He'd done it. The promise he'd made to himself in the early light of day more than a year ago was finally fulfilled.

It was real.

She was his wife.

And he wasn't just a husband again, but for the first time, he was her husband. It was by choice! It wasn't a matter of convenience or just because he was the safest bet or the first person she saw. She'd chosen him just as he'd chosen her. They'd had ample opportunities to reconsider, and yet, at the end of the day, they were still here, still together, still smiling through their kisses.

He was her husband.

And this time around…this time, he was going to get it right.

It was joy, and overwhelming hope and reassurance that made him hold her closer. It was love that blinded him to all others around him and made Archie's snide comment of "You are supposed to wait to do that until I say so" fall on deaf ears. He could have stood there kissing her in that moment of proclamation for the rest of his life and died happy, the beast tethered, the blackness in his heart kept at bay…

But Belle's ears weren't nearly as deaf as his own were. At the reminder that they were not alone, she wrenched herself away from him, a task considering that he was doing everything in his power to stop it. But at least she didn't leave. At least she continued to stand there, her lips perfectly pink, her beautifully blue eyes still trained on him.

"We've waited long enough," he muttered, looking her over and refusing to feel guilty for such a thing. It was a crime; after the year, they had not to take full advantage of every second they had, not to devour each other. Which he fully intended to do before the night was over. He most certainly could not legally do it in public or in front of people, even if they were now married in the eyes of this world's law. Perhaps it was good that she'd pulled away. Though, he had to admit, he'd probably serve the time for any indecency charge with pride.

As if reading his mind, she reached back up and pulled him down to her for something slow and tantalizing, something that made him remember that while he would, in fact, go to jail for indecency if she demanded it, he'd so much rather have time. And privacy. And a bed.

"Well…I think we'll leave you two alone, then," Archie muttered, making him want to groan as Belle predictably tore her mouth from his own again to thank him politely. Them…

"Take care of her," her father ordered tearfully…as if he cared. "She's all I have left."

"He already does," Belle insisted before he could get the words out of his mouth that she didn't need to be taken care of, and even if she did, he'd sure as fuck do a better job of it than he had because if he wanted to know why she was the only one that he had in the world, then he should look in the fucking mirror and-

She turned back to kiss him as the pair disappeared from the night and left them alone. Her lips on his had the power to shift his hateful thoughts back to ones of utter love and devotion.

More…he wanted more. Not just more touch but more of her in every last way he could have her: on his arm, in the shop, on the title to his house, in the basement, and yes…in his bed, too. Which, of course, required more than just a bed of leaves on a cold, soggy ground.

When her kisses ended, she laid her head over his chest, content to let him hold her as he had so long ago in this very spot when she'd first come back to him. It was time to start thinking forward and plan beyond just the proclamation and into the living. And yes, there was so much he wanted to include her in when it came to everyday life, but suddenly, he didn't quite want to return to that life so quickly. Most newlyweds didn't, after all.

"You know I would take you to Paris if I could," he whispered in her ear. "Around the world or anywhere you wished to go."

A honeymoon of some kind was in order, but nothing beyond the town line, not yet. First, he'd need to investigate and figure out if it was safe to take her…

"Someday you will," she whispered with utter confidence. "If we can cross worlds, then someday, we'll cross the town line together. But for now, I'll settle for home."

Home? Oh, he had no intention of that. Just because he couldn't take her outside of Storybrooke didn't mean they were returning to life as they knew it so quickly to celebrate this momentous occasion. It wasn't every day Rumpelstiltskin took a wife.

"Oh, now, don't sell yourself that short, Sweetheart," he urged. He smiled when she picked her head up and looked at him with questioning eyes, wondering what he had planned. "Come with me…"

With a wave of his hand, he extinguished the candles and sent them to their next location. With his assistance in her less-than-helpful shoes, they made their way back to the car. He tucked her into the passenger seat then joined her and started to drive. Of course, he kept one eye on the road, but the other watched her as she looked out the window, wondering more and more at his plan, but…that was the brilliance of it. There was no plan. All he had was an idea, a thought for a cozy retreat that his magic could help him turn into a plan.

"The cabin!" she exclaimed with understanding as they pulled to a stop in front of it. It wasn't much. They hadn't been up here together in over a year, but it was the simplest and easiest thing he could think of to give them some privacy and make their first night together special.

"Is it all right?" he questioned, ensuring her smile wasn't just for show. "Of course, we could go home if you prefer."

They hadn't packed anything, not that he intended for them to be dressed all that often, but if she-

With a shake of her head, she moved out of the car, an eager spring to her step as she urged him to join her. The second he unlocked the door, and she entered to find a magical fire already in the hearth, her smile grew.

Oh, yes…she was more than fine with this turn of events. Instantly, she removed her hat and coat and headed for the kitchen. In a blink, he used his magic to stock the shelves and the refrigerator, realizing that they hadn't had much to eat today, but instead of food, she went right for a bottle of wine…and was overjoyed to see the food that he'd only just barely stashed there. She was already keeping him on his toes.

"The kitchen is full," she commented as she retrieved two long-stemmed glasses and poured the wine. "How long do you intend for us to stay?" she questioned, handing him his own glass.

An excellent question.

"More than a day," he answered honestly, though he hoped she'd take it as a joke. When he'd returned from Neverland, they both lamented that they never seemed to get a day to themselves before the next emergency happened, and they were running off to deal with its consequences. Saying he wanted them to stay more than a day…he hoped she'd find joy and assurance in that promise.

He'd hoped, but the look on her face suggested the opposite.

Her smile vanished as her face fell. And the hard swallow she took as she stared into her wine glass suggested that perhaps she might have even been trying to hold back tears.

"Can you guarantee that?" she questioned. "Can you promise that the world won't turn on its head in the next few hours, and we won't be separated again?"

No. No, he couldn't. And he wished, truly, with his whole heart, that he could.

"I don't make deals I can't keep," he muttered in the absence of her promise. And she knew that.

But…while he wasn't prepared to make a deal with her or even promise that nothing would happen while they were here, he was prepared to play the odds. So before they could even take a sip of their wine, he took the glasses from them and set them aside. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and made a show of turning it off before he turned to her and extended a hand in silent command. With a curious look on her face, she obeyed, reaching into her bag and handing over her own. A smile reappeared on her face as he also turned it off and set it beside his own.

"We are the only two people in the world that know we're up here," he informed her as he began moving around the cabin to the windows and slowly lowering the shades, one by one, to each and every one. "I can't guarantee that we won't be found," he explained, closing the curtains over the door and locked it. "But I can guarantee that we've taken every possible precaution to be alone and undisturbed. And you…"

Standing before him now with a smile fresh on her face, his vision in white finally come to pass…she threatened to take his breath away all over again.

"You are the most beautiful sight I've ever seen in my very long life," he admitted as he just barely made out the tinge of red that appeared on her cheeks and chest. It probably went on. And suddenly, he wanted to know every last bit of skin that blush touched. Unable to stay away, he moved closer to her, using his hands to feel the heat on the skin of her neck. She reached up and tugged on the scarf he'd forgotten he had placed around his neck.

"I don't think you realize how truly handsome you are," she whispered before closing the distance between them and kissing him deeply again. It felt like it had been ages since their first kiss, since Zelena died, but she still kissed him like that every time. Like it was their first and their last time, like the next one was seconds away and the last they'd have for years all at once.

He moved his hands over her freely and felt the smile that pulled at her mouth even as it moved against him, felt the way her fingers tangled into his hair…

Fuck, why were they still here instead of in their bedroom?

"Beautiful Belle," he whispered as he broke away from her. "I have something to show you."

That was true, though admittedly, what he wanted to show her hadn't been there a second ago because, a second ago, he hadn't needed the excuse like he did now.

"What more could you give me?" she questioned happily, urging him closer again. It took every fiber of courage he had in his body to deny her, to kiss her forehead instead of her mouth, and not make love to her on that couch. It took courage and the knowledge that they deserved more than an old couch.

"The night you deserve," he answered, taking her hand. She stepped out of her shoes as he pulled her along and led her to the back bedroom. He positioned her in front of him, then reached around and turned the knob to let the door swing open. His very being relished in the gasp that came out of her mouth when she saw…

The candles from their ceremony, he'd moved them and more into their bedroom to decorate. The dresser, the window ledge, the nightstands…now they lit the room with a soft romantic glow that allowed her to so easily see the bundles of blooming roses that his magic had stolen from her father's shop and the bed that he'd fashioned with new sheets just for this occasion, and already had turned down…also just for this occasion.

It might not have been the honeymoon suite at Granny's, but it was paradise as far as he was concerned. And it was better than Granny's ever would have been simply because it wasn't Granny's. It was-

Before he could breathe, Belle turned in his arms and threw herself around him. "It's perfect!" she muttered in a tone that made him think she was close to tears.

"I love you, Belle," he whispered happily, holding her there.

"And I love you, too," she answered in that same predictable language ever since they'd first declared it. Oh, he hoped he'd hear it one hundred more times tonight. He hoped he'd hear it one hundred times every day for the rest of his life.

The grip she had around his neck loosened and before he could say another word, she pulled his mouth down onto hers. This time he didn't seek to stop her. He couldn't think of anything else that needed to be done or said. Hell, the wine they'd left in the other room didn't even need to be sipped. When she kissed him, nothing outside of that moment mattered.

He was ready for haste. He always was where she was concerned. But she was always the one with the cooler head, the one with forethought and careful, meticulous planning. It had taken every ounce of his patience just to make it into the bedroom with her in the first place. Once he arrived, it took all the patience that she possessed to slow him down. She was the one who cared for his clothes, making sure his jacket and scarf were set neatly aside so they wouldn't wrinkle. She was the one who guided him to go slower, to take his time, to enjoy what they had. And when he damn near couldn't hold it in anymore, when he craved quick swift resolution, she was the one that demanded more. She drew out every minute they had into its smallest second. She ensured every advantage was taken in every touch between them. She silently promised their wedding night was more than just an ordinary night with a few candles and roses. Rather that it was a night he would remember, one he would savor for his entire long life long.

Their entire life.

Extraordinary.

He'd always guessed that sex within marriage, a real marriage and not the sham he'd had with Milah, was different. Now he knew…

"You are my world now," he vowed when she finally began to relax and curl into him. "Sun, moon, and stars, all pale in comparison to you, and I will love you until the day that I die. That is my promise to you."

A proclamation like that would have ordinarily seen her snuggling even closer to him, doing her best to fit inside his skin. But instead, she stilled. And tensed. And he knew there was a problem even before she said the words.

"You already did…"

Die.

He'd promised to love her until the day he died, which, according to her, he already had. He was less certain that was what had happened to him, but since Zelena, they hadn't had any time to talk about the Underworld and what he encountered there or how he thought he might have-

"And if you ever do something like that again," she snapped suddenly, raising up on her elbow and looking down at him, "if you ever leave me here alone like that again, I'll bring you back and kill you myself! And don't think that I won't…I know how to do that now."

Not exactly. What she thought she knew how to do wasn't exactly what she thought it was, and given how things had turned out with Bae, he didn't want her even to consider using that method for a second. Which meant that he'd have to never put her in that position in the first place.

There was a lot about his "death" and his time in the Underworld that he would need to tell her and correct her understanding on, someday. But tonight, the look on her face told him that wasn't the point of her outburst. Now wasn't the time. She wasn't looking for correction; she was looking for assurance.

"You have my word," he promised with a nod.

She looked him over for a moment as if checking to make sure he was being honest and taking her words seriously. When she determined he was, she sighed and lay back down over his chest.

"You're not alone now," she insisted. "We're together now and for always. Because you are my world as well."

"I won't forget it, Sweetheart,"

And he wouldn't. Not because it was impossible to forget but because it was hard not to. Now that Bae was gone, and Henry was well taken care of by Emma and Regina, there was really only one person that would ever and had ever occupied as much space in his head as his son had, and it was Belle. He'd still do his part with Henry, he felt obligated to now that Bae was gone and in addition to that obligation, he wanted to see that he was taken care of, he was his grandson, after all. But when it came to day-to-day life-

"Thank you for marrying me," Belle muttered wistfully as he finished tucking the blankets around them.

He smiled. Oh yes, when it came to day-to-day life…she'd be his number one. "Thank you for giving me a happy ending, my Darling Belle…my wife."

"A happy ending is only the opportunity to begin a new story that can be better than the last."

He smiled. They were in agreement on that. And fortunately for them, the last story had been so awful it was impossible for the new one to be any worse.

Hi! For those of you who are just checking out this fiction, welcome! For those of you who are fans of the Chronicles of the Dark One, welcome back! I hope you'll enjoy this fiction. It's the 11th in the Chronicles, a series that is an attempt at an accurate portrayal of Rumple's perspective during the Once Upon a Time series. This fiction features everything that happened in Storybrooke, from when Belle and Rumple are married in "A Tale of Two sisters" to Rumpelstiltskin's banishment over the town line in "Heros and Villains." It is currently only "in progress" and will be updated every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through Saturday.

The Dark One Chronicles is meant to be a companion series with The Moments Series, which explores Once Upon a Time from Belle's perspective. This means that everything you read in the Chronicles where Belle is concerned will show up in Moments as well. It is just told from a different point of view. If you'd like to see Belle's chapters from her perspective, The Chronicles of the Dark One: Domestic Battles is the companion story to Moments Told and Untold! You can find The Moments Series by checking out my profile.

If you enjoy this fiction, please review! I always enjoy those wonderful gems waiting for me in my inbox, and I love writing back to thank you personally for reading! It helps me know that I'm doing a decent job! Peace and Happy Reading!