
"Rumple, you didn't need to get me anything. Everything I want is right here," Belle laughed, patting the patch of duvet between them.
Still, she took the package from him and pulled the ribbon loose as he watched.
It was a book, of course.
"It's beautiful," she said, turning it over in her hands. Her fingers trailed over the embossed leather, following the patterns inlaid into the cover. "Poetry?"
"It travelled with me to Storybrooke during the first curse," he confessed, not quite daring to meet her eyes. "I was… I was going to give you it while you were staying with me in the castle, but…"
But I never got the chance,he finished in his head.
Belle's blue eyes gleamed with unshed tears as she leaned forwards to kiss him. He knew he didn't need to finish the sentence. She always filled in the blanks.
"I love it," she told him, clutching it to her chest. "And I love you."
Rumplestiltskin grinned. He didn't think he would ever tire of hearing her say that.
"And I love you too," he said. Happy Valentine's Day."