A/N: Because I was asked by vampygurl402 to write a belated birthday fic for arashi wolf princess. And because it's a blank that needs filling. No, not honeymoon smut… The other gaping blank in 3x21-22. Thanks very much for reading.

Lost in Time

Where once there was a darkness, deep and endless night,
You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light.

~ Sarah McLachlan, I Will Remember You

It's a miracle you two fell for each other.

Fell for each other.

Fell for each other.

She simply couldn't let it go. Nervous butterflies danced in her churning stomach. She didn't understand how the latest client of Rumplestiltskin could possibly know how she felt about her employer. Was it that ridiculously obvious? She'd merely walked in, said a few friendly words of greeting to the man, he'd gruffly shooed her away a-and… and… she was obviously not meant to hear the offhand comment spoken under the blonde woman's breath.

But she had.

She sighed and smiled faintly, her gaze softening with remembered warmth.

Okay, it was probable she had positively glowed when told that Rumplestiltskin had mentioned her by name though he had immediately denied it. Could that have been enough?

Belle opened the latticed doors to a cabinet and flicked her feather duster across a shelf jumbled with an assortment of tin cups, a large ceramic urn and a box of charcoal crayons, throwing herself into her cleaning with renewed vigour. She'd never been in this out of the way room before and it was absolutely filthy; didn't look like it had been touched in centuries.

Dusting was clearly not going to cut it. The whole room needed to be scrubbed down to the stone floor. She momentarily stood with hands on her hips, the size of the task briefly drawing her mind from thoughts of the castle's owner.

The sturdy frame of a canopy bed was crammed into a corner with a wooden table tipped up on one end and leaning against it. Both had been partially covered by a set of bed curtains tossed haphazardly over top. She grimaced a little while staring at the thick crimson cloth. Even layered with grime, the elaborate regal pattern woven in golden thread stood out in ostentatious luxury. They'd have to be taken down to the courtyard to be washed and beaten to get all the dirt out she decided. And they looked heavy. Bright sunlight filtered through the leaded windowpanes as Belle hauled them down from their perch with a muffled thump, sending up a choking billow of dust that had her coughing and waving uselessly against the cloud then jostling sideways to wrestle the unwieldy pile out into the hallway.

A fleeting half thought of similarities: of yanking on draperies and Rumplestiltskin catching her in his arms when she fell; of kindling desire and imagining the pressure of his kiss.

The woman had greeted her like they'd met before then stumbled over a rationalization. Dusty distractions only worked for so long before Belle's mind reverted straight back to the meeting earlier that day.

Now you're telling me I fall for the help?

Her cheeks burned at the memory; at the sheer impossibility layered within his ugly tone as it laid waste to months of fancy that'd been budding stronger by the day. Nothing but ill ever came of listening at keyholes though in this case the door to the Great Hall had remained wide open. She just hadn't walked further than around the corner, so surprised was she at the blonde woman's intimation.

Hurt, Belle cast her eyes downward then dipped a rag into a bucket of soapy water and began carefully scrubbing the filthy table. Ever the showman, she ultimately knew far better than to believe outright what he had said. Still, the thought that he could have recognized aloud what went unspoken between them both… Or maybe it was just what she wished went unspoken?

She sighed at her swinging emotions, the deepening attraction a fateful whisper in her heart. No matter how near to the truth, Rumplestiltskin wasn't one to share his feelings, least of all with a stranger prodding into his affairs. Disappointed for sure, yet his sarcastic reply was as much as she could expect.

When they were alone, when he wasn't prancing about bartering his deals, she'd witnessed a very different response: one who cared for her and was kind. She felt she alone had looked and seen the man he purposely obscured behind the monster. The ugliness couldn't reach wholly in. His heart was beautiful and true, magnetically calling to her in a way that was becoming impossible to ignore.

Water slopped on the floor as she stretched to wash a pair of table legs nearly out of reach then skirted left to start on the bed, climbing over a pair of boxes and pushing aside a serving jug to get there.

It wasn't a miracle. Belle blushed gently at the thought, her body responding to the flicker of a thousand fleeting fantasies slowly guiding them together. Falling for him seemed the most natural thing in the world, a part of her cherishing the secret hope that maybe, just maybe, one day their friendship might blossom into… more.

The barrier was huge, seemingly insurmountable. Something evil and corrupt had burrowed deep into his soul. It was the vicious cruelty and the darkness always causing her to hold back from making the attempt.

If only he was a man: an ordinary man…

If only his magic was gone…

Then they could be together, she thought, the wistful idea unknowingly mirroring the desires of a boy, lost a very long time ago.

Something odd suddenly sprang to mind. The phrasing… The three had been speaking as if… as if events had already happened in the future. How that was possible, she truly couldn't say. Startled and uncertain, she bumped backward into yet another spinning wheel, automatically excusing herself though it couldn't possibly care.

The Dark One could see what was to come. Maybe his guest could do the same?

The jarring movement dominoed through the clutter and the mess shuddered, tipped and scattered. What looked to be a walking staff accidentally clattered to the floor and she nearly tumbled backward on her arse when it rolled beneath her foot. With a shocked yelp and arms windmilling, Belle tightly grabbed at the table's edge, luckily steadying herself before disaster.

Picking up the offending pole, she placed one end on the stone tile then wondered idly at the infrequently carved scratches as if someone had once used it for a sort of measurement. Her index finger traced along one gouge.

Finally leaning the staff aside as a puzzle she wasn't likely to solve, Belle cleared the debris before dragging the wheel across the room to give her space to work then returned to move a precarious pile of empty baskets and a heavy wooden trunk jammed tight against the wall.

She swept and mopped the empty space then, pulling dangerously on the table, managed to rock and catch it as it fell. Wiping down the top gave her necessary space to sort and clean the rest of Rumplestiltskin's accumulated things.

Opening up the trunk, Belle frowned slightly in surprise then held up a soft homespun tunic to the light. Judging by the cloth and cut, it was clearly peasant garb. And small… as if for a… child? Curiosity had her pawing through the remainder of the box; there were not many more clues to be found: a homemade leather ball, an extra woollen shirt, a heavy coat, some bedding and a pair of pants with a mended rip over one knee.

Rumplestiltskin's? Or a son?

And if the latter, where was the boy now? Grown or… dead perhaps? She stared around the room, recognizing it now as scattered pieces of a life. Her mood turned sombre with a sudden sense she'd stumbled into something deeply private in which, right now, she had no place.

Mysteries and layers: picturing the Dark One in conjunction with a son seemed wildly incongruous yet the broken man she knew was lurking somewhere underneath? Her heart clenched with an imagined loss that had shattered through his life. Whatever the truth may be, it couldn't disguise the reality of aching loneliness she'd always longed to take away. Could it be born of deepest grief?

She absently chewed her lower lip while carefully repacking the contents into the trunk then heaving it back into its place. The barriers in her heart began to crumble and fade away.

To be trusted and let in was a priceless gift above all others. If sometime in the future they were truly one then perhaps he might share his past with her.

Banishing his shadows and protecting his vulnerabilities… Maybe it was nothing more complex than a simple coming together of the heart. And no one had ever so much as gently paused to ask what made him hurt.

0o0o0o0

It's a miracle you two fell for each other.

Fell for each other.

Fell for each other.

He simply couldn't let it go. Nervous butterflies danced in his churning stomach. Over a day later and still the words pinged haphazardly round his mind then stuck fast like glue to tattered edges long since ripped apart.

The implication was crystal clear: when his future met up with the Saviour's present, he and Belle would be together. Somehow the utterly impossible would become possible and it was wreaking havoc with his concentration. He needed to focus on his son.

Rumplestiltskin steadied his shallow breathing then carefully and methodically ground several dried mistletoe berries into powder with his pestle. The partially finished potion bubbled above a lazy flame. Vials and mortar, ingredients and tools: the end of the polished table in the Great Hall was cluttered with all the bits and pieces that he needed to make a method to forget.

By rights he ought to be doing this work upstairs, ensconced within his tower laboratory yet he'd magicked everything down here and there was no self-delusions as to why. Glancing surreptitiously at his maid, cursed eyes and a longing heart unconsciously memorized the gentle curve of her cheek and the soft shimmer of candlelight glinting from wavy hair.

How could such beauty possibly come to love a beast?

Belle had kicked her shoes off and was curled up on her daybed utterly lost in some dusty book or other. It was late. She hadn't moved in a while he noted. Maybe she was close to drifting off to sleep, an award of secret observation he'd only managed once before. He stirred his potion with half an eye still on the woman who'd completely captivated his attention. A page rustled and turned, she stretched, and he realized he'd been mistaken.

Usually she'd have squirreled herself away in her library after finishing her daily chores, but lately they'd been finding their way here: a communal meeting spot that was silent except for when he made her laugh, each doing their own thing while cautiously sharing it with the other.

She quenched the loneliness of his isolation. Somehow she'd slipped behind his walls with her soft smile and gentle touch though raging cowardice remained a bane that left him terrified to ever push for more. In his imagination at least, they were finding inconspicuous ways to spend time together because she needed it just as much as he, her presence in the Hall saving him from materializing soundlessly in his regular shadowed corner of her tower then slipping stealthily behind the shelves.

No woman could ever want a coward and a beast. He silently reminded himself of that; added three drops of essence of valerian to his potion.

"I wouldn't really turn you into a toad," Rumplestiltskin admitted in a lilting semblance of an apology. From her expression at the time, he was pretty sure she'd recognized his show.

Treating her like crap was instinctive when other people watched, especially that damn marauding pirate. No matter what the pair from the future indicated, he wouldn't trust that things could ever change so drastically as to calm the thirst for blood.

Hook had taken Milah from him with his handsome looks and devilish tongue. The bitter aftertaste of bile at that degradation hadn't faded over time. If the pirate knew the special place Belle now carved within his heart, he wouldn't put it past the lout to try and take her just for sport. She'd become more mistress of his castle though in outward word and deed remained relegated to the lowly post of servant.

"I know." Belle looked up and grinned. "Maybe a dove though."

She'd chosen something peaceful and serene. It suited her. "So you can crap on my head and then fly away? I don't think so."

Rumplestiltskin added a flourish of his hand, revelling in just how her whole spirit lit up when she laughed. He had to mask the racing flash of warmth clenching tightly at his core.

"I wouldn't do that."

Gods, Belle hadn't heard the Saviour's comment about them together had she? Repercussions whirred inside his mind. Damn it. It was one thing for Belle to see past his façade; entirely another for some stranger from the future putting ideas in his head that shouldn't be there let alone hers as well.

They were together? Really? How come when he searched the blurring puzzle of what will be he couldn't see anything like that?

She caught him staring and gave him a tender smile of invitation; nerveless fingers nearly dropped the elixir on the floor.

No, he absolutely needed to forget before he ruined everything with something ill-advised and stupid. That he would find his son was welcome comfort that his plan was well on track. He didn't want anything in his head that would throw it off. And Belle was…

A miracle… a miracle… a miracle you two fell for each other…

"Has the dashing hero saved his beautiful princess from the evil villian? Lived happily ever after?" he asked in reference to the book she held, thinking sourly of her handsome betrothed. Rumplestiltskin wondered if she missed him: if there was an unspoken ache weighing on her heart. He hadn't found the nerve to ask outright; to risk spoiling his illusion that she was happy here and content.

"Mmm. After a fashion. She fell for the villain instead."

Startled, it took every ounce of restraint he had to keep his focus locked on the ingredients on his table; could feel her gaze lingering on his face. Was she sending him a message? "How did that work out?" He held his breath, waiting.

"He was eaten by a giant sea monster then, in her grief, she threw herself off a tall tower. Landed on a pitch fork. They both died," Belle stated matter-of-factly.

That got his attention, ripping his eyes up to lock with hers. "What the hell kind of story is that?"

She was clearly trying to hold back a smirk while answering blandly, "Their ending was not a happy one."

Baffled, Rumplestiltskin strode across the space separating the end of the long table and her daybed, swishing a gesture that had the book vanishing from her hands in a purple cloud of mist and reappearing straight in his.

The man flipped it right side up then squinted at the staggered rows of runes. "This isn't in the Common tongue."

"No. It's not." Belle appeared mildly defensive and sat upright from her prior reclined position, her feet swinging downward to the carpet, fingers clasped tightly in her lap.

"This… You're learning how to conjugate ancient Mervish verbs?"

"Is that a problem?" A slight flush stole across her cheeks. Another less distracted time and he would have thought it looked quite lovely.

Instead he stared stupidly for a moment. "Of course not. You're an intelligent woman and free to educate yourself in as many obscure topics as you wish." Rumplestiltskin handed the book back with a slight theatrical bow though the words were steeped in truth. It was apparently the response she sought. "Let me know when you find a decrepit old mermaid hanging about the castle for you to practice with. Or would you like me to conjure one up?"

Belle smirked a little and asked him to sit next to her on the bed.

Longing clashed with common sense and for a moment he merely gaped. Ultimately, he stiffly lowered himself to the far end of the scarlet coverlet, careful to maintain a far off distance between them both.

"Why did you want me here?" she asked softly while placing the thick tome upon the little round table at her elbow.

"The place was filthy."

Her dry expression called him out. Though true, she knew that wasn't why. "I think you were lonely. Any man would be lonely."

Of course Belle would have noticed that. She seemed to stare straight through his soul with an insight that left him vulnerable and scared. Rumplestiltskin fiddled with the ruffled cuff on his shirt, nervously eyeing her movement as she inched her body slightly closer. "I am not a man."

"No?" Months of longing couldn't be denied. Her fingers fluttered in the air before landing lightly on his, gently caressing back and forth across his scaly skin.

No matter how much he'd yearned to, Rumplestiltskin never, ever touched her back. This time wasn't any different as he froze beneath her hand. He glanced up to catch her eyes then almost drowned in an ocean of clear blue.

The memory of her warm body cradled safely in his arms played out vividly in his thoughts: of Belle falling from a ladder or a hug deep within the woods when she'd pressed herself to him. Fantasies slammed against his heart; he risked a glance toward her lips.

The forgetting potion was nearly complete. By this time tomorrow neither would know the difference. He could attempt a kiss tonight without impunity. Do what he wouldn't ever dare have the courage to try otherwise. And when she rejected him like he expected… well he wouldn't remember that humiliation either.

As he was sorting out exactly how to make a move she asked, "Would you let me leave here? Go back home?"

He didn't spot the connection with her prior question and only just managed not to flinch. It could have come from nowhere: the slide of rock and rubble crushing all his hope. So much for falling for each other. He was a fool to ever give it any thought.

Home: the association with her friends and family instead of here with him jagged a blade alongside his heart. As one of his possessions from his deals he could have simply told her no. But she was so much more than that. His eyes slipped down; Belle continued to touch his hand.

Deep down he hadn't ever truly expected her to stay. She would one day fly away just like that dove. He couldn't ever hold her back.

Burying the hurt and loss with a thousand other stings, "Of course. He snapped his fingers. The carriage is out front and waiting, dearie. I don't want you anymore."

It was the greatest lie of all. Rumplestiltskin shot to his feet, fleeing straight for the safety and comfort of his spinning wheel. Sitting on the hard wooden stool, fingers and feet instinctively found the correct position.

When she stood he heard the swish of skirt above the whirring of the wheel although instead of escaping as expected, there was the soft pad of stockinged feet following quietly in his wake.

0o0o0o0

She'd come a prisoner to a deal, but Rumplestiltskin would let her leave… if it was truly her choice to go.

Belle gently took the silky tuft of carded wool from his hand then faced him and sat down upon the base. His expression was a careful blank to mask out all the pain. Her palm settled simply on his thigh.

He was weak and cowardly, but she sensed the ever growing need for her secreted within his guarded looks and what he didn't – couldn't – say; a need reciprocated inside herself for his humour and his loving heart so often concealed beneath layers of brutal ugliness and hate. He wasn't easy, but then the best things so often weren't.

"I've seen your heart, Rumplestiltskin. And you are a man."

She leaned toward him for a gentle kiss, the first wisping tendrils of belonging forging links at the touch of mouth with mouth. It could have lasted forever, but it didn't. Her eyes slowly opened to the view of flecks of gold reflecting a curse squeezing him tightly in its grip.

Pulling back slightly, but not too far, her name was an uncertain whisper on his lips.

If their future was already locked together, she'd embrace the adventure bravely. She'd once promised him forever in return for the safety of her town. This moment held the initiation of a vow far deeper in extent, an unnoticed spark of something powerful and true swirling just barely out of reach yet sliding nearer with every beating of their hearts. Maybe it was a sort of miracle after all.

"I choose to stay," Belle replied in a solemn whisper of her own and his flash of incredulous relief blending with shy vulnerability confirmed the foundation of their bond. Her free hand gently cupped his cheek then slipped sideways to tangle in his curly hair. He wasn't handsome outwardly, but that had never mattered a whit to her. "We can be together, Rumplestiltskin. If that's what you want."

He nodded almost imperceptibly. All her reasons why they shouldn't do this vanished into the depth of night.

This time he was the one to cautiously close the gap. They kissed again and again: barest butterfly touches gradually lengthening with desire.

His palms skipped timidly from her arms to settle lightly on her upper back.

Belle needed to be closer; her thumb swept back and forth against his thigh. Instead of crawling in his lap she firmly folded his hands in hers, slowly walking them backward toward the daybed, each measured step punctuated with glancing kisses on lips and chin. In her stockings, she needed to stretch up on her toes; arms linked loosely round his neck. He tipped his head down to meet her, an ocean swell of longing slowly propelling them along.

When the backs of her calves bumped against the bed she tucked her body into his. It seemed a perfect fit as if somehow, some way she'd always been searching for this man. Belle's mouth found his, smoothly cutting through his hurt and hate with the first tender brush of tongue against his own. His tremble rocked her heart and she warmly tried again.

Their foreheads touched when they leaned together. "What happens now?" Rumplestiltskin held her close yet the hesitation and surprise still shone plainly from deep within his shadowed eyes.

An eyebrow arched and she poked at him with a gentle tease, "I've already read a book. I suppose that leaves whatever else it is I like to do?"

Belle watched him make the connection; he'd tried to make it seem to others as if he didn't already know… Well, mostly. There were still layers yet to slowly be peeled back and mysteriously revealed. The worst of the tension drained away with the low rumbling of a chuckle.

"Fair enough."

She tugged him down for kisses and sitting eventually led to reclining together against the pillows. It left her partially lying across his chest, realizing she never wanted to leave. Eyes widened. In his arms was home as Rumplestilskin's fingers in her hair threaded waves of curls across her shoulder, his palm then drifting down her back.

One hand caressed the nape of his neck while the other had settled against his heart. "Rumplestiltskin." At his questioning expression she tried, but couldn't marshal the morphing slew of feelings into a coherent string of words.

He tilted forward to trail his mouth in a line of heat along her throat. Months of dancing past each other, of supressing the attraction, came pouring out in a slow motion shudder of desire. She murmured pleasure and softly kissed his dimples when he smiled.

The night was theirs and theirs alone: master turning to lover the way they were always meant to be. Light fingertips feathered up and down the bare skin of her arm then stroked across her collarbone. Still, he didn't take it further though they were tightly twined together. She could feel his hardening length where he was pressed against her leg, the bulge already a distracting thickness that couldn't be ignored.

Belle finally nudged his touch sideways, his hand now covering her breast.

He clutched and groaned, "My Belle." His hips arched and pushed against her own. Something played about his expression though she wasn't sure just what it was. There was an uneasy glance across the room and, "Maybe we should wait."

Despite the utterance of caution, he was gently fingering the crisscrossed ties at the plunging collar of her dress. Tentative fingers slipped a fraction higher to caress her flushing skin. Whatever he was thinking, she recognized the hunger in his heart and the longing… the longing for her to truly be his Belle. Tongues touched tip to tip and the deepened kiss felt like a golden burst of sunshine after a heavy rain.

Falling completely for the other, there was no turning back. "I think we've waited long enough." She showed him where to untie the knot.

Rumplestiltskin mumbled muffled approval against the corner of her mouth that sounded like if you're sure. They shared a heated look and another glancing kiss while hitching up her skirt so she could sit straddling his thighs, the embrace setting up a slow instinctive roll against the other and passion flaming higher.

Clothing loosened exposing skin to the random flicks of tongue, his mouth working downward from throbbing pulse to the thudding beat between her breasts. Airy white fabric inched aside. "Oh," he breathed in wonder, arching her back against one arm then mouth and fingers latched and lathed. She gasped and pressed in closer; had trouble unbuttoning his shirt. "You really like that," he realized with a beaming grin against a swollen curve. And he tried the other side.

His elegant leather vest had already hit the floor. "Gods, yes," Belle shuddered followed by, "My turn."

Palms stilled against her breasts. She could see his reticence surface suddenly when his eyes slipped past her own. It only lasted half a heartbeat of a moment before the wariness had gone; she suspected he'd simply tucked it out of sight. He thought his body hadn't ever been all that much and now the monster was far worse than the ordinary man. A hand gently smoothed across his jaw. Not drawing attention to her insight, Belle pushed past his walls with kisses and softly worded praise, showing him how worthwhile he was in so many different ways.

Her mouth was sinking deeply into his when she finally freed the shirt from his shoulders and he tossed it to the side. Another kiss and her hands touched his, her rocking body the lightest brush of silk against the roughness of his chest.

Rumplestiltskin was greenish gold by candlelight and beautiful to her eyes. Passion and desire: it took her heart by storm. Fingers played against his angles, delicately learning the texture of his scales.

Astride his lap, Belle cupped both his cheeks between her palms then her soft touch slid down across his chest. She was kissing every inch that she could reach, delighting in his quiet groans and greedy arching in for more.

He nipped a spot below one ear; his mouth was a searing spark against her throat.

"This seems uncomfortable:" a whisper when her palm moulded to his straining length.

Popping open his breeches, Belle caught and held his gaze, her fingers splaying flat against his abdomen while thumbs slowly stroked up and down in tandem along his swollen shaft. He was scalding hot and heavy and she unconsciously licked her lips.

He must have seen… Rumplestilskin grunted his approval; she watched a flare of dark spun gold glitter fiercely in his eyes. Clawed fingertips briefly dug into her ass, crushing her against him and pitching him hard into her hands.

"You have… no idea."

Belle's laughter was swallowed when his tongue swept through her mouth. He'd grown bolder with her acceptance and his hands were sliding up beneath her skirt. Instead she glided away, but before he could turn anxious a compelling palm was on his thigh indicating to swing his feet down to the floor and she was on her knees between his legs.

Touch unlocked a wonderful layer of intimacy rooted in affection and desire. Her dress was spread wide open to the waist; they nuzzled close as they could get: a flurried hurry of hands and lips discovering how to please. She pulled the sky blue fabric up and over her head. He helped her drop his pants below his knees. Belle murmured how desperately she needed him and his kisses bathed her skin with fire.

They swayed together. Her fingertips briefly set against his mouth then she replaced them with gentle searching lips. "You are incredible." With her other fingers firmly wrapped around him there was no mistaking what she meant.

Rumplestiltskin's expression jolted with something between a grimace and a grin and at the twitch and clench below she thought he might have nearly lost control. His hips jerked forward and her touch quickened when he shakily breathed her name; dragged a kiss across her chin.

Belle settled backward on her ankles then finally bent her head to taste, tongue travelling back and forth along his length. He was green and gold all over and she stared up into his eyes.

The future, their future… It was reflected in his eyes. Eyes dark with seething passion and a bond not quite yet named.

His hands skated round her waist and across her lower back, tightly gripping her against him when she rose for another kiss. Then slowly, Rumplestiltskin slowly edged down her drawers with palms curving around her ass, the lacy hem in front just barely covering what he sought.

He arched against soft skin, questing fingertips sliding at her from behind.

She gasped.

Belle was wet and hot and ready.

She dipped and had him plunging back inside her mouth.

"Not down your throat," he managed while her tongue swirled at his head. "Not this time."

Belle slowly licked and let him go. "Thought we were doing what I like?"

Leading him to confidence in her, in them, her giggle caught him for a beat then he let out a playful growl. He was her man; she sensed the seeds of true belief finally scattering in his heart.

With a heave Rumplestiltskin upended her crosswise on the daybed and she landed with an oomph. His ankles were still tangled inside his breeches and it came close to a debacle. He quickly stripped off her undergarments, but didn't quite make it to her open blouse. They bumped together with a breathless laugh: companionship and belonging and a claim staked on the other's heart.

He pressed a demanding kiss against her lips that was full of destined need, his heavy cock grinding in the slick heat between her legs. "My turn," he grinned and it carried an impish threat.

Belle's knees pulled up and she loosely linked her ankles round his waist. The rock hard feel of him against her sent her careening toward the edge, her hips surging up to meet him as she returned the sloppy kiss.

"Inside," she begged while wriggling, trying to get the angle right.

Instead Rumplestiltskin briefly paused to think then snapped his fingers, a crystalline sapphire vial appearing in his hand. She pursed her lips, not wanting his magic to intrude now above all times. Why he needed it at all she really couldn't understand.

He placed the stopper to the side and then she really didn't care.

Pouring out a little oil, he warmed it in his palms while she caught the intoxicating scent of jasmine weaving softly through the night. This time he was the one on his knees between her legs. The heels of his hands pressed into her lower abdomen, slipping upward and then back in a sensual massage.

She groaned.

More oil. Shoulders all the way to feet: he worked her over well. When he leaned to reach her puckered breasts his tip would slide against her heat. Rumplestiltskin followed the path with kisses, unhurriedly making love to every inch. His hands and mouth were magic of a completely different sort and the smouldering heaviness burning deep inside sent her hips bucking impulsively in search of his.

Belle moaned and reached for him, fingers dragging across his chest.

"Not yet, Sweetheart," he admonished and kissed up the inside of her thighs. Caressing fingers pressed and thrust turning her to a writhing mess of hunger; his tongue finally flicked between her folds.

Suction and rasping pressure: she screamed, "Rumple," as she came, all trembling legs and tightly gripping fingers at his scalp. It was the first time she'd called him that and he stared up at her and smiled, his cheek softly resting against her inner thigh.

"Yes?"

Another lapping touch of tongue before his cock was poised and ready at her entrance; he let her feel the slightest teasing penetration then deliberately pulled it out, slowly painting her up and down.

She knew damn well that he was barely hanging on. "N-now. Please, now." Belle whimpered for release against the inferno, reaching down to try and guide him in.

He shivered at her stroking touch. Neither could wait for more. Sliding forward to cover her with kisses, Rumple lingered a special one over her heart then a tender brush against her mouth. The last coincided perfectly with the smoothness of his thrust, leaving her sighing at the pleasing stretch as he finally, finally filled her up.

"Sweetheart." He called her that again and his fingers lightly touched her cheek. The first time of many more: a silent promise given and received.

Rumple rolled his hips, the mild movement within her body setting off a flash fire of desire. Belle countered with a passionate tossing and was cradled close when sitting up into his embrace.

They found a rhythm: short then long, fast then slow, pebbled roughness stroking in and out. Her hands were mussing up his hair as she suckled his lower lip. His palm was heavy on her breast.

Falling for each other, falling for each other… His hands gripped beneath Belle's knees, lifting her up then tipping sideways so her head landed on the pillows and he followed her on down.

The relentless driving force of fate was linking them as one. Fingers laced with hers as her head tipped back through writhing ecstasy, the blinding squeeze of passion, hearts and bodies crashing together in the night.

0o0o0o0

She'd chosen him above any other and his heart nearly burst inside his chest. He was an ugly, ugly man yet she'd somehow calmed that fear with tenderness; pushed past the terrible disbelief.

It's a miracle, a miracle… Happiness existed when he just believed.

The candles guttered low in their holders while flickering shadows skipped upon their skin: a touch of gilded destiny.

Rumple lightly nuzzled then softly kissed the jasmine scented hollow at the base of her throat. They were dozing wrapped together, her bare leg draped loosely across his thigh. Belle languidly arched her hips to his, moving in a sensual undulation that found equal answer through his sated thrusts.

His thumb lovingly traced her upper lip then pressed downward on the lower. Her tongue grazed the digit through parted lips and he tilted forward; a brush of mouth on mouth that felt like he could fly.

She smiled, satiated, and his hand slid to thumb her breast. "Rumple:" another lingering kiss before she slipped softly from his grasp.

Standing beside the daybed, Belle finally shrugged out of her blouse, dropping it behind her and he caught it with one hand. A tired snap of his fingers magicked off his pants and boots and sent their things safely upstairs.

All swaying hips and luscious curves: Belle walked naked toward the door, the chance that she could want him proved up in perfect clarity.

"Aren't you coming?" She smiled sweetly across her shoulder. It gave him a tantalizing view as he raised himself on an elbow and slowly turned to watch.

Gods, he'd follow her anywhere. "Already did," Rumplestiltskin trilled and saw her shake her head and roll her eyes. Walking with purpose, he caught up to her with a smouldering look of satisfaction then murmured, "In here." His hand gripped against her upper thigh, clamping her arse against his front while thumb and forefinger gently stroked along the slickness between her legs.

Belle moaned and he knew it for desire. She truly wanted him and she twisted her head to reach. His other forearm closed across her breasts and, leaning down, captured a kiss that held all their precious future buried in its depth.

He vanished them together and they reappeared upstairs in the water closet off his bed chamber. Palms skimmed from breasts to abdomen to finally land on slender hips as he slowly turned her in his arms.

Steaming water magically tipped from a blue and gold trimmed pitcher into a porcelain basin on the vanity beside them, but neither paid attention. Rumple was peppering soft kisses across her face while Belle's touch skidded gently along his spine.

Her eyes were trying not to close; he could see that she was tired. "I want to hold you while you dream," he admitted in her ear. Her mouth twitched oddly and pressed to his before he could make out what she felt. "That's yes, right?" Rumple confirmed.

They brushed noses when she leaned her head to his. "Oh yes."

Elated, he held her to his heart and loved the way her arms wrapped round his neck. This would work. They would really work. Eventually he dipped a cloth into the water then dropped before her on his knees.

Belle leaned back against the marble counter with an unsteady breath and fingers lightly curling through his hair. He slowly wiped the warm cloth up the inside of one thigh then found the temptation was too great to merely clean up and off to bed.

Rumplestiltskin urged a knee aside, mouth trailing down her stomach. Her soft whimper and a clench: he felt the pressure wave of pleasure rolling through her core while lapping up a heady mixture of them both.

"You taste of us," he whispered, staring up with warm approval and a small smile full of hope. Her fingers framed his face, expression echoing his own. The cloth swiped leisurely once more between her legs.

"Let me try." She urged him up when he was done and her tongue plunged deep inside his mouth. She smiled sultry sex, her body wrapping tightly around his. "Oh I like that."

Intimacy and belonging: a link of forever was nearly formed. Belle doused a second cloth, her gentle hands washing lovingly and he shivered. She went down then was pulled up: the shot of lightning was too much. They kissed again until they fell together naked and exhausted between the sheets.

A miracle. His beautiful miracle. "My darling Belle." His palm lay over her heart and she fell asleep snuggled in his arms. He watched a serene smile waft across her lips and then her mouth touched lightly against his: a flicker of light within his dark.

She must be dreaming something sweet.

The consequences of a different path were the furthest thing from Rumplestiltskin's mind. He tucked a brown curl behind her ear, not thinking too closely about the potion on the table in the Hall. Surely it would all happen again perfectly regardless of time or circumstance and he finally drifted off to sleep.

0o0o0o0

She must have rolled and he'd spooned up tight behind her in the night. Rumple slowly woke to the blissful warmth of her body in his arms, a flood of happy memories and arousal, his erection tucked between her legs.

Outside the morning was glorious. Brilliant sunshine streamed in the tall windowpanes bathing them with golden light.

More importantly: his sweet Belle who'd chosen the monster… She was here. It hadn't been a dream. Eyes still closed, he nuzzled a sensitive spot at the nape of her neck, mouth lightly skimming skin.

She sighed and stretched a little, gradually throwing off sleep herself. Her arse pressed back into his hips and he couldn't help but thrust, slow and leisurely while a hand captured her breast.

Rumple watched her head turn on the pillow though not all the way around and she smiled peacefully. Slim fingers reached behind for his cheek: a soft caress of greeting and he caught the mumble of his name. Though her eyes remained buttoned closed, her touch then slipped down to the juncture of her thighs, a feathering touch teasing his swollen head and he knew she was awake.

"Morning, Sweetheart."

Her smile widened at the endearment; his free hand was smoothing across the angle of her hip. It was everything he'd ever dreamed of: being wanted and desired. Belle rocked against him, slicking his shaft with molten fire and it took all his will to keep things slow against the sparking blaze of heat.

His grip tightened on the inside of her thigh, silently urging her legs apart. Her hand spontaneously slipped along his length, keeping him firmly pressed in place. The focal point of everything: of sensation and belonging. Her thumb swiped across his tip then stroked over herself and he struggled for control.

Belle moaned and angled her hips to capture more of him, the pressure of her fingers tipping him toward the entrance that he sought. He thrust and skated past; the hit of sensation left her huffing out a breath. Again, this time on purpose, and she trembled in his arms. Rumple pressed his open mouth against her shoulder while fingers kneaded on a breast.

She finally opened her eyes and he witnessed a swirling depth of feeling that hadn't been there the night before.

Thrown, he whispered, "Belle," just as she tried again: once more and he was gripped within the searing tightness of her core. Rumple groaned, the blazing touch resonating life itself. Easing further forward with each stroke, she opened wonderfully to the pressure of his girth.

He saw her try to speak. Instead her head was tilting back with passion while fingernails scraped along his scaly arm.

Rumple was wrapped around his Belle with a loving touch of hands. He slipped his other beneath her own, taking over her caressing in the way he knew she liked, her fingers now teasing at his base.

Forever. Forever.

The tattoo rang within their hearts.

They gently increased the tempo, her body clenching tightly around his. A slow push from behind was all it took and he watched his beauty come apart in pieces in his arms.

Beautiful. She was so beautiful.

She pushed back until he found his own release and she'd rocked up and over another time.

Rumple murmured her name again as he softened and slipped out. She slowly rolled within the circle of his arms, bringing them face to face in the morn.

She had given herself to him. Belle gently cupped his cheek. At the crossroads of forever they were unafraid to fall.

Love. It was love and they both knew it: something true and absolute, their happiness untainted by the meddling of others and the second guessing in his heart.

"Rumple." She'd twined her legs with his; was pressed as near as she could get. They would be together in the future like they were together now. The belief was pure and perfect as they stretched toward the other.

"What is it?" Yearning ghosted his lips over hers while fingers skimmed along her skin.

Belle's expression trembled with deep emotion yet she bravely breathed a truth against his mouth, "You are all my dreams come true."

It was a drive straight through his heart and the link was fully shaped. His face crumpled with a need that no one else could ever fill: a need to tell her how much he loved and to hear the promise back. "Belle." He needed her kiss more than anything he'd ever needed before in all his life. The heat between was scalding as he leaned to bridge the final gap.

There was a sudden hammering at the front door of the castle, jarring a wedge within their safe cocoon.

"Don't go." Her fingers lightly touched his lips. A haunted shadow passed across her eyes as if she worried something was about to irreparably harm the precious bond that they had forged.

A choice. Fate always grants a choice though the heavy cost is very rarely seen. Yet to him this was about his son and not the magic of this night.

"I'll be right back. Right back," he reiterated, briefly pressing his forehead against hers. They would forget, but they'd recreate it. Maybe it would even be tonight. She loved him with all her heart and nothing could ever get in the way of that. "Don't. move."

Their time was up and with a look of love he vanished from her arms.

It was just a simple kiss. And surely their kiss could wait...

0o0o0o0

The flaming vortex swirled in a sucking whirlwind of fire behind them in the vault. The Saviour struggled against his iron grip clamped tight around her wrist, her unwilling admission the thrust of a knife blade plunging deeply though his chest. After all the painful years of searching it couldn't possibly come down to that. Destiny had slated his boy would die? Rumplestiltskin rebelled against the agonizing truth of loss that screamed from unfamiliar eyes.

His son. His beloved precious Bae that he'd dropped in a hellish moment of branding cowardice, choosing the consuming rush of power and the evil dagger over his boy... His future was already set and his terrible mistake would never be undone.

"You think you can change the future, but you might make it worse." Tears streamed down the woman's cheeks. "I loved him too. I wanted to save him. He died a hero. You can't take that away from him." Her head was shaking against the thought of his intended consequence. "You have to drink the potion."

He gazed down in indecision. There must be a way to change things, his mind grinding over possibilities. If he just knew what to look out for…

I want my father…

Papa, please! It's the only way we can be together!

Pleading eyes turning to fury and his son's wrist slipping through his fingertips… It was all Bae really wanted: to see him live without the power. But that was not remotely possible no matter what world they trod. Terrified and weak, he shirked against the thought. He couldn't see a path winding through the inky darkness that didn't lead to death. There was only one way for the malevolent curse to loosen its harsh grip upon his soul.

Rumplestiltskin stared, his future seeming bleak as a decision formed deep within. It was her promise of Bae's forgiveness and his son's abiding love that finally pulled him from the edge. His ending would not be a happy one no matter what he did.

Feeling the crushing weight of his broken heart, the Dark One flicked his thumb against the stopper on the bottle in his hand.

"You have to forget everything I just told you."

Letting go her wrist, the Saviour flung backward into the gapping abyss of time while he put the forgetting potion to his lips. He threw back his head and swallowed, the portal snapping shut before him.

A bitter woody taste scraped through his mouth and he tossed the vial aside with a nauseating grimace of disgust. Rumplestiltskin smacked his lips, the potion rapidly taking hold, gouging through his mind erasing a lifeline of treasured light within his darkness that would take decades to restore.

He'd made his choice; the price was set.

A future steeped in death and darkness was protected at the cost of another. He hadn't recognized the powerful connecting thread of love winding fluidly through his life and with it went the better path through a freeing kiss to a lost boy trapped in Neverland: a faded option now out of sight.

Rumplestiltskin picked up the ebony wand lying on the tiled floor at his feet then looked around, confused. His magic vault? Holding the wand between scaled fingertips, he blinked. "What the hell am I doing in here?" Then he vanished with a thought.

0o0o0o0

Belle stretched languidly in their bed, suddenly realizing he'd sent her tea. The cup she'd chipped sat next to the warm teapot on its sterling silver tray.

Rumplestilstkin preferred it above all the rest, she realized, because it reminded him of her. Maybe they hadn't shared their love aloud yet she could read it plainly upon his heart. Filled to overflowing for her complicated and enigmatic man, to her the cup was broken like he was. Many would have seen the worthlessness and simply tossed it far away, but she saw and valued deeply what others didn't care to prize.

A silent symbol of their bond, it'd become so special to them both.

Putting aside the unnerving sense of disquiet at his sudden vanishing act, Belle poured herself some tea. They would be just fine once he came back to her. Rumple had had the promise of it blazing in his eyes.

He loved her and he'd told her to stay put. Still, she paused first to dress, a secret smile stealing across her face along with a rosy flush. He could always strip her down again later. In fact, it was wholly anticipated and her hand unconsciously smoothed over her hip in a mirror image of his touch. Then humming happily, Belle swept across the room to retrieve his discarded satin shirt.

Raising their precious cup to her lips, she drank a tiny sip. The liberating happiness that came from loving and being loved rapidly gave way to a pinched expression. The tea was awful. What in all the realms had he done?

The forgetting potion jammed a hole straight through her memories, scattering her heart with force. Something was dreadfully wrong. She staggered toward their bed, the cup clattering back onto the tray. It spilled but she barely noticed.

Rumple…

Unsteady fingers reached for the special chip standing out in stark relief along the golden rim, Belle struggling against a dreadful loss and then it was too late.

She blinked and glanced around. "What the hell am I doing in here?"

His shirt was gripped tightly in one fist. There was an unsteady urge to raise it to her nose, but then it passed as hopelessly unwise.

Oh. Laundry. That was it… must be it.

Belle retrieved a wicker basket with the rest of his dirty things then stripped down the bed to wash his sheets. Piling them on top and heaving upright, he materialized directly behind her exactly as she turned around.

Startled, she jerked in fright, dropping the basket at his feet. "Oh, Rumplestiltskin. You're back." A palm pressed against her pounding heart and she glanced down at the tumbled mess.

"Well it is my castle," he murmured dryly. She snickered a little at that.

Rumplestiltskin tossed an ebony wand onto the bed as he knelt to help her out.

"And it's a cluttered–" Quickly shoving everything back in the basket, Belle's fingers brushed with his: an accidental stroke of bursting static that fuelled imagination with desire. "– mess." She suddenly realized she held his drawers; could tell he'd noticed too and a longing breath was trapped in the intimacy of the moment.

Sometimes the way he looked at her…

Belle slowly turned her hand in the deeply silent pause and they were touching palm to palm. It felt familiar and oh so right like the softest caress against her heart.

She could truly love this man… If only the evil were rooted out…

They swayed a fraction nearer then he caught himself and swiftly backed away, leaving her fingers gently closing around air.

Sometimes she thought he might… yet it always turned out the same: a weighted moment always leaving her wanting a kiss that never came.

Belle turned to leave, her eyes downcast with brimming disappointment. Maybe he didn't feel the same.

0o0o0o0

Rumplestiltskin timidly watched her leave his chamber then turned toward the head of his lonely canopy bed.

He wasn't surprised to see his clumsy maid had produced another mess. The tea was cold and he vanished the remaining dregs with the barest flick of a scaly hand.

Sitting down with a sigh, he cradled the little cup that so reminded him of her, of her caring and compassion and how quickly she hadn't been afraid. His wandering mind secretly indulged in a favoured fantasy: one where Belle loved him and where she wouldn't ever go away. There were soft touches along his cheek and lips melding in a heated kiss. He would whisper of his love and always, always hear the promise back.

They would have a slice of forever, but imagination was all that it could be.

Pining for his Belle, he was too terrified to ever tell her how he felt, his shattered heart mired deeply in terrible disbelief. Unable to forget the excruciating pain littered through his past, rejection now would destroy what little of the man was left hiding out behind his walls.

One hadn't wanted a coward and abandoned him for a different man. And another had cruelly ripped out his heart, trading his love for power just like he'd done to Bae.

No, the day would come when he would lose and that scared him even more. Belle wouldn't, couldn't ever love a monster. Eventually she would leave him. Everyone always did.

Afraid to reach for happiness, Rumplestiltskin carefully placed the chipped cup back on the tray.

He took a deep breath and left. The subtle scent of sex still teased the air.

0o0o0o0

"You promised me a story." Belle's hands were scalding on his shoulders as he sat frozen at his creaking wheel, pretending he hadn't been watching and waiting for her all along. He'd let her go and she'd come back. The stunning shock had yet to fade. More than that, his love had come straight to him, standing behind and to the side, her intoxicating presence enveloping him with light.

Only sheer will kept his breath from hitching inside his chest. His broken heart was squeezed. There was a flicker of happiness.

"Did I?"

She smelled of jasmine: it brought an odd sense of déjà vu; of kisses, sex and passion all burning in the night. Belle was leaning close to catch his gaze yet he refused to fully turn. He knew the low cut of her dress would bring her level with his eyes and the desperate tempting need to touch and taste kept him rooted forward on his stool.

Too soon she was moving though thankfully not too far. Now that it was safer, he stared up into her eyes.

"Mmmhmm." Belle blithely plucked the wool from his clammy hand then arranged her skirt and sat.

He could turn her into a toad and yet she'd just flat out usurped control. No one had ever dared do that to him before. Rumplestiltskin stared dumbly with a half-smile pasted on his nervous face then choked over an unarticulated titter when suddenly clocked by the realization: she'd come back and now she actually meant to hold him to his deal.

Something was vastly, vastly different and the churning in his stomach took a decidedly different turn. She hadn't ever looked at him that way before: with warmth and hope and… and suddenly he knew he was drowning, well in over his head.

Just as unexpectedly, her palm rested on his thigh like it belonged, her touches holding a tangible transformation from anything that'd come before. Far beyond the bounds of friendship or employment, this was a woman touching her man. Belle leaned closer creating a sheltered cocoon of intimacy as if by coming back she'd gained his trust. It left him sinking into quicksand: confused and uncertain feeling the story had irrevocably shifted and he'd somehow lost the plot.

She smiled softly. "Tell me about your son."

"Uh… I lost him," Rumplestiltskin murmured apprehensively. His greatest shame he certainly wasn't going to share with her right now. Though if she stroked a little higher he'd be putty in her hands. "There's nothing more to tell, really." He didn't – couldn't – trust and without it he definitely wouldn't share his tale.

"And since then you've loved no one. And no one has loved you."

Why in the entire realm would Belle speak to him of love? It was stated factually. She could have read it straight from his heart and, as if he'd been found out, she'd landed mostly on the truth.

She wouldn't, couldn't ever love a monster in return...

He tilted closer, all ugly and unloved. Tension coiled in his gut. He didn't understand at all, his mind flailing desperately, seeking to gauge her mood. "Why did you come back?"

"I wasn't going to," she admitted honestly with a candid shrug. "Then something changed my mind."

He wasn't remotely sure what she could mean.

Belle leaned in, lips parting slightly. He watched her glance toward his mouth with longing then their eyes were closing to the blissful magic a simple kiss could bring. His response was automatic and dredged straight from his heart.

He belonged to her. There was pure truth in that.

Love, deep and powerful shot outward through the night, a golden beacon shining bright amidst the inky black. The binding of True Love was infinitely more powerful than the dagger, Belle's love a brilliant blinding light serving to mark his way.

They inched back slowly, lingering on the tender touch while probing tendrils long steeped in life started freeing him from the heavy scourge of evil. Starting from his lips and spreading outward, his dark curse rapidly began to fade and for the first time ever, Rumplestiltskin stared at his precious love through ordinary eyes.

"Wha-what's happening?"

The future is a tricky thing. It's never ever what it seems.

"Kiss me again. It's working."

*finis*