I'm so excited about this chapter, it's up there with the chapter where they first kissed. There's a milestone in this one. Much more optimistic than the last chapter, and it'll be leading up to one of the big climaxes of the story in the next chapter. Also it uses dialogue from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and from OUAT's Skin Deep episode. Hope you enjoy, and please feel free to comment and review.

T. G. I. F

Chapter 22

As Belle got dressed the next morning, she realized that she had to cover the bruises on her neck that Gaston had made. If not then Rumple would probably become furious and want to kill her fiancé. She shivered at the mere thought of that jerk being her fiancé.

She looked around her small wardrobe and couldn't find anything that would cover her neck completely. Then she found an old overcoat her mother used to wear. Very odd looking piece of clothing, nothing like a cloak. It was rather big on her still, but it would definitely do the job. She put it on, buttoned all the buttons, including the very top that closed the collar. Now she was completely covered.

This sadly reminded her of the time she tried to cover up her black eye her father had given her from Rumpelstiltskin. He always cared whether or not she was well, but her father and future husband could care less. Rumple really is the only man in my life if you think about man in the sense of being a protector and a provider. Papa and Gaston could care less if I was here or not. All I am to them is a helping hand with making and delivering the bread, and a future wife who will bare him 'six or seven strapping boys'. But with Rumple, he gets upset if I can't come over and see him. We have fun together and enjoy each other's company. When I'm with him I feel so…loved and wanted.

She smiled before saying his name. The next moment she appeared in the great hall. Rumple was sitting in the large chair by the fire, sipping on some tea.

He didn't move from his spot. "Hello dearie."

She felt nervous all of a sudden. "Hi, Ru Rumple."

He turned around when he heard her stutter. When he saw her in the buttoned-up overcoat he stood up and walked over to her.

"What are you wearing?" He asked pointing at her coat.

She looked down at it for a moment. "An overcoat."

"Yes, but why are you wearing it? It looks way too big for you."

"Well I…I've been cold since I woke up."

Rumple scrunched his face in confusion. "How? It's still summer."

"Well I…I umm."

"Here, let me take it for you." Rumple put his hand out to her, meaning for her to hand it over.

Belle hesitated for a long moment before she started slowly unbuttoning the overcoat. As she was doing that, she tried her best to keep the coat close together so he wouldn't see the bruises. But when she finished the last button and removed the jacket, it was obvious that he saw them.

Fury crossed his features. He closed his eyes tight as he looked away and breathed heavily through his nose. He clenched his fists so tight they almost bled. This scared Belle a little.

"Rumple?"

After a few more heavy breaths he opened his eyes and looked at her. He had a very serious look in his eyes. "Who did this to you? Was it your father?"

Belle looked down quickly and shook her head. "No."

Rumple moved closer to her and put his hand under her chin so she would look up. "Then who?"

She looked deeply into his eyes before answering. "Gaston."

In a split second he looked furious again, "That bastard! I'll kill him! When did he do it?"

Belle coughed a little, but then it hurt so she wrapped a hand around her throat. Rumple noticed this immediately and replaced her hand with his. His hand started glowing. He's using magic to heal me again. After a minute, all the bruises were gone and her throat felt better. Rumple put his hands on her shoulders.

"Thank you Rumple."

"What did that idiot do to you?"

Belle froze. "Well, after I went inside and you left, he came inside and talked to me. He was very angry with me."

"Why?"

Belle bit her bottom lip and thought, Should I explain to him what Gaston thought was true, and what he accused me of. Oh, it's so confusing I should just skip it.

"I don't know. Simple things can set him off. But anyway, he got so angry at me that he called me a whore. Then Rory came in and was trying to protect me."

"Good ol' Rory." Rumple said proudly.

"Yes, well Rory started biting Gaston, and he started punching Rory, which upset me so I hit Gaston. I guess that aggravated him even more because he…started to strangle me."

Tears welled up in Belle's eyes. "And Rory was still trying to protect me, but Gaston was far too gone. And I even tried saying your name, but his grip was too tight."

The tears started falling. "I never thought I'd be so happy to hear my father's voice when he walked through the door, at the moment when I felt like I was going to lose consciousness. It was horrible Rumple."

He pulls her in close to him and hugs her tightly. She begins to sob heavily. I hate seeing her like this. He pets her hair softly and rubs small circles on her back to soothe her. Once she calms down a bit she is annoyed at the situation.

"Ugh. Can you imagine? Me, the wife of that boorish, brainless. . .

Rumple chuckled a little. "I'd rather not."

Belle hadn't expected that answer and laughs. "Me neither."

She huffs an exhausted breath before walking over to their chair in front of the fireplace. When she sits down, she places her face in her hands and starts crying again. Rumple rushes over to her and kneels in front of her. "What's wrong dearie?"

Belle lifted her face up from her hands. "Everything! I'm being forced to marry when I don't want to; and even if I did want to, it'd be to someone I love."

Rumple hesitated before asking, "And how do you define, love?"

"You know, to me, love is… Love is layered. Love is a mystery waiting to be uncovered. I could never love someone as superficial as Gaston."

"Nobody could."

She giggled. "Everybody in my village loves him. I guess me not liking him was so odd for Gaston that he…"

"Decides to strangle you to try and change your mind?" Rumple said in a serious tone.

Belle looked away from him, "Yea, something like that."

Rumple grabbed her hands and she looked back at him.

"That's the barbaric way. The better way to get someone to love you is to listen to them, and talk about things you wouldn't talk about with anyone else. It also helps if you have the same sense of humor, similar hobbies, same uhh…lifestyle."

Belle smiled at him, "Same way you ramble on when trying to make a point."

He laughed, "Indeed."

They both just looked at each other with smiles on their faces, not big ones, but ones just noticeable between them. Belle moved some of his hair behind his ear before revealing something she had wanted to tell him for the past three months.

"I guess your way worked then…on me." She said with a sweet smile.

Rumple suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. Did she just mean… "What are you saying?"

Belle looked at him and her smile grew bigger. "I love you Rumple. I've loved you ever since my 15th birthday when you kissed me. Not our first kiss, but the one after you agreed we could watch the sunset. I felt something so raw and intense, it just had to be love."

She loves me! She felt the same way that I had after that kiss. His conversation with Cora unpleasantly popped up in his head. "That's not possible dearie." He said with a sad smile.

Belle's smile fell. "And why not?"

"Because a beauty can't love a beast."

Belle gave him a look. "You're not a beast or a monster. Remember our first deal."

Rumple just rolled his eyes, "Yes."

"Then since you think you're a monster, I'm just cute, not pretty or 'beautiful'." she said using the finger quotes around the last word.

Rumple rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles. "No you are. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my entire life, and that's over 300 years of people that I've seen."

Belle laughed at that. Afterward there was a very short moment of silence before Rumple slowly leaned up to try and kiss her. This time she did not turn away, she actually leaned down to meet his kiss. To hell with Gaston. It had been such a long time since their lips had met. Now they wanted to make up for lost time. With their eyes closed and their tongues gliding along each other, it sent shivers down both their spines. Belle couldn't stand the distance between them so she moved down from the chair and embraced him.

Now that they were closer together their hands began to roam over each other's bodies. Belle's wound up in his hair and on his butt. It surprised him when she gave it a little squeeze. Rumple's ended up in her hair and around her waist. As their kissing grew more intense his grip became stronger and he squeezed her closer to him. Belle could feel something rubbing against her belly, and soon realized what it was. I don't know how far he thinks we're going to go. Her cheeks blushed a bright red as she stopped kissing.

Belle leaned her head against his chest. "You're the one I want to be with Rumple."

Rumple melted at her words. "Then it shall happen." He said as he petted her hair.

He kissed the top of her head.

She looked up at him. "How?"

"You leave that to me." He said with a smirk.

She gave him a concerned look.

"Trust me, my Belle." He said before kissing her forehead.

Belle took a long breath. "All right."

She kissed him again for a bit before they stood up and Rumple sent her home.

"Now, how shall I kill that bastard." He said to himself with an evil snarl.

Well…that make-out scene was not originally planned, but it came to me while typing. Hope you enjoyed. The next two weeks will be busy for me with studying for finals and graduation, so I might not be able to update until after I'm done with all that. See you then.