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As delicately as he could, Rumpelstiltskin laid Belle down onto the soft, plush comforter on the bed in one of the spare bedrooms in his large, Victorian-styled house. Carrying Belle up the stairs proved to be much more problematic for his lame leg than he had initially given thought to, but he refused to give up now and detour his thoughts away from getting Belle safe and comfortable; away from the ever so seemingly growing mobs outside running this way and that, unclear of where it was that they needed to go or what they needed to be doing. No, he would not stop to help himself with magic, Belle was his priority now, and although he knew she would be fine, nothing would be good enough to make her comfortable once again, but at least here he could try.

He rested himself down on the edge of the bed by Belle's side, the pain in his right leg immediately easing into a tolerable throb but his mind was far from his own pain as he gazed down onto Belle's soft face. It was strange seeing her looking so calm and peaceful. Usually her brows were knit together while trying to force her stubborn ideas on him, or perhaps scolding him for poking into the kitchens when she had been busy cooking his meals to snatch a quick bite before it was ready.

Gone was the fire; the passion in her features, replaced by nothing short of angelic beauty and Rumpelstiltskin was having a hard time trying to decide which side of Belle he liked to look at more. There certainly was something entertaining about Belle's 'ferocious' side, and something very warm and sincere in her restful state, a state he had only caught a glimpse of a handful of times in The Dark Castle when he would spin straw into gold and watch her read on her couch nearby with confused interest without her knowing.

Mr. Gold's nostrils flared for a moment, breathing out a heavy sigh that came from deep within his chest as he let the back of his knuckles run down Belle's cheek ever so softly; a ghost of a touch, fearful that if he pressed any harder, he would wake her.

A large brush appeared in Mr. Gold's opposite hand by magic as he lifted his hand softly caressing Belle's face and adjusted himself on the bed a bit closer to her, moving her with the upmost of care so that her head was resting in his lap and began to run the brush through her hair. He knew that it was an all-for-naught effort, as he was going to be very clear that she get herself a warm shower or bath the moment she woke up, as he was [i]sure[/i] Regina never gave Belle more than perhaps a wet rag a handful of times during the five years she was held in the asylum, and her chestnut hair would get tangled yet again, but it was all he could do to keep his hands busy while he waited for her to naturally wake; lest he dissappear from his home for [i]just[/i] a minute to pop in on Regina.

Before Mr. Gold could even think of leaving to see Regina, a soft groan came from Belle. Her brows knitted together slightly, before she opened her eyes to see Mr. Gold. Her vision was blurry at first, but it soon cleared and she was able to see Mr. Gold's face clearly. Her vision was also assaulted by the pinkish color from the walls. 

She murmured confusedly, as she tried to recall what had happened from the hazy fog of sleep, "Rumpel...?" She remembered that she was heading for the jail to talk to Rumpelstiltskin when she felt a pain in her shoulder and she had fainted in Rumpelstiltskin's arms. The pain in her shoulder was gone, and it was clear she wasn't in the Sheriff's office anymore. Where was she...?

"Shh, Belle it's alright. I'm here now." Mr. Gold set down the brush and let his fingers run through her halfly-combed hair instead as he urged her to sit up a bit. He held the back of her head to his chest, resting his cheek against the top of her hair and holding her close, still fearful that if he ever looked away from her, ever stopped touching her, she would vanish into thin air.

Belle sat up, and she got a better look at her surroundings. She asked curiously, "Rumpel...where are we?"
 
Mr. Gold eased his hold on her a bit so that she had a more free range to look around, letting his hand slip from the back of her head to hold onto her upper arm gently. He pressed his lips into a thin line, thinking over his answer before replying.

"Think of it as The Dark Castle, but smaller." He said before his lips turned into a sly smirk. "Which means less cleaning for you I suppose..." He couldn't help but to jab at her teasingly before his face fell serious once again. "We are in my home - [i]our[/i] home - just as The Dark Castle was before the curse..." He paused, letting his hands finally fall from her to rest them in his lap where it took most of his concentration to keep from fidgeting, his brown eyes lowering from Belle's gaze and to his hands as a sudden realization came to him.

Belle wasn't bound to him anymore, she had no reason to stay, not with him. He quickly cleared his throat and moved to stand up from the bed, at last giving Belle the space he assumed she wanted.

"...if you wished it." He finished, his voice carrying the uncertainty he held in his heart. He kept his eyes from her to look at some obscure painting on the wall that he hadn't ever really seen before. His dark browns moved across the room as he awaited her answer, unable to push aside the thought now if he had [i]ever[/i] been in this room of his home before...

Belle smiled a bit at his teasing jab, but it went away when he moved and amended his statement to if she wished to stay. She answered Mr. Gold,

"Of course I'd like to," She then added a teasing jab of her own, with a smile and laugh, "The Dark Castle certainly does look pretty in pink," 

His body stiffened a bit at her answer as he turned to look at her once more. Either he didn't hear her latter comment, or he just plain ignored it. There was a glint of something that almost looked like happiness in his eyes, but the rest of him looked the same as he always did; cold and indifferent. On the inside he could feel his heart pounding with joy, but his own insecurities kept his emotions from rising to the surface.

"Belle, you're not...you don't [i]have[/i] to stay here..." He started, struggling deeply for the right words. "Our contract doesn't abide here in this land. You're...you're free to go if you wish, return to your father and sisters...and I can't stop you...I [i]won't[/i] stop you..."

She noticed the happiness that was in his eyes, she could see it, but she grew serious when he spoke, showing his insecurities. She answered seriously, "I want to stay here, Rumpelstiltskin. I'm not staying because of a contract," 

Mr. Gold wasn't so sure, but didn't press the matter for the time being.

She then said seriously, recalling what she wanted to talk to Mr. Gold about, standing to her feet, "More importantly, Rumpel...Why didn't you tell me...? That I was bringing magic here...?"

His body stiffened once more, even tighter than it had just moments ago and he let his eyes look away from hers again, finding a spot on the wall behind her to be easier to look at. He licked his lips, a sort of nervous habit he had developed here in Storybrooke whenever he had to pause and think on the right words to say. With his memories intact and Regina none the wiser, he had learned very quickly that the words that came from his mouth were just as important as the air he breathed. 

"Belle..." He started in a slight warning tone, letting his eyes close for just a moment. He knew that she would ask, he hadn't expected anything less of her, and yet the time he spent in a jail cell just wasn't enough to help him prepare for the answer. Hell, he could have spent another five years thinking on it and he [i]still[/i] wouldn't have the answer...not the [i]right[/i] one anyway.

"How long has it been since you've had a bath? The ones in this land are far more convenient than what you're used to. You don't have to fill buckets or even worry about the water going cold over time." He said suddenly, his disposition changing just as quickly as he extended his hand out to her in hopes that he could push the matter for another time and show her to the bathroom where she could get herself cleaned up.

Belle clearly wasn't falling for the evasion. She feared the worst when Mr. Gold avoided her question, and she said to him, her fear showing through

"Rumpel, please...answer me," 

She asked Mr. Gold, scared of the answer she may get, "The...the woman you mentioned...she [i]is[/i] alright, right?"

"Yes, yes she's fine." Mr. Gold said quickly, suddenly feeling the pain of standing on his bad leg for a prolonged period of time without the aid of his cane and shifted his weight uncomfortably. He didn't have to see Dr. Stevenson to know that she was alright, he knew Henry, and though it might have taken him some time Mr. Gold knew that he would eventually get around to the answer for waking her up.
 
"I uh, I sort of have a deal with her. Couldn't just...let her go without breaking it in a rather...complicated way..." He shifted his weight again with a pained wince before taking a step towards the doorway. His good cane was still at the sheriff's station, however he did have a spare in his bedroom just down the hall, one that seemed to be calling out to him very loudly now. He had grown so used to the people of Storybrooke forever associating him with a bad leg that he didn't even pause to think that Belle had been left unaware.

"C'mon, I'll show you how to work the bath..." He tried again.

Belle was relieved to hear that the woman he mentioned was alright. But when he limped and winced in pain, she noticed and asked, ignoring the bath comment again, "Rumpel, what about you? Are you alright?"

Mr. Gold wanted to make some comment about never being better now that magic had been restored to him, but that would just lead right back to the conversation he was working so hard to keep from having.

"Fine, sweetheart, just fine." He assured her and reached his arm forward, this time taking the initiative and grabbing onto her wrist to issue her out of the spare bedroom that had, unspokingly, become her bedroom, and led her away from the door frame he had initially intended on exiting through, and instead walked with her to a second door on the adjascent wall that had been closed.

He had realized, through the sheer amount of pain his leg was experiencing at the present moment, that it would be quicker to go through the door that joined Belle's room to his room to then use the bathroom connected in there rather than to go down the hall to the second bathroom that was separate from any bedroom in his home. He grabbed his spare cane on the way, relieved almost immediately as the pain left only a tolerable ache as his weight was lifted from his leg.

He ushered her into the rather large bathroom, using his cane as a sort of prod to make sure she didn't try to object and get out of taking a bath again to talk some more. It only took him a few moments to explain the taps to Belle, he had even turned on the water for her to a comfortable temperature to start filling the large jacuzi tub before he felt that he had given her enough information to work for him to feel comfortable enough to leave her on her own.

"Just relax, take your time and drain the tub when you've finished." He said to her for what felt like the hundredth time. "I'll just be downstairs finding you something to eat. Regina sure did take pleasure in making you thin didn't she?" His lip curled up into a snarl, uncaring how much hatred he was showing towards The Evil Queen in front of Belle.

Belle could only follow when he held her wrist and led her through the door to the other bedroom, where he grabbed a cane, and then to the bathroom. She paid attention to his instructions, but she didn't forget about talking to him about magic. When he mentioned the Queen, she looked at him seriously with raised eyebrows, and said his name in a tone that would remind him that he promised her not to go after Regina, "Rumpel...I'm ok."

He hadn't noticed it until now, but the shortened version of his name rolling off of her tongue so easily caused a sudden chill to roll down his spine. It was different when Regina used his name like that; a night and day difference. His expression softened immediately and he let his eyes close for a moment, quelling his anger by remembering the promise he had made to Belle in his shop.

"I know." He bent his head forward slightly, pausing to give Belle all the time in the world to move away from him if she so chose before planting a soft kiss on her forehead before moving himself over to the linen closet and hung up a fresh, new, fluffy white towel for her to use when she was done. "Let me know if you need anything else." He said sincerely as he headed towards the door to leave her to her privacy.

Belle never chose to move away, keeping her hands lingering on his hands. They didn't part until after he kissed her forehead, and she nodded in response to his last statement "I will, thank you," As soon as he was gone, prepared the bath for herself. She made a mental note to bring up the subject of magic up, as soon as she can. For now, she could focus on her hygiene.