I do hope everyone is enjoying my little story! More to come!
:)
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Feeling Belle crumble around him caused Rumplestilskin to quickly find his own release.
And it felt like he was being reborn. It had never been like this with Milah.
Never.
His breath came shakily as he struggled to pull his collapsed torso off of Belle.
His limbs felt like jelly.
"Are you alright?" he choked out of his parched throat.
Belle stared at the ceiling with her skirt still hiked up to her waist and her arms lain limply on either side of her head.
Her legs looked like they belonged to a marionette, still bent and spread wide enough for his pelvis to cradle between. She reminded him vaguely of a doll that had perhaps been tossed from a great height and had landed on her back.
She looked broken and useless.
But she wasn't.
In that moment, even with the dirt caked to her skirt and the smudges of ash on her face, his Belle looked more beautiful than she had ever looked to him.
Because now she truly was his.
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Rumplestilskin toyed with a strand of her hair as he awaited her answer.
But, instead of words, Belle began to softly weep. Fat, clear streams flowed freely down her cheeks, following the old trail of her previous tears.
"Have I hurt you?!" he said, horrified, and pulled her into his sore arms.
Her only response was to bury her face against his bare chest as harder sobs wracked her body.
"Please do not weep Belle….please…." he cooed as he rocked her.
"Tell me," She sobbed, "Tell me!"
Rumplestilskin knew what she asked, but his mouth couldn't form the words.
"Belle, I can't-"
"Tell me Rumplestilskin," she faced him, "Do not play the coward with me any longer."
"I am not a coward." He spat.
"The tell me!" Belle barked back with the same frustration.
"You don't understand, it's not that simple!"
"The kiss worked." She hissed through teeth gritted in irritation.
And before she register what was occurring, the Dark One had pinned her to the floor and was looming over her with his rotten teeth bared in a disturbing snarl.
"You will never ever mention that again." He whispered with venom dripping from each syllable.
Belle glared into his golden eyes without fear. She knew this act far too well.
Her True Love was playing the Beast again, trying to scare her into submission. He always used his anger to frighten her in hope that it would somehow mask his cowardice.
But Belle always saw through him.
Do the brave thing…
"It means True Love."