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Of all the dates and events that he had found himself having to care about over the course of being the Dark One, he had never expected his little maid's birthday to become one of the more important ones.
Which was ridiculous really.
She was the help.
That’s what he told himself every single day. And yet he had found himself asking when her birthday was and then trying to figure out how to make it perfect for her.
Not that it mattered.
It’s just that happy help is good help.
That’s what he told himself every single day. And he’d make sure that she knew that too. It wasn’t for her. It was for him. He was the Dark One and the Dark One does not make nice gestures to maids.
So when the day rolled around and he might have allowed her to sleep in by keeping her door locked, he was surprised to hear her screaming his name from inside her room. And it was most certainly not a Rumplestiltskin thank you so much for letting me sleep in voice. It was a Rumplestiltskin I am so mad at you that I am going to smack you upside the head as soon as I get out of here voice.
With a sigh, he appeared in front of the door and opened it, nearly getting himself an armful of maid before she caught herself and stepped back.
“Why did you lock me in?” she demanded, hands on her hips, and damn her but she did not look pleased at all by the kind gesture.
“I…I thought you might like to sleep in?” The words sounded pathetic even to his own ears.
“Sleep in?” The confusion cleared from her face after just a moment and he was faced with a smirking Belle. “Really?”
“Yes, well, since you appear to be awake, I suppose you can just get started on your duties then.” He turned and walked away and disappeared from the hall as soon as he heard her start to laugh.
Ridiculous maid.
When she finally made it downstairs, for apparently she did decide she wanted to sleep in after all, she was smiling.
“Sleep well then?” he asked.
“I did.”
“Well, good then. That means you’ll work even harder this afternoon.” Yes, that was exactly why he did it. She could work harder, clean better, maybe even make them a nice meal.
Of course, that didn’t happen. She found a new book on the chaise lounge after half-heartedly dusting one of his shelves. “Oh!” he heard her exclaim and tried very hard not to react.
But he looked anyway.
And saw the smile on her face as she removed the ribbon and the paper it somehow had appeared in. How that happened, he really couldn’t quite say. It’s not like he did it.
“This is for me?” He could see the way her eyes were shining just a little bit, could hear the way her voice hitched as she spoke the words.
He stepped closer and snatched the book away from her. “Of course not,” he snapped at her. “It’s mine.”
And he was rewarded not with consternation or even anger. No, he was rewarded with a ridiculously happy smile. “I see,” she said and didn’t she just sound prim and proper. “I had no idea you were interested in such subject matter.”
He glanced down at the book and grimaced. The Lost Princess and the Knight of a Thousand Swords. "Do I even want to know what this is about?"
"So you admit it was for me then?" Belle replied and the sweetness behind her voice was almost sickly.
He sneered and shoved the book back at her. "Enjoy your book," he muttered and disappeared. It would be easier to spend the day in his tower room. Let her read and ignore all the work that he wanted her to do.
He did it too. He spent all day in the tower. Of course, he was interrupted with her showing up with tea and if the tray was piled high with her favorite chocolates he had no idea how they got there.
And he had no idea how the vanilla and lavender scented bath soap showed up in her room wrapped in pretty wrapping paper either.
When she found him in the kitchen later on that evening she simply stopped and stared. "What are you doing?"
"Now, I know that you're not quite familiar with how this room works," he started to say but then there was that look on her face.
"I cook every night," Belle pointed out.
"Is that what you call it?" He tried for a sneering tone but he was fairly certain it came out more teasing than he intended.
"I don't hear you complain."
"Actually…"
"Rumplestiltskin, are you making me dinner?"
He stopped stirring and looked up at her. "No of course not."
"No?"
"I'm making myself dinner. I thought it was high time that I eat something better than that sludge you call stew." This time he was sure that his voice had a sneer to it.
"Of course," Belle answered and he could hear the laughter behind the words. "So I'll just wait for you in the Great Room then shall I?"
And she skipped out.
His maid would be the death of him someday.
Of course, he showed up a half hour later with what they once called a cottage pie. Perfectly braised beef and vegetables, topped with potatoes that were mashed and then properly whipped. It smelled delicious and Belle was waiting at the table when he came out with it, hands primly clasped together on her lap and a big grin on her face.
"Oh that smells lovely!" she exclaimed
"And why exactly do you think you're getting any of this?" he asked her and she smirked as he simply spooned some out into a dish for her and pushed it across the table at her. It's not like he could allow her to starve. "If you starve to death, I'll have to find a new maid," he pointed out. "And that's really rather difficult. There aren't that many ogres wars after all, dearie."
Belle just laughed and dug in. And her exclamations of pleasure over the taste did not warm his heart. Not at all.
When she finished and pushed the food away, she gave a great big sigh. "I'm stuffed. I don't think I could eat another bite."
"Well, good. That should give you some energy for cleaning."
And she laughed again as she shook her head, amusement evident in every line of her body. "I should go put these dishes to soaking." She leaned over to grab one and found it was gone.
The others were too.
"They're clean," he said, really quite stupidly. He was rewarded with another smile for that one.
"Well, I guess I'll just go finish reading my book if there's nothing else to do," Belle said brightly and stepped close to him. Too close. He froze as she leaned down and hugged him and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thank you for a lovely birthday, Rumplestiltskin."
He nodded, mute, and she moved away. "Belle?" he finally managed to choke out. She turned back to him at the sound of her name. "Happy birthday." And he almost smiled when she gave him that brilliant smile of hers.
After all, he couldn't have the maid thinking he was a besotted idiot.
Even if he was.