Chapter 3

After Rumple/Rumford and Belle had finished their tea, the beauty had slept for the rest of the day, the look on her face had been one such of peace that he hadn't wanted to wake her for lunch or dinner, he decided that she should be left to wake when she felt she wanted to.

Instead Rumple found himself sitting in the library, he'd created for her, only now with his new spell it was lighter and somehow seemed to have more books, something he knew Belle would love.

He sat in one of two arm chairs by the fire, a book open on his lap but he wasn't reading, not really. His mind was clouded with thoughts, thoughts of the women who slept upstairs, who he was lying to. Despite his new look inside he was still the cowardly monster, he was still afraid that Belle could find out that Rumford, her brave knight in shining armour was indeed Rumpelstiltskin the very monster who had cast her out just because she loved him she would most certainly leave him.

Rumple threw the book from his lap onto the floor and stood up from the arm chair, running a hand through his new sandy coloured hair as he walked over to the mirror that hung above the fire place and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes to look at his reflection only to see that he'd gone back to looking like the monster he'd been, the green scales, greasy, unruly hair, soulless dark eyes, yellow teeth.

"NO!" He almost howled this couldn't be true, it just couldn't be happening, the potion was supposed to last, not wear off after a couple of days. Slamming his hands down on the mantel peace, he looked down, a lock of his dirty blond hair falling over his face.

He took a sharp intake of breath, almost like a gasp of air, he still had dirty blond hair, still had human hands. It must mean that it was just his reflection that reflected who he was under the spell, the monster and coward he was on the inside.

In his haste Rumple snapped his fingers to cover all of the mirrors with cloths, it didn't work at first, perhaps it was just his hurried state, so he snapped his fingers again, this time it worked. Just in time he heard a creak on the stairs.

Rumple turned to find Belle standing in the doorway of the library, he brown curls a mess and she wore a long white night gown, to him she looked like a celestial angel, breath takingly beautiful as usual. "Belle…Your awake" He observed.

"Yes, I have been a sleep for a while haven't I" Belle almost chatted nervously, she still felt a little awkward around Rumford, being here with him, she couldn't help but think of Rumplestiltskin who was all alone in his dark castle.

"You obviously needed it" Rum smiled at her as Belle looked around at the library, it was only a little bigger than the one Rumple had given her but this room was lighter so it seemed bigger. "Would you like some food, some tea?" He asked her.

"I would prefer to get out these clothes" Belle explained "Have a bath perhaps" she added.

"Of course" Rumford said with a slight flourish of his hand as he spoke. Belle eyed the action carefully, it hurt so much that it reminded her of Rumple, she wished there was a way that she could get Rumple back, but for the moment Rumford had taken her in when no one else would and so she would try to focus on him and the home he offered.

…C\_'/….

After a long soak in a hot bath, Belle was beginning to feel like herself again, she walked back to her bedroom, where she found a dress laid out for her on the bed, it was the colour of deep wine with a fine golden trim. She touched the cloth gently with her finger, never had she seen such a fine dress, she wondered if it had belonged to someone before and if so, if it had been someone that Rumford had loved.

Once she'd changed into the dress and pinned her hair up in her usual fashion Belle made her way down the long winding staircase and began to wander the large estate, her finger gracefully running along the dark oak bannister. It reminded her very much of the dark castle, she wasn't sure exactly why that was. She wondered perhaps it was because it had been her home, a place she longed to go back to, she supposed everything would remind her of the man she loved, she just had to push the thoughts to the back of her mind, he didn't love her, he didn't want her.

She walked around another corner and saw that there was a light coming from a room, she knocked on the door gently "Come in" came Rumford's lightly accented voice. Belle pushed the large wooden door open with a large grunt, her having to use all of her strength to open them, her bones still ached after the ordeal in the woods.

The room on the other side of the door was beautiful. In the middle of the long thin room there sat a large dark wood dining table, chairs draped with red cloth surrounded it, there was a whole feast on the dining table. At the far end of the room there was a large fireplace a fire was already roaring, ensconcing the room in an orange hue.

Leaning again the mantel piece wearing the same long Navy blue over coat and tight leather black trousers and leather boots stood Rumford Spinnerstern. "Belle, how are you feeling?" he asked her, a soft smile graced his features as he took her in.

"I'm feeling much better" she assured him with a curt nod as she smoothed down the skirt of her dress "Thank you for the dress, it's beautiful" she added.

"It was nothing" he assured her "You look breath taking" he added before turning to the table of food "Please help yourself to food, you haven't eaten in a while"

"Thank you" Belle nodded before moving over to the table and taking a seat "Will you join me" she asked him as she sat down, Rumford nodded before taking a seat beside the beauty. They sat in a comfortable silence as Belle ate food and they both took small sips of the red wine that had been on the table.

"Do you live here all alone?" Belle asked Rumford after a moment.

He looked over the rim of his wine glass at her, his dark brown eyes meeting her blue, he gulped down his mouthful of wine, "I had family once but they all left me" he admitted, it was true, his father had traded him for youth, his first wife had left him for a pirate and his son had become lost to him.

"Oh" Belle looked down at the food on her plate "I'm sorry" she admitted, feeling bad that he didn't have a family, that he didn't know love, she at least loved Rumpelstiltskin.

"And a beautiful women like you, you don't have a love?" he asked her.

Belle gave him a soft smile and shook her head "I love a man but he won't accept it" she admitted.

"Your former employer?" he asked her, hoping that she was indeed talking about him even though she didn't know it.

Rumple noticed the uncomfortable look Belle gave him, she pushed her plate away from herself "I'm feeling rather tired, I'm going to retire for the evening, if that is alright" she avoided his last question.

"Of course" Rumford nodded, "sleep well…..Belle" perhaps it hadn't been him Belle had been talking about, though, he did wonder who else it could be. Rumple stifled a yawn he himself felt more tired than he had in many many years, perhaps he was coming down with something.