"…and sometimes, the best tea cup is chipped."

Rumplestiltskin and Belle looked at each other with tears in their eyes. This was a long time coming. All those years of separation, all those years of constantly finding each other, all worth it. The world faded away as their lips gravitated naturally towards each other. The joy became so overwhelming it escaped through the form of tears out of the corners of their eyes. Their eyes closed as they savored this moment and tasted each other's kiss.

Time could have stood still. Did minutes pass? Hours? Possibly, but who was counting? Only the most significant and privileged of persons witnessed this precious and intimate moment: Dr. Archibald Hopper and Maurice French, Belle's father. A soft gentle breeze rustled the leaves on the branches as if nature was approving, applauding this pulchritudinous proclamation. Blood rushing towards their ears drowned the muffled claps being emitted by Dr. Hopper and Mr. French celebrating this incredible union.

Belle slowly and bravely opened her eyes, taking in one of his last breaths before allowing their lips to part. The sight she saw, like the first time they kissed, was something to marvel. He was beautiful. They gazed lovingly at each other, reflecting similar smiles to one another. Another tear managed to fall out of the corner of his eye. Belle caressed his face in her hands and lifted the tear delicately away. His smile only seemed to grow bigger as he leaned forward to plant another kiss on top of the tear drop that resided on her face. They fell into each other's embrace; her arms wrapped around his neck and his arms around her torso. Their faces rested cheekbone to cheekbone like interlocking puzzle pieces and he breathed in her intoxicatingly addictive scent. He whispered into her ear, "My darling Belle, thank you for loving me and making me the happiest man tonight."

"Rumplestiltskin, my dear husband," Belle replied hugging Rumple, "I will love you till' my last breath."

Both Belle and Rumple pulled away from each other for a brief moment, and Rumple turned to the witnesses recognizing the presence. "Gentlemen," addressed Rumple to Dr. Hopper and Mr. French, "thank you for being here. As you know, I'm usually a man who has a way with words, but right now… I'm…," he looks over at a beaming Belle, "I am rendered speechless."

"Well, I think that's a first for all of us," remarked Maurice French.

"You guys go on and head on out. We'll take care of everything here," replied a smiling Dr. Hopper.

"Father… Archie… thank you," said Belle wrapping her arm around Rumple's arm and intertwining her fingers with his. Hopper smiled and nodded towards Belle. Mr. French pressed his fingers towards his lips and blew his daughter a loving kiss.

Both Belle and Rumplestiltskin turned away from the candle lit well and headed toward his car, hand in hand as husband and wife. They walked through the darkened woods enjoying each other's blissful silence. The sound of the twigs and leaves crackling beneath their feet sobered the reality of their marriage. It wasn't a dream. They are married. She glimpsed up from her feet to look at Rumple only to discover that he had been gazing at her this entire time. She smirked while a blush formed within her cheeks.

They finally approached his car. With his spare hand he quickly pulled out his keys and unlocked the driver's side door in one fluid motion. With the hand still holding Belle's he drew it up to his lips and kissed it tenderly, never losing eye contact with her. He then bowed to her, gesturing with his free hand to enter the car first. Belle smiled as she harkened back to a memory of him bowing and giving her a rose. "Always the gentleman," she thought grinning at his chivalry. "Why thank you," she said with an informal curtsy. She got into his car and scooted herself all the way to the passenger seating allowing him space to comfortably enter.

He took the keys and placed them in the ignition. He looked like he was about to turn the keys, when he paused mid-movement and sat back in his seat. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting in the space between the two, he gave an elated sigh and closed his eyes. "My wife… you are my wife… Belle is my wife…" was all he said that broke the silence. He said it out of disbelief, as if saying it out-loud gave power and validation to the statements themselves. He opened his eyes and looked over at Belle"…I like the sound of that."

"Me too," said Belle as she scooted closer to him in his seat sandwiching his hand between her own two resting on her knee. "Home?"

He smiled back at her, "Home."

The car ride home was only about a fifteen minute drive, but it seemed much longer than that. Throughout the travel they would catch each other glancing at one another. With one hand on the wheel and the other in Belle's, he looked over at Belle. During a moment when she wasn't looking, he stole a glance at her elegant porcelain skin. The way she was dressed, so formal and conservative, invoked a kind of excitement for him; like a present waiting to be unwrapped, a present that was meant just for him. However, he knew better. He wasn't ever going to do something tonight that she was uncomfortable with. He would wait forever for her. But still, the thoughts lingered to kissing her everywhere! The challenge would be to kiss every inch of her skin. He enjoyed the idea of that personal challenge, but if, and only if she would have him.

They finally made it to the house. Before he was able to turn off the car, Belle quickly escaped through the passenger side door and practically ran to him meeting him on the other side. She did not want to spend a single moment without him by her side. In their history, anything can happen in a single moment. Nothing was going to separate them tonight. She refused. Selfishness was never really a quality that Belle was known for, but tonight, he was hers and she was his. Tonight she conceded to this selfish moment.

"Excited are we?" he asked, catching on to her enthusiasm. He bent down and they shared a slow kiss.

"I'm just… happy. I'm happy, because for once, the universe isn't demanding or beckoning for your attention and…" She pulls gently at his collar and she steals another kiss from him, "I get you all to myself tonight."

"Just being with my beautiful wife," he says giving her a quick return kiss, "on this gorgeous night is the only obligation I have."

"Indeed."

They quickly climbed the steps and he unlocked the door. When he pushed the door open Rumplestiltskin stopped abruptly. "What is it?" she asked Rumple.

"There's a tradition in this land. If the bride trips upon entering the house's threshold, it is said to be bad luck. So…" Rumple swiftly and elegantly scooped Belle up and held her in his arms. Belle gave off a surprised giggle in response to such a forward and unexpected gesture. He lingered at the front door step and looked into her eyes. "You know, the last time I held you in my arms like this you fell from the ladder trying to take those damn curtains down in my castle, and I…" he paused and smiled at her, recalling the moment in his mind, "well… I knew from that moment, that it was me who kept falling in love with you."

"Well, uh, for starters I didn't know you were superstitious. And also, your wife would like to eventually make it inside the house and continue enjoying the company of her husband."

"Oh!" and on that note, he gladly stepped through the house's threshold, gracefully and without a stutter in step. He eased her down onto her own two feet and the first thing she did was kiss his soft wanting lips. She walked slowly towards the stairs as he closed the front door and locked it.

"Wait," he called out to her. She turned around and saw his fingers fidget where he stood. He appeared nervous about something. "I…," he cleared his throat before continuing, "I have a surprise… for us."

Curious, she walked back over to him who offered his arm as an escort. They way he was facing indicated to her that the surprise was just in the darkened living room. She beamed with anticipation as they both turned and entered the dark room. When the lights turned on they were no longer in the living room of his Victorian house. She gasped in surprise and looked down to discover that she was no longer in the same wedding dress that she was in moments before. She was wearing the same beautiful gold dress that they had met in. When she looked back over at him, he was dressed in a handsome formal outfit, kin to the style from their land; a dapper blue coat complete with tails, a ruffled white shirt that covered his chest, a matching gold cummerbund, raven black pants tucked into shin-high black leather boots. He looked at her amorously and bowed, gesturing for her to take his hand.

Belle, completely overwhelmed by the romantic gesture, took his hand. She was so awestruck by the gorgeous glittering ballroom she almost forgot to breathe. He led her to the center of the room, walking side by side. They stopped and turned, facing each other. He never once broke his loving gaze toward her. In silence, he lifted her right hand placing it in the palm of his, and then proceeded to place the other gently on her waist. She instinctively placed her left hand on his waist and they moved slowly on the dance floor. "This… You… We're…" Belle stammered, practically speechless.

"We…," he said looking around him, "are missing music." He moved his hand momentarily away from her waist and flicked the air using his fingers. Once they started moving, she could hear string instruments play from out of nowhere playing a sweet and joyful melody. The beat of the tune, seemed to mimic the movements of their steps. She looked all around her in disbelief as they moved across the dance floor. She heard the clicking of her shoes knock against the hard floors with each step. It almost felt real. She looked up and noticed the mural ceiling, but it was too high above her to really appreciate any of the details. The giant chandelier blanketed and filled the room with a brilliant light.

He continued holding on to her one hand as she spun out, the ruffles of her dress flowing gently around her legs. She slowly and gently spun back into his chest with her back towards him. He cradled her using his arms that were wrapped around her. He bent down gently kissing a portion of her exposed neck. "Rumple…" she began, "this is amazing. It's… it's… overwhelming."

"It's too much."

"No… Well…" She conflicted. She wanted to say 'yes' but didn't want to ruin the moment.

"It's quite alright, you don't have to explain." He snapped his fingers and the lights from the chandelier went out instantaneously. He left her side leaving her in the dark for only a moment. He turned the light switch back on and they were in their living room again. She looked over at him by the wall and noticed that they were both back in their wedding attire. "Rumple that was quite the surprise, but… what was that all about?"

He stood nervously, staring down at the floor almost ashamed, "I never forgot that you were a princess… before you met me. I just wanted to give you, if only for a moment, something that was worthy of you."

"Rumple… you didn't have to do that. You are worthy of me. Here…" she walked over to the record player that was sitting in the corner and turned it on. She placed the needle down on the wax record and it began playing Franz Liszt's Liebestraum. She took his hand again. He smirked, taking her hand and they began dancing again. He playfully gave her another twirl and she spun around in place, she let out a playful giggle. They held each other's hands and she looked up at him. "You know… I forgot that life, being a princess. All I need now… is what I have here in my hands."

He grinned, silently listening. Her head rested on his shoulder and they began rocking back and forth. The song began to fade away and it allowed Belle to reflect on her past, "I was done with that lifestyle the moment I stepped foot in your castle. And… I was relieved because… you saved me from a loveless marriage."

"We saved each other," he concurred, smiling at her. They stood there side stepping to their own rhythm listening to the white noise of the record, when the clock on the mantle over the fireplace began to chime. Belle counted the chimes, "It's midnight."

"Ah yes," Rumple sighed, "the bewitching hour."

"It's getting late. I suppose it's time for bed."

She pulled away from him and he stood there realizing what was traditionally going to happen next. He hadn't thought this all the way through. He panicked. As eager as he was about the notion earlier, thinking about it was one thing, actually doing it was another. He found himself incredibly nervous. His heart began to race. "You know, I uh, I'm going to be honest… I'm a bit nervous."

She had only climbed two steps before turning to look at him. She had plucked the pins within her white hat that had kept her hair intact and removed it, allowing her thick wavy brown locks to fall upon her shoulders giving a little bounce. "What's there to be nervous about? We're just going to bed."

"It's just… that, it's been a long time since… uh," he rambled nervously.

"You're not going to hurt me Rumple," she said with confident finesse, "I trust you," relieving him of some of his anxieties. He looked up and gawked at her, mesmerized by her beauty. Her entrancing blue eyes begged him to come closer. For a moment, he couldn't believe she was his wife. He stood there paralyzed. When she saw that he wasn't moving, she looked at him playfully biting a corner of her bottom lip, "Aren't you coming?"

He scoffed at himself for acting foolish. She was his and he was hers. He ran up to her on that second step and kissed her passionately. Their bodies swayed until his back was against the wall opposite of the stairway banister. The sound of their bodies making impact caused them to break apart and laugh. Belle continued going up the stairs keeping one eye on him while casually removing her jacket. He took her cue and started removing layers of clothing, setting the pieces along the stair railing.

She entered their bedroom first and sat on the edge of their bed, slipping off her shoes. She then proceeded to take off her stockings when he stopped her saying, "Allow me." He got down on one knee and caressed her leg. With one hand he hoisted her leg and with the other he reached all the way up the stocking slowly pulling down the soft cloth. He pulled the stocking down a couple of inches at a time and with every gap of exposed skin he kissed her leg.

He was the artist working on her other leg now, carefully placing each rose petal kiss deliberately. He moved along the limb painting sweet intricate designs with nothing but his lips. He kissed all the way down to her foot when he looked up and saw her smile, blushing. She reached out for his face and he gladly came to her level and their lips met. A flurry of fingers and rushing hands moved over each others' bodies. They helped each other unbutton, unzip, and untie; liberating themselves of the clothing that prevented them from getting closer and tossed it carelessly to the floor. Her fingers combed through his hair and his hands moved up and down supporting her backside. With eyes closed, they intuitively fell back on the bed and onto one another. They swam beneath the ocean of covers and began making the sheets undulate to their movements.

What they made were gorgeous, poignant, tender, intentional, wanting sounds. No trace of skin untouched by hands or lips. They fell over each other again and again with intermittent sighs and gasps. The lustful catalyst that burned within kept them perpetually wanting more of each other. Deeper and deeper. More and more. They felt complete. They felt whole. A single unit moving together as one. There were no thoughts, or words, just them focusing on each other. Here and now.

With a sublime release, they finished by kissing each other tenderly on the lips. Rumple sat up and pulled Belle close and hugged her, laying his head on her chest. He could hear her heart racing and to him, was the most virtuous sound only he was privy to listen to. She kissed the top of his head and laid her head on top of his. She could feel the heat and perspiration give rise from off his head. He closed his eyes and with exhausted breath whispered, "I love you" earnestly into her body, hugging her tighter. At the sound of his words, she cried silently to herself. The tears weren't of sadness, but of overwhelming happiness. Her body was expressing what words couldn't of all the feelings and emotions she was experiencing at that very moment; all too many to physically and mentally comprehend. "I love you too," she managed to whisper back sincerely. After a few moments of catching their breath and inhaling one another, they both laid back down cuddling next to each other.

They nestled into each other finding a comfortable position. He laid on his back with an arm draped around her shoulders. She wrapped her arm around his torso and had one leg curled intimately around his, resting her head on the square of his shoulder. Both had closed their eyes, but none were really sleeping, simply resting. She could hear the cadence of air moving in and out of his lungs and it gave solace to her soul. He rubbed her exposed arm and then his fingers trickled down to her backside drawing invisible circles.

She thought of how far they've come. She reflected upon how much Rumple had changed since they first met. Was it because of her? Did he do it for her? She knew this handsome good-hearted person was there all along. She had caught him in glimpses during her stay at his castle. She knew that he used his beastly nature to cope, to protect himself and survive. However, she made him stronger. He even said so himself. There was no need for the beast to come out. As long as she was by his side constantly giving him the strength, he would have the courage to make good decisions. While others saw a dastardly magical creature, she saw a man. She saw a man with a curse destined to experience many horrific things for eternity. She saw a man who tried to make the most of an awful situation. Wouldn't any hopeful person do the same? His curse was a burden that no man should ever have to bear. If all we are, are the culmination of our experiences, then the summation of his must have been most unfavorable. So much so, that the coping mechanism he used for enduring all those countless years was invoking and reverting back to his inner child. Without his son to remind him of his humanity, it's no wonder that this man twisted and transformed into the beast she knew when they first met. His humanity was what made him beautiful. Not magic. She was his mirror now, reflecting his humanity; a reason to value life and that life is worth living. And it was in that same reason that transcended to hope. Hope to make the most of any given situation. He was the perfect symbol of hope in her mind and that was why she was so proud of him. Despite any adversity, as long as she had him, she had hope. And that was all she needed.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, his interjection breaking up her epiphany. "Hmmm?"

"What?" acting coy.

"I can almost feel you think," he said awaiting her reply. He started playing with her hair, her head still resting on his shoulder. She lifted her head briefly to see that his eyes were still closed and rested her head back down on his shoulder. She smiled mischievously and replied, "You caught me. I was thinking."

"Mmhmm, I gathered that much."

"You know, I uh, I'm really glad you decided against wearing your leather boots," she said playfully, avoiding the question. He laughed at himself at the thought.

"Yes well, why take time removing clothes off myself when I could be using that time taking clothes off of you?" he said bending down to kiss the top of her head.

She giggled at his reply. There was no need to answer what he already knew. She turned over and hovered over his body. He opened his eyes at her movements. Noticing that she was coming face to face to him he smiled at her lovingly. She looked into his eyes, the ends of her ruffled hair dangling over his bare chest. She stared at him amorously before saying the only thing that needed to be said, "I was only thinking… of how much I love you."

She lowered her face and kissed him gently. Their lips parted for a moment and he replied, "Well guess what?" he asked as they continued kissing fervently even while turning over and Belle was on her back and he was on top of her. "Mmm?" she asked inquisitively. He lifted his head, his face only inches away from hers, "I was thinking the same thing too."

He stole one more kiss from Belle as the first snowflake softly hit outside the window pane.

Hello my beautiful fellow Rumbeller/Oncers. Please review! However, if you feel like giving me a roasting just be gentle, this is my first time writing romance. I want to hear what you think.