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Belle knelt before her oldest, adjusting the red-trimmed ties that secured his wide black cape around his neck. She itched to wipe the circle of blush on his left cheek, as it was uneven with the right, but Samuel had been so proud at doing his make up himself, that she limited herself to praising him for the work he'd done at darkening the light brown eyebrows he'd inherited from his father into an impressing thick wing of black. "Do not bite anybody," she warned him, though, not buying for a second his innocent expression. The eyebrows were not the only thing Rumpelstiltskin had passed down to her sons. "Not even if they ask."
Samuel groaned, revealing the plastic fangs he'd donned for the night. "But, mom!"
Belle shook her head, then met his eye until he nodded. Instead of kissing him and risking a spot of lipstick on the carefully applied pale mascara, she adjusted his hair into the widow's peak he'd been enchanted by, and which Belle was sure had been the turning factor in his costume choice.
Then she turned to Seth.
The four year old had retreated to the couch, a book Neal had brought him in his last visit laid down over his lap as he mouthed along the words. It seemed that Sherlock Holmes would have his nose stuck in a book as he investigated which houses had the best candy tonight.
"You're ready, darling?"
Her son raised those serious brown eyes - so much like Rumpelstiltskin at his earnest - and gave a solemn nod. The poor boy was resigned to go, aware that he couldn't make his brother share his best candy if he didn't have any of his own to give in exchange.
Belle smirked to herself, aware that the Gold boys had known from the cradle how to strike a deal that benefited all.
At least, she consoled herself, a sugar-high was a relatively harmless goal.
Samuel shrieked in excitement when the doorbell rang. "Henry's here!" he announced, running to welcome the older boy.
Indeed, the fourteen-year-old came in, smiling indulgently at the boy who had latched onto his waist and refused to let go. "Hello, Belle," Henry greeted her, then grunted when a smaller weight glued itself to his leg. "Seth," he acknowledged his tinier uncle, and Seth grinned up at him, his face full of hero worship.
Seth never let anyone forget that Henry was the Author.
Belle didn't have the heart to tell him how Henry had hated taking on that mantle. "Hello, dear," she said, rising to her feet. "You have a good time, and don't hesitate to drag these ruffians back home if they give you trouble." Instantly, twin dark heads shook in unison. "Just behave, you two," she told her sons, patting their heads fondly.
"Yes, mom," they chorused.
A pair of cherubs wouldn't have looked better behaved.
Belle and Henry exchanged a glance, aware of the truth.
"Don't worry, Belle," the boy reassured her. "I have our route planned out, and we're not getting to the good stuff until the end. So you'll behave, right," he commented, addressing now his two miniature attachments.
Another pair of heartfelt nods, now joined with the dreamy look of the children who'd been promised the sweetest mana.
On Halloween night, it was a promise to be fulfilled several times over.
Still smiling, Belle handed them the plastic pumpkins meant to hold their haul of sweets. Sam shrieked again, Seth thanked her, kicking his brother until he did the same, and Henry gave her a bemused grin as he accepted the third orange basket... which changed into a raised eyebrow as he noticed the fifty-dollar bill at the bottom. "I don't-" he started.
Belle shook her head. "Maybe you'll get thirsty," she said, hoping he'd understand it for the hint it really was.
The trickster genes must be strong, because Henry grinned, and suddenly looked too innocent. "Well... it's a school night, you know."
Prepared, Belle dug another fifty from her pocket and handed it to him. "What about pizza, too?" she suggested, and knew that Henry wouldn't get a choice as her two boys squealed at the idea.
Thank the gods that they had inherited her appetite.
Henry chuckled. "I guess we'll be back later than I planned."
Belle smiled back. "Just make sure you have fun!" she said to the trio, already herding them to the door.
Henry muttered something under his breath. It sounded like, "I'm sure you will," but she wasn't completely sure as her sons scrambled to be the first to hug her goodbye. Taking the two of them in her arms, she kissed both their heads, muttering the old protections her own mother had always cast over her before sending them off.
"Alone at last," said a familiar voice behind her.
Belle couldn't catch a whiff of his magic, so he must have sneaked out of his office to come join her. Without bothering to warn him, she leaned all her weight back against him, unsurprised when Rumpelstiltskin caught her and pulled her even closer.
"And good evening to you too, husband." She rounded on him, lifting her arms to thread them around his neck as she closed the front door with a harsh kick, shutting the outside world away. She kissed his cheek in welcome, then covered his lips in a more leisurely kiss. "Your grandson has a devious mind," she told him a minute or so later, once she'd recovered her breath. "He thinks we're bribing him so we can indulge in a few hours without children underfoot."
Rumpelstiltskin grinned, waving a hand in a gesture she knew meant he was sealing their house away from the public eye, leaving them available only to those who shared his blood. "Does he really?" he rumbled, sweeping his hands up from her hips to her waist and further, dragging her shirt along. "Smart boy."
The End
04/10/16