"Here." Rumple slid Belle onto their tidy bed. "I'm going to go make you something to sleep in." His voice wandered, he really hadn't thought of this. Belle tried to rest her head on the pillow after he left the room, but found herself being suffocated by the walls the indent of her head caused around her neck. She adjusted herself so that she was beneath the ivory blanket and still resting her head on the pillow. Lying like that in the middle of the bed, Belle's mind began to take in her surroundings once again. Funny how last night I l was able to lie in this bed with Rumple and we each occupied half of it. Now I'm hardly a speck on it. She scanned the room, rowing to herself, I'm not afraid, Rumple will figure this out. I know he will. He won't let me stay like this forever. IN a day or so all of this will be far behind you. She felt the bed begin to vibrate-which signaled to her that Rumple was coming from somewhere in the house. Gosh this vibrating though! She inwardly complained, it's like I lose my balance or shake every time he moves. It's loud too! He can't control it, I know, but it's really aggravating. Not knowing what else to do, she ran her hand up her arm, bringing back feelings of when Rumple had touched her; I do like him carrying me. It's safe and his touch… It... Well… She wasn't quite sure what she was thinking, It's safe and warm and… He loves me. I know he loves me anyways, but the way he's holding me and carrying me around and trying to protect me… It really means a lot.

"Knock, knock," Rumple greeted, entering the bedroom with a box in his hands. He glanced around the room, "Belle?" Anxiety clutched at his heart, oh where could she be? It took him a moment to remember, I left her on the bed. He practically jumped to the side of the bed looking for her-his hands rapidly feeling the bed trying to find her body. I can't get in it, if she's there and I don't see her… I could crush her. He shivered at the thought alone. "Belle?" He found a protrusion in the middle of the bed, and rolled down the blanket to find her little body sleeping, "Belle, there you are." when there was no answer, Rumple feared the worst. Oh no, not her. "Belle," His voice weak. He poked her with his finger, "Belle?" is eyes began to tear up, he couldn't tell if she was sleeping or not and with her miniature size he couldn't tell if she were breathing or not. I don't want to scare her if she's sleeping, but I Need her to be okay. There was only a split second of thought before Rumple snatched her up in his hand and screamed her name. She jumped when she awoke and screamed in return. "Belle!" Rumple cried in relief, pressing her gently across his chest before raising her to his eyelevel. "Belle I was so worried,"

"I'm fine," Her heartbeat had quickened, surprised by her loud awaking and being clutched in a worried giant's grasped. "It's okay,"

"I thought you'd… Well..." His eyes diverted to the bed, and Belle got the point,

"I didn't suffocate, Rumple, I'm right her." She reached out to touch his cheek. "I'm lucky to have someone who cares for me so."

"I'm the lucky one." Rumple sniffed, stopping his tears, and changing the topic and he set her back on their bed. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?" He asked, standing to his full height and pointing to the bed,

"Of course not," Belle smiled, grasping the blanket to steady herself as Rumple took his seat beside her.

"How about you get up here on my shoulder?" He suggested, feeling absolutely enormous sitting next to such a small Belle,

"I'd like that." She stood, accepting his fingers under her arms to bring her to his shoulder. She made a comfortable perch where his flesh indented from the curve of the collarbone.

"How are you holding up?" Rumple asked, staring at the floor and wringing his hands,

"I'm okay," Belle crossed her legs and snuggled closer to his neck.

"You're not afraid, are you?" Guilt made no attempt to disguise itself in his words, and his low, "I'm so sorry, Belle," tugged at Belle's heartstrings. Rumple clutched to his chest as a strand of tears made their way down his face. He lay down on the bed, putting his hand around Belle to steady her as he repositioned himself.

"What are sorry for?" Belle herself to stay strong, walking to the center of his chest and standing—her hands on her hips. His head tilted forward a bit to better see her,

"I let you in that room. I didn't get you out of there… I knew something bad would happen, but I didn't want to believe it and you wanted to be in there so bad."

"That's not your fault." Belle cooed, seating herself on his chest. "I'm the one who stayed in that room and insisted on working with your magic when I had no idea what I was doing. You told me plenty of times to do something else, but I didn't listen. I deserve this-it'll teach me a lesson. Oh, and I'm not afraid." Rumple watched Belle rise and fall with the movement of his chest a moment before answering,

"You're much stronger than I." He sniveled.

"Yeah right," Belle rolled her eyes, biting her lip. "What reason do I have to be afraid? I'm in our house, your have your magic should we need it, I'm safe, and I'm with you-the man I love. I've nothing to be afraid of."

"How do you do that?" He brushed a strand of his hair out of his face, and then delicately moved his finger down from her crown to her shoulders. "You're my ray of sunshine, always so positive." Belle blushed, tightening her body for reasons she didn't know. His eyes filled with inspiration, and Belle couldn't resist by give him her own compliment,

"You have very handsome eyes." It was now Rumple's turn to have his cheeks to a bright shade of pink, "They're very dark and deep-warm and kind. I've always thought them beautiful, but on this scale they're handsomeness is just magnified so much morel"

"I'm rubbing off on you." He commented, not saying anything of her compliment-though it warmed his heart. He made a motion with his hands, and Belle laughed after she noticed he had been making fun of her.

"Perhaps you have." Belle admitted, then pointed her finger harshly, "You've no room to laugh about it though!" She flicked her hands at him, then curled up on his chest and let his finger run up and down her body as if she were an animal being pet by its owner. "This is nice… I think I'll sleep here."

"No you won't!" Rumple exclaimed in shock, instantly waking himself up from the sleepy relaxed state he'd been in, "You know I sometimes move in my sleep, I could roll over and crush you! Even if I didn't move while I slept I wouldn't risk it. Belle, I could very easily squash you flat without meaning to! I would never chance that!" He plucked her up from her position very quickly and suspended her above his face. "I'm not forbidding this because I don't want you here, trust me, I just don't want to hurt you." He swung his hand off the bed-placing Belle close to his head on the pillow before doing so- and grabbed the box he had been carrying when he entered the room. Once he placed the box on the bed, he picked Belle up again and let her sit on his hand as he showed her the little bed he'd made her. "I know it's not much, but it'll do." Belle glanced down in the box,

"It's perfect, thank you." It was, but she really dreaded being left alone in the thing.

"Don't worry," Rumple attempted a joke, "My sock is clean, and it'll be a nice sleeping bag for you. She did release a small giggle, noting the black sock within the box.

"I put this spongy material beneath it," He pulled the sock up to reveal to Belle the material he spoke of; "I hope that makes it more comfortable for you." He caught his breath-his words had been jumbled together from the rate at how fast he spoke. "It's cold out, so I thought you might like some blankets." He pointed to an array of different colored pieces of cloth-a blue, gold, and a pink- Belle recognized from her basket of needlework. She noted that the little pillow was made of his own needlework

"Thank you." Belle said, though her tone let on to her emotions of apathy regarding the bed. That must've been why he was gone so long, he was making me a pillow. The thought eased her and made her feel fuzzy inside.

"You're welcome..." He answered, catching her tone of voice, "Does something displease you?" He was sincerely worried that his efforts to give her a suitable sleeping arrangement hadn't lived up to her expectations.

"No, it's perfect." She touched the skin on his hand, "I just… I want to stay here… In our bed, with you." Rumple's eyes saddened, there was an unspoken confession Belle was making there- she was scared.

"I wish you could too, but you can't, I'll be right here though." He nodded, and placed her in the box on the bed he'd made. "Is it at least comfortable?" Belle allowed herself to sink into the spongy material before she crawled into the sock and pulled the scraps of cloth over her.

"Very much so." Her gratitude was genuine. Rumple waved his finger and produced a miniature light brown teddy bear.

"Here's a friend for you." He hung onto it by one of the little arms and hung it above Belle until she accepted it-hugging it with adoration. "He can keep you warm and cuddled when I cannot."

"You're too kind to me." Belle chuckled. "Why?"

"Easy, because I love you." Rumple answered quickly and his emotions sowed in his features.

"I love you too, Rumple." Belle said, squeezing the bear again. Rumple accepted her declaration with a gentle pat of her head by his smallest finger, and placed the box that Belle and her bed were in on the floor beside his bed before snapping and forcing the light switches off.

Belle laid there a good portion of the night thinking as opposed to sleeping. Rumple's light breathing from above her told her that he was sleeping-which surprised her at all- very lightly. I don't want to stress him out more by telling him I'm afraid. She thought to herself, sorting out all the feelings she hadn't voiced, it'd make him more worried than he already is. We still don't even know if this is a spell that can be broken any time or if it has to be broken within two days. He's going to want to get straight to his research tomorrow morning and he won't want to stop until he finds that potion to break this. The strangest thought to come to her all night suddenly hit her, what if he can't find it and I do have the two day limit one? Would it really be so bad to live like this? I mean, I'm safe with him and I still love him and he still loves me. Nothing has changed between us; it would really be all that different, would it? She knew the answer to that question. No it wouldn't be mentally and emotionally… But I'd never get to feel his touch upon me in intimate ways again. I'd never get to hold him again, I wouldn't be able to sleep with him, but wouldn't be able to carry our future child like this… The thoughts disturbed her, and caused her to cry a little. She wished she could curl up to Rumple and know that everything was going to be okay, even with him sleeping above her, she felt more alone than ever before. She clung tighter to the teddy bear, trying to muffle her sobs-she didn't think Rumple would hear them as he slept with her voice being so slight but she wanted to make sure she didn't wake him. She almost jumped when the lights flickered on in the room.

"Belle," She felt the box being lifted and opened her eyes to see Rumples worried face, "Are you okay?" He didn't touch her or any of her bedding, just peered into the box, "You're crying, what's wrong?" Now was when his finger went in the box to comfort her-she flung the bear to the other side of the box- and Belle latched herself to his finger.

"I woke you up? I'm sorry. How?"

"I doubt you're crying this much for waking me, my love, what's the matter? No, though, you didn't wake me… I put a spell on myself before I went to sleep so that I'd be able to hear you if I were sleeping."

"So I did wake you?'

"More or less." He finally admitted, then hounded Belle to answer him, "Why are you crying?" He was way more interested in whatever she had to say than his sleep.

"I…" I don't want to tell him, She inwardly fought against herself, He wouldn't rest that way, But she couldn't keep it to herself any longer, "I'm scared, Rumpelstiltskin, I'm very scared and I just want to be with you." Her few tears turned into sobs, and she wrapped her arms around Rumple's finger even tighter now,

"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere." His voice quick but tender, and he drew her up onto his bed. "Do you want to talk about something?" He asked, laying his head on the pillow and situating himself on his side. Belle scrambled up the pillow to lay down in only centimeters from his eyes, and Rumple brought his hand behind her so that his fingers could run through her silky hair as the talked.

"I'm scared." She repeated her voice stronger this time.

"Of what?" He asked- he was still obviously sleepy and not thinking as clear as he had earlier.

"Of this." She motioned to her body, 'Of being like this forever." Belle sulked as the notion alone played in her mind, "I'm not afraid… I know you'd protect me… I'm scared, though." She shook her head, embarrassed with herself, "Does that make any sense at all?"

"Yeah," He tried to think of a way he could possibly show her he understood. "It does… I think what you're trying to say is that you're not afraid because you know I'd protect you at all costs, but you're scared because you want to go back to your old self. Am I correct?"

"Exactly!" Belle was surprised he'd been able to put her feelings into words so much better than she had been able to herself. "I mean, it's not the end of the world or anything, but being so small isn't exactly fun… Do you know how odd it is to look up and everything is mountainous and huge! Do you know how it feels to lay in a bed that you slept in normally not more than a day ago and now be nothing but a little speck in comparison? What about needing to use cloth for blankets and towels? Sleeping in a sock? Asking your beau to lift you places so you don't have to risk your life scaling object?" Her voice was getting progressively faster the longer she spoke, and Rumple kept listening and nodding, "Or the worst, do you know how awful it is to look up at the person you love who is absolutely gigantic in contrast to you and know that you aren't able to sleep with them out of the legitimate fear that they could accidentally squash you like a bug in their sleep?" She was distraught by this time, her words barely even audible thanks to her sobs, but Rumple's heart was breaking for her. "The worst thing, though, is wondering if you'll ever be able to cuddle the person you love again- if you'll be able to embrace them or if they'll be able to hold you against their chest and tell you they love you- I don't think that's too much to ask for! That's all I want and… I fear it'll never happen again."

"Belle," Rumple's hands were shaky as he placed them behind her- bulldozing her down the pillow and onto the sheets-where he threw the blanket off a bit to allow Belle more air- and pressed her lightly against his chest. When he looked down he saw her arms reached up and down-her attempt at trying to hug him- and felt her cries pulsate against his hand. He kept one hand behind her back-gently rubbing her hair and back with it. "Everything will be okay, see I'm holding you right now." His motions were methodical and did soothe some of Belle's fear for the moment. Careful to not be too rough, Rumple pressed Belle's slight figure against his chest, "I love you, and everything is going to be alright." If he could see her smile cuddled into his chest, Rumple would've known just how much that little sentence and gesture meant to her. "I promise, by this time tomorrow this is all just going to be a horrible nightmare. His own fear kicking in, he raised Belle and sat her on the pillow beside his head. "Do you trust that I'm doing all I can to help you? If you want me to go downstairs and start reading more, if it means making you happier and feel more secure sooner, I will."

"I trust you, Rumple." Belle's hand touched his face, a tear rolling over it. "I'm not so afraid for tonight." She forced herself to spit up the words, "You need you rest. I'm sorry for waking you." Guilt and almost profoundness seeped from her lips, "I guess I ought to go back in that box now, it isn't right to keep you up all night."

"Keep me up as long as you need." Rumple enthused, he didn't mind in the slightest bit if he'd be awake for the rest of the night comforting her.

"No, I am pretty tired; I'd like to go to sleep now." Belle stood up, allowing herself to be pinched between Rumple's fingers and placed in the makeshift bed once again. She crawled into the sock more willfully this time, as if her nerves had truly been calmed and her feelings sorted out.

"Don't forget him," Rumple pushed the teddy bear close to her head, and Belle accepted it once more. Although she was feeling more comfortable, Belle couldn't resist the urge to make one final request for the night.

"Rumple?" Her voice meek and almost childlike, he rested his weight on his arm as he peered down at Belle in the box on the floor,

"Yes?"

"Could I maybe... Would you bring your hand back down here?" He wasn't quite sure why she was asking for this, but he complied- and Belle directed one of his fingers downward and cuddled up to it. He couldn't move it now, it was comforting to her. "I just want to hold you." He heard her mumble. Nothing more was said the rest of the night between them, Belle fell into slumber within minutes and with knowledge Rumple was able to do the same.