#rss16

It wasn’t that she didn’t think she could take care of herself; Belle knew she could, and she had. If something happened to threaten her or her family, she knew that she could defend them. She was strong enough to walk away from her husband when it was in her better interests, or her son’s, and she was strong enough to give him a second chance when she saw that he was changing. But they were better together, and always had been. So when he was there, she was able to relax a little more and trust that he had her back just like she would have his.

Belle shifted, rolling to her other side and tugging at the blankets again. The numbers on the clock now read 2:43, and there was still no sign of Rumple. It wasn’t completely unusual but she was a little antsy now. There had been many times that Rumple slipped out of bed in the middle of the night to take care of something and Belle accepted that. It just meant a few less minutes of sleep as she had to find him and see what he was doing - and sometimes coax him back to bed, when it was obvious that he needed the sleep more than he needed to follow the trail of curiosity that had pulled him from sleep. But tonight it was cold and she was so warm under the covers that she didn’t want to get up despite the fact that they had heat in the house - a very welcome convenience in this world. She had always hated the chill in the air in the Dark Castle back in the Enchanted Forest.

With a huff, Bell shifted again, the sheets cool and soft against her bare toes. 2:51 now, according to the clock, and she knew that it was all but useless to make another attempt at sleep. At least until she had seen for herself what Rumple was doing. She didn’t hear noise from the master bath, so that was ruled out. She sighed and sat up, brushing hair off her face and behind her shoulders. The room was dim but her eyes were well-adjusted, and she didn’t need a light to see. She navigated through the dark bedroom and into the hall, wincing at the cold floor under her bare toes. She should have looked for slippers but it was too late now. Going back would be more trouble than it was worth, so Belle pressed on. She could see a light ahead, spilling from underneath the crack in the door of the nursery. A little ball of worry eased its grip on Belle’s heart as she stepped closer. She hadn’t even realized that she was worried until that moment, as she heard the low murmur of Rumple’s voice. Perhaps he heard something on Gideon’s monitor, or perhaps it was just happenstance that he woke and came to check on their son. Belle herself did it at least once a week; after what had happened with Gideon, she could hardly believe that their baby was back now - she sometimes expected him to be the tall man from her visions. But they had solved that problem - together. And now they were raising their son together, as it should be.

Pausing in the hall, Belle leaned against the wall for a moment and listened to Rumple reading. It was her book, she knew; the words were as familiar as her own name and she could picture each page as easily as she could picture the love in Rumple’s eyes and the fascination in Gideon’s. A laugh broke the flow of words and Belle’s lips curled into a smile. It seemed rare to hear Rumple laugh; he had been through so much lately, and she couldn’t blame him for the somber mood that he carried so frequently. But she did so love to hear him laugh. There was nothing to worry about, and Belle didn’t begrudge her husband’s attention on their son. She turned and padded back down the hallway as silently as she had come.

~~~~~

She was late. Belle hated being late, even for something so simple as family dinner. Actually, she hated being late to family dinner more than anything else, if she were being honest; Rumple had done so much for her. No one else in the town had, with the exception of her father, so she found she didn’t care if they were left waiting on her. If they cared for her more than as an answer to their latest riddle or the way to the Dark One, perhaps she would care more.

But this was family dinner, and she was supposed to cook, so she felt a bit of guilt as she hurried into the house. However, the house wasn’t silent as she walked in, or dark as she had expected. The lights were on, bringing cheer into the otherwise gloomy evening - the skies were overcast with the threat of rain, and something about the air just felt foreboding. The house was warm and Belle heard soft music coming from the kitchen.

Rumple was cooking; she knew that from the moment she heard the music and saw the lights. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Of course she didn’t think he’d be angry over something like this - once upon a time she would have, in the very earliest days of their relationship, when she didn’t know him. But now, she hadn’t been worried about his anger; her guilt had all come from her own expectations for herself. But Rumple had started dinner, and so she didn’t have to rush. She kicked off her heels with the usual sensation of freedom. She loved the height of her heels but her feet always appreciated the moment she was barefoot again. With that done, she made her way into the kitchen.

Rumple was at the stove, stirring a pot of what smelled like potato soup. Gideon sat in a high chair nearby, tiny hands pounding on the tray as a laugh bubbled out of his mouth. Rumple was entertaining their son, making cutlery dance in the air in front of his face - spoons, Belle was glad to see, even if she knew Rumple would never let anything happen to Gideon. Rumple was smiling as well and Belle’s heart fluttered at the sight. She did so love her boys, and the smiles on both of their faces. Gideon burbled something happily and Rumple laughed - such a free, joyful sound that Belle couldn’t help but join in. Rumple turned in surprise and Belle covered her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He waved her off and turned back to the soup and Belle thought, not for the first time, how much she loved to hear him laugh.

~~~~~

Laughter interrupted the otherwise quiet air in the house and Belle turned with an indulgent smile. She really had intended on finishing the biography on her lap, but found it hard to focus at the moment. It wasn’t the noise that bothered her; the boys were being rather quiet for the most part. No, her own thoughts had kept her from fully losing herself in the book, and Belle found she didn’t care very much. It was a good biography, but she had plenty of time to read it later. At the moment, she was far more interested in seeing what Rumple and Gideon were up to than anything else, so she set the book aside and wandered through the house until she spotted them.

They were on the floor, Rumple sitting in front of Gideon, who was sprawled on his belly. His little hands were curled firmly around a soft toy that he was pounding against the floor. Though his back was to her, Belle could see the ease in every line of Rumple’s body and his laughter rang out over everything else. Perhaps she had missed the thing that was so funny but Belle found herself smiling just from listening to her husband. He deserved this. Having lost so much and endured so much in his long lifetime, he deserved a chance at happiness with his son. They had a rough path to this moment but it was worth it - all the fighting and pain and separation seemed to fade now that they were together and had their son.