Hello Dearies! - I hope the wait hasn't been too unpleasant - more smut - and a Surprise too! Enjoy! - Sed
Chapter 3 - Morning
Belle Gold growled in frustration as the morning alarm clock went off precisely at six o'clock, her hand fumbling for the "Snooze" button that would allow her to stay in bed for another fifteen minutes before she really would have to drag herself awake and get her day going. Belle loathed the song the radio alarm was spitting out at her, strains of a band called a name she wasn't even sure she could pronounce the word so strange with z and x featured heavily. She was certain that it was something that had made its way into town with the last stranger, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that the music was wrong. Definitely not right coming from her alarm clock this early in the morning.
Belle liked having time in the morning to not feel rushed before she would open the Library and spend her day putting away books, reading books, categorizing books – everything books. Belle rolled over to sink back into her husband's arms, a look of confusion passing over her face as his side of the bed was empty already. Rumple wasn't one to be up at dawn unless he hadn't come to bed yet at all. She seriously doubted that he hadn't come to bed yet – he didn't have the same penchant in this realm for staying awake for days on end by sheer will alone, perhaps coupled with a bit of magic here and there.
His side of the bed was still partially warm, not quite as warm as it would have been had he been there, deceptively strong arms holding her tight she decided has her hand smoothed over the wrinkled rust colored sheets. She was still getting use to the idea of being married, not that she was second guessing her decision, never – Rumple was her True Love, the good side and the bad side of him, now and forever, but that their unique situation had finally culminated into what they had both wanted so bad for so long. She was happier than she had been in a long time, and the relaxed feeling in her mind spoke volumes as to how stressed she actually had been over the whole ordeal.
Belle's eyes fluttered back closed as she stretched out over the feather soft bed, the sheets like satin on her bare legs and arms, the down comforters incredibly inviting still. The alarm went off again eliciting another groan in frustration at having to be awake. At least it was Friday, the end of the week, and she would have all day tomorrow to lounge in bed if she so desired. Belle snaked a hand out from under the covers, turning the alarm clock off finally. She sat up in bed and pressed the play button on the same device, strains of a French singer from the 30's and 40's starting to filter through the room as Belle noticed the envelope that rested beside the radio alarm, Rumple's elegant handwriting scrawled across the front. "Madam Gold" was all it said, with an ornate looking arc under the writing.
Belle plucked the envelope up, relishing the feel of the expensive Italian paper in her hands, breaking the red wax seal on the back; she pulled a single folded sheet out, reading over the words twice, as her cheeks broke into a blush.
My Dearest Belle,
Please forgive me for having to leave you alone upon waking. It was not willingly that I left the comfort of our bed, of your arms, to this cold and dreary morning – there are some items at the shop that reminded me of a problem we had in another life time, and thusly I am making sure that this problem will be unable to disturb the comfort we have finally carved for ourselves in this life time.
I am, however, extremely aware that I will have to make this latest transgression up to you, perhaps with dinner, if that would please you? I left you a portion of breakfast in the oven to stay warm – peach scones and the maple sausage that you've taken a liking to here as of late. The tea in the kettle is freshly brewed as of five-thirty this morning. Enjoy your day, sweetheart, please do bundle up before leaving the house, it is cold and the rain is threatening to turn to snow if the temperatures do not improve.
Eternally yours, in this life and all that may follow
R
Belle held the note to her chest, the smile on her face hard to deny even in the early morning. Carefully returning the note to the envelope, she opened the drawer on her night stand, and pulled a stack of nearly identical letters, tied with a royal blue ribbon, and added this one to the stack, her fingers running over the front of the last one before this, addressed simply as "Belle". She rather liked the one labeled "Mrs. Gold" much better. Returning the stack of letters to the drawer, Belle finally pushed back the covers, sighing in appreciation that Rumple had turned on the central heating before leaving. The floor boards were still cold on her bare feet, but the air was warm, almost blissful as she made her way into the bathroom, twisting the knob on the claw footed tub to allow it to fill with hot water as she brushed out her hair and chose her outfit for the day.
Several minutes later, Belle had her outfit laid out, and she was clean and warm, she couldn't ask for a better feeling in the morning spent alone. Dressing quickly to avoid the chill after having bathed in nearly scalding water, Belle knelt down to fasten the buckles of her leather knee high boots. She had chosen pants today, and the boots would make walking to the Library easier, should Rumple's assumption that the rain would turn to snow soon was correct. She had never known him to be wrong about snow the entire time she had known him.
Pulling on a brown cardigan over her button down shirt, she finished dressing by braiding her chestnut locks, securing the tail. Her gold necklace and earrings followed, her blue eyes sweeping over her appearance to make certain nothing was out of place. Not normally vain, Belle knew that the better she attended to her appearance in this world, the better the town would receive her, as well as her husband. There was no love for him in the town, except maybe that of his grandson and her, but over the last several weeks, attitudes were changing. Apparently married life suited Rumple, made him not as ruthless as a deal maker he had been in the past. He was trying, she knew, and that he was trying for her made her infinitely happy.
Heading downstairs, Belle opened the oven, pulling out a heavy plate that had been left there, sausage and scone in place as promised. Pulling her favorite tea cup from the cupboard, she fixed her tea, a bit of sugar and cream, and savored the tastes as she ate, mindful of the clock that hung on the kitchen wall. No one would come to the Library until later in the day, but being late was not in her nature. She disliked tardiness, and so she would not tolerate it in herself. Clearing her plate and silver, she put them in the contraption that cleaned dishes automatically. She had to admit that this world, this realm, had its advantaged at times.
Pouring her left over tea into a travel container, she filled an aluminum thermos with the rest of the tea in the kettle, wondering if she should take a light lunch with her today. Normally Rumple would stop by with a hamburger from Granny's around lunch time, happy to spend her "lunch break" with her husband before he would return to his shop, and she would return to sorting her books. She liked the little rituals they had. Since he was working on business this morning, which obviously took him away early, she decided it was prudent to pack a light lunch just in case.
An apple, the foot of a French loaf, and a wedge of the delicious cheddar that had been at the market last week were quickly wrapped in a square of cheesecloth, the package tucked inside her oversized purse as she made her way to the front door, purse and thermos in hand. Taking her keys from the dish by the door, umbrella in her other hand; she thumbed the lock on the door, and stepped out into the rainy morning, involuntarily shivering. Checking the door was well and truly locked, she pressed the button on her umbrella, raising the red and white parasol over her head as she made her way to the Library. Belle hadn't even noticed the dark shadow that had slipped through the crack in the door before she had pulled it closed, noticed even less a car that had she not been lost in thought, she would have realized did not belong in Storybrook.
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The demon pair had been brought back to memory on his wedding night. Gold's calloused thumb unconsciously turned his gold band around his left ring finger, knowing the magic he had sealed the pair with would allow him to keep Belle safe at all costs – a promise he had made lifetimes ago. A promise he intended to keep until he was dead – even after if he had too. He had lost her too many times before to lose her again, especially now.
Thumbing through his index cards of items in the shop, pictures and descriptions – even though each and every single one of them was committed to memory – he finally came across what he had been looking for – a single plain copper vase. Ironic smile crossing his features, Gold pulled the card from the box. Belle had used the vase to display her betrothed, albeit a flower through absolutely no fault of his own – idiotic prig. That had been the day he had fallen in love with her, he was certain. She had been the first person to look at him with anything other than fear and disgust, since Baelfire. She was special, and had he realized then what a complete and utter nuisance the rest of the Enchanted Forest was going to be about him, and about her, he would have never had sent her away.
He had figured out what the demon pair had been up to by then, but had been unable to capture them. He had been losing his power, and his will not to simply bend the real Belle over the great oak table and truly make her his. She was becoming too hard to tell apart from the succubus – the longer the female demon was in the Castle, the better she had become at imitating Belle's mannerisms. Belle had been in love with him to then – he had always said to hell with the whole thing, let her kiss cure him, heal him – he had been ready, only for her, but he had to hold on to the power, had to have it to keep her safe. He had realized then he had to break her to save her from the pair. Eventually they would have drained enough off him to start on her as well, and he couldn't have that happen.
Even putting her under enchanted sleep, locking her in her cell in the dungeons again hadn't cooled the ardor they both felt towards one another. He had to send her away, and as she had left, he had felt the tears threatening to spill from him. He had no qualms about killing, about hurting, about seriously maiming someone who stood in his way, but that morning when he had turned her out broke something inside him. Gold had finally sealed the incubus in the copper vase, but the succubus had avoided him – he had assumed when the snow had stopped around the Castle finally, that she had moved on. Obviously the demon would eventually come for her mate, and would have no hesitation in freeing him, even if that meant hurting Belle in the process.
He could always release the incubus – impress upon him that his freedom relied on leaving both him and his wife alone from now on. He had made deals of the like in the past – usually when dealing with a magic he couldn't contain, and since magic here in Storybrook was different, he was uncertain if he would be able to stop the pair from draining everyone in town in their lust for, well lust. He didn't like the odds being stacked against him.
Gold ran his thumb across his lower lip as his eyes went to the front window. Belle was making her way down the sidewalk to the Library, right on time, as always. He could set a watch by her, as fastidious as she was about opening the Library exactly at eight o'clock in the morning, Monday through Friday. His wife turned and waved, knowing he would see her, he always did, before she vanished around the corner to begin her day.
In being open and honest with her, he would need to tell her the danger his plan possessed. The incubus might want to take revenge, and well, the succubus, had she found her way here, would want retribution as well. As accustomed as he was to making decisions about his own wellbeing in the past, he had promised Bae that he was going to change, that he would change, be better. That meant telling Belle, telling her everything, and allowing her to make this decision as well – her wellbeing in danger as well.
Gold was certain his wife would insist on freeing the demon, should a compromise be made. A frown crossed his face as he weighed this knowledge against his leaning on not telling her at all, destroying the vase, and then hunting the succubus down and ending her as well. Hesitation was not like him; Belle was changing him, and he was rather worried that it would make him blind to the danger they obviously were in from the pair – should their actually be a pair in this world.
Gold sighed and filed the card back into the wooden box, closing the lid back. The decision did not need to be made right this moment. He would research more about the demons, and then tell Belle what he knew. From there the decision would be made, together, as it should be. He only hoped that he had enough courage to follow through, as he should.
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Her limbs felt heavy, and the furs covering her felt too good to throw them off just yet. She realized she was in her Master's bed as soon as she heard the familiar creak of his spinning wheel. Apparently he had moved the device to his chambers for the time being, probably to keep an eye on her, and indulge on his favorite past time while she slept. The last thing Belle could remember was the tea he had given her, it had been well sugared and the cream had been incredibly fresh. The wheel paused as she started to move on the bed, pulling blankets and furs aside as she struggled to find her feet. As she parted the curtains of the bed, she yawned noticing that the fire in the hearth was burning steadily, one of her iron ovens from the kitchen hanging off a hook, the delicious smell of something meaty and hearty distracting her only a moment before she saw her Master.
Golden-green flesh capturing flashes of light from the fireplace, he was shirtless, the muscles in his back moving beneath skin. Belle caught herself staring, her throat suddenly very dry, and her hands fidgeting with her apron that she had apparently fallen asleep in. His hair was wet still, so he must have bathed while she had slept – thoughtful enough to bring dinner with him after his sweep of the castle. He turned slightly on his stool, staring over his shoulder at her as she fought not to feel like prey being noticed by a hunter for the first time. He dropped length he had been working on and stood, covering the distance between them in three steps.
Her Master's hand fisted in her disheveled hair, tilting her head back as his lips descended over hers, Belle couldn't breathe, the feel of his mouth against hers robbing all sense of reason from her. His lips moved, along her jaw line, his tongue licking a hot trail to her ear, before sharp teeth found her ear lobe and worried the skin. His kisses feathered down her neck, the hand not holding her head immobile splayed across her lower back, his body pushing her towards the bed. Belle's legs moved on their own, as his hips ground down against hers, a low growl coming from her Master as his tongue darted into the hollow of her neck, along her collar bones, his teeth nipping at the swells of her breasts, the fabric of her dress preventing him from moving lower.
The hand in her hair released her head, Belle's arms going around his shoulders as he continued the assault with his mouth, worrying skin, biting, licking, kissing any part he could reach, the two day stubble on his cheeks a delicious contrast to the softness of his tongue and lips. His free hand toyed with the laces of her bodice, giving him more access that he instantly took advantage of. Belle couldn't stop the moan of longing as his lips closed around her nipple, suckling the small nub until she felt the skin harden. He bit the underside of her breast as he moved to the other, repeating the same torture as his still clothed hips mimicked the rhythm of her own. There was too much fabric between them, and apparently the same thought had occurred to him as he pulled her skirts up around her hips, his eager hands ripping her undergarments away.
Arms pulling her legs up over his shoulders, her Master moved her so that her bare bottom was hanging off the end of the bed, forcing her to lie back as he knelt to the floor. His hands splayed across her inner thighs keeping her from trying to close her legs back together. She felt the first kiss on her knee as his mouth worried skin, first one side, then the other, higher and higher until she felt his hot breath against her most private areas. Hands fisting in the furs she was laying on, she felt his nose first, then that wonderful tongue of his trace a path from the bottom of her folds, along her sex, before finally that little pleasure packed nub she had often times touched as she thought of him doing exactly what he was doing to her now.
Her cry was lusty, and spurred on by the sounds she was making her Master's tongue darted in and out of her, his thumb moving quickly over her clit as he did. Belle couldn't stand it any longer; she wanted her Master, in her, deep in her and soon, the feeling of his tongue lapping at her driving out all thoughts of how improper this whole situation was. Sliding her fingers into his hair, she carefully tried to pull him up again, unable to voice how much she wanted him to fill her in other ways.
"Please, Rumpelstiltskin…I need you now." She finally was able to get out, her voice small and timid as she shivered in anticipation. Her Master stood, his hands going to unlace his leathers as she watched him with hungry eyes. She wanted this, wanted this with him, and she was about to rip those damn leather pants off him if he didn't hurry up.
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Rumpelstiltskin's eyes snapped open from where he had been sleeping on the couch next to the fireplace, swearing he had just heard his Belle call for him. Bleary eyes turned towards the bed to find her naked ass hanging there, an incubus, tall, black as night, and obviously ready to take his Belle's maidenhead, standing between her legs. It's serpent like tongue wrapped around one of her pert nipples, worrying the skin. He was on his feet in instant, hands throwing dark bolts at the demon as he grabbed for its long white hair. He growled in rage as he threw the demon across the room, putting himself between Belle and it, the temperature in the room dropping as he pulled all the heat into a fireball.
"So, this is who has been skulking about my Castle." Venom dripping in his tone, he spoke, and his teeth clenched in rage. The incubus rose to its full height, and it's glamour on Belle broke, the young girl starting to scream from behind him. Rumpelstiltskin swore he could see the smirk on the incubus' void less face.
"Yes, Dark One, oh yes. Bound to be the downfall of both you and your little fille, the price of our summoning." The incubus moved as Rumpelstiltskin did, narrowly avoiding the knife that the Dark One was aiming for its chest. The incubus made a break for the warded door, turning into a black mist as it went. Rumpelstiltskin turned, launching the dagger at the mist, his aim true as the incubus regained solid form, its foot pinned to the floor. Rumpelstiltskin laughed maliciously as the dagger sunk into the floor to the hilt.
"Looks like it's you who got penetrated this evening, instead of my headstrong maid." He moved towards the incubus as he heard Belle moving to put herself behind him once more, her sniffling making him feel even more murderous than he already was. "Ahh, so that's what Regina was up to all along. Clever girl, I shall have to make sure she never again thinks that she can beat me by baser beings." The incubus roared at him, sharp teeth from the jagged gash that was its true mouth, the only opening on its black face.
"Go ahead and kill me then! End it, a far better fate than being bound to another!" The incubus screamed at him then. Rumpelstiltskin laced his fingers together, eyes narrowing. He could press this situation into his advantage.
"How about we make a deal instead…."
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Rumpelstiltskin sat with his back turned to the copper tub in the corner of his room, his hands working the spinning wheel he had brought there earlier in the evening. Belle was furiously scrubbing at her skin, the aftermath of her violation clear in the way she was still sobbing. He was having a hard time keeping the desire to immediately go and kill Regina in check. She had proven that she was too volatile a human to cast his curse, this latest transgression all the proof he needed.
"Master?" Belle asked him, looking at the back of his vest as he spun. Rumpelstiltskin stopped, keeping his eyes from wandering back at her. At least she wasn't sobbing hysterically anymore.
"Yes Belle?" He answered, starting to turn the wheel again. He heard her moving in the water, changing position he assumed. He was not going to look, not after what she had been through this evening.
"The…creature," she continued. "He said, "our summoning", meaning he isn't working alone." Belle putting voice to his very own thoughts. He leaned over, pulling the fluffiest towel he owed from a stack by the folding divider that partitioned off his bath from the rest of the room. He held it up to the side, still refusing to look back. His stomach tightened as her fingers brushed against his as she took the towel from him. "Thank you, Master."
"Yes, he did say "our", which can only mean that a succubus is loose in the Castle as well." Rumpelstiltskin looked at the copper vase that sat on his bed side table, the vessel he had used to capture the incubus after their deal had been made. "Which means you are safe, dearie." He added, to alleviate her obvious fears.
"But you are not." She was stepping out of the copper tub, wrapping the fabric around her as she did. He felt her hand touch his shoulder, and he swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, his mind going back to the sight of her almost naked, writhing on his bed, and practically moaning his name.
"No, I most likely am not." He kept spinning, trying to forget how close she was to him, touching him. It had been ages since someone had touched him of their own volition with such tenderness about it. And the little maid was playing with fire, most likely emboldened by her earlier ravaging.
"Is there anything you can do to stop her?" Belle's voice sounded like she was fighting back crying again. He had never known his little maid to be overly emotional, but then again she had almost been raped this evening. He supposed that for someone normal that would be traumatic in and of itself.
"Belle…please." He begged of her then, his hands gripping the wool even tighter than before. He clenched his teeth as he fought not to turn – he would not look at her, not right now.
"What?" She asked, very confused, the uncertainty at what he was asking her for apparent in her voice.
"You are a gorgeous young woman, who was very nearly raped this evening, standing in the den of the monster who stole you from your family, practically naked. I am old, dearest, not dead. Certain things happen to a man that he cannot control around young, beautiful semi-naked females." She made no move to dress after he spoke, and he stiffened under her touch as she dared to touch his neck, her index finger feather light on his pulse point.
"So you're saying I'm beautiful, and that you'd not be able to stop yourself from doing to me what that incubus was set upon doing to me." Fire, she was playing with fire, and he had half a mind to show her just how hot fire could burn. Whatever small part of him was still the man he had been cowered in the back of his mind, whispering that this wasn't his Belle, it was the succubus trying to trick him and drain him more. He knew he was lying to himself.
"What I am saying dearie, is that yes, you are beautiful, and yes, hearing you call out my name was perhaps one of the most singularly spectacular moments in my long, long life. But Belle, you are young and know not what you're asking for, nor how irreversible certain actions are once taken. You are most likely in shock, traumatized, and seeking comfort where there can never be comfort from. I am the Dark One, but I am not a rapist, nor am I a defiler of innocent, beautiful, young women. You may feel that you want this in this moment, but you would come to regret that decision for the rest of your life. Just like any other woman I have ever had the pleasure of touching. So please, Belle, put your clothes on, eat a little dinner, and then get some sleep, in the morning we are leaving the Castle for a while." Belle's finger pulled away from his flesh, and the chill set in his shoulder as she turned away from him, gathering her clothes. He could hear her dressing quickly, the absence of her touch physically painful.
"Yes, Master." She finally managed to tell him, as she carefully moved from the bathing area and hid herself in his bed, the curtains closing quickly. He closed his eyes at the sadness that had been on her face as she did so, unable to even look at him. Rumpelstiltskin did the only thing he could; he continued to spin to forget.
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Belle was still asleep as Rumpelstiltskin woke on the couch by the fireplace. He had turned he
r away last night and the muffled cries from his curtained bed had almost made him forget his manners and show her just how much he wanted her. The girl had no idea what she was asking for. Every woman he had ever dared to have even the swiftest feelings for turned to darkness in one way or another. Belle was light, and even though he was a monster, he would not, could not take that from her.
Hands scrubbing his face to remove the last traces of sleep, he listened to her quiet breathing. Apparently she had finally cried herself to sleep. His eyes moved to the spinning wheel, but its old familiar call was silent in the early morning hours. Rising from the couch, he collected his boots and cloak from beside the door and teleported himself to the Great Hall. Sitting in his favorite chair, he worked at lacing his boots, minus magic, the ordeal taking somewhere near to a half an hour to do, but the repetitive motion, and the work with his hands kept him from letting his mind wander too much.
The animals would need to be fed, and some breakfast made, before his day could continue. Standing and passing through the kitchen, he poured himself a cup of icy cold water from the pitcher that had been left out all night, the kitchen cold for the first time in weeks, the fires having gone out while he kept Belle locked in his chambers for her safety. He would bring in wood from outside later.
He descended the stairs, working without magic once again - he needed to feel the physical labor in his old bones, prove to himself that he could do all that was expected in life still without his crutch. He knew that he would need to find a way around that damnable kiss he had seen in his dreams. It would eventually happen, and he was afraid he was powerless to stop it. He was fairly certain that she felt the same about him as he did about her, and if that was the case, well, he was going to be faced with a difficult decision very soon, one that he would likely regret.
Rumpelstiltskin took the shovel beside the door way, and began to muck out the straw that had been dirtied by the animals. He had hoped that should he capture one of the demons, which he had been successful in, then the snow would stop. As of the last time he checked, last night, the snow was still falling with reckless abandon, and showing no signs of letting up very soon. The animals were beginning to suffer from being stabled as they were. They needed fresh air, and grass, not hay, to keep them healthy. They needed to feel the sun – even as he had been a spinner in his mortal life, he knew how to keep a small homestead. While his Castle might be more than what he had been accustom to growing up, and later in his long life, he knew his way around a farm.
Taking the silver key to the door way from his waistcoat, he turned the lock twice, looking at a wall of snow, lip curled back into a sneer as he worked quickly to melt a path. He had to get the animal's filth out at least; otherwise they'd get sick soon. There was also the small fact that he and Belle would be gone at least a day, even by magical journey to and from. Rumpelstiltskin knew he couldn't leave them outside for that long, not with how chilly the weather was, with no real way to get to shelter. He could melt the snow, but as long as it kept falling, he couldn't turn them loose while they were away.
He worked quickly, shoveling out all the dirty hay first, sweat rising on his forehead and down the back of his neck. His bones felt old, stiff, like the manual labor was being done by his fifty year old body, and not the magical one he had been granted by the curse. He knew he could use the magic, have the chores done in seconds, but he felt like he'd be cheating the animals, and more importantly Belle. He had to know he could still do this – had to know that if he was unable to find a way to keep the kiss from happening, that he could at least run them to a land where no one knew them, and live out their days there. A small ranch, a cottage, live stock, he could spin again. It wasn't as if he didn't have more than enough gold spun to last him ten lifetimes over. Standing up straight to work the kinks out of his lower back, he returned the shovel to its place beside the door, taking the broom up, and sweeping out the remaining hay. It was time to change it completely, especially since it was going on four days since he had herded them all into the lower levels of the Castle. Soon he was spreading out fresh hay, tossing out handfuls of corn for the chickens, bringing in water, helping the horses with their feed bags full of oats. His black nickered at him, chomping his teeth in frustration at being stabled for as long as he had been. Rumpelstiltskin took the fine haired brush from where it had hung on the latch to the black's stall.
"Alright Jet, hold on…" he murmured to the horse as Rumpelstiltskin began to rub the brush over the horse, watching as the slightly dull coat came back to life. "You're next Ruby; I can hear you stomping already. Paint, Meteor, you'll have to wait your turns." He felt stronger as he worked, almost as if his body wouldn't completely break down on him, as if he would be able to actually be a man again. The room was too hot now, the work not meant to be done in all leather and silk. He quickly pulled his vest off, and then tugged the silken frippery of a shirt off as well, tossing them over the side of the stall to hang until he was ready to head back upstairs. Better, he thought to himself as he took the brush back to Jet's side, keen ears picking up on the foot steps on the stairs.
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Jet, Ruby, Paint and Meteor. So Bitey must be Meteor, by why a name like that. Jet, Ruby, and Paint make sense…Meteor? Belle had heard her Master talking to the horses before she had started to descend the stairs into the lower levels of the Castle. She had woke, alone, in his rooms, still curled up in his blankets and furs. She knew she wasn't in any danger anymore; the incubus had willingly went into the vase at her Master's deal. Belle stopped a few feet from the bottom of the stairs, noticing the basket of eggs. She pulled the basket up, before working up the courage to take those last few steps. As soon as she had hit the floor, she had wished she had turned right back around and gone back to the kitchen. Belle felt the blush rising in her cheeks before he acknowledged she was there with a faint nod of his head.
"You've been slacking in their care." He said roughly, continuing to brush down the horse she now knew was Jet. Belle's eyes narrowed as she bit her lower lip. He was right after all, she had told the horses that she would be back to brush them, and then the incubus had happened and she had been locked away. She watched his back as he worked, the gold-green skin catching the light.
"How do I know you're not the incubus trying to tempt me again? Trying to back out of a deal with my Master – after all, you'd not be the first to try." She quipped back, walking over to the self that held items meant to take care of the horses. She took another brush down, setting the eggs on a bale of hay that was sitting on the outside of the stall gates. She raised the latch on Ruby's stall and slipped in with the beautiful red, letting the horse nuzzle her a few times before she started on the beautiful rust coat, working out dirt and tangles as she went. "I wasn't too far off on your name now, was I girl?" She asked the horse, feeling those amber eyes watching her.
"You witnessed me binding the incubus in the vase – with a deal that I would take his mate to a different realm, and once the snow storm abated I would send the vase to that same realm so that they could live free of being bound to the Evil Queen. You doubt I am who I am?" He asked Belle, the end of his question rising in timbre, his hands still working Jet's coat clean, the large black nearly prancing hoof to hoof at the pleasure of being brushed.
"You are half naked, doing manual labor, and I find out your horses actually have names. You've done a large number of my chores for the day, and I can practically feel your eyes burning a hole in my neck. Remember I've been in this Castle a while, and Rumpelstiltskin is usually more secretive in his stares." Belle leaned over, working the brush down Ruby's front legs, knocking off dirt and dust as she went. Ruby kept huffing into Belle's side, her ears doing the little forward and backwards dance they did when the red got a well needed brush down.
"I've been working all morning, it got warm down here, yes they have names, and the chores are because I chose to do them, dearie, nothing more." He left out the part about staring, but the way her hair was moving across the back of her neck was too much, the basement room becoming far more warm and small than it had been when he had been down there alone. He kept brushing Jet, trying to lose himself into the monotony of work once again.
"So you don't deny that you were staring." It sounded more of a statement then a question, and Rumpelstiltskin ground his teeth for a moment. Damn her for being bright – no, thank everything that was good that she was so bright; he had someone he could have a decent conversation with for the first time in nearly a century. "And you think I'm beautiful."
"Aye." He replied without thought, trying to keep as much to himself as possible.
"Then why would you deny me something I obviously want from you? Aren't you so keen to make deals?" Belle continued to work on Ruby's legs, as Rumpelstiltskin came around to the other side of Jet's stall to work on his other side.
"Why would I make a deal for something that obvious we both want? There is nothing more you could trade to me of meaning that would be of interest to me. But as with most people, you've already come to me with a trade in mind, didn't you dearie?"
"Yes, I have."
"Why would you want to trade for this? You realize of course, it would make you an outcast, sully your honor, and make you undesirable to any other male for the rest of your life. What you're choosing to barter with is the only thing that can secure nations, bring empires to their knees, and overthrow kings and queens alike. And you would trade it for a couple minutes of extremely awkward fumbling in the dark with a monster who took you away from your family?"
"Who said my trade would be for one time?" Belle finally said, as Rumpelstiltskin turned to look at her again, the muscles in his abdomen painful as they clenched, and his leathers too tight as he was incredibly thankful for the stall wall between them. Bent over, brushing Ruby's legs, her behind moved with the work, the not so chaste thoughts that he had about her often enough playing through his head in high speed.
"How many times would you be trading for…" He began carefully, not liking how this deal was being struck without his full control.
"Why, forever! That's what you told me when you took me, wasn't it? The deal was for forever?" She stood up then, turning to face him, her fingers reaching out and touching his cheek, his eyes going wide with disbelief.
"And what would I receive in return; surely you don't think your maidenhead is enough to tempt me into a deal for unconditional sex."
"Who said it would be unconditional? No, my deal is this; I will be your wife and lover, you will share a bed with me, every night, me and no other, and I will do anything you ask of me in said bed. In return, you will allow me freedom to explore the entire castle, read any and all books you have in this Castle, and one week, once a season to return home and visit with my family, such visits you can accompany me on, to make sure that my village does not renege on our previous deal – thus insuring their continued safety. Finally, you will teach me to spin so that I can spin wool to knit into warmer clothing. You are going to be the only person I know, for the rest of my life; therefore I want you to be the person I know for the rest of my life." Belle's fingers moved down his jaw line, across his collar bone, noticing his hands were gripping the stall wall so much that his knuckles were turning bone white, despite the greenish-gold skin.
"I'm not looking for a wife, nor for loooove dearie, however… tempting your offer may be. As I said last night, I may be a Monster, but I am not in the habit of defiling beautiful young women." Rumpelstiltskin was screaming in his mind at himself. Of course he wanted this, he had wanted to bend her over the table and fuck her into submission every time she leaning over him, serving tea. Wanted to feel her writhing beneath him in total abandon in the furs of his bed, even feel those soft pink lips around his cock, hands fisted in her hair.
"Godsdamnit Rumple…" Belle began, dropping the brush and leaving Ruby's stall, his eyes following her as she moved to an empty stall that the unbound fresh hay was kept in, crooking her finger at him as she moved. He followed, the little black and white goat vocalizing at him as he stalked his maid across the room, following her into the stall, amber eyes never leaving her face. "I want you. How much simpler can I make this?"
A little shorter than the last two chapters, but let me know what you thought! I apologize about the time in between posts, but that should become less here soon as my main focus, Sensitivity, is nearing it's middle, and will afford me more time to work on this fic in my spare time! Much love to the reviewers and readers - y'all make me blush - Sed