It had been a month since the incident with Robin Hood. Rose didn't question what happened to him. She was more preoccupied with Belle saving her life. Rumple altered her memory where she would remember Belle saving her, but didn't remember her back being sliced open. She didn't know about the long scar that was almost completely healed. She was able to resume her cleaning duties about the castle, but she would have to be extra careful when she was playing with Rose. Rose didn't seem to notice.
It was a rare day when everyone was in the castle. They were all in the Great Hall. Rumple was at his spinning wheel, Belle was upon a ladder by the curtain covered windows, and Rose was playing with her dolls under the table. Belle wanted to question why, but left her alone. She was content where she was and she wasn't going to mess with her. She turned her attention to Rumple at the wheel. If he wasn't up in his tower or tending to Rose, he was at the wheel. Spin, spin, spin. He does so much spinning.
"Why do you spin so much?" He stopped and slightly turned his head to her. Rose looked up and watched them. He then turned his attention back to the wheel. "Sorry. It's just...You've spun more straw into gold than you can ever spend."
"I like to what the wheel. It helps me forget."
"Forget what?" Rose wondered the same thing. She had always wondered why he spun as well, but never got up the nerve to ask. He stopped again and looked up.
"I guess it worked." He then giggled. Belle laughed too, then turned her attention back to the giant curtains. She tugged and pulled on them. Rumple stood from his wheel and walked over to her. "What are you doing?"
"Opening these. It's almost spring. We should let some light in." The curtains were only ever opened if Rose asked Rumple to. Most of the time, they stayed closed because she would be outside. Belle pulled harder on the curtains, but they wouldn't budge. "What did you do? Nail them down?"
"Yes." She shook her head and tugged on the curtains again. She gave it one last hard pull. She fell from the ladder as the curtains came loose. Rose gasped in shock. The next thing she saw was Rumple holding Belle in his arms. They looked at each other for a moment. The sight before her reminded Rose of one of her stories. A prince rescuing a damsel in distress. She saw the way the looked at each other. There was something between them. Rose could see it. Something big was going to happen to them. Belle found her voice again.
"Um...Thank you." He looked at her for another moment before he dropped her to her feet and released her. "Thank you."
"It's no matter." He started to walk back over to his wheel.
"I'll, uh, put the curtains back up." He stopped and turned back to her.
"Uh...There's no need. I'll get used to it." He walked back over to the wheel. Rose saw the look on his face. She knew that look. He sometimes had that look with her when she tells him that he's not a monster to her. He was conflicted about something. He needed to think about things. Rose had a feeling what he would have to think about. She was too young to understand her father, but she knew a thing or two about love. Not only from her stories, but also from him. He loved her and she loved him. Maybe he was starting to love Belle and maybe Belle was starting to love him. She looked over to Belle and saw her smiling. Maybe she was thinking the same thing. Belle turned to pick up the curtains when Rose noticed something odd. She crawled from under the table and walked over to Belle.
"Belle?" She looked down at the girl.
"Yes?"
"Why is your dress turning red?" Rumple turned his attention to them. Belle looked down at her dress.
"Where, sweetheart?"
"On your back." Rumple went over to Belle and looked at the back of her dress. Her wound must have opened when he caught her. Rumple looked down to Rose.
"It's nothing, flower. Belle just has a little cut. I can fix that." Rose had many questions. When did she get it? How did she get it? Why was it on her back? Rumple saw she wanted to ask many questions. He kneeled down to her eye level. "Sweetheart, why don't you go out to the garden and pick some strawberries? It's nearly your snack time."
"Okay." He conjured up a basket for her. She took it and went outside to the garden. He stood and turned to Belle. He gestured for her to turn around. She turned and pulled her hair to the side. He pulled the zipper on her dress.
"I'm sorry about this. I shouldn't have messed with the curtains." He pulled the dress open and examined her wound.
"No need to apologize, dearie. I suppose you can't help being naturally clumsy." She chuckled at his quip. She knew he was referring to when she chipped his teacup her first day there. He conjured up a wet cloth and ran it down the length of the scar. She winced in slight pain. When he finished, he lightly touched the scar and used his magic to close it again. Belle closed her eyes and bit back a moan as she leaned into his touch. His hands were calloused and rough, but his touch tingled and enticed her. Rumple noticed her move closer. He was puzzled by this. He was a grotesque monster, yet she seemed to invite his touch. Why would she want him to touch her? He finished with her wound and it was closed again. His fingers lingered for a moment, taking in her smooth ivory skin. They traveled up her back to her shoulder. Her breath hitched and she held back another moan. He immediately pulled his hand away. She looked back at him.
"Sorry. That was...I shouldn't have done that." She blinked and found her voice again.
"It's...It's fine. Um...Are you..." He zipped her dress back up. While he did, he removed the blood stain.
"Yes. Your back is fine. Try not to fall off of any more ladders." She giggled and turned to him.
"I'll try." They stood in awkward silence until Rose ran back in the room.
"I got berries!" They turned their attention to the small child running in with a basket full of bright red strawberries. Belle smiled at her.
"I see. And they're very pretty berries. Let's go wash them off." She took Rose's hand and led her to the kitchen. Rumple stood where he was for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened between him and Belle. She seemed to enjoy him touching her. He couldn't understand why. Before became the Dark One, his own wife Milah never reacted to his touch the way Belle did. He shook his thoughts and returned to his spinning wheel.
After they had dinner, Belle was preparing Rose for bed. She had given the child a bath and dressed her in her night clothes. Rumple came into Rose's room as Belle was tucking her in.
"All ready for bed, flower?" She smiled up at him.
"Yes, Papa." He smiled as he walked over to her. Belle moved out of his way and stood by the door. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked her hair.
"Good. Sweet dreams, Rose." He kissed her forehead and stood up. "Goodnight."
"Night, Papa." He headed towards Belle. He gestured for her to follow him out the door. She turned towards Rose for a moment.
"Goodnight, Rose."
"Night, Belle." Rumple and Belle exited the room and closed the door behind them. They walked down the hall together.
"Belle, I must speak with you about something."
"If it's about earlier, it's fine. We'll just act like it didn't happen." He didn't want to pretend it didn't happen. She didn't either, but they knew it was probably for the best. Things would only get more awkward between them if they didn't.
"That's not what I meant. I have to leave for an important trip tomorrow."
"Okay. You'll be back by dinner as usual?"
"No. I'll be gone for much longer. Three days at most." Belle was surprised. Since she's been there, he's never left for more than a day. She figured he's never left Rose for more than a day either.
"Oh. I see."
"Yes, and while I am gone, I want you to take the bedroom next to Rose's. You need to keep stay close to her at all times, especially at night." Belle was confused by this.
"What happens at night?" They both stopped. He sighed and looked at her.
"Ever since she was a baby, Rose has been prone to night terrors. She has them every few months. She'll wake up in the middle of the night screaming, crying, and afraid. I want you to be close to her in case she has one so she won't have to go to the dungeon looking for you." Belle was surprised by this. She never knew Rose had night terrors. Other than missing her papa, she's never seen Rose upset about anything. She never would've guessed she had night terrors.
"I...I didn't know that. Is there something you usually do when she has them?"
"Hold her and comfort her. Once she calms down and stops crying, stay and talk to her until she falls back asleep. She'll be out for the rest of the night, but still keep an ear out in case she wakes up again. Got it?" She nodded.
"Yes."
"Good. This will be your room." He gestured to the door they were standing in front of. "You can stay here tonight, if you wish."
"I can?"
"Unless you would prefer the dungeon."
"No. I'll stay here. Thank you."
"Yes, yes, but listen in on Rose. I'll be in my tower working for some time."
"Of course. Well, goodnight, Rumpelstiltskin."
"Goodnight, Belle." She nodded and went into the room, closing the door behind her. She took in the room. It was twice the size of the dungeon. She saw the large plush bed in the middle of the room. She sat on it and felt how much more comfortable it was than the straw bed she had. She hadn't slept in a decent bed since she left her home. She was going to enjoy the bed while she had it. Once he returned from his trip, he would put her back in the dungeon. She removed her shoes and stockings and crawled under the warm plush covers. It wasn't long until she slipped into a sound sleep.
She didn't know how long she was asleep before she awoke to screaming. She rose from her bed and went to Rose's room. The young girl was screaming and writhing in her bed. Belle quickly rushed to her and gentle shook her.
"Rose. Rose, sweetheart. Wake up." Rose's eyes popped open. Her usually bright emerald eyes were bloodshot and filled with fear. Belle saw how terrified she was.
"Belle!" She wrapped her arms around her caretaker's waist. Belle held her close and gently stroked her hair as she continued to cry.
"Shhh. Shhh. It's okay, Rose. Everything's alright." She continued to whisper comforting words to the trembling girl. Rose had calmed down and stopped crying. Belle felt her relax, but she still had her arms around her waist. Belle remembered what Rumple told her to do. After she calmed down, stay and talk to her until she falls asleep. "Do you feel better?"
"A little."
"Do you want to talk about your dream?" She looked up at Belle and frantically shook her head.
"No!" Belle saw she was starting to tear up again.
"Okay, okay. We don't have to talk about it." Rose rubbed her eyes free of the tears that started. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Do you love Papa?" Belle was taken aback by the question. Why would she ask such a thing? Belle didn't know how to answer. She was conflicted about how she felt about Rumpelstiltskin. She didn't hate him, yet she couldn't quite say she loved him.
"Why do you ask?" She shrugged her shoulders.
"Just asking."
"Well, I don't know. I might, but I might not. I'm not sure." Rose yawned.
"Why?" She chuckled at the sleepy child.
"It's complicated."
"I think...*yawn*...you should." She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Belle looked down at the child. She felt Belle should be in love with her father. From Rose's point of view, she saw why she would think that. She knew Rumple's softer side. She knew the true love in his heart. She was the love in his heart. If Rose was able to open his heart to love, maybe he could be willing to let himself love another. Belle carefully slipped out of Rose's arms and lifted herself from the bed. She bent over and kissed Rose's forehead.
"Goodnight, Rose." She yawned and cracked open her eyes a bit.
"Goodnight, Mama." She turned over and closed her eyes again. Belle's heart stopped. Rose had just called her "mama." After almost two months of taking care of Rose, Belle had felt as close connection and a strong love for her. She even thought of herself as her mother, but she didn't Rose felt that way about her. She wanted to cry. She left the room and quietly closed the door. She turned and was met with a pair of reptilian eyes. She jumped and gasped. She caught her breath when she saw it was Rumple.
"You startled me. I thought you were in your tower."
"I was, but I thought I heard Rose."
"Oh, yeah. She had another terror. She's asleep now."
"Really. I see you handled it well." She avoided his gaze.
"Yes." He noticed this and narrowed his eyes.
"What? What happened?"
"She...uh..."
"What?!"
"She...She called 'mama.'" Rumple's eyes widened. Rose thought of Belle as her mother. He didn't know how to feel. He should be angry. She had no right to even consider herself Rose's mother, but Rose thought of her as her mother. Rose finally had the one thing she's always wanted and needed. Why shouldn't Belle be Rose's mother? She was everything Rose wants in her mama. Belle proved that she would do anything for Rose. Her dedication to care for her proved she would do anything to keep her happy. The scar on her back proved that she would protect her no matter what.
"Well...I suppose that you've proven yourself a worthy mother to her. I can't change how she feels about you." Belle didn't know how to feel about the whole situation.
"Should...Should we say something to her? I mean...Do you approve of her calling me that?"
"It doesn't matter to me. She'll think of you how she wants. What she calls you is completely up to you. The question is do you approve of her calling you that?"
"I'm...not sure."
"Sleep on it, but you two will need to talk about it soon. It's up to you what she calls you." He turned and went to check on Rose. Belle returned to her room, still thinking about the situation with Rose. Rumple looked down at Rose's sleeping form. He kneeled down and gently stroked her hair. He noticed the doll she was holding. It was the one of her birth mother. He still remember the day he turned her and her father into the dolls. She didn't want anything to do with her own flesh and blood. Belle was more of a mother than her birth mother. He looked back to his daughter. "You have a real mother now, flower. Belle is your mother now."