First Impressions
Finally.
They're home.
Belle's heart swelled until it barely fit inside her chest as she witnessed the pirate ship crash into the harbor, docking a few feet away. Had it only been a week since everyone left to rescue Henry? It felt like an eternity.
She started to walk closer to the ship as people began to leave it. Her legs still ached from pumping so hard when she ran to the harbor, her cheeks flushed from the exertion. The chill coming off the water bit her bare skin, but she didn't mind it. What were the chances that she would be wrapped in Rumpel's arms in mere minutes?
Her steps slowed and her heart pounded even heavier when she saw him. Dressed seductively in dark leather and alive. He was one of the last to unboard. Only one person followed closely behind him and she had to blink twice to make sure it wasn't a vision or hallucination.
Bae? He wasn't...dead? No, there he was clinging to Rumpel's arm to make sure he didn't slip and latching onto Henry's shoulder when he passed. Thank the gods, she thought in amazement.
Suddenly she was running again, hurrying to their side. She pushed past the Charmings without stopping to greet them, her sights set on Rumpel. When she was near enough to reach out and grab him, he instinctively turned away from his son and locked eyes with her. In the next instant, his cane clattered on the dock and he opened his arms to catch her.
She must have collided into him harder than she intended. Together they collapsed onto the dock, her body sprawled across his chest and her legs straddling his hips.
"Oh, Rumpel, I'm so sorry," she hastily apologized. What if, because of her excitement, his leg started to ache again? She tried to climb off him, but his hands flew to her waist, holding her firmly in place on top of him.
"Belle," he moaned happily. It didn't matter that other people were watching from afar. Rumpel seized her, rolled her over onto her back, and proceeded to kiss her deeply and fully on the mouth. Welcome home, she thought as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. "Belle, Belle, Belle..." He continued to moan her name with every kiss he planted on her lips, cheeks, and neck.
Someone cleared their throat. The way someone might do to gain attention.
"Um...Papa?" Rumpel paused in the middle of teasing Belle's earlobe. His eyelids snapped apart and he leaned back to stare up at his son. Bae shifted his weight uncomfortably and pretended to pay more attention to the horizon than their intimate reunion. "I hate to ruin this happy moment, but it's broad daylight. On a dock. People are watching. People like me."
Belle glanced over Rumpel's shoulder to see that most of the others had wandered further down the dock, giving them privacy. Only Bae remained, looking nothing short of embarrassed. Belle bit her lip softly, sharing his humiliation. This wasn't the impression she wanted to make on Rumpel's son.
"Oh. Right," Rumpel murmured, his neck growing red. They had gotten more than a little carried away.
Rolling off of Belle, Rumpel gathered up his fallen cane and got to his feet with the aid of Bae's hand. Then he helped Belle stand, being careful not to touch her more than lacing his fingers through hers, in case they lost their senses again.
"You two were never properly introduced," Rumpel said, gesturing to his son and Belle. He was desperately searching for some way to lighten the situation. "Belle, this is my son, Baelfire. I cherish him more than he shall ever know. Bae, this is Belle, the only other true source of light in my life."
Rumpel stepped aside, letting them have a moment to interact.
"Technically, we already met," Bae reminded them. Belle kept her chin proudly raised even though the tasteless memories of Lacey infiltrated her brain. She still couldn't scrub every ounce of hairspray from her hair or rid her gums of the taste of straight-up whiskey.
"That wasn't me. Not really," Belle corrected. Rumpel kept his head bowed. Not in mourning for the loss of Lacey, but for enduring her presence in the first place. The only things he and Lacey had done together were drink whiskey and kiss, but Belle figured it hadn't felt right to him. "That girl was Lacey. A scantily-clad, bad-boy-fancying, alcoholic barfly. Truthfully, I'm not like that at all."
Rumpel lifted his eyes and she easily recognized the love he genuinely felt for her. It was foolish to think Lacey could ever take her place, even if she did occupy Belle's body for a time.
"You mean you don't usually tackle my father on a dock and kiss him within an inch of his life?" Bae retorted. Belle's cheeks glowed bright pink. Was that how it looked? Was there any hope of erasing the existence of Lacey from Bae's mind? Bae offered a half-smile and held up his hand. "Relax. It's a joke. A poor one, I'll admit."
That one was a quip. She couldn't help but see Bae's resemblance to his father. They had the same soulful brown eyes, too.
"Can we start over?" Belle proposed. She stuck out her hand, setting an example. "Hello. My name is Belle. I love books more than what is considered sane by others, I've developed an addiction to iced tea, and I've been slowly helping your father become the good man he longs to be. Your turn."
Bae chuckled at her mouthful of an introduction. As he took Belle's hand, Rumpel visibly relaxed.
"Nice to meet you, Belle," Bae said, squeezing her hand warmly. "I'm Baelfire. You can call me Bae. Or Neal. Whichever you prefer. Let's see...I've been fourteen for three centuries, which means the hormones were hell, I can no longer live without coffee or pizza, and...I am proud of my father for doing what was necessary to save my son."
With those last words, he turned to give his father a short embrace. Rumpel gasped loudly, nearly crumbling to pieces right then and there. No one ever claimed to be proud of him before.
"So am I," Belle agreed, saving a special smile for Rumpel. He had told her before he left that Henry was meant to be his undoing, but he had accepted his fate in order to save Henry. In her eyes, it was quite an honorable thing.
Bae pulled back and stretched his arms above his head. Their journey had been a long, tiring one. Belle was only thankful they had returned safely.
"Anyone in the mood for a burger?" Bae asked, glancing back and forth between Belle and his father. Everyone else was heading to the diner, anyway. "I'm starving and the only nourishment Hook had on his ship was a bottle of rum."
Belle scrunched her nose. She would never be able to take a sip of alcohol again without thinking of Lacey's abuse of it.
"I like the sound of that," Rumpel stated. He checked with Belle and she nodded eagerly. The three of them marched together along the dock, motivated by their grumbling stomachs and a desire for Granny's cooking. Rumpel tilted his head thoughtfully. "Now that I've returned alive, is there any chance I can convince Granny to give me free pickles on my burger?"
Belle patted his arm gently.
"I think you might have to beg," she whispered in his ear. He scowled, disappointed. Belle snuck small glances at Bae every now and again, still awed that he was alive. She looked forward to seeing what their relationship would bring.
...
I'm not sure why, but I felt like writing a one-shot that included Rumbelle with Bae. I know I haven't written many of those. I want to give a shout-out to those that left reviews: crazykat77, jeffsgoldenbloom, AbbieT, MistleSnow, Grace5231973, belle, and CocoRocks.
