"Powder of Amethyst if you please." Rumplestiltskin said and Belle handed him a vial of pure powder. They were in his tower and Belle was assisting him with one of his potions.
Of course, she'd long since been coming up to the tower to visit him, she truly enjoyed watching him work, and would often ask questions regarding the different ingredients however, recently she'd become something of an assistant when it came to his potion making.
It had all started a few weeks after the Samuel incident.
*Flashback*
Rumplestiltskin had been in his tower the entire day, even forgoing dinner. Belle had begun to worry for him and so made her way up to the tower. She gently pushed open the door to find Rumple looking, almost frazzled.
"I really can't do with any interruptions right now Belle." he said shortly as he zipped around the tower pouring over books and adding ingredients.
"No but it does look like you could use some help," said Belle.
"Nonsense. This potion may need to be done by daylight tomorrow but I'll be able to finish it on my own." scoffed Rumple and Belle raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps. The question is if your sanity will still be intact."
"Sanity is overrated," scoffed Rumple and Belle gave a very unladylike snort before stepping inside.
"Please, surely there is something I can assist you with?" Rumple gave her a piercing look.
"You aren't going to let me be anyway, are you?"
"Probably not," conceded Belle. Rumple rolled his eyes.
"Fine you can help with preparing the ingredients," Belle beamed and swiftly hurried to his side.
*Flashback*
They'd finished the potion well before the deadline and Rumple had in fact conceded that Belle had a bit of a talent when it came to potions. For her part Belle found the way the different ingredients mixed and reacted to be fascinating and she soon began to help him more often even when she suspected he didn't quite need her help per se.
It was also nice to have another activity that she could share with Rumple a way no matter how small to be a part of his world and the magic he worked. She also couldn't deny she was still getting the same strange fluttery feelings inside her whenever he got particularly close. Which was both exhilarating and infuriating in equal measure. Still, at moments like this she was just happy to be spending time with him.
OUAT
Rumple had begun to quite enjoy having Belle for a lab assistant. She was clever enough that he could trust her to listen to his directions and remember everything he'd told her and her acute curiosity and thirst for knowledge never failed to amuse him.
He also hadn't been lying when he'd told her she had a knack for potion making. She might not have any magical inclination but she was certainly smart enough that given enough time he wouldn't put it past her to start experimenting with her own potions.
He hadn't yet told her though what today's potion was for. He'd recently visited Regina and been reminded of her vault of hearts. Of course, he didn't balk at the idea of taking someone's heart but it had brought a concerning thought to mind.
"So when are you going to tell me what we are making?" asked Belle.
"Well, I suppose now would be as good a time as any." Rumple paused becoming more serious.
"How much do you know about the extraction of hearts?" Belle's brow furrowed.
"Not much. I know it's an exceptionally dark branch of magic."
"Very true. You see the value in taking someone's heart doesn't actually so much lie in your ability to crush it and kill them." Belle winced and Rumple internally kicked himself for giving her the gruesome image.
"It comes from the fact that the person holding it can then use the heart to control its owner. They can make them do and say anything and the person is helpless to defy them."
"That's horrible!" exclaimed Belle. Rumple tilted his head in agreement.
"It's certainly a sadistic approach."
"You don't say." quipped Belle before tilting her head. "Why are we discussing it though I thought that was a spell not a potion."
"It is." Rumple took a breath because he knew what he was going to ask could go over horribly.
"There are certain ways to protect and guard against such things. My concern, is that in the very unlikely event we should we ever encounter a situation such as the one with the Queens of Darkness I'd prefer to keep that from being an exploitable avenue."
"You're worried that if something like that happened again the person might take my heart and force me to turn against you." said Belle comprehension dawning on her face.
"Yes," answered Rumple.
"How would you do that?" asked Belle.
"That's where the potion comes in, I would pour it over your heart and it would prevent anyone from ever being able to control you in the unlikely event they got past the spell I intend to cast to prevent it being ripped out in the first place."
"Pour it over my heart? But that would mean..."
"That I would need your permission to remove your heart from your chest temporarily," finished Rumple wincing. It sounded even worse out loud. Belle looked at him for a moment and then nodded.
"Alright." Rumple blinked.
"What?"
"I said alright. I would hate for anyone to use me against you or anyone I love. And I know I can trust you with my heart." Belle's words dripped with sincerity and in floored Rumple. To trust someone with your literal heart and free will was an entirely different level of confidence. And yet here she was freely giving him her trust. Belle truly was a marvel. A beautiful, brave, marvel.
OUAT
Belle was a little shocked at Rumple's request. But there wasn't a shred of doubt in her mind that she could trust him with her heart. She couldn't believe that he would ever harm her.
"Very well. I'll do my best to make this as painless as possible." said Rumple. She stood still as he reached out his hand which sunk into her chest. She gasped as she could physically feel his hand close around her heart causing a strange pressure inside her chest.
Rumple retracted his hand Belle's eyes widened as she saw her own red heart beating in Rumple's hand it was morbidly fascinating. The second thing she observed was the fact that all her emotions seemed to have suddenly been dulled. She knew she ought to feel something at the sight of her heart in Rumple's hand but she couldn't muster up much emotion. It was there but almost as if it were just out of reach.
Rumple took a ladle and poured the purple potion they had made over her heart so that the red was briefly coated in a purple film before fading.
"Now just to make sure it works I'm going to ask you to do something and I want to attempt not to comply." said Rumple gently and Belle nodded feeling a faint nervousness.
"Step towards me." said Rumple. Belle waited expecting to feel some sort of compulsion to obey but there was none. Rumple nodded looking pleased.
"Good." He then reached forward and placing a hand on her shoulder for bracing pushed the heart back into her chest. Belle gasped again. It was as if a shock of lightning had been delivered to her and suddenly all her emotions came flooding back in full force. She felt Rumple's arms steadying her.
"Are you alright?" he asked. Belle placed a hand over her newly replaced heart.
"Yes, I think so."
"Good then there's one last piece," Rumple muttered an incantation of some sort and a faint gold glow emanated from his hand as it passed over the spot where he had removed her heart.
"There. Now nobody can remove your heart without your permission." said Rumple. Belle was still reeling a little from the experience but nodded.
"Thank you."
"No matter. It's as much a benefit to me as to you. Can't have anyone using my caretaker against me, can I?" said Rumple with a smirk however Belle felt there was something deeper there. However much he tried to play it off he was concerned for her and protecting her and that meant something. It meant she was important enough to him that she was worth protecting. The thought made Belle feel rather warm inside.
"No, I suppose not," she answered and gave him a small smile.
OUAT
It was tea time several days after the experiment with Belle's heart and the two of them were having tea in the Great Hall. The currents were open causing light to stream in and giving a spectacular view of the mountains outside.
Rumple was leaning against the back of the table and Belle came around to join him seating herself on the table so that they were shoulder to shoulder. It never ceased to amaze him how she never seemed to shy away from being near him.
"Why did you want me here?" she asked. It was a fair enough question. After all he'd not had an actual price in mind when he came to make the deal in Avalonea. And contrary to popular belief he didn't actually make a habit of stealing away beautiful young maidens.
"Place was filthy," he deflected casually. Glancing up he saw Belle give him a skeptical look with her bright blue eyes on thin brown brow arching slightly. They both knew it was an excuse. Then her face softened.
"I think you were lonely. I mean any man would be lonely." Ah his dear Belle always able to hit to the heart of matters with only a few words. And she wasn't wrong. Oh she'd fascinated him from the beginning and the idea of a noble as a servant had appealed to him. But there also had been something rather nice, about the thought of having someone else with him here in the castle. He'd been on his own so long he was more or less used to it. But it didn't mean it made for a particularly enjoyable existence.
"I'm not a man," he pointed out softly. Belle shook her head for once not contradicting him though he could see the disagreement in her eyes. A comfortable silence fell between them for a moment before she spoke again.
"So, I've had quite some time to look around, you know. And, uh, upstairs, there's, uh, clothing, small, as if for a-a child. Was it yours or... or was there a son?" the question was gently asked and he could tell she was leaving room for him to refuse if he wished.
He was slightly taken aback by the fact that she had even found Bae's room he normally kept it magically locked which meant that the castle (which did have something of a mind of its own) had let her inside. A battle raged within him. It had been quite a while since he'd spoken about Bae. It was one of his deepest secrets. Then the Hatter's voice echoed in his head.
"Let her in." Belle had trusted him with her heart, a monumental gesture. She'd protected him so to speak from her childhood friend, when given the chance at escape she'd chosen him. Perhaps, just maybe it was time he started showing her a little trust in return.
OUAT
Belle had finally decided to bring up the children's clothing that she had found a month or so back. She'd been waiting for the right moment and now seemed as good as any.
"So, I've had quite some time to look around, you know. And, uh, upstairs, there's, uh, clothing, small, as if for a-a child. Was it yours or... or was there a son?" she asked softly. Belle observed him as his eyes widened slightly in surprise and he didn't answer at once. However, Belle didn't press allowing him to gather his thoughts. It was after all a very personal question. At last, he spoke and it was in the low, normal voice she associated with him being genuine.
"There was. There was a son. I lost him. As I did his mother." Belle's heart ached for Rumple as she heard the nostalgia and tenderness in his tone as he spoke of his son. To have been a parent and lose a child must be terrible.
It also didn't escape her notice that his tone was slightly more clipped when it shifted to speak of his wife and that he referred to her only in terms of her relation to his son rather than what she had been to him. Perhaps it was nothing but Belle experienced a small unexplained flash of pleasure at this observation.
"I'm sorry she said placing a hand over his. Not wanting to press him too far on the painful subject of a lost child just yet Belle shifted topics slightly. This really was the furthest she'd ever gotten with him.
"So, you were an ordinary man once," it was half a statement half a question for she'd been fairly sure that he couldn't have always been the Dark One.
"All too ordinary as it turned out." replied Rumple softly then he turned his head and raised an eyebrow.
"Why all the personal questions dearie?" Belle repressed a huff at his usage of "dearie" which he rarely used in reference to her. She could see his mask was beginning to fall back into place.
"If I'm never going to know another person in my whole life. Can't I at least know you?"
"Perhaps..." said Rumple moving to face her his voice going slightly higher and more childish, "Perhaps you just want to learn the monster's weaknesses! Nyah, Nyah! Nuh, nuh nuh!" he waved a finger in front of her face and Belle gave him an exasperated look.
"Ah the argument as old as time," she took his hand, "You're NOT a monster and one of these days when I say that to you you'll actually believe it." Rumple scoffed.
"I wish you luck."
"Well I have forever to try don't I?" she replied slipping off the table. Rumple gazed at her and there was something in his eyes she couldn't quite place.
"Yes, I suppose you do." Belle sensed she probably wasn't going to get much further on his past today and so collected the tea set. But before he left she couldn't help but ask one last question.
"Your son, what was his name?" Rumple turned to look at her and she wondered for a moment if he would answer at all. She was about to let the matter drop when he finally said.
"Baelfire. His name was Baelfire."
Author's Note: So Belle's a potion maker! I didn't want her to have magic per se but I wanted something in that area that can a) make her more of a player in the story later on and b) give her something sort of magical to bond with Rumple over. I also have Rumple telling Belle a bit more about Bae here. I do know that technically this conversation and him letting her go take place consecutively however I still have somethings I want to flesh out between them before we get to that point. However, I felt him mentioning Bae was a good starting point for beginning to trust her and it also fixes the season 3 plot hole where we see Rumple having a remembrance for Bae and Belle mentions him which doesn't make sense in Show canon but will in mine! Hope you all like this thanks to everyone who has read and especially those that commented. If you like the story take a second to leave your thoughts below it really means a lot! Until next time!
