Belle passed the next morning in her bedroom, sipping the warm tea while she poured over the tiny print in the book Rumpelstiltskin had given her the day before. The pages were crisp beneath her fingertips, the sides of the pages torn from years of use. Each story captured her attention, the vague details perking her curiosity. She soon developed a mental list of which stories she wanted to know about immediately, which stories could wait, and which ones she already knew. Belle handle the book with a practiced care that had developed over years of handling old and battered objects in her father's estate, blissfully unaware of the passing of hours as she read.

Abruptly, the tea she had been sipping, which had remained pleasantly warm for most of the morning, became icy cold. She sputtered, swallowing the now frozen tea with effort. When she peered into the nearly empty tea kettle she saw the tea curdling like bad milk, spewing forth disgusting fragrances that caused her to draw back with an "Ugh!".

She heard a cackle booming through the castle and knew exactly what had happened. His kindness could never last for too long, now could it?

She took the tea kettle with her as she exited the room, not so subtly pouring it into the bucket she used to clean Rumpelstiltskin's clothing.

She may have forgotten to make him breakfast, but that didn't mean he would get away with molding her tea. She hadn't even known that was possible, but she knew her imp. He would have no problem thinking up such an obscure form of punishment.

No matter, though. Revenge would come in the form of sticky clothing and scents that would never leave his fine silks and leathers.

The smile that settled on her face was small, but determined, and she strutted into the kitchen to begin making lunch for the both of them. Her 'master' may be the most powerful man in the kingdoms, but he still needed her around to cook for him.

The lunch she prepared was lavish, filled with oven-warmed breads, ripe cheeses, fruits, and a type of fowl she had yet to identify, but knew that it was one of her 'master's' favorites. The feast she created was by far the grandest thing she had every made during her stay at the castle, and she was rightfully proud as she placed the food on the table. Rum's chipped tea cup was set delicately in his designated place at the head of the table, waiting to be filled.

"What's all this, dearie?" Rum's amused voice filtered into the room. Belle gasped and spun around to see him leaning against the doorway, smirking at her expression. She tried to control the flush that was creeping across her cheeks.

"Well, seeing as I received such a poor reception to missing breakfast," she began, placing an empty plate at the head of the table. "I believed that this would better suit your wants."

Rumpelstiltskin chuckled, his lilting voice echoing through the room.

"Think nothing of it, dearie." He told her, moving towards his seat at head of the table. "But a decent meal is always appreciated, especially after a particularly lacking breakfast." He smirked fiercely, but his little Belle was not deterred.

"Then perhaps this will sate your appetite." She replied primly, beginning to fill her plate with the mysterious fowl.

Rumpelstiltskin peered at her curiously before sitting on the edge of the table, picking at the fresh loaf with clawed fingers. He inspected it carefully, before turning his attention to the tea kettle.

"Not a fan of my tea, dearie?" He asked, pouring himself a cup. The girl looked at him balefully, amusement written into the corners of her eyes. "It certainly takes an unique mind to mold tea, Rumpelstiltskin." She responded, comfortably sitting next to him on the table. "But before you saw fit to victimize it, I enjoyed it quite a bit."

Rumpelstiltskin smiled innocently, pouring a cup for his housekeeper as she smiled triumphantly at him. "I appreciate the compliment, dearie." He said, filling his own chipped cup with exaggerated care. "Perhaps you will not abandon me again, then." His giggle filled the room, and Belle couldn't help but laugh along.

"If I knew you were so sensitive to my presence I would have not hesitated to join you." She chuckled, sipping her handcrafted tea carefully, tasting nothing suspicious in the flavoring.

"Oh, I'm not sensitive, dearie." The imp responded, stirring in a lump of sugar with a delicate silver spoon. He took a sip and paused, contemplating the flavor.

Abruptly, he grabbed Belle's hand and haphazardly plunked her pinky into his tea. She pulled back with a startled gasp that was soon followed by laughter.

"What was that for?" she laughed, drying her finger on the corner of her dress. Rum grinned at her before taking another sip and smacking his lips contently. "It needed a particular type of sweetness, dearie." He told her, setting the cup beside him. "And you were the missing ingredient."

Belle just laughed at his comment before digging into her meal.

The day passed slowly for the two of them. Belle cleaned the lunch dishes after escaping the meal unscathed, and her 'master' returned upstairs to his alchemy tower to entertain himself without bringing harm to his caretaker. As she wiped the dishes dry she heard a small explosion, and only shook her head and a stream of curses followed.

He was an odd duckling, this Dark One that the kingdoms feared. Perhaps if they saw the side of him she saw, they would have less to be afraid of.

Belle found him waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase that evening, his traveling cloak already in hand. She beamed at him as she descended, gently taking the cloak from his hands and wrapping it around her shoulders. He fluttered his hands in pleasure, a small smile working its way onto his face.

"Milady," he greeted her, bowing low. She laughed at his nose brushed the floor and he started, surprised. She took the moment to curtsy in return, and held out her hand to her hopeless imp.

"Come on, now." She said, laughter in her voice. "Let's go!"

Rumpelstiltskin hesitated, his hand poised in midair, hovering just above hers. With a nervous giggle he took her hand gently, holding it carefully in his large, clawed hand. He looked up into her sky blue eyes, nervous dark eyes seeking to affirm the correctness of the action.

Belle smiled at him and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Mental smacking abounded, but Rumpelstiltskin couldn't bring himself to let her go. He managed a small smile before whisking her out the front door and up the mountainside and into the dark night.

"Which story do you want to hear tonight, dearie?" He asked her, one they had settled into the grassy hillside. The night air was surprisingly warm, and Belle had spread it out beneath the two of them, driving him uncomfortably close to her.

Belle gazed into the sky for a moment, contemplating. Her list of stories had long crumbled away, leaving her groping for a response.

"I want to know about Castor and Pollux." She answered, her smile causing dimples to appear on her cheeks. "The details in the book you gave me were confusing, but the story itself sounded interesting."

Rumpelstiltskin's booming laugh echoed across the mountainside, causing Belle to jump in surprise.

"You want to know about the Gemini twins?" he giggled, winking at her mischievously. Belle blushed and mumbled under her breath, and he laughed a little harder. "Always the romantic, my Belle."

He took a moment to collect himself before beginning. "As you know well, dearie, Zeus was a particularly fickle god when it came to his marriage." He looked at her, amusement written into the lines of his face. "So yet again he found himself in love, bedding a new woman, Leda, while he was in the form of a swan."

"Soon after Zeus impregnated Leda, Leda's husband, the King of Sparta, bedded her as well, impregnating her with not just one child, but two." Rumpelstiltskin chuckled. "When Leda gave birth, it became clear that one son had an immortal father while the other did not."

"Leda named the demigod Pollux and the mortal son Castor. They grew up thick as thieves, mind you, despite the controversy of their parentage."

"Pollux became known as the strongest man who ever lived, and was a master of words. Castor was renowned for his great horsemanship, but also for his ability to strategize and lead armies into battle."

"They sound enchanting." Belle commented, eyes fixed on the stars.

Rumpelstiltskin snorted. "I suggest you wait until the end of the story to have your day dreams, dearie." Belle chuckled and knocked his arm with her elbow. "Just get on with it, professor." She laughed.

Rumpelstiltskin made a show of huffing before returning to his story.

"Well, seeing as you're so infatuated with them," he continued sarcastically. "the twins soon fell in love with another set of twins, Phoebe and Hilaira—"

"That sounds like some kind of disease." Belle cut in.

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes and glared at her pointedly. Grumbling ensued from the girl, but she quit talking and allowed him to continue.

"Before I was so rudely interrupted," he growled, making Belle laugh. "I was going to say that the twin girls were betrothed to another set of twins, Idas and Lynceus."

"May I ask a question, oh great and wise professor?"

"What is it now, dearie? Goodness, you never let a man finish one sentence without interrupting, do you?"

"Oh hush. I just wanted to know exactly how many pairs of twins will be in this story." Belle batted her eyes innocently, causing her teacher to moan in annoyance.

"Only these three, dearie." He responded, massaging the bridge of his nose to put off the oncoming headache. "Now, please, keep that lovely little mouth of yours shut so I can finish."

His comments snapped her alluring mouth shut quite rapidly. Belle sputtered in indignation, all while trying to ignore the blush creeping up her neck.

After a few more moments of silence, Rumpelstiltskin sighed. "Now, to conclude our story, dearie."

"As was typical in the times of the Ancient Greeks, the two sets of male twins saw fit to duel for the ladies hearts. In the heat of the battle, Castor, the mortal twin, was slain by Lynceus. Pollux beheaded Lynceus to avenge his brother, and Zeus intervened and killed Idas in order to save his demi-god son."

"Pollux was predictably devastated by his brother's death, he begged Zeus to take him into the sky and set him next to his brother. Zeus obliged his son's request and set the twins into the night sky, and they run rapidly through the night sky, as only two boys can do."

The night sky shimmered at the conclusion of another story, and Rumpelstiltskin settled deep into the grass, unusually worn out from the story telling.

Beside him, he heard Belle sigh. "More deaths." She said sadly. "I guess I should be used to that by now."

Rumpelstiltskin rolled over on his side to face her, his gaze unusually stern. "Getting used to death. Bah. What a morbid thought for you to have, dearie." His eyes, though dark, glimmered in the starlight.

"Think about it like this." He said, stretching his arm out to indicate the stars above them. "While all these people and creatures have had to die, their stories outlive them forever." He paused. "In a way, dearie, they never truly die. The stars are what keep them alive."

He rolled away from her to look back at the stars. "No, we cannot have you believing that it is a bad thing that the dead live on in the night sky." He glanced back at her. "Would you prefer that all things that died simply ended up in the ground?"

Belle laughed quietly. "Most things do end up buried in the ground, Rum." She replied. "But I guess being in the stars as well as the ground is better than just being in the ground."

"Exactly, dearie!" Rumpelstiltskin replied, a giggle escaping his lips. "So yes, it's devastating they all have to die to have their stories remembered—"

"You certainly don't seem too devastated." Belle accused, but her eyes crinkled as she smiled.

"Well of course not. If they hadn't died, I wouldn't get to tell you these stories." He answered. "You certainly do find plenty to complain about, dearie."

"I do not!"

"Oh yes you do. First the tea, then the dying. Such a picky lambie you are—"

He was interrupted by a smack to the arm as Belle burst into laughter. She rolled away as he swung back, and he chased her down the hillside, giggling madly.

Finally they tumbled together at the bottom of the hill, breathless with laughter. Rumpelstiltskin lifted Belle from the ground and swung her around him, indulging an impulse he hadn't known he had.

"Now then, dearie," he looked at her sternly, though there was laughter in his eyes. "You should know better than to play with a beast." Belle giggled dizzily and fell into his shoulder, unsteady on her feet.

"You're no beast, Rumpelstiltskin." She laughed into his shirt, gripping his shoulders in order to regain her balance. "You're my friend."

In Rumpelstiltskin's mind, the world froze, and he fought valiantly against the smile that was playing onto his lips and the strings tugging at his ancient heart.

"Well, dearie." He said hesitantly, lifting her away from him to better look her in the eye. "Of that I am very glad."

Belle giggled and met his dark eyed stare, and he swore there hadn't been a moment in the past 3 centuries when he had been happier.

Abruptly he coughed, and the two separated, for his hands had still been on her shoulders.

"Now dearie," he said, guiding her back towards the castle. "I do believe we have a price to discuss." There was much rolling of eyes from Belle's part, but Rumpelstiltskin pointedly ignored it.

"My price for a story each night, dearie," he turned to her, eyes gleaming madly. "Is one of your memories."

Belle stiffened and looked at him suspiciously. "What would you want with any of my memories?" She asked, caution in the language of her body and tone of voice.

Rumpelstiltskin shrugged. "I'm curious, dearie." He waved the topic on carelessly. "You are living in my home for the rest of eternity. I do believe I should at least attempt to get to know my own housekeeper." He giggled, and some of Belle's wariness began to fade.

"Would I still remember whatever memory you take?" she asked, following behind him as they entered the foyer of the castle.

"Of course." He turned on his heels to face her. "You wouldn't even know which one I took."

"That's not particularly reassuring." Belle responded dryly. "At least let me know which one it is you're taking." She gazed up at him, lips pouty and eyes wide and innocent. "At least you get to know which stories I ask you to tell. Can't I at least know which memories you take?"

Rumpelstiltskin contemplated the idea for a moment. "I still get to choose, in this version of our deal?" He asked suspiciously. His housekeeper nodded eagerly in ascent.

Finally, he groaned dramatically and shook his head, exasperated. "Fine, fine." He grumbled, and Belle's expression changed to a smile. She beamed at him for a moment before curtsying.

"I will take my leave now, professor." With that she stood and began to trot happily towards her room.

Rumpelstiltskin turned to watch her go. "I will take my first payment tomorrow morning, dearie." He called after her as she raced down the hallway to her bedroom. Belle turned and smiled at him again, nodding in understanding.

She paused before continuing. "Goodnight, Rum." She called out hesitantly, before slipping down the next passageway and out of his sight.

Rumpelstiltskin stood in his foyer for a moment, contentedly imagining his housekeeper cheerfully making her way through his Dark Castle.

"Goodnight, Belle." He murmured before magicking himself away.

A/N So, after about a month of not updating, I'm giving you guys my longest chapter yet. I'm incredibly sorry for the long absence, but this thing called 'life' suddenly butted into my writing and kept me from finishing the chapter. That and I was busy having a wrestling match with the plot, which decided it wanted to keep changing directions on me. So thank you to all of you who waited patiently, and I hope you enjoy!

As a side note, I'll be around even less through summer, but I will update when I can. I apologize in advance.