She gripped her papa's hand tightly. Marie spent a few days sitting beside him. Her mind ran through a number of possibilities, but they always came back to the same conclusion—she had to ask Mr. Gold for help.
Given that it was almost 9:00 am, she thought it best to go home, shower, and go see what could be done about her current misfortunes. Leaving her father's side was hard, but the doctors had promised, for what little it was worth, that he was stable.
Once she had cleaned the hospital smell off of her, she left home and walked briskly to the shop. Mr. Gold had said to take as long as she needed, but right now she needed to talk to him.
…
Belle sat on the dirt floor in front of Rumpelstiltskin's cell.
"Tell me, my pet, what troubles you so?" He leaned sideways against the bars, looking at his long nails nonchalantly.
She didn't say anything for a while and the man who owned her become more frustrated.
"Come now, Belle, You are not being faithful to your contract."
She shot him a dark gaze, and let out a bitter sigh. "If you must know, a man has been attempting to court me."
Rumpelstiltskin pushed his body against the bars, towering over her. "That is not part of our agreement, dearie." He was practically seething. She almost laughed, if not for fear of the consequences. Still, her own anger got the best of her.
"Jealous, Rumpels?" She looked at him, tauntingly. His returned expression told her that he would make her regret that one-day.
Then he grinned, "Not in the least. For you are, indeed, beautiful." The way he uttered the word made her feel suddenly dirty and ashamed. His murky caramel eyes covered her body, mentally consuming her every curve, every parcel of exposed flesh. She desperately wished she could cover herself with the gold cloak, but it was no use. He could see through it just as she felt he could see through her.
…
She was almost a block away from Granny's diner when she heard her friend's excited voice, "Ree-Ree!"
Marie turned, seeing an almost skipping Red come to her. "Hi Ruby."
Ruby could tell that Marie was upset, but hoped she could make it better. "I have something for you." The woman held out a cube wrapped in red paper from behind her tied-up white blouse.
"Oh, thanks." Marie took the gift.
Ruby smiled kindly. Marie was thankful that Ruby cared enough about her current circumstances to get her something.
"Sooo, any big birthday plans?" Red asked.
Marie blushed, "Wow, Ruby… I totally forgot… with everything else going on." She tried her best to smile. The fact that her old childhood friend had remembered helped a good bit. "Really, thank you." Marie added.
Ruby shrugged. "It's nothin'. I'll see you around, okay?" Ruby was never very good at comforting, but she was good at caring.
Marie nodded. "Thanks again." She wanted to talk to Ruby about her dad, about Mr. Gold, about her hopeless situation. But Ruby had customers to wait on and Marie still needed to find her employer. The two young women exchanged a quick, tight hug and went their separate ways.
Soon Marie was in the pawnshop, unwrapping her present from Ruby. Mr. Gold walked out of his back office when he heard the small bell ring, signifying someone's presence.
"Good morning, Marie. What do you have there?" He leaned on his cane as he walked towards her.
Marie glanced up at Mr. Gold. "Oh, it's a gift."
"Ah. I have something for your father as well." Mr. Gold gave a kind smile.
"Oh…no, it's for me. But that was nice of you… " At his quirked eyebrow, she added, "It's my birthday."
The charcoal-suited man gave a dimpled grin, "Well well, in that case, I have something for you." He rummaged through the bottom desk drawer. He pulled out a small navy-blue felted box.
Marie shook her head. "You didn't have to do that." Part of her wondered why he had a present if he did not know it was her birthday.
"No, but with all you do for others, I thought you could have something for yourself." She blushed, taking the box. As he handed it to her, his slender fingers grazed hers. Her cheeks grew hotter and he reminded himself to breathe.
She opened it and instantly admired the beautiful, delicate gold necklace within. It had a small gold lark with a tiny sapphire in its breast. She smiled, looking at him.
"It is lovely." She said.s
"Put it on." His replied, determined.
She turned to face a mirror on the wall. She attempted to attach the necklace around her neck, but the old fashioned clasp was unusually finicky.
"Let me assist you." His silky voice was soon at her ear. She handed him the necklace and pulled her long brown hair to the side, revealing her neck to him. Mr. Gold slowly pulled the chain around, making sure the bird was centered on her perfect chest. As he pulled his hands to the back of her neck, they gently touched the soft flesh on her collarbone. She could feel his breathe on her skin, causing her chest to tighten and a chill to surge through her. She almost forgot to breathe herself.
"I had it engraved with your initials." He said, slowly, trying to get the clasp to work. "I never knew… what does the "B" stand for?"
She gulped silently as the small hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "Belle."
As he finally clasped the necklace, he planted a gentle kiss on the exposed flesh of her shoulder.
Marie spun quickly and smacked him, hard. All of the pent up tension exhibited itself in her quick response.
She was as stunned as he was by her reaction. Before she knew what to say or do, he had dropped his cane and pushed her up against the wall. He pinned her with his body weight, using his good leg for leverage. One arm was at his side in a fist, the other leaning on the wall to stabilize himself.
His eyes were dark and full of desire. Marie's pulse quickened.
"Now, now." He started almost playful. He brought his free hand to her face, putting her hair behind her ears. He spoke in a light, airy accent. "My dear Belle, your future is in my hands. I could pay for your father's medical bills."
He cupped her cheek. "I could let you spend all the time you wanted at his bedside instead of in this place." He motioned to the shop.
She stared at him, her breathing shallow.
He let his long fingered hands fall to her collarbone. "But I will have you, one way or another, Belle."
His thin lips were pulled into a smirk. "And you are beautiful." His lips were close enough to take a kiss, but he waited.
When he did not move or speak, Marie gulped, "Please."
Mr. Gold moved to let her go. As his weight left her, she grabbed his forearm. His eyebrow rose and his deep-set eyes scanned hers, his dusty hair hung in front of his face disheveled.
"Please" she said again, pulling on his arm, indicating her return to his former position.
He grinned at her for a moment, but did not make her ask again.
His lips took hers in a deep kiss. He was surprised to find that she did not fight, but rather allowed him full access to her warm mouth. Marie was surprised to enjoy the human contact. It had been years since she kissed a boy, and even then it had been a dare to spend seven minutes in "heaven" with the wiry-haired teenage Marie. She was as unsure what to do next now with Mr. Gold as she had been that gangly junior in his parent's closet.
Mr. Gold, however, seemed to know exactly what he wanted. He was no boy, and this was no dare. He had longed for this since he was behind those bars, unable to appreciate her beauty in full. He brought her into himself, fumbling towards the desk. When she felt the object behind her, she hopped onto it clumsily.
…
Her hands were still latched onto his coat when they were done, both panting. He stepped back from her, watching as she lay down on the desk, chest heaving. He fixed his pants and straightened his shirt, tie, and coat—within moments he looked elegant as usual, as if nothing had happened, save the sweat on his brow. He picked up his cane then returned to her side. He ran a hand through her long brown hair as he sat down at the desk on which the woman he just ravished was laying. His smile was wide and his dimples resurfaced.
"What now?" She looked over at him. Her pupils still wide from their liaison, but otherwise she seemed genuinely curious.
He released a low chuckle. "Come to my home tomorrow."
She raised an eyebrow, unsure what he was getting at.
"You can work there, if you like. It provides a good alibi, does it not? Besides, there is so much more to be done there." He flipped his head so the dusty hair settled in its proper place. Belle looked at his sharp features—nose, cheekbones, eyes. His lips, however thin, had brought such delight she had never known nor had she expected. Despite herself, her values, and her resolve, she had enjoyed the events that had transpired. Mr. Gold would care for her father, but more than that, he listened to her. She knew he probably plotted the whole damn thing, of course he could not know her father would be stick, but he could have gotten on her "good" side in order to make his move. She did not care. Manipulations aside, no one else save Red even really spoke to her anymore. She always felt so alone and the closeness that had transpired, even if only physical, seemed to lessen her isolation.
He stroked her stomach slowly, and her heart refused to relent from its fervent pace. She felt vulnerable in her partial nudity and was suddenly embarrassed.
As if he sensed her growing discomfort, he brought his hand up to her cheek.
"You are beautiful, Marie." His smile was thin and crooked. "Breathtakingly beautiful."
And before she could respond he took another plundering kiss. She forgot her self-reflection and psychoanalysis and enjoyed the renewed contact. He pulled away, standing straight, and she could not help but feel a little disappointed.
"Sorry, my dear. I have other matters to attend to today, even if I would rather stay here." The playful tone switched to that of near indifference. "You can straighten up and go see your father."
At the thought of her papa, she felt a slew of mixed emotions: worried about his condition, glad to go to his side, ashamed that she had bedded (or desked) the monster, and yet thankful that everything would get better now that Mr. Gold could pay the bills. Most of all, she was confused how much any of this meant to Mr. Gold. He had a look in his eye like he had conquered something, which she highly doubted was due to some jock-like tapped-that pride. It was more than simply the result of sex, it was as if a fantasy had finally been achieved—and had met his expectation.
Her eyes found his, and he was surprised to see a twinkle there.
"Yes?" He asked calmly, not yet leaving her side.
She slowly sat up, swinging her legs around so that they were next to his. "You'll go to the hospital then? And take care of everything?"
Her tone was unsure, and he thought her naïve.
"Of course." He returned a hand to her collarbone, stroking gently. "My agreements are always honored."
He left, leaning into his cane. She watched him go unable to process all that had transpired, not sure she wanted to. She did not want to be confronted with her own brokenness or insecurity at the moment. She wanted to enjoy that she had taken care of things, that she did not always have to feel so alone. This cold man would warm up to her one way or another.
The only clear thought that was in her muddled head: what about tomorrow?
…
Author's note: RnR always welcome! Hope you enjoyed it!
