Rumpel closed the door to his shop and locked it as his gaze scanned the street for anything of interest. Pocketing his keys, he crossed the road and headed towards the library, where he could take the stairs to Belle's apartment. All day he had been in the shop trying to organise things for their son's proposal. He had even been to talk to Maurice to order some roses. The look his father-in-law had given him would never change. The man hated Rumpel. Not that Rumpel had given him any reason not to hate him over the years. Taking someone's daughter and beating them to near death might cause them to never forgive you.
Maurice had questioned why the order, but Rumpel had not given him an answer, instead had told him not to mention it to Belle or anyone if he was asked. He knew as soon as he said it that he was digging himself a bigger hole and giving Maurice an advantage over him. Belle had already been on the phone again, wondering why Rumpel was being evasive with her. Hence, the reason he was going over to her apartment to have dinner and soothe things over with her.
He reached the landing of her stairs and knocked the door. Rumpel never felt right walking into her apartment without an invitation. It did not feel like home. It was her home. As much as Rumpel wanted her to move back into his home, their home, she had not felt ready for them to move in together again. Lingering memories.
The door opened to reveal Belle, who smiled at seeing it was him. "Hey."
"Hello, sweetheart." Rumpel said stepping towards her and engulfing her into a hug. He loved the smell of her. Even though, he had seen her yesterday, it felt like he had not seen her for a long time. Cradling the back of her head, Rumpel smothered his face into the crook of her neck, never wanting it to end.
"I got a stew on the stove." She told him withdrawing from their hug to take his hand and shut the door before leading him to the couch. They sat down together, their fingers laced together in Belle's lap.
"You done much today?" Rumpel asked pulling his tie to remove it and laid it on the arm of the couch beside him, and unbuttoned some of his shirt.
"Nothing much. Just sorting some catalogues in the library." Belle told him. He could not help but stare into her eyes. The dark blue pools of her eyes were hypnotising.
He nodded his head and stroked his thumb over the back of her hand. "So, do we have plans for this weekend? Do you want to go anywhere?"
"I thought we could go to the cabin for some alone time." Belle trailed her finger down his chest. Through his clothes, he could feel the heat from her finger dance across his chest. His gaze dropped to her finger, following the path it took down his chest and stomach, and then down his thigh.
"Cabin?" Rumpel mumbled with his mind shutting down on him.
"Yeah. You and me. Cabin. Weekend away." Belle squeezed his fingers, trying to get his attention.
Rumpel swallowed and then shook his head. "Sorry, no, we can't go to the cabin this weekend."
"Why not? She turned on the couch to lean her arm on his shoulder and placed her hand on his chest. He could not help it. Every time she touched him, it was distracting.
"I… Erm…" He took a deep breath and continued. "I've got some people in there updating it." Inwardly he groaned at another lie. He knew if he told her that Gideon and Lilly were using it, she would come up with a way of either getting them to change their plans or would push the subject on why they could not change their plans.
"What? I liked the cabin the way it was!" Belle questioned. He chanced a look at her through the corner of his eye, she did not look happy with him. Remaining calm, Rumpel concentrated on her hand he had in his and played with her fingers.
"It was just getting a bit… old. I wanted to freshen things up in there."
She poked her finger into his chest. "What are you up to?"
"Me?" Rumpel replied, surprised she had jumped to that so soon.
"Yes, you!" She countered, shuffling closer to him. "You're up to something, Rumpelstiltskin." His head snapped to look at her when she used his full name. She never used his full name unless he had done something stupid. Rumpel did not like being put on the spot.
"It's my cabin." Rumpel pointed to himself as he spoke. "If I want to update it, then I will update it."
"My? What happened to 'our' cabin?" Belle inquired and pulled her hand out of his. Rumpel was beginning to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was keeping his promise to his son worth this? He knew he would do anything for his children… his child, but was it worth upsetting Belle. All their hard work was going to take a hit.
Rumpel stood up from the couch and went to the kitchen to get a glass out of the cupboard. He shook his head at his thoughts, trying to figure out what he was going to do as he grabbed his bottle of whiskey from the top of the fridge. The glass chinked when the neck of the bottle hit the rim of the glass. Rumpel poured himself a very healthy amount before replacing the lid on the whiskey. He could see her on the couch watching him and her annoyance was evident on her face.
'It'll be worth it' he told himself downing the whiskey, burning its way down his throat, and said to Belle. "Look, you know it's our cabin. I just wanted to give it a makeover. I don't want any more reminders of the past. I'm trying to move forward with you."
Her annoyance seem to dissolve with his words. "Oh, Rumpel!" She stood from the couch and came over to him in the kitchen, slinging her arms around his neck. "Why didn't you just say that?"
"Should I have to?" Rumpel pulled out of her arms. "I'm not plotting world domination. You don't have to think I'm always up to something."
She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them, reaching out to touch Rumpel's chest. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I can't help it. Please, forgive me."
"It's okay." He said holding his arms out to her, inviting her to come closer. Belle stepped into his embrace and kissed him sweetly on the cheek. She rested her head against his shoulder and relaxed against him. Closing his eyes, Rumpel chastised himself for lying to Belle. So much for turning over a new leaf and trying to be a better man for her. Habits, they are a killer. It did annoy him that she was so quick to jump to he was plotting behind her back. No matter if it was for a good cause or not.
Belle pulled out of their hug and went over to the stove checking on their stew. "This is ready. Why don't you take your jacket off and I'll serve this up?"
"Okay." Rumpel mumbled and shrugged his suit jacket off as he walked over to the couch. He laid it over the back of the couch. The front door opened and Gideon and Lilly came through the door. Rumpel turned to see them as Gideon closed the door.
Lilly always looked shy when she saw Rumpel, he had noted, but then she had probably heard many stories from his past involving her mother. He greeted them both with a smile and went to the small round dining table, sitting down with his back to the windows so he could see everyone in the room. Rumpel watched as Belle greeted Lilly warmly with a hug and invited the young couple to join them for dinner. Rumpel rubbed aimlessly at his thigh. He was not in pain. It was more a coping mechanism he had developed over the years. Damn conscious was getting the better of him.
The chair beside him scrapped on the wooden floorboards. Rumpel looked up to see his son sit down beside him. "Hey."
"If your mother asks, the cabin is getting a makeover." Rumpel whispered to Gideon, leaning towards his son.
Gideon frowned. "Is it?"
"No, she wanted to use it this weekend." He told his son quietly. "It was the first thing to mind to stop her from going."
"Okay." Gideon nodded his head at his father.
"Hi, Mr Gold." Lilly greeted taking the other seat beside Rumpel and opposite Gideon.
"Lilly." He sat back against the back of his chair. "I hope all is well?"
"Oh, yes. Definitely." She smiled broadly at Gideon across the table as she spoke. "You?"
Rumpel winched a smile at her. "A little complicated at the minute, but it'll all work out for the best in the end. I hope."
"Anything I can help with?" Lilly asked as she touched her hand on top of Rumpel's that laid on the table. His gaze went to their hands and then to her face. He was not used to contact with anyone that was not Belle or Gideon.
"Erm… No, it's okay." Rumpel said, feeling uncomfortable with her hand on his.
Belle intervened by putting a bowl of stew down in front of Rumpel. Lilly withdrew her hand from Rumpel's and took her bowl from Belle, thanking her as she did. He pondered the young woman. She had an innocence about her and a hint of pain that she tried to hide beneath her mask. Rumpel could relate to that. He knew she had it rough growing up. Much like his own childhood had been.
"Rumpel," Belle called him from his thoughts. "Are you not eating?" He looked down at the steaming bowl in front of him and picked up the spoon that had materialised beside the bowl. They all chatted as he dug into his stew. Gideon was very much like Belle, able to see the smallest of good in someone. There was many similarities between the two couples. Gideon had brought Lilly out of herself and from the darkness, just as Belle had done the same for him.
"So, when are we going fishing?" Belle asked, kicking him under the table.
He winched from the sudden pain and shot a look of annoyance at his wife opposite. "What?"
"Gideon told me you're thinking about taking up fishing." She told him, gesturing towards Gideon who was staring down at his bowl.
"Yeah…" Rumpel glared at Gideon. "It was something I did when I was a young lad. It used to do the same thing as spinning does for me. Quiet time to think."
"I tried fishing once, but I kept getting the line tangled." Lilly said reaching for some bread from the centre of the table.
Belle touched Lilly's arm. "There you go. Rumpel, you could take Lilly fishing."
"What?" Rumpel blurted with a spoon of stew held up to his mouth. The two looked at each other. Lilly was the first to turn away, looking to Gideon across the table.
"Give you two a chance to get to know one another." Belle took a spoonful from her stew and watched the two as she put it into her mouth.
"I… I haven't even bought anything to go fishing with yet." Rumpel told them.
"Well, when you do then." Belle shook her head at him. The look Rumpel gave his son was nothing compared to the kick in the shin he gave him under the table. Gideon's knee hit the underside of the table hard, making everything on the table jump. The two women looked shocked at the table whilst the two men stared at each other, a silent conversation between them.
"Gideon!" Belle proclaimed at him.
"Sorry, mother. I just got a sudden pain my leg." Gideon apologised, never breaking the exchange between father and son. Rumpel shook his head and went back to eating his stew quickly. He did often wonder if having a family was really, what he had craved all those years spent on his own in the Dark Castle. It just caused him trouble.
When he had finished, he stood up from the table and went into the kitchen to put his bowl into the sink. He rinsed it under the tap and left it on the side, drying his hands on the nearby dishcloth. As he watched his family chat whilst they ate, Rumpel felt the pull to leave. He had to get out of there before he was dragged into more lies or promises he could not keep. Rumpel did not want to disappoint his son, but he also did not want any more baggage between Belle and him.
Rubbing at his eyebrow, Rumpel came back to the table and lent over to give Belle a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
He started towards the couch where his jacket and tie were, as Belle called behind him. "You're not staying over?"
"No." Rumpel paused grabbing his jacket and tie, looking at her over his shoulder. "I've got some things to take care of."
"Oh… Okay." Belle's disappointment could be heard in her voice. Before he changed his mind, he left and closed the door behind him. His hand lingered on the doorknob. He wanted nothing more than to stay with her tonight. Staying meant that there would be further conversations and the possibility of him being tangled into more lies. He could not lie to her anymore. It stabbed his heart every time.