Serendipitous at Best
Chapter 3: A Mother
Rumplestiltskin:
When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was Belle. She was lying in Bae's bed with him, still cradling his head in her arms. She had fallen asleep during the night, it would seem, but she was still holding the boy close.
The second thing he noticed was that Bae was awake.
He was lying there, staring up at Belle thoughtfully, before he would slowly try to slink out of her embrace.
"Need help?" Rumplestiltskin asked his son quietly. Bae turned slightly to face him and nodded, chagrined. Rumplestiltskin gently lifted her arms so Bae could scurry out of her grasp.
"Is she okay? Did they hurt her?" Bae asked, stepping a bit closer to Belle now that he was free of her grasp. Before he could stop Bae, the boy had caught sight of one of the bite marks on her neck.
"What is that?" he asked suddenly.
"It's okay. It doesn't hurt her. They were just marking her," Rumplestiltskin tried explaining to the boy. Bae was not convinced.
"I want to mark her then! As my mother! How do you do it?" Bae asked eagerly. Rumplestiltskin turned red at what he had said.
"No son, not that type of marking. We don't want to mark her. It's not very nice, how they did it," Rumplestiltskin tried explaining. Bae didn't seem thoroughly convinced but left the matter alone nonetheless. Rumplestiltskin turned to change clothes and as he was changing, he realized his mistake.
"You have one too!" Bae said loudly, pointing at his shoulder. Rumplestiltskin quickly pulled another shirt on.
"I didn't believe that they didn't hurt her so she showed me that they didn't hurt," Rumplestiltskin tried to explain uncomfortably.
"I want one too then!" Bae cried out.
"Bae, you don't want a mark on you. They aren't very nice for boys your age to have," Belle's sleepy voice interrupted. Rumplestiltskin was thrilled she was able to cover that. He was feeling so far out of his comfort zone that it was not even funny.
"But you gave Papa one," Bae whined as he hurried back over to her side. Belle laughed and tweaked his nose before ruffling your hair.
"Papa didn't believe me. I had to show him the truth," Belle explained with a laugh. Bae didn't look convinced, but he dropped it, much to Rumplestiltskin's relief.
However he looked as if he were about to say something else when there was a sudden knock on the door. Rumplestiltskin hurried to the door, opening it only to find half of the town standing on his doorstep. The female half.
"We don't like having that whore in our town," the wife of the leader of the attack the night before announced. Another lady nodded.
"If she's not out of town by nightfall, we'll kill her," she said threateningly. Rumplestiltskin swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded before carefully shutting the door. Belle, he noticed, looked horrified. She stumbled to her feet quickly, trying to find her boots on the floor.
"I am so sorry. I didn't realize I would cause you so much trouble," she apologized, slipping one boot on and then the other. Rumplestiltskin thought the scene was heartbreaking, as did Bae.
"What's a whore? Why are they calling Belle that?" Bae asked quickly. Belle's motions stopped and she turned to the boy, bending over slightly to be eye level with him.
"A whore is a bad lady who does stuff she shouldn't," Belle told Bae, swallowing as she did. Rumplestiltskin's heart nearly broke at the sight. Bae didn't believe her.
"No! You are a good person! You're going to be my Mama," Bae protested, his words weak near the end. She turned to him, tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Bae, but I'm no one's mother. I can never be anyone's mother. And there are so many nicer women out there who would love to be your mother," she tried comforting him. Bae spun around, his own tears in his eyes.
"No one wants a cripple with a son!" Bae cried out. The words shot straight through Rumplestiltskin. Of course his son had heard people say that before. But this was the first time his own son had used those words.
The words seemed to shock Belle so much that she all but fell to the ground, sitting there in shock. She reached up quickly and grabbed Bae's arm, pulling him close.
"Bae, that's not true. Your father is a good man, and it does not matter if he is crippled or not. And you are an amazing, bright boy. Any woman would be more than happy to be your mother," Belle tried explaining. Rumplestiltskin felt helpless watching the scene unfold.
"But you won't be," Bae finally said before he broke out into gut-wrenching sobs. Rumplestiltskin couldn't bear to see his son cry like that. Neither could Belle, if he judged by her actions. She hugged the boy tightly before pulling back, keeping her arms firmly on his shoulders.
"Bae, honey, you wouldn't deserve a Mama like me," Belle tried explaining. Rumplestiltskin stiffened at her words, at the self-hatred he heard in them.
"Yes I do," Bae said, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. Belle smiled a sad smile at the boy, shaking her head as she wiped away his tears.
"Bae, I was watching a little girl, five years ago. She had the prettiest blue eyes. I was watching her and somehow, she wandered off. When I found her, she had drowned," Belle explained. Rumplestiltskin wandered closer, eyes wide.
"The police said it was an accident, but the mother? The mother told me I was unfit to ever have children. That since I had taken away her daughter, I would never be given one of my own. It wouldn't have been as bad if I hadn't been in a car accident a few weeks afterward, one that destroyed my ability to be a mother," Belle explained sadly. She reached out and took one of Bae's hands, pulling it to her lower stomach area. She rested his hand there for a moment.
"Feel that? That's an empty womb. I can never have children Bae. So I can never be a mother," the girl explained sadly to the boy. Bae was not deterred. He took her hand and pulled it to his chest.
"Feel that? That's my heartbeat. I'm already alive. And I need a mother," Bae said stubbornly. His words shocked Rumplestiltskin, filling him with self-loathing. His son wanted a mother, wanted one desperately. And he had not been able to give him one.
"Bae, I would, but I can't. You heard what they said. They would kill me if I stayed," Belle said softly. Bae shook his head stubbornly.
"I'll protect you," he said. Belle laughed sadly at the boy.
"Honey, this happens to me, everywhere I go. Everywhere I go, I am run out of town. And I was promised that if I ever got close to someone, they would be killed," Belle told the boy sadly. Rumplestiltskin's hand tightened on his spinning wheel at her words.
"I must leave. I can't be close to you. If I am, you'll be hurt and I could never live with myself," Belle explained sadly, grabbing her backpack. Bae ran in front of her, blocking the door.
"What if we kicked you out? And then followed you? We could disguise you, pretend to be a family travelling!" Bae schemed excitedly. Belle turned to Rumplestiltskin, the expression on her face a clear cry for help.
"Bae, why would we leave here?" Rumplestiltskin asked his son. Bae turned to him, eyes filled with much sorrow.
"Papa, they hate you here. We could go somewhere else, have a new life! Please, Papa. I want to be happy," Bae begged his father. Rumplestiltskin's heart skipped a beat. He would do anything for his boy's happiness.
"How would we make money?" Rumplestiltskin asked. Bae turned his doe eyes onto Belle, who it seemed could not resist them either.
"I can help us make money. Until we find a place to settle down. Then I would have to stop or risk ruining our secret," Belle said slowly. Rumplestiltskin shook his head.
"Then we couldn't travel as a family," he interjected. Belle shook her head slowly.
"But we could. You could be my…owner, for lack of a better word, and we could pretend Bae was a child I'd given birth to through you," Belle said, as if the plans fit perfectly. Rumplestiltskin hated to say it, but they did seem rather ingenious. Rumplestiltskin turned to his son, trying to think of how to tell the boy.
"You have to understand, if we do this, that people won't say very nice things about Belle. We will have to pretend a lot of things about her, about me, and about you, until we have enough money and a place to stay," Rumplestiltskin explained to the boy. He nodded enthusiastically.
"Where should we go first?" Rumplestiltskin asked Belle, who, for the moment, couldn't seem to believe it was true, that she would be with someone. Her heart lurched at the thought of having to remain a prostitute, but if that was what it took to take care of Bae and his father, so be it. They were offering her protection. That in itself was more than anyone had offered her in a long time.
"Your leg. I know someone who could fix it," Belle said immediately. Rumplestiltskin stared sharply at the girl.
"No one can fix it," he corrected her. After all, that was what the village had intended. Belle shook her head.
"No. There's a man, a man who owes me a favor, back from my old city. We would have to be…rather careful, but he would do it. And I have someone who would hide us while we were in the city," Belle said carefully. Bae turned to his father, wide-eyed.
"Papa, imagine if she could fix you!" Bae said excitedly. Rumplestiltskin did not plan on getting his hopes up.
"First of all, Bae, we need to kick Belle out," Rumplestiltskin said. It took a moment before his son realized what exactly he was saying, and once he did, he smiled.
"It has to be rather public, Papa, or they will think we all left together. And that wouldn't be good," Bae said quickly. Rumplestiltskin nodded. And as he did, he thought of the perfect thing.
"I have an idea. Bae, I need you to pack all of your valuables, and food, and I'm going to head into town for a bit. When I come back, I need you to stay in the house and ignore everything that we say, okay?" Rumplestiltskin asked. Bae nodded quickly.
Rumplestiltskin sighed and left for town. In town, everything was bustling. He brought his orders, both finished and unfinished, dropping each off. He apologized to those who had unfinished, explaining how his sister in another village was sick and he and Bae planned on visiting her.
He went to buy provisions, chatting with the seller despite the seller's dislike for Rumplestiltskin.
"Where are you planning on heading?" the seller asked, unable to sate his curiosity. Rumplestiltskin shrugged, handing the man the money he'd been given for Belle the night before.
"My sister is ill. Bae and I plan on visiting her, helping her around the house," Rumplestiltskin explained. This peaked the man's interest.
"You have a sister?" he asked. Rumplestiltskin nodded.
"Oh yes. She doesn't like me too much, but her husband died last year and she was desperate to get help with the children," Rumplestiltskin explained. The seller laughed.
"She must've been real desperate! What about the whore?" he asked. Ah, Rumplestiltskin knew this question was coming. And people all around were listening.
"I offered her to stay the night, for her favors. She's leaving. We may escort her as far as the next village," Rumplestiltskin offered. With that, he headed towards his hut. He could tell there were people following him discreetly. Good.
Belle:
Belle helped Bae pull stuff into his bag, packing what she knew to be necessities from her own travels. She had even packed her own bag carefully, changing into her second dress instead of Rumplestiltskin's clothes. Rumplestiltskin had not told her his plan yet but she was good at improvising.
She had finished packing her bag when Rumplestiltskin burst in, shutting the door behind him. He stared for a moment before grabbing Belle's arm roughly.
"Cover your ears Bae. Play along, Belle," he said quietly. He jerked Belle outside roughly, throwing her to the ground right outside of the house.
"You whore! Do you think corrupting my son will get you anything else?" Rumplestiltskin roared. Belle stood, stepping towards him carefully.
"I was just giving the boy what he wanted…he asked, and I figured…" Belle toyed off, causing Rumplestiltskin's face to turn red in anger. He was a great actor as well, Belle realized. There was a crowd starting to form around them.
Rumplestiltskin shoved her roughly against the wall of the hut, his hands coming around her neck.
"I should kill you now. You worthless, good for nothing whore. All I did was out of the kindness of my heart," Rumplestiltskin said, his words loud enough the crowd could hear him but not shouting. His hands squeezed her airpipe, causing her to fight to breathe. It was almost too…real. It was starting to terrify Belle. When she saw spots, he released her, causing her to fall onto the ground.
"Leave. If you ever come back here or near my son again, I'll kill you," Rumplestiltskin seethed. Belle stumbled to her feet, running into the woods. She found a good hiding spot, watching the villagers.
"I heard he walked in to her corrupting the boy. On the table, no less," a woman gossiped as she walked with her friend near the outskirts of town. Belle winced at the thought, but listened closely.
"I heard that Rumplestiltskin decided they had to leave the house that night, that he wouldn't stay there any longer after what he saw," the second responded, giggling at the thought. Belle slinked a little farther into the woods, waiting for nightfall. As she was walking, she heard a twig snap behind her. She spun, staring wildly out there. Was it Rumplestiltskin? No, he would've called out sooner to her.
A man appeared, holding an axe over his shoulder. When he saw her, he stopped.
"Hello there! Are you lost?" he asked curiously. Belle shook her head quickly.
"No, my…master… is on his way now," she said quickly. The man sat the axe down at her words and walked closer. He sat down on a fallen log near her, patting the log in a gesture to have her sit.
"Are you running away?" he asked kindly. Belle shook her head.
"Oh no! It's, well it's rather complicated," she admitted. The man nodded slowly. He started to say something but was cut off by the appearance of Bae and Rumplestiltskin. Bae rushed forward, nearly tackling her in a hug.
"I was so scared you'd left us, cause it took us so long to find you!" Bae all but cried. Rumplestiltskin limped closer, dropping her backpack down at her feet before eying the man next to her. The man who seemed to soften at the sight of Bae.
"Would you three care for a place to spend the night? We don't have much, but I am always willing to offer to help a family in need," the man said. Belle glanced over at Rumplestiltskin before nodding slowly.
"That would be amazing. But I'm afraid we don't have any money," Belle said. The man shook his head.
"That's alright. My children will be happy to have someone to play with," he said, tilting his head towards Bae.
Belle stood carefully, not breaking Bae's embrace, to pull her backpack onto her back. She felt so much better having it with her. It was slightly heavier than before, a sign that they had had to put more stuff into her bag to get everything. Bae wrapped her arm around Belle, not content to be far from her. When she noticed Rumplestiltskin stumbling slightly, she stopped and waited for him to get closer before wrapping her own arm around his waist, hoping to offer some semblance of balance to help him walk. He graciously leaned against her.
"I'm sorry about earlier," Rumplestiltskin murmured. Belle shook her head.
"No, you're an amazing actor. And it will protect the two of you for the time being," Belle said softly.
They got to the woodsman's house after a short walk. When they arrived, the woodsman knocked on the door, waiting until two children opened the door. They appeared to be a bit younger than Bae and held insanely curious eyes.
"Hansel, Gretel, these guys are going to spend the night here with us tonight," the woodsman introduced. The children stared at Belle, then Rumplestiltskin, then Bae. Belle bent down so she was eye level with the children.
"My name's Belle. This is Rum…Rum, and our…son, Bae," Belle stumbled slightly over the introduction. She decided it would be easier to shorten Rumplestiltskin's name, and it offered a bit more of an identity shield. The introduction proved to work because Hansel and Gretel moved aside, allowing for them to enter the small cottage.
"I must apologize, but I have a bit more wood to cut. Would you care to help?" the woodsman asked Rumplestiltskin, who seemed taken aback by the offer but pleased nonetheless. The two of them left rather quickly, leaving Belle alone with three children.
"What do we do now?" Bae asked Belle after a moment of silence. The other children were staring at her as well.
"Would you like to hear a story?" Belle finally asked. All three children's eyes widened at the prospect and they hurried her to a spot on the floor next to the fire. Belle dug out her tablet from her bag, powering the small device on.
"What's that?" Gretel asked, eyes wide. Belle smiled at the girl.
"It's a tablet. It used to be my Mamas. We were too poor to buy books, back in the city, so my Papa would buy me books onto this," Belle explained. She sat down carefully, motioning for the children to come closer.
"Once upon a time…" Bell read. As she read, the children moved closer, enthralled. Hansel and Gretel each found themselves tucked under her arms, and Bae sat in her lap, holding the small device and clicking the button to flip the pages whenever she nudged him. She read for the longest time, reading until all she could hear was the quiet snores of the three children. She smiled softly, stroking Hansel and Gretel's hair as she herself fell into a comfortable sleep.
Rum:
"Well, I do believe we've gotten enough wood for the moment. Thanks for the help," the woodsman said to Rum. Rum smiled cautiously at the man, feeling accomplished that he had been able to help. His knee was killing him but he ignored the pain as he walked alongside the woodsman to his cottage. When they arrived, it was dead silent. The woodsman appeared worried for a second before his eyes fell onto the floor in front of the fire.
Lying there was Belle, an arm around each of the woodsman's children and his own child in her lap, the four of them cuddling together. Her back was leaning against a chair, which couldn't be comfortable. In Bae's lap was a sleek black…thing. It was technology, that was all Rum was sure of.
"I don't think I've seen them sleeping that peacefully since their mother died," the woodsman said, his voice hushed. Rum smiled down at them before lifting the technology away from them and tucking it carefully in Belle's bag. He assumed it had to be hers, although he hadn't seen it before.
"You three can share my bed tonight and I'll sleep with my children," the woodsman offered as he slowly tried to pull Hansel from Belle's grip. Her grip was like iron, requiring both the woodsman and Rum to pull the child away from her.
"She's very protective. A good mother," the woodsman appraised as he carried Hansel to one of the beds. Rum's mind immediately flickered to Bae's real mother and he suppressed a shudder. Belle was nothing like Milah was. Belle, despite what she had said earlier about never being able to be a mother, seemed to be the perfect mother.
"It's odd how she even protects my children after just meeting them. She's got strong maternal instincts," the woodsman said with a quiet laugh as they managed to pry Gretel from Belle's vice-like grip.
"She's the perfect mother," Rum said his thoughts. He watched as, now that her arms were empty, she wrapped both of her arms around Bae. When the woodsman came to pick her up, he laughed.
"I might as well carry the two together, or we'll never get your son away," he joked. Rum laughed alongside him and followed the man as he laid Belle and Bae into the second bed.
"Well goodnight. If you feel like staying around another day in the morning, I could always use the help," the woodsman offered as Rum crawled into the bed. He made sure he was on the side Belle was facing, the side that had Bae in between the two.
Rum fell asleep quickly, the last thoughts on his mind of how Belle was the most unlikely person to be the perfect mother to Bae.
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I hope that was good. Still no reviews, which is saddening. I hope this was a good chapter though!
Andiya Rose
