The moment Belle was gone Rumple instantly regretted what he did. Yet, he couldn't work up the courage to go after her, especially since he knew she wouldn't want to see him-not after what he did. He was more wretched than he had ever thought he was and tonight he had proved it.
Two days later he was still wallowing in his self pity unable to do or think about anything but Belle. He so desperately wanted to go see her to apologize, but he was sure she would send him away. Plus how was he going to prove to her he was truly sorry? There was only one way…and he needed to try.
After finally sucking up his pride and his shame and he went to town to search for Belle. He had been such an idiot, a horrible, terrible person, and he doubted that Belle would ever take him back, ever forgive him. He wandered the streets with his mask on and a rose hidden in his cloak.
The party was growing closer and Belle had to force herself not to think of it-in fact she had decided not to go.
She had set out to find out what Christmas was truly about-to prove it was more than just giving gifts and eating food, but all she had discovered was heartbreak.
It had been a few days since the incident with Rumple, but everything still seemed fresh in her mind. All she could do was cry, but she knew life would have to go on. To help cheer herself up that day, she decided to venture to the library-the only place that wouldn't let her down, the only place she could find true happiness.
On her walk there she passed by the large Christmas tree that rested in the center of town. She stopped to gaze up at it, wondering why such a holiday held such heartbreak. Her mother had died near Christmas and now she had lost her first love too. And it didn't help that his home was visible in the distance. Fighting back tears, she ripped her gaze away unable to look at it and hurried off to the library.
When Rumple saw her in the library, for a few minutes he struggled with himself to either run and forget about her or go in and actually do something about causing the woman he loved pain. He finally forced himself to do the latter and he went in through the door, slowly approaching her. He stood before her, his heart trying to explode from his chest. "….Belle?" he whispered.
Belle was glancing at a row of books on a shelf when she heard someone approach her. She didn't acknowledge them, not until heard her name and instantly recognized the voice: Rumple. Her head slowly turned to confirm it and sure enough, there he was, it that ridiculous mask too no less.
The soft features on her face hardened and she glared at him, before turning her attention back to the books.
"What do you want? Come to finish what you started? Or are you going to kidnap me and take me to your mountain and eat me?" she snapped.
"I didn't come here to fight," he said softly and he placed the rose on the shelf in front of her. "I just want to say I'm sorry. And I don't expect to be forgiven at all, I truly don't. And after this, I don't expect to ever see you again. You can hate me for the rest of your life or not, I'll hate myself enough for the whole town…. But I never wanted to hurt you. Belle you are the only person who was able to look past my mask, and not just the physical one. And I treated you like you are nothing when you are everything to me. And I know that I can never make up for it. But I just need you to know that I'm sorry, for all that I said, all that I did. This is, it's so…new to me, and I over reacted when I should have respected what you wanted…. I… I decided I'm going to the party, and if you don't want to see me there, very well, but I'm going… It's the least I could do…" He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, but he knew that she would shove him away. So he stepped back and turned to leave, but he hesitated, wanting to know if she would stop him or not.
The entire time he spoke to her, Belle kept her eyes on the books, looking through them and pretending she was passively listening, when she was intently listening to every word.
When he placed the rose down on the shelf, her gaze went to it briefly and then back at the books.
As she listened she craved to just break down and jump in his arms and pretend like nothing ever happened. But she just couldn't do that; it wasn't that easy.
However, when she heard him agree to attend the party, she nearly dropped her book in shock, but somehow remained composed.
As he walked away, her hand slowly came up to touch the rose and she looked at it longingly, but didn't pick it up.
"Why?" she said finally. "Why are you going to the party?"
He stopped and thought about it. "…Despite everything I hate about Christmas, this year, it's been good memories instead of the usual bad ones, the ones that made me hate it…. From now on, I'll always remember those good memories, memories of…. Well, the ice skating, the cookies, the snowman… You. And anything Christmas will remind me of that now. So I'll go, to remind myself that… Even I can be happy on Christmas if I keep remembering those good memories, and maybe even make a few more." And of course he had ruined the only good thing that had ever happened to him.
Belle stood there silently a little longer, thinking of his answer. Was he trying to force her to take him back? Was this a trick?
"And if I said I wasn't going…" She had decided not to go after all. "…Do you still plan to go?"
He nodded. "As I said, I don't expect to see you again, even at the party. If all I ever see of you again is my memories, so be it. At least you won't have to worry about me again…"
Belle frowned and cast her gaze to the floor. That wasn't what she wanted. It was the last thing she wanted.
"I…um…I can't let you go to the party alone…" she said softly.
He turned and looked at her. "You… You mean that?" he asked with disbelief.
"I do…it was my idea for you to go and I can't let you go by yourself." She shrugged her shoulders. "You and I both know what people think of you-and who knows how they will react when you walk through that door. I don't want you to have to face that alone-I want to be there to make sure they know you don't mean them any harm…"
He tried a smile, and he nodded. "I would appreciate that…" he said. "I would like that very much."
Belle nodded too, and tucked a curl behind her ear. She was unsure of what to say now-unsure of what to do. She feared truly getting her hopes up but she couldn't help let it happen a little.
He sighed softly. "…I really am sorry, truly sorry." he said softly. "I didn't mean to go that far."
Belle opened up her mouth to reply, but before she could she heard footsteps. Someone was coming. "I uh…think we should talk…but this isn't the best place."
"Well, I'll see you at the party?" he asked. "Or do you want me to stay?"
"No…I meant talk privately…about what happened…" She sighed and looked away, crossing her arms in front of her. She felt stupid now. Of course he didn't want to talk. He probably wanted to keep his distance from her and remain friends, if that. "…but if you don't want to…"
He shook his head and he tried to take her hands without thinking. "No, I do want to talk, I do," he said. "Sorry, I just misunderstood."
Belle's breath hitched when he grabbed her hands, but she didn't pull away, not until she was ready to walk away. "Just let me get my things," she said and walked over to the table for her jacket and purse. As she passed the bookcase she noticed the rose that was still lying there. She couldn't leave it there could she? Picking it up, she looked at Rumple. "Okay, let's go…"
He waited for her and twiddled his thumbs. He was still nervous about all of this, but he felt a lot better than before.
She looked up at him hesitantly. "Do you want to walk out the front door…or…magic…? Where do you want to go?"
"….Is your house clear?" he asked.
Belle had to take a moment to think about it. What time did Ruby go to work? Was it 2 or 4 o'clock? She was pretty sure it was 2. Belle smiled and nodded. "Yes, Papa is at the post office and my roommate should have already left for work."
He nodded and he took her hand and they disappeared to her house.
What Belle did not know though, was that Ruby was still home. After being out late the night before Ruby accidentally overslept well into the afternoon and she was very late for her shift.
When Rumple and Belle appeared in the living room, Ruby was there rushing to throw her shoes on so she could get to the diner as fast as she could so her grandmother wouldn't slaughter her.
But the second the couple appeared out of nowhere, she glanced up and only laid eyes on Rumple with his green gold skin and reptilian eyes. Instantly she screamed, and frantically grabbing a nearby lamp, she instinctively hurled it toward the pair as a defense, not even noticing Belle.
Rumple jumped at the girl's scream and his magic went on the defense making the lamp hover in the air, stopping it from hitting him and Belle. "I-I thought you said she wouldn't be home," he said to Belle. His eyes were wide and his breathing was rapid. Someone was looking at him, someone other than Belle. It was a cruel reminder of what people really thought of him and he quickly backed away until his back hit a wall.
Belle wanted to comfort Rumple, but she had to get Ruby to calms down first so she wouldn't try to hurt either one of them again.
"Ruby," she said calmly holding her hands out in defense. "Calm down. It's just me, Belle."
Ruby had backed away and now held the fire poker from the fireplace in her hand, scared of the stranger that had just appeared in her home. When she heard Belle's voice though, her gaze slowly broke away from staring at Rumple, to looking at her friend in complete shock. "B…Belle…how the hell did you do that? Who the hell is that?!"
Belle continued making calming motions with her hand. "Ruby, this is Rumple-and he has magic which can take us where ever we want to go in a blink of an eye."
She turned around and seeing how terrified Rumple was she went over to him and gently placed her hands on his arms. "Rumple, hey, look at me," she coaxed, trying to smile at him to make him feel better. "This is Ruby, my friend, and she won't hurt you. We just frightened her is all."
He looked between them before his eyes finally settled on the woman he loved. Her touch and gaze did relax him a bit and he managed to take her hands. "….Ok…"
Belle squeezed his hand and smiled up at him. One of her hands came up to meet his cheek and she softly rubbed it. "Hey, it's okay…" She could tell he was really upset…was he frightened? Why would he be frightened of another person? Just because he wasn't wearing a mask? He hadn't acted frightened when he first met her…
He took a deep breath and nodded, leaning into her touch. "I'm ok," he said to reassure her and he stood up a little straighter. He looked over at Ruby and noticed the lamp was still in mid-air. He slowly went over and took it down, putting it back where it belonged. He turned to Ruby. "I'm sorry we scared you."
Ruby stared at Rumplestiltskin, watching him carefully as he walked around the room. She still held the fire poker at the ready, but she had relaxed ever so slightly. Finally she spoke. "Y…you're the Dark One?"
He nodded and took an extravagant bow. "Rumplestiltskin, at your service."
Ruby looked at him skeptically and remained where she was.
Belle walked over to stand beside Rumple and talk to her friend. "Ruby, he won't hurt you either…I told you…he's not who people say he is."
"I promise I'm not," he said. "Really, I don't know where the people get these stories that I eat people and steal children."
Slowly Ruby lowered the fire poker. "And you're the one who's been occupying our Belle's time?"
"Yes, I am," he said. "I hope that doesn't mean you'll want to kill me now…"
Belle had not told Ruby anything about the fight between her and Rumple, nor had she told her father. She hadn't been ready to talk about it and she didn't want lectures or to hear them say I told you so.
"Why? Should I want to kill you?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well I know that friends can be protective over other friends," he explained. He was surprised that Belle hadn't told her what had happened…
Ruby continued watching him, scrutinizing him and trying to decide what she thought.
"Belle's a smart woman. I trust her judgment," she said matter of factly.
He nodded and took a step back. "Well ah… Belle and I were just going to talk…"
Ruby eyed the two suspiciously and Belle wondered if her friend was thinking they had come there to do something more than talk.
"I thought you were supposed to be at work right now?" Belle chimed in.
Ruby cleared her throat and nodded. "Uh, right," she said and she threw on her shoes before going to Belle and hugged her. "Tell me everything," she whispered before she grabbed her stuff and hurried out the door. Rumple took a deep breath, glad she was gone.
Belle looked at Rumple, worried. "Are you OK?" She asked him. It appeared that he had a really bad reaction when he saw a Ruby, and she just wanted to be sure that he was fine. In spite of everything that went on between them, she still loved him and cared for his well-being.
Rumple nodded and he took her hand. "I'm fine," he said. "Just… I guess I'll have to get used to people looking at me again, huh?"
"It won't be so bad," she assured him. "Especially once they realize you aren't who they think you are."
He sighed and nodded. "It's just… Those first few minutes of the fear in their eyes that makes it the hardest…" he said softly and he looked at her. "…Anyways, we were going to talk?"
Belle took another moment to look at him to show she did care and to make sure he was telling the truth. She felt like most people would do what he feared, but as long as he was prepared for it…
"Um…yes," she said and led him over to the couch. She took a seat on one end and waited for him to do the same.
He sat on the couch with her and took a breath, trying to figure out what he was going to say. "I… I got carried away last time," he said. "And I am sorry…."
"So you didn't mean anything you said? You don't believe I would truly do all those horrible things to you?" she asked.
He shook his head and held her hand. "No, Belle," he told her. "No, I didn't mean any of it. I know you wouldn't do that to me."
Belle felt a few tears lingering in the corners of her eyes. She was clearly hurt that he would even accuse her of such things. "Why would you even say that then? Have I done anything to give those impressions? Or was this all because I wanted us to take our time?"
He shook his head and cupped her face. "No, sweetheart, it was noting that you did. I just… My body was so desperate and craving you, and then my anger just kicked in and I wasn't thinking. It was just… Everything was overwhelming me and I just….reacted badly."
Her eyes watered just a tad more as she looked up at him. She didn't move away when he touched her cheek, nor did she lean into his touch either. She braced herself to ask him the biggest thing on her mind. She never truly thought he would have forced her-she had seen he was just angry-but she knew he had been lying to her.
"And who is the… her you referred to…you told me I was the only one…"
He stopped and swallowed thickly. "…I… I don't want to talk about it," he said. "It was a mistake a long time ago, let's leave it at that. But I assure you that you are the first woman I have had real feelings for, the only one that I've ever kissed."
"How can I believe that if you don't tell me what happened?" She shifted on the couch so that she faced him a little better and her hands came to rest on his. "Rumple, you know you can tell me anything. I care about you and I want to be close to you. But I can't do that if you shut me out. I want to know everything about you, the good and the bad. I won't care for you any less because of it, but this will never work if you continue to lie to me. I just want to understand why you acted the way you did when I never denied you-I only asked to take our time."
She was certain that if he hadn't turned on her that she would have ended up in his bed that night and she would have woke the next morning happy and curled up in her love arms, not heartbroken and with a swollen ankle.
Rumple sighed and he looked away, slowly shaking his head. "Belle I… I don't like thinking about it," he said quietly.
"I understand," Belle started, but then she paused to correct herself. "Actually I don't understand. But it's obvious this affects you…and it affected you enough to lash out at me. Rumple…if you want to be together, you have to help me understand, so together we can make sure this doesn't happen again."
He swallowed thickly and glanced at her. "I just…. I trusted her, I trusted that she would encourage everyone not to be afraid of me, but in the end she only humiliated me. So instead of everyone screaming or just being wary, they laughed at me…"
In a way that sounded familiar-Belle had went to him to convince him to come to the party, to basically start interacting with other people again.
"So, she was like me? In a way I mean-I would never think of humiliating you. But she tried to convince you to meet others and make friends?"
He nodded. "Yes," he said. "And it just didn't work out. So can we please just not talk about it?"
Belle took a deep breath and nodded before she squeezed his hand. She knew there was more to the story, but she wasn't going to push it. Step by step, that was what it would take to get him to open up. This clearly was not easy for him at all. "No we don't have to anymore, but I want you to remember that you can tell me anything. You don't have to lie to me. If you had just told me from the beginning perhaps this wouldn't have gotten so out of hand. I love you, Rumplestiltskin and I want you to feel like you can tell me anything without fearing I would fear you or laugh at you."
She said the words without even realizing it. They flowed out of her mouth so easily and she felt so strongly for him that it made it so easy to say.
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. She… Did he just hear her right? His heart was racing and his breath was short. "Belle… You… Did you… You love me?"
Seeing his reaction at first confused Belle because she hadn't realized what she said. But when he asked her to confirm it, her face went pure red as the slip up stuck out in her mind. She had said it and she hadn't meant to. However, that didn't make it untrue and she wasn't going to lie.
She did begin to stutter a little as her face continued to redden. Averting her eyes, she licked her lips and tucked a curl behind her ear. Slowly her eyes came back up to meet his. "I do," she finally confirmed. "I love you Rumplestiltskin, with all my heart."
Hopefully he returned her feelings. If not she knew she was in for more heartbreak, but there was no way she was going to pretend like it wasn't true.
He felt like his heart was going to explode from happiness and he smiled wide, tears filling his eyes. His hands cupped her face and he gazed at her. "Belle… I… I love you too," he whispered. He never thought he would get to say it, to tell her. "I've loved you since I caught you an my arms that day you fell…"
"You have?" Belle said softly with a shaky voice. A few tears of happiness escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She sniffled once to try and fight them back but it was really no use.
Flinging her arms around his neck, her lips crashed against his in a very forceful kiss.
But she loved him and he loved her and all she wanted to do was pour those emotions into the kiss to show him.
His tears slipped down his face and he kissed her back, his arms wrapping around her. She loved him. By gods she loved him, and he loved her. He poured his love into the kiss and he held her close.
They were both crying and the tears were making the kiss wet and sloppy. But Belle did not care. All she wanted to do was kiss and be held by him.
When they finally broke away from each other, they were out of breath and Belle was still crying and it only grew worse as she spoke to him. "I love you, Rumplesriltskin," she said leaning her forehead against his. "But please don't ever do anything like that again…that heartbreak-the thought that we would never be together-it was too much…"
"I love you Belle," he said. "And I swear to you, I am never going to hurt you again, I never want to lose you; I felt like I was dying without you."
Belle brought her lips to Rumple's again just then. She was overwhelmed with so many emotions all at once-relief, happiness, love.
And all she wanted was to forget everything else and just spend the rest of the day in Rumple's arms.
He kissed her back and held her close. He was just so god damn happy that she loved him and she was still with him. "I love you," he whispered against her lips. "I've never been in love before, but I never want to be out of it."
"Me either," Belle told him. She moved her head to his shoulder where she could hold him closer.
"…I never thought that I would find someone who loved me… I thought I would live my life alone on that mountain…"
"Well you have me now," Belle assured him. She pulled back to look at him. "And who knows-perhaps you'll make a friend or two at the Christmas party."
He chuckled and shook his head. "I don't know about that," he said.
Belle giggled. "You are very lovable once one gets to know you-perhaps I'll even have to fight off other women," she teased.
Rumple laughed and held her close. "I don't think that will happen any time soon," he said. "And don't worry. You're the only woman that I want."
Belle smiled brightly and sighed. "And you're the only man I want," she told him. Although, was he really even a man? He looked like a man in every way except for his skin and eyes. And he had magic and he wasn't born like other humans. Either way she didn't care.
Rumple smiled at her and kissed her head. "Well I'm glad," he said.
"So…do you have plans for the rest of the day?" she asked shyly.
He shook his head. "Honestly all I had planned out was the apology…."
"Well I don't have to work…would you like to stay here with me-or we could go back to your mountain."
He half smiled. "You know, I had made… I had made desert that night and my magic kept it fresh…"
Desert sounded delicious. "Alright…we could do that and then I could always finish a Christmas Carol if you'd like…"
He smiled softly and nodded. "Sounds like a good idea," he said. He slowly stood up and held her hand. "Shall we?"
"Yes, we shall," she replied, assuming he was going to transport her by magic.
He smiled and kissed her gently and they were transported to the cave, and he opened the door. Max bounded towards them, barking happily.
"Hi Max!" Belle exclaimed as she reached out to rub the wolf's head with both hands. "I'm sure you're surprised to see me again."
Max nuzzled her and licked her over and over. He had missed his Master's mate. Rumple smiled and he closed the door behind him.
Belle laughed as Max licked her and tried to push him away. "Okay okay! That's enough!" she said through chuckles. "It tickles."
Max bounded around the room. Rumple smiled and held Belle around the waist. "You were very much missed by both of us. "
"It's only been a few days…" Belle commented, but in all honesty she missed them too. She thought she was never going to see them again.
"I know," he said softly. "But we both love you, and after what happened, we missed you. Now dessert? I have pie…"
"Oh yes…" In truth Belle didn't want to talk about what happened anymore. She had forgiven him and now it was time to move on. As she followed him into the main hall she wondered if he had restored any of the Christmas decorations or if it was back to its original state. He was practically burning the place down when she left.
A few candles were still up, and there were a few more flowers that he hadn't taken down. He helped her sit down before he got the pie from the kitchen.
A few things left…they must have just been the items that weren't destroyed in his rage. Why he didn't bother taking them down? She didn't know. Her eyes lingered over near the fireplace where the tree had been.
He brought the pie out and he served her a slice. "There you go," he smiled softly and he served himself a slice as well.
Belle broke her gaze away from the nonexistent tree and smiled at Rumple. She wasn't going to bring anything up, but she wondered if he planned on redecorating.
"Thank you," she said and picked up her fork.
He nodded and began to eat. Thank gods for magic, which kept the food fresh, he didn't want to prepare it all over again. And it was so delicious..
"Mmmm," Belle said after she took her first bite. Her eyes went wide in amazement. "It tastes like it just came out of the oven!"
He smiled. "That's the good thing about magic. I'm glad you like it."
"Yes…" She paused and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "But you did make it yourself didn't you?"
"I did, and the magic kept it fresh," he explained. "I didn't make it with magic, I promise."
"I suppose I wouldn't care if you did," she told him as she went back to finish her pie. "But it does make it more special when you do it yourself."
He smiled softly and nodded. He finished his pie. "So you still want to finish the book?"
"As long as you do…"
After everything, he might have said he was ready to embrace Christmas, but she was still weary about the subject with him after what had happened.
"Absolutely," he said. He cleared away their plates and then they headed to the library, the book right where they had left it.
The decorations were gone in the library too, but again Belle said nothing. Christmas wasn't really about the decorations, she knew that, but it still saddened her to see all his hard work gone. He had tried so hard and Belle had cherished everything about it. Walking over to the floor Belle took a seat in front of the warm fire. She looked at Rumple and patted the space next to her.
He smiled and sat next to her, leaning on her shoulder. He looked around the room. "…Maybe next Christmas I can leave the decorations up…" he said softly.
Did he know what she was thinking…or had he been thinking the same thing too?
She reached over and squeezed his leg. "I have a better idea-next time we can decorate together…"
He smiled at her. "Really?" he asked. "…I would like that. Maybe it would actually look like Christmas."
"What do you mean? I loved your decorations…"
True they were not that traditional, but he had made them just for her and tried so hard.
"Yes but they weren't very good decorations, and don't try to tell me otherwise. Next year maybe we'll get a giant tree and cover it with good decorations."
Belle sighed and leaned a little closer to him. "I don't care if they're perfect or if they look like store bought decorations. Who defines what's good and what's bad? Those decorations were made from your heart-they were just for me-I think that triumphs any other decoration you could have bought."
He gazed at her and smiled softly. "They were for you, and I ruined it… Sorry, I don't mean to keep bringing it up…"
"No…Rumple…" She reached and cupped his face to pull it toward her so that she could put her forehead against his.
"I've forgiven you for it…but I'm not going to let you tell me it wasn't good-it was GREAT. And I know you um…destroyed them…but recreating them together will make it even better."
He nodded and leaned into her touch. Her words soothed him and he nodded. "Alright," he said softly. "Let's read our book."
Since he didn't say much and abruptly switched the subject back to the book, Belle wondered if he believed her or not. She wanted him to believe her; she wasn't lying whatsoever. She wasn't going to push it though. If he didn't believe her, he would see with time it was the truth.
Belle pulled away from him after placing a small kiss to his lips. Turning around she adjusted herself so that she was between his legs and leaning back against him. Not only did she want to be close to him, but he could also see the pages like this.
Opening the book, she found where the left off and began to read.
He kissed her gently and leaned on her shoulder again as she began to read. He loved her, he loved her so much, and he never wanted to lose her again. He would go to that damn party for her… He would do anything for her.
As she continued to read, Belle relaxed back against him. Last time she had read to him, she wouldn't have dared sit with him like this. But now…now they had declared their love for one another. She was becoming very comfortable with him.
He listened to her voice and closed his eyes. As the time passed, a little bit before the book ended he fell asleep.
Belle was engulfed in the story and she was just getting to the best part where Scrooge realizes his horrible ways and tried to make amends with Bob Cratchit when she felt increasing pressure on her back. "Rumple…" She said pausing and trying to figure out what he was doing. Turning her head though, she could see that he was fast asleep and his body had gone limp as it fell against her.
She smiled and watched his face for a moment, seeing how peaceful he looked. She hated to have to wake him, but they couldn't stay like that and she wouldn't be able to move him.
Her hand came up to stroke the back of his head and she sighed, leaning her head against his. "Rumple…sweetheart…" She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent-straw, always straw. "Rumple…"
He moaned softly and he slowly opened his eyes. He looked up into her eyes and gazed at her. "Now do my eyes deceive me or do I see an angel before me? Or perhaps this is the ghost of Christmas present, here to convince me to get into the Christmas spirit? But I already am convinced, so I guess I'll just have to keep her."
Belle chuckled and gave him a loving look. "I've convinced you to get in the Christmas spirit? Then I must be the ghost of Christmas present-how else would I succeed?"
She shifted in his lap so she could actually face him without cranking her neck.
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his forehead on hers. "By using Christmas magic to make me fall in love with you."
"Oh so you think that I have magic now?" She asked mysteriously to give him the impression that she may or may not. Of course she didn't, but she was playing along.
"You must," he said. "I never would have agreed to anything if it wasn't for you. You must have cast a spell on me, you and your witchy post-woman ways."
"If I did I certainly didn't plan on it…" Never in a million years would she have ever thought that climbing the mountain to convince the Dark One to attend a Christmas party-something he loathed more than anything-would result in her finding true love.
"Perhaps you cast a spell on me…" She breathed softly as her lips inched closer and closer to his.
He chuckled and he gently kissed her lips. His arms held her close to him. He loved her, with every fiber of his being and he was so happy that she loved him too.
Belle's hands came up to his hair and as he kissed her she gently stroked his head. Just yesterday she had thought that she would never be doing this again, that she would never feel Rumpelstiltskin's arms around her ever again or taste his sweet lips. But thank the gods he had come to his senses and apologized.
He was very careful with the kiss. He didn't want to screw this up, not again. He slowly and hesitantly deepened it.
Belle did not object, although she had no plans of letting this go as far as it had the other night. Yes, she would probably crave it, but they had only just made up. She wanted to take it slow-or slowish at least.
Parting her lips for him she let him dip his tongue in her mouth for a better kiss.
Their tongues curled together and he moaned softly. But he had to keep himself under control. After a while he had to pull away for air and he rested his forehead on hers. He sighed softly and gazed at her. "…I love you," he whispered.
Belle closed her eyes just to enjoy what felt like pure bliss. "I love you, too," she replied. She was about to say something else when she was cut off by the chiming of the clock. It was ten o clock at night. That wasn't very late, but again she hadn't told her father she was going to be out and she had to be up early the next morning. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his hair sighing softly. "I'm not ready to go home…"
He sighed softly and nodded, holding her close. "Me either. I don't want you to leave…."
"I have to though…I can't worry my father again…and I work tomorrow…"
He nodded and kissed her. Sometimes he almost asked her to marry him but he didn't know the first thing about getting married… He gently stroked her face. "…You ever think… You ever think about a future together?" he asked softly.
"Of course I do," she said without even having to think about it and leaning into his touch. "I want there to be a future for us…I told you I never want to be without you."
He smiled softly and nodded. "So…. You want a future with me? Like… Marriage? Maybe…. Maybe even kids?"
Belle blushed profusely when he mentioned those things. "I would want those things…as long as you want them too. I wouldn't want to force anything…"
She recalled how he mentioned that he never thought too much about children. It was still unclear to her whether or not he really would want them.
He shook his head and cupped her face. "No, Belle, I want those things, I want them so much," he said softly. "I can't think of a better future with you."
Did that mean he was asking her? Her heart fluttered a little faster. Or was this just casual conversation to get a feel for what she might want?
"I can't think of a better one with you either…" This was too soon though…they hadn't been together that long.
He smiled softly and kissed her gently. "…You really should get going though, I'll let you ride Max down."
Oh so she supposed he wasn't asking her… Her heart felt heavy then with disappointment, but she knew it shouldn't. They'd only known each other for about a month and one could only barely call each other boyfriend and girlfriend for about a week now.
"You're right." She stood with his help and went to put her shoes and coat back on. "Can I see you tomorrow?" she asked. "After work I mean?"
He nodded. "I will look forward to it," he said softly and he stood up, brushing off his leather pants.
Belle's eyes couldn't help but wander down to his pants…gods he always wore leather pants-ALWAYS. And they were so tight she could almost see…she blushed and quickly looked away. The thought embarrassed her and she could feel her palms sweating.
Trying to push her thoughts from it, she took his hand as they walked back to the foyer.
After slipping her coat and shoes on, she turned to Rumple. "I'll miss you," she said placing her hands on his chest.
He smiled softly and held her close. "I'll miss you too," he said. "But at least now we know you'll come back."
Belle leaned up and kissed Rumple lovingly. "Goodnight, Rumplestiltskin," she said before allowing Max to lead her outside.
He kissed her back and gazed at her. "I love you," he called after her. Now he couldn't say it enough.
Belle turned back toward him and smiled. "I love you too…" She said, blowing a kiss in his direction after she climbed on Max's back.
He smiled and he caught the kiss, holding it to his heart. He watched her go and smiled softly. Max carried her down the mountain happily.
Belle hugged Max tight and petted him as he took her home. "I missed you too Max," she told him as they traveled. "I'm glad things are working out…but I wonder if you had a hand in convincing him to apologize."
Max seemed to smile at her and licked her cheek.
Belle giggled and wiped the slobber from her cheek even though she appreciated the kiss. "Well if you did manage to talk some sense into him, I am grateful."
She bent forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "But for now I must go-I'll see you tomorrow."
She waved to him and headed inside, through the back door, hoping she could sneak in without being noticed. If her father caught her she knew there would be many questions, and unfortunately for her he was there waiting with his arms crossed as she stepped inside.