His family noticed the change in Rumple when he returned from Avonlea. He seemed lost in a way no one could identify. The twins tried playing a few pranks just to get a laugh from him. He did smile, but it was a hollow reaction. Bae invited him to go on a few trips aboard the Destiny. He accepted, but it was clear his mind was worlds away. Dale and the other Hatters invited him on trips too, with the same result.
None of them had seen him like this. He didn't say what was bothering him, but it wasn't too hard to guess. Tiger Lily asked him about it one morning at breakfast.
"So, who is she?" Tiger Lily asked.
"Someone you met in Avonlea?" Bae asked.
"Who said anything about meeting anyone?" Rumple hoped it wasn't that obvious.
"We've known you this long," Dale answered. "It isn't th- that hard to guess what you're feeling."
"Mama's been gone a long time," Bae added. "I think it's wonderful that you're falling in love again."
"Grandpa's in love?" Raibeart asked. "Yuck!"
"He's too old to fall in love," Hildy added.
Wendy was appalled at her two youngest.
"I thought you two had better manners than that," she scolded.
"But Mama, he's past three hundred!" Raibeart said, as if he couldn't believe he was the only one to see how disgusting that was.
"And to people in our family, that's nothing," Bae reminded them. "Now remember your manners and apologize to your Grandpa."
"Sorry, Grandpa," they said together. Then Hildy added "It would be fun having a new Grandma."
"Gods help her, being a grandmother to you two," Rumple told them.
Dale noticed Jefferson hiding a snicker.
"You were no less love s-sick when you met Priscilla," he reminded him. Then he turned back to his best friend. "You sh- should invite her here. The Pixie Hollow Games are coming up. Why not ask her to come?"
"I could," Rumple admitted.
"So why d- don't you?"
That was a good question.
"We're barely even friends," Rumple answered.
"If you d- don't see her again, you'll never be know if you might have been more," Dale told him.
See her again? It was more like he was never not seeing her, even when she wasn't near him.
"There's also the fact that her father is hardly thrilled with how I solved their problem with the Ogres, and she's clearly close with him."
"Is she the kind to always be obedient to her father?" Fiona asked. Rumple smiled at that.
"Hardly. She's as independent a lady as they come."
"So, is there a reason for not letting it be her choice?" Tiger Lily asked.
There really wasn't. It couldn't hurt to ask her to come. Of course, she would be well chaperoned. A lady had her reputation to think about, and he wouldn't want gossip about her. He sent her the letter, inviting her to come. The reply came saying she would be coming and included the date she expected to arrive.
"Are you going to be busy when Lady Belle comes?" Hildy asked.
"Well, I'll try to be a good host. I'll show her around the gardens-"
"I notice there are twice as many roses as there used to be," Jefferson commented.
"Well, the garden talents seem to enjoy them," Rumple said, shrugging it off. "And she loves to read, so I'll show her the library."
"Which is much larger than it used to be," Jefferson teased.
"Of course. We can't have the students keep reading the same thing again and again," Rumple said with growing annoyance. "And she might enjoy the ballroom." He smiled at the memory of dancing with her.
"We don't have a ballroom," Hildy said. "We've always gone to the village for dances."
"We do now," Rumple told her, ignoring Jefferson's smirk.
He continued to act as if this was just a friend visiting, but the day she was supposed to arrive, he watched out a tower window for her. When she and her group appeared coming towards the castle, he turned and sprinted to the stairs.
"Rumple?" Jefferson called after him.
"What?" Rumple paused half a second to ask.
"You do remember you can just transport yourself to the door?"
Rumple glared at him before disappearing, leaving Dale to elbow his descendant in the ribs.
"What was that for?"
"No one teased you when you and Pr- Priscilla got married, did they? And you would have lost her if not for him, because of your own f- foolishness."
Jefferson shut up at that. He was still as much in love with his wife as ever, and he did owe Rumple her life. Dale felt sure his great several times over grandson would leave Rumple alone now, but with the castle so full of people and with Belle having her mother and maid with her, it would be almost impossible for the couple to have any time to themselves. He'd have to see what he could do about that.