The front door creaked as Rumpel opened the door and allowed Belle and Emma to step into the house before he closed the door behind him. Emma ambled her way into the sitting room and sat down into one of the armchairs. She did not look comfortable being in Rumpel's home, but then Belle could understand as Emma and Rumpel had never had that sort of a relationship where she would have spent time at Rumpel's house. Belle gave her a sympathetic smile and left Emma to look through some antique magazines that were stacked on the coffee table.

Rumpel had already stripped his ruined waistcoat and shirt to dump on the kitchen counter and had sauntered his way off upstairs, and gone to get change. Making her way into the kitchen, Belle grabbed the ruined clothes and threw them into the bin under the sink before grabbing the kettle to fill it. She placed it on one of the burners of the stove and lit the ring underneath the kettle.

They had come up with a plan. It was simple enough. Trap the Black Fairy in the box and get on with their lives. Regina had gone to make some preparations and get some things together to cast an entrapment spell for when they staged their plan. The only reason they were at Rumpel's house was he had wanted to change and Emma had nominated herself to be bodyguard.

The kettle began to whistle. Turning off the gas, Belle placed out three cups and made everyone a cup of tea. It was nice to take a moment to breath and Belle was going to have a cup of tea before she passed out from withdrawal. Tea had been the last thing on her mind for the past two days. Now with Rumpel free, she could breathe more easily. She took a cup of tea into Emma, who thanked her before taking a sip, and then Belle took the other two cups upstairs to find Rumpel.

His bedroom door was a jar. Belle pushed at it with her shoulder, as the door widened she could hear the sounds of the shower more clearly. Keeping her eyes firmly in his bedroom, she crossed over to his bed and placed the two cups down on the nightstand. Belle sat down onto the bed and folded her legs in front of her, facing the open doorway to his bathroom.

Every now and then, she could hear him groaning in pleasure to himself, washing away the ache his body had gone through. Belle could not get over that there were no wounds where the spikes had been, but then what did she expect from the Dark One? If he was wounded, he would just heal himself and it would be as if it never happened. Except Belle did know that as much as the physical wounds were gone, the mental ones Rumpel could never heal.

The shower turned off in the other room. Belle heard the glass door open and close as she took a sip of her tea. In the shadows, she could see the odd movement and the flick of the towel as he rubbed the towel down his body. She missed this. Even though, there was not a 'this' now, it did not stop Belle hoping that they would sort it all out, once they got their chance to chat. She missed the intimacy. Yes, she missed the physical side of their relationship, who wouldn't? The intimacy of being comfortable to sit in the bed naked together, reading their own books, before cuddling up so she could fall asleep and he could go and play with his toys in the basement.

Rumpel was rubbing at his hair with the towel as he came out of the bathroom. Belle's eyes widened, not sure, whether she should look or not. He must have thought he was alone due to the lack of a tower around his waist. Moving the towel from his hair to dry his face, Rumpel revealed his peppered hair to be standing on ends. Rumpel stopped in the middle of his bedroom. They held each other's gazes. He was the first to smile and then broke their gaze to go to the chest of draws.

As he pulled the top draw open to get some underwear, Belle made herself take a drink from her teacup, distracting herself from the sight of her husband. The memories of the chest draws was once again in her mind. Rumpel pulled on his underwear and straightened the waistband as he came around the bed to sit down next to Belle on the bed, his hand resting on her folded legs.

"Is that for me?" He asked gesturing towards the tea. Belle nodded her head, frighten she might assault him if she tried opening her mouth to speak. His oaky smell stormed her senses as he leaned close to her. The closeness caused her breathing to hitch. Rumpel drank thirstily from his tea and finished it to put the cup back on the nightstand.

He let a long contented sigh out. "Two days I have been desperate for a cup of tea. Even better that it's been made by you, sweetheart."

Belle nodded her head again, clasping her hands in her lap to stop them from touching his hair. It was not the time. There were more important things to going on at the moment. Not playing with her husband's hair.

"You okay?" He asked, noting her odd behaviour. He had never known her to be quiet for this long.

"Yep." She said quickly. "You?"

"I'll be okay." Rumpel said as his fingers traced some hair back behind Belle's ear. She could have cursed him for touching her in such a manner. There she was trying to keep herself to herself, and he was touching her. The warmth of his fingers had left a fiery path across her cheek to her ear. Her eyes closed at the sensation, concentrating on it and not her husband.

Rumpel clicked his fingers, surprising Belle's eyes open to see a pair of socks in his hand. She watched him put his socks on, his eyes studying her face for answers. "You sure, you're okay?"

"Definitely." Belle replied and reached for her cup of tea. She was about to finish the last of her tea when his hand gently touched her arm and stopped her from raising the cup to her lips. Her eyes travelled up from the cup to his face, his dark brown eyes stared at her. She could feel it happening. The temptation to dive in and be lost inside of his eyes.

Rumpel shifted on the bed to face her with his leg folded underneath him and reached with his free hand to touch her face again. Her body betrayed her with her face leaning into his touch. Belle pressed her hand against the back of his hand on her face and closed her eyes to savour it, keeping his warmth from alluding her again. She let out a faint whimper when his lips brushed against hers. He took the cup from her and let it clatter onto the nightstand without a care for the mess. His hand quickly cupped the other side of her face as he pressed his lips against hers.

She could not keep her willpower against him anymore. It had melted away as he gently but firmly kissed her. Her hands ran up his bare chest and into his hair, tugging and running it through her fingers. His lips descended to her neck as he guided her to lie down to their sides and then coaxed her onto back. She was lost to him with him above her. The kisses and nibbles to her neck had made all thought go from her head. Belle was under his mercy.

Hungrily Rumpel latched his lips onto Belle's lips again, his hands working their way down her body. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades when his fingers had found their way under her top, his hot skin tickling her.

"Hey, guys!" Emma came bounding into the room and stopped. "Oh! Oh, no! Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

They stopped and looked at her from where they were on the bed. Emma was the prime example of a deer caught in headlights. Rumpel huffed and dragged himself off Belle, sitting down onto the edge of the bed with his back to Emma.

"What is it, dearie?" Rumpel's voice betrayed his annoyance.

"Erm… Regina just called. She's got everything waiting back at your shop." Emma informed them.

Rumpel looked at Emma over his shoulder. "Run along then, so I can get dressed. Unless you would like to watch, Miss Swan?"

Emma shook her head and apologised again as she left the room, closing the bedroom door behind her. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Belle sat up from the bed to sit on the edge with Rumpel. His head was bent over with his eyes shut. Belle stroked her thumb over his cheek causing him to lift his head and look at her.

"Come on then." Belle said to him, forcing a smile to try to cheer him up.

Rumpel rolled his eyes at her. "Fate is a bastard at times to us."

Belle's smile went wider at her husband's words and stood up from the bed offering her hand to him. "You go downstairs." Rumpel gestured to himself. "I need to calm down… first."

She giggled at him and quickly kissed his cheek before prancing out of the room. When the door closed behind her, Belle paused against it and took a deep breath. He was intoxicating to her. With that thought in mind, Belle went down the stairs and found Emma loitering in the kitchen, fidgeting with the zip of her leather jacket.

Emma looked to Belle as Belle stepped off the last step. "I am so sorry, Belle. If I had known…"

"Its fine, Emma. Don't worry about it." Belle cut Emma off by holding her hand up and smiled at her.

"I didn't realise you two were back together." Emma confessed to Belle.

"We're not… Really." Belle's smile waved for a second. "But, we're going to be sitting down to sort it when this is all over with."

Emma nodded her head. "I hope it works out. Rumpel is easier to deal with when you're together."

"Miss Swan," Rumpel's voice made the two of them jump round to face him as he stopped on the bottom step fastening a button on his white shirt, leaving his shirt collar open. "I am always easy to deal with when you have something worth dealing in."

Belle rolled her eyes at Rumpel and patted Emma on the shoulder. "Why don't you go and get the car started and we'll be right out?"

"Sounds like a good idea." Emma said avoiding Rumpel's gaze and closed the front door behind her. Rumpel tucked his white shirt into his dress pants and stepped off the last step to head to the kitchen counter.

As he put his phone into his pocket and grabbed his wallet, Belle touched his shoulder and said. "White shirt and pants? No suit?"

"Well, dearie," He said turning to wrap his arms around her, drawing her against him. "It seems people have a thing against me wearing nice suits. They keep ruining them, so if I'm going to be getting into it again, I would rather save another three hundred dollar suit." Belle could understand his reasoning. He did have a soft spot for his suits and clothing.

Leaning into his ear, Belle whispered. "I think you look very sexy."

Rumpel chuckled and took her hand leading her to the front door. "I'll remember that as my mother tries to kill me."