Chapter Twenty One: A secret among Friends . . .
After that awkward, yet heavenly night spent making dinner with Belle, Rumplestiltskin had taken to spinning in the evening while he and his sons listened to Belle read aloud from a book, usually a favorite of hers.
He had also taken to spending time with the Mad Hatter, also known as Jefferson, or as Rumplestiltskin thought of him as . . . the world's single most cheerful man. The first few times Rumplestiltskin had poofed behind Jefferson and his daughter, Grace, the due had seemed surprised to find him following them around like a lost puppy, uncertain of where he wanted to be.
However, after a while, Jefferson began to joke with him as he and his daughter went about their business, sometimes with others such as Snow White and a few girls Rumplestiltskin reconized as having been friends of Belle's before they'd made their deal.
Usually when Belle's friends accompanied Jefferson, Rumple wouldn't walk with the Hatter for long, he'd make some excuse or another to get away from the girls who surely accused him of stealing Belle away from him.
Once or twice, Rumplestiltskin would find himself walking with just Jefferson and another man he hadn't known before, but had also remembered being with Belle's friend group. That man's name was Killian Jones.
The three of them were walking together throughout the market on that day; Rumplestiltskin helping the other two men find what they needed.
"I'll need to make a stop by the sheep-herders for more wool," Jefferson said, frowning down at the note in his hand. He looked up at Rumplestiltskin who was peering over his arm at the neat hand-writing.
"We'd best set off then; besides I want to get back to camp before dark." Killian said, tilting his head back to look at the sky. "The last time we arrived back late, Swan nearly threw me into a lake".
Jefferson and Rumplestiltskin exchanged a knowing glance and smirked.
"Mm, seems someone has soften up the cold, cold heart of Henry's mother," Rumplestiltskin sang while Jefferson shoved the note into his pocket, smirking all the while.
Killian's brow furrowed. "What? Wait! Emma is Henry's mother?" The black haired man's pale blue eyes widened. "How?"
"Jealous?" Jefferson asked, an eyebrow raised. He and Rumplestiltskin started walking down the path towards the sheep-herder's farm, Killian followed, dumbfounded.
"Hardly, with as many bar-maids there are in this town, I could have any woman I wanted," Killian sniffed, "Except for Emma it would seem."
Rumplestiltskin glanced back at the younger man, genuinely surprised to see that Killian seemed saddened by this. An almost puppy-dog expression on his face.
Rumplestiltskin supposed that after his and Emma's one night stand, and her original fiancé having ditched her for another woman, the young woman probably wasn't exactly going to be trusting.
"Her fiancé ditched her . . ." Rumplestiltskin said, unsure of why he was telling Killian this, after all why should he care.
"I-I didn't know that," Killian said quietly after a moment. Then, "You know she misses Belle, right? We all do. Is she happy there with you?"
Rumplestiltskin didn't answer. Luckily, he didn't have to, for Jefferson's smile widened and the man practically skipped over to two men standing beside a tiny hut at the end of the cobblestone path.
"Hey David!" Jefferson said cheerfully, then he turned and dipped his head to the other man who had a slight beard, green eyes and brown hair. This man, unlike David who was in shepard's clothes, wore clothes fit for a thief and had an arrow pack strapped to his back.
"Hey Robin, haven't seen you since you convinced Regina not to kill Snow for having accidently caused Regina's fiancé to be killed, how you been?" Jefferson asked, a lopsided grin on his face.
The man shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "Uh, been busy ya'know. I've got a new girl, and she's been helping me find a place so I don't have to steal anymore."
"Any advice, my usual charms aren't working for the girl I'm after," Killian asked, then stuck out his hand for Robin to shake, "Killian Jones, don't believe we were probably introduced last time, mate."
"Robin Hood," Robin's eyes strayed from Killian's and he looked over at Rumplestiltskin wearily. Almost instantly, David raised his staff in defence and Robin set an arrow in his bow, ready to fire.
"Careful Jefferson, Killian. The Dark One's right behind you," David warned, his eyes locked on Rumplestiltskin.
Jefferson waved his hand at them, apparently unphazed, "Relax my dear friends," he trilled, "Rumple here is a friend of mine and Killian's."
David lowered his staff, "Oh."
Robin reluctantly lowered his bow and placed the arrow back into his pack, still looking uncertain. After a moment of hesitation, Robin turned to talk with Killian, their voices too soft for Rumplestiltskin to hear what they were saying.
While Jefferson went over to where David's mother was watching them curiously to go get the wool they'd come for, David turned to Rumplestiltskin, an apologetic look on his face.
"Sorry bout that," he apologized, "We're kind raised to think you—"
"Don't worry bout it," Rumplestiltskin murmured while Zoso shouted at him from where he sat on the sheep pen that he was going soft. "Besides I'm still not someone to mess with, just ask Killian and Jefferson, I took one of their female friends to my castle to become my maid."
"She made a deal with you though," David pointed out, then added when Rumplestiltskin looked up at him suspiciously, "Jefferson told me."
Rumplestiltskin's chest tightened. He hated feeling guilty, especially when he hadn't exactly done anything wrong. The girl had gone with him willingly, he hadn't harmed her. She got to socialize with him and his boys. She had a nice room and got to read books. What more could the girl want after all?
He bit his lip. He knew what he should do, but he wasn't willing to let her go. After all he liked pretty things, and Belle was by far the most precious thing in his collection, not counting his sons.
It was Killian who provided him an idea that was almost as good, and one he was far less opposed to.
"I wish we could have like a dance at our camp," Killian was saying to Robin, who now leaned against the sheep pen lazily. "Then I could ask Emma to dance and teach her to waltz, I know from Snow that she doesn't know how to dance."
Emma, surely she would like to see Henry. After all, she'd only been eighteen and had been scared when she'd given birth to their son. Rumple had been willing to have joint custady of the child with her, but she'd given him up. Maybe it would do Henry some good to see his birth mother. Rumple just hoped she wouldn't try to take his son away from him.
"Well, we'll be seeing you later gentlemen," Jefferson said to David and Robin, "We'd best be going to make it back to camp before sundown and I'm sure Rumple here has other stuff he needs to get down."
"Let's have a ball," Rumplestiltskin blurted out.
Four pairs of eyes turned to him in confusion.
"So that Belle can see everyone again," Rumplestiltskin clarified, feeling Zoso's anger practically burning through his back. He ignored him. "Besides, I'm bored, and I like dancing, so why not?"
Jefferson's eyes gleamed with excitement. "That," he said, "Is a wonderful idea. And it could be a surprise for the others."
Killian nodded, smirking, "A secret between friends then, when shall we meet, mate?"
Rumplestiltskin grinned, "Tommorrow, meet me at my castle, we can discuss the details of our little . . . outing then."