Scratching at his beard, along the line of his jaw, Rumald squinted his eyes at the remains of the glass counter, pondering what he was going to do with it. He had made them years ago, making them in backroom of the shop. What he was really asking himself, was whether he could be bothered to repair them or shell out the money to buy new ones, using the break in as an excuse to revamp the shop. Rumald followed the path of his itch, from the line of his jaw to the nape of his neck, pressing his lips into a thin line as he thought about it. The main problem Rumald had, with rebuilding the counters, was having enough time to make them. Jefferson had made it quite clear, that he needed Rumald's support right now. Making the counters would take a couple of days and Rumald really wanted to get the shop back to normal, instead of the bare state it was now, after he and Dove had spent the day clearing it.
Rumald dropped his hand down from his neck, choosing to think about it later, and flicked off the lights in the backroom of his shop. Walking through into the front of the shop, parting the curtain out of the way with his arm, he peered across the room to the side door, seeing the top and bottom deadbolts were slid across. He pulled his keys out of his pocket, flicking through the keys to pick out the new front door key, while he waltzed across the empty shop, his gaze on the bunch of keys in his hands. As he neared the door to shop, Rumald slowed his step, sweeping his eyes around the spacious room, feeling strange at seeing his shop so empty. Huffing a breath out of his nose, Rumald stood shaking his head at the expansive space, and then turned to the door to leave, doing his best to contain his annoyance at the situation.
After locking the front door of the shop, Rumald pocketed his keys and walked away from his shop, walking out into the street, drawn to the beacon of light across the street. He had missed his chance to see her earlier in the day, being called out by Marco, wanting to walk Rumald through the refurbishment he was doing. It had not been until Rumald had gotten back, he had received a message from her, admitting she was thinking about him, and Dove had informed him, Belle had left him some lunch in the backroom. He had smiled as he had dug into the lunch she had left him, and had replied to her message, confessing he was too. Though, while he had sat at his workbench, doing these things, the voice inside of his head had teased him, telling him that he was already putting Belle second to his work. Nearing the door to the library, the same voice mocked him, reiterating what it had said earlier to him. A stern look came across his face, as Rumald insisted to himself, 'I will not, make the same mistakes!'. Snatching open the library door, Rumald dumped his negative thoughts at the door and went inside, unable to wait any longer to see her.
The door closed behind him, keeping the negativity at bay, and Rumald stopped just inside of the library, expectantly looking for Belle in the sea of shelves. Stepping further into the library, he inclined himself forward to see through the open doorway of her office, seeing her office was shrouded in darkness. Rumald approached the circulation counter, laying his hand on top of the counter, as he roamed his eyes over the shelves again.
On hearing a strange noise, which could only be described as someone struggling, Rumald hastily took enough steps to look by the circulation desk, surprised to find a very short person, carrying a very large stack of books in front of them. The stack towered over whoever it was, balancing the top of the stack against their head. Knitting his brow together, forming deep lines across his forehead, Rumald moved closer and grabbed some of the stack from them, revealing it was Henry.
"Mr Gold!" Henry exclaimed, looking up at Rumald.
"What are you doing with all of these books?" Rumald inquired, stooping to easily grab the rest of the stack from Henry.
"I'm helping Miss French." Henry disclosed, beaming a smile, and twisted at his waist, pointing back to where he had come from, telling Rumald. "She's sorting through a delivery in the store room. I'm helping by bringing these books to the circulation desk."
Rumald put the books in his arms onto the counter, angling his head to follow the direction Henry was pointing. With his sneakers squeaking on the polished floor, Henry raced back along the aisle and stopped at the end, waving for Rumald to come, before he dashed through a door. Sauntering after Henry, he obediently followed Henry, scanning his eyes over the book spines he passed on the shelves. At the doorway, Henry had disappeared through, Rumald glanced back to where he had come from and went through the doorway, hearing wisps of voices in the short corridor.
At the end of the short corridor, Rumald found there was another door left open and looked inside, finding Henry bent over a large box. He traipsed into the room, lifting his chin to get an advantage as he spied through the racks of shelving in the store room. From the deeper inside of the store room, Rumald could hear someone else moving around, boxes being moved with a grunt of effort. Walking on his toes, desperate for more height, he tried to spot Belle through the shelving. It was no use, he could not see her, and stopped near Henry, dropping down off his tiptoes, as Henry hefted a pile of books at Rumald.
"Here you go." Henry passed the pile onto Rumald, who had no choice but to take the heavy books from Henry, fearing they were drop on his toes. "You take those to the desk."
"But…" Rumald tried to excuse himself, but Henry fiercely shoved him back and pointed to the doorway, saying. "Go! Otherwise, we won't complete Operation Bookworm before the library closes!"
"Right…" Rumald muttered unsurely, scowling at his grandson, whilst he backed up to the doorway.
Henry shook his head, as he bent over into the box and picked out another stack of books from it. Dropping his eyes to the stack of books in his hands, Rumald pivoted away from Henry and strolled out of the store room, through the small corridor, and delivered the stack of books to the circulation desk. He was baffled at him doing the bidding of a ten-year-old, but went back to the store room to find Henry waiting for him, with another large stack of books in his arms. Eyeing the young boy, Rumald took the pile of books from Henry and walked back out of the room, feeling cheated out of seeing Belle. Rumald shook his head with a small chuckle escaping him, as he went to the circulation desk to drop the books off, reminded of the time Neal was instructing Rumald on how to build a cardboard forte in the living room. He smiled ambling back to store room, fondly picturing the scene with Neal in his head.
As Rumald turned through the doorway, his step halted, his breath escaped from his chest, when he walked into the room to find Belle stood over Henry, pointing to very large sealed box at her feet, telling him. "Just this last box, Henry, but I think I can manage this one on my own."
"No, Belle." Henry leaped up, from where he was knelt on the floor, insisting to Belle. "No one gets left behind. We'll complete Operation Bookworm together!"
"Why you have to make everything an 'operation', I'll never understand." Belle said to Henry, placing her hand on his shoulder. "But I appreciate the help."
"It's okay. Mr Gold's helping now, too." Henry commented to Belle, kneeling down to the sealed box to open it, ripping the tape from the box.
Belle had a questioning look on her face, as she looked down at Henry, inclining her head to the side to try and see Henry's face. "Mr Gold?"
Taking this as his cue to join the conversation, Rumald ambled into the room, clasping his hands behind his back. Belle must have heard his quiet footsteps, because after he had taken two steps, she raised her gaze from Henry to meet his gaze. The slight lines on her forehead disappeared, whilst a smile quickly developed on her face, lighting up her eyes. Seeing her smile at him, made all his worries for the shop, for Jefferson, for Neal, and his own niggling thoughts of insecurities, melt away to nothing. The corners of his own lips, partially turned up to form a smile, as he stepped around Henry to get closer to Belle.
"Hi." She uttered on a breath.
His hand itched to touch her, to caress her cheek with his fingers, but Rumald resided himself to returning her simple greeting. "Hi."
"Here." Henry insisted stated, as he clambered up onto his feet, clutching a pile of books to his chest, and forced them at Rumald.
Stooping in height, Rumald fumbled to take the pile of books from Henry, his eyes wide with panic, trying not to drop the books. With a steady hand on the top of the stack, he glared at the back of Henry's head, toying with the thought of throwing a book at his grandson. From beside him, Rumald heard the sounds of a smothered laugh and looked at Belle, who was covering her smirk with her hand, her shoulders shook with her laughter. He gave her a pointed look with his lips drawn into a tight line. Belle lowered her hand, unmasking her smile to him, and inclined her head to the side, silently urging him to see the funny side. Rolling his eyes at her, Rumald wandered out of the room, glimpsing back to Belle before he went through the doorway into the small corridor.
Rumald grunted at the weight of the books in his arms, crooking his head to the side, he took a gander at the pile of books. It was a mix assortment of books, from thin fiction novels to large textbooks, the latter explaining the weight. Hefting the pile onto the circulation desk, Rumald slammed his hand on the top of the stack, just in time, saving the tall stack from spilling all over the floor. He broke the stack into three, stacking the two new stacks beside the original stack. About to walk back to the store room, Rumald noticed there were a few books scattered on the floor, on the other side of the counter, and strolled round the counter to pick them up, discarding them to one of the several stacks on the counter.
"Thank you, Henry." Belle said to Henry in front of her, as the pair came to the other side of the counter.
"Can I help out tomorrow too?" Henry eagerly inquired, while he put the books he carried onto the counter.
She smiled at him, as she unloaded her pile of books to the counter, telling Henry. "Course, you can."
Henry grinned at Belle and said to her. "I better get going. My grandma's probably waiting for me at the station."
"Okay." Belle placed her hand on Henry's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Later, Mr Gold." Henry said over his shoulder to Rumald, hurrying to the bench in the entryway, where he had left his coat and backpack.
Following his grandson with his eyes, Rumald parted his overcoat and tucked his hand into pocket of his pants, as he placed his other hand on the end of the counter, watching Henry put on his coat. Belle sauntered pass in front of him, giving him a cheeky look as she walked by him, and came around him to head into her office behind Rumald. His eye was caught by Belle and Rumald partial turned, observing the back of her enter her office. Henry slung his backpack onto his shoulder, curiously watching the interaction between Rumald and Belle, as he walked backwards into the library door, opening the door enough for him to slip out of it.
As soon as Henry was gone, Rumald trailed after Belle into her office, touching the door as he entered to open it wider, coming into her office whilst she flicked her hair out of the collar of her coat. Resting his shoulder against the wall, the corners of his lips quirked up at the sight of her, not knowing anything more beautiful than she was.
"Sorry, I wasn't there this morning." Belle said to him, her face showing her remorse. "I go for a run in the mornings and I was hoping to be back before you woke up."
"It's no bother. I had things to do." He dismissed her apology, clasping his hands in front of himself.
She wrapped her scarf around her neck, saying to him. "Yeah, Dove said, you were out on business, when I popped over earlier."
"Had to go and see Marco about a house." Rumald shared with her, while his eyes descended down her body to her stocking clad legs, studying the perfectly defined curve at the back of her calves.
Belle supported herself with a hand on her desk, whilst she bent over, grabbing the handles of her handbag to pick it up, saying to Rumald as she righted herself. "Do you want to go and get some dinner together?"
"I'd loved to." He answered immediately, pushing himself away from the wall, as she shifted her feet to face her desk, collecting her things to put into her handbag.
"Good." Belle grinned at him. "Then I've got to go and see Regina."
"Regina?" He questioned with his eyebrows looming down over his eyes.
She waved her hand through the air, which was holding her phone, explaining to him. "She called me last week, asking if I'd be in her Christmas exhibition."
"Did she now?" Rumald posed the question to her, raising an eyebrow at her.
Her shoulders raised and fell at him, while she tossed her phone into her handbag and closed her handbag, and then ambled over to him, saying. "Yeah, she's getting all the dancers together tonight, to discuss whose partnering with who and what dance we'll be doing."
Scrutinising her under his gaze, Rumald said to her. "Not sure, I like the idea of you dancing with someone else."
"You could always come with me and be my partner again." Belle suggested to him, stood in front of him, her head slanted to the side.
"Hmm…" He murmured with his lips pursed together. "I think," Rumald paused, raising his hand up to hold his finger up into the air. "Instead of you going to see Regina," He flicked his finger at her, indicating her as he said. "You should come home with me."
"Should I…?" She smiled at him.
"Oh, yes." Rumald persuaded her closer by pulling at the flaps of her coat. "You definitely should."
Her bag thudded on the floor after Belle dropped it, so she could sling her arms around his neck, asking him. "And what would we be doing at your house?"
"A gentleman never shares those kind of details." He scolded her, while he wrapped his arms around her, peeping into the gap in her blouse, at the bare skin of her chest underneath.
"Well, that's disappointing." She told him, pouting her lower lip at him.
Leaning his head forward, positioning his mouth close to her right ear, Rumald whispered to her. "But I'm more than willing to show you."
Retracting his head back, enough so he could see her, Rumald had a sultry smile on his lips as he met her gaze with his eyes. Her chest heaved at his whispered proposition. He unwrapped his right arm from around her and raised his hand to gently touch under her chin, persuading her to raise her chin, allowing him easy access to her lips. Slowly Rumald eased his face closer to hers, listing his head to the side, and leisurely pressed his lips to hers. As he kissed her, Rumald slipped his arm back around her, hauling her closer to his body, wanting to feel all of her at the same time. A small moan came from Belle, as Rumald teased at her lips, nipping and sucking at her lower lip. He smiled, grasping at the back of her coat, whilst Belle cupped her hand to the back of his head, scraping her nails at his scalp.
"Belle? Are you here?" Questioned a male voice.
Belle snatched her lips away from Rumald and went up onto her tiptoes, holding onto the lapels of Rumald's overcoat for support, while she spied over Rumald's shoulder into the library. "Dad?"
"I just came…" Rumald uncoiled his arms from around Belle and edged round to see Maurice, stood in the doorway to Belle's office. "What's he doing here?"
"What do you want, dad?" Belle ignored her father's question.
"What're you doing with Mr Gold?" Maurice glared at Rumald.
Belle stepped forward, putting herself in front of Rumald, forcing her father to look at her. "What do you want, dad?"
Rumald returned Maurice's glare, easily able to see Belle's father, even with Belle stood in front of him, as Maurice said to Belle. "I wanted to invite you round for dinner, so we could talk."
"We talked already. Remember?" Belle pushed back the flaps of her coat, shoving her hands onto her hips as she spoke to her father. "You told me, I had to get back with Gaston, and I told you, over my dead body, and I walked out."
"Fine, if you don't want to be Gaston, I'm okay with that. But…" Maurice savagely pointed his finger at Rumald. "I forbid you from seeing him!"
Belle laughed. "Forbid me? What am I? Thirteen?" Shaking her head at her father, she told him. "I'm a grown woman, dad! I can make my own decisions!"
"Do you not know what sort of man he is? The things he does to people! The things he will do to you!" Maurice pleaded with Belle, moving through the doorway towards Belle.
"I'd never do anything to Belle!" Rumald barked at Maurice, gently moving Belle aside to confront her father.
Maurice wore a look of disgust on his face, as he spat at Rumald. "You've done enough already! You've ruined her!"
"Have I?" Rumald questioned, turning his head to look at Belle and then switched his gaze back to Maurice, throwing at Maurice as he gestured wildly with his hands. "I haven't made her do anything, she's not wanted to do! I've not traded her future happiness to pay of my debts! And, unlike you, I've only encouraged her to go after what she wants, whether that's with me or someone else, I don't care! I just want her to be happy!"
"You've filled her head with all this nonsense!" Maurice accused, shoving his finger at Rumald.
"Nonsense? Wanting her to be happy, is nonsense?" Rumald's brow pressed heavily down over his eyes, as he tightly clenched his hands into fists at his sides.
Belle touched Rumald's shoulder, earning his attention, while his gaze stayed glued to her father, as she said. "Rumald, he's not worth it."
"See?" Maurice waved his hand at his daughter. "She'd never say that about me! You've brainwashed her!"
"Brainwashed me?" Belle queried her father.
Maurice stepped closer to Belle, reaching out to touch her arm, as he beseeched her. "Belle, you have to believe me! He doesn't care about you, like Gaston does!" Rumald made a 'pfft' sound at Maurice comment. "He's just told you what you wanted to hear, to turn your head, and once he's done with you, he'll only toss you aside like so many before." Maurice waved his hand, gesturing to the door behind him. "Ask anyone in town, Belle! He uses people and, sadly Belle, you've fallen under his spell!"
"I have no intention of using Belle." There was a sinister tone to Rumald's voice as he spoke.
"No…" Maurice's gaze studied his daughter's face. "I'm afraid, she's already given you what you wanted. Can't believe my Belle would be so easily conned, by a beast like you." He shook his head in disappointment. "Duped into whoring herself to you."
There was a cry of his name, however Rumald had gladly given himself to his own darkness, breaking the promise to himself, and launched himself at Maurice. Lunging for the bigger man, Rumald shoved Maurice backwards into the library, out of the doorway, purposely striding after Maurice, who stumbled helplessly backwards into the circulation desk. The edge of the counter caught Maurice across his back, sending Maurice down onto his knees. Uselessly, Maurice reached behind him, to nurse the pain in his back, groaning down at the floor. Rumald grabbed Maurice, by the collar of his coat, and yanked him up and onto his feet, briefly catching the look of shock on Maurice's face, and then threw the heavier man at the counter again.
"Rumald, don't!" Belle cried behind him, as Rumald positioned himself above Maurice, restraining Belle's father onto the counter, with a tight grip around his throat, choking the breath out of him.
Seething, Rumald hissed at Maurice. "You should be ashamed of yourself! You're the one, who treated her like a whore, trading her to Gaston for money!"
There was no response from Maurice, apart from the gurgles of him desperately trying to suck in a breath, his face reddening from the lack of oxygen. Urgently, Maurice clawed at Rumald's hand, frantic to relieve the pressure around his throat. Seeing the pathetic man underneath him, did not make Rumald feel sorry for him, or remorse for his actions. Rumald's top lip curled into a snarl, wanting to snuff out the wretched excuse for Belle's father. Constricting Maurice's throat, further squeezing his wind pipe, Rumald leant his weight onto right hand, aiding his hand in ending Maurice's existence. He hated him. Hated Maurice more than he had anyone in his life, including the poor example Rumald had had for a father. Belle deserved better, should have had a father, who put her own needs before their own. Did not use her like an object to be owned.
"Stop!" Belle screamed her plead into Rumald's ear.
At hearing her plead, Rumald snapped his head to look at her, breaking the spell over him, and became aware of Belle wrenching at his overcoat, attempting to get him off of her father. He turned his gaze back to her father, whose face was turning a deep shade of red. Maurice's eyes were fluttering, unconscious on the brink of taking him, whilst his eyes began to slowly roll back into his head. Rumald released his grip from Maurice's throat, and staggered back from Maurice, drawn away by Belle heaving at his shoulders. Maurice slipped off the counter and collapsed into a heap on the floor, and clutched his hand to his throat, wheezing loudly for breath.
"Father!" Belle yelled as she dropped to her knees, assisting her father to sit up.
Rumald stumbled back until he was pressed up the wall to her office, observing them in front of him on the floor. His whole body quivered with his unspent temper. Squeezing his eyes shut, he hung his head low, concentrating on taking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly, soothing his internal cry for retribution. He tried to ignore, how good it felt, how powerful he felt, crushing the life out of Maurice, making him pay for all the wrongs he had done to Belle. If he had not convinced himself, of this morbid ideal of being good, Rumald would have gladly accepted his punishment for killing Maurice, but… To lose Belle, which he may have already done, would be too high of a price for Rumald.
"Are you okay?" She asked her father, inspecting his neck, whilst she softly touched the bright red mark covered his throat.
"I think so." Maurice croaked out a response.
"Then I want you to leave." Belle informed him, as she got up from the floor to stand over him.
Maurice titled his head back, gazing up at his daughter, rasping out her name. "Belle?"
"Leave." She ordered, pointing to the door.
Lifting his head and opening his eyes, Rumald looked up as Maurice scaled up the counter, hauling himself up from the floor, staring daggers across at Rumald. He returned Maurice's glare with one of his own. Infusing all of his anger and hatred into that one look. Belle stood her ground, her finger pointing strongly at the door, while her father moved his glared to her, wandering pass her to follow the path she had pointed out to him. Her father pressed his hand to the library door, glimpsing back at them, and pushed open the door to leave the library, choosing with that last look to walk away from his daughter. Rumald had seen it before, when his father had given him one last look before getting into his car, abandoning him on the doorstep of his aunts.
As the door to the library closed, Belle spun round and came over to the Rumald, inquiring as she approached him, reaching her hands out to touch him. "Are you okay?"
"Don't." He commanded, batting her hands away.
"It's okay, Rumald." She encouraged, trying again to touch him.
Rumald caught her hands by her wrists, preventing her hands from making contact with him, as he lowered his head, begging her. "Please don't touch me."
"Why?" Belle requested a reason.
"I don't want to hurt you." He admitted to her, feeling the thrill of his temper coursing through his veins.
"You're not going to hurt me, Rumald." She stated to him and clasped his wrists in her hands, completing the connection between them, provoking him to suck in a deep breath, inflating his chest, and lifted his head to look at her.
The rush of his anger simmered at the calming influence of her touch. Relaxing back against the wall behind him, Rumald slumped in height, bringing him to the perfect eye level with Belle. She showed him a soft smile, tipping her head to the side, as she easily removed her one of her wrists from his hold and laid her hand onto his cheek, caressing his cheek with her thumb. Taking a shuddering breath, he felt another wave of ease run through him, compelling his darkness back into his depths.
"I don't believe you could ever hurt me." Belle imparted to him.
Angling his face into her hand, Rumald craved more contact with her, and cupped her hand with his hand, firmly pressing the palm of her hand into his cheek. No one had been able to lull his inner beast, taming the darkness back into the depths of him. Normally, Rumald could only quieten the inner howls of his fury by destroying things, punishing those around him, and releasing his wrath on anyone who crossed him. However, as he looked into Belle's kind eyes, Rumald did not feel the need to do any of those things, tempered with the simple touch from her.
