The Piper and the Hatter were regular visitors to the Dark Castle and Belle had to admit that while she certainly loved the time, she spent alone with Rumple she also greatly enjoyed the company of the eccentric Jefferson and the slightly more reserved Piper.
Usually, they'd pop by on an errand for Rumple and then stay for tea when they were done. Today however was different.
"Absolutely not!" said Rumple sharply to the pair as Belle entered the Great Hall.
"What's going on?" she asked and was pleased to see Rumple deflate slightly.
"Rum seems rather opposed to the idea of us leaving Gracie here while we run off to fetch his precious potion," said the Piper.
"We'd normally leave her with the neighbors but they've gone on holiday," added Jefferson.
"Do I look like a babysitter?" scoffed Rumple.
"Well, you deal for enough children," shrugged Piper.
"One would think that would be a perfect reason NOT to leave her around me. For all you know she could end up a toad by the time you get back if she irritates me." At this Belle, Piper, and Jefferson all visibly scoffed clearly to Rumple's chagrin.
Belle wasn't sure if the couple knew about Baelfire but it was very clear that they all knew Rumple would never harm a child whatever the rumors might say about him.
"If you're so dead set on avoiding her I'd be willing to look after Grace," suggested Belle who was actually quite excited at the prospect of meeting the young girl.
"Perfect. She shouldn't be too much trouble she's seven so Gracie's old enough to understand not to touch anything dangerous." said Piper.
"Do I even get a say in my own castle?" snapped Rumple.
"No," chorused Jefferson, Belle, and Piper who all bore matching looks of amusement.
"Fine the little cretin can stay but on your own head be it. I take no responsibility for her." said Rumple. Belle could tell he was attempting to sound nasty by insulting Grace but there was no actual bite in his tone.
"I'll go get her from the foyer," then said Jefferson.
"You brought her here before I agreed!" said Rumple indignantly.
"Well, we were fairly confident Belle would make you warm to the idea," said Piper with a knowing smirk the for some reason made Belle blush and Rumple shift awkwardly.
"Very well, I'll leave you to it. You and Jefferson had best succeed in getting that potion Pip." He added sharply before swiftly disappearing.
"Such a cheery fellow," remarked Piper dryly and Belle laughed. The great hall doors opened again and Jefferson reentered joined by a girl with long dark blond hair and bright light brown eyes. She wore a red cloak and clutched a stuffed Tortoise. She smiled at Belle.
"Grace, this is Belle, she's going to be looking after you for the day alright?" said Jefferson. Grace curtsied.
"It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too Grace." said Belle returning the curtsy and smiling gently at the girl.
"Now you be on your best behavior Gracie," said Piper though her tone was fond rather than stern.
"Of course, Mama," answered Grace before giving both her parents a farewell hug. Belle then stepped forward guiding Grace back so that Jefferson would have some room to use his hat. A few seconds later the portal jumper and his wife had disappeared leaving the maid and the child alone.
"Well Grace, do you like books?" asked Belle trying to get a gage on the girl's interests. Grace smiled.
"Oh yes! Papa often brings back books from the places he travels to and reads them to me."
"Well, I happen to have an entire library full of books from all over so you can have your pick of which one we read," answered Belle as the two began their trek up to the library. Belle opened the doors and Grace gasped.
"Oh! It's so big!" Belle chuckled at the girl's excitement as she ran from one end of the library to the other examining the different books.
"What type of stories do you like?" she asked.
"I like stories about magic and adventure." said Grace who was still looking at the different titles. Not all of which Belle was certain the girl could read.
"What about this one?" asked Grace taking down a medium sized leather-bound volume with the emblem of two crossed magical wands releasing magical smoke around an image of a woman on horseback. It was entitled Lady Grey and the Secret of the Crossed Wands.
Belle smiled this was another favorite of hers about a woman who translated a forgotten text and used it to discover and master an ancient magic that helped free her people from an invading force.
"That looks like a wonderful choice. You have very good taste Grace," said Belle and the little girl beamed.
They settled on the cushy red couch and began to take turns reading allowed. Whenever Grace came across a word she didn't understand Belle helped her. Soon they were both enthralled in the adventures of Lady Grey and it wasn't till the clock chimed that Belle realized it was almost tea time.
"Grace, how would you like some tea?" she asked. Grace clapped her hands.
"Oh I love tea parties. Mama, Papa, and I have them all the time along with Mr. Tortoise!"
"Well then, let's go get some tea shall we Mr. Tortoise can join us."
They headed down to the kitchens and Belle prepared the tea.
"I'll be right back; I just have to take this to Rumplestiltskin." she told the girl who nodded already busy setting up a seat for Mr. Tortoise at the kitchen table.
Belle trotted up to Rumple's workroom, nudging the door open with her foot.
"I brought tea," she said.
"Oh, really I thought it was poison," snarked Rumple. Belle scoffed.
"Please if I wanted to poison you it would be on one of your more irritating days," she smirked at the slight twinkle that came into Rumple's eyes as he glanced her way.
"Then I'd best be more careful around the lady preparing my food."
"Perhaps you should." said Belle teasingly though she doubted anything would change Rumple's demeanor not that she would want it to.
"How's the little one?" asked Rumple attempting to sound blasé. Belle wondered what it was about Grace that had him slightly off kilter so to speak.
"Just fine, I need to be getting back though I did promise her a tea party," said Belle.
"Well then shoo, I have work to do," said Rumple waving his hands and Belle laughed before heading back down to the kitchen.
The tea party was quite fun Grace talked to her and her stuffed animal, pretending that Mr. Tortoise was part of the conversation and served tea like quite the little lady.
Time flew by, although strangely Belle occasionally would get an odd prickly sensation at the back of her neck as if they were being watched, and Grace and Belle eventually returned to the Great Hall where the Jefferson and Piper were likely going to reappear. Late in the afternoon a doorway opened and the two stumbled out both looking a little disheveled but pleased with themselves.
"Mama! Papa!" exclaimed Grace running to hug her parents who both happily embraced her.
"Hello rabbit," said Jefferson.
"I trust everything went well?" asked Piper.
"Yes, we had a wonderful time. What about on your end?" asked Belle.
"Oh a little trouble with some flying monkey's but we got out alright." said Piper with a shrug. "Is Rum here?"
"Still hiding in his work room."
"Interesting," commented Piper.
"Then we'll trust you to pass this on to His Moodiness," said Jefferson pulling out a small crystal bottle filled with golden liquid and passing it to Belle.
"Certainly." said Belle.
"Thank you for taking care of me today, Belle," said Grace and Belle smiled embracing the girl.
"It was my pleasure; I hope we see each other again soon."
"I hope the same," said Jefferson coming back from where he had been gathering some gold from the pile near the spinning wheel.
Belle traded hugs with both him and Piper before the family headed on their way home.
OUAT
Rumple was at his spinning wheel in the library when he heard Belle's footsteps coming to join him. He didn't look at her until she had taken a seat next to him and held out a crystal vial.
"Jefferson said to give this to you."
"Good, they succeeded." Rumple waved his hand banishing the vial up to his workroom.
"Are you going to tell me what was going on with Grace today?" asked Belle and Rumple averted his eyes.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Yes you do. You don't actually dislike children. I've seen how tenderly you've treated the babies that you deal for and even when we go to the village you seem to display a certain fondness from afar. So it can't be an aversion to Grace based on the fact that she's a child and must be something to do with her specifically."
Rumple really did hate sometimes the way that Belle could see straight through him. She could take the smallest aspects of his behavior and deduce a great deal. Still, he wasn't going down easy.
"Are you implying I'm scared of a child?"
"No. I'm saying there's something about her that worries you and I'd like to understand what it is." Belle's blue eyes were pleading and honest. She really was curious for his sake as well as her's.
"You aren't incorrect. Children are one of the lines I draw as far as the sort of dark actions I perform, and I do have a certain, fondness for them. The feeling however is for very obvious reasons not mutual. Most children have a heightened sense for danger and darkness, things that I project in spades and unless they are in great desperation it quite rightly contributes to an ingrained fear of me."
"Alright, but what's specific about Grace? I mean when I first met Jefferson and Piper you were sending her gifts."
"Gifts I made sure Pip and Jefferson claim are from them." He corrected and then paused thinking.
He remembered quite well the first time he'd seen Grace. It had been a little while into his acquaintance with the Hatter when Jefferson had frantically summoned him to his cottage. Grace it seemed had been given a poisoned item of food as revenge from someone who had had problems with Jefferson back in his pre-fatherhood days. Grace who was only 4 at the time had literally been on deaths door.
The sight of Jefferson's terrified face as he begged for the life of his child reminded Rumple all too well of a time before he was the Dark One back when Bae had been bitten by a viper and Rumplestiltskin had tracked down a local healer begging for assistance in saving his boys life.
He'd healed Grace almost immediately and chosen to pay the price of the magic himself rather than forcing Jefferson or Grace to pay it. That had been the day that he and the Hatter had truly transitioned from allies to what approximated to friendship. If one could have that with the Dark One.
But since that day he'd also found himself with a slight attachment to the little girl. A sort of protectiveness.
But to explain all that to Belle would be to reveal far too much. And even if he was beginning to trust her now was not the time. So, he went with a different part of the truth.
"As you once observed Pip and Jefferson are perhaps the only people I could call friends in a long, long, time, yourself excluded. I suppose their child is one I'd prefer not to see run."
"I'm not so certain she would. I doubt she grew up on stories of how terrifying you were and she hardly batted an eye about being in the home of the Dark One today." countered Belle. "I think you underestimate her."
"And I think you forget that while for some unknown reason you may not fear me, that is not the case with most others," replied Rumple shaking his head fondly. "No best not to give the child night terrors. Anyway, I doubt they'll need us to look after her again soon."
"Hmmm. If you say so," replied Belle and he noted a tone of skepticism in her voice though she let the matter drop and went to retrieve a book so they could begin their nightly ritual of her reading to him while he spun.
OUAT
Rumple's prediction about the Hatter and Pip not needing childcare anytime soon proved false, as only a few visits later when he went to send them after an ancient tome they once again brought along the little girl. However, he didn't bother arguing.
"Oh, very well, Belle can look after her again," he said dismissively the Hatter and Pip left the room to inform Grace she could come in and depart themselves leaving him and Belle alone. Belle turned to him.
"Actually, Rumple I don't think I can. I've suddenly feeling rather unwell." concern filled Rumplestiltskin.
"What's wrong? Is there something I can do?" Belle shook her head.
"No I'm sure I just need to sleep it off. I suppose I could try and take care of Grace..."
"No. No. We don't want you causing more harm to yourself," said Rumple with a sigh. Belle smiled at him and grasped his hand.
"Thank you, Rumple." The doors to the great hall opened and Grace trotted in holding the stuffed tortoise he had once sent her.
"Hello, Grace," said Belle intercepting the girl and greeting her with a gentle hug.
"Hello Belle."
"Grace, I'm afraid I'm feeling rather under the weather, so Rumplestiltskin is going to look after you to day."
Rumplestiltkin for his part chose to remain fairly impassive. The girl turned her soft brown eyes on him and tilted her head in an almost curious manner then looked back at Belle.
"Alright. I hope you feel better soon."
"I'm sure I will." said Belle and then went upstairs.
Rumplestiltkin and Grace stood there in silence observing each other. Finally, Grace broke the silence and curtsied giving him a small smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you sir."
"A pleasure to meet the Dark One dearie? Now that's either a lie or the bravest thing I've heard all day," he replied falling back on his oldest defense mechanism. Humor. Grace giggled in response.
"Thank you, sir." Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes. He was never fond of being called sir. It reminded him too much of when he had been forced to cow down to others and call them the same.
"Rumplestiltkin will do dearie."
"Alright, then it's Grace not dearie," replied the girl in a cheerfully firm tone and Rumple let out a high-pitched giggle at her response.
"It seems you have your parent's impertinence Grrrace," he said rolling the r's.
"Papa calls it courage," she replied and Rumple snorted.
"He would, that man could insult the Queen of Hearts. Well, Grace, what exactly do you want to do while we wait for your parents to return?" The little girl bit her lip.
"Well, it's nearly tea time and last time Belle and I had a tea party..." The was a slightly pleading look in Grace's brown eyes, not unlike the one Bae used to give him sometimes and Rumplestiltskin felt any resistance to the idea crumble. He pursed his lips and then waved a hand causing an tea service complete with cakes and sandwiches to appear at the table.
"One word about this and you'll be spending your days as a bird you hear?" he warned as Grace gasped in delight and ran to set things up.
Soon they were seated with Rumple at the head of the table, Grace at his right, and the plush tortoise who on a whim he had charmed to be able to pick up his own tea cup the contents of which would habitually vanish, on his left.
"Could you tell us a story?" asked Grace as she played hostess serving tea and offering him cakes.
"A story?" asked Rumple.
"Yes, surely you have some maybe one about the things here? Like that lamp," she indicated the golden lamp on one of the pedestals.
"Ah that was the lamp from Agrabah which contained a mighty genie," said Rumple.
"Genies give you wishes right?" said Grace.
"Yes, but wishes are a dangerous thing, especially in the wrong hands," he said waving his finger warningly before launching into the story of a young street rat named Aladdin and his defeat of the sorcerer Jafar.
"And so fueled by his own greed Jafar wished to be a genie himself! But that was his downfall. For you see for all his power, he would remain trapped inside the lamp at the whim of another."
"Wow! So, Aladdin won with his wits!" exclaimed Grace.
"Yes, he did," answered Rumple. "With Jafar gone, Agrabah was once again at peace. Aladdin and Jasmine were wed and Aladdin used his final wish to free the Genie who had helped him."
"Do you think he should have freed him?" asked Grace. This was an unusual question and Rumple tilted his head.
"It was foolish to have promised such a thing given the advantage the genie could have provided with that last wish. Should a famine have hit or a siege begun that wish would have been useful. But as the boy gave his word in the first place, he was obligated to keep to it. So yes, in this case he did."
"I don't think I'd want a genie. It sounds like too much trouble," said Grace scrunching her nose in a rather adorable fashion. Rumple giggled.
"Then you are smarter than most adults dear one." Grace beamed at this.
"But why do you keep the lamp if it doesn't have the genie?"
"A reminder of the cost of wishes. Not to mention that all magic leaves traces even when the main source is gone." he wasn't going to go into a full explanation of magical theory to a seven-year-old. Though oddly enough he almost didn't think she'd object. Truthfully, he'd gotten the lamp hoping to use the genie to wish a way to Bae only to find the lamp empty.
"So, now we've finished our tea what do you want to do?" he asked waving a hand and vanishing the tea things. Grace hopped down from her seat and walked over to his spinning wheel of all things.
"Is this where you make the gold Papa brings home?" she asked. Rumple nodded coming up behind her.
"Yes, it is."
"Can you show me?" she asked then looked down slightly embarrassed it seemed. "It's just the thread Papa brings home is always so beautiful."
"Very well," said Rumple figuring that if the most she wanted to do was watch him spin then that wasn't too much of a trial not to mention that he strangely found he was rather enjoying himself.
He sat at the wheel and Grace sat cross-legged at his feet. He took the straw and began to turn the wheel projecting his magic to make the straw into gold. He glanced down and saw Grace watching wide eyed and amazed a small smile on her face. After a time, she began to wind the pooling thread so that it wouldn't get tangled.
Time seemed to run together as it usually did when he spun but Grace didn't seem to mind content to watch the spinning and before either of them knew it the door to the great hall opened and Pip and the Hatter entered.
Grace jumped up and ran to them and Rumple stood from his wheel.
"I thought Belle was doing the babysitting?" commented Jefferson with a smirk and Rumple glared at him.
"She was indisposed."
"And Gracie still didn't end up a bird." quipped Pip with a smile.
"No, she's a little more tolerable than that." admitted Rumple.
"You hear that, Grace? You're tolerable that's quite the compliment," said Jefferson grinning.
"Oh, why don't you hand over the book and get out of here?" snapped Rumple in annoyance.
"Because needling you is so entertaining," replied Pip handing over the book and collecting the payment.
Grace curtsied like a highborn lady to Rumplestiltskin.
"It was a pleasure meeting you Rumplestiltskin." Rumple gave an exaggerated bow.
"And the same to you Lady Grace," he replied using the name she had asked him to call her during their tea party. Grace beamed.
"Well, I suppose we really should be off though, fairfarren Rum," said Piper.
"Yes, and give our best to Belle, wherever you have her tucked away," added Jefferson suggestively and Rumple narrowed his eyes.
"Out."
OUAT
Belle peered out from the alcove in the stairs watching Rumple say goodbye to Grace. It was honestly very sweet and she knew she'd made the right call. Once the three visitors had left, she raced upstairs to the library covering herself with a blanket and grabbing a book.
She heard Rumple's footsteps on the stairs.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes. Much. How was your day with Grace?"
"Less troublesome than expected," he replied and Belle knew she wasn't going to get much more out of him. Belle did feel a little bad about tricking him but if she was going to play sick she might as well reap a few benefits.
"You know. I'm not sure I'm quite up to reading aloud tonight. Perhaps you could...?" she offered him the book and gestured to the spot at the end of the couch. Rumple appeared hesitant but after a moment acquiesced and took a seat Belle closed her eyes and let his voice wash over her. It was his true, deeper one, slightly accented and she found herself very fond of it. It was a pleasant end to a successful day.
Author's Note: One of the longest chapter's by far but I wanted to establish Grace's relationship with Rumple and Belle. I actually wish we'd gotten more of her and Jefferson in the show. Like Jefferson and the Piper she's going to be slightly relevant to Rumbelle's story. (Especially in the spin-off I'm likely planning after this series Musical Madness). Also I kind of just love the idea of Rumple as a surrogate Uncle. We've got a few more chapter's to go till we hit the remaining events of Skin deep so if anyone has anything they'd like to see happen between these two (pre relationship) in the dark castle drop your suggestions now and enjoy the fluff while it lasts. If you like the story please leave a note below and let me know your thoughts! Thanks very much to everyone reading and especially those who have commented. Until next time!
