Chapter 2
Sun light crept into the large bedroom, landing right on Belle's face, she began to squirm under the light on her face, she was having a beautiful dream, she really didn't want to wake up to the harsh reality but knew she had no choice, she had to.
Her blue eyes flicker open, this wasn't the woods or the ditch she'd planned to be waking up in. Instead she was in an unfamiliar room, the walls were a simple yet elegant cream to match the cream silk bed covers.
She pushed them off of herself, at least she still wore her blue dress, although it was a smudged with dirt and grass stains she didn't care, Rumple had given it to her, it was all she had left of him.
After a couple of moments Belle swung her legs out of the bed and tried to stand, however they were just too weak from all the walking of the day before and she fell to the ground with a large 'thud'.
"Careful Dea…." An almost familiar voice trailed off as they helped lift her back into the bed.
Belle blinked for a moment, she hadn't even heard the other person come into the room, even more so she'd never seen them before in her life, his appearance shocked her.
The man was tall, slender, impeccably well dressed in dark trousers and dark navy blue over coat, his face was rather handsome, square jawed, dark brown eyes and his hair shoulder length, almost a dirty blond and fell over his face a little, he couldn't have been much older than she.
"How did I get here?" Belle asked him, looking around at the lavish room.
"I found you in the woods, some hooligans were trying to take advantage of you" the mysterious man informed her with a small smile, something about him in the way he spoke and looked at her was familiar, almost Rumpelstiltskin like, but yet he couldn't be, Belle shook the thought away and put the feeling down to the fact she missed and loved him so.
"I remember" Belle nodded, touching her forehead as it throbbed, "Thank you for letting me spend the night but I must be on my way" She spoke softly before trying to get out of the bed but the man eased her back into the bed.
"You must stay for a while, at least until you are better" The man assured her.
Belle could hardly believe what a kind soul this man was, helping a young women in need, letting her stay with him, "Thank you, I'm Belle" she introduced herself.
"Belle…..What a lovely name" he smiled at her and then realised she was waiting for a name from him, he had to think fast. "I'm….Rum…..ford, Rumford Spinnersten at your service m'lady" he gave her a small bow.
"Rumford, what an unusual name" Belle mused, obviously wasn't as bad as Rumpelstiltskin, she laugh to herself.
"It's a family name" He mumbled, "I shall bring you some tea" he suggested knowing that would make her feel better.
"I can….." Belle began but he cut her off.
"No no, you're my guest" he nodded to her lightly before walking out of the bedroom.
Once she heard the soft sound of the door shutting behind her Belle snuggled down into the large king size bed, "Rumford" she repeated the name on her tongue and smiled to herself.
…C\_'/….
Outside of the bedroom, Rumplestiltskin or Rumford's heart was beating the fastest it ever had, he was sure that she would have seen right through him but it seemed she hadn't.
"Tea, tea, tea" he mumbled as he walked down the winding staircase, he stopped for a moment and looked at himself in the mirror, he liked the way he looked now, younger, fitter, the sort of man he wanted to be for Belle.
In the mere hours since his transformation, he'd found that he had a spring in his step, a smile seemed to fall easily onto his face, his hair was thicker, no longer grey, he also found some of his clothes fitted better.
He almost regretted not doing this years ago, it had never occurred to Rumple that with his magical skills he would be able to transform his own appearance.
Rumple had also found that his castle had changed, it was no longer dark, light flooded into every room and he didn't mind at all, there were also new items of furniture, but his spinning wheel still remained as did the tea set with the chipped cup, he knew though he would have to hide both or Belle may come across them and realise how he was deceiving her.
Although he didn't see it as deceiving her, he saw it as a way of loving her, of giving them both a happy ending, she wouldn't have to be saddled with a beast and he would get to be with the women he loved.
It was then that realisation took him, he would have to get Belle to fall in love with the new him first before he even started thinking of the future, with her. Well he would have to start with a cup of tea.
Soon he found himself back outside of Belle's bedroom, he held a tray of a pot of tea, two cups, (Not from the set they'd both grown to love in the Dark Castle) some warmed muffins knowing she was probably hungry and a single red rose.
He knocked on the door lightly and waited to hear a 'come in' before he opened the door and walked in, "hello again Ms Belle" he greeted as he made his way over to her.
"Please call me Belle" She asked her blue eyes shining as she smiled at him.
"Then you must call me Rum, Rumford is far too long" he admitted, a new identity might be nice to try something new out with his name.
"Okay Rum" Belle gave him a small smile as he placed the tray onto the bedside cabinet.
Belle saw the rose and a breath caught in her throat, it made her think of Rumple, of how he'd pushed her out and rejected her love even though it was obvious he loved her in return but was just too much of a coward to admit it.
"Is everything okay Belle?" Rumple asked having noticed the change in the beautiful women in front of him.
"I'm fine" she mumbled drawing in a shaky breath to get her emotions in check "the rose just reminded me of someone" she admitted.
Her admission broke and warmed Rumple's heart all at once. It warmed him to know that she still cared for him even though he'd cast her aside but it broke him to see her so heartbroken at what he'd done both by putting the rose there and also for his past actions towards her.
"I can get rid of it" He leaned over to grab it but Belle's hand grabbed his wrist to stop his actions, something that sent a chill up his spine and straight to his heart. Their eyes locked for a moment, blue and brown staring at one another.
"Leave it" she spoke softly before she herself picked up the rose and brought it to her nose to smell the fragrance "It's beautiful" she smiled at him.
Rumple wanted to say 'as are you' but decided to bite him tongue, he would make that comment another time. "Tea?" he asked her after a moment.
"Yes thank you" Belle nodded as he poured her a cup and passed it to her carefully and watched as she took a long healthy gulp and let the liquid warm her throat.
"Good?" he asked her.
"Very" she nodded, few men she knew could make a cup of tea as good as that, actually the more she thought about it, it was only one man that could make tea that tasty.
Rumple then pulled a chair up to the bed "Now tell me, what was a fair maiden like you doing wandering the woods late and night, all by herself?" he asked her.
Belle sat up a little in the bed, "Well I….was dismissed from my post as a caretaker for a man's large estate" she began "I then went to my father but he had no interest in me, told me I had been tainted by my last employer so …I….I was just trying to find somewhere to go" she finished, trying to not let it slip who her last 'employer' had been otherwise she was sure that he would tell her to leave just as both the men she'd ever loved had.
Rumple wanted to gut Maurice like a fish for how he treated his daughter, who cared if he was the king, she should have been a father first and foremost. If he ever had the pleasure of meeting that odious man again he would show him how dark he could be.
She needed a home was the other thing that was rolling around in his mind, he had a home, this could be her home as it had not long ago.
"You are welcome to stay as long as you like" he informed her, "What is mine is yours" he gave her a small smile.
Belle looked at this man in front of her, there was something about her, she wasn't sure what it was, something to safe, so homely, so caring, so familiar she just couldn't put her finger on it.
TBC….