I do not own any of the Once Upon a Time Characters.

Just to See her Smile

"Close your eyes," he whispers in her ear as they walk up the steps. She grins, and does, turning

and kissing him as he wraps his arm around her waist. The baby kicks and she giggles, stopping to catch her breath.

"The baby seems just as excited," she breaths. It kicks again and he rubs the side of her stomach, in awe that he would be able to witness this moment. With Milah, he didn't get to witness anything – not even the birth. It was as if one day he didn't have children, and the next day he did. With Belle it was different though. She was the first to allow him to feel the babe kick, satisfy her cravings, rub her stomach when she cramped, and allow him to help her through her mood swings. Sometimes, that included doing crazy things, and most of the time she told him not to bother, that it would just go away in an hour or so. He knew better, and it brought him more joy to turn her tears of sadness into tears of joy then to just leave her sitting in a chair alone until she 'got over it.' "Can we stop again?" she breaths. "I am sorry, our son is sitting on my bladder currently and it is making it difficult to breath." There were many stairs in the mini version of his castle. He didn't ever think he would be dealing with a pregnant women when he designed it in the curse.

"That is fine, dear. Take as long as you need."

"I feel like a whale."

"I feel like a reptile." She giggles at this, knowing that he was referring to his scaly skin and drawn out eyes. He hadn't changed back into his human form yet, knowing that if he did she would make him change back.

"Well then, don't we make an odd couple. I can here the children now," she says. "Whale and reptile found on the stairs in the forbidden castle. And by the way," she continues, climbing up the stairs, "you have never looked like a reptile to me."

"And that, I can never understand."

"Actually, you did once. When that potion went wrong and turned you into a lizard the size of my hand."

"That, dearest, was a salamander and I dare say I have never seen you more confused in your life."

"Well how was I supposed to be your maid when you were in that form!" she exclaims. "You were angry enough at the time and I had no idea what your reaction would be when you snapped out of it, and I knew that you were going to remember me staring at you."

"If you had been my other normal maid," he stresses, "Then I probably would have killed you. But Belle, you couldn't be normal, not even in the slightest bit."

"I was a freaking princess, Rumple!"

"And still are." She looks back at him and he winks at her. She laughs.

"Some things never change," she mumbles. The finally reach the top of the long, winding stairwell and he keeps a tight hold of her.

"Which way?" she asks, keeping her eyes tightly shut.

"Well dearie," he says. "There are actually two surprises, however, I would personally like to begin with the one in the spare bedroom." She shakes her head.

"You didn't have to do all this, Rumple," she says quietly, turning to face him and opening her eyes. "You know I love you no matter what." He leans in and they are forced to shift a bit with her giant belly.

"Happy Valentines Day, dearest," he says after kissing her. "You deserve so much more then I could ever give you."

"You know that is not true," she responds. "We both deserve each other, and I have wronged you too many times in our marriage already. I am filled with guilt and regret at times."

"I deserved it all."

"No you didn't," she says. "Just like I didn't deserve some of the things that happened in our other past." He looks down and she lifts his head with her fingers. He notices how she glows with their child, how beautiful she is. "So we are equal," she says. "One-hundred percent equal." She stands on her tip toes a bit and he backs away, refusing the kiss. She pouts a bit and takes a step closer.

"Not until you receive your gift, beautiful," he replies a bit giddily.

"Really Rumple? Not even once?" She approaches him more and places her hand behind his neck. "You know that you want it, Rumple," she says quietly, her lips pursed. He rolls his eyes and gives in, bending down and fulfilling the lingering desire. She moans as he caresses her arm and his fingers find their way through her locks of hair. He bends and nips her neck. Belle leans into him strongly, wanting as much as he can give. Something cool shoots through her and she jumps.

"Rumple! What was that? You know we agreed to limit the magic because of the baby!" He grins smugly and she slaps his chest. "What did you just do?" He shakes his head and grabs her wrist as she goes to playfully smack him again. Another shock goes through her and she shivers a bit. "Knock it off!" She fights to make him release her to stop him as plays innocent. He does it again, stronger and she grits her teeth, both shivering at the feeling and trying to stop from laughing.

"What, dearie?" he asks innocently. "Something the matter?"

"Oh no Rumple," she dramatizes. "Absolutely nothing, just magic being shot through me as it does on occasion. It seems to be oddly attracted to me."

"That's strange," he responds. She jerks back again and he repeats the action, this time causing her to nearly fall into him.

"Rumple!" she exclaims. "For real! The baby!" He giggles a bit more and she playfully dares him to continue.

"Don't worry about the baby, dearest," he says. "I promise, he is doing perfectly fine at the moment."

"Rumple, please stop!" He lets go, laughing, and she giggles a bit, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. He approaches her and she stares at him, leaning up to kiss him one last time before he makes her shut her eyes. He wraps his arm around her waist.

"Rumpelstiltskin," she says warily. "We are not doing this again." He giggles impishly and she looks back.

"Fine."

"Promise?" He pauses, looking up at the ceiling.

"No."

"Well you should." She shuts her eyes and begins walking towards the room with him guiding her. They might argue a lot more but the times that they didn't were also a lot more special – her husband was capable of a lot more then prince charming, in fact; she would be bored with prince charming if she had been forced to marry him. She wondered how Rumple came up with some of this stuff . . . I mean . . . there certainly wasn't a page on the internet that talked about what a magic husband can do for or with his wife but he seemed to come up with plenty of ideas. She hears a door open and assumes that they have made it to the room. She nearly bursts with excitement.

"Alright dearest," he says. "Open your eyes." She does, and looks around the room, confused. Nothing has changed, and nothing is there. "Hold on," he says, and whistles loudly. She winces. After a few moments, rustling can be heard and she nearly screams with excitement as a doberman pup bursts out from under the bed, barking and wagging its tail. She goes to try to pick it up and Rumple stops her.

"Patience, dear, patience."

"You just got me a freaking dog and you want me to patient!" she says excitedly. "You have no idea how long I wanted one!" Tears begin to fall down her face at the reality of what he had given her – an animal, something that would keep her company at home and would bind them closer as a family. Something that their child could love and play with. She tries to say more but struggles to form words to express her gratitude.

"Belle," he says quietly, and wraps his arms around her. "It is the least I could do. And I know that at the castle you took such wonderful care of that chestnut mare I brought back one day. I had no idea you would grow so close to it, and I couldn't bare to go another day without giving you something else you could cherish."

"Thank you, Rumple," she says. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me that you would buy me a puppy, one that our child will love and I know," she says, making eye contact with him, "that you will love too."

"If you love it then I guess I have no choice," he says. He guides her to sit on the couch and she does as he brings the doberman to her.

"What should we name it?" Belle asks as she cuddles with it. It licks her face and wiggles its little tail in excitement.

"Chip," he says without thought. She grins, and rubs noses with it before setting it on the floor to play. The little puppy chases its tail until it falls, toppling over itself.

"Perfect. Our little girl shall be named Chip, just like our teacup. Who knew you were so good with names?" She leans over and they kiss once more. She couldn't wait to see what her second surprise was, although, she had an idea from his behavior about what it was. Why did he always have to be so seductive? He sends another shock through her and she laughs.

"Whoops, did I just do that?" he asks. He lays her under him on the couch and bends over her form as she teases him. The dog begins to bark as she laughs at his failed attempt to send the magic though her again. "Just tell me when you want your other surprise," he says, bending to kiss her collarbone.

"I wonder what that may be?"

"Am I that obvious, dearie?" she nips his ear and shifts as the baby puts pressure on her abdomen. There was no need to respond, not to mention, it is difficult to talk with your tongue occupied with other, more pleasurable things.

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It didn't take long for them to make it back to their bedroom, which Rumple had decorated with rose pedals and his the straw he had spun into gold. He had sprayed his cologne on the bed as well, which to some may seem obnoxious but it put Belle into an almost instant state of extreme sexual desire. Especially in a bedroom, I mean, she liked it when he wore it but in the bedroom, it was heaven.

They lay under the thick quilt, whispering nonsense to each other and Belle forcing him to stay in his other body. Just for now, she would say. It brings back wonderful memories and I know that if I weren't here, you would stay in this form anyways.

I would. He always responded. I would dearest but it feels too dark for you, I feel like you deserve a human lover, not some scaly, wide eyed beast.

Ahh, but Rumple. My dear Rumple, that is what makes you special to me. The fact that you are my beast, and that really, you aren't a beast at all, not to me anyways but you just can't understand. You can't understand how in love with you I am. If you weren't special, and different there would be hardly anything beautiful about you . . . the normalness would be appalling.

So prince charming?

Gross.

Well you know what I think? He had said. She shook her head, and shifted. I think that the reason I loved you is because you too aren't normal in the least. You challenged me, you gave me something to think about, something to work on, someone who actually had the ability to be pleased with me. But you were also beautiful, your chestnut curls and the way you wore that cloak in the winter, oh Belle, you have no idea.

She snuggles closer to her lover, who stares at the ceiling and lifts his hand in the hair. The lights dim even further, enough that the two of them could get some sleep. She needed it. The problem is that that baby always kept her up. She takes Rumples hand and places it on her abdomen.

"Feel him?" she asks. His smile tells her that he does. "Don't let me keep you up, Rumple, you have been busy."

"Your not."

"Well then, I have a gift for you as well." She reaches in the drawer where she had put it earlier before he brought her there. "I wish that I could be as wonderfully creative as you but -" he stops her with a kiss.

"You have given me enough to be satisfied for years tonight, my precious Belle." This makes her blush a bit and he pretends not to notice. It made him happy though, that after so many years he still could do that to her.

"Here." He unwraps the gift and lifts out a jar. With a flick of his wrist the lights are brighter and Belle hides under the sheets, covering her eyes. Sometimes he forgot to consider that in this form, light and darkness couldn't phase him.

"Sorry dear, is it a bit bright?" he asks sarcastically.

"Let me guess, you hadn't noticed," she responds dryly. He waves his hand in the air.

"You mortals bore me." She kicks him under the sheets and he wraps her leg in between his, holding her tightly.

"Just open the gift, Rumple!" He lets her go and picks the jar off the table beside him, opening it and peering inside.

"What the," he gasps. "Belle! How did you even know about this?"

"Just a lucky guess maybe." He smirks.

"You are a horrible liar."

"Do you like it?" she asks, hoping that he would. She had searched the world, literally, every internet website she could find.

"What do you mean 'do I like it?' Do you have any idea how many years I have been searching for these exact types of stones for my magic?"

"Let me think," she responds. "Maybe about . . . three hundred or so? Wow, that is a long time to be searching for something I found in a year. Maybe you need me more then I thought," she teases. He grabs her legs again with his and she fights his tight hold.

"Rumple!" With her in his grip he sets the stones down gently in the jar and shuts the lid. He waves his hand and the lights go back down until darkness surrounds them. After a few minutes of light wrestling they settle down. Sadly, her giant stomach gave her a mass advantage at times but he would never admit to it. Never in a million years.

"Rum?" she whispers. He combs his fingers through her hair, letting her know that he is awake. "Can you do some magic for just this split second? I don't know about the price or whatever -"

"The price only really matters with major things, Belle. And for me, I have already paid the brunt of it so don't worry. I will not do something that comes with too high of a price, both for you and me."

"Promise?"

"Of course I promise. What do you want?" She pulls the blanket up higher and shifts her weight with the baby, who turns on its side.

"I really need a midnight snack." He laughs quietly and she grins.

"What?"

"You act like that's going to kill me – like the magic of that is beyond difficult."

"Well, I would rather be safe then sorry."

"What type of food?"

"Just a bit of fruit and cheese would be fine. Just a little bit, for the baby and so that I can sleep." He whispers some words and a small bowl appears between them. She sighs, satisfied.

"Thank you, Rumple," she whispers before placing the bowl aside, and taking a sip of the warm milk he had apparently, 'accidentally' summoned. In reality, he knew that she got horrible heartburn at night and was not going to listen to her stupid 'let it pass and go to sleep' a night longer.

"Thank you, Belle. You are more then I could have ever asked for – a light in an ocean of darkness." He rubs her stomach a bit as she sleeps, comforting her. She needed rest so badly that he had put an extremely mild potion in the milk to help her. She didn't need to know, these little things he did for her comfort. If they could use it, there really was no reason not to. "I love you," he whispers before drifting off into sleep himself.

Hello! I hope it is okay with everyone that this chapter is longer then normal – just let me know if it isn't and I will do what I can. Thank you for reading! It is much appreciated and plz give any thoughts.