Belle/Mal

Roses. Belle started to notice the roses almost everywhere. One was always waiting for her early in the library when she came in to work, and one was always waiting when she got home. She found petals nestled between the pages of her books sometimes, or littered over the bed when she awoke. She started to smell the scent everywhere and even came home one day to find her tub filled with warm water and bubbles, the room lit with candles as more rose petals covered the floor. Roses were her favorite flower, and had always been. But she had no idea who was making all this happen. She had a small hope…

Belle looked up from her book, her eyes immediately falling on Maleficent, strolling through the park with her daughter, Lily. The lovely blonde was deep in conversation with the younger brunette at her side, but that didn't stop her from glancing up at Belle for seemingly no reason at all. Belle quickly ducked behind her book, feeling her heart skip a beat. She silently cursed to herself, wondering why the dragon had such an effect on her. It had all started when she was being kidnapped, oddly enough, by the dragon herself. But it wasn't what anyone thought it was. Maleficent had simply showed up at Rumple's castle one day and asked her for her assistance. She explained why she needed the magic gauntlet and assured Belle that no harm would come to her. Belle, thinking that it was better to agree than to really be kidnapped, agreed. She was taken to Demon's Bluff, a seaside cliff, and she was tied up. The dragon was actually quite gentle with her, assuring her that she was merely there to force Rumple's hand and nothing more. Belle wasn't sure if her actions were because she actually cared about not hurting her or it was because she thought humans were that small and fragile. Either way, their plan was successful and Rumple came to rescue her, but the dragon had captured her interest and had been that way since that day.

Maleficent never contacted her again and Belle had spent her days reading books about dragons and thinking about the enthralling blonde. She was absolutely sure she would never actually seek out the Dragon Queen. She was far too shy and anyone who even attempted to court Maleficent now was met with a brick wall that was Regina Mills.

She peeked up again and almost had a heart attack seeing Lily gone and Maleficent walking towards her. Even that was mesmerizing. The way she glided in tall heels with a confidence that Belle rarely felt. She always seemed so untouchable, something to be revered and admired but never by hands as clumsy as hers.

Maleficent paused in front of her. "May I sit, Miss French?"

"Oh, please." Belle scooted to the side, even though there was no need.

Maleficent sat next to her. "How are you, Miss French?"

"Belle." The librarian corrected. "You can just call me Belle."

"Well, then you may call me Mal."

Belle gave a small nod. "Are you...the one sending me the flower petals?" She knew from reading that even dragons imprinted and they instinctively did whatever necessary to take care of their desired mate or please them, even without their knowledge their magic still reacted.

"I believe so." Mal said. "But I will stop if you desire. It must inconvenience you and the Dark One."

"I actually, um...We're not together anymore." Belle said, looking down at her lap.

"My apologies." Mal replied softly. She reached for the book in Belle's lap. "May I?"

"Oh, of course."

The dragon took the book and turned it over in her hands, keeping her finger between the pages to mark the librarian's spot. "I remember this. It is a very good read."

"You read this? It's one of my favorites!"

"I wrote it."

"What?!" Maleficent laughed, a gorgeous sound but Belle had other concerns. "Are you serious? You're a writer?"

"I have many skills." Mal smiled. "And I am immortal, I have to find some way to pass the time. I've written many books under many names. Have you read 'The Witch's Pet', Rain of Fire, or-"

"Yes!" Belle exclaimed, looking at the dragon with new eyes. It really shouldn't have surprised her to this extent, but it did. She pictured Maleficent as a fearsome warrior or a ruler spending her days practicing her magic or ripping apart knights, not writing novels. "What else have you written?"

"Oh my dear, I could show you better than I could tell you. Would you like to see?"

"Absolutely, yes!"

Maleficent chuckled as she teleported them away, reappearing moments later in a massive library, easily twice the size of Rumple's. Belle's jaw dropped at the sight of so many books around her. The floors were covered in a thick carpet, there was a massive stone fireplace at one end of the room, currently already roaring, and two levels of wall to wall bookshelves with several seating areas. "Oh my goodness!"

Maleficent walked over to one of the shelves. "These are all the books I've written under several different names." Belle walked over to it and twisted her neck to look at the spines, recognizing almost every title she saw. "Are you familiar with them?"

"You're my favorite author!" Belle exclaimed. "I mean, I've read almost everything here." Mal let out a pleased purr. "These were some of my mother's favorites too. Especially this one," She pulled out a book, sliding her finger in its place. She remembered the book so well. From the dark red cover to the golden name that was simple and sweet. It was entitled Devotion, and was a deep story about love, desire, and devotion. "I only read it after she passed." Belle said. "My father liked to pick roses, but she felt that doing so killed the flowers, so she would take the petals and use them as bookmarks." Belle smiled up at Mal. "The library always smelled like roses."

"That's why my magic manifests as rose petals to you." Mal said. "I'm sorry. I was not even aware that I was doing it."

"It's fine." Belle shrugged.

Mal glanced at the shelf. She held out her hand and a golden key appeared in her palm. She hung the key around Belle's neck. "For you. Should you ever wish to come back here, you may have free reign. Take books, stay and read, escape. This is now your library."

"Are you serious?"

"I am. Consider it my apology for all the rose petals."

Belle smiled and touched the key. "Thank you."

/

The next couple months passed Belle by while she was always nose deep in a book. Mal's library was ridiculously extensive, ranging from the books she wrote to novels of various genres, ancient lore, books of magic and spells, tomes, scrolls, even poems. She could spend hours at a time in the library, pouring over the wealth of knowledge and literature that was at her disposal. As Mal said, she took books back to her home, to the town library, to the park. The rose petals stopped appearing, although she was treated to occasional bouquets from the dragon. Her favorite thing were the days Maleficent would accompany her to this quiet place in the woods. It was a clearing with a large tree in the very center with a perfect little nook for Belle to lay among the lower branches. Mal would usually stay in her dragon form, curled around the trunk of the tree with her head resting on a branch just next to Belle so she could listen to her voice. She apparently liked Belle's accent. This special spot was becoming the highlight of her day. Spared from Rumple's advances and the pitiful looks from the people in town, she liked the peace and quiet. Besides, no one ever really came looking for her unless they needed something. Mal was the only one who seemed content with just her company.

One day, she went into Granny's and ordered all of Mal's favorites for their dinner at the tree. There weren't many. The dragon hated much of the greasy and artificial food of this world, preferring to hunt for her next meal out in the forest. She even took Belle one time, although she didn't catch anything and left it all up to the dragon. It took a little while to prepare her order, so she went and sat down with a glass of iced tea and one of Mal's books until it was ready. The quiet didn't last long before the one person she didn't feel like seeing right now decided to make her arrival. The mayor walked into the diner and her eyes immediately zeroed in on Belle. The librarian heard the clicking of her heels before she heard the distinct voice of her new friend's former lover.

"Hello, Miss French." Regina said.

"Hello, Regina." Belle glanced up to say before turning back to her book.

"I heard that you and Maleficent were spending a lot of time together." Regina leaned against the table.

"Leave her alone." Ruby growled as she walked by, carrying the food for another table.

"Why don't you go chew on the bones in the back, Puppy?" Regina said, with a disdainful glance at the werewolf. Her focus was entirely on Belle and whatever relationship she believed her to have with Maleficent. However, Belle was well aware that the mayor and Mal weren't even in a relationship and Mal had no desire to be in one with her, and yet, Regina continued to try and guard her like a piece of treasure.

"You don't have to be rude, Madame Mayor." Belle frowned.

"You're absolutely right, but I don't care about politeness when it concerns my dragon."

"Your dragon?" Belle scoffed, closing her book. "She's not anyone's dragon. Least of all yours. I think I've lost count on how many times you've betrayed her. Mal deserves a lot better than you."

"Mal, is it? Awfully comfortable, aren't we? As if you really know Mal. As if she would really consider being with you." Regina smirked. "No offense, but you're just a little bookworm."

Belle sighed and finally gave the woman her full attention, seeing the challenge in her eye. "Comfortable...is an understatement. You want to know how much I know Mal?" She reached into her shirt and pulled out the golden key the dragon had given her.

"The key to Mal's library? So what?" Regina scoffed.

"Okay, fine." Belle sighed again. "Mal has a scar on the back of her neck from fighting against Stefan, I saw that when she was laying in my bed. Mal has a set of faint claw marks on her hip, which I saw when I was giving her a massage. She has a birthmark on her inner thigh. I mean, I wonder how I saw that." Regina's smirk had disappeared by then and her hands were clenched into fists. "Shall I continue about how much I know Mal?" She allowed a small smirk to shine through. "She's not a screamer, but sometimes she happens to breathe fire…" Regina suddenly teleported away and Belle turned back to her book until her food was ready. Ruby gave her a fist bump when she went to retrieve it.

Not too long later Belle found herself in their tree eating fries while Maleficent lay in the grass below, laughing her head off. She smiled to herself, listening to the dragon almost wheezing after hearing what she told Regina. "She really believed that?"

"I guess so. She teleported away just after." The librarian said. All of the information she gave Regina came from when Belle went to the lake to relax with a book and Mal went swimming while she did so. Regina took it the exact way she hoped she would.

"Serves her right for messing with my bookworm." Mal rolled onto her back and looked up at Belle. "I would much rather be your dragon."

"We never talked about the whole imprinting thing, did we?"

"That's not something I can control. If we ever did up together, I want it to be because that's what we both want and of not...well, I will enjoy being your friend."

"I'm sorry not I'm an exciting friend to have." She said, wiping her hands as she finished eating.

Maleficent frowned and sat up. She climbed into the tree, balancing perfectly on the branch in front of Belle. "The world is full of exciting people, my dear. Loud, rude, rowdy people who do nothing but fill the silence with nonsense. I enjoy the silence and I enjoy people who know the value of it. I don't need excitement like most do. I'm a fucking dragon. Excitement usually means someone is trying to take off my head. You are someone who knows how to just...be. I like that about you very much."

Belle felt her cheeks burn at the sheer sincerity in the bright blue gaze of the dragon. She knew the older woman meant it. She thought of what it would be like a few times, if she and Mal were to be together. Her greatest fear was that Mal would eventually get bored of just laying around and reading books. Besides Ruby perhaps, there weren't really any more people in Storybrooke that Belle counted among her friends and family. Even though she and Mal had only been friends for a couple months, she felt like she knew the dragon for much longer and she truly felt like she could trust her. Whether this was true remained to be seen.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Belle was at the park when she received another visitor, enjoying one of the books Mal had written that she hadn't read. It was a tale about her rise to power. The Forbidden Kingdom hadn't always belonged to her and when she was younger she amassed a horde of followers to take it, using a combination of brute force and impressive tactics to defeat her enemy. It actually amazed her to hear a story about Mal's youth. Back then she was nothing but fire and fury, wild and full of life. Not that she wasn't now, but she wasn't confined to Storybrooke then. A little town for a big dragon must be hell. Besides, she was older, calmer, and far more interested in being a mother to Lily than waging war.

"Interesting read?" A familiar voice said, taking a seat on the bench next to her. Rumple laid his cane across his lap, indicating that he was here to stay, but she refrained from making eye contact as this was the last thing she wanted to do today.

"Very." She said curtly.

"What is it about?"

"Maleficent."

"Oh. I never knew you were interested in dragon tales."

"You never really cared what books I was interested in." She replied.

"Of course I cared. They made you happy, so I took notice. What, did Maleficent show you her library?"

"She gave me the key to it, and I would prefer to read in peace."

"Belle-"

A low growl beside her made them both turn and Belle burst into a smile at seeing Mal standing there, looking stunning as always. Today she wore a form fitting white and brown dress with spaghetti strap sleeves and her hair up in a ponytail. It was such a cute look on her that Belle almost completely tuned the conversation the dragon was having with Rumple to stare at her. It took her a minute to come to her sense. "Mal, would you like to go to our tree?"

"Actually, I want to propose a different idea." Mal replied. "Dinner at my place?"

"Uh, sure." Belle quickly got to her feet and took Mal's hand.

"What is this?" Gold demanded, getting to his feet as well, a look of pure disgust on his face. Maleficent scowled at it and opened her mouth to reply, but Belle gave her hand a squeeze. They didn't need to explain anything to him. The dragon searched her eyes for any distress before teleporting them away to the dragon mansion. In the past months that Belle had known Mal, she had never been to her house, but the dragon was very comfortable at hers. She was a bit nervous walking up the marble steps of the fantastical home that the dragon owned. The house itself was massive. Crafted from dark wood and accented with stone and marble, it was a work of art. She found the inside to be warm and cozy, just like Mal in a way. She removed her shoes at the door and followed Mal into the living room, her feet sinking deeply into the thick black carpet. There was a large stone fireplace with a flat screen tv hanging above it. It was tastefully decorated and blissfully warm. She felt like curling up with a good book right now, but the smells coming from the kitchen had her mouth watering.

"Burgers and french fries. All freshly made." Mal said, presenting the meal and a glass of iced tea to her proudly.

Belle smiled. "Thanks, Mal." The dragon responded by placing a gold book on the table next to her. The only word on the cover was Beauty, with a large red rose beneath it.

"I wrote another one." Belle instantly sat up and reached for the book, but Mal put a hand over it. "You can't read it until tonight."

""That's evil. Why would you give it to me now then?" Belle whined.

Maleficent smirked. "Tonight, you can read it, but for now, eat and talk to me." She sat down and Belle turned to her food, her gaze drifting over to the mystery book every now and then. "Why have you never written books?"

"I tried once, when I was younger, but I'm not very good at it." Belle shrugged, biting into her burger and almost moaning at the explosion of flavors dancing on her tongue. "Oh my god."

Maleficent chuckled softly. "I'll take that as a job well done."

"Very well done." Belle moaned. "So, where's Lily?"

"Off hunting. She'll be back in the morning. Will you be spending the night?" She asked hopefully.

Belle glanced up at the dragon and nodded. "Sure." She was glad Mal started writing again, she was running out of books to read. The golden book on the table weighed on her mind all throughout the evening, making her wonder what it was about. It wasn't until that night, when she was laying in Mal's bed that she was able to crack the spine. Mal was asleep behind her, softly purring and filling the room with her unnatural warmth. It made Belle happy that she was comfortable as to sleep next to her in her most vulnerable form. It was the ultimate sign of a dragon's trust. Tonight was a perfect night for a book. She opened it and began.

The story was about a dragon, which was no surprise since Mal liked crating different dragons as characters. The dragon had found its mate. The entire story was a love story, a story about such desire and devotion that almost made Belle want to cry. Mal had written love stories before, but this one took the cake. It wasn't until halfway through the story that she described this mate and the dragon's love for her. A young woman whose voice commands the fire within. An accent to cause the flames to churn and warmth to spread from my nose to the tip of my tail. A woman whose heart I would bow to. She is mine and I am hers and I will be hers until the end of time. I would write day and night to provide her with as many stories as she desired to read. Never would she worry about money or food or shelter or warmth. I would give all I have to keep her smile on her face. When the- At that moment, Belle slammed the book closed, causing Mal to flinch. The dragon was on her feet in an instant, a fireball in one hand to fend off any perceived threat.

"Belle, is everything alright?" Mal asked when she could find no danger.

"Did you mean this?" Belle gestured to the book.

"I do. I was afraid my words would fail me if I ever told you." Belle frowned. Afraid? Maleficent afraid? The woman walked into arrow storms without fear, attacked armies head on, could barrel roll into a castle wall and she was afraid to tell Belle how she felt? "I told you that you were different from the rest of the world. I meant that."

"I don't know what to say."

"Say that you will give me a chance."

"You didn't need to ask, Mal. The past months have been the highlight of my life and all I've done is read books." She said. When Storybrooke isn't going insane or threatened by some evil person, it could get pretty boring. However, she and Mal could lay out in their tree and nap or read books all day and she would never be bored. Besides, Mal was a dragon. Just watching her clean her scales was fascinating. Once, she even took Belle for a ride on her back, one of the craziest things she'd ever done. Every day, she found herself waiting for when she could see Maleficent again. Mal didn't need to ask her if she could have a chance. She got off the bed and put the book on the nightstand while Mal tilted her head.

"A simple no would be fine. I'll take you home-" Mal froze when Belle crawled across the bed and kissed her on the lips. She instantly swept the smaller woman up in her arms and let them both fall onto the bed, their lips never breaking contact. "Fuck, you're a very good kisser."

"Thanks, so are you." Belle giggled. Mal kissed her again and it sent tingles throughout the librarian's body. The dragon's purring wasn't helping. She paused when she smelled something strange. "Mal…" Mal paused and they both looked around. Roses and rose petals were everywhere.

"Oh, son of a bitch!" Mal snapped, turning bright red. Belle burst into laughter and kissed her again.

/

The next day, half the town stared at Belle French, the librarian, the bookworm, walking down the street and holding hands with the Evilest of Them All, Maleficent. The Beauty and the Great Beast. Gold and Regina looked sick, but all Mal had to do was give them one look and they knew to back off. This Beauty was hers.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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