#emospritelet

“Are these any good, Papa?"

Rumplestiltskin smiled at his son as Baelfire bounced towards him, a bundle of wood clutched tightly to his little chest. The boy lowered his arms proudly to show his father his wares.

“These are wonderful, Bae." Rumplestiltskin leaned down slightly to examine the collection, reaching in to select a particular stick and holding it up so Bae could see it closely. “This one in particular is perfect. Can you find me lots more just like it?”

“Okay, Papa!" Bae grinned, allowing the rest of the sticks to fall from his arms before turning and running off to continue his mission.

Rumplestiltskin winced as he leaned on his staff, using its support to help him bend down and gather the scattered offerings into the basket at his feet, taking the opportunity to dispose of some of the less useful ones as he did so. Their first winter without Milah and he could already tell it was going to be a cold one. The weather was turning and his ankle was screaming even more than usual. He wouldn’t be surprised if they had snow soon.

Their supply of firewood had dwindled and try as he might, Rumplestiltskin couldn’t keep on top of it by himself. He hated having to rely on his son, but Bae was such a sweet boy, so eager to help.

Rumplestiltskin stood back up, watching as Bae scampered around with all the energy of a child his age. He seemed to be enjoying himself and Rumplestiltskin was glad of that. A boy should have fun.

It wasn’t long before he returned with more sticks. This time his arms were so full Rumplestiltskin could barely see his eyebrows above the wood.

“Look, Papa! I found lots more just like that one you showed me!”

“You did, Bae!” Rumplestiltskin smiled, even though he was pretty sure Bae couldn’t see him over the pile in his arms. “Well done! You’re done such a good job. That should be enough for today.”

Rumplestiltskin reached out, taking the sticks carefully to place in the basket. Once he was done he reached down to pick it up but Bae was quicker, hefting it up into his arms.

“I can do it, Papa!" Bae insisted

“All right, but be careful." Rumplestiltskin watched intently as Bae strode forward confidently, leading the way back home. His son was growing up so fast.

The sky darkened as they walked and as their cottage came into sight the first flakes started to fall from the sky.

“Snow!" Bae squealed in delight, almost dropping the basket, and Rumplestiltskin was reminded of how young he really was still. “Look, Papa! It’s snowing!”

“I see it, Bae,” Rumplestiltskin replied. He wished he could take the same joy in the white flakes that his son did.

“How much do you think we’ll get?" Bae’s eyes were shining. “I hope we get lots! I’m going to build a snowman! I'm going to build the best snowman ever!”

“I’m sure you will." Rumplestiltskin smiled. “But we need to make sure we’ve got the fire going first. And we might need to gather some more wood tomorrow morning.”

“And then we can build a snowman?”

“Yes, Bae. Then we can build a snowman.”

~*~

Three Hundred Years Later

“You know, you could help me with this.”

Rumplestiltskin glanced up from his spinning at the sound of Belle’s voice. His maid was currently standing beside a half decorated fir tree that reached nearly to the ceiling, hands on her hips, glaring at him with the expression of someone who was under the mistaken impression that she had any influence over him and his decisions. It was the same expression she’d worn right after he’d told her she couldn’t bring a tree into the Dark Castle. And after he’d told her he couldn’t summon her decorations from Avonlea.

“Why would I do that?" He looked back at his wheel, shrugging. “If I recall correctly you were the one who begged me for that thing. If it’s too much for you I can always get rid of it.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Belle retorted. Rumplestiltskin kept his head down towards his wheel but angled slightly to watch her out of the corner of his eye. She turned her attention back to the tree, the bottom half of which was covered in carefully placed candles, red ribbons, and gleaming gold and silver baubles in contrast to the bare upper branches. “Fine. But if I’m going to do this, I’m going to need a ladder.”

“Absolutely not!” Rumplestiltskin’s head shot up. He waved his hand and smoke engulfed the tree. When it cleared, the top half was decorated to perfectly match the work that Belle had already done. All the candles were lit and the light from their flames reflected in the baubles, casting a warming glow over the whole scene.

Belle gasped in delight and Rumplestiltskin fought to keep his face neutral.

“Oh, Rumplestiltskin! It’s beautiful. But what happened to not wanting to help?”

“Fear for my castle.” Rumplestiltskin waved his hand dismissively. “I didn’t want you falling off another ladder and damaging my floor.”

“Right. Of course,” Belle smiled knowingly and it made his skin itch. She walked over to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Well, thank you for looking out for my safety."

“Hmm." For one wild second he thought she was going to bend down and kiss his cheek, but of course that was a ridiculous notion. Instead he heard the rustling of her skirt as she moved behind him.

“Oh, look! I think it’s snowing!"

“Wonderful,” Rumplestiltskin muttered sarcastically.

“Oh, don’t be like that. It’s magical!”

He heard her footsteps move across the floor to the window, and he turned to see her leaning on the glass, her eyes transfixed on the flakes that were indeed falling outside in the fading light. “Do you think we’ll be able to build a snowman? I always wanted to build a snowman. I’d read about people doing it and it sounded like so much fun, but we never got enough snow for me to try.”

Rumplestiltskin closed his eyes as the memories assaulted him.

Do you like my snowman, Papa? He’s you! See, he has a hat and a staff. And that’s his spindle!

“Or maybe we could have a snowball fight?" Belle’s voice broke through his reverie and he realised she was smirking at him. “But I suppose you’re going to tell me that the Dark One is far too dignified to have snowball fights?”

Ah ha! I got you, Papa! I got you good!

Bae’s laughter as he pelted him with snowballs rang in his ears, causing him to stand from the wheel abruptly.

“I…" A call for help interrupted whatever he’d been about to say and Rumplestiltskin grabbed onto it gratefully. “I have important business to attend to. I expect my tea to be ready by the time I get back.”

He magicked himself away before Belle could respond and found himself in a circle of trees. No one was in sight but this was definitely where the call had come from. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so distracted he would have been a bit more suspicious.

A figure moved in the shadows and he snarled in their direction. “Come on out, dearie. I don’t have all day!”

“Rumplestiltskin,” the figure called softly. They took a step forward but were still hidden in the trees.

“Yes, yes, you know my name. Congratulations,” he trilled. “Now, what is it that you want?”

“I want…" They took another step forward. “I want…”

“What?” Rumplestiltskin snapped.

“For you to begone, foul beast!" Another voice rang out behind him and Rumplestiltskin spun around just in time to see a second person emerge from the shadows and throw a vial of liquid on his chest.

“What…" Rumplestiltskin snarled again, raising his hand to turn the pair of them into snails, when he felt the potion start working. It felt like molasses seeping through his clothes and skin, penetrating his bones and coating his magic. Panic flared in his chest. Realising he didn’t have much time he changed tactics. He transported himself back to the Dark Castle, appearing in the great hall much to Belle’s surprise.

“Rumplestiltskin!" She held her hand to her chest, “You scared me. That was quick!"

“No time,” he growled, waving his hand to bring a supply of firewood in from outside. Some he directed straight to the fireplace, where he sent a spark to light it, and the rest he piled up to the side. A comfortable sofa replaced the single chair in front of the fire and he felt the last of his magic fizzle out seconds before the pain in his ankle returned with a vengeance.

“Rumplestiltskin!" Belle cried out in alarm as he collapsed to the ground. “What’s wrong?"

“Nothing." Rumplestiltskin gritted his teeth as she knelt at his side, reaching her arms out to him. He shooed her away before she could make contact. “I’m fine. Go sit by the fire."

“You are clearly not fine. What happened?"

“You did." Rumplestiltskin glared at her. “You distracted me with your silly prattle about trees and snow.”

“Excuse me?" She pulled back in indignation. “How is this my fault?"

“Because if it weren’t for you, I would have realised that the call was a trap and our garden would have two more snails right now.”

“A trap?" The concern was back in her face as she leaned in again, her eyes scanning his body as though searching for a wound. “What happened? Are you all right?"

Rumplestiltskin sighed. Was there really any point in hiding it from her? She was going to find out eventually.

“It’s some sort of magic-dampening potion,” he admitted.

“What does that mean? Have you lost your powers?”

“Only temporarily." He snarled again thinking about the pair in the woods. “Although I’m sure they were aiming for a more permanent outcome.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” he snapped at her. “I can still feel my magic inside, trying to break through. The potion is already starting to weaken. Shouldn’t be more than a day or two. So don’t even think of using this as an opportunity to break our deal!”

He thought he saw her roll her eyes at that. “So what happens until then?”

“Until then…” He fixed her with a hard stare. “It’s about to get very cold in here. All that snow you so admired earlier is going to bring freezing temperatures and without my magic to keep it warm this is about to become just another drafty castle.”

“And that’s why you lit the fire." Belle nodded her head towards it.

“Obviously.”

“Well come on then." She stood up and held her hand out to him. After eyeing it for a couple of seconds, Rumplestiltskin reached out and allowed her to help him up. He winced as he jarred his ankle, despite his best efforts to not put any weight on it.

Belle frowned again. “Are you sure they didn’t hurt you?"

“It’s an old injury,” he explained dismissively. “Normally my magic masks the pain, but not right now.”

“Oh." Belle seemed to accept this easily but he could almost see the cogs turning in her head at this little revelation about his past as they limped to the sofa together.

He settled down on the cushions with more help from Belle than he would have liked. She seemed reluctant to join him and while he couldn’t blame her, she didn’t exactly have much choice.

“Are you going to stand there all night?” he snarked.

“Not at all. I was just making sure you’re comfortable. I’m going to go down to the kitchen to fetch your tea.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s far too cold to be traipsing about the castle."

“I’ll be fine." Belle smiled at him. “I grew up in a castle like this. Yes, it’s going to get cold but it’s not going to freeze in a matter of minutes.”

Rumplestiltskin looked away, embarrassed. Of course it would take a while for the heat to dissipate. If he’d thought about it for more than a few seconds he’d have realised that. But he’d panicked. The loss of his magic had sent him straight back to being a poor spinner, constantly fighting to keep warm in the harsh winters.

“Fine." He waved a hand at her dismissively. “But take a candle. I’m not coming to find you if you fall down the stairs and break your neck.”

Belle gave him a look he couldn’t interpret before grabbing one of the candles from the holder next to the fireplace and using the flames to light it. After she left, he stared into the fire, cursing himself for his slow reflexes. All this could have been avoided if he’d just been paying a bit more attention. At least it was only temporary. He could already feel his magic fighting against the restraint. He just had to get through this night somehow.

He winced as he flexed his ankle. It wasn’t throbbing quite so badly any more, but it still hurt. He’d forgotten just how much it hurt without the magic to mask the pain.

It wasn’t long before Belle returned carrying a tray. The candle she had taken with her was now held in a single holder balanced carefully on the surface along with a selection of other items. One in particular made Rumplestiltskin raise his eyebrow.

“Wine, dearie?”

Belle blushed slightly. “Well, the tea will only last for so long and it sounds like we’re going to be here a while. I saw you had a rather nice collection of bottles, so I thought this could tide us over for the evening.”

“Of course you did." He reached out as she approached and took the wine from her tray, examining it in the firelight. “Hmm. A fine choice. I believe Dionysus himself gave me this bottle.”

Belle fixed him with a hard stare. “You did not know Dionysus.”

“And what makes you so sure?” He replaced the bottle on the tray and tilted his head at her. “Hmm?”

“Well, because he’s a myth. Isn’t he?" She sounded uncertain.

“All myths start somewhere.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Belle allowed. “Here, hold this for me.”

She thrust the tray at him and he took it automatically, examining the contents. As well as the bottle she’d also brought up a pot of tea, two cups, including his chipped one, and some sort of misshapen loaf which appeared to have dried fruit in it. There was also a serrated knife.

“Planning to stab me, dearie?” He aimed for sarcasm, but had to admit the thought had crossed his mind, powerless as he now was.

“It’s for the fruit bread,” Belle called back.

He looked up to see her dragging a small table that he was pretty sure used to hold an important magical artifact across the floor. She placed it between the sofa and the fire before taking the tray back from him and resting it on the table’s surface.

“And that would be this thing?” He poked the loaf.

“I baked it earlier.” Belle sat down next to him, reaching forward to pour the tea and cut the bread. “We always had spiced fruit bread for the Solstice back in Avonlea. Trust me, it’s delicious.”

She handed him the chipped cup along with a slice of the loaf. He took a cautious nibble, finding himself pleasantly surprised by the rich spices.

“Well, it certainly tastes better than it looks.”

“I’d have thought you of all people would know not to judge a book by its cover.” Belle took a bite of her own slice, closing her eyes as she chewed. She opened them again after swallowing. “So, we’re going to be here all night?"

“Unfortunately,” Rumplestiltskin sighed. “Until my powers return, this is going to be the only warm room in the castle. If I’d had a bit more time I’d have lit the fireplaces in our rooms as well, but I didn’t get the chance. I know this isn’t the ideal set up, but needs must.”

Belle opened her mouth but paused, seeming to rethink what she was going to say. “So why is this fire still lit when all the others have gone out? And the candles too?”

“Because this fire is natural, even though I had to use magic to create the initial spark. The others were all magical."

“Even the candles on the tree?”

“Especially the candles on the tree. I didn’t want that thing catching fire and burning down my castle."

Belle looked offended. “I’ll have you know we had candles on the tree every year at Avonlea and not once did the castle burn down.”

“Good for you. But I’d rather my castle not be your first."

Belle laughed, reaching forward for the wine bottle and examining the wax seal. “Now, how do we open this?”

“Allow me.” Rumplestiltskin held out his hand and Belle passed him the bottle. He leaned over her to pick up the knife, trying to ignore the way she moved backwards to avoid touching him as he did so.

Deftly removing the wax seal and loose cork inside, Rumplestiltskin held up the open bottle triumphantly.

“Very impressive,” Belle laughed.

“I am a man of many talents.” Rumplestiltskin smiled as he poured wine into both their teacups with a flourish.

“Well, cheers.” Belle held up her cup and he paused briefly before clinking it with his own. They each took a sip and Belle looked thoughtful. “You know, back in Avonlea we would mull wine at this time of year. Heat it with sugar and spices. Serve it with slices of orange.”

Her voice was wistful and it irked him. As though he needed another reminder that she’d rather be anywhere but with him. “I don’t think Dionysus would appreciate us using his gift like that."

Belle looked up at him. “Were you serious about that? This bottle is really from Dionysus?”

“I’m always serious, dearie." He took another sip. She didn’t need to know that Dionysus was a minor lord a few kingdoms over whose parents had had delusions of grandeur when they named him.

They settled into silence, sharing their wine together while the fire crackled away. It was doing an admirable job of keeping the place warm, but it wasn’t perfect. Rumplestiltskin had never before considered the implications of having such a vast great hall with only one fireplace. He’d never had to.

He stood up and moved to the fire, leaning over to add some more logs to the flames.

When he turned around he noticed Belle looked flushed and uncomfortable.

“Are you all right?”

“Fine.” Her answer was suspiciously quick. “I’m fine."

He sat down, studying her intently. She shivered and he inwardly cursed himself. She was only in her blue work dress, of course she was colder than he was.

“Here." He removed his coat, reaching behind her to drape it around her shoulders. Belle shuddered, closing her eyes and leaning away from him. He felt his mouth twist. “I’m sorry my touch is so repulsive to you, dearie, but that’s no reason to let yourself freeze.”

“Oh no, I…”

“Hopefully that will be enough to keep you warm,” he interrupted her, smiling nastily. “Otherwise we might have to resort to sharing body heat. Hard to imagine anything more repugnant than that.”

Belle swallowed heavily and he looked away. He didn’t even know why her rejection hurt so much. He was well aware of who and what he was. It wasn’t exactly a surprise that she would be repulsed by the idea of being in such close proximity to him. .

He supposed he had thought she might be different. That she might not be as disgusted by him as the rest of the world. That she wouldn’t flinch away at the mere indignity of sitting next to him.

He’d been a fool.

He closed his eyes. Maybe he could feign sleep for the rest of the evening. All he had to do was get through the next few hours and then they could move on and never mention this night ever again.

~*~

Thirty Years Later

“Belle?” Rumplestiltskin called out as he entered the front door to his pink Victorian house in Storybrooke. “Are you home, sweetheart?" He really hoped she was. The snow outside was getting heavier and it wouldn’t be long before the roads became impassable.

“I’m in the kitchen!" Her voice floated out into the hallway and he followed it to find her standing over a pan of red liquid, staring at it intently. The scent of cinnamon and cloves tickled his nose as he approached.

“Something smells delicious,” he said, undoing his coat buttons as he leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek before directing his attention to the pan. “Mulled wine?”

“Yeah, an old Avonlean recipe. Most of the spices in this land are the same, so I hope it’ll taste good.”

“I’m sure it will." He finished removing his coat and gloves, hanging them up before returning to her side, watching as she strained the wine into two mugs.

“Here.” She handed one of the mugs to him. “Shall we…”

Her voice trailed off as the lights went out, plunging them into darkness. A few seconds later he heard the sound of a drawer opening, followed by a bright light shining directly in his face.

“Oops, sorry!” Belle directed the beam of the flashlight down as she made her way to the window. “Looks like a power cut. I think the whole street is out.”

“And beyond, I’d wager,” Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes as his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket to answer. “Gold.”

“Mr Gold, there’s something wrong with my house! Nothing’s working!" The voice on the other end of the line was almost panicked.

“It’s a power cut, Mr Samuels. Don’t worry. I’m sure your electricity will be back soon.”

“Well can’t you fix it? I need my lights! And my TV!”

“I’m afraid town-wide power outages are beyond my purview as landlord. Perhaps you should contact the mayor and see what she plans to do about it?"

“Well, okay, if you think that will help."

Rumplestiltskin blinked as Samuels hung up on him. He wondered if the man would actually be stupid enough to call Regina about this. Probably, but it wasn’t going to be his problem. He switched his phone off, putting it back in his pocket.

He looked up to see that Belle had been busying herself with finding their supply of candles. She was setting them up around the room, lighting each one as she went.

“What do you think?” she asked him once she had finished.

“Beautiful,” he replied sincerely. She might have been asking about the set up, but he only had eyes for her. Her face was illuminated by the flickering glow from the flames and he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anything more beautiful in his life.

She smiled softly and he knew she’d understood his meaning. “We should light a fire as well. Keep ourselves warm.”

While she worked on doing that, Rumplestiltskin brought their mugs of wine over. Once she had a blaze going she stood up and he handed her her mug. She smiled her thanks and they settled on the sofa. He took one side and she curled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder and pulling her legs up beside her.

He put his free arm around her and they sat in contented silence for a while, watching the flames and savouring the wine, before Belle spoke again.

“You know, this reminds me of that night in the Dark Castle when you lost your powers.”

Rumplestiltskin tensed. “I thought you might have forgotten about that.” He kept his voice light.

Belle snorted. “That was one of the most memorable nights of my life. Do you really think I would forget it so easily?”

“I suppose ‘hoped’ would have been the better word,” he sighed, draining the rest of his wine and putting his mug down on the side table. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know it made you uncomfortable having to be so close to me back then.”

“It was certainly a challenge, I’ll admit,” Belle agreed.

Rumplestiltskin closed his eyes. He knew he was monstrous in that form, but it still hurt to hear it from the woman he loved. “I should have come up with a better solution. When I think back on it I realise we could have taken the wood up to our rooms and lit the fires ourselves. But I’d become so reliant on magic I didn’t even think of something that simple. I’m sorry, Belle.”

“Well it’s not all on you.” Belle finished her own wine and leaned across him, placing her mug next to his and cuddling further into his shoulder as she settled back down. “I didn’t suggest it either.”

“I imagine that as a highborn lady the concept of lighting your own fires was rather foreign to you.”

“Not really,” she shrugged against him. “I lit the fire in the kitchen for our tea, didn’t I?"

“Wait...” Rumplestiltskin sat up, dislodging her head as he turned to face her. “Are you saying you knew we could have gone to our own rooms the whole time?” She nodded “Why didn’t you say anything? You could have saved us all that hardship.”

“And miss out on the chance to spend the night with you?” Belle was looking at him like he was an idiot. “No way was I going to pass that up!”

“But you just said it was a challenge.” He frowned.

“Oh, it was,” Belle said cheerily. “Sitting so close to you while having to resist the temptation to tear your clothes off was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done!"

He paused as his brain tried to make sense of her words. He settled on the only explanation he could think of. “Are you mocking me?”

“What? No!" Belle sat up abruptly. She turned, throwing one leg over his to straddle his lap and his hands automatically moved to hold her waist. She brought her own hands up to cup his face and leaned in close to look him straight in the eyes as she spoke. “Rumple, do you have any idea how attracted I was to you back then? You’d walk around the castle in those tight leather trousers and I would forget everything I was supposed to be doing! When you bent over the fireplace that evening it took everything I had not to jump you right then and there!"

His brain was working in overdrive, “But…”

“And your skin!” she continued as though he hadn’t spoken. “The way it sparkled in the firelight. I was already barely holding it together and then you went and took your coat off! I thought I was done for!"

“Oh." He thought back to her reaction. The way she’d shuddered and pulled away from him. “I thought you were disgusted.”

“I was aroused.” She said the words earnestly before sliding her hands down to his neck, undoing the knot of his tie. “Your shirt had an open neck and I could see the top of your chest peeking out. I longed to undo your buttons and follow that strip of flesh down.”

Her hands mirrored her words, nimble fingers slipping open the buttons of his black shirt, pulling the sides apart to reveal the skin beneath. Her nails gently scratched over his nipples and he felt his cock twitch in response.

“I… I had no idea.”

“I wanted to touch every inch of you. I wanted to see how much of your skin would sparkle like that.”

“All of it,” Rumplestiltskin whispered. “All of my skin looked like that.”

“All of it?” Belle repeated, brushing her hand across the bulge in his trousers meaningfully.

He gulped. “Yes."

She shifted further back, her hands now going to his groin to undo his belt and fly. “I would have loved to have seen that.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.” She pulled the waistband of his underwear down, allowing his cock to spring free.

“I could…” he began but then trailed off. No, that was a stupid idea.

“What?" Her fingers reached out to lightly stroke him.

“A… glamour?” he suggested tentatively. “If you really wanted to see what I looked like then.”

Belle’s eyes lit up and her fingers twitched. “You would do that for me?"

“If you want me to. But I know how you feel about magic.”

“I think this is fine. Please, Rumple.”

Before he could think better of it he raised a hand, smoke engulfing him from head to toe. When it cleared his sensible black dress shirt had transformed into gold silk underneath a red brocade waistcoat, both of them undone and lying open at his sides. His black trousers were now brown leather, the laces undone. And the scales that he’d worn as the Dark One now covered the skin of his entire body, including his cock, proudly jutting up from the opening on his leather pants.

Glancing down at his lap he suddenly felt foolish. Why had he thought this was a good idea? He risked a glance at Belle, fearing that she would have changed her mind now that she was faced with the reality in front of her.

But far from the disgust he expected to see, he was shocked to find her face dark with desire, her pupils dilated and her lips slightly parted as she took him in.

“Oh, Rumple,” she breathed, slowly moving backwards off his lap and sliding to her knees in front of him, never taking her eyes off his cock as she did so. “You have no idea how often I wanted to do this. How often I would dream about the various ways I could accidentally find myself on my knees in front of you."

Rumplestiltskin swallowed heavily. “I had no idea a highborn lady would even know about such things.”

“I read a lot of books.” Belle smirked at him. “And that library you gave me had some very interesting literature in it.”

Whatever he had been about to say in response flew out of his mind as she leaned forward, her hot mouth engulfing him completely.

“Oh, gods! Belle!”

She pulled back and he nearly cried out in despair before she returned to kiss her way up and down his shaft.

“Beautiful,” she whispered, bringing her mouth back up to take him in completely once again. She hollowed her cheeks, alternating between sucking hard and laving him with her tongue. He knew he wasn’t going to last long.

“Belle, sweetheart, I’m going to come,” he managed to croak out.

He hadn’t thought it possible, but she responded by sucking harder. He groaned as he came, and she swallowed down everything he gave her.

Pulling her mouth from him and pressing a quick kiss on the tip of his cock Belle raised herself up, leaning forward to kiss him. He responded eagerly, tasting himself on her tongue.

“Thank you, Rumple,” she gasped out between kisses. “Thank you for doing this for me.”

He hauled her further up, pulling her towards him so she was straddling his lap again. Reaching out, he worked his hand under her tights and underwear, hissing at the slippery fluid he found there.

“You’re so wet, Belle.”

“I enjoyed that.” She leaned her forehead against his. “You have no idea how much.”

“Oh, I think I have some idea.” He pushed one finger inside her, circling her clit with his thumb. She gasped as he added another and crooked them gently to rub against the sweet spot inside. She threw her head back and he leaned forward to kiss her exposed neck. He never stopped thrusting his fingers in her wet heat and it didn’t take long before he could feel her trembling above him. “Come for me, sweetheart.”

She did so, crying out in pleasure as he continued to pump his fingers and circle her clit. When she was spent he pulled his fingers out, licking them clean as she collapsed against him.

Rumplestiltskin pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I love you, Belle.”

“I love you too, Rumple,” she replied, kissing his neck softly. “In all your forms.”

~*~

Three Years Later

“There you go, Gideon. That’s better, isn’t it?" Rumplestiltskin smiled down at his son as he finished changing his diaper. Gideon gurgled happily as Rumplestiltskin dressed him in the red and green patterned romper Belle had bought. “All done. Shall we show your mother how handsome you look?”

He picked him up and they walked out of the bedroom as the doorbell rang. A few seconds later he heard the sound of the door opening and the voices floating up from the hallway let him know that the rest of his family had arrived.

“Rumple! Neal’s here!” His wife’s voice called out and he smiled, quickening his pace.

He made it to the bottom of the stairs just in time to see Bae, Emma and Henry finish hanging up their snow-flecked hats and coats.

“Bae!” Rumplestiltskin smiled as he approached.

“Hey, Papa.” Bae reached out to hug his father. “Happy Christmas Eve!"

Gideon squealed in delight at seeing his older brother and reached his chubby arms out towards him. Bae laughed, scooping the boy up.

“Hey there, little man! You excited for your first Christmas?"

“Not nearly as excited as his mother,” Rumplestiltskin laughed, thinking about Belle’s insistence on everything being perfect. “Have you seen the tree she chose? It’s about four times the size of the one we had last year! I had to pay David extra to deliver it.”

“Oh hush, you.” Belle elbowed him in the side gently. “It’s a beautiful tree.”

“That it is,” Rumplestiltskin agreed. “She also bought a reindeer onesie for Gideon that she’s planning to put him in tomorrow. Are you going to be here for that?”

“Maybe,” Bae kept a hold of Gideon as the group walked through to the living room, Henry leading the way. “We’re supposed to be seeing Emma’s parents in the morning but with the way the snow’s coming down out there I’m not sure we’ll be going anywhere. I’m already worried about making it home tonight.”

“Well you know you’re always welcome to stay here. There are rooms ready for you upstairs with everything you might need,” Rumplestiltskin offered casually. Having his whole family under one roof sounded perfect to him, but it had to be Bae’s decision.

“Thanks, Papa. We might take you up on that.” He paused as the tree came into view. Emma and Henry were already underneath it, sorting through the presents there. From what Rumplestiltskin could see, Emma was carefully arranging the gifts they’d brought with them while Henry was eagerly checking the tags on the ones already there to see what was for him. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. How did you even get that thing in here?”

“He paid David to help with that too,” Belle answered for him, coming up by his side and squeezing his hand.

“Very wise,” Bae laughed, stepping closer to the tree to take a closer look. His brow furrowed as he noticed the decorations. “These look like the ones I made when I was a boy.”

“They are,” Rumplestiltskin said softly. “Belle found them in the attic. I’d never realised they were there, but they must have been brought over with the curse along with the rest of my most valuable possessions. I wondered if you’d even recognise them."

“Of course I do.” Bae reached out to touch one, laughing slightly when Gideon tried to do the same. “Do you like it, Gid? You’ll have to make some of your own when you’re older. Papa and Belle will end up with their tree completely covered in our handiwork!”

That sounded absolutely perfect to Rumplestiltskin’s ears.

His vision of a future tree covered top to bottom in decorations made by his sons was interrupted by Henry’s voice. “What’s wrong with your TV, Grandpa?”

Rumplestiltskin followed his gaze, landing on the screen currently showing a flickering fireplace.

“It’s a virtual fire. It seemed like the safer option with a baby in the house.”

“Oh, well can we turn it off?” He reached into his backpack and produced a DVD case. “I brought Muppet Christmas Carol to show Gideon!”

“He might be a bit young for that, kiddo,” Emma laughed, ruffling Henry’s hair. “Maybe in a few years time.”

“You’re never too young for the Muppets!” Henry protested.

“I don’t know about that,” Emma muttered. “That Ghost of Christmas Future is pretty terrifying to me.”

“And we have to start now because we’re going to do it every year on Christmas Eve,” Henry continued. “This is going to be our tradition.”

“Sounds like a fine tradition to me,” Rumplestiltskin smiled. “Of course we can watch it.”

They moved to the sofa, Rumplestiltskin taking Gideon from Bae’s arms as he began to fuss. Bae and Emma sat close together at one end while Rumplestiltskin sat next to them, Belle on his other side snuggling close.

Henry put the DVD in the player and grabbed the remote, hurrying back to the sofa and wedging himself between his parents and grandfather. He pressed a button and settled back.

Belle looked herself over in the full length mirror on the back of the guest room closet door. The party was due to start in twenty minutes, and she was having definite second thoughts.

It was far too dressy for the occasion. They were hosting a small party in their own home and here she was in a floor length gown. But, if this didn’t get a rise out of her husband, absolutely nothing would.

The dress was pale blue, the same color as her eyes, and the skirt flowed down her body like water, just skimming the curve of her hips. The high slit in the skirt showed a glimpse of leg whenever she moved. The bodice fit like a glove, lifting and separating her breasts and giving her an enviable amount of cleavage. It was, quite frankly, a dress meant for one thing and one thing only: to drive a man absolutely wild.

And it had worked before.

In Belle’s experience, this particular dress provided very easy access for…activities. The wide skirt meant there was no need to take it off before…activities. A fact Alasdair must remember. She’d last worn this dress on their honeymoon, when they danced together in the ballroom of the Magus mansion. Since they had the entire place to themselves, they hadn’t bothered to make it to the bedroom to consummate their new marriage. They hadn’t even bothered disrobing.

She’d had the dress professionally cleaned and since then it had hung in the back of her closet, a nice memory but certainly something she didn’t plan to wear again. Until Mary Margaret had given her an idea that was either very brave or very stupid and quite likely both.

*