It had been a lovely night. Which was shocking, because any night that someone woke up flinging their partner from their arms as they ran to the window for air after a particularly tormenting nightmare would probably not earn the adjective "lovely" the morning after. But it had been. In the grand scheme of things, his nightmare had been a hiccup. He wanted to remember last night for their wedding, for the candles and honest words they'd exchanged, for the ring that he'd put on her finger, and the celebration they'd engaged in afterward. He wanted to remember last night's little mishap, not for the bad parts but for the good parts. For the vows he'd finally felt free to speak, the way she'd held him in the night until he'd slipped back into a dreamless sleep, for the words she'd finally whispered to him when he'd woken, found her awake, and rolled them over to...
He must have told her he loved her. He didn't remember saying the words, and she'd told him before that he often did it in his sleep, but he assumed he'd said them because he'd heard her issue her traditional response as he gathered her back into his chest like normal. But then she'd gone on, muttered, "It's not often I get to watch you sleep."
"That's because watching you sleep is one of my favorite pastimes," he'd answered honestly enough, only for her to respond with another truth he wasn't sure his heart had been ready for.
"Maybe that's why I can't sleep without you. Maybe I feel like sleeping without you by my side, without your hand on my back, is unfair. I don't know how to be by myself anymore, and I don't want to. I need your hands on my back, you beside me to truly rest."
He'd smiled, thinking about how something that started so timidly and experimentally might have become something she clung to. Gods, did she think it was a natural instinct for him to be tender that way? That she hadn't trained him to do that even if she didn't know it?
"Did I ever tell you why I do that?" he questioned as she rested beside him.
"No. I thought you did it because you like to…it seems natural-"
"It is now," he corrected, trying not to laugh because that was precisely what she thought it was-natural. "But it wasn't always. It's never been something I've shared with anyone other than you…."
He knew the instant that he said those words, she'd like this story. And he knew it not just because she immediately propped herself up on her elbow and glanced down at him, expecting an answer. He knew it because he knew that the ghosts of his past partners often haunted her, that she longed to be unique to him, and in this one seemingly innocuous way, she was.
"I don't understand-"
"My Beautiful Belle…" he'd murmured, pushing her hair behind her ear. "What do you dream about at night?"
She shook her head, staring at him as though she hadn't expected that question to come out of his mouth. She probably hadn't. "I don't dream," she finally answered.
He laughed as he held onto the hand that rested on his chest. To know someone better than they knew themselves…
"You do. You just might not know it. My Beautiful Belle, when you first came back to me, when I woke up after our first night together…I'll never forget your face. You were asleep, clearly, deeply asleep, but your hand, this hand…" he brought the one that he held now to his mouth and kissed it. "It was balled into a fist so tight your knuckles were white. Every muscle in your back was tight and tense, ready to run or fight, unresting. And this face…" he let go of her hand to let his own touch her face as if it would help him summon back the memory after one of the best nights of his life-furrowed brow, wrinkled nose, worry lines, and a frown... "You were so uneasy, so clearly upset by whatever the images in your head were.
"And it was so tempting to use magic to banish it. But with one hand in yours, the other on your back, and when I kissed you, just here…" he guided her down to him so he could kiss that same spot just between her eyebrows, only to find…
A smile like he'd seen every morning they'd been together since that first one bloomed instantly over her face.
"That was the smile you gave me that first morning," he confessed. "And I was amazed to find that what you needed wasn't magic-"
"Just you," she finished. "I don't remember that," she admitted almost sadly.
"No, of course, you don't-you could sleep through anything," even some of her nightmares…which he'd counted as lucky considering his behavior that night.
"Well…do I still make that face?" she questioned.
"Not often," he assured her with a shake of his head. "It vanished after a week or so, and I can't remember the last time I did see it."
"Because you make me feel safe, you've always made me feel safe," she'd declared. "But…you still rub my back…"
"It's a habit now," he'd admitted. "A wonderful habit I can't stop, not even if I wanted to. I'm addicted to you."
It had ended with another bout of lovemaking, one even he hadn't expected. She'd kissed him deeply as she climbed over top of him, readying him with only a couple of gentle tugs, before fitting them together and moving for them. It was slow and lazy; the bed hardly made a noise as they worked their mouths over the other and breathed in the scent of mingled sweat and tears. And when they'd both found their unison pleasure as lovers who shared magical True Love always did, they'd both smiled.
"You chase my nightmares away and guard my dreams," she whispered to him.
"It's an honor. And for all you give me, it's an even trade," he'd responded before pulling her back down against his chest, stroking her back just as automatically as ever so she'd drift off once more.
Which was where he found her when he woke the following day from their lovely night. If last night could be every night for the rest of their lives…what a happy marriage this would be.
"You're sleeping on my side," she spoke with a playful tone. He'd already known she was coming to, but as long as she'd been content to let him hold her, he was content to let her tell him when she wanted to be awake.
"I think we've long since abandoned the conventional tradition of 'sides,'" he teased in return. "I don't think we've ever slept together without being entwined like this."
"Do you mind?" she asked with a genuine curiosity that entertained him.
"I'll mind on the day that you stop."
She chuckled as she pulled herself up and kissed him before sliding down his side so he could continue to hold her in the way that she was accustomed to. He didn't mind. Any way he could have her he was happy to do it. Though, if he was honest, naked as she was now tended to be his preference.
"I love you," he muttered as she settled in, showing no signs of getting up or wanting to leave. Hopefully, that was a trend that would last for many days.
"And I love you too…"
He couldn't remember the last time Mr. Gold had closed the shop and taken a vacation, but it was long overdue. And if there ever was an excuse good enough to hole up somewhere and not care a bit for going to work, then it most certainly was his wedding. Hell, if he couldn't take a day off for a honeymoon, what could he take a day off for in the future?
"I suppose eventually we'll need to talk about what comes next," Belle muttered beside him, showing off her mind-reading skills.
"Eventually, but not now," he begged.
"When?"
"Belle, right now, for all I care, we could stay up here until the earth falls apart."
"Are you running away, Rumpelstiltskin?" she questioned with humor in her tone, as if expecting him to respond in humor when he honestly couldn't be any more serious than he was now.
"I wouldn't call it running away from the world so much as running toward you."
Though, now that he thought of it, that didn't mean they had to be together in bed all day. For the majority of however long this trip lasted, yes, he wanted to be here in this bed with her, preferably equally as naked as she was, but he was also aware that there were other needs he'd have to see to for her. Needs for her, indulgences for him.
"I could make you breakfast," he suggested timidly, secretly fearful she'd want just that when all he wanted was to be as they were.
"Please don't move," she requested. "I'm perfectly happy right here."
He didn't think she'd ever said more beautiful words.
"Then we won't move until you want us to."
She responded by turning her head and pressing a kiss to his chest before she adjusted to be impossibly closer to him. He loved when she did that, when she pushed into him as if she wasn't close enough, as if she wanted to be inside his skin.
"You're smiling so bright you outshine the sun," he commented. He might not have actually been able to see her face, but that was part of knowing her as well as he did. He knew she was absolutely beaming.
"You make me the happiest person in the world," she commented. "When we woke up yesterday, I didn't think we'd be here, in this place, as we are now, married! I can't contain my joy."
"No regrets, then?"
"I regret nothing in our life," she confirmed without hesitation. "It brought us here. This is where we were always meant to be, to wake up in each other's arms. I'm happy we finally made it."
"I'm happy we finally had the time to make it. You are a more perfect woman than I could ever have conjured in three hundred years, my beautiful wife."
Fuck…he even liked saying the word, especially now that it was official. It was going to be his new favorite nickname for her, the one that left Beautiful Belle and Sweetheart in the dust.
"I like that you call me that," she responded, again, as if she could read his mind.
"I like that I can call you that," he admitted. "It didn't mean much the first time, but now…I never thought I'd be a married man again, I never thought I'd want to be, until I met you. But you make me happy. Everything that's happened and I can still be happy as long as I have you. That astounds me."
She let out a small huff of laughter as she peeled herself from his side and turned to look down at him. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and he moved to let his own do the same-
Only for her to intercept his hand and slowly turn it over in examination.
"Maybe there is something I regret…" she muttered sadly. "I'm sorry I didn't get you a ring. But…you didn't exactly give me a lot of time…"
"I know," he muttered, kissing her head. He was utterly flattered that it bothered her, but he had expected that she wouldn't have one for him, given how quickly they'd thrown things together. And given his line of work, it was something he figured they'd be able to remedy easily if it mattered to her. "But it's nothing to fret about. A ring is an easy thing to acquire once we decide to rejoin the rest of Storybrooke again."
"But that doesn't make it memorable or special! It would have been better if I'd had one for you last night."
"Belle, anytime the two of us are together is special," he insisted. "Whether it's gold or fleet and we're alone on top of a mountain or surrounded by dwarves at Granny's, it'll be special so long as you're there, and I know it came from you."
She nodded as her attention turned to her ring. She admired it for the first time in the light of day, and he felt an immense sensation of pride sweep through him as he joined her in staring at it. He'd always known it would be perfect on her, but right now, the first morning of their married life, with the sun glinting off of the facets like that and throwing rainbows on the ceiling and wall when it hit just right…fuck, he had to admit he'd done a great job!
"Any ring?" Belle asked, drawing his gaze back to her. There, he found her eyes on him, brows raised as if questioning his honesty.
"Any ring," he promised.
A smile lit across her face as she pushed away from him and rolled onto her belly…before grabbing his hand once more…
"I never thought I'd want to be married," she admitted before gently tugging on the ring he wore on that hand, his right hand, and pulling it free. "You know what I went through before you came along; you know what marriage would have been like for me, but this…this is different. Our marriage is different. I'm happy to be your wife, and I promise that we'll make each other happy…together."
And then she reached out to take his opposite hand, the one that he'd been running up and down her back, his left hand, and moved that same ring up and over the knuckle on his fourth finger.
And just like that, he had a wedding ring of his own, literally. But it was just as perfect and special as she was, as perfect and special as their marriage would be. He'd ensure it was nothing like what his first marriage had been, or what hers would have been.
"You'll never have to worry about someone taking advantage of you like that again," he promised, moving his left hand over her cheek. "You have my word."
"And you'll never have to worry about being alone or unloved again, not as long as I'm around," she promised as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. "You are going to be loved for the rest of our lives."
"For the first time in my life, I'm beginning to believe that."
"You do?" she questioned with excitement as her eyes shot open.
It was a surprise to her. But if he was completely honest, it was a complete surprise to him that such a confession had crossed his lips, too, but…now that he thought about it…
"I do," he breathed.
And before she could say anything more, he reached forward to pull her lips to his own.
We are still in the 4x01 fluff. And, just like when we journeyed through MT&U together, we will be for a while. Y'all have about another week of straight up fluff and then another two weeks of partly fluff with a chance of angst coming out of 4x02. And yeah, it's a lot of fluff, I'm aware. But they are honeymooning. And I'll repeat what I did however many years ago when we were seeing it through Belle's eyes...what Rumbeller doesn't like dwelling in their honeymoon fluff after all the crap we've taken?
Thank you so much for your comments on the previous chapter, Rsbeall12 and Guest. Don't worry. I've been working on what happened between Rumple and Belle for over a decade now, so I promise we will be digging into all the trauma A&E swept under a rug! Peace and Happy Reading!