Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

"Come on, Rumpel. It's time for a break."

Mr. Gold's eyes opened slowly as he tried to pull away from Belle. His lack of food and sleep had left him too weak to fight off his wife as she led him out of the basement. Bringing back magic had also brought back some of his old habits. While Belle did enjoy seeing his impish smile again, she did not like seeing her husband work himself to death again. She especially disliked sleeping alone because he decided to work overnight. After waking up alone for the third time in one week, Belle decided to take action.

"I'm…fine…Need…work."

"You're not fine! You're tired and hungry." Belle let him fall into a chair in the kitchen and watched his eyelids fall again. "You're not as strong as you were before in this world, Rum. You can't go a month without eating or sleeping and be fine here. You need food and rest."

Gold was about to argue with her, but his stomach let out a loud growl. Belle won had once again, and he was secretly glad that they weren't keeping count.

"Just for a few hours, sweetheart," he bargained. "Then I have to finish."

Knowing that she'd won, Belle smiled down at him and placed a plate in front of him. "Deal. Now eat."

One bite of Belle's cooking reminded him just how hungry he was. Without another protest, he began shoveling food into his mouth like no tomorrow. Belle was slightly worried that he'd end up biting his tongue, but he was finished before she could warn him. Gold quickly downed his tea and let out a loud burp. This was then followed by an even louder yawn.

"Your cooking is worse than a sleeping curse," he mumbled rubbing his eyes.

Belle giggled and pulled him up. "You're just tired, love."

He nodded mutely before yawning again. With a tired grin, Gold turned and kissed her. "I love you, Belle. You always want what's best for me."

"Yes, I do," she said caressing his cheek. He hadn't shaved in days, and the stubble that had grown tickled her palm. "Now what's best for you is sleep. Go on upstairs to bed, Rum."

He nuzzled her hand for a moment before leaving the kitchen.


Belle quickly cleaned and left the kitchen to go check on her husband on to stop short in the living room. Mr. Gold had been so tired that he hadn't even made it to the stairs. Instead, he'd collapsed on the couch and was now dead to the world. Belle smiled at the sight of him and began removing his shoes and socks. She was careful not to wake him and then removed his tie and belt as well. He was still asleep when she finished, and Belle let her fingers run through his hair before letting her hand run down his face. Gold seemed to recognize her even in sleep and grabbed her wrist.

"Belle," he murmured against the back of her hand. "Stay."

Belle was about to reply when she heard a knock at the door. She let her nails run across his cheek. "Of course, Rum," she whispered. "Just give me one moment.

He loosened his grip, and she quickly went to answer the door before the knocking could wake him up. Belle was shocked to find David Nolan at the door and opened it a bit wider.

"Good morning, David. What can I do for you?"

"I need to see Rumpelstiltskin, Belle."

"He's not dealing today. Come back tomorrow," she replied quickly and tried to close the door.

David put his foot in the door to keep her from closing it. "Belle, it's really important. We need magic to beat Regina. We need his help."

Belle's eyes narrowed. "You need his help? You were so quick to lock him up for using magic twenty-eight years ago, but now you want him to use magic to help you again."

"Belle. He was hurting people. Cinderella -"

"- made a deal with my husband without reading the fine print. I'm not saying that his price was fair, but she should have thought twice about the deal before signing the contract. Instead, she ran to you to keep from paying him, and you locked him up. Now, I'm telling you one last time. Come back tomorrow, or I will get rid of you myself."

The two of them then heard a loud growl, and Belle felt something press against her legs. Draco had sensed her ire and was more than happy to help him mistress get rid of the unwanted prince especially after he'd slain one of Draco's kind for King Midas. David took a step from the door at the sight of the dragon/dog. Draco had never really liked him, and it wasn't until after the curse broke that he figured out why.

"Alright. Tell Rumpelstiltskin that I'll be back tomorrow."

"Of course, David." Belle smiled sweetly at him before slamming the door in his face.

Now alone, Belle went back into the living room with Draco on her heels. She grabbed a book off the coffee table before sitting in the space above Gold's head. Still asleep, Gold quickly inched up the couch until his head rested on her lap. Belle held her book on the arm of the couch with one hand and let the other drift over her husband's head and shoulders. Gold let out a content sigh and snuggled further into her lap.

Belle felt the couch shift and saw that Draco had hopped on the couch and snuggled against Gold's chest. Gold let him, thankful for the extra warmth, and threw an arm over the dog.

Belle opened her book with a smile at what she'd just done. David would hopefully relay the message to the rest of the town that the Dark-One was taking a day off. If not, she'd deal with anyone else who came to the door. Rumpelstiltskin had protected her from others since they'd met. Now, it was her turn to protect him.

TBC