Beauty, Her Beau, and Her Beast (A Rumbelle/OUAT Fanfic)

A Facade

"Belle, wait!" I hear Graham call, and I turn my head a fraction of an inch.

He pauses, and sighs. "Ask... Ask Laura how many eggs she wants."

I nod silently and re-enter the home, slamming the door behind me. Laura is passing by, a tray of dirty dishes in her hands. "Belle? Is something the matter, dearie?" She asks, concerned.

Dearie. All at once, all my memories of Rumple are stifling me, and my head is spinning in circles. All of this, this whole situation, is so confusing.

I cast Laura a quick smile. "Graham wants to know how many eggs you want," I reply, and hurry upstairs, making sure to quietly close my bedroom door behind me. I sink onto the bed and sigh heavily, undoing the tresses in my hair I had done only an hour ago.

I stand in front of the mirror and stare at myself, imagining the time when Rumple was standing behind me, his hands on my hips, whispering in my ears... {A/N: This is actually a deleted scene from the show, but you can find it on YouTube! Just look up 'rumbelle deleted scene'- I personally love it.}

A thought snapped me out of my reverie, and I wondered whether Rumple would hear me if I called to him from the mirror. Well, it couldn't hurt to try...

"Rumple?" I ask softly, then again, more forcefully. "Rumple, can you hear me?"

Graham's POV

I can't believe what I just said to Belle. "Heat of the moment?" What a bloody awful excuse. And the look of frustration on her face, the sorrow in the tears that swam in her beautiful eyes... It was heart-wrenching. I almost called her back to me, but turned her away at the last second.

I love her, though we have only known each other hardly for a day. It's a ridiculous situation, one only seen in- in old wives' tales. I love her, but I can't have her love someone like me. An outcast. A lady of her stature would have no problem finding a husband amongst royalty. I can't take that chance away from her. She deserves better.

Rumplestiltskin's POV, A Couple of Days After He Hears The News Of Belle's Death

Belle.

Her name is burned on the tip of my tongue, the image of her smiling up at me glued to the inside of my eyelids. She's the first thing I think of when I wake up, and my last dreamy thought before I fall asleep. She is on my mind all hours of the day, and I can see her touch on everything in this castle, such as in the teacup.

The chipped cup. Our chipped cup.

It's been mere days since that blasted Regina blew in with her devious smirk and her evil words that sounded sweet as honey and told me what happened to Belle. Since then, that chipped cup, a bottle of whiskey, and my thoughts have become good friends. But I can't let something like this distract me. After all, duty calls.

"So what do you want from me, exactly?" I ask, flashing a mischievous smile at my new victim- err, customer.

"I... I just want to see again, Dark One," came the raspy reply. The customer wasn't much to look at. He was old, thin gray hairs barely covering his head. The wrinkles in his face were set more deeply than anything could be carved in stone.
Dark, round sunglasses cover his eyes.

I frown at the man, knowing full well he can't see me. This is no fun.

"You come out here, you take up my time, just so you can have your eyesight back? When I turned you and your two brothers from mice to men those many years ago, I was sure that would be enough to please you. But of course not. You want more, don't you?"

The man was silent for a long time.

"My brothers are dead," he says slowly, "and I have yet to see their graves. Please, grant me this, and I will give you whatever I can."

Dead. Grave. What did Belle's grave look like? It was no doubt covered in flowers, she did love flowers...

"Can you bring her back?" I mutter angrily.

"What?" The man says.

At the same time he speaks, I hear something else.

"Rumple?"

I would know that sweet voice anywhere, but why does it sound so distant, so faint?

I quickly turn around, and am met with a mirror draped with a dark blanket. I pause, peering toward the mirror.

"Is everything alright?" the old man asked.

"Quiet!" I hiss, "before I turn you back into a mouse."

Then the voice came again, still faint, but stronger.

"Rumple, can you hear me?"

"Belle?" I exclaim, ripping the blanket off of the mirror. "Belle, dearie, is that really you?"

Nothing.

"Erm, Mr. Dark One...?"

I grit my teeth. "Come back tomorrow. I'll see what I can do for you. Just leave. Right now."

I hear a chair pull out, shuffling feet, and the front door open and shut, and I relax.

My mind's playing tricks on me. Belle is dead.

I lightly touch the surface of the mirror and sigh. I have such an urge to just slam the glass into pieces, but something stops me. The memory of Belle, humming contentedly to herself as she uncovered it. How beautiful she looked as she examined it.

I shake my head and drape the blankets back over it, walking back over to the dining table and sitting.

This has to stop. And soon.

Laura's POV, Same Time

That stupid brat Belle is making a fuss out of her feelings for Graham. What an imbecile.

I frown in the mirror I hold, and with a wave of my hand my features become much younger, my raven black hair returning and the wrinkles fading.

"Rumple?" I hear from the next room. Belle's voice, I'm sure of it. "Rumple, can you hear me?"

I laugh to myself. Is she actually trying to communicate with him? What a hopeless cause. I've blocked all use of magic in this house, just in case she picked something up from Rumplestiltskin.

Footsteps clomp up the stairs.

"Laura?" Graham says from outside the door, "where do you want the eggs?"

I roll my eyes and return to the facade of a little old lady. I open the door and smile at him.

"Just on the kitchen counter, dear," I say, before I shut the door in his face.

I exhale deeply as I run my fingers through my hair. This little performance is going to take quite some patience.

That's alright, though.

Nobody bests the Queen.

~* What do you guys think?! SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN SO LONG WOWIE WOW WOW I STARTED HIGH SCHOOL THIS YEAR AND HONESTLY I FORGOT ALL ABOUT THIS GEM BUT DON'T WORRY BECAUSE I'M BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER. LOVE YOU GUYS, THANKS FOR READING! *~