XXVIII

Let Me In

Rumpelstiltskin sighed as he unlocked the bottom door of his potions cabinet nestled in a corner of the library. The vial containing the True Love potion made from his and Belle's hair glowed a vibrant cornflower blue and pulsed with a life of its own where it was nestled on a black velvet cushion. He plucked it from its resting place and cradled it in his palm as he straightened. The potion inside, sensing what he was, reached out, trying to touch him through the glass vessel. It was curious. The potion made from the White princess and her shepherd hadn't responded to him in such a way. Were there layers of True Love's Magic of which he wasn't aware? Was the love he and Belle shared stronger than others? It was something he wouldn't mind studying.

With Belle at his side. She'd returned to him, and he never wanted to lose her again. As long as she wished to stay with him, she would be welcome in his home. He shivered at the pleasure the thought brought him. There would be no more hiding from his beloved. If that was what she wanted. He'd never be able to build a relationship with her if there were secrets between them.

The mage hung his head in shame that it had taken so long to trust her. Yet, it had taken seeing her walk through the castle gates that evening to realize she was choosing him. He'd never been chosen before, not for himself. For his magic, and before as fodder for the ogres in the war, or a distraction for his father's cons, but no, never for himself. Why the evidence in his hand of her love hadn't been enough, he couldn't fathom. And what the hell was taking her so long to fetch tea?! Here he was cooling his heels, ready to profess all to her, and she was dawdling in the bloody kitchen!

He was working himself up into a fine state of panic when he heard the hinges creak on the door at the bottom of the stairs, and he was glad he'd never gotten around to oiling them as Belle had asked. It gave him time to try to pull himself together before she joined him … though not much. His mouth went dry as she stepped into the room with a tea tray and a small basket over her arm, and it had nothing to do with her offerings.

She'd taken the time to have her bath – no doubt wanting to scrub the road dust from her skin – and don the green, gray and purple plaid flannel nightgown he'd given her for Yuletide. Her hair was swept up into a messy bun atop her head, a few damp tendrils having escaped to frame her lovely face, but it was the ebony silk robe she wore which garnered his attention.

Rumpelstiltskin pointed a long finger in her direction as he gaped at his little dearie. "Is that mine?"

"Hmm?" she asked, setting her burden down on the coffee table.

"My robe, dearie," he murmured drolly. "I'd wondered where …" He shivered at the thought of her wearing his clothes, curled up in her bed at night, his scent surrounding her. He stepped up behind her as she straightened, one hand resting possessively at her hip. "Little thief. However shall I punish you, hmm?"

Belle giggled and took his hand, leading him around the table to the settee. "Talk now … punishment later," she teased.

Oh, she's a confident little thing, isn't she?

"Truth be told," she said, pouring tea into his chipped cup, "I took it to put a monogram on the pocket … as one of your Yuletide gifts." A blush crept up into her cheeks. "But I found I rather liked it, and it's not like you wear it very often. I didn't think you'd miss it."

And he hadn't. Not to mention, it looked much better on her. "If you needed it to keep you warm, Belle, I would have gotten one for you."

Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she peered at him over the rim of her cup. "I like yours better."

"Cheeky wench."

"Yes, but I'm your cheeky wench," she retorted playfully.

He averted his gaze and set his cup down on the tray. "Are you?" he mumbled lowly.

Belle reached into the basket and retrieved one of the cherry pastries from within. Before he could protest, she crawled across the short space between them and settled herself onto his lap. His chest tightened, his eyes widened, and he didn't know what to do with his bloody hands. She was making it quite a habit of late, and he was always afraid of being too forward, of touching her inappropriately where she'd stop altogether. He opted to leave one resting on the arm of the settee and the other just below her knee. That couldn't be misconstrued, could it?

She held the pastry to his lips. "Mrs. Newman said these were made with the first cherries of the season. I thought they might soothe you for our talk. You always seem more agreeable with a full belly."

"Bel –"

His little dearie slipped the pastry past his lips, cutting off his protests. Then he forgot about scolding her as the sweet mixture of cherries and sugar and flaky crust combined to tease his taste buds. A slow smile curled his lips and his arm crept around behind her, pulling her closer.

"You're going to make me fat," he mumbled.

"Pfft!" Belle offered him another bite. "Now, I need to tell you something and I don't want you to fly into a rage. Promise?"

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "No."

Belle reached for another pastry, but he caught her wrist before she could bring it to his mouth. "Alright. Will you promise to let me finish before flying into a rage?"

"Just tell me!"

Belle pursed her lips and shot him a pointed look. She knew his curiosity would eventually win out. When he continued to be stubborn, she moved to get off his lap. His arm shot out and curled around her legs, keeping her in place.

"Fine! I promise," he growled petulantly.

"Thank you." She settled herself against his chest and offered the pastry once more, happy he didn't take a finger with it when he bit into it. "I was rather angry with you when I left this morning, but the walk down the mountain gave me time to think about a great many things. By the time I passed the road to Stratfordshire, I'd decided what I wanted to do, but I hadn't paid close enough attention to the road and my surroundings."

"Are you hurt? Did something happen?" he asked, his hands fluttering uselessly about her. This was absolutely the last time he'd allow her out alone. What the hell had he been thinking?! Anything could have happened to her.

Her hand trailed soothingly over his arm from shoulder to elbow until he relaxed. "I'm fine. A carriage, one you're quite familiar with, stopped me."

"Regina!" he snarled. "What did she want with you?"

Belle gnashed her teeth. "Oh, she thinks she's so clever, that one. She insisted upon walking with me for a while. She didn't know I knew who she was, and she had a great deal of advice to offer. About your curse, and true love."

The mage could feel his curse clamoring within, fighting to be unleashed. "Is that why you came back?! To steal my power with a kiss?"

Tears of sadness welled in her eyes as she reached out to lay a hand alongside his jaw. Why did he think so little of himself to believe no one could love him for who he was? "No," she breathed. "I came back because I love you, Rumpelstiltskin. It doesn't matter to me if I'm never able to kiss you. I would never hurt you or betray you in such a way. If there's a reason you wish to remain cursed, I wouldn't try to steal it from you. Surely, you must know that by now. I just want to be with you. I could have gone home to my papa, but I knew I'd never be happy again in Avonlea." Her tears spilled over her lashes, her heart nigh to bursting with the love she held for him. "I choose you, Rumpel. The Dark Castle … you … are my home."

He felt the darkness recede to a low hum at her words. He could see the truth in her expressive eyes which cut right to the darkest recesses of his soul. "You shouldn't. There are so many reasons you shouldn't love me, my Belle. I'll do something eventually to muck it up … I always do. And then you'll leave."

"No," she shook her head vehemently. "Let me in, Rumpel. Together, we can do anything. You don't have to be alone anymore. Let me love you. Don't push me away … please."

He pulled her closer. "I can't … push you away anymore, dearest. I love you too much. You've burrowed too deeply into my heart for me to ever let you go." A sob tore from her throat as he cradled her flushed cheeks in his warm palms. "I'm afraid for you, Belle. If this is what you want … to be with me … you'll always be in danger. My enemies, especially the queen …"

"Then we'll take precautions. You will protect me," she said confidently, her hands sliding up his chest. "We'll figure out the rest."

His tongue darted out to wet his lips as his thumb traced her plump bottom lip. "I do love you, my Belle. I will always protect you. I will never disregard the precious gift of your love." He drew her forward before she could protest, his lips brushing softly over hers. Every nerve ending in his body sparked to life with pleasure. Oh, the beauty of her kiss. It was worth his curse screaming obscenities at him in his head. He could control it, however. He wouldn't deny either of them that first sweet kiss.

Belle pulled away, her eyes wide with fear as she watched his skin morph between the green gold of his curse and the healthy tan of his humanity. "Rumpel!"

"Shh, love. It's alright," he whispered breathlessly, feeling as if he'd been running for miles. "It was worth it." He tucked her close to his chest, his arms tight around her, needing to feel her heart beat with his. "Worry not, dearest. I can fix this."

Rumpelstiltskin pulled the True Love potion from his waistcoat pocket and pressed it into her hands. "Is this?" she queried, her brows rising in askance.

"Our true love, Belle. With it, I can charm your pendant and we won't have to worry about you breaking my curse. We'll work on that tomorrow, hmm?"

Belle gaped at him. "You could have done that before you gave it to me! You waited … there was no guarantee it wouldn't have broken when you kissed me just now. Why?!"

The mage smiled softly. "I wanted you to see we are indeed true love. I didn't want you to doubt us."

A pot of tea and a half a basket of pastries later and Belle was yawning. Yet, the last thing she wanted was for their evening to end. "Stay with me tonight," she whispered, her warm breath ghosting over her love's neck. "I don't want to sleep alone."

His fingers carded through her hair nervously, the pins lost long ago from his wandering hands. "Are you so certain that's a good idea?"

"I trust you. I just want to feel you next to me while I sleep."

Rumpelstiltskin's heart swelled. Her trust was as much a gift as her love. "As you wish, my love," he complied, rising with her in his arms. "And tomorrow we'll see about that charm, yes?"

Belle giggled and laid her head against his shoulder. "Yes … I think that would be a very good idea."

A/n: Well, was it all that you'd hoped? Hehehe :D I really hope y'all liked this one. Tomorrow, the rating goes up (PROMISE!) because Belle is an impatient little minx. And notice I didn't split this one even though it totally went over word count lol.