A/N: All right, so this story is boarder-lining T and approaching M, but I don't think it's quite there yet. So, please let me know if the rating should be changed. Thanks! Oh, this story and the last one I published got me through writer's block :p

Chapter One

Mr. Gold raced home, as if there were some urgent message or something else he just had to take care of. Truth was, Belle was at home, his home. He could hardly believe the woman had still agreed to stay with him, even after all those years of separation. If that wasn't love, Rumpelstiltskin didn't know what was.

He'd spent the whole day in the shop, fearing for her if she ever left the house. At least, for the fist couple days, he wanted her to get settled, but when he walked in the door, he came upon something unexpected...

The whole house was clean! Everything from the windows to the floor and everything in between. Even that old fireplace was lit this evening. When Rumpel saw that a lot of his things had been moved around, some even set up, he just didn't know what to think. For a moment, he worried that Belle had come to the notion that everything was how it had been before. That she simply cleaned the house. This is not how Rumpelstiltskin wanted to treat her anymore.

No, she was much more than that.

"Belle?" he called, but he received no reply. He walked further through the house and into the basement, fearing that she may have fallen somewhere, perhaps knocked herself unconscious. It was in the basement he found a lot of things that had been upstairs were now placed upon tables and the artwork and mirrors had been put up.

Gold stared into a mirror for a moment, but instantly looked away. For once, he was not worried about himself.

"Belle?" he called again when he came back to the first floor. As he approached the dining room, there was the most wondrous aroma. Rumpel inhaled slowly, smelling some kind of meat. He didn't care what it was, it just smelled amazing.

Naturally, he went into the dining room to find there was a very carefully planned and timed, meal lying out before him. There was a plate filled with a chicken breast and wing along with a side of beans and a bowl of fruit. He then noticed the glass filled with water. So simple, yet somehow Rumpelstiltskin become enticed with the presentation. Then he recognized the tray set out for him a few feet away. That was for later he noticed.

It was the old silver tea set, and she'd found it somehow. Even he didn't know where he last put that old thing. There was a note attached that read:

If the tea is not warm enough or you prefer the peppermint, it's in the kitchen on the stove. Oh, and welcome home.

~Belle

He had to smirk at that. It was usual of her to put the duty first, for she always had when they had spent their time together. It felt strange to be sitting alone, especially because he knew Belle was somewhere in the house. Trying to put it in his mind that she was fine, he sat down to eat, wondering if she had already done so. The plate was only hot while it lasted.

Based on the warmth of the food, he could have sworn she must've taken it out but minutes ago. How had she'd known so well when he'd be coming back? Did he have some sort of habit he kept to from when he was living with her those 28 or so years ago?

He found the chipped cup on the tray of tea, despite its ostentatious appearance against the rest of the silver. After he'd finished eating, he took the dishes to the kitchen, and still, Belle was nowhere to be found. This was beginning to startle him. The only other places she could be were outside, his lab, his room, or anywhere upstairs.

At the thought of the lab, he hastened to the back of the house and found that everything in there too, had been cleaned. All the shelves dusted, the books wiped down, even the equipment was cleaned. Well, the things she remembered she could clean anyway. His books remained unopened, and then he realized he left the tea out in the dining room. A second thought entered his mind that it was no fun to drink tea alone. Rumpelstiltskin continued looking for his Belle.

Searching upstairs, Rumpel entered his room, finding that once again, things had been cleaned, but not otherwise touched. When did she have time for all of this? he thought to himself. The girl couldn't have had a moment's peace! There was a warm air coming from the bathroom, and Rumpel found the windows were just starting to die of the steam that had conquered them.

Looking from right to left with only his eyes, Rumpelstiltskin had to admit, he was truly puzzled. She had stumped him very well. Hell, he couldn't even find her!

"Belle? I know you're here," he called out again. "Come on out, now."

He thoroughly checked the upstairs. She was not in her room, not his, not anywhere up there. Had she gone back down? No, for sure he'd have noticed her. Nonetheless, Rumpel went back downstairs, seeing the tea tray had been taken.

"Belle?"

"Rumpel? Is that you?" a voice asked ever so innocently. He followed her voice into the living room where the fire had just begun to crackle. There she was, dressed in blue as usual. The tea tray now had two cups on it and was set on an end table Belle had brought out.

"Belle, I've been calling you for the past ten minutes!" he sighed, walking towards her to take her into his arms. "Where were you?"

"I didn't even hear you come home," Belle replied, limping into his arms, letting all her weight rest upon him. The poor girl was simply tired. "Honestly, I left that note in case I didn't prepare the right tea. I wasn't sure if you'd see it or me first."

Her scent had altered to a lavender, and Mr. Gold noticed that immediately. She was wearing that dress, but no makeup. Not that she needed it, according to him. Then it all hit him...

"Why did you do all of this?" he asked. "You're warn out and chilled to the bone!" He held her by the shoulders, watching as she smiled, looking away for a few moments. Then she looked back into his eyes.

"I just...I wanted you to know that I'm not going to slack," she replied.

"Belle," Rumpel gasped, letting out a small laugh. "You don't-you don't have to do all of that anymore. You are not just my housekeeper, sweetheart."

Belle looked around and then gave him a look of slight shock and sarcasm.

"Well, you needed it nonetheless."

"I'm sure I did," he replied. "How tired are you?"

Belle shook her head with a smile on her face as she sat by the fire, him joining her.

"Doesn't matter," she replied. "I'm fine."

However, Rumpelstiltskin refused to believe her. For a while they simply sat there, until Belle got up and offered the tea tray and poured two cups of tea for them. He could just tell by the look in her eyes: there was something she wanted to say. Either that or she wanted to request something of him.

When he asked what was wrong, she refused to answer him, no matter what he did, though he didn't want to force her. He caught her yawning, instantly pointing it out to her.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked. "Was I supposed to clean the attic?"

He blinked, wondering how she even knew he had an attic!

"No," he told her, crossing his hands over themselves. "I just want to you to answer my question...truthfully...why did you do all of this?"

"Oh all right," Belle sighed, looking to the ground for a little while then averting her attention to him after she'd found the words she wished to use.

"I woke up this morning, and you weren't here. So, I thought I would clean up the house. I thought maybe that's what you would have wanted. The dinner, I knew you hadn't eaten this morning. Maybe this time you won't cover up the mirrors."

A forced sigh emitted from his lips after hearing her out. He couldn't believe it!

"After all this time, you still remember what I like and don't like. You haven't cleaned a castle in 28 years yet you have clearly shown what you can do in a day's work. I didn't expect anything from you today, sweetheart. You've only been here for a week," he explained.

He felt ashamed of himself for not spending more time with her this past week. All his work began to pile up with all the memories returning to everyone in town. Now that Charming agreed to divert himself from Rumpelstiltskin, he had more time getting a few things ready for a couple of rainy days.

"You did all of this...for me?" he asked, stumbling a little in speech, pointing at her and then to himself, not knowing what else to say.

"Yes," she said, looking down. "I thought you should be able to come home and for once not hit yourself on something. I was concerned you might hit your leg on something in the hallways."

"So selfless," he said, almost in a whisper and in wonder of her efforts today.

"Well, I-" she stopped herself cold, gasping almost and immediately averting her eyes from him. After a few seconds, before he could say anything, she announced that she would take the tray and do the dishes.

"You were going to say something!" he exclaimed, standing up as she walked into the kitchen. Belle faltered as she made her way to the sink where there were piles of dishes to be done.

She didn't answer him, but he already knew something was wrong. He followed her to see that she had already begun her duties in the kitchen, scrubbing at the plates and glasses.

"Come on, Belle," he urged her, this time not giving up. He turned her around forcefully, seeing the nervous glare in her eyes.

"I was going to say...I love you."

"And you had trouble with that?"

"Well, I-I remember the last time...and you threw me out," she said, causing him to drop his arms on her as she sighed.