XIV

***True Love's Kiss***

His entire body threatened to shut down as Belle's petal soft lips touched his for the first time. It wasn't a fleeting brushing or ghosting as she'd allowed him before. Not this time. No, it was firm and lasting and beautiful. He could swear he could hear the sound of shattering glass as the darkness fell away from his heart, light flooding through him in an almost painful cataclysm, joy surging through his veins. The Dark One howled in agony, fighting for control, desperately sinking his talons into the spinner to retain his grip on his soul.

Before the magic could wrest the demon from him, Belle drew away, her fingers tugging on the ends of his hair. The slight pain wrenched him back to the present, allowing his curse to maintain its foothold. Her smile was radiant as she looked up at him, her right hand caressing his cheek. "Now do you believe?" she asked breathlessly as she watched the pink flesh wavering over his face settle back into the green-gold of the Dark One.

"You stopped," he accused. His knees buckled, and he dropped like a stone to the hearth rug, dragging her down with him. She never let go, her grip tightening on him. "Why? Why did you stop?"

"I needed to show you, we do indeed share true love, Rumpel. I had no intentions of taking your curse from you," she explained, her lips trailing over his jaw as his hands came to rest on her hips, drawing her closer. "You need your magic."

Rumpelstiltskin buried his face against the curve of her ivory throat, breathing heavily as he continued his struggle against his inner demon. "I need you, Belle." He didn't like what was happening to him, that battle raging within. The demon was nearly frantic to reestablish its dominance over his host and it was one of the most discomfiting things he'd ever experienced. Yet, with effort, he managed to reassure her. "I could feel you … your love wrapping itself around my heart. I don't want to let go of it."

He shivered as her nails scratched lightly over his nape. "You don't have to, Rum. It's yours … it's always been yours," she whispered, pressing her lips to that sweet spot below his ear. "I love you, Rumpelstiltskin … all of you."

A low animalistic rumbling deep in his chest was her only warning before she found herself pressed back into the hearth rug, her arms pinned above her head in her sorcerer's steely grip. "Why, dearie? How can you love me when even now I'm trying in vain to keep the demon from you," he growled fiercely, his eyes nearly black now as his face came ever closer to hers.

Belle gasped, her own eyes darkening, though not with the fear he expected. Instead of cringing away from the hand which came to rest against her slim throat, she arched her body into his. Not only did she make it clear she wasn't afraid of him, but that she wanted him as well. "It's part of who you are, your curse. If I reject the Dark One, it would be comparable to telling you I love you conditionally, and I can't do that." Her voice dropped to a husky register. "I love … want … every part of you, Rumpelstiltskin. You are mine."

His lips crashed over hers, and she whimpered happily as his tongue invaded her mouth. He felt so unbelievably confused. The darkness within him ebbed and flowed the longer he kissed her, the demon seeking to merge with him instead of fighting against him. It was then he realized the entity which had sought to control him for so many centuries had found something he wanted more … Belle. The Dark One felt accepted by her, wanted by her, loved by her. For the first time since the curse had been created by that do-gooder sorcerer, he'd found acceptance. He retreated minutely, willingly surrendering control to his host while reaping all the benefits.

"Rumpel," she breathed feverishly against his lips when he withdrew enough to allow her breath. "Your curse, darling … you shouldn't –"

His lips trailed over her cheek to the smooth curve of her jaw as his thumb caressed the hollow of her throat. "Shh, dear one. All will be well when it comes time to cast the spell. I-" He groaned as she wrapped her leg over his hip, pressing herself closer. His head dropped to her shoulder, trying to calm the unadulterated lust surging through him. "Belle …"

Belle struggled against his hold, and he instantly released her, not having realized he'd still had her trapped in his grasp. Her arms wound about his shoulders, her hands exploring the contours of his skin as she pulled his cravat off and tossed it aside. "So … I can kiss you as much as I'd like now?" she asked, a rosy blush settling in the apples of her cheeks.

"I-If you like," he murmured hesitantly. Rumpelstiltskin still couldn't fathom how she could want him in his cursed state – or as he'd been before, for that matter – but he would deny her nothing. "If you want me, Belle … I'm yours. Everything I am … is yours."

A darkly mischievous smile curled her lips as she pushed at his shoulders, flipping him onto his back to stare up at her with a startled expression. Her fingers twined with his, her turn to hold his hands captive above his head. He was too stunned to move. Her legs straddled his hips, her slender form a delicious weight against his turgid arousal. "My Rumpel," she declared possessively as her lips sought his once more. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to be able to touch you like this."

Rumpelstiltskin felt as if he'd fallen into one of the many dreams he'd had of her in the past months. She wanted him, loved him, and it was almost too good to be true. The Dark One growled in warning in the deep inner recesses of his mind, telling him not to let his doubts ruin the most perfect experience of his life. For once, he listened to the demon's advice and relaxed beneath her touch. He shivered as her hands disentangled from his and mapped a slow path down his arms to his chest where she popped the clasps on his waistcoat.

"What are you doing?" he gasped against her mouth.

Belle chuckled lowly, her lips moving to suckle gently at his rapidly beating pulse point. "What does it look like?"

He caught her hands as they moved to the buttons on his shirt. "It appears as if you're trying to get me naked."

She blushed deeply, but her wicked smile never faltered. "How very astute of you, my love," she teased. She lowered her head to his chest, her lips hot on his skin as she kissed each new bit of flesh she revealed.

He ignored the intense sparks of fire along his every nerve ending as her tongue darted out to lick one flat nipple, his hands grasping the trailing ends of his shirt and pulling it closed over his chest. "Belle!"

She dropped her hands to her lap, her wide startled gaze meeting his up close as he sat up beneath her and gripped her upper arms, giving her a minute shake. "I'm sorry … did I do it wrong?" she asked, concerned over his rejection. "Rumpel, do you not want this … me?"

"What?! Of course, I want you," he insisted, gaping at her incredulously. "But I want to make sure this is what you want, Belle." Now that his internal struggle had waned, he needed to assure himself he wasn't taking advantage of her.

Belle relaxed once more at his affirmation, and wrapped her arms about his neck, pressing her brow to his. "We've been teasing one another for the better part of a month, Rumpel, and I've wanted you for far longer than that."

"H-How long?" he asked, drawing in a ragged breath as her nails ghosted over his fevered flesh, slipping beneath his open shirt to push it off his shoulders. Gods, she was going to be the death of him!

"Since the thief? William something or other … I forget his name."

"The brigand who stole the Scepter of Alexandria to give to his paramour so she'd accept his suit? That one?" he asked dryly, his jaw clenching tightly at the memory.

"Yes, him. It was rather foolish of him to set his sights on such a vain monarch, but his heart was in the right place, and she truly did love him."

Rumpelstiltskin's hands settled on her hips, his fingers drawing patterns over the soft velvet of her peignoir. "What's he to do with anything?" he grumbled.

Her fingers smoothed over the lines on his brow, ridding him of his deep frown. "It was the first time you let me in. Even though you scoffed and argued that love was fleeting and power was eternal, you let him go … because I asked you to. You even let him keep the scepter to woo his girl." She pressed her lips to his, kissing him deeply. "You gave me hope, and then you brought me home and gave me a library."

"Well, I thought if you had this room to occupy your time – aside from your chores, that is – you would keep that pert little nose out of my affairs."

She pursed her lips to hide her grin. "Of course, darling. But it was the first time I felt something for you … here," she said, taking his hand and laying it over her heart. "And I wanted more. So much more."

His dark heart swelled with more love than he'd ever thought imaginable, his hands lifting to cup her beautiful face. "Oh, Belle … I would have done anything for you, even then." His lips met hers softly, reverently. "I just never thought you'd ever feel this way about me."

"Anything?" she purred, her hands trailing over his bare chest to the taut plane of his stomach. She reveled in the way his muscles contracted under her touch.

He nodded fervently. "Anything you desire, my Belle."

"This is our last night … here in our home before we leave to begin a whole new future together," she whispered, holding his gaze. She knew he didn't take his promises lightly, and she wanted to make herself as clear as possible. "I want to spend this night in your arms, Rumpelstiltskin. I want you to show me how much you love me."

"I do love you, Belle … so much, but are you sure? If you wait until we get to this new land you won't have to go to bed with a monster."

She threaded her fingers in his hair, her gaze soft, warm, but more than a little determined. She was well aware of how he saw himself, but now she needed to show him how she saw him through her own eyes, how she felt about him in her heart of hearts. "You have never been a monster to me, Rumpel … never. I love you … all that you are … and I want you."

He was powerless to resist her as her lips met his. She enveloped him in her arms, her scent wrapping around him, her love chasing away his fears. He just prayed he wouldn't disappoint her.

*.*.*

"Regina? Are you in here?" Snow called as she knocked softly on her stepmother's door and poked her head inside the queen's lavishly appointed bedchamber.

Regina wore a satisfied smirk as she waved Snow into the room. "Hurry, Snow, or you're going to miss it!"

Snow wore a puzzled frown as she hurried across the room, her feet silent on the thick carpet. She didn't hesitate to climb onto the immense bed and settle at Regina's side, but her mouth fell open in shock as she followed the queen's gaze to the mirror on the wall. "Is that –"

"Rumpelstiltskin and his little paramour," Tink gushed, hugging a pillow to her chest, a winsome smile gracing her lips. "And about time, too!"

"What's that girl thinking, going about half dressed?" Regina asked of no one in particular as she sipped from her glass of wine. "Has she no sense of modesty? Rumpelstiltskin may be a lot of things, but the poor man has an iron will not to have ravished the dear girl by now."

Snow arched a brow at her stepmother. "As if you were the sole of propriety," she giggled.

"Shh, they're talking about the spell," the former fairy hushed them. "He should discover any second –"

A roar of outrage emitted from the mirror, causing all three women to visibly cringe. "Oh, he doesn't look at all happy," Regina said, stating the obvious.

"Well, we all suspected he'd lose his temper," Tink said.

They watched, brows raised as the little maid argued gently with the Dark One and raised up on her toes to kiss him. Regina gasped as his skin began to waver between the lightly tanned flesh of a man and the mottled green-gold flesh of the sorcerer.

"No! She wasn't supposed to kiss him yet! He's going to need his magic for the spell," she wailed.

"Wait!" Snow cried. "Look! He's changing back into the Dark One. Were we wrong about her?"

Tinkerbell narrowed her gaze on the girl, listening closely to her softly uttered words. "No, she is in truth his true love. Otherwise, he wouldn't have begun to change. She was just smart enough to pull away when she did … to give him the choice. Oh, she's clever."

Regina sat back and drained her glass, relieved their plan hadn't backfired. "She'd have to be. Rumpelstiltskin is no fool."

Snow blushed and looked away from the mirror as the Dark One and his maid's embrace grew more heated. "Um … we really shouldn't be watching now."

The queen emitted a rather unladylike snort and Tink giggled as the mirror went dark. It hadn't taken her long to convince the fairy to spy on Rumpelstiltskin. Thankfully, the reflective glass in the cut crystal vase on the library's mantle had worked just as well as a mirror. "We've seen enough anyway."

"Yes, they're going to be so happy together," Tink sighed, glad she hadn't been wrong about the mage and his maid.

Snow rose from the bed with a yawn, ready to return to her own room. "Well, I'm going to bed. Charming wants to make an early start of it in the morning."

"Are you sure you won't stay for a few more days?" Regina asked. Now that she had the chance to really get to know her stepdaughter, she hated to see her return home so soon.

The ebony haired princess shook her head regretfully. "I have a wedding to plan and a father in law to thwart. Busy, busy," she chuckled. "But you're welcome in Longborne anytime, Regina."

"I may just have to take you up on that invitation." She smiled at Snow as the girl took her leave before turning back to Tink. "So, do you think Rumpel will find his son in this new land?"

The fairy rose from the bed, intent on finding her own rest for the evening. "The coin I gave him tonight will insure that he does."

Regina laid back on the mountain of pillows resting against the headboard and sighed, pleased with the turn of events. Second chances were truly an unexpected gift.

A/N: Well, well, Belle has laid her cards on the table and Rum knows exactly what she wants. Thankfully, he's willing to give his beloved what she wants. Did you like Regina's spying? She simply couldn't help herself, dearies. She had to make sure Rum was on the right track :D Thank you all so much for reading, loves.