Now this, the man sat beside her, smiling warmly as she babbled on about this new world and its wonders. This was the man the others didn't see. And maybe a lot of it was that he didn't want them to see him. Belle knew the others were scared of him, she'd known his reputation long before she'd ever met the man himself, of course her father had been the one to call on his help during the war. But little by little, she'd gotten to know Rumplestilskin, and Belle had fallen in love. Not overnight by any means. But it had happened. And it was because of moments like these. The fact that in this world they were together, with no curse, with nothing keeping them apart. It was everything she could have hoped for and more besides.
And he wanted to show her the world.
"We have time." she told him almost dreamily, tilting her head so it rested at his shoulder, her hand still clasped tight in his own. "You can show me this world and what it means to be part of it. We can go for tea, we can visit places. We can just be ourselves can't we?" she fantasized. All the things in her books, maybe now she'd see them one day. She'd learn, she'd read and she'd study the things in the books and then her love would take her to those places.
But not for now. For now she was content. "All those places we can go, and right now, do you know there is nowhere I'd rather be than here, with you. You...will stay here tonight won't you? Now that I have you here, I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep unless you stay. Then tomorrow we can go somewhere. Make a start. What do you think?"