Rumpelstiltskin ran away. He fled, walking quickly down out of the great hall and down the corridor before teleporting to his workroom.
He was a coward. A coward for running away, for not following through and taking her on the table., for not telling Belle that he lo- He was a monster. He killed, he destroyed, he stole. He was a monster for all the horrid things he dreamed of doing to her.
Rumpelstiltskin paced around his workroom, door locked and charmed, muttering to himself.
Belle was light, bright and golden and pure like spring. He had a heart as dark as the underworld. He was the lord of darkness, practically, the king of darkness, the god of-
"Ah-ha!" he cried, stopping mid-pace, "that book!"
Belle's silly book she was always reading. The story of how Hades- god of the dark, dark underworld- seduced Persephone- goddess of new spring growth.
It was perfect. He could steal the book, study it, and learn exactly how to ensnare his maid like the monster he was. Rumpelstiltskin giggled manically and rubbed his hands together. Now he just had to wait for Belle to fall asleep.
…
Hours later, after night had fallen, the dark one crept down, down, down to the dungeon. He had left his little maid in the room he'd originally given her. But after a week, he'd added a bed, large and comfortable. A bed covered in pillows and blankets so she'd be warm.
What good would she be if she caught a cold and died? She'd be a bad deal. That's what she'd be.
Now standing in the door way of her room he observed. There were books everywhere. Stacked at the foot of her bed, neatly shelved in crates that used to hold onions. Candles lined one wall, dripping wax fused together to make a single candle. But neither the candles nor the books is what held his attention.
In the middle of the bed Belle slept. Blissfully unaware of her master watching her, she stirred slightly and lifted her arms above her head so they were draped across the pillow. Her hands lingered just bellow the cuffed chains that hung on the wall. It was a dungeon.
Rumpelstiltskin's heart pounded. He wanted to cuff her pale wrists to the wall. He would be gentle, he could be gentle. He would kiss every inch of her, feel the way her pulse raced as he traced the curve of her hip, the swell of her breasts. He would savor the way her breath hitched as he trailed kisses lower, and tenderly pushed apart her legs.
She whimpered. Rumpelstiltskin shook himself from his fantasizing.
Belle curled, blanket bawled, and sniveled softly again, lost in her nightmare. The dark one edged closer. He perched himself on a corner of the bed and reached out to brush away a loose piece of her hair.
"Shh, shh," he murmured, "it's alright, you're safe my sweet."
Belle's eyes fluttered open. Rumpelstiltskin wiped away a tear with the pad of his thumb.
"It was just a dream," Rumpelstiltskin assured her, "you're safe now."
She was unusually quiet, and laced her fingers with his. He smiled.
He began to stand, saying, "I'll leave you to your sleep-" but Belle held fast to his hand.
"Wait, stay," she whimpered.
"You're disoriented, sweetheart," he sighed.
Belle moved away, making room for him to join her, "Please Rumpel, I don't want to be alone."
He laid down and pulled her into his arms feeling her relax almost instantly. Belle's hands grabbed at his shirt, holding tight to keep him from leaving. He began to pet her hair, trying to calm her down.
"What frightened you so?"
Belle nuzzled closer- if that was possible- before answering, "There were soldiers, Gaston's men, and they broke in and they were going to take me away and hurt you! But I ran and they had wolves and they caught me with the wolves and they were gonna make me watch them hurt you!"
Her words came out quickly, faster as she got them all out, the last several ending in an unhappy squeak. Rumpelstiltskin pulled one of her hands from where she clutched at his shirt and held it. He knew he shouldn't enjoy her fear, or the way she tried to hide herself in his embrace.
"You don't have to worry sweet girl, the dark magic protecting this castle will keep us safe. No one will hurt you," he kissed her palm before tucking it between them, "Why don't you get some sleep? You must be tired."
"You'll stay 'til morning?"
"I'll be right here when you wake up."
"Alright," she yawned and wrapped her arms around him.
Rumpelstiltskin smiled and petted her hair as her breathing grew slow in sleep. He idly traced the bridge of her nose, the curve of her jaw. He would find the book in the morning.