Warning: This chapter contains adult themes; reader discretion is advised.

XXXVII

Belle's eyes fluttered open against the harsh morning light filtering through the bedroom windows. She glanced over at the digital clock on the nightstand and stifled a groan. Seven twenty, it read. She tried to move, but the weight of her husband, sprawled across her body like a throw blanket, hindered any movement and brought a smile to her face. Usually it was her who was lying across him, she thought fondly. They hadn't left the hospital until five the previous evening and he'd brought her home, putting her to bed and hovering like a mother hen with a clutch of chicks.

He'd explained why she was suffering, that it was because of her memories returning before the curse had been broken. Didn't he realize she would have suffered the agonies of the damned to be with him again? He'd told her he'd gone through the same thing, but it had lasted much longer. She could very well imagine so, considering he had three hundred year's-worth of memories to catch up on and she a mere twenty-two.

Very carefully, she began to ease out from under her husband, praying she could do so without waking him. The last week, she knew, had taken its toll on him as well as he'd tried to nurse her back to health and bring back her memories at the same time. She slipped into the bathroom and turned the shower on, stepping under the spray, but her thoughts remained on the man she'd left in their bed.

She needed the time alone to gather her courage to tell him what he wanted to know, what had happened to her before the curse. There were so many things she wanted to share with him, not just her memories, but new experiences in this whole new confusing land. And Baelfire! Had Rumpelstiltskin been able to locate him? Her mind was befuddled with questions only he could answer.

Belle got out of the shower and dried off, toweling her hair dry and slipping into Gold's silk bathrobe hanging on the back of the door on a hook. She padded on silent feet back to the bed and sat on the edge, running her hairbrush through her thick hair as she watched Gold sleep. It was going to take some getting used to, this new visage he carried. Her eyes softened with love as she watched him. She could see the imp and the man in his features, the best of both worlds. And he belonged to her.

His hand stretched out, searching for her amongst the cool sheets, his eyes fluttering open to find her. He rolled over onto his back with a jerk and then visibly relaxed back onto the pillows when he saw her sitting at the foot of the bed. "Hey," he rumbled with a deep sigh of relief.

"Hey, love. Scared I'd run away?" she asked with a teasing grin, ignoring the elephant in the room.

"Of course not, no," he said softly, his voice still raspy and deep from sleep. He held his arms open, an invitation to come sit next to him, and took the hairbrush from her. "Talk to me, dearest. If you want to, that is. I won't pressure you," he assured her, though inside he was burning with the need to know what had happened to her.

Belle pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees, sighing contentedly as he pulled the brush through her hair. She'd forgotten how much she loved to have him brush her hair at night before the comforting roar of the fire. "I don't know that I should tell you," she said nervously, plucking at the gold encircling her wrists. She'd never wished so much for her own magic to be available to her. She didn't want to see him fly into a rage, his formidable temper so unpredictable.

"Are you angry with me, my Belle?" he asked softly, worry lacing his tone.

"What? No, why? Should I be?"

"I failed you ... I failed to find you and bring you home." The brush stilled in her hair at that and he sat back against the pillows, disgusted at the truth in his heart. How could she ever forgive him? First, he'd failed Bae, now Belle. He didn't deserve forgiveness.

She turned around to face him, taking his hand in both of hers. "You have never failed me, Rumpel. There were too many odds against you. And … and I know how hard … how hard you tried to find me. I-I saw you. Every day, I saw you." She leaned into his palm as it came to settle on her face, his thumb brushing away her tears.

"You saw me? How?" he asked, trying to make sense of her words.

"The mirror."

"The one in the shop? The one …"

"Yes. It was supposed to be used as a tool to turn me against you. My captors wanted me to see you in action, my love. They wanted me to see you conduct your deals and spread your evil. They were certain losing me would drive you to even more despicable acts in your grief."

The color drained from his face as he remembered some of the more horrible things he'd done in her absence and he looked away, unable to meet her eyes, refusing to see the pain he'd caused reflected in her eyes. "You saw everything?"

She brushed away the hair from his brow which had fallen to conceal his eyes. "Yes, I saw everything. All I had to do was ask the mirror to show me. There are several people who are going to have to answer for their actions, Rumpel, but you are not one of them." Finally, he raised his eyes to hers, incredulous she didn't want to see him punished as well.

"Who would do such a thing as to make you watch me … why didn't you use your magic to contact me? To escape?"

"Really, love, do you think I didn't try? Daily? Even though I knew it was pointless, I never stopped fighting to be free of my prison."

Gold sighed in frustration. "I think you need to start at the beginning."

Her eyes held none of the warmth he had grown so accustomed to over their time together. "You may do as you will with Regina, but there was someone else involved. And before I tell you everything I need your promise you will let me deal with them in my own way once you bring magic to this land. I will have your promise, or you will forever wonder what really happened," she stated adamantly. She would not let him take her revenge from her, and in truth it would be far more lenient than anything her husband could dish out.

"Belle, you can't be serious. It is my right to protect you, to avenge you." He was shouting now.

She stared him down, her brow raised in defiance. "Rumpelstiltskin, I will have your promise. You can protest from now until we return to the Enchanted Forest, but you will promise if you want answers."

Their gazes locked in battle, neither willing to concede. She knew he was wracking his brain, trying to find a loophole in order to have his way. "Why would you take this away from me, Belle?" he asked petulantly.

She raised the hand she still held and pressed a kiss to his palm. She dared not get any closer to him for fear they'd never get through the discussion in favor of more pleasurable activities. "Darling, I'm not trying to take anything away from you, but I'm not going to let the darkness within you consume you. You have to struggle so hard to keep it at bay and I don't want to lose you to it."

"But, love …"

"Please," she asked, her eyes pleading.

His breath came out in a huff of surrender. "Fine. I promise. I don't like it, and I feel rather cheated, but you have my promise," he replied grudgingly. "Now, tell me."

"Why did you think it was Regina? With your blood, with your protection and our bond, do you really think it would have been so easy for Regina to bind my magic and make off with me?"

"No, but I still had her watched. I knew she was involved, but I couldn't prove it. If it hadn't been for our need for her to enact the curse, I would have happily shredded her with my own hands. I wouldn't have even used magic to end her," he said, his eyes flashing malevolently.

"Oh, yes, she had a hand in it, but her part didn't come until later. She let … that woman … have her way until we arrived in Storybrooke. Regina wanted to use me as leverage to keep you in line, no doubt, but her part was minor. She's always been more obsessed with Snow to worry about us." She shook her head as if to clear it from thoughts of the black widow queen. "Anyway, I was taken from you right out of our guest chamber. Were you able to make your deals that night?"

"Belle," he hissed in warning. "You're trying to avoid the issue."

She grinned unashamedly up at his stern countenance. "Sorry. I was trying to get you to hazard a guess. What magic could possibly bind against yours? No one is as powerful as you are, Rumpel."

"Old magic, ancient even. Only a few in the entire realm could come close and they might even have to combine it to …"

She quirked a brow as it started falling into place for him. "Fairy magic. Fairy magic combined with Regina's dark magic."

"Rheul Ghorm," he said, his jaw clenching, his eyes closing, trying to focus all his control into maintaining his calm. He failed miserably. "THAT MISERABLE MEDDLING LITTLE BITCH! HOW MUCH IS SHE GOING TO TAKE FROM ME BEFORE IT'S ENOUGH? EVERYTHING I LOVE, SHE TAKES. I'LL NOT STAND FOR IT, BELLE!" he fumed as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Belle placed her hand on his arm and pulled him back against her chest, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Breathe, darling. Remember your promise," she cooed softly, gently, against the shell of his ear.

"I'm going to break her neck with my bare hands."

"Rumpel …"

"I'm going to throw her and her pack of self-righteous sisters out on their arse."

"Rumpel …"

"I'm going to burn the bloody convent to the ground."

"Rumpel …"

"I'll have her transferred to a convent far away from Storybrooke. And you know what happens when you try to leave town."

"Rumpel …"

"I'll … um … I'll …" His voice trailed off as she delved her hand into his hair and jerked his head back, her lips, teeth and tongue working in unison to play at his neck, robbing him of speech. He forgot all about his revenge for a moment when she nipped the lobe of his ear with her teeth.

"Feeling better? Have you locked the beast back in his cage or do I need to continue?" she asked silkily, her voice a warm caress spreading through his body like a brush fire. "I love you, my husband, and I need you to bank your rage and focus."

Her thighs cradled his hips as he leaned back into her embrace, closing his eyes and savoring the way she molded herself to his back. "Gods, Belle, you feel so good."

She smiled and bit his shoulder through the fabric of his t-shirt, and he growled low in his throat. "Are you calm enough now to listen to the rest of the story?"

"Not especially, but my anger has cooled a bit," he murmured as he let his head fall back against her shoulder, his lips seeking that most sensitive spot behind her left ear. She turned her head at the last minute to brush her lips to his. He didn't like the sadness lurking behind her clear blue gaze. "Did they hurt you, my Belle?"

"They hurt me by keeping me from you, Rumpel. In the beginning, she tried very hard to take my bracelets, but her magic is no match for yours or your enchantments. She wanted so badly to break our bond. So, she settled for keeping us apart, thinking if I could watch your evil deeds, it would somehow turn my love to hate. And by keeping me from you, she wished for your power to weaken or for you to go mad with grief. She said it was not easy to be away from my true love if that was indeed what we had."

Gold snorted in affront. "Clearly she underestimated us."

"Clearly," she replied dryly, hugging him tightly. "But we will wait until the curse is broken before we confront her, together. I want her to remember what she did to us and live with the fear of retribution before we move against her."

"I knew it would happen," he chuckled softly.

"What?"

"That I would eventually corrupt you."

Belle hid her face in the crook of his neck and sighed. "You didn't corrupt me, Rumpel. I just don't think she deserves to get away with what she did to us. I don't want her to do it to anyone else." She let her hands trail down his chest and slip beneath the hem of his shirt before whisking the offending garment over his head.

His voice was strained when he stated, "I can't believe I never suspected her. I broke my promise to you. I'm so sorry, Belle."

"What promise is that, my husband? I don't remember you breaking your word to me."

He caught her hands in his as her fingernails scraped against his chest. "I promised I would be there with you when the curse was enacted. I didn't want you to be alone and frightened. I didn't …"

Belle placed her hands on his shoulders and turned him to face her, sliding her hands up his neck to cup his face, the pads of her thumbs gently brushing away his tears. "You were, Rumpel. You were with me always. I heard every word you spoke that night once the curse was on its way. I heard your beautiful sentiments of goodbye, and they brought me comfort. You never gave up on me … on us." It was her turn to cry in earnest.

His arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her onto his lap. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, and savored the feel of her in his arms. She'd be lucky if he ever let her out of his sight again. "I was so lost without you. We will have to be careful so as not to alert the queen. I can't lose you again, my Belle. I don't think I could survive it."

She continued to run her fingers through his hair as he held her to him, offering what comfort she could. "You won't have to, my love. I will never willingly be parted from you again. I will always fight for you, Rumpelstiltskin. I am your strength, your hope and your light. You are my love, my passion and the little bit of darkness which keeps me balanced. No one can take that away from us."

"No one has ever loved me the way you do, sweetheart. I don't deserve you after everything I've done, but I promise … I promise I will thank the gods for you every day of our lives. And I promise I will tell you and show you how much I love you every day of forever," he said passionately, his voice raw with emotion.

"I will hold you to that promise," she nodded, pulling away slightly to meet his warm sable gaze. "I have one more question before I insist on you showing me how much you love me."

"Really?"

"Have you been able to locate our son?" she asked in all seriousness and it warmed his heart that she thought of Bae as her own.

"Not as yet, love. I fear our search will have to wait until the curse is broken."

She grinned slyly against his lips. "Then we will just have to put forth a better effort to get Miss Emma Swan to believe." But she was done with thoughts of the savior, her captivity and even her stepson. She'd waited long enough to be truly reunited with her love. She wanted to get lost in his familiar touch and his wonderful mouth and the pent-up desire only he could make her feel.

Belle untied the belt on her robe and let it slip from her shoulders to ripple onto the floor behind her, leaving her bare in his arms. She felt the shudder run through him as she pressed her breasts to his chest and fisted her hands in his hair, claiming his mouth in a hungry kiss filled with desperation and need. She swallowed his gasp of surprise and thrust her tongue into the hot recesses of his mouth, seeking out, from memory, the places which brought him the most pleasure

Gold's hands on her hips were almost painful as he swung her around to lay her upon the bed, never breaking contact with her lips, plundering her mouth and drawing a moan from deep in her throat. How could he have denied them this for so long? She was so soft and yielding, and molded perfectly to his lean lines. Two pieces to the same puzzle, fitting together as if she were made only for him. He broke the kiss only because he was starving for air, his lips moving to her jaw to leave hot open-mouthed kisses to her ear, nipping the lobe with his teeth.

He cried out as she bit down on his shoulder, her nails raking down the length of his back. "Minx," he growled, leaning back to take her in. A frown creased his brow as he saw the effects of her confinement clearly, her alabaster skin pulling taught across her ribs. She shouldn't be so thin. If he'd taken better precautions, she'd never have been taken from him.

Belle tugged painfully on his hair to bring his gaze back to hers. "Stop it." He began to pull away from her, missing her meaning. "No, Rumpel … stop feeling guilty. There is no room in our bed for us and your guilt or recriminations. Just us."

"Belle …" She cut off his words, pulling his head down to meet her once again, her hand slipping between them to trail over the flat plane of his stomach. She ran her tongue over the seam of his lips, using her teeth to bite gently at his bottom lip.

Gold crushed her to him, his hands skimming up her sides to cup her breast, his lips leaving a hot path of sensation over her jaw, her throat, her collarbone and dipping into the valley between her breasts. She gasped as he took her into his mouth, her back arching off the bed in an attempt to get closer. It didn't matter how close they were or how tightly pressed together, she felt as though it weren't close enough. Heat coiled in her belly as he traced his nails along the inside of her thigh and settled over the mound of curls between her legs, his fingers brushing her with a feather-light touch, teasing her.

He took her mouth again, his tongue delving in as he slipped a long finger into her, groaning as her wet walls tightened around the digit. She was a writhing mass of pleasure beneath him, unable to be still beneath his questing hands. "Rumpel, please," she begged, her voice a breathless whisper against his lips. He flicked his thumb against her clit and felt her come apart, biting into his shoulder to muffle her scream. She whimpered as he moved away from her to rid himself of the cotton sleeping pants he wore.

She had always been devastating to his control, which she proved as she took him in hand. He forgot to breathe as he buried his face in her hair and fought for the strength not to embarrass himself. It had been nearly thirty years since he'd been able to enjoy the pleasure of being in his wife's arms and he didn't want to disappoint her. She tugged on his hair, guiding his lips back to her and urging him onward. He slid into her easily and wrapped his arms around her to steady himself. The look of pure bliss on his love's face rendering him speechless.

She bucked against his hips, unable to prolong the moment any longer, lifting her legs to wrap around his waist, her heels digging into the small of his back. "Move, love," she pleaded. He could feel the beast within him fighting to get loose as he thrust within her, his more primal inclinations coming to the fore, and he had to concentrate to keep the monster at bay, refusing to let anything, even him, hurt her ever again. But then, his Belle had always enjoyed that side of him, taking pleasure in provoking the beast. He could feel his control slipping, his movements more erratic, until he felt her inner walls flutter around him, her scream muffled against his shoulder. He came with her, tiny pinpricks of light erupting behind his eyes as she held him tightly to her, his breathing labored as he pressed his face into her neck.

"Mine. My Belle … my wife," he breathed against her ear, rolling onto his side and pulling her with him, his arms still wrapped tightly about her.

Belle grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it over them to ward off the chill in the room. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled gently up at him, her hand brushing the hair away from his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too, my Belle." He dropped a kiss to her crown and sighed with contentment. "Forever."

*.*.*

Belle padded back into the bedroom she shared with her husband on silent feet and set the pizza box on the bed next to Gold before climbing in to sit next to him. She was once again wrapped in his silk bathrobe. There had been no point to get dressed once they'd agreed to remain locked in their bedroom for the remainder of the day. But his growling stomach had prompted her to at least order something to eat to fortify their strength.

He yawned and sat up, taking in her appearance as she opened the box and inhaled deeply of the aroma of cheese, pepperoni and mushrooms permeating the air. "Please tell me you did not answer the door like that," he growled irritably before grabbing a slice.

"I did."

"Belle!"

"Oh, give over, Rumpel. It's not like I was naked," she protested around a mouthful of molten sauce and toppings.

Whatever scathing remark he'd been about to make was cut off abruptly as the house began to shake. Belle dropped her pizza back into the box and reached for Gold with a shriek. He wrapped an arm around her waist, instinctively trying to protect her, when the trembling died away.

"Earthquake? Are we even supposed to have earthquakes in Maine?" she asked, visibly shaken, her jewel-bright eyes wide with terror.

"I'm not certain, but thankfully, it didn't last long."

He urged her to eat, assuring her all would be well. Finally, she calmed enough to finish off three slices before his cellphone chirped, alerting him to a text message.

"Who is it," she asked, beginning to clear away the remains of their meal.

"Jefferson."

Mine collapsed near the edge of town. No one hurt. Did you know Emma is now a deputy? She's out here in charge of crowd control and Regina is livid! Just thought you'd want to know. Will keep you informed. Give my girl a kiss for me and tell her I'm glad she's back.

"The mines? The same mines where you were imprisoned?"

Gold thought for a moment, wondering if Regina's little trinkets were still stored down there. "I don't think so. Jefferson said the collapse was near the edge of town. My prison was closer to the center of town. There are many tunnels down there, but as long as the one running through to the library is intact, I don't think we'll have to worry."

"What's so special about that one?"

"That's where we locked up Maleficent," he said, flashing her a wolfish grin as she settled once again against his side.

"The dragon witch?"

"Indeed."

"In dragon form, perhaps?" she asked dryly, poking him in the ribs.

He shrugged and rolled her on top of him, delving his hands into her hair and pushing thoughts of the outside world out of his mind. "Blame Regina."

A/N: Can't wait to hear what you guys think. Thank you so much for all your support throughout this story. I know I'm not sticking with the exact order of the episodes sometimes, but I hope you can forgive me.