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springfallendeer · 23 days

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Mania - A Lethal Company AU

Introduction: “Mania” is a Lethal Company AU that is highly inspired by the game, in its current incomplete state. It is also a slight FNAF: SB AU, in the sense that many of the OCs present in the story originate as FNAF OCs. Certain characters from FNAF may also make something of an appearance, though they will not be central focuses of anything.

The AU borrows a lot from the game while also tweaking (or even adding) a lot of details for the sake of more thorough worldbuilding/immersion into the story. Certain monsters present in the game will not be featured in the story at all. Others will exist but in largely modified states, in order to transform them from aimless environmental hazards to creatures all existing in the same ecosystem.

A lot of what happens or what is described in the AU is not going to perfectly mirror content from the games. This is not a lore accurate AU, but one that is building off of concepts seen in the game. Something that is based more off of blind, lore-free exposure to the game and full of “What if” speculation on how a world like this might reasonably work.

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Characters: Listing the present OCs and the people that they belong to here, as well as mentioning all of the current planned/possible cameo characters that are liable to appear in story snippets. Characters listed can be minor, but the overall idea is that they’ll be recurring and hence important enough to be specifically named.

OCs) - OCs that will be present in the story (and will ergo largely be the focus of the story).

Ayala: Primary protagonist of the story, belonging to me (@springfallendeer). Ayala is human and has been employed by the company in order to pay off her many legal fees and fines, which have been accrued as a result of being (Falsely) convicted for criminal activity.

Through crazy twists of luck and a surprising willingness to adapt, Ayala has survived being abandoned on Mania (as well as on other moons) MULTIPLE times, for long periods of time. As a result, she has learned a lot about how to survive on these otherwise uninhabitable moons.

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Jho: Another key protagonist of the story, belonging to (@twistedviper). Jho is a Bracken of the “Neckbreaker” variety, which is just a fancy way of saying that he is basically the typical in-game Bracken. His specific species has been named after its preferred method of killing humans.

Jho originally starts out hostile towards Ayala and is a threat held back only by his own confusion and desire to understand what humans actually are. But he eventually softens up and forms a strong bond with the woman, thus assuring her continued survival during her frequent incidents of abandonment.

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Pluto: A soft protagonist of the story, belonging to (@justaduckarts). Pluto a Ghost Bracken, which is a non-hostile subspecies of Bracken that gives off an ethereal, ghostly glow. She inhabits the same facility as Jho and eventually goes on to become his breeding partner. Her docile and curious nature also makes her friendly towards Ayala (and other humans) from the get-go.

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Hive: A soft antagonist belonging to (@justaduckarts). A man-made experimental hybrid creature that can be classified (loosely) as a “Maneater”. Hive was tailor made to be an efficient hunting machine that can take control of other creatures, namely Loot Bugs, Circuit Bees, and Maneaters. The problem was that he turned on his creators and now freely roams Mania, where he establishes himself as a looming threat.

Though he dislikes humans, he recognizes that he is in need of them in order to achieve his goals. As a result, he only briefly takes interest in killing and devouring Ayala. After which point his interest becomes more along the lines of claiming her as a suitable nest for his clutches of mindless offspring.

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Carlos: Antagonist and asshole, belonging to (@justaduckarts). Carlos is a human, and is the primary reason that Ayala has been put into the situation that she is in. He is a person of high power and authority who saw someone that he wanted, couldn’t get them, and proceeded to do everything in his power to punish her for it.

He is flat out a bastard using his high status to commit heinous acts against those who are beneath him. Plain and simple.

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Aberrant: A minor but beloved protagonist, belonging to (@pulsarsatellite). Aberrant is a Creepvine Bracken, which is a generally non-hostile but troublemaking subspecies of Bracken that clings to walls. He is a bit of a mischief maker, but he is never out to do actual harm to Ayala or to any of the other humans; at least so long as he remains unprovoked.

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Constance: A minor but distinct protagonist, belonging to (@thelonereni). Constance is a Sugarlump Tradesman, which is a unique subspecies of Bracken which lurks in an impossible to access nest. Her whole gimmick is that people can bring items to her (or lure live prey to her) to trade them for anything that she might have.

She is a creature shrouded in mystery and her true appearance will likely remain unknown. Just know that she is far more aware of the goings on of her environment than anyone might realize.

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Casterai: A soft antagonist turned protagonist, belonging to (@rnekopallet). Casterai is a Thorned Hunter, which is a subspecies of Bracken primarily encountered outdoors, though they do sometimes come inside. They are adapted to thrive in the harsh desert environment surrounding the facility. Initial hostilities are short lived, following which point Cas and Ayala come to friendly terms.

They’re still pretty dangerous with most other humans though. Largely because visiting humans tend to be unwilling to try and make nice with the random surface dwelling Bracken that will try to drain them of their bodily fluids if given the chance.

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Mars: A soft antagonist that eventually becomes something of a soft protagonist, though they may be better described as the anti-hero. He belongs to (@xnanosilverx). Mars is a man-made entity best described as a “Braken”, though his genetic makeup is far more complicated than one would gather at a glance.

Mars was produced in an attempt to create obedient and powerful entities that could be sent out to distant moons in order to gather resources. He is strong, intelligent, and able to fend off most enemy mobs with ease. But due to his treatment, he has developed a strong distaste for humans. As a result, he remains hostile towards Ayala for a while and considers her a threat. Though he does eventually soften up.

Only towards her though. He will still flat out kill any other human that he encounters.

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June: A soft antagonist turned tense protagonist, belonging to (@xnanosilverx). June is a human coming from a rival colony, thus making her and Ayala enemies from the get go. At least from her perspective, and from the perspective of those with power over her.

She is betrayed by her crew and as a result, she is left stranded on Mania, where she is expected to die. However, she encounters Ayala and (following some not so pleasant confrontations) winds up reluctantly teaming up with this rival worker in order to survive being stranded in the harsh environment until she can make it back to her colony.

From there, she, like Ayala, finds herself being regularly left behind by her crew. Though her circumstances are less a failure to return to the ship and more her assigned crews intentionally abandoning her out of fear. These continuous bouts of abandonment are what inevitably leads to these women forming a long term alliance, as cooperation assures both of their long-term survival in these harsh environments.

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FNAF Characters) - Note that more may be added in the future and they likely will not exist in a robotic form, but as a form of monster or human.

Sun: Standard Bracken x Thorned Hunter hybrid. Spends most of his time outdoors. Non-hostile. Protagonist. Unlikely to be involved in main story stuff and more as passing “Haha, look who's here!” and then I’ll write lewd things.

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Moon: Thorned Hunter x Ghost Bracken hybrid. Spends most of his time indoors. Generally hostile towards humans but easy enough to befriend. Antagonist turned protagonist. Unlikely to be involved in main story stuff and more as passing “Haha, look who's here!” and then I’ll write lewd things.

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Eclipse: Thorned Hunter x Creepvine Bracken hybrid. He suffers from gigantism and is therefore much larger than others of his kind. He is relatively innocent and curious in nature, though he can be quite dangerous if provoked. Firmly assigned to the protagonist status. Unlikely to be involved in main story stuff and more as passing “Haha, look who's here!” and then I’ll write lewd things.

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Afton: A human of the highest status in Ayala’s colony. One of the few aware of the dark reality of the system and why it works the way that it does. Raw antagonist working from the shadows, ultimately doing everything in his power to maintain the status quo. Will not be featured super frequently, though he will still be considered a major part of the story.

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Location: The primary aspects of the story setting will take place either on “Mania” (a non-canon moon crafted specifically for the purposes of this story) or in space, aboard the Colony.

Mania can be described as a “Super Moon” (in the sense that it is larger than the lifeless planet that it orbits, which has a far denser core and therefore a stronger gravitational pull). It is a celestial body with a unique atmosphere that is regularly plagued by potent electrical storms, which have an intense and adverse effect on mechanical objects. These storms make landing on or attempting to leave the moon an incredibly risky endeavor. It is not uncommon for transport vessels to crash when attempting to land or escape the moon. So much so that even the surface of the planet is littered with valuable metal scrap and rare resources.

Lore-wise, Mania is a celestial body that was briefly targeted for mining operations, as it is naturally heavy with a range of desirable ore and mineral deposits. It was highly sought after due to this, and due to the fact that mechanical items will thrive there… On good days.

When not plagued by magnetic storms, Mania acted as a “goldmine” that was practically overflowing with valuable goods. The strange workings of the atmosphere allowed mechanical objects to be used without manufactured power sources, which also allowed workers to go about their business for longer due to lack of a need to recharge or replace batteries.

However, on days when magnetic storms were active, fatal accidents would frequently occur. Mass power outages would periodically send entire facilities into chaos. Workers down in the mine tunnels would abruptly find themselves trapped in complete darkness with absolutely no means of communicating to those on the surface. Transport vessels in active touchdown or takeoff would abruptly lose power and crash.

While the mines were active, multiple employee deaths would take place on a weekly basis. The unpredictable nature of these magnetic storms made predicting their arrival near impossible, which in turn meant that attempts at working around the weather were also poorly executed.

Due to the frequent issues and the massive slew of casualties accrued over a short period of time, all mining operations were abruptly shut down and the moon was abandoned. Mania now exists as a moon which is only meant to be visited by the most desperate of collection crews.

The Colony, meanwhile, is one of many massive spacebound vessels in which huge populations of humans reside. There are many colonies, and likewise many distinct crews which all work for the same company. These colonies are very much at odds with each other, and each has its own distinct societal expectations. Conflicts between crews are not uncommon.

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Mobs: All of the mobs listed will be monsters featured or otherwise encountered throughout the story. Remember that much of the lore regarding these creatures will be changed, largely because I’m a whore for speculative biology and I LOVE to put things together in a way that creates an interactive world.

Canon Creatures) Note that this category will ALSO feature fan-made subspecies

Harmless Entities)

Tulip Snake: Will be standard to what we see in the game. Just some altered lore.

Manticoil: Will be standard to what we see in the game. Just some altered lore.

Roaming Locust: Will be standard to what we see in the game. Just some altered lore.

Outdoor Entities)

Eyeless Dog: The standard form will be present, as well as a Subspecies called “Spore Dogs” which have a symbiotic relationship with Ghost Bracken. The subspecies is actually docile and will only appear late at night.

Baboon Hawk: Will be standard to what we see in the game. Just some altered lore. Males might be specified as being bigger.

Kidnapper Fox (and Vain Shroud): Will be standard to what we see in the game. Just some altered lore. Possibly with some moon-specific variants that act the same but have different colors.

Circuit Bees: Will be standard to what we see in the game. Just some altered lore.

Forest Giant: Will be standard to what we see in the game. Just some altered lore.

Kamikaze Ant: A species of ground dwelling ants with access to chemical warfare. They have an acidic saliva that allows them to chew up metal, which they use to create their nests. When threatened, adult members of the colony will rush toward the target and explode, creating a shower of boiling acid that deals high amounts of damage. Can be safely lured out of their nest with food items, which creates an opportunity for their nest to be swiftly dug up and brought back to the ship.

Indoor Entities)

Bracken: The bracken will be a species heavily featured throughout the story, and will appear in the form of many subspecies. Those being the Neckbreaker (Standard), Ghost, Creepvine, Thorned Hunter, and the Sugarlump Tradesman. Not to mention the occasional hybrid. There may come the additional inclusion of other new species as time goes on and I expand upon the world.

Hoarder Bug: Will appear in the Standard form (The Hoarder), as well as in Flicker (Attracted to glowing objects) and Overcharge (Electric) varieties.

Thumper: Will appear in the Standard (Pale) and Cave (Black and gray) varieties. The Cave variety can climb and run across walls.

Snare Flea: Will only appear in the Standard variety.

Maneater: Will appear in multiple forms with slightly differing appearance, with distinguishing male and female appearances. The three distinct species will be the Standard (Charger - fast moving and chases down prey), the Hopper (Moves slowly but can leap huge distances due to specialized hind-legs), and the Mantid (slow moving ambush predator which hides and captures prey in mantis-like forelegs). The males of all three varieties have wings and will rarely leave the mines at night in order to seek out potential mates elsewhere.

Jester: The child of an Eldritch being, left brutally deformed by its parent. An unkillable and virtually inescapable entity which thrives on human suffering and seeks to regain the favor of its parent through human sacrifice. Has a fierce rivalry with its sibling, the Coilhead, who it once brutally deformed. The only of its kind which can appear on any moon at any given time. Always avoids its sibling.

Coilhead: The favored child of an Eldritch being, left brutally deformed by its sibling, the Jester. Unkillable yet easy enough to escape. Attacks humans for unknown reasons yet it is known to be ashamed of its unpleasant appearance. The only of its kind which can appear on any moon at any given time. Always avoids its sibling.

Bunker Spider: Only the standard Bunker Spider will be present though male and females will be differentiated. Mostly by the females behaving like Wolf Spiders, which carry brood upon their backs. Males are more aggressive while females try to evade threats by fleeing armed employees. Leaving her alone is ill-advised, though, as her babies may decide that it's time to become independent. At which point a swarm of baseball sized spiderlings will begin roaming the map in search of food.

Hygrodere: Just a slime. There won’t really be any variants. Though it will behave differently. It will be drawn to corpses and distracted by them for long periods of time while digesting them.

Spore Lizard: Standard variant only.

Nutcracker: Will appear in three variants who all attack slightly differently. The Standard (Shotgun. Get blasted.), the Fencer (Sword wielding. Death by impalement.), and the Berserker (Club wielding. Tracks down and beats people to death). Nutcrackers are established as being alien organisms that went on to be surgically modified in order to exist within their shells, for the sake of guarding specific building structures. Their unaltered species remains enslaved to this day and is used to perform all manner of tasks.

Velvet Stinger: A species of giant, wingless wasps which roam the interior of buildings, using gathered loot to build nests for their eggs. They resemble velvet ants and are roughly the size of a loot bug. Males lack stingers and guard the nests, whereas females have stingers and patrol the environment in search of food and resources. Both sport a massive set of mandibles, which are used to maim and cut apart prey.

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Environmental Hazards: This segment only really exists to introduce a few new environmental hazards that are specific to Mania, the primary moon that is explored throughout story elements.

Magnetic Storm)

A frequent environmental hazard associated with the moon. While not a constant occurrence, these storms happen on a weekly basis and it is not unusual for multiple to happen throughout a week (usually over the course of a few days).

These storms are harmless to organic life and only pose a threat to mechanical objects. While the moon is suffering from one of these storms, there will be random waves of intense magnetic force that roll across the terrain, completely disabling any mechanical item.

During exploration, these magnetic waves are largely considered a nuisance. They do not directly harm the explorers, but they do lead to regular injury or even death due to their ability to disable electronics. During one of these waves, handheld objects like flashlights and walkie-talkies will shut off and lose the ability to function. Lights inside of the building will also flicker briefly, before blacking out. Likewise, all functions of the ship will be completely shut off during this time.

For a period ranging from 5 to 30 seconds, all electronics will be completely incapable of being used. Following this period, all electronics will return to their previous function as if nothing happened.

These storms are the reason that Mania is considered to be a high risk moon, as if the ship is in active movement when a magnetic wave hits, there is a high likelihood of a fatal crash.

Sandstorm)

The main facilities of Mania are found in a well established desert environment, which means that it gets little water and has low humidity. This leads to a very dry and dusty landscape, which in turn means that during periods of high wind (which will usually take place the day before a Magnetic Storm), large amounts of sand and debris are picked up and carried for miles.

These Sandstorms alone are not a threat. They do not damage explorers or their equipment. On paper, these storms will make the landscape safer due to most outdoor mobs being unwilling to explore the area.

In practice, though, these storms are highly disorienting and are prone to bringing about the demise of explorers caught out in them. That being because the blanket of airborne sand is so thick that it is impossible to make out distant landmarks. Deaths most often occur as a result of explorers getting disoriented by their inability to see their environment, thus leading to them walking into rare patches of quicksand or simply getting lost out in the wilderness; where they inevitably get picked off by local predators once the storm subsides.

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Story:

The Earth is no more. And through no fault of humanity at that.

Centuries ago, the homeworld of the human race was destroyed. A series of inescapable cosmic events led to the planet first being left uninhabitable, and then left as little more than a blanket of asteroids floating aimlessly through the vacuum of space.

Asteroid strikes. Natural disasters. Pollution. Corporate greed and the overharvesting of valuable, but finite resources.

Alien invasions. War with beings the likes of which the human race had no means of understanding at the point of their arrival.

All of these horrific circumstances, and even more, played into the inevitable destruction of the Earth.

Which in turn led to the remnants of the human race being banished to the stars, where they would remain trapped aboard mechanical vessels as they embarked on a seemingly endless search for a new place to call home.

Many colonies were built.

Aboard these colonies went the remnants of humanity. Along with whatever plant and animal life they could be bothered to salvage.

The majority of life on Earth has since gone extinct. As humanity could not afford to save everything that inhabited the planet.

Only that which could be reliably farmed and used was granted salvation. Few animals. Few plants. The majority of each being used for food, fuel, or clothing.

The struggle for survival then swiftly moved into full swing as the fight to secure resources drove each of the colonies into dispute.

Numerous alien worlds were located and swiftly invaded in hopes of claiming access to their bounty.

Numerous alien worlds became the final resting place to countless human lives as the natives of those worlds inevitably retaliated.

Invade. Harvest. Suffer retaliation. Retreat.

Repeat.

All at the command of the High Counsel; those among the human race who have inherited great political power across the generations of struggle.

Always obey.

Always obey. They make the laws. The laws are enforced.

Obey the law, lest you be tried for your arrogance and dealt a fine that no job aboard the colony could ever grant you the means of paying off.

Lest you, as a criminal, find yourself recruited by The Company and sent out into the void to hunt for valued resources, until some hostile alien entity either takes your life, or you have succeeded in paying off your debt to your people.

Obey the law. Or be sent to those long abandoned worlds

Obey the law. Or be forced to salvage.

Obey the law. Or be forced to fight the ever looming fight.

Obey the law. Or be sent to them. The beast behind the wall. The beast with a body of writhing tendrils. The beast which will take your corpse as payment if and when you fail to present it with objects of suitable value.

The law is good. The law protects you. It keeps your colony strong and grants you a safe place to live, far away from the relentless hell of the alien void…

…

…..

…….

The Earth has been destroyed.

The cause? Forces beyond our realm of understanding. Entities born of infinity and destined to exist even after time has ceased to be.

Ours, and many other habitable worlds have been erased so that we, and the many other races of our magnitude, can be put to better use.

The Great Ones seek our flesh.

They crave our suffering. Our struggles for survival bring them delight. It satiates them in the way that a feast will satiate the masses.

We are their cattle. Born to be farmed and bred to be used to fulfill their goals.

We must do what is expected of us. Otherwise humanity as a whole will be culled so that new specimens can be bred anew.

Keep the masses unaware. Prevent the hysteria. The fewer of us who recognize that we are livestock, the better our odds of survival.

Serve the one behind the wall. Do its bidding. For it is the shepherd which assures our survival.

Expand the colonies. Expand the population. Send them our dead to satiate their cravings for flesh. For the shepherd will abandon their flock if it loses its worth.

Send the criminals. Use them as we always have; to benefit the free.

If there are no criminals. Create them.

Create whatever law you must in order to assure that our supply of sacrificial cattle can be maintained.

Do it.

You must.

If you want the human race to continue on, then you must.

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Extra:

The quota system is completely different in the story vs what would be seen in the game. Instead of getting 3 days to collect enough materials to meet an ever expanding quota, each worker has a debt that they must pay off in order to buy their freedom and escape the company. There is a minimum quota that needs to be met in order to pay off the fees that are accrued while incarcerated. Failing to meet this quota leads to the accrued fees being added to the overall debt.

Each 4 man team is working together to pay off their total amount of debt. All profits earned during each cycle will be divided equally among them.

Each individual worker will be released from duty once their specific debt is paid off, regardless of the total debt of the group.

Failing to meet “Upkeep Quota” (the daily accrued fees) will not automatically result in termination. However, failing to meet that minimum Upkeep Quota multiple times in a row is liable to do so.

Termination, or being fired, does not mean freedom. It means death. Either by being ejected into space and left to die (banished from the colonies due to failing to contribute to society), or by being consumed by “Jeb” after failure to deliver valuable goods.

Cycles still consist of 3 days, with a delivery expected to be made on the 4th. However, crews do not depart at the end of each day.

As opposed to daily landing and takeoff, crews will land in bases and venture out to gather resources from there. These bases are secured but must be maintained by the crew in order to deter threats.

Each base has some means of access to food and water. Workers will be charged for utilizing these utilities in excess, which will add to their accrued fees.

In the event that a base is at imminent risk of being overrun by hostile entities, emergency evacuation will take place. During such an event, workers must quickly board their transport vessel, otherwise they will be left behind to succumb to whatever fate awaits them.

Workers are given a couple of days to recover following each cycle. This is mostly to provide them medical treatment (which they are naturally charged for) in order to assure that they can continue to venture out on these dangerous excursions.

The justice system aboard the colonies is about is extreme as it comes. Breaking any law, no matter how minor the offense might be, is considered punishable by massive fine and incarceration. So stealing $1 from someone and murder are effectively punishable to the same level, though the fines that you will accrue will be (hopefully) different.

The “High Counsel” is made up entirely of people who are aware of the hidden reality of the situation. They are the people of power who create and enforce the laws in order to both keep the human population alive and under control.

There are multiple Eldritch entities in existence. Each has selected its own specific race to use as cattle. “Jeb” is the entity which is in charge of humanity. It both feeds on them and protects them from other entities that might seek to consume them.

In this setting, the gathering of scrap and other materials is very much a mislead. Jeb is the one giving humanity what it needs in order to continue to function. It has no need or desire to utilize the junk gathered by the workers. But it plays along with the little game that has been established, and likely disposes of offered goods almost as soon as they are collected. Either by sending them back to random moons/planets, or by just sending them to the colonies to be used however they will be used.

More details will be added as needed to further expand upon the ideas associated with the story.

#Lethal Company AU #Mania #Info Page

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dekujin · 6 years

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Real Inside (FNAF!Rumbelle AU): Chapter Thirty

Synopsis: A few weeks have passed since Belle has come to share her home with Rumplestiltskin as he continues to stay with her after the reappearance of her attacker. While both of them are still adjusting to that and the change to their relationship they find themselves getting stuck dealing with a whole other problem of the furry four legged variety that risks Rumplestiltskin's existence being exposed.

Warnings: Hey guys it’s time... For the first major warning of this story. There are brief descriptions of Animal Harm/Animal Death in this chapter. No it’s not Wilby, but please just keep this in mind if this triggers you. If you message me I can tell you the part to avoid/what happens around it to avoid it.

[AO3 LINK]

Chapter Twenty Nine | Chapter Thirty One

Chapter Thirty

The sound of shoes scuffling against the tiles rang out sharply through the winding halls.

She could barely hear it though as it and her heavy breathing were overwhelmed by the thrum of her heartbeat. Still, behind her she knew those boots were making swift ground, forcing her to push her adrenaline filled muscles harder. Desperate to put some distance between them she hurled her way past the kitchen's back door into a room just as dark as the rest of the building, dodging the two steel island counters in the center of the space. This time she was sure not to slip and put herself in a precarious state like when she'd last been chased, and with luck the double doors leading out flung widen open as she barreled through unscathed.

Only seconds later she heard something else slamming against them, her pursuer hot on her trail.

Darting around grand dinning room tables the young woman narrowly missed tripping over a chair sticking out though she managed to stagger around it. After getting back on tract she ran in a direction leading leading past a curtain drawn stage and on the other side an arcade area lifeless and devoid of patrons. Maybe if she was fast enough she could loose him in between the maze of cabinets-no, he knew the layout better so it was too much of a risk! Thinking only of the other set of doors leading to the back halls she was left to run, begging beneath ragged breaths that this would be enough. Past empty chairs meant for animatronic shows the female figure flew, her means of standing a chance of making it to her office now a few yards off-

Her hope faltered though when she noticed the noise behind her was different than a moment ago. The sound of wild metal clattering had gone silent, but by that point it was too late.

Upon nearing a tall shooter cabinet a swift dark figure launched around it right into her path, emitting a high pitched cry-

“Now you can't escape me this time, dearest!”

Yelping in surprise Belle stumbled back as a pair of solid unyielding went to wrapping around her small frame.

Though she attempted to escape the young woman gave up on any pretense of fear as clever cold fingers went to tickling her ribs, causing a peel of laughter to rip free. The being who'd snatched her up followed suit, his odd giggles bouncing about the wide space of Avonlea's entertainment room. If Belle wanted to she could slip free of the leather clad arms entrapping her at any time, but she had no desire to besides ceasing the attack on her sides. When her captor relented in 'tormenting' her she allowed his clawed hands to lead them up to the front of a grand empty stage while glowing eyes guided her way. From there she found herself gently picked up and set down on the wooden edge where she sat face to face with the scaly golden-green mug of her dearest companion.

Funnily enough what had started off as a normal night shift at Avonlea had taken an unexpected turn when it's security guard and mysterious animatronic's teasing of one another had gotten extremely out of hand. After one joke too far things had escalated, and Belle had found herself being playfully chased with empty threats of being 'punished' upon capture. Thinking on it brought back fear filled memories of another less fun chase by him in these very halls, but they couldn’t and wouldn’t taint this wonderful one in the making. How could they when Rumplestiltskin stood before her wearing such a shy delighted expression? Yes, as the beauty sat there catching her breath he looked like he wished to please his prey and run all at once if she were to give chase.

The imp’s fidgety hands couldn't hide his nervousness either with how they refused to leave her alone, clinging to her sides as if to ensure she wouldn't flee. Of course she had no intent to. Instead she grew more eager for his nearness as she leaned forward to press her simmering cheek against the cool silicone of his forehead.

“What? No pleas to be spared? No cries for me to release you? You're either too foolishly bold for a knight or you've finally gone daft!" Rumplestiltskin gave an eerie giggle at her utter lack of a struggle.

From an outsiders perspective-if there had been any to witness this odd happenstance in a family fun center in the dead of night, they would've thought that too of her at seeing such a bizarre scene. The image was pushed further as Belle took in Rumplestiltskin dressed in his finest with his crocodile like leather coat and pants, his new dark scaled vest, high laced boots, and his favorite purple silk shirt complimenting his lean form. In the fantasy setting surrounding them he looked very much the elegant dark sorcerer he pretended to be while she on the other hand... Alas, Belle looked nothing like a noble knight with her simple security guard uniform, work boots, and obnoxious red bow tie breaking any illusions.

Still, determined to play her part as she gave him a coy smile. “Perhaps my plan was to be captured all along. Did you ever consider that, hmm?”

There was silence after her question, but she couldn't miss how Rumplestiltskin's amber eyes had become intent on following the curve of her neck to her hair splayed over shoulder in a pony tail. It was like he wanted to brush his fingers through the auburn locks, not too unlike her desire to delve hers into his messy curls. To both their dismay he didn't as his clawed hands remained hovering near her shoulder, proving that in spite of them growing closer again in the waning days her animatronic cohort was still as cautious as ever. True he was giving his touch more freely and accepting hers in turn that they were almost like how they were before everything had gone... Wrong, but...

His apprehension became apparent from how his fingertips didn't near where four fresh scars peeked out beneath one sleeve.

“Mmmm… Such a compassionate brave creature wishing to be captured by an evil wicked sorcerer? That sounds too good to be true. You must have some sort of trick in store for me, but you won't be able to best me so easily-unlike you I'm do not have such a glaring weakness." At his somewhat condescending remark Belle leaned back to give him a playful scowl.

“Well, I've been captured by a very handsome sorcerer I've admired for quite some time. It's hard to pass up an opportunity like this if it means I get to be close to him.”

While they were playing their roles she wasn't joking in the slightest, yet her mechanical man appeared to think she was jesting when his grin fell. Swiftly he forced his mask back into place before he reached up and poked the tip of her nose with a careful claw. “No need to lie my noble knight. My horrid appearance is known vast and wide through out the lands-comes with the evil villain territory! Trying to butter me up will do you no good.”

Displeased by this response Belle drew him closer by hooking a leg about his hip, causing both of those large amber eyes to almost pop out of their sockets. With his hands planted on the stage edge to prevent him from falling into her Rumplestiltskin looked down with a mixture of fear and hope. Perhaps it was a bit bold of her, but she needed to stop him from going down that path of self loathing she knew he was on.

Worst of all it hurt knowing after all this time having showed she held no abhorrence to his appearance that he believed he was ugly or that she must think he was when that was far from the truth. Deep down she knew upon noting again at his alien eyes, crooked metal nose, golden green scales, and artificial flesh he was not built to be conventionally attractive. Truth was he'd been made with the intention of being frightening, monstrous, and inhuman to a degree. Yet, to her the mechanical man was far more attractive than any normal man she'd ever met. Besides, each of his quirks and properties propelled her to him-a thought that had her cheeks heating while his stare bore into her.

One day soon she was determined to get him to accept that he was longed for and found attractive-the very things burning in her now.

Alas, that was still one of many works in progress.

Not entirely unexpected Rumplestiltskin drew back from her touch upon quick clattering limbs, leaving Belle pouting at the emptiness in her arms. "W-Well all that running must have left you parched, and while I quite think I've made my case clear from earlier I ought to relent torturing you. H-How about I fetch you a fresh cup of tea?" He was talking so fast-both arms flourishing in sporadic arcs, that Belle blinked while her poor mind tried to catch up. "In the meantime you can stay here and rest your weary feet! I promise I won't be gone long! I'll check on the fickle prickle while I'm at it."

There was no need to decipher his odd behavior as Belle knew right away he'd become skittish at too much closeness-the closeness of another kind. Instead she focused on what he was offering instead of the pang coursing through her heart.

"That sounds nice, but you better come back. If you don't I'll be the one to hunt you down, and this time I will make you my foot rest." Belle had to look away to hide her pain from him all while thankful for his offer from how her throat felt parched.

"B-Best I get to that tea right away-wouldn't want to keep my noble knight waiting too long then!" A lit of humor returned to the animatronic's odd high pitched brogue before she found him stepping back further into the shadows. The increasing distance had her heart aching like it was being torn apart, yet the young woman felt silly over such nonsensical sorrow when he'd be right back that she let out a nervous laugh. With her smile returned her companion's lopsided one did too-both of them staring like shy children lost in what they felt for one another.

When Rumplestiltskin seemed content he humored her more as he backed up by bowing low in that ridiculous manner of his.

"I shall return with a bounty fitting such an adversary as mine! With an extra sugar packet this time!"

On feet far faster than any man's he slipped away through the inky black towards the direction of the kitchen. In the blink of two blue eyes those swinging doors were clipping against one another as the imp disappeared beyond them well out of sight. Not long after his footsteps receded too, and once more Belle had only the thick silence encompassing Avonlea for company, leaving her releasing a heavy breath she didn't know she'd been holding in.

Difficult...

It was getting so very difficult to not just tackle that man and kiss him senseless, her silly, shy, but oh so adorable animatronic.

Even then she didn't dare to, not since that snowy night that they were working on moving past and understanding what had occurred between them. In fact if she had her days right it had been about two weeks since Rumplestiltskin had come to start living with her in her abode-the time together flying by in comparison to the grueling days spent far away from Avonlea and him. Thinking on those days with him as she sat there kicking her feet against the stage had Belle combating a mixture of emotions, but one awful one lingered more than the rest despite how happy she was with him now by her side.

In the time that had past she should've been relived that she hadn't found a single threatening message left for her at work nor had come across other appearances of either men involved in the break in at Avonlea. There hadn’t been any signs of whoever that one dark haired man was prowling around her place either as both she and Rumple kept a vigilant eye. One would think this would've calmed her at such a lack of action, but it puzzled and frightened her to the point she remained on high alert when not in her beloved's presence. Still, the young woman tried her best to continue about life as normal as possible-whatever she could consider was normal for her anymore.

At least against the numerous worries stewing at the back of her mind there was some good that took place as the calendar days of January faded. Thanks to a certain someone helping take care of her while she was down and out from a stomach flu Belle had gone back to Avonlea by her third day being back in Maine. Oh, she'd been sniffling, exhausted, and groggy mess when they’d finally headed over much to Rumplestiltskin's disapproval, but that wasn't much of an issue as returning to the family fun center. As soon as they'd stepped past that back door it had been like her return was cemented, and of course Rumplestiltskin had joined her too, needing to return to his... 'Home'...

Which had lead to the first of many interesting drives through town with a humanoid mechanical passenger in the seat next to her.

Together once more in Avonlea though they'd found themselves wandering those familiar halls as if she’d never left while plenty of odd feelings arise given what had taken place last in that same space. Belle hadn't been surprised to find he’d cleaned up the Christmas decorations in her office after she'd left that night bloodied and heartbroken. To her dismay there'd been no evidence of the wonderful moments that had taken place too, not a single scrap of cookies, tinsel, or his hard work that had delight her so. The only evidence that had remained were ones they had both bared in silence-in disenchanted memories. Yes, some of her frustration continued as most of those very things remained unspoken despite what had occurred the night the power had gone down at her place.

Being patient with him she'd stuck to her vow of letting him take his time, but in all her preparation to see him again she'd not been prepared for when she'd tugged Rumplestiltskin into his small room... Where she found first hand the ‘mess’ he'd mentioned leaving behind over the phone.

To hear about it was one thing, but to see just what he'd done...

She could still feel the sorrow from that moment as she'd looked upon what had remained of his unique collection of things over the years, except most of it had been shattered, torn to pieces, and thrown aside in broken heaps on the concrete floor. The sight had been harder to swallow at knowing the cause for such destruction without him saying a word. The pain worsened too when the animatronic beside her had avoided her gaze, standing there kneading his segmented fingers with such remorse ladened in his alien eyes. So without any prompt or comment to the utter surprise that appeared on his face she'd begun to help clean it up, minding anything that might cut her so he couldn't place anymore blame on himself. In silence Rumplestiltskin had joined her right after, his head bent all the while, and from there the tiny sanctuary filled up with the sound of rattling marbles, pieces of clattering wood, and rustling glass.

Yet, for Belle such a sight-all of his pain, self loathing, and regret... His vast loneliness… The beauty been left to look at it laid so bared before her so raw, physical, and real.

It made her more determined through watery eyes she refused to let him see that she didn't want him to feel such awful things ever again.

Overall it had taken a while to get the job done as what little that was salvageable had been set back onto the remains of his shelves still intact. She could tell he had so much he’d wished to say as he’d touched the chipped mug she noticed had been spared from the onslaught. All she did in that time was quietly promise to help him fix it all in the nearby future before she drew him away from the scene. Afterwards their first night back together in Avonlea had continued on almost like any other before it. Neither mentioned it but both human and machine couldn’t deny the tension remaining between them-the large issue of what they were still at hand despite how they were once more touching and holding each other. Trying her best to make him understand it was all right without prodding him Belle had walked most of the night by his side with their hands intertwined, chatting about anything and nothing all to draw him back out of his hull.

Even then he’d been holding himself back through his laughs and jesting despite promising to be more truthful.

There was another promise her beloved sorcerer didn't waver from in the slightest though to her surprise.

When the clock in her office had struck six that early morning she'd finished packing up her things, readying to leave on her own like she was accustom to. That changed when she went to turned down that back hall as she found him joining her at the back door he'd been trapped behind so long. At first Belle thought he’d been there to tell her goodbye or give her a hug, but instead he'd given her such a hopeful yet fearful look as he’d forced himself past the door into the parking lot after her. It was there in the light of the lone street lamp she watched him fight off his locking servos while they walked to her car together. At one point she'd feared he'd needed help when it became apparent his nervousness was winning out from his rattling limbs.

Yet, he’d pushed on, brushing if off and her help with a trademark giggle before opening the passenger side door.

It had for sure been a bizarre moment finding Rumple and his leather-clad self sitting in her car again like it was an ordinary occurrence. Regardless of his bravado it had taken a few trips after that before she noticed he'd stopped clutching at the arm rests. Naturally she didn't mention that nor had allowed him to see her flicker of a smile every time she’d caught him staring out the window in fascination at the world passing by. From there she could remember that first return trip in pieces-how she drove them back to her apartment while the sleepy snow-laden town around them began to stir and him keeping plastered to her side as they entered the apartment she was now more eager to return to.

Despite Rumplestiltskin's immediate worries at ‘invading’ her space as he put it those first few days the beauty had quickly gotten used to the sound of his footsteps clacking about her apartment along with his ongoing presence. For Belle it was a welcome change, especially when his own habits and quirks began touching upon her place. There were many a time she'd leave a pile of books about or things only to turn back and find it all stacked in place with him scurrying into another room. Then there was how she'd be watching TV and folding laundry while he'd charged from an outlet, finding somehow the show she'd been watching was different than a moment ago as he'd changed the channel by controlling the TV to tease her. One morning she almost freaked out that he'd left her apartment as she couldn't find him, except she discovered all her shoes sitting out side a closet in a neat row as inside her mechanical man was tucked away deep in sleep mode.

So far living with an animatronic man was turning out to be quite the wonderful experience, and one she wouldn't change a single thing about...

However, Belle felt her smile falter as she drew back to the present, her mind returning to one ongoing problem that came to mind.

In the passing days she hadn't gotten any further on her research to figure out where Rumplestiltskin-or 01-A, had come from or who had made him. Despite the numerous calls she'd made, emails, posts on forum boards, and sites she haunted like an unyielding specter... There'd been nothing, not a scrap on this 'ZOSO' either. A small traitorous voice started to whisper that she needed to give up-that there was no way to track down where ever he'd come from let alone the animatronics that came with him. Yet, when the doubts increased she refused to given in, and so in her spare time-most often when her animatronic was 'asleep', she continued in her attempt to ensure the future for him would be fault free or at least... That they would find some understanding to his existence and why he'd been created.

It was just frustrating how she felt she was so close to finding the truth, her fingers twitching instinctively against the wooden stage.

Belle's thoughts were torn away though as she stiffened in place from a sudden alarming sound.

It was so faint she almost thought she was hearing things at first, but...

There was a strange noise in Avonlea coming from the… Back?

Right away she could tell it wasn't Rumplestiltskin's clip of his boots or the clatter of his limbs 'clacking' away. Listening further she found it stopped and then started up again with a chunk of silent space in-between. Curious Belle hopped up to her feet from the stage, snagging her flashlight from her side in the process. With the light before her she found herself wandering in the direction to the employee reserved portion of the family fun center. From there her own boots pattered upon the black and white checkered tiles while the noise grew louder in the winding halls and far distinct. It wasn't pipes humming, the heater kicking in, or anything she'd become accustomed to in her time guarding the building.

It wasn't until she neared her office door that she stopped, recognizing just what the sound was.

Someone was knocking on the back door.

Who on earth would be knocking at such a godforsaken time like this? It was five thirty in the morning! Beyond puzzled now Belle's blue eyes lit up with intrigue, and before she knew it she found herself about to round the corner leading to that very door. However, in the darkness from the other side of the hallway two amber eyes lit up as well, literally, spooking her a mere moment as she instantly knew who it was.

"Belle-wait! Don't answer it!" A clawed metal hand reached out, grasping at her free hand to which she didn't flinch. With just one look at him from the faint illumination of his eyes carving him out of the shadows she could see apprehension cemented into Rumplestiltskin's silicone flesh. "I was in the break room getting your tea and I looked out the window... There's a truck and people at the door-I think a man and a woman I know I've seen from the Christmas party, but that's all. Given what happened in the past with that Smee fellow they could be working for that man-"

"Wait-you saw them at the Christmas party? How? When did you-wait! You snuck out and were watching! What were you thinking you could have been seen then!" Belle didn't mean to almost shout as she'd not known that particular fact which had the machine wincing in knowing he'd outed himself. However, they had far more important matters at hand like the persistent people standing behind the slab of metal not far off. With an eye roll at his immediate idea these people were out to get them she did her best to assuage his fear as she whispered. "Don't worry, I highly doubt they are working for him if they are knocking on the back door. If they were here for that man they'd be more sneaky about it. If they've kept knocking this long they might be people in trouble or in need of our help-"

"No! I won't risk you being harmed! If they need help they can go elsewhere-we're not a charity!" He groused all while trying to drag her away from the direction of the door with her hand in his tight grasp. Growing a bit frustrated Belle yanked her limb free, causing him to look wounded-like she'd smashed his beloved chipped mug on the ground at his feet. With another exasperated sigh she took a moment to calm, knowing he was use to running and turning others away. It made sense he'd avoided all confrontation from humans as it typically meant his harm or others harm-well, except her since she was different...

That didn't change the fact they couldn't turn a blind eye to these people!

"Hey, it'll be all right. I have a good feeling okay? Besides if something does happen you'll stay close by, right? I'm guarding this building, but more than that a security guard protects people... As you protect me and Avonlea. As we protected Henry." There she tilted her head some, turning those blue eyes of hers up at him with a 'you know I'm right' stare.

That got him as his face contorted a few times and then his tense shoulder plates sagged, clattering in the process. With a sharp flourished finger he pointed at her, squinting his eyes before taking back some steps into the hall that began to devour him in their thick shadows. Relief filled her heart seeing him disappear into the safety of the building, and while it was a risk answering the door alone she knew he’d be right at her side if... No, it couldn’t be they were working for that unknown man. Even he wouldn’t be insane enough to have any lackeys of his approach Avonlea like this.

Making her way down the back hallway the beauty heard the sound rear back up again though it seemed more hesitant this time. Yup, that was some persistent knocking, and so hurrying her pace she neared the the security pad and went to disengaging it. After it beeped and she was in the clear Belle dared to unlock the door, opening it a sliver. From there she peered out in the thick darkness of the parking lot save the lone working post light-

Except there were two huddled figures blocking some of it just like Rumple said-

Ones she recognized in an instant.

“M-Mary Margaret-David? What are you doing here!" Belle's exclamation rang a bit loudly as sure enough before her was Storybrooke's most well known, and... Notorious couple.

Confused to say the least the security guard opened up the door to get a better look at the chilled looking pair. Both of them were standing there huddled together and dressed in fine winter wear that caused her to feel the chilly breeze nipping at her bare arms. At the sight of her they seemed to both sag in relief, but stepping forward Belle felt her mouth quirk, trying to find the right words to say. Whatever came to mind fell asunder as suddenly one of David's arm jerked, leading her to realize he was holding something like a leash connected to-

A reddish, black, and white blur shot forth then, jumping straight at her right as David called out in alarm.

Despite the shocked sound that had been forced from her Belle hadn't been knocked over, but the excited creature made it an arduous task to remain standing. Both its paws rested on her waist while a happy tongue lolled out of its mouth right near her chin.

"Wilby! That's not how you know you're suppose to say hello." David admonished with a sigh while the medium sized dog-an English Shepherd she recognized, continued to look up at Belle with pure delight in its warm eyes. Against her struggle to keep upright Belle smiled down at the adorable beast, reaching up and petting one of his large floppy ears. With another tug from David on its leash 'Wilby' seemed to get the message from how he fell back down to all fours, sniffing at Belle in intrigue to which she smiled further. "Sorry about that Belle he forgot his manners, but I promise he's not that much of a handful. Once he gets used to you he'll settle down pretty fast."

Confused and then some on what David was talking about or why they were here Belle looked to the dark haired woman with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey Belle, sorry about all that knocking-we got here a little early, but we wanted to make sure we caught you before you left since you only work till six.” Mary Margaret pipped up, though it didn't make the beauty any less baffled on what taking place that dreary, dark, Tuesday morning. “I am glad you could do this-it means the world to both of us. Since I'll owe you one be sure to let me know if you need any help with anything in the future.” There she put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder-the picturesque couple smiling like Belle had gifted them something wondrous when she'd done nothing of the sort.

“Wait… What am I doing? I'm lost.” It wasn't the most elegant way to express herself, but it got the job done when her expression was returned from both Mr. Nolan and Miss. Blanchard. For a moment the couple and Avonlea's weary security guard stood like that while the dog at their side stood looking between them with clear eagerness from how his tail wagged. At this rate they would get frost bite to which Belle blinked out of her stupor, trying to find some ground to make sense of it all. "Was I suppose to do something for you two? If I was I am sorry... Seems my memory really is fried."

It was then Mary Margaret looked rather embarrassed before she looked to her boyfriend and then back to her. It took a few seconds but those green eyes seemed to piece together what Belle couldn't see.

"It was very sudden, but Ruby said you agreed to watch our dog, Wilby... We need someone to take care of him for the day as me and David have to go out to see his mother over in Boston for her birthday. We have a big surprise for her that she doesn't know we've planned it-we didn't have much time to prepare for everything... So..."

“Wait… Ruby said I did?” Belle couldn't help repeating-she hadn't the slightest bit of recollection to agreeing to such a thing... Unless...

Ruby, had for her.

Oh dear...

The beauty realized just then and there that she hadn't had her phone on her for most of the night as she'd been a bit preoccupied-um, goofing about with Rumplestiltskin. At the moment she could practically see her phone sitting at her work desk with a barrage of messages and voicemails of her friend turning to her in her time of need. Yet, that wasn't fair for Ruby to push this on her without her consent! That frustration must have became evident on Belle's fair face as 'Charming' looked rather sheepishly down at the icy pavement.

“Oh no! You didn't know-” Mary Margaret blurted out, waving her gloved hands in place to which it was Belle's turn to feel guilty. “Maybe there was some miscommunication. I’m so sorry Belle. Ruby had offered at first, but she later said you took over since she had to work extra at Granny’s today. Some of the girls got sick-there's this nasty flu going around.”

‘You’re telling me.’ The sarcastic thought entered Belle's mind, but shaking her head she cast aside her irritation as best she could.

“No, I have a feeling perhaps there may have been some text messages I was not privy too tonight. I don't always keep my phone on me when I'm working here.” Belle sighed, but before either of her visitors could fear her turning them down she brushed at the air in a manner too much like her beloved imp-geez, she might as well start wearing leather pants and giggling eerily at this rate. "Don't worry about it. While I have to admit I'm a bit unprepared if you need someone to watch him for the day I can do it. How could I say no to such a cute fellow anyways?"

At her elated tone the English Shepherd neared her once more, and Belle petted his soft head, already finding him beyond adorable. It was becoming easier to see why David had won Mary Margaret over despite the issues their relationship had presented in the beginning if he had such a cute wingman in tow.

"You'll still watch him for the day? Thank you Belle! It really, really means a lot to us! You see David and I felt bad leaving him at home all alone, especially with this weather." Mary Margaret went on to which the security guard waved her hand again, not wanting to make it a big deal.

"Don't worry about it, but since I'm out of the loop is there anything specific I need to know about Wilby here?"

At that David produced a bag she hadn't noticed he'd had hanging from one shoulder, and proffering it she took it while he went on to explain. "There is enough food and toys and anything you might need for the day or more-his favorite treats too if you want to entice him to be on his absolute best behavior. He's going to need a walk or two as he's pretty energetic, and he'll be a bit nervous when we're gone so long, but trust me he's sweet and won't drag you through half of Storybrooke like bigger dogs do. By the time we get back Ruby said she'd pick Wilby up from you... Which again you didn't know-at least you won't have to worry about getting him back to us."

Well, this wasn't sounding so bad, and with those large brown eyes looking up at her Belle felt any previous annoyance disappear altogether. So slinging the bag over her shoulder she beamed at them both, no doubt looking a bit odd, but that was a typical reaction in her day to day life. "Sounds great then, sorry you had to come all the way out here. Though I do hope David that your mother has a wonderful birthday with you two."

"No it's all right, after all you're taking this on so suddenly..." The dark haired woman said a bit apologetically though Belle was preoccupied noticing a strange smirk cross David's face. Quickly she was distracted noticing how Mary Margaret's green eyes flickered from her to the building with almost a sense of apprehension. As if unable to help herself she spoke up-a wariness hinting behind her hushed tone. "You know I don't ever come to Avonlea-I mean David and I were here at the Christmas party, but I don't know how you manage to be here by yourself night after night... It has to be a bit creepy. There are all sorts of ghosts stories about this place you know."

"Working here isn't as difficult as you might think. Nor as lonely either... Some of those ghost stories hold a bit of truth." Belle bit back a grin at the alarmed expression on both of their faces-Rumple would've had a hoot if he saw them, yet she dug into her coat for her phone as she talked. "I'm just kidding, but I've kept you waiting long enough or we'll freeze out here, and I promise I'll take good care of Wilby, on my knight's honor... Ah, a little security guard joke if you will-could I get your phone numbers incase before you do?"

Once she'd secured their numbers-their talk turning short and brief thanks to the wind, the couple and night guard said their farewells while the soft lull of wind rippled through the nearby trees. Belle stood there watching in the cold creeping through her uniform with Wilby at her side as David and Mary Margaret got back into their truck and were soon driving back down the deserted streets. When the sound of the engine was long gone she looked down to the canine attached to the leash in hand, seeing him look back up with his ears perked. Her brain began scrambling as it tried to figure out what she was going to do now that she had a rather large problem added to the equation of her day.

"Ruby owes me big time for sure." She whispered to herself, not hearing the faint steps that were sneaking up behind her. It wasn't until Wilby turned his head swiftly and began to wag his tail harder that Belle was roused from her mulling.

For a moment she'd forgotten, but everything came crashing down at seeing Rumplestiltskin freezing in place behind her in the hallway with wide terrified eyes, but not on her-oh no...

They were trained on Wilby who looked at the machine before freezing in place.

Tension mounted in the air-palpable and escalating in intensity...

As Belle began to fear she'd made a huge mistake.

—————

“You can’t be serious about this! Y-You can’t have that thing in here while I'm here!”

"Why not? I mean I know it's against the rules, but he's really sweet, and he's not going to be in here for long."

"No, no-and further more-no! I don't care what your friend Ruby has asked of you, so long as that mutt is here I'm not coming out!"

"Ugh! You're being childish! It's not even like he can bite you and do any damage if he did... Not that he would!"

Rumplestiltskin had to let out a snort, if one could call it that, at Belle's perturbed cry. Luckily for him she didn't seem to register the sound, but that was probably due to the fact they were at the moment separated by a door... A locked one he had to add.

Beyond the metal slab of Avonlea's break room he was currently hiding inside Rumplestiltskin didn't need to see his beauty standing there to know she was puffing up those adorable cheeks in amusement and frustration with him. His own frustrations were mounting with her and the subject of his irritation. Right beside her he could imagine the four legged creature lingering there as its pants reached him under the gap in the door. Sure enough with a glance down he made out the hint of a sniffling, wet, dark nose trying to hunt down the source of the 'peculiar robotic voice'. Frowning, his sharp mossy teeth bared, Rumplestiltskin stepped back as if fearing the beast would somehow smash through at any given moment.

It was then his keen sensors caught a faint weary sigh, but to his relief Belle sounded more exasperated than upset. "Please, just tell me why we can't come inside. I know it's because of Wilby, but why are you so afraid of him? I can assume you've never been around a dog or any other animal, but he's really not going to start barking at you or freaking out unless you get him excited."

Snapping his hinged jaw closed, the metal upon metal emitting a clatter, the machine tried to find any words to explain himself. A minute ago she'd tried to explain as fast as humanly possible while he had made a run for it that she'd not intended for this to happen, and he believed her as lying wasn't what his Belle did. Truth be told from the look on her face she'd managed to glimpse at as she'd held onto the leash, barely reigning back the beast that had gunned for him, it had been clear she was just as unprepared for this scenario. Apparently once more her friend 'Ruby' had turned to her in time of need... Except Belle had not known she'd been saddled with the beast till it was too late.

What he couldn't cope with was how she'd gone along with it! Why! Why couldn't she have told the lovebirds to leave with their mongrel and keep them out of this!

If he ever chanced meeting Ruby Lucas he decided first thing he'd give her was a piece of his mind...

Of course she wouldn’t hear it over her fear filled cries of terror upon seeing him in all his horrible glory.

Yet, it was so like his noble knight to take on a charge that wasn't her own for another's sake that he couldn't be mad at her. If anything he'd tell the waitress she shouldn't be taking such a friendship for granted, but it was with that thought the imp felt his gears in his chest tighten. How could he ever think to say that to another after how he'd treated Belle not too long ago?

"Rumple, please..." Belle's pained begging brought him back to the present, and the sound of her voice brought forth the ongoing ache snaking through his cords. "I mean... If you don't want to come with me since I have Wilby for most of today just tell me. I can't force you to do anything you don't want to, and I don't want to. All I ask is that you just give him a chance just like you gave me a chance all those months back... Remember? I know you do."

At that Rumplestiltskin lifted up both his hands before tugging at the ends of his wiry hair. Oh, her sweet endless kindness was having his processors betraying him as they began considering opening that door that instant if it would appease her, but he couldn't! Really this was going against all the rules! Animals were not meant to be in Avonlea no matter what unless as licensed service animals which this one most certainly wasn't! The machine could count on one hand how many times he'd ever seen those in the building, and it wasn't like... He'd never dared to go near them regardless of being stage bound... Animatronics weren't meant to interact like that with living creatures, especially him most of all.

Frenzied emotions stormed through his circuits in retaliation to these torn feelings, yet a part of him knew she wouldn't relent unless he explained why he was so hesitant. With her level of stubbornness Belle would stand there until he was forced to leave least all of Avonlea uncover his existence. Still, telling her the truth... She deserved it despite his shame much like how she deserved a better excuse for a friend than a thing like him.

That realization had him tighten his plated hands into fists at his side as he willed himself on.

“You just said it I-I’ve never been around animals. I’m terrifying enough to humans, but I don’t know how anything else would react! W-What if he freaks out if I get too close? He ran at me the moment he laid eyes on me! If that dog scares me somehow or I scare him-I don't know h-how either of us will react! It's better this way-I can't go near him!” Without meaning to his cries increased in volume towards the end, his contained fears freeing themselves to the open air, to Avonlea, and worst of all to her. A sense of childishness followed suit once his claim stopped echoing in that small room, yet the thought of anything happening-of accidentally hurting even an animal...

It was strange examining this change in him when he'd thought himself previously so unable. Had this taken place six months ago he would've been relishing in the idea that he could get the mutt to leave him alone by scaring every ounce of fur off its hide. Yet, the thought of terrorizing anymore living creatures... Rumplestiltskin was tired of it. Truth was he didn't want to do that anymore, especially not on purpose-he wasn't the same machine he'd been before Belle came back into his life. The problem was each time he interacted with living things he always caused either fear, disgust, or repulsion upon initial meeting, and for most he'd encountered he'd incited those feelings long after.

The same had happened to Henry as he recalled that night for the most part between the error codes of his fault. Inside his data banks he reforged the image of the boy's young face plastered in too much fear for one so innocent to experience. Belle first hand knew his effect that fateful night of their meeting-that one scarred him forever like it did her, and long before her there was the many employees and children he'd unnerved as he began to break free of the protocol’s bindings.

Then there was the two boys from the accident...

A vileness-or at least an electronic wave that surely must have been akin to it, had him closing his metal eyelids shut from that blood drenched memory. No, he couldn't leave this room-he needed to hide! He needed to run away least he hurt anyone or anything-

Rumplestiltskin jolted out of the haunting phantom screams building in his head when he heard Belle's soft voice cooing to him in sympathy. “Trust me, he's not going to be afraid of you, his reaction earlier told me that much. In fact if you're the one afraid of him he can sense it and that is what will have him worried that you don't feel safe near him. Sheepdogs are good about picking up on those kind things, so just relax. I promise nothing is going to happen to either of you-I won't allow it."

“Didn't you hear me-it’s not me I’m worried about!” Rumplestiltskin reiterated sharply, his scowl ever present as he turned from the door. From there his glowing gaze shifted over to the large window where it happened to fall upon the portly shape of the other occupant on the nearby counter. Somehow despite lacking a face the imp felt a disapproving stare coming from the cactus... An absolutely ludicrous notion, but somehow...

'Great! A plant is judging me now too! Perhaps, though I am making a bigger deal out of this than necessary.' With that thought the machine unwound, giving a human like blink as he considered his most recent two past encounters with both Henry and Belle. Both of them had quickly turned around and accepted him despite how he'd terrified them, so who was to say then the dog couldn't act the same if it realized he meant no harm. If anything his noble knight was with him, and if anyone could make others see he didn’t meant to be threat it was her.

After about what felt like an eternity pulling himself this way and that he let out a loud gush of air, knowing his beauty had to be smiling at it beyond the door. With trepidation he whirled back, unlocked the latch, and began to turn the knob slowly as not to alarm either creature. Despite his attempt he could hear the dog beginning to get more excited from the click of its nails on the tiled floor. Against his worries he began to open it a crack with one large luminous eye peering out into the dark. There he found Belle looking at him with reassuring smile and one hand on her hip as the other held the end of a leash, but upon looking further down...

That same reddish brown and white dog was looking up at him in turn before it'd stilled to the point that its tail stuck up straight. Growing fearful of its reaction Rumplestiltskin clamped his jaw shut and in a moment of either bravery or pure foolishness opened the door all the way. For a good few solid seconds the machine and beast stared at one another, merely a few feet apart, waiting for who would decide to make the first move. Belle remained quiet on the sidelines watching the pair, and just when he began to think that he'd petrified the beast from how immobile it was...

The beast approached first without any hint of wariness, going to sniffle at his pants in a fascinated fashion that at first put him on edge. However, Rumplestiltskin felt his anxiousness start to diminish at seeing the dog's tail wagging wildly. Good-this was good right? Despite whatever was happening it seemed there was something drawing the mutt to him instead of having it scurry off in fear from how it went to circling him several times as if to investigate his peculiar nature. Scrunching up his faux face in displeasure he allowed it to figure him out, shifting about his boots in the process. Belle’s delighted laugh echoed about at this, earning her a glare from the imp for taking pleasure in his evident discomfort.

This was going far better than he'd ever anticipated… With the exception that all its nose pressing was getting snot on his clean clothes!

“Okay-okay, you’ve prodded me enough! Are you content! Yes, I’m a machine and I’m weird looking-get use to it!” He exclaimed loud enough that his electronic voice crackled, catching the dog's immediate attention. Large, curious, brown eyes glanced back up at him innocently, and while this 'Wilby' didn't seem intent on digging its teeth into what remained of his leather Rumplestiltskin was confused by how it kept wagging its tail. Keeping the soft ebb of his unblinking eyes trained on the pooch the imp drew nearer to his companion for protection. "Now he better not be be standing there thinking I'm some large chew toy!"

“Oh, he's not thinking that at all! I think he's simply taken a liking to you-to which I say why not.” Belle said as if a matter of fact, earning her a befuddled expression from him this time around.

"Well, make him stop! While I’m willing to put up with him I’m not his friend or anything that should be of interest! So shoo! Go away!" Stamping down one boot in hopes to ward this new 'pest' away Rumplestiltskin hid behind his beauty before turning his awful sneer back to the beast. However, the dog simply grew all the more excited at the attention that it jumped up at him, causing the mechanical imp to yelp and scurry further into the dark hall. "Down you filthy beast-don't touch me with that snout of yours! Who knows where you have been sticking it!"

Rumplestiltskin's snarl near about tore his artificial cheeks, but the effect that enticed others to flee in terror did nothing to avert the beast's attention. No, what worked was when Belle’s sweet voice called out. It beckoned Wilby back to her which had the sheepdog turning about in hurry scramble to get over.

Pleased to be left be Rumplestiltskin stuck out his tongue in disgust when his hand wiped at a blot of thick slobber on one of his thighs. “Foul little creature getting drool on my good new pants. This is why dogs are not allowed in Avonlea or else there'd be a coat of it on every inch of this place."

"Stop being so overdramatic, and see... He's not so bad-you were fretting over nothing. You know you really should try giving yourself more of a chance with others." Belle gave him a rather pleased smirk before she kneeled down to pet Wilby-the latter blissfully receiving her affection.

"I do suppose it could've been worse..." The words fell from his lips in a hesitant mumble, but he was far more focused on the sight before him than his previous ire.

Standing back he watched her ruffle that furry face with the upmost delight-tender fingers brushing and petting... It caused something in Rumplestiltskin to respond in a strange manner he'd not quite felt before in his systems. Of course any animal or creature would be drawn to Belle and her innate goodness that radiated from her. How his human didn't have a copious amount of friends continued to baffle him, yet, seeing such warmth and kindness of hers be taken up by this intruder on a night that was suppose to just his and hers... No-no-no-no! Rumplestiltskin's plated shoulders hunched as he realized what he was feeling-a thing far more twisted and green than his body. Still, his hands kneaded at his sides from the longing in him to take Wilby's place-perhaps not to be petted per say, but those gentle hands should be trailing his scales-

The machine found himself torn from such fanciful thoughts when to his horror he watched the dog lap at Belle's cheek with its tongue. Though it had her giggling ensuing while she clung to the creature he in sharp contrast recoiled back. How... How disgusting! He was not one for getting messy, well, least for the most part as pleasant images of him and his beauty on past nights covered in flour and mud crossed his data banks, her cleaning him after each time... Regardless! He vowed in silence to never give the beast a chance to get near him least he end up caked in saliva... That and he'd remind his dearest to clean her face off later.

Once Belle seemed satisfied bestowing her charge pettings she rose up back to her feet before her gaze found its way back to him. Looking at her now she seemed... Sheepish, and that had him drawing forward, worried he'd somehow upset her in the chaos. "Look... I know it's unfair this wasn't planned-trust me I'm going to talk to Ruby about this later, but we can't let this poor guy be all alone. So for now it looks like we've got our hands full, and he looks like he has a lot of energy he needs to run off. Sadly, my apartment is not the best place for that, so we’re going have to remedy that..."

Realizing what his dearest was hinting at the mechanical man grew far more at ease, his shoulder plates unhitching with a soft clatter.

"Ah, I suppose that means you plan to go take him out then for a stroll. If that is the case I'll hold the fort down at home while you two wear yourselves out in the snow. Feel free to take as much time as you need-let the beastie wear himself out." Rumplestiltskin tittered there impishly at the end, delighting in the idea of spending as little time as possible with the mutt. While he realized this meant less time with Belle, a notion that made him feel a swell of anger at the intruder, it was only for a day. After twenty five years spent alone he could handle being stuck at her place without her company for a few hours.

Looking back towards his beauty his glow revealed her pouting at him only for her flush lips to twist up into a sudden devious smile.

Oh no-that couldn’t be good.

“Actually, I’ve decided we're all going out... Together. No ifs or buts about it."

In an instant his previous hopes shattered to smithereens.

"W-What!" His resounding shout sounded more like a squawk than he cared to admit, not that it bothered her or the dog in the slightest. At first he thought she was just joking, but after staring deep into the those sky blue eyes he found no deception there. How could she be serious about them going out into town with him being what he was of all things! Most of all where would they even go if he was tagging along! With a huff he threw his hands up-the scaly things obtaining a mind of their own in his rising fear. "I hope you're not thinking we're all just going to mosey on through town for a pleasant stroll where I can then reveal myself to the entirety of Storybrooke and traumatize every poor child there!"

"Of course not! I can't risk you being found out or hurt-I'm not suggesting that!" Belle huffed in return, and to his pleasure and confusion he observed how her cheeks flushed more of that rosy color he found so beautiful. Despite how she was obviously frustrated with him she continued on while he went about walking in a circle around-to avoid the incessant beast following him, feeling her gaze cling to him as she tried to turn in time. "Besides, you wouldn't scare anyone unless you ran at them screaming at the top of your lungs which would scare people if anyone did that, not just you. Anyways... Where I was thinking of taking us to is a bit of forest I know no one will be at this time of year let alone time of day. I'm sure the trail is still there that I used to walk when I was younger after school-to get away from town and the shop."

"I don't think that's a good idea-we know our way near Avonlea we should just stay near here... No, it'll be better if I don't go with you at all-I won't risk you with..." Trying to push his point he stopped in place, draping a mottled grotesque hand down against his leather clad form. Why couldn’t she see that no matter what she saw in place of his metal and wires didn't make him... Well, didn't make him any less wrong! There was no time to continue his tirade though when his human suddenly was before him-one hand grasping at the sleeve of his coat. In an instant the contact had his escalating panic drift away, and while he watched her own features soften he could feel his own follow suit.

"Hey, there's nothing to worry about. It'll be far more secluded back there than here so you can be out and about and no one will be the wiser, and if we stay here Mr. Getto will see my car. If we go out there though Wilby will get plenty enough space to wear himself out while we get some fresh air, and yes I know you don't need air-that's not the point." Belle was so fast to beat him to the punch, knowing just the sort of quip he'd make, that he found himself more impressed than disappointed. "Most of all if we do this that means he'll leave you alone later at home, and then we can continue about our day like normal since I don't have to work my other job. I’d hate for you to be stuck here all day…“

So caught up in the alluring sound of her voice Rumplestiltskin hadn't noticed that her hand had drawn down the sleeve of his arm to his own until sensed pressure against his plates. Again he flinched before marveling at how she was so unafraid despite knowing now the harm he could inflict with it and his claws. With a magic all her own in that touch Belle made his former frustrations, fear, and doubts melt away that instead he found himself leaning closer to her-close enough he could press his forehead into hers if dared to. He didn’t-couldn’t, but the following silence her stunning eyes implored him, prepared for any rebuttal he'd try to make.

To his chagrin his mouth quirked wordlessly as everything he meant to say evaporated at such a hopeful expression.

Somehow things got worse when the imp spared the dog at their feet a quick glance too, finding it staring up at him with its own beseeching eyes.

Rolling his large orbs the mechanical man lifted one hand to his face to spare him the endearing sight. “Don't you give me those puppy eyes too-fine! To the woods we go if it would please you two so much. It'll be on your hands though if we're being chased by a mob wanting to tear me into scrap metal."

"I'll stop anyone from hurting you if the worst comes to pass, though I highly doubt it will." Belle managed to get out after her fit of ecstatic giggling had ceased. Honestly, she knew she had him eating out of the palm of her hand, yet he couldn't help but notice her mood had improved now that he'd agreed to come with her. That puzzled the imp until... He understood-it made her happy that he would remain beside her, and the knowledge squeezed at the animatronic's insides with a terrible ferocity. To his relief she didn't notice as his human busied turning her attention towards the mutt beside her, her voice all the more softer as she spoke. "And you'll help me protect him too, right Wilby?"

At that the dog looked at them both as if absolutely lost but happy he'd been included in the conversation.

"Oh boy, I sure do feel safe. My dashing flea bitten hero..."

Ignoring his snarky remark Belle beamed as she tugged at his poofy sleeve, dragging both him and Wilby down the hallway back to her cozy office. From there everything happened in a daze much like how the mutt kept itself busy by spinning about in place while Belle moved about gathering her things... A sight that made even an animatronic almost nauseous. Before Rumplestiltskin knew it though his companion had her things all packed up in her bag-sure enough it was time to clock out for the night as the ever diligent clock on the wall warned them it was almost six in the morning. Normally at this point he'd be the one busy draping her in her winter wear as she scrambled for her things. Tonight, however, he found her swift hands tugging off his leather coat in favor of draping him in a new thick winter coat she'd gotten him to disguise him when headed to and fro home.

Rumplestiltskin smiled to himself when she fumbled with the buttons in her eagerness, her little pink tongue sticking out between those alluring lips. When she finished she patted his shoulders before running her fingers down his chest. Sparks shot off in his systems, and as she lead the beast away down the hallway with a pleased smile he followed diligently after with the bag this ‘David’ had given them in tow.

This hadn’t been at all what he’d been expecting in their day together, but if Belle kept touching him like that….

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

-------

Strangely enough it turned out to be uneventful as Belle and her passengers made their way across town.

No one seemed to mind her car with its unorthodox occupants while the sun dredged itself up over the horizon, casting Storybrooke and what little snowy its faintest light. If a few people stared at them from sidewalks it was merely because of the pooch in the front seat with its head hanging out the window and tongue lolling in the cool breeze. All the while Belle kept looking back in her rearview mirror to see Rumplestiltskin sitting there hunched in on himself and his coat hood drawn so barely any of his face was visible. While she was glad she'd convinced him to tag along it made her sad he couldn’t enjoy the car ride’s view least anyone get a good glimpse of him.

Forcing herself to focus back on the road it wasn't long after they were moving past nearby darkened neighborhoods as they continued to head in a direction she'd not taken in a long time. Yet, she glanced again to the mirror as the car came to a momentary halt, noticing her imp lift his hood some in intrigue. The soft ebb of his amber eyes against the window revealed to her the expression that continued to warmed her insides from how captivated he looked at these new sights he’d not seen. Yes, while she'd been worried before that this might be too much too soon she now felt she'd made the right choice. In the safety of towering trees far from town he'd be perfectly fine to reveal himself and revel along with her and Wilby in the outside world... That thought made her smile grow painfully wide while Wilby beside her whined in impatience to reach their destination.

Eventually her little white car took a turn leading down a smaller gravel road where civilization retreated in the advance of towering conifers. At this point Rumplestiltskin had sat back up right with almost the same amount of excitement as their furry charge from how his clawed fingers kneaded together. A minute later they reached the edge of the woods of one of Storybrooke's largest parks finding ample spots to park. To her relief the designated area was devoid of any other vehicles, and it was becoming more unlikely they come across anyone out here as there was far more heaps of snow undisturbed by man or nature.

Because of this it seemed to calm Rumplestiltskin while the absence did nothing to deter the stirring energy building in Wilby's slim frame. The dog somehow understood what was happening with how he shuffled in place begging them both to set him free from the car. Doing just that became a herculean task as both human and animatronic got out and were barely able to hold the mutt down long enough to get the leash back on him. Through the power of teamwork they managed, earning Belle a moment of relief before she found herself straining an arm when Wilby attempted to bolt forward.

"I thought this 'David Nolan' acquaintance of yours said he wouldn't pull you through half of Storybrooke." Rumplestiltskin scoffed from the sidelines, watching as the beauty struggled not to be dragged straight into a snow bank.

"He's got more strength than he looks! C-Come on Wilby-work with me!” Belle huffed-the puff of her warm breath a plume of white against the cold crisp air. Though she tried not to seem like she needed assistance she knew it was becoming evident when Wilby tugged with such desperation that she near about ended up with a face full of dirt.

"Here, best let me take over so you don't get hurt." Rumplestiltskin offered to her surprise as he held out a hand, his segmented fingers wriggling in demand. Without arguing Belle passed the leash to him, and as if sensing a chance to run amok the beast attempted to escape. Rumplestiltskin's incredible strength had the opposite happening as with a firm hold the dog lurched forward before bouncing back. From there he was left to gurgle out a sad bark in his loss that had the machine at her side giggling. "Not so eager to try and escape now are we? Now let’s take it slow mutt as I'd rather not have to help you give a bath later on."

"Thank you, but hi name is Wilby, and that would be me bathing him as baths and you don't mix." That got Belle a slight scowl, yet she couldn't miss how he continued to refuse to call the dog by its actual name... Much like how he once had refused to give her his own long ago.

"Willard-Wilson-whatever! We need to get a move on. I fear standing here might lead to someone getting a good look at me if they happened to drive by and I don't want to be the cause of a wreck." With a grimace Rumple tugged firmly on his coat hood before he began to striding towards the tree line. After accepting his fate Wilby began leading the charge, appearing to be willing to cooperate now that he was getting to explore and sniff to his heart's content. The sight of the odd pair-of Rumplestiltskin needling the creature who ignored his barbs… It had Belle's heart easing its ache some, and she returned upon hurried boots to her mechanical man's side once she locked up her car.

Together the trio ventured forth into the mouth of the waiting woods-the sound of snow crunching beneath boots and paws breaking the stillness of the thick forest around them. It wasn't too different from her and her mechanical man's walks about Avonlea, and like usual they began to chat with one another about nothing and anything to fill the void. Unsurprisingly Rumplestiltskin kept his voice low long after the car was out of sight, his brogue taking on a rare almost more human quality. Of course Belle knew he feared raising suspicion to his true nature if any passerby happened upon them so she didn't comment on it. Like she expected though the further they progressed past towering pines ladened with white and fallen remains of mossy stumps it became more evident they wouldn't.

In an odd way she felt it was a shame no one else was about enjoying this scenery. Glancing about she found it was so gorgeous out here touched by the elements-the landscape the thing of greeting cards, and it caused her breath hitch in her chest at such untouched beauty. Belle knew she wasn't alone in this feeling either as she saw Rumple's faux features softening to display a bit of awe at the canopy of pine needles rustling overhead. Overall it was becoming harder to keep her eye on Wilby too when she kept catching Rumplestiltskin's increasing smiles… Ones he was quick to try and conceal when he dared to glance back at her. He'd never right out admit to enjoying tagging along, but Belle smirked to herself at knowing the truth he couldn’t spin away. When they reached a clearing of sorts though the wind began to pick up, tugging at them with its cold claws that she leaned into him for warmth.

He tucked her against his side, drawing his coat about her to give her extra warmth. Unable to help the longings rising up in her heart the blushing beauty grabbed at her mechanical man’s hand without warning, feeling him flinch beneath her touch. Things were changing between them and in him though as his fingers sought hers back, twining them together without hesitation. Both of them were smiling so shyly behind auburn and wiry locks of hair as they walked hand in hand deeper into the solitary woods. Her heart fluttered when he even began to hum to her favorite song, causing Belle’s lips to quirk from his lovely unique lit. All the while she could feel winters touch had settled in his exposed mottled shell through her gloves, but she didn't wish to be spared his touch she craved like nothing else.

Yet, the two become so entangled in each other that they missed how their charge began to stray behind...

Until Rumplestiltskin abruptly lurched forward, sending both of them stumbling into each other in a clatter of fleshy knees and alloy parts.

“B-Bloody mutt! I-I think he’s trying to do this on purpose! A-Are you all right?” The hinged jaw near her face snapped while Belle’s fingers caught its owner’s coat to balance herself, feeling one of Rumple’s arms wrap around her to help keep her upright. Following the leash's direction she saw the cause for their predicament looking sheepishly back at them. Somehow Wilby had gotten almost the whole thing wrapped about a tree to which her imp glared daggers at the beast and Belle broke out into a fit of laughter. Slipping from Rumple's side she proceeded to help in untangling the peculiar duo.

“While I think we've made quite a bit of progress I’m starting to suspect we could walk this entire forest and back and he'd be just fine... Hm, we're going to have to find other means to help Wilby exhaust all that energy." Belle stated once she’d gotten things back to rights and the dog was free to continue scurrying about them. Both her brows scrunched though thanks to the persisting question of how to do just that… Darn it, she’d not brought the bag David had given her which had some of the dog's toys, yet her quick wit came up with a swift solution when her gaze fell upon the tree’s broken looking branches not far from reach.

Belle could feel Rumplestiltskin's line of sight trailing her in confusion as she let go of him to crouch before it’s trunk. Riffling through the snow and dead grass beneath she found her prize. Standing back she hefted into the air a large stick that in an instant had Wilby's focus on her and her alone with how his ears and tail perked. The dog clearly understood what was going on, but Rumplestiltskin’s golden-green face scrunched up as if baffled by them both.

"What on earth are you going to do with that? Beat him slowly to death with it?" Rumplestiltskin drawled out with a flourish towards her stick, but a twinkle of amusement glittered across her gaze. While it made the young woman a bit sad he had no idea what 'fetch' was Belle decided a demonstration would be best. Kneeling down she called Wilby over, and as the adorable creature sniffed at her she unhooked his leash, keeping a firm hold to his collar least he sprint off and cause them…

Well, she wasn’t up for hunting down a lost dog if she could help it.

"Okay Wilby, I need you to behave otherwise I'll have Rumple chase you down, and he always catches whoever he's after… Trust me you won't make it very far." Strange enough she knew on some level the dog understood her warning, because as she let go of his collar he remained planted there with his tail wagging. Rumplestiltskin appeared unsure of this decision-like he was readying to lunge at the beast if need be. Rearing her arm back though Belle waited a moment before throwing it as far as she could which had Wilby darting forward like a bolt of lightening. In a few seconds after it had fallen the dog plowed head first into a mound of snow to retrieve it before just as fast he was zipping back towards to the security guard. Like the good boy he was he offered up the stick in return… If a bit slobbery, and his obedience earned him a generous offering of pets.

"He's certainly a bright one, isn't he? Incredible, Remarkable… What an outstanding performance.” Rumplestiltskin's sarcastic clapping echoed-metal upon metal, but it had Belle rolling her eyes upon biting back a smirk. He wasn't that much different from Wilby in this regard when it came to how quick he was to 'fetch' her tea at home or Avonlea… The fact making her snicker into her scarf.

When she picked it up this time, however, she turned her attention to the animatronic beside her who’d gone silent-almost looking at her too as if he expected her to throw it at any given second. "Here, how about you give it a try? I think he'd like to play with you too and it's a good way to grow closer” Of course all that got her at first was an incredulous stare-she was sure it was aimed at her attempt to make them bond, but as she waved the stick around she caught how his mechanical eyes remained glued to it. “Come on-I promise it'll be fun! Don’t knock it until you try it, and look at poor Wilby...”

"Well, if it gets him tuckered out... What's the harm? Not like it's difficult game to grasp." Rumplestiltskin humored, bearing a devious grin full of dagger like teeth upon snatching the stick from her hands.

After examining it, perhaps to torment the poor creature who was waiting by whining, he reared his plated shoulder and arm back before chucking the stick with all his might. Belle forgot about his strength when it managed to go pretty-pretty far-a bit too far for her liking though she gave a teasing whistle. The increased distance didn't stop Wilby from taking off like a furry bullet in fired off hot pursuit. For a moment Belle feared he'd get too worked up running after that he wouldn't come back. Thankfully when he fetched it he came bounding their way over the drifts, sending sloshy chunks flying up into the air.

Instead of going to her though he turned towards Rumplestiltskin who raised a brow on its track before he accepted it back. Belle didn’t think she could be surprised any further before Rumple humored the beast once more by launching the stick in the same direction. Glad she was catching her breath the security guard watched from the sidelines as the game continued… Again…

And again...

And again.

The romp went on for a good period of time, and it was then while leaning against the tree that Belle realized that Rumplestiltskin wasn’t just trying to tire Wilby out. No, upon closer inspection she understood he’d loosened up towards not just Wilby but their whole outing too. Of course he’d deny this as well if she asked, but from the pure look on his face-so open and bare, he was enjoying this little outing neither of them had known they’d needed. When it seemed their four legged friend was no longer satisfied with fetch though, jumping back when the mechanical man reached for the stick, her beloved decided to change up his tactics. On inhumanly fast feet Rumplestiltskin flew towards the dog startling both it and Belle. With a swift grab his clawed hand got hold of one end of the stick which had Wilby rearing back on his haunches, jerking his head wildly to keep his claim.

Realizing what he was doing she ran after as the two fought for ownership of the stick-each growling at their opposition all in play. Soon enough the three of them were dashing carelessly through the snow to chase each other for ownership of a mere twig. Belle was sure that if anyone had happened to be nearby they would’ve heard human laughter, mechanical giggles, and happy barks echo through the high raised branches. How long they went about playing like this she had no exact clue, but while Rumple couldn’t feel that time having passed like she and Wilby did-too lost in the fun chasing after her once she'd gotten the stick, Belle's body did. Even Wilby began to slow as the minutes flew by with the sun rising higher against the treen shrouded horizon.

A minute later the dog finally gave up the fight, going on to ignore Rumple’s gleeful taunting. From where Belle had fallen over into the snow she could see her imp still in place with a disappointed frown aimed towards the despondent pooch. THe sheepdog joined her in enjoying the snow's cool relief when he plopped over right before Rumplestiltskin’s pointed boots, his tail wagging slowly.

"What are you done already? And here I thought you were wanting to play! Belle can you believe this-the nerve of this thing to drag us out here...“ Rumplestiltskin grumbled, sounding like a strange child not getting their way. Again he made it so easy for her to smile if a bit at his own expense. It was then he stooped, glancing about as if realizing she was no where in his direct line of sight, and he began to turn frantically to find her. "B-Belle?"

“Over here! I think I'm with Wilby on this one, so give us fleshy creature's a moment to rest.” The worn night guard called out from where she lay-she’d forgotten her new white coat made her blend into her current surroundings pretty well. Rumplestiltskin whirled about from where he stood towards her direction for her to see the age lines of his face softening when their eyes made contact. Still, it took so much in Belle not to crack up when he looked to the broken stick in his hands and tossed the remains as if pretending he'd not been running about with it like a mad man a mere minute ago.

"To think you two would be the ones to grow tired of this first. Then again I've used a fair amount of my battery, so I’ll need to charge at Avonlea tonight or at home." Rumplestiltskin said with a shrug, emitting a soft tittering sound at the end.

"I think all of us are going to sleep well later… So you did a good job.” With a satisfied grin she beckoned him closer which had her beloved hoping over brush and snow to get to her.

Still, her mangled heart’s tempo began to pick up as she studied him, noticing that sometime in the chase his hood had fallen back as his brown-grey hair clung about his face in tussled waves. More so Belle was struck by how the gleaming rays of sunlight that had creeped up over them had both the snow sparkling and his scales a glow too. Then there was the look he bore back to her on top of it all… Bring one word to mind… Beautiful. Every bit of him was that and so much more, and such thoughts repeated in her mind the longer she stared up at him against that dawning sky and its rich reds and oranges. When his strange glowing eyes met hers again she swore in his amber depths there was a similar spark burning there as in her own… Like the flames leaping up and licking at her insides.

She didn’t get to question what it was he felt for her in moment-if the love she felt was being reflected back.

Because something alarming happened.

Without any warning sign of any kind Rumplestiltskin froze while his face spasmed in a array of emotions-

Right as a loud clicking sound rang out sharply from his right leg.

Caught off guard Belle could do nothing but jerk up right when his leg buckled and the imp toppled forward upon a slight screech. Her own cry bellowed out in fear-fear for herself and him, but sheer luck had him catching himself before he could crash right on top of her. In the process though his heavy body pushed her back down into the pliable snow beneath them, his clawed hands braced against the snowy ground right beside her head. Caged under him Belle didn't even feel her breath halting in her lungs, no she was too focused staring up with wide blue eyes at seeing his ruined looking teeth clenched tight together before his metal eyelids screwed shut.

"R-Rum! W-What just happened-are you all right?" Reaching up towards him Belle moved without any fear of what might become of her with him in this state. Inside she was too busy fearing that the worst had finally come to pass after all this time.

Never in their nights together before had she heard his body make a noise like that, but could it be-no-no-no! He couldn’t-he’d been perfectly fine before, but…

What if he was breaking down?

A pained pitiful sound ebbed from the voice box while she cupped his silicone face in her hands, feeling uncertain what she could do for him if the worst had occurred. Fortunately as the seconds passed she watched his features start to grow lax. Eventually when he opened his eyes she found two large whole orbs reflecting her worried features back and not the pin point dots she’d feared would be there. Good-that was good-he was displaying no symptoms of a fault taking over, but still... What just happened wasn't normal even for him, and though Rumplestiltskin began to coo to her, shaking a bit under her touch all the while, she didn’t feel more at ease.

"D-Dearest, I'm okay-I'm... It was strange my right leg for a moment... The parts in it gave out, but my systems say nothing is wrong. It doesn't feel strange anymore either-I nearly fell on you though-I-I could have hurt you. I-I’ll get up now-I’m sorry-” Through his stuttered apologies he made move to wrench himself back from her arms, but Belle sat forward, grasping one hand tightly about the hood of his coat.

“Wait-you can’t move just yet! Are you sure you’re all right? I heard a sound come from your leg, so we better check you over before you do anything drastic!” No matter what he said she had to make sure this wasn’t dire, leaving her no choice but to reach one gloved hand towards his lower half as she sat up, his face near pressing into her own. While she knew this was no place to try and do an examination, especially with a machine instead of a human, she couldn't leave him be. Rumplestiltskin didn’t agree with her plan though he caught her hand mid motion before she could make it very far.

“Belle, don't worry-I can tell it’s moving right again, so no need to concern yourself over nothing.” The soft lit of his voice was compelling her-like he was willing her to believe him, yet of all times it was now Belle found that to be difficult. The worry clutching tight in her chest lessened when he shifted her hand in his grasp to pet his thumb across her palm in a soothing manner. Even more so she began to calm when his lopsided smile creased the age lines of his face once more. "I-I promise while it's never done that before I’d let you know if there was any damage, ah, I wouldn’t be able to move much either. Maybe I just... I don't know. I think I played a bit too hard today and the part was decompressing.”

Scooting back a bit from her he hefted up his leg to wriggle it about in a manner that made his boot almost touch her face. Though the worry remained in her it honestly looked like he was no longer in pain nor the part was giving him a problem from how quietly it moved, dredging from her a low laugh of relief and amusement at his antics. Pushing his caked boot aside he lowered it and shifted forward, surprising her with how close he sat. He-he was almost upon her again, and a part of her wished for him to drag his body over hers to enjoy the weight of him. The desire had her cheeks flaring a crimson hue-good grief! Her attraction towards him was getting way too out of control!

Then he said something, something that silenced the wind, the creaking trees, anything and everything from her mind.

“I do have to say that despite my previous judgements and the unwanted company today… I wouldn’t object to doing this all over again.” Rumplestiltskin gave pause, seeming to collect his thoughts before he looked at her beneath his lidded slats for eyelids. “It’s been a lot of... Well, it was amusing-I wouldn’t say I was bored-you know what I mean.”

Blinking in surprise at him admitting to this-well, as best he could, the young woman leaned closer in-their noses almost brushing. “Really? You had that much fun with me out here today? Would you do so again? I know this wasn’t your idea and I kind of forced you into this-”

“Never for a moment did you force me to do any of this worrisome knight… I… I always enjoy my time with you Belle… I'm happy when we are together no matter what we might be doing, and a little malfunction isn't going to change that. So please, don’t be sad, all right?” Shrugging again he did his best to seem nonchalant as possible, but he couldn’t trick her-couldn’t hide from her the way his mouth quirked at how happy she’d become.

Then without any warning she drew forward, hugging him tight enough she could feel his body stiffen through both their coats. There was more to her reason for needing to be held by him than this though, for she was glad he was okay, but she was also glad he was willing to try these things… She was overjoyed that he was happy here with her. When she didn’t think her heart could beat any faster he relaxed before drawing his arms about her into a tighter embrace. Oh, somehow he was so soft and warm in contrast to the firm cold metal plates beneath her limbs and cheek. A small bit of her begged her to remain there forever in his arms, savoring his faint sigh as he buried his metal slab of nose against the top of her head.

“Oh Rumple, I’m glad you’re okay… You know sometimes I don’t know what would I ever do without you.” Something deep inside willed her to say that, and she was glad her voice held firm in comparison to how she felt.

From the corner of her eye she watched try to hide his fragile smile from sight against her head and in his unruly locks. "Ah, I’m sure you'd be doing just fine if I wasn't around... You were taking care of yourself long before I was in the picture, besides, you’d be worrying a lot less about an old useless thing like me."

Her dainty digits tightened about him, dragging out this embrace he didn’t seem wishing to end either. “You know that's not true. I'd be far more lost without you if anything were to happen… Because I…’

‘I love you… I really, really love you… I want to be with you like this forever. I wish you could see what you do to me that no one else can-that you're not the monster you think you are…’ How long she now wanted to tell him those three words and more-to bear herself in truth so that he would know just what he did to her that no one else ever could. Still, the words couldn't come out, no matter how much her mind screamed for her to say it. She was too afraid of what he might do hearing her say that after how he'd been not long ago, and that was merely because of 'touch'. It hurt, but Belle didn't doubt he'd think she was making a mistake in loving him as he was afraid of his faults and his body… Afraid she would reject him like all humans so far did. Knowing him he'd even try to convince her it was wrong despite feeling the same exact thing towards her-b-because he did… She knew he did, and…

No one decided how she would feel least of all who'd she'd love.

However, as they stared deeply into one another, her willing him to see the affection he’d once found in her still remained, the soft grumble of a certain someone lying not far off sounding a bit jealous caught their attention. Both looked up to see not far off Wilby looking over at them with his head tilted to one side as if wondering what they were doing. Like glass shattering the tension that had been building between her and Rumple ended as their unique laughter mingled together.

Still, she was a bit caught off guard when with a swift push her imp was on his knees before rising back up to full height.

“W-We should continue on in our day before it gets too late for us to venture safely back to your apartment. You haven't slept yet either nor have you had any breakfast, and most of all I can't have you getting sick again. Avonlea has gone far too long without its knight-it needs you…” Rumplestiltskin was already at her side with how close his hushed nasally voice rang in her ear. Feeling his hands at her sides, her insides turning into fledgling butterflies, he had her up from the ground with the great of ease as he then went to help brushing off the remains of snow on her coat.

‘I don't think Avonlea needs me as much as I need you… Maybe someday you’ll understand...’ Belle sighed to herself as she reached forward to in order to brush the snow from him too. Sweet... How was it that this machine she had come to love to the bottom of her heart was this kind, especially after all the cruelty and apathy he'd endured? Once again she knew it would take more time before he was ready to accept her… Love. She just hoped it wouldn’t be too far in the future-she wasn’t sure how much longer she could go without kissing him all over.

However, her mind balked as it returned to his leg from how he began walking about her like he’d not just suffered a mechanical failing. ”Rumple, are you sure you can walk all the way back? We can wait a bit if you need to since your leg might do that again."

"Don't worry I'm made of far sterner stuff, so I'm not going to fall apart just yet. All the more I have a noble knight I must make gets home no matter what.“ He proclaimed loudly-the most impish and dramatic he'd been since they’d come out here.

Against her worries the crackle of his silly voice and bizarre expression had her shaking her head. She’d accept he was fine… For now, but later they would talk about it further. Instead she focused once more on getting them home as joined her in getting Wilby's leash attached back onto him. This time the task was far easier as the lazy beast gave them no trouble. Pleased by this Rumple took over the reigns without her having to ask, leaving her to wonder when his change in opinion towards the creature had taken place.

Then he offered her his hand that she didn’t hesitate to take within her own. Velvet like his mottled plates shifted across the back of her gloves-the faintest movement of his fingertips tracing the edges of her knuckles.

“Now… I remember exactly where we came from to get us back to the car, so we’ll be home in no time.“ He exclaimed with a dramatic flourish of his free hand, though he skirted the entire fact they’d left a visible trail of footsteps behind them to follow. Wilby all that while had taken back down to sitting on his haunches, but as Rumplestiltskin called to the dog it came sauntering over-that long tongue lolling out as it panted. "Come on Wilby, don’t expect any easier treatment than the rest of us. You're going to have to make it back on your own four legs-I’m certainly not carrying you.”

Ah-he'd just called him by his name... Delighted Belle bore a secret smile before she leaned into his shoulder, cherishing this tender moment without him knowing.

From there they began to walk back through trees, but Belle clung to him all the while in concern his leg might give out on him again. In time she relaxed though when he continued forward without any apparent problem as she caught no twitch of his artificial features or flinch of his hand in her own. With that weight off her shoulder for now Belle found somehow other burdens upon her began to peel themselves away-the thoughts of the upcoming future, those terrifying men, anything and everything scraping at the edges of mind. It helped too when she took in his scent as faint as it might be, her nose uncovering the distinct smell of pine from the wash, oil from his most recent self tuning, and things... Things that were all his own-almost undefinable in a human sense which soothed her weary spirit further.

She even felt his body rumble when he barked at Wilby to keep up, causing her to bury her face in his coat to hide her continued mirth. From his tone alone she could tell he wasn’t mad at the creature, far from it. Somehow in such a short amount of time he’d went from apathetic to concerned towards him, and he wasn’t the only one to change their tune about something. While their day had only technically begun Belle found not an ounce of her previous irritation towards this unexpected favor remained. Even with its… Complications, doing good once more had brought more good back into her life as she believed it would.

With that, a smile, and a content exhale Belle snuggled into Rumple as they soon found their way back out of the forest.

Yes, she was going to have to be sure to thank her friend for this.

—————

“Ah, home sweet home…” The words left him in a grateful gush, because in spite of his unexpected enjoyment romping about in the snow he was more than glad to be back home.

Home… Belle’s apartment had quickly become just that for him hadn’t it? While the bond he felt towards Avonlea was still there-he couldn’t imagine never going back to the place he’d lived in for so long, there wasn’t the same air to it that it had once before. In the days that had passed living alongside Belle he’d come to memorize every nook and cranny of her space just the same. In time he’d discovered the one floorboard in her kitchen that squeaked every time his human stepped on it, the one window with the perfect view of town, and how he preferred to use the outlet closest to the couch to charge despite how he had to reach behind a book case because it meant being closer to a certain someone when she read. Truth was she was his home, but now this place had become a central connection to her-one he took pride in caring for-

“Shoot! Rum, catch Wilby! He's going to make a mess all over the floor!”

Belle’s voice woke him from his stupor, causing him to straight up in time to see Wilby a just freed from his leash making a clear mad dash for the living room. Barely catching him by the collar he drew the beast back into the narrow hall, preventing his tracks from spreading. The mutt looked at them as if unaware of the gunk on his paws that would have left them mopping for the rest of the day if he ran wild.

“Now, listen here, we’re going to get you cleaned up and there’s nothing you can do about it. So be good, all right?” Rumplestiltskin's demand seemed to go far less well with Wilby than running about in mud and snow. Still, he didn’t put up much of a fight when Belle fetched a wet towel and helped remove all traces of their previous play. Once deemed acceptable he released the creature, watching how his furry form scurried off into the apartment in intrigue at his new surroundings. Funny-he’d been like that too which was a strange notion to share with the beast, but as Rumplestiltskin stood back up and wiped off his hands he had a whole other matter capturing his undivided attention.

Belle was stripping herself free of her winter wear as she hung her coat and divested her own dirtied boots. Gently his glowing eyes followed her hands peeling away her scarf, wondering if she’d be upset if he helped her like she helped him earlier. Surely she wouldn’t mind if his hands brushed along her arm-if she’d let him peel off her gloves and bring her fingers to chest to warm her back up as he knew now he could. However, that fantasy came to life as they began to press upon his hull, drawing his immediate attention to Belle beginning to disrobe him. Caught off guard he staggered back-too caught up in his desires to make sense of what she was doing.

Which got him a raised brow as… Oh… His coat… She had been just trying to help him with his coat, of course!

“D-Don’t worry dearest I got it! You go ahead and get warmed up-you’re tired I can handle cleaning up all this.” He ushered out too impishly for his liking while his claws fumbled worse than her with the buttons.

“I might be tired, but I know I'm not going to be able to go to sleep right away. I need to get Wilby some breakfast too, so would you like to join me in the kitchen?” Belle asked while hanging his scaled leather coat up for him, leaving a rather domestic homey sight of their things hanging together. Shaking his head he pulled himself back out of such fancies to find her staring in hope he’d say yes. More than anything he wanted to say that-like how he wanted to stand close to her to absorb her presence-to touch-to claim her-no-no-no! The heady things flickering inside of him didn’t make him safe or at least safe from him doing something completely foolish like he’d almost done out in the snow. Even now he could see her delighted face again at him admitting to having fun and her genuine worrying over his leg-both near about had him smother her in snow covered kisses to please and appease.

“I-I was thinking about sitting at my wheel for a while, if that is all right with you?” Rumplestiltskin asked, trying his best to sound normal inside he fought with his two torn halves.

“Of course… Let me know when you want to read or whatever you’d like to do. I’ll just, um… Get to it.” Pointing in the direction of her kitchen Belle took the bag for WIlby she'd been provided and stepped away, his glowing eyes trailing her retreating form.

It took every bolt and piece in the machine to fight off the urge to remain on right on her heels. To his frustration there was no hiding the truth of what he wanted-of how he longed to scoop her up into arms right here and now, pushing her down on the couch and remapping every bit of her mouth. Deep down Rumplestiltskin knew she alone could elicit sensations of humanity in him aided with those tempting lips and tongue against the wires and parts inside his jaw.

Yet, at that thought he froze both inside and out, his gears coming to momentary halt they clicked. The desires were shattered as his data banks brought up their last kiss that had gone awry like it had so many times before, leaving his head full of visions of blood, tears, and the sound of his beauty's voice screaming at him not to break. Shaking his head to thwart the visions that plagued him he repeated his vow or at least the one he had to keep no matter what. Things had changed in the last few weeks as he didn’t stop himself from touching and nearing Belle so long as she wished it. Yes, he could be her friend, her protecter, ally, cohort, and confidant, but there were things he couldn’t do… He could not kiss her as humans did nor offer her the companionship-the relationship only a real man could bring….

It broke him each time he faced it, but it was the truth that he couldn't be anything more than this.

No... He could never be the one she loved.

'Spin-I need to spin these thoughts away! I know I can't be hers and she can't be mine-not a monster’s never a monster’s-so I must spin-spin-spin!’ After peeling off his boots and cleaning up the mess the messy thoughts continued to follow him to his wheel. Sitting down the animatronic tugged at the wood, yet his mind couldn't linger on its soft creak nor soothing whirl.

In the background his auditory sensors narrowed on Belle in the kitchen going about pouring something into a bowl that he figured was Wilby's own breakfast. The dog went to chowing down while his beauty prepared her own as he heard the amusing sound of the toaster springing up shortly after. As much as he pretended to be busy doing nothing he glanced to see her moving to her table in the dinning room-the faint squeak of a chair moving back on the hardwood floor. How on earth she was still going strong after she'd just ran about for well over an hour had his own worry for her rising. Even more he didn't like the idea of her wearing herself thinner for his sake…

Another quick look her way had him in time to catch her nibbling on the end of pen before scratching out something in her notebook out of frustration… The bagel on her plate remaining ignored. He assumed it was another lead of hers lost which was a fact that made the corners of his mouth turn down. Weeks now she'd been at this, calling strangers, pestering people online, and still... Not a single thing about him to be found. It seemed his creator had covered his tracks for whatever reason or was an excellent con artist of some kind, and such knowledge made him detest the man even more. How could one person could be so elusive though-was there really no one who knew of his existence besides Mr. Getto and them? What of the people who had made the other animatronics he'd been supplied alongside?

Maybe they would never find the answer, but he couldn't deny that he needed help of some sort.

There Rumplestiltskin looked down to his right leg, flexing the joints beneath his leather pants and socks. The limb complied-nothing claiming to be wrong in his coding when he felt no further errors spike. Still, there was no denying that wear and tear catching up to his mechanics as it was sheer luck he'd gone without a major problem besides almost loosing the ability to speak. The question was how many more years did he have before something dire inside him broke? Five? Ten? Couldn't be twenty since there was no way without replacement parts, upgrades, and patches to his computerized parts that he would survive that long. Honestly, while Belle was making great progress in learning robotics there was still only so much she could with limited practice, though he greatly appreciated all she did.

Like a tidal wave the ache slammed into him as he thought of what would become of him in time if they could not get him assistance. Most of his fears he harbored were for Belle and not himself either. Altogether his body tensed-cords writhing in his shell, at the possibility of forcing her to watch him wither into inoperable junk before her very eyes. In time if he didn't get fixed he’d take away her hope of happiness-the ‘happy ending’ she claimed he was apart of.

N-No! He didn't want to think upon such things right now! Yet, one couldn’t outrun the future, and it was starting to look more and more like he...

He wasn't going to be around for much of it.

Swiveling back to the wheel he forced himself to fall into the lull of its spokes turning beneath his digits to avoid this heavy truth. Spin. Spin. Spin. Loose himself-forget-he needed to forget. The mantra soon had the sporadic numbers of his mind reaching a neutral state, and he felt his body grow still save for his hand giving the wheel a push when it needed it. The noise inside his skull faded too that left behind a dullness he'd not felt in a long while, not since the nights before the night guards began to appear at Avonlea… How long ago it felt now when he wasted his days away staring into nothingness with only night as his consolation… In a place so empty, quiet, and alone-

Suddenly he flinched upon his stool, feeling a gaze upon him and sunlight slipping into his eyes that had not been there before. Turning about in worry he looked to see Belle standing a few feet away with a worried expression plastered on her fair face. Wait-how long had he... Immediately his internal clock brought him back up to speed, telling him he'd been at the wheel for about three hours. I-It was the bloody afternoon now! Shocked by this he began to realize how scary it could be to loose time like that so carelessly-he'd been so use to it early on in his 'awareness' when it didn't matter, but now he felt shame wash over him at wasting such precious time. Regardless, pivoting his neck up at Belle he felt his previous joy from their day return at finding her easing down, and for a moment his body quit working for different reasons altogether as he drowned in all her natural beauty.

"Sorry, you were deep in your spinning again, and I didn’t want to disturb you.” She began, seeming a bit embarrassed with her lip between her teeth. If anyone should be mortified it was him with how he kept gawking at her hair burning bright in the sunlight. “I’m going to go run over to my dad's shop really quick and check up on him before I get some food from Granny’s. Do you mind watching Wilby while I'm out?."

"Ah, so now your dumping the mutt on me now?" He joked, his usual mischievous voice failing him, but to his relief she laughed that wondrous sound as he stood up from the wheel to approach her. “Don't fret, dearest, I’ll watch him and ensure nothing happens. Just don't say I never do anything for you, and you can repay me later by helping pick out all the dog hair that gets stuck to my vest!"

At that he pretend to pick said hair from his vest which had her smacking his hand down.

“Hah, very funny, but I promise I won’t be gone long. Maybe two hours at most.” She said, her tired gaze once more lidding with something he couldn't quite place. Just as fast it disappeared when a scolding look settled upon her features, making him shrink in on himself as he knew what it was meant for. “I know earlier you said you're fine, but tonight when we get to Avonlea we're going to look over you leg to make sure nothing did break. At least humor me an inspection. Before all that though... Maybe when I get back we can sit together and watch a movie together or go back to reading that book you’ve been enjoying… Just don't get mad if accidentally fall asleep on you-I don’t intend to, but…”

"So long as we are both happy I am fine with whatever you'd like to do. Perhaps if you'd read my chapters for me today we can call it even, and then you'll be less likely to sleep that way." He snickered, though of course he didn’t care a lick if she passed out on him. In fact, the image of her adorable form nestled against him on the couch snoozing away... The urge to protect and care for her came roaring back to life in his systems, pleading him to make her change her mind-to stay with him.

“Sounds like a deal then, but before I go I want to make sure you have your phone with you and you've got your key. Just incase you need me to get back here or you have to leave.” Belle said as she stood back up to her full not so intimidating height, causing him to roll his eyes this time. Delving into his vest he produced both the apartment key he had her attach to the flip phone he now kept tucked away with him at all times. It was strange to think that he a machine of all things was lugging around another smaller machine-be it one that was taking some getting used to with those tiny flippant little keys, but it definitely improved both of their senses of safety. If anything were to happen now he could get inside Belle's apartment if he had to escape Avonlea and he could also call her to come to his aid or vice versa.

“Yes-yes, I got both of them. Now go take care of your father as I am sure he will be glad to spend some time with you too."

Though she nodded it looked like his beauty wanted to say something else, staring at him like she did. Alas, no words came forth from either of them, and to his dismay as the seconds passed she began to back away, leaving his hands awkwardly reaching up as if they hoped to stop her. Longing so deep and intense came flooding through the animatronic's systems at seeing her small sad smile before she turned from him. From there she disappeared down the hallway leading to her front door, drawing back on her gear and boots. Shortly after she left his sights he heard the tall tell sound of the slab of wood closing followed by the click of a bolt locking into place.

Once he knew he was truly alone when her steps stopped ringing down the steps Rumplestiltskin sagged…

He missed his human already.

Good grief! He smacked himself in the face at such a pathetic feeling. They had just parted mere moments ago and he was already growing lonely without her sweet blue eyes nearby or her lovely voice calling to him from not far off. Twenty eight years of loneliness meant nothing as he’d grown greedy for her presence that going without it felt torture. Except… He wasn't alone now was he? His gaze darted over near Belle’s dinning room table where he found not far off the furry beast laying there, looking up from his nap with a big yawn.

“Looks like it's just you and me mutt, and probably for the best too. Belle has to be getting sick of me at this point and regretting letting me stay here all the time. Now I've gone and gotten her more worked up over my body too!” At that Wilby let out a soft sound, not quite a bark, but getting close enough he didn’t know what he’d do if he start howling away. “Shush! What-you think it's funny? The walking talking tin can rattling on about feelings he shouldn’t have?”

As if uncaring of his spoken plight the dog got up, getting more excited by his theatrics, and began to energetically spin around. Several times around it went like that almost making the machine's own eyes start swirling in their metal sockets.

"You know Spinner would suit you much more for a name than Wilby with how often you... Spin... Ah... Spinner…” There was something strange about the notion he'd prompted, but shaking his head to clear it of the odd sparks of thought he beckoned the beast after him. “Come along... I'm not going to get anywhere with my spinning and I have to get you preoccupied as you seem done snoozing the day away.”

Finding the bag Belle had been given in the kitchen Rumplestiltskin riffled through its innards. Quickly he found what he was looking for as he drew out a plush sheep that had seen better days. Offering it Wilby took it from him in glee before moving to lay down and chew on the poor inanimate animal. With a satisfied smile the animatronic returned to his wheel, but before he sat back down he paused, looking to the towering bookcase's not far off instead.

Choosing to instead pursue through Belle's shelf the machine had a hard time deciding on what to read which worked in distracting himself. Quite a few of the more interesting ones he'd already torn through in his long nights while Belle slept peacefully in the other room. With care his dark talons danced over the displayed spines while he hummed his unknown song in thought. Taking a chance he pulled a thicker interesting look tome off the shelf where he opened it discover it was not a novel but a text book dedicated to looking at art through the ages. This intrigued him-he never took Belle to be interested in the subject, and so turning back around he sat on his stool where he reached one hand absentmindedly to tug at the wheel. As it spun Wilby stopped chewing on his toy to look up at it while Rumplestiltskin flipped through many detailed pages, growing curious to this subject and its evolution through human history.

Art, history, antiques he'd always been interested in these things somewhat from his limited perspective. There was something about older things that always caught his eye, probably because he himself was a relic in a sense and his mind more keen on medieval and fantasy like themes being that was what he was used to. The many pages went flipping beneath his thumb as he found new terms and meanings settling into his data banks. From there he studied the different time periods of art from how the processes progressed from simple cave drawings to distinct oil paintings of the renaissance era. Baroque, modernism, cubism, romanticism, and so many more styles, ages, and forms of art lingered on the pages he flipped past. Wilby seemed grew less interested in any of this as the imp heard him go back to chewing on his sheep, and in time his own intrigue start becoming sated too.

Just as he was preparing to close the book and seek another though…

He came across one picture that had him pausing entirely.

His entire metal body stilled in an eerie manner for a long while as he studied it. He didn't even notice Wilby tilt his head suddenly in confusion as if sensing this sudden conflict starting to writhe in his cords. No, he couldn't focus on the beast nor anything else the longer he looked at the gruesome image printed on the page.

The mural... It depicted a massive man painted in dark oils in a gritty grim texture reflecting its content. Standing up yet hunched over with blotted darkness for eyes the painted monstrous man tightly gripped at something in his hands, and that something had Rumple's eyes widen in horror… For it was a human-one much smaller than the monster, but that was worse as their head was missing-torn clean from his body while his only remaining arm was being devoured. Such a painting-such disgusting terrifying imagery... The massive man seemed to be staring through him all that while with absolute apathy in that empty void gaze, gripping at this slaughtered human whose death had to have been nothing but utter agony. Between the gore of ruined flesh being gorged upon- such cruelty-he couldn't escape,

All except a small set of words beneath the text caught the machine's eye.

‘Saturn devours his Son’

H-How? How was there something familiar about this painting to him? Something that reached in and grabbed at something deep... Deep...

Down... Down…

Inside…

Then to Rumplestiltskin's utter horror he watched as pearly white teeth began to appear in that pitch black painting of a mouth.

The world around Rumplestiltskin slowly began to deafen as the noise deep within him began to crackle and build. Such was the case he didn't even hear the creature near him that was getting up to his haunches-its toy abandoned and its paws padding nervously upon the floor. Too lost to the madness brewing inside the imp missed the low rumble of a growl picking up that was the fearful guttural sound of a creature fearing something terrible drawing near. No, the machine was lost-falling and slipping much like the book did from his hands. As it fell to the floor with a thud the beast before the mechanical being’s mouth pulled back taught, bearing gleaming canines with its hackles raising.

Such a sight-it began to blur somehow with his distorted reality, dredging up from within... Tugging-pulling-grabbing-twisting-

Breaking-bashing-beating-

(DARK01-A: ATTEMPTING TO ESTABLISH A CONNECTION. ZOSO!PROTOCOL ENGAGING. ERROR. CRITICAL ERROR.)

In a flash much like times before the world around Rumplestiltskin faltered, growing hazy with glitches peeling apart the seems. His vision bent, leaving him looking at a world that wasn't the one he recognized. No, here there were bright lights, so bright at first he could scarcely make out the shapes of things and anything nearby. Frightened he tried moving his arms and legs, but his joints wouldn't budge right. He could feel he was stuck sitting sprawled out on the floor while surges of electricity shoot through every part of him, forcing soundless screams up at the sky-the blinding lights-the man before him-

Him… The man in the white coat tugging at that purple tie.

How he hated the sight.

Like before the figure's face was devoid of any semblance of features, simply a distorted abyss residing in place of anything human. He stood there a few yards back with his hands tucked behind his back like he was surveying the scene from a safer distance. Rumplestiltskin found he couldn't move out of this scene too, wondering if he was frozen in Belle’s apartment-if in actuality his servos were locking up. But he couldn't tell! He couldn't tell truth from fiction-if this glossy metal world was anything real at all. Trying his best to look around-if he could make out anything… Yes, against the lights he spotted windows far up and behind the man without a face where he saw glimpses of shadows looking down-spectators to this scene that was only becoming more hellish.

Then like drum roars he could hear people's footsteps pattering against the metal tiling.

There were others in the room-people dressed in dark threatening gear that concealed their faces, so he couldn't make out anyone just terrifying shapes who neared him. No… They weren’t nearing him. It was then he realized before him strewed out on the slab of scratched up flooring was a heap of something he couldn’t recognize.

(‘Tell them to proceed. We’ll keep recording the reaction though I know they already reached a conclusion-’)

The man in the white coat’s voice was garbled against the madness in his head and in this place-everything was too hard to hear from the white noise screaming in his failing programing. Everything was flickering and fading in and out-full of holes and errors, but as he forced his way through this fault, or fit-whatever this was tearing his metal skull apart, he managed to latch on. Rumplestiltskin felt his vision clear, and in the next instant he realized that the heap before him was not an object nor a person.

Fur, dark brown that was so soft looking-it was a creature laid on its side with its limbs sprawled out and...

A cry.

A whine-pained and begging-

Blood.

Its was blotted with it-a sea of crimson oozing out around that unmoving form, and the echo of his audible rising screams began to drown out all and anything.

(‘It won't be enough evidence. We'll have to proceed to the next recognition testing phase as this one is a failure and I... Can't afford another.’)

The man with the purple tie directed the darkly dressed figures with a wave while the machine thrashed and rattled his metal body. Electrical surges increased, ripping him apart from the inside out while beyond he could feel his body slip from the stool in Belle’s apartment. There was a crash in both that world and his as in the scene he toppled over, doing whatever it was he could to reach the animal crying out. To his horror the terrifying figures began approached the beast as well to which he saw one of them had something in their hands-something pole like almost-like-a bat-or a baton-

And at the end of it was a spattering of that same red-red-red.

W-What were they going to do with that-what had they done! No-no-stop-stop-please! This was a nightmare-this wasn't real!

(DARK01-A:1-A OPERATING SYSTEM COMPROMISED. ALL SYSTEMS COMPROMISED.//FORTY FOUR. FORTY FOUR. WHOSE PAIN AND PLIGHT THEY DID IGNORE. ZOSO|PROTOCOL ENGAGED. D@$:E# IMPLEMENTING.//)

The man with it moved forward before drawing his arm back, letting him catch a sliver of the man's face beneath that visor-the stark white of an eye. Hatred burned in his cords recognizing that face, sending the mass behind him wriggling while inside he felt agony swarm his components.

No-he wouldn’t let them-he wouldn’t let do this! He wouldn't let them keep taking from him!

TEAR. TEAR. TEAR. BREAK. BREAK. BREAK. TAKE. TAKE. TAKE.

Like they took his freedom-like they all he held dear-like they took-like they took away the boy.

That very special boy... His boy... Tore them apart...

Torn in two...

(DARK01-A: HAS FORMED A CONNECTION. CRITICAL ERROR. ZOSO|PROTOCOL BREACHED.//WE CAN MAKE THEM PAY FOR THEIR TERRIBLE SINS. AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS JUST. LET. ME. IN.// INTERFERENCE-44. UNABLE TO ACCOUNT FOR ANOMALY.)

They were clamping tight into him now-the pearly whites tearing and eating-consuming and devouring all he was and ever been. From inside its maw the many hands and tormented faces sang, urging him to fall-fall-fall-give in-give up-snuff the light-and let their savior rise-to set them free-

To make them pay. Make them all pay. Every. Last. One...

As he watched powerlessly when with all his might the man brought the weapon in his hand down-

Before everything went black.

(DARK01-A: CONNECTION DENIED. 01-A: RESTRICTIONS RESET. CRITICAL RESET. ZOSO|PROTOCOL DISENGAGE PHYSICAL RESTRICTIONS. DAG:ER AUTHORIZING MEMORY BANK REPAIR. REPAIR AUTHORIZED.)

A sudden loud sound ripped Rumplestiltskin from the fault's hold, and the world became illuminated once more-so blinding in fact he thoughts his sensors had been obliterated-

Yet, against the fault coming to a vengeful end inside him he could make out that noise rippling through the air that had called him back.

The sound of a dog barking-a dog-a dog....

“Spin… Spin… Hel… Help… I’m… So lost… C-Can't find my way back... Back out-b-back to you-to the boy-my boy-I can't-I can't find him! He’s gone-he’s gone-he’s…” Returned to his body Rumplestiltskin sputtered in pain while the protocol began ripping into him, sending sparks shooting from his neck. It was hard to hold onto anything while his body jerked, especially when the thoughts were so broken already-so terrifying and vile. Once more he was left to cry out at seeing such things and only be left with glimpses as they were torn from his active mind-lost to the pitch black where the greedy maws of the protocol tore through them in fervent desperation. “What… Am I… Why do I… See these things… I… I don't know... B... But... Wait... What... What did I see... Again? There was the man... Something at my… And teeth-promising... I do-do-don't know... I already can't remember-but... Remember what? W... What is happening?”

It was too late as when the machine felt the worst of it pass-now uncertain of what had just occurred in the last few moments.

Gone. It was all gone. Erased from his data banks in the span of a few seconds.

The thing called 'DAG:ER' finished its way with him too as he spasmed against the floor, writhing in agony from his servos unlocking in sudden pops.

Meanwhile as if a switch had been flicked the aggressive stance of Wilby changed in an instant, going from the snarling teeth and barking to a whimper as his tail flicked nervously behind him. Shocked at this and more it roused Rumplestiltskin from his confused state how the dog drew near, emitting feeble little worried cries as its tongue lapped at his silicone cheek. Despite how gross it was the ease and affection had Rumplestiltskin sputtering as he cried out there upon the ground-limbs flinging and twitching. At this point he wasn't certain why he was there besides knowing he'd suffered a fault from the after effects. Yet, reaching carefully for the beast with a wonky hand he brushed his fingers through that reddish brown fur as gently as possible. Why was he staying... He had to be a terrifying sight, but he noticed through his spasms that the dog did not shy from his touch.

“T-That’s a good boy-a very good W-Wilby… Thank you… I-I'm doing b-better, but... Please stay... W-Without Belle... Hard to stay grounded-hard to stay here... Belle... Come back... Belle... Belle...” Rumplestiltskin choked out after a few minutes with this strange determined creature not seeming to have any urge to flee from him. Honestly, the comfort of another being-be it non human, gave him immense relief at this time. As if sensing his need the dog rested at his side, laying its head near his twitchy hands, letting him reach out to pet behind the large ears.

Trying to get his programming back to rights the animatronic fought off the lingering effects of locked servos, but it was hard-the protocol's punishment had been more severe this time with him. Again he cried out when the joints in his arms popped, freeing him them from their confined state. So loud were the sounds that he didn’t hear the faint noise of jangling keys nor a knob turning. No, he was attempting to get up to his hands and failing miserably by the time the distinct creak of a door swinging open had him freezing in place. B-Belle! No! She'd gotten back early-no-no despite how he needed her she couldn’t see him like this-she’d get upset and he’d make her cry-he hated to make her cry. Fearing this the animatronic bit back a sob as he clenched his teeth to try again only to fail, his body collapsing back down while her pattering boots drawing near didn’t slow down.

Strange-she didn't even call out his name, and... Wasn't this a bit too early to be back?

Instead of her lovely accented voice ringing out like he hoped one he didn’t recognize at all did, sending his racing insides halting altogether.

“Hey, Belle are you home? I didn't get a response from the text message I sent, but just so you know Granny let me off work early so that I could bail you out! Belle?”

There was nothing he could do, nothing to prevent the tragedy that was about to take place.

Turning up his gaze as slow as possible he could see the high heels leading up long legs to a red skirt that entered the room. At the new presence Wilby perked up, though he refused to leave his side as the beast's tail wagged in contrast to how inside Rumplestiltskin felt a tiny part of him flicker out of existence. He’d feared this day would come-when he’d be discovered, and he’d thought that the first time he’d met Belle that night long ago. Now though he knew it was all over-the hiding, the running, his days with his dearest... Because as he shakily stared up at the woman with two pinpoint eyes in their dark sockets, knowing how terrifying and monstrous he had to look, he watched as the bag in her hands drop to the floor with a loud clatter.

Glass shattered, and what inside soon began to leak out a wine color liquid from the fabric all over the floor.

Dark long hair framed that pale elegant face that he knew had to be none other than Ruby Lucas, but she was frozen in place, looking down at him with green eyes surrounded by a sea of white. Gasping out a crackled sound the machine's body creaked as he managed to get a knee under him, seeing every single whirling thought racing through her mind. Fear-shock-horror-again-it was happening again-the endless cycle he created. His own racing systems did the only thing that emerged from the coding and numbers of his fault torn mind in hopes to stop this scene from spiraling out of control.

Softly Rumplestiltskin's broken voice box crackled, drawing forth a single word-

“W-Wait-"

Before she let out a blood curdling scream.

#Rumbelle Fic #Rumbelle #Belle French #Rumplestiltskin #Animatronic!Rumple #Long Post #Once Upon A Time #Real Inside #Well I'm over 500k words now and hopefully half way there or more!#*throws self into the pit of hell wait-I'm already there*

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