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It had been a long day. Given the involuntary vacation Belle took while in the hospital without memory, the opening of the library was far behind schedule and Belle was too stubborn to push it back. That simply meant that she didn’t leave for her little apartment until past midnight. Thus it was with a yawn that Belle finally ceded defeat for the day after getting the children’s section mostly finished and began preparing to leave when she heard a soft knock on the door. Since the incident with the pirate, Belle had taken to carrying mace with her at all times and so she edged toward the door ready to spray if necessary.
She pulled the door open to reveal Rumpelstiltskin carrying some take out boxes from the only Chinese food place in Storybrooke. “I figured you hadn’t eaten.” He said in explanation.
“It’s close to 1. Why haven’t you?” Belle was still a bit uneasy around Rumpel since she had gotten her memory back, including the memories she accumulated during her amnesia time. She felt guilty for breaking their cherished cup, but she also had the feelings of fear that had engulfed her when she saw his magic and woke to find him leaning over her. She knew he was trying to free her memories, but she couldn’t erase those feelings of terror.
“Well, I did eat dinner. It just happened to be at the normal time of 7 and it is now 6 hours later and I’m hungry again. Would you mind joining me? I always order too much Chinese food.” It was late out and a bit of a chill had settled in the air and Belle knew how the cold affected his foot, so despite some discomfort she let him in.
Rumpelstiltskin could feel the awkwardness between them and it hurt him. He knew he couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t her fault the pirate had taken his revenge out on her, but he wished desperately that he could heal this rift as he had her wound. Instead he continued to try and work them back to the path they had been on.
Belle had probably been working for close to 15 hours, but still she looked utterly beautiful, possibly more so as she walked through the soft yellow light. He remembered the girl who had agreed to come with the frightening, evil monster to save her village. She had seemed so young when she dropped his cup and looked at him like a frightened child waiting for a lashing. Now because of her connection to him, she had been kidnapped and tortured and it seemed that some of her youth had been taken as well and he felt responsible.
Belle realized just how long it had been since she had eaten as the smells began wafting from the various containers. They ate in companionable silence until both were completely full. Rumpel didn’t know how to end this night. If it had been just a few weeks ago, it would have been a soft kiss on the lips at least, but now. The enjoyable quiet had shifted to an awkward inbetween. Hesitantly Rumpel reached for Belle’s hand. He needed to express how sorry he was for her being caught in his past, but couldn’t find the words. He could feel a slight tension, but it began to ease as they sought each other eyes and tried to communicate the barriers that both had built due to the recent events. Eventually it seemed that both yielded to the comfort of each other.
Belle slowly reached forward and brought her lips to his. She knew that the fear associated with their last kiss was not his doing. It wasn’t even really her reaction. It was some construction of some curse, but they had survived and they would continue to survive and thrive. Although not as passionate as their first kiss in Storybrooke, this one spoke of trust and understanding. Rumpelstiltskin, who had so long been used to being reviled and then felt love, only to lose it again, felt the tension in his chest, which had become ever present since he first saw her blood on his hand, finally begin to ease. “I have missed you so,” he finally found words. Although they were not the most eloquent or expressive, they were true.
Belle just offered him a smile in response. Rumpel pulled his phone out of his jacket and soon a soft lilting song filled the space around them. “Dance with me?” He stood and offered his hand to the beauty in front of him, the beauty who had found a way to love him and found a way to make him love her.
“Yes.”