He joined Belle, standing before a set of double doors, a smile of relief growing over her face as he plastered one to his own. He told himself to keep moving, not to look back at her bag or the cylinder, but instead to focus on her; legs, hips, back, anything to keep his eyes forward instead of on...

"What's the best part?" he asked quietly, remembering that she'd wanted to show him "the best part" after he'd unfrozen her.

"Are you ready?"

"I am."

"Are you sure?" She made it easy to forget when she teased. He rather liked that side of her; it was adorably sexy.

"Show me the best part, Sweetheart."

With a sigh, she dug her fingers into the crack in the double door behind her and slid them open to reveal…

A ballroom.

Or at least what passed as a ballroom in this realm. It was significantly smaller than anything a royal family in their world would have. Covered in wood instead of marble, and a grand chandelier to light the room when the windows along one side didn't bring in enough light or it fell dark. It was rather beautiful for this world. It was cozy in a way he enjoyed.

He glanced at her as her smile grew and she strode right into it, giddy as a schoolgirl. "Come on," she laughed pulling him into the room with her, feeding him joy right through the connection in their skin.

Look forward…not back.

"So…what do you think?" she asked, marching herself right to the middle of the room and swinging her arms out for him to see.

He thought that if no one was currently renting this property, he would never allow it because he wanted it for her. He'd never seen her this animated in the castle or at their home, and he liked how excited she was to show it to him. New wife, new life…maybe a new house was called for. Or, if they already had a cabin in the woods, perhaps a summer home for seaside getaways would be an excellent marital present since he'd had nothing to give to her to celebrate their union. If he could gift wrap it now, trinkets included, he would, but for now…for now, as he watched her sway with a wide grin. He had an entirely different idea for a present, something he was sure would make her just as happy as his potential freedom from his dagger.

"Well, I think we've been married almost a full day…and I don't believe we've had our first dance."

He momentarily watched her expression change to confusion before he summoned his magic to make it happen. With a snap of his fingers, the phonograph he'd been working on for quite some time appeared in the corner. With the help of magic, it played on easily now, a romantic, perfect little tune for the pair of them.

With another snap, light flooded the chandelier above her head, making her smile and gasp before…

With another snap, he transformed her simple wedding attire into a lovely buttery yellow gown, something out of their own world, something that she might have been married in for her status. And for him…

With another snap of his fingers, he wore finery one wouldn't find in Storybrooke but certainly in her land. A puffy shirt, appropriate vest, and a blue and gold jacket…and the look on her face when she looked down at herself, then over at him and realized what he'd done—it was perfect. Tears gathered in her eyes, making it overwhelmingly easy to focus on her and solely on her.

A house would be a nice gift one day, but for now, there was this.

He stepped forward, taking slow but deliberate strides as he searched the recesses of his mind for lessons he had long forgotten. Then he smiled and extended his hand to her.

"Care to dance…Mrs. Gold?"

That was the clencher, a gift greater than the fabric wrapped around their bodies, or the music, or the lights. It was the acknowledgment, the name she'd been insisting she wanted. It made her tremble with emotion and swallow hard to keep those emotions from overwhelming, he suspected, so that she could answer instead of turn into a puddle of affection and gratitude.

"I would love to," she managed to choke out.

He'd never been one for dancing. He knew how, of course. One didn't live to be as old as he was and not know how to dance. Hell, a Dark One couldn't live with half the voices in his head and not learn how to dance every dance imaginable, from a peasant's line dance to a ballroom waltz…he knew them all; he just needed to wake his body up to them.

But when she put her hand in his own, when he stepped as close as her gown would allow and pressed himself to her, the awakening was immediate. They fit their hands to where they belonged, he found the beat for the song, and then they danced.

It was not just their first dance as a married couple; it was truly their first dance in every way, and suddenly, he wondered why he'd never thought to do this before. He wondered why he'd never shaken his boredom during those winter months in their castle with a dance like this, why he'd never pulled her to her feet when they were at home and she was reading and he was tinkering and moved with her instead of just existing in the same space.

Why had he never let her turn in his arms before? Never bent her back to dip her down or hold her secure as her feet left the floor? Why had he never reveled at the way her hands could so easily come around his neck as she cried in joy, just swaying to small side steps as they held each other? It was truly a shame. They didn't need pomp and circumstance for this.

As they swayed, he let the magic that crafted their clothes fade away until he was back in his suit, and she was in her white things again. He liked it better this way. There was something to be said for fine steps in a ballroom filled with elegant gowns and talented people. But there was also something to this: no corsets, beads, or layer after layer of petticoat to contend with. Only a barrier of cotton that let him hold her closer as they shared a moment. Simple. Lovely. Beautiful.

There were tears in her eyes when she finally pulled her head off his shoulder. She looked him over, as she had a million times in their life, but this time…this time a happy knowing smile appeared.

"What?" he questioned, wondering what had left her so genuinely amused.

"You truly are dashing. My very handsome prince…" She lay her head back against his chest as he let out a puff of amusement for himself. The thought that she'd place him up on a pedestal that David Nolan belonged upon…that was something to be amused over.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, my Darling Belle, but I'm certain I'm no prince."

"First of all…" she pulled herself away again, a grin still etched into the corners of her mouth as they kept swaying and dancing. "You are handsome to me and also to Lacey. And if someone as shallow as she could see it, then others can, too! And if they don't, then I'll happily tell them over and over again that you are the most beautiful man I've ever laid my eyes on.

"And second of all you are a prince…now."

"To you, perhaps."

"Not anymore. Not just to me!" she insisted. "You married me. I may be a caretaker, but by blood, I'm a Princess, which makes you-"

"A prince," he breathed, bringing them to a standstill as his mind went over the rules and regulations of their land, trying to find a loophole or a way to argue against it. He couldn't. They may not be in their land now, but it still existed. And even when a royal left their land, it didn't make them any less royal. That was a title that carried over. Fuck, the other night, the King and Queen of the Enchanted Forest had essentially conducted a royal ceremony for their child even though they weren't even in the same realm as their land! The deal that Belle made to ensure her land's safety also ensured her father's rule. Florist or not, he still carried the title of King. And caretaker or not, his daughter would always bear the title of Crowned Princess, which meant that her husband would be…a prince. By marriage, of course, but still, by all laws and regulations, he was now the Dark One, a husband, a father, a Pawnbroker…and a Prince.

Her father would have a heart attack when he figured that out.

"Imagine that…" he realized before a smile grew over his face, and the pair of them laughed at it together.

Still like this chapter. I wanted nothing more than to keep it separate from the previous chapter so that Rumple could just focus on Belle, but at the same time I always knew his attention was going to be split. There is a moment, however, when he resolves. He becomes determined not to think about the hat or the dagger. Just Belle. And when he commits to that, he is truly a spectacular partner. He goes above and beyond. For me, this is certainly what things could have become if he had only been able to stay focused on Belle. Unfortunately, as you know, he won't.

Thank you so much Rsbeall for your review of the previous chapter! Happy to still have you reading along! We're still in the fluff for the next little bit, but obviously with what comes next things are going to start to get a little bit trickier in Rumple's world. Peace and Happy Reading!