Warning: This chapter is rather smutty, too :D But then, that really shouldn't surprise anyone.

XVI

***True Love is Unconditional***

Belle scrunched her nose in irritation as her fingers searched the cool sheets next to her. In that wonderful space between dreaming and waking, she knew something was off even if she was unable to discern exactly what. Memories of hours spent in her Rumpel's arms sent a delicious thrill curling along her spine and her eyes flying open in search of his warm body. Instead of finding him, her gaze encountered a piece of folded parchment and a single red rose. A slow smile bloomed on her lips as she unfolded the note and began to read.

Beloved –

Please forgive my absence, but I wanted to begin preparations for this evening and our imminent departure. Only that could have wrested me away from you, my love. I took the liberty of running a bath for you. The water will remain hot until you avail yourself of it. It will help soothe aching muscles and help to relax you. If you're of a mind to join me for breakfast afterward, please come to me in the library. I hope you slept well, my darling. I look forward to your company.

-Rum

She should have known nothing aside from their quest would have been able to drag him away from their cozy bed. A groan escaped her lips as she wrapped the sheet around her and swung her legs over the side of the bed, muscles she didn't know existed protesting her every movement. The bathing chamber which adjoined her room was already filled with steam, but because of his magic, there was no way to tell how long her bath had been awaiting her. A giggle escaped her smiling lips as she noticed a vial of bright pink liquid sitting on the edge of the claw foot tub, resting atop a small note which read 'use me'. She could only begin to guess what wonders it contained, but she removed the stopper and poured the oily liquid into the already scented water.

Belle discarded the sheet and slipped into the tub with a sigh, the temperature just right to soothe her aching muscles. Only when she'd settled did her sorcerer's gift begin to work its magic, creeping along her skin in a silken caress and sinking deep into her tissues to soothe away her aches and pains, leaving her lethargic and rather sleepy. There was no time, however, for her to return to her bed for a nap. Rumpelstiltskin was awaiting her, and she was more than a bit anxious to see him.

It didn't take her long to finish her bath and choose a mint green day dress from her wardrobe, tiny pink roses embroidered along the hem and cuffs which draped elegantly over the tops of her hands. It was one of her favorites and she hadn't missed the appreciative gleam in her sorcerer's eyes when she'd worn it for him the first time, his gaze drawn to her trim waist and low décolletage. It made her feel soft and feminine, womanly in the face of his armor. The bits of fabric and lace seemed to bolster her courage to proceed with her endeavor to have him, where her simple blue and white work dress did not.

Silently, her silk-slippered feet carried her down the long corridors and to the library door where she paused – a hand to her bosom – to catch her breath. Whether due to her haste or excitement to see him, she wasn't quite sure. She just knew she couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd been happier. Belle managed to stifle the giggle lingering there at the back of her throat as she crept across the room to where he stood at his workbench, carefully observing his actions as he added ingredients to the pewter cauldron, and took a seat on his stool, pulling off the dragonhide gloves and tossing them aside.

A manic giggle escaped the Dark One's lips as his Belle's arms wound about his neck from behind and her petal soft lips nipped lightly at his ear. "It's about time you came down, dearie. I was afraid you were going to sleep the day away."

"Pfft," she scoffed as he took her hands in his and drew her to stand between his legs as he turned on his stool to face her. "Surely, it's not that late."

"I've begun the potion, Belle, which means it's just past noon. Twelve hours until our departure." He chuckled at her astonishment and then again when her lip disappeared between her pearly teeth. "Did you rest well, my love?" he asked, pulling her tightly against him. He nuzzled against her neck, his lips teasing the sensitive flesh below her right ear.

Belle hummed her pleasure, her own teasing fingers toying with the ends of his hair. "Amazingly well, thank you." She leaned in at his urging, giving herself over to a lingering kiss which curled her toes and left her breathless. "And as much as I enjoyed my bath, I missed you this morning."

Rumpelstiltskin abandoned his perch and pulled her over to the settee and onto his lap. His large amber eyes were luminous and filled with heartfelt emotion as he met her gaze. "I promise … I promise it will be the last time you ever have to wake without me at your side."

"I love you, Rumpel," she whispered against his lips, her turn to kiss him senseless. "You may have to make an honest woman of me, however. We wouldn't want to set a wrong example for Baelfire." When he didn't respond, she slipped off his lap and busied herself with the tea service on the table. "I'm sorry … I didn't mean to seem forward … I –" She trailed off, cursing silently under her breath.

"Belle –"

"I didn't mean for it to sound as though I were fishing for a proposal. It doesn't matter to me if I'm your wife or your maid or the girl who sweeps out the stables. I just want to be with you." Bloody wonderful, Belle. No easier way to chase him out the door than trying to wrest a proposal from him. Why don't I just throw myself naked at his feet? Wait … I did that already. UGH!

"And I'll never understand why," he murmured, his hands curling over her shoulders to coax her back into his arms, "but I'll be forever grateful." He brushed away her tears, tilting her chin up to meet his gaze. With his free hand he delved into the pocket of his frock coat, removing the simple ruby solitaire from within, the many faceted stone flanked by a small square-cut diamond on either side. The faintest of smiles graced his lips as she looked down and then quickly swung her gaze back to his, hope alight in her cerulean eyes. "It's yours, dearest … I'm yours … if you'll have me, because I want nothing more than to be your husband."

"Yes!" she cried, flinging her arms about him and burying her face against his throat. "I would be honored to have you for my husband."

Rumpelstiltskin lifted her back onto his lap, her skirts settling around them as her knees straddled his hips, his arms wrapping securely about her waist. "I was hoping you'd say yes. Jefferson should be here within the hour with the friar from the village to marry us."

"Rumpel! I've nothing to wear," she gasped in surprise.

"What you have on is fine, sweetheart," he assured her. His lips trailed along the lacy bodice of her dress and he smiled as he felt her melt into his embrace. "More than fine for a simple ceremony. You could wear a sack and I wouldn't care. I just want you joined to me and a certificate in hand proving to anyone who asks that you're well and truly mine."

She was a bit breathless when she answered. "Then I'll make sure I include it when I pack our things." Not that she could think about making a mental list of the things she needed to pack when his mouth was paying homage to so much exposed skin and creating a fire in her belly which desperately yearned to be quenched.

He slid his hands along her sides in a slow caress as his hot mouth worried the delicate line of her clavicle. She sighed blissfully, her nails digging into the brocade covering his upper arms, pulling him closer. A low growl erupted from his throat as she squeezed his hips between her slender thighs and rubbed her aching core against his arousal. He hadn't meant to let things go so far. There were still numerous things to do before they would be ready to depart, but one glimpse of the desire burning in her cerulean gaze, one touch of her hand sneaking beneath his coat to tweak at his heated flesh, and the warmth of her womanhood burning him through his trousers, had all thought fleeing from his logical mind and leaving him a twisted mass of lust.

Belle grinned wickedly as his teeth tugged at the ribbon between her breasts, loosening her stays enough for her bodice to give way to his questing hands, and he was able to slide the soft fabric of her dress – as well as the silken straps of her shift – over her shoulders. His eyes closed as he buried his nose in the valley between her breasts, breathing her in. Her fingers carded through the hair at his temple, her gaze missing nothing as she watched him. It was almost as if he were caught in a spell of his own making and she, his most priceless treasure.

Her fingers trailed over his mottled skin with its sheen of gold just beneath the surface, so soft under her touch, lifting his face from her breasts to meet her gaze as his hands wandered her back. "You're so beautiful," she whispered reverently, ignoring the doubt in his patronizing gaze.

Rumpelstiltskin's lips turned up in a half-moon grin. "I've been called a lot of things, my love, but never beautiful."

Her lips found his, capturing the lower one between her own in a gentle kiss. "Because no one thought to look beneath your giggles and sneering countenance. They couldn't see beyond the beast." She moved her hips in a slow rocking circle, drawing a gasp from her lover. "But I adore my beast." Her eyes darkened and her voice lowered in register. "I rather like to think you saved your heart for me, just waiting for me to come along to claim it."

His ardor grew, his long spinner's fingers working their way along her ribs, higher to cup her breasts and tease the turgid peaks with his thumbs. Her head fell back as a wave of unadulterated bliss spread through her body to settle in her aching womb, causing her to clench her thighs and grind herself against him. "Yours," he hissed vehemently before his hot mouth closed over her nipple, her soft cries going straight to his groin.

"Mine! Always!" she swore, her hands losing themselves in his thick curls, holding him to her as his teeth nipped at her flesh.

Her nails trailed over the taut tendons in his neck as he fought to maintain his tenuous control, over his shoulders beneath his open collar, reveling in the texture of his skin. She would miss the green gold hue of his flesh when they arrived in the new land. She was torn. She would miss his extraordinary uniqueness, but on the other hand, she was curious as to how he would look as a normal human man. Either way, her heart was engaged, and it really wouldn't matter.

His hand crept beneath her skirt and petticoats, and she cried out at the feeling of his sharp talons along the soft sensitive flesh of her inner thighs. The other closed over her throat, the gentlest of pressure causing her eyes to fly open and seek his gaze. She stared at him, her lower lip trembling as she met the blackened gaze of the demon calmly watching her. "Tell me, dearie," he commanded in a deceptively soft tone, "do you think you've tamed the Dark One? Is that your game?"

Belle licked her lips, his eyes flicking to the darting path of her tongue with interest. She shifted her hips, seeking out his touch, urging him to move his hand where she wanted it so badly as she leaned her full weight trustingly into the hand wrapped around her throat. "Don't you want to be mine, my beloved sorcerer?" she purred silkily, arching a brow as she studied him. It would be so very easy for him to crush her throat and end her, but she was confident – literally placing her life in his hands – he wouldn't. "You own my heart … it's only fair that I should own yours, isn't it?"

His right eye twitched minutely in irritation as he inched closer, enjoying the moment of freedom to toy with the girl. "Ahh, but, precious, you need to remember I don't have one. It's the spinner's heart you've claimed so resolutely," he snarled, his breath hot against her cheek as his lips ghosted over her jaw. "I'm all about impulse and dark desire."

She shrieked in alarm as his hand briefly cupped her sex, his fingers gentle as they slipped beneath the lace of her knickers and then roughly ripped the garment from her body. He giggled lewdly as he whipped them from beneath her voluminous skirts and tossed them over his shoulder to land on the floor behind the settee. He'd managed to shock her – something he wasn't aware was possible. Nothing ever seemed to faze her or shake her obdurate courage.

His smug smile melted from his lips as her eyes narrowed with determination and her hands crept between them to the lacings of his leather trousers. He growled as her little hand reached inside the confines and wrapped around his aching cock, his teeth bared with barely restrained control as his eyes slammed shut and his head fell back against the cushions. The hand about her throat slid to her nape as he dragged her against his chest, his mouth crashing over hers as he sought to show her she did indeed belong to him. Not just the spinner, no … after centuries of loneliness, she belonged to the darkness as well.

She moaned throatily as his teeth nipped sharply at her lower lip, tasting copper. His lust, his passion, only fueled her own, her head swimming with desire. Her hand stilled for only a moment as she felt him tentatively explore her folds, his thumb pressing hard against her clit. It made her breath catch and her concentration falter, giving way to pure sensation. The hand in her hair tightened, pulling her head back, and his tongue trailed hotly down her throat, his teeth biting roughly at the crook of her neck before soothing it with his lips and tongue. Her hand resumed its controlled torture of his own heated flesh as they battled for dominance, and a sharp twist of her wrist had him gasping and growling against her breasts.

"Take me," she cried. "Claim me!"

He hesitated only a moment, his eyes raking the wrecked visage of his beloved before his hands slid beneath the sweet swell of her arse and lifted her, her own hand guiding him to her tender opening. She keened, opening herself wide to take him all in. She stared down at him with a worried frown as he whimpered, his eyes clear of the darkness and quickly filling with shame. "Oh, Belle … Belle, I'm –"

"Stop!" she commanded gently, quickly cutting him off with a finger to his lips. "I need you to move now, Rum … please." She reinforced her desire by tightening her inner muscles as she slowly raised herself. "Don't think, love … just feel."

Rumpelstiltskin – despite the guilt he was feeling for allowing the demon to escape his control – could deny her nothing, his hands steady on her hips to help guide her. He surrendered to her will as she rode his cock, her velvety tissues a sinful caress against him. Her lovely features twisted into a grimace of pleasure as she slowly climbed the precipice, long slow deep strokes which had him biting his lip as she brought him with her. And then it wasn't enough as she faltered, her inner walls fluttering madly. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her panting breath hot against his ear as his hips rose to meet hers. He drove quickly, erratically within her, reaching ever deeper to bring her to the brink.

She shattered, her cries echoing against the vaulted ceiling. He grew impossibly harder with each thrust, her core tightening and convulsing around him. His nails shredded the fabric of her skirt, the fire roared violently in the hearth, and several vials of cordials exploded on his worktable as his own climax shuddered through him, leaving him spent.

Belle rested her head against his shoulder, her fingers carding gently through his hair, soothing him as only she was able as he slowly came down from his high. "Are you alright?" she asked, peppering his jaw with kisses.

"I'm sorry, Belle. I never meant to let him out. Please forgive me," he pleaded, pinching the bridge of his nose because he was afraid to see accusation in her eyes.

She arched her back, pressing herself even closer to his chest with a purr of pure pleasure. "I love you," she whispered, closing her eyes as she nestled into his neck.

"Belle?"

"Stop apologizing, my love. You've done nothing wrong."

"But –"

Belle sighed, realizing she wouldn't be able to savor the moment as long as he was condemning himself for his actions. "Rumpelstiltskin, that was the most wonderful bout of love-making I've ever – or probably will ever – experience in my life."

"Which is a grand total of two at present count," he drawled.

"Hush," she admonished. "Just don't belittle it, please."

"But, Belle, I lost control and let the demon free –"

She groaned as he softened enough to slip out of her, bemoaning the loss of intimacy. "Rumpel, your darkness is a part of you, and I love all of you. You cannot be expected to rein it in all the time."

He still wasn't pleased with his lack of control, nor with the demon's smug satisfaction. "Well, hopefully in a land devoid of magic I won't have to worry about him slipping his leash again."

Belle shook her head. "You're not going to obsess because I enjoy both sides of your personality, are you?"

He didn't answer, turning his head away to avoid her gaze.

"Rumpel!"

He grimaced. "It's just hard to believe you like that side of me, Belle." His arms tightened about her waist to keep her in place when she huffed and tried to move off his lap. "Let me ask you something."

She cast him a curious look as his features cleared a bit. "Alright."

"For a maiden, you are the boldest little wanton I've ever encountered. Have you … er …" he stammered. "Have you ever …"

"Had sex?" she giggled when his cheeks flushed golden. "Of course, not … as you well know."

"Then … "

Belle grinned and rolled her eyes, bemused by what she was going to tell him. "I know you remember the man I was betrothed to … the lumbering ox who tried to hide me behind him that day in my father's war room."

One side of his upper lip curled into a sneer. "Oh, I remember, alright."

"Well, we didn't hit it off when he was introduced to me. He was rather put off by my intelligence. He didn't believe I should spend so much time with my nose in a book," she said disdainfully. "Of course, that only made me want to receive him in my library when he deigned to visit me."

"I bet he loved that," the imp snorted.

"Indeed," she agreed, chuckling softly. "Well, the time was inching closer and closer to our wedding day, the ogres were encroaching, and Gaston was forced to spend more time on the front lines. Somehow, he still managed to send little gifts now and then even if he wasn't able to come himself to see me." She pressed a kiss to the fluttering beat of his pulse beneath his jaw, smiling mischievously as his cock twitched against her with interest. "One of his gifts was a book. I was quite delighted, thinking he'd finally sent something I could enjoy."

"He'd finally come around to accepting your passion for reading and knowledge?" he asked in surprise.

"Not even," she said dejectedly, her ire rising. "There was a note scrawled inside the front cover. Belle, since you're so passionate about reading, I think this book will help you be equally passionate about our wedding night. I swear, once I perused the illustrations, I was scandalized. I didn't even want to think about doing those things with him."

Rumpelstiltskin clenched his teeth, his eyes narrowing menacingly. "What book?"

"The title escapes me," she evaded.

"Belle …"

"Truly, I don't recall," she caviled, her wide blue eyes catching his gaze.

He didn't believe her for a second. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the bronze vase from the table in the Great Hall where it had held the rose he'd given her for months. "Shall I transform him back into himself and ask him?" he asked, uncaring that she should find out his secret.

"Rumpelstiltskin, you didn't!"

"The title, if you please, Belle," he repeated.

"You can't leave him like this!"

"Tell me the name of the book, and I'll send him back to Avonlea none the worse for wear, and with no memory of his last few months spent as a rose," he offered generously.

"Promise?"

"Yes … and you know I always honor my deals."

"Very well. The King's Concubine," she murmured, a heated blush suffusing her face and neck.

With a snap of his fingers, the book appeared in his hand. And not just any copy of the book, but the copy she'd hidden beneath the loose floorboard in her bedroom in her father's castle so no one would ever suspect her of having it. "What surprises me, dearest," he said, his eyes widening as he took in some of the depravities illustrated in the weathered tome, "is that you didn't toss it straightaway into the fire."

"I was curious," she staunchly defended.

"And you found certain things –"

"Highly arousing." She bit her lip as heat flared in his eyes and she could feel him hardening against her once more.

"Aren't you supposed to wait until after the ceremony for such things," drawled a lazy voice from the open doorway. "Such delicious debauchery. I'm rather glad I asked the good friar to wait downstairs."

Rumpelstiltskin sent a glare at the intruder hot enough to burn him to ash as he whipped the tartan blanket off the back of the settee and covered the bare expanse of Belle's back. "Too bad you didn't wait with him, hatter!"

"And miss seeing the Dark One all vulnerable and spent?" he chuckled, pushing his hat further back on his head. "Not a chance." He ducked the fireball. "Is there any tea left?"