AN: I hope I've done a decent job of balancing Rumple's snarky side with his sensitive side. The song used here is one of my favorites, and I've seen it used on YouTube as a tribute to the character.
The universe must surely be toying with him. Another fair-skinned, full-lipped brunette was in his castle. Unbelievable! Her eyes were a different color and size, and her hair lacked the red highlights, but it didn't matter. Before this girl had turned around, he could've sworn he was seeing a ghost. His hands clenched into fists. He wouldn't dare think of her again!
Mentally slipping back into the persona he usually showed the world, Rumpelstiltskin flashed a smile and said, "Well, look what the cat dragged in. I must say, this is a most unexpected treat."
He made a mock-lunge, letting out one of his famous high-pitched giggles. Deep down, a part of her still couldn't believe this was for real. He started walking towards her, and she began walking backwards. Her arms hung limply at her sides, and her heart was nearly pounding out of her chest. She swore he could hear it.
Then, he spoke again: "You know, most people caught somewhere they shouldn't be would've given a reason for their presence. That, or begged for mercy, whichever they prefer."
"I just need shelter from the storm. That's all. I didn't stop to think whose home this could be."
"Ah. Throwing caution-", and he glanced over his shoulder before continuing, "—into a rather violent wind. You should have more of a care for your safety."
"I didn't want to be struck by lightning."
"Well, most people would rrrather risk that, than enter the home of the Dark One."
"I'm not most people."
"Clearly."
As he circled her, Kimberly was tempted to relax. The more time passed where he didn't hurt her, the greater the chance that he never would. Briefly focusing on the ground, she drew on all the show had taught her about this man. She remembered the abandonment by his father and first wife, and the tragedy of losing Bae. Powers or no powers, he was still a man like any other…a very hurt, lonely man. It was with all this in mind, that she finally found the courage to look him directly in the eyes.
Taking a deep breath, she addressed him in the calmest voice she could: "I don't expect you to trust me, and you can't blame me for feeling the same. But right now, I have no other choice."
"Except what you can give me for payment. Kindness from me doesn't come cheap, dearie."
"I know. Unfortunately, I have nothing of value with me right now. And I have no man waiting for me, who can give me a child to hand over."
"A child? My rrreputation proceeds me."
Again, he began circling her. She could sense the gears, turning in his head. She began feeling nervous again, and she fiddled with her necklace to steady her slightly-trembling right hand. He was quickly at her side, grasping the "K"-shaped charm.
Running his thumb over the garnets that made up the charm, he said, "Well, this is a pretty bit of sparkle. I wouldn't mind-"
"No. Please", she begged, "Anything but that."
"What does it matter to you, as long as you're out of the rain?"
Steeling herself, she gently grabbed his wrist and nudged it back, saying, "My father gave me this necklace. I lost him to war. It's the last present he ever gave me. I'd never forgive myself, if something happened to it."
She was reaching out to the humanity still deep inside him, and she gave an internal sigh of relief when she saw a spark of it in his eyes. Apparently, despite his own actions on the battlefield, the word "war" still meant a lot to him. He also sympathized with the idea of a fatherless child. Slowly, he let go of the charm and took a couple of steps back. Contemplation was clear on his face.
After a beat of silence, he said, "Fancy telling me what that stands for? Kelly? Krrristine?"
Taking another deep breath, she replied, "Kimberly. My name is Kimberly Drummond."
His eyes met hers again. There was something different about this girl. She was intimidated by him, but there was a fine line between intimidation and fear. She definitely showed no signs of the latter. That inner strength reminded him of…no! He remained in a rare state—silence—as he walked along the side of the dining table. When the back of his left hand brushed against it, he was reminded of something Regina had told him the last time she'd dropped by.
Her voice echoed in his mind like a whistle in a cave: "Looking rather dusty, Rumple. You should get a new girl."
A smirk teased at the corner of his mouth. If only that woman knew how she'd tempted fate. Maybe, he wasn't so angry with the universe after all. Turning on his heel, he faced Kimberly again.
He said, "Well, you'll be no use to me, if you catch pneumonia."
He snapped his fingers, and her clothes and hair were instantly dry. Not waiting for her thanks, he motioned for her to follow him down the hallway. An eerie sense of Deja-vu flooded through her. She hoped she wasn't being dragged off to some damp, rat-infested cell three levels beneath the castle. She wanted to make a better start with him than Belle did. This had to be the "something precious" Penny said he'd recently lost. She must've been dropped into the Enchanted Forest shortly after Regina had kidnapped and locked Belle away. As she snapped out of her musings, she realized that they weren't heading downstairs.
After being asked where he was taking her, he replied, "As it so happens, your arrival interrupted my dinner. I figured there'd be plenty to go around."
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
He froze mid-step, turning around to face her again and flashing another sneaky smile. This time, she didn't back away.
He told her, "There's an old saying. 'Watch out when the wolf is nice'."
Kimberly made a tiny smile of her own. If he was taking the time to banter with her like this, chances are they'd get along just fine. She could handle Rumpelstiltskin.
With renewed confidence, she said, "I hardly think you're a wolf."
Glancing over his shoulder into the kitchen, she allowed her smile to grow a little. There was enough space between him and the doorway for her to squeeze through. Inside the kitchen, there was a smaller table that could fit about four people. He must've been feeling more drawn-down that night. On that table was a bottle of wine, a chunk of yellow-and-white marble cheese, half a loaf of bread, and a large pot of stew. Near the pot were a bowl, a spoon, and a wineglass. With another snap of his fingers, the setting for one doubled. She took a few tentative steps toward the table, silently pulling out a stool and sitting down. As she did that, her eyes met his again.
"Thank you."
He replied simply, "Just eat."
Throughout the mostly-silent meal, Kimberly allowed the events of the last hour to fully sink in. She'd been caught in a thunderstorm in a world that was only supposed to exist on television. And she was now eating beside a man that, in her world, Bobby Carlyle gave life to. How was she going to explain that? There was no way he'd believe her. If she told him the truth at this point, she knew he'd have no qualms about throwing her out of the castle, rain or no rain. She hoped she'd see Penny again soon, so she could get some advice on what to do. As she watched Rumple pour himself a second glass of wine, she decided to break the veil of awkwardness that'd settled over them.
"So, before I stumbled in…how was your day?"
"Small talk? Really, dearie?"
She shrugged and replied, "We do have some time to kill, and nothing to kill it with. Why not try talking?"
In the centuries since he'd first become the Dark One, Rumple thought he'd solved all the mysteries in existence. He'd found a way to bottle true love, for Heaven's sake! But obviously, there was still one more to pick apart. This girl was quite intriguing. It'd been a long time since anyone had addressed him like a normal human being, and in a nice tone to boot. He was almost tempted to smile at her. Really smile, not the mask he used on people when making deals. She was…sweet. Yes, that was the word for her, but the last few months had more than proved he had no room in his life for "sweet".
He said, "There's nothing much to talk about. Most of what I do would be too hard on such fragile, innocent ears."
"I'm tougher than I look."
He huffed, saying, "We'll see."
The corner of her mouth twitching up, he replied, "Yes. We will."
A couple of hours went by, and the rain seemed to get worse. It was looking more and more like Kimberly would have to spend the night at the castle. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. She and Rumple barely spoke a handful of words to each other. But thankfully, those few were polite. She was sitting in the windowsill, allowing her mind to drift as she stared out at the rain. Faintly reflected in the background, her host sat quietly at his wheel. A flashback from the show briefly ran across her mind:
"Why do you spin so much?"
"It helps me forget."
Poor man. She wanted to do something to help him. She looked over her shoulder, studying the look on his face as the changing thread ran through his hand.
Finally, she said, "You don't know how lucky you are."
Lucky? There was a term no one had used to describe him before.
"In what sense, pray tell?"
"At least, you have a hobby to distract from-", and she gestured at the window, "-all this."
He chuckled under his breath and replied, "It's not all it seems, dearie."
"Neither are you."
He shifted in his seat, turning around to look at her.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me", she replied.
He huffed, before returning his attention to his work. If he knew she was still watching him, he showed no signs of caring.
Then, Kimberly said, "Where did you learn that…to spin, I mean?"
He sighed, surprised by an odd urge to be honest. He never realized how much these stories would mean to him. He'd never wanted to share the details of them before. So, why did now make a difference? Oh, well. What harm could one little tale do?
He told her, "As a child, I was abandoned by my father. Two elderly sisters took me in. They taught me to spin."
"Have you passed that knowledge to anyone else?"
Of course, Kimberly already knew this information. She just wanted to see how he'd react to her questions. The image of the only person he'd shared this specific talent with flashed across his mind: yet another full-lipped, fair-skinned brunette. Apparently, he had a type. A brief high-pitched giggle escaped him. That didn't mean he felt like mentioning the woman's name, though. It pinched him too much.
He said, "I did…but she's long gone now."
Kimberly knew he meant that Cora was gone from his life, and his tone implied "Good riddance". But however much he might protest, she also knew it still hurt.
Then, she asked, "You mentioned your father. What about your mother? Didn't she have a say in anything?"
"She disappeared when I was still an infant, and that's all you need to know. Now, why don't we listen to the rain again, hmm? I've heard some find poetry in it."
She knew a dismissal when she heard it, and she didn't blame him. By now, the lightning and thunder had lessened in intensity, though both were still present. He was right about the rain. There was something special about nature's music. Speaking of music, as her mind wandered again, she drifted back to a memory from sixth grade. In it, she was sitting in the chorus room for her final class of the day. The teacher was showing a movie that was a unique take on "Beauty and the Beast". Irony, much? A tiny smile crossed her face. Leaning against the window, she allowed the lyrics to one of the movie's songs to pour softly from her lips:
"We've heard the tales since we were young.
Heard the songs that have been sung
About an evil spell
Someone beautiful is cursed.
We feel sad through every verse.
Till a kiss and all is well-"
"What's that, dearie?"
Oops. Apparently, her singing wasn't low enough. She was sorry she'd disturbed him, and she was quick to say so.
"I didn't ask you to apologize. I asked what you were singing."
"It's just something from my childhood."
"Well, don't stop on my account. Call it payment for your stay here."
Kimberly was tempted to make a joke about hotels, but she knew it wasn't the time. When she asked if he was sure, he narrowed his eyes. Nodding, she took a deep breath to calm herself, and she started the song again:
"The message that no one can see
Is clearer to someone like me
There is no curse or evil spell.
That's worse than one we give ourselves.
There is no sorcerer as cruel as the proud, angry fool.
And yet, we cry, 'Life isn't fair!'
Beneath our cries, the truth is there.
The power that will break the spell
We should know very well.
Is locked within ourselves"
She paused, waiting for his permission to continue. She took his silence as said permission.
"Yet, we'd rather blame.
And curse our fate than change.
We run from everyone to hide from the pain.
And all the shame
The story's old. We know it well.
About a wretched, evil spell
The power that will break this curse, oh, I know all too well.
Is locked within myself"
Ever since the show began, Kim thought this song was a good fit for Rumple's story. If he felt the same, she hoped he wouldn't get angry at her for hitting too close to the proverbial mark. Her eyes remained locked with his in an undeclared staring contest, each sizing up the other. She was trying to reach out. She wanted him to understand that, without getting defensive or angry. At last, his shoulders slumped the tiniest bit. He seemed just as tired by the events of the day as she was. That human moment passed nearly as soon as it started. Trying to put back on his rough exterior, he reached into the pocket of his vest and took out a small key, throwing it to her. After catching it, she noticed that it was marked with a tiny inscription that read "F2, R3 right".
She gestured at the inscription and asked him, "What does this mean?"
He replied, "It means the second floor, third rrroom on the right. That's where you'll be staying."
"Stay? You truly wish that?"
"Don't have much of a choice, do I?"
He started circling her again. Going the personal route had obviously ruffled him, so he was slipping back into what felt more normal. But by now, she was comfortable enough with his presence to not be bothered by this.
He continued, "I don't know why you'd think otherwise. I've got no reason to put you anywhere else…unless you give me one."
A tiny smile flickered in the corner of her mouth, and she fought the urge to giggle. He was acting tough to scare her, to warn her off from getting too close. It was adorable in some ways, and extremely sad in others. His line of thinking was, "This person will hurt me eventually, so I might as well head them off at the pass and push them away". Kimberly couldn't let this understanding and compassion show on her face. Not right now, anyway. He wasn't ready. Sighing, she got off the window-sill and walked across the room to the door. Just before crossing the threshold, she paused and looked over her shoulder.
She said, "I'll see you in the morning, then. I hope you sleep well."
"Immortal beings don't need sleep."
"You still deserve time to relax."
His eyebrows twitched up. Her smile grew a little bit, soft sweetness again replacing the tenseness and boredom on her face.
Placing her hand on the door, Kimberly said, "So, I'll say it again…sleep well, Rumpelstiltskin."
"Just go."
At this, a slight giggle did manage to escape. She missed how he narrowed his eyes as she crossed the threshold and went into the hallway. She also didn't know how he listened to her footsteps fade as she went in search of her temporary bedroom. And it was just that—temporary. Tomorrow, everything else would be back to normal, and this confusing little interloper would be out of his life and forgotten.
AN: "Out of his life and forgotten". (Kronk voice): Riiight...
