Anonymous prompted: "If you're still taking prompts, I would love a one-shot in the Carrot Cake/Cupcakes verse that includes Rumbelle (of course!), RedCricket, and Tinkerhook!"
Miran-Chan has also been waiting patiently for a Tinkerhook-with-bonus-Captain Floor cupcake story for a very long time.
This is a follow-up to this SFSS ficlet but can stand alone. Cupcakes future fic!
Also shout-out to spottytonguedog and Stan. One of his Italian cousins makes a cameo here!
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Belle did not think that she had ever been so glad to see Tina in her entire life, and when the other woman walked into the library, looking incredibly tanned and incredibly happy, Belle could not stop herself from running over to her and throwing her arms around her fellow librarian.
“Easy, easy,” Tina said, returning Belle’s hug. “I was only away for three weeks.”
“I know, but I’m so glad you’re back,” Belle said.
She did not begrudge Tina’s holiday, it was her honeymoon after all and she and Killian had been saving up for their dream trip for a long time. She could have done without it falling at the same time as Gold’s knee replacement operation though. Aunt Elvira had gone home to Glasgow the previous day since Gold had passed his seven-day check-up, and Belle had not wanted to think of what her poor, frazzled mind would have done had Tina not arrived for work for whatever reason.
“How’s it been? Not too busy I hope? And how’s Gold?”
“It’s been manageable,” Belle said, “no more busy than usual.” In fact, the library had been blessedly quiet for a couple of days, which had lent her some much needed time to get herself back together. “Gold’s fine, grumbling as usual, but the op was a success and he’s allowed out and about more now. He should be coming by later with Charlotte to say hello, provided Ruby remembers. He’s still not allowed to drive yet and it’s sending him nuts.”
Tina just laughed. “I’ll bet.” The two women made their way back over to the issue desk and Tina held up her large tote bag with a grin. “I brought presents for everyone. I didn’t know what everyone would want so I just brought a selection and everyone can pick their own present later. There’s genuine Tuscan olive oil, and limoncello in a bottle shaped like the leaning tower of Pisa, and cake, and biscuits, and selection of fridge magnets.”
Belle had to laugh at the addition of fridge magnets to the ever-growing list of comestibles. Tina and Killian’s honeymoon had taken them on a boat tour, sailing all around the coast of Italy, and it took pretty much the entire day for Tina to tell her friend all about the adventures they'd had, including Killian nearly being accosted by an overly lascivious octopus.
The day was thankfully not too busy, and by the time Belle ushered the last patrons out of the library ready to close, she was beginning to feel that maybe, life was going to be manageable again now that Tina was back. She sat back down behind the issue desk with a happy sigh as Tina continued her re-shelving. The others would be there soon. Charlotte loved coming to the library after hours and having the place practically to herself. It was not the books she liked, although she had inherited her mother's love of the written word, but more the opportunity to play hide and seek with Connor in and out of the stacks.
Needless to say, as soon as the doors opened and two sets of pattering feet rushed in - one four years old, one six - there were a couple of shouts of 'Hi Mummy,' 'Hi Tina,' 'Hi Auntie Belle,' and then the two little maniacs had run off to hide in the graphic novel section.
"No running!" Archie yelled from the door that he was holding open for Gold and Ruby, although it had absolutely no effect whatsoever. Gold just shook his head in despair as he manouvered his way into the library on his crutches. Belle went over to help him and, once his balance was slightly less precarious, she pressed her lips to his cheek.
"Sometimes I think our daughter was swapped at birth," he muttered. "I swear someone as sweet as you couldn't possibly have produced a heathen like her."
Belle just smiled. Until being signed off work for six weeks for his operation and recovery, Gold had never spent as much time with Charlotte during the day as Belle did, and he had expressed his admiration for her ability to cope with the little ball of energy without collapsing on numerous occasions over the last week and a half.
They made their way back over to the issue desk, where Tina was laying out her gifts, including the very large fridge magnet selection. Belle thought she might have gone a little overboard in that department. Gold did not say anything to the magnets, simply sitting down in Belle's chair and stretching out his knee.
"Do you mind? That's my chair."
"I'm an invalid!" Gold protested.
"The physio told you that you needed to get your knee moving more," Belle pointed out.
"They also told me that I shouldn't stand for long periods of time," Gold countered.
Belle narrowed her eyes. "Fine." She settled herself on his lap, her weight on his good leg. Before anything more could be said, however, they were interrupted by Ruby.
“It’s official!” she announced as she entered the library. “I am officially too pregnant to drive!”
“Seriously?” Tina said.
“Seriously. I got in the car and just thought ‘nope, this is not happening’ and made Archie drive instead. I am too pregnant to fit behind the wheel.”
Belle had to admit that this didn’t actually surprise her. Ruby’s bump was absolutely enormous and seemed to be expanding by the hour. She knew that Ruby was expecting twins, but sometimes she wondered if the sonographer had miscounted and there were in fact quintuplets in there.
The usual greetings were exchanged, with Tina exclaiming as to how much Ruby had grown in the three weeks she had been away, and then Ruby's eyes alighted on the biscuits, and her stomach gave an impeccably timed growled.
"Yes, Ruby, the biscuits are for you if you want them," Tina said.
"Thank you."
Tina laughed as Ruby tore ravenously into the packet. "Slow down, Ruby,"
“Tina, when you are carrying two miniature humans around inside you, then you can tell me to slow down,” Ruby said. “I’m eating for three here, I need three times as many biscuits!”
Tina shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it, either of you. I’m terrified of having children. Luckily Killian is as well. We’re having enough trouble working out if we’re ready to be parents to a dog or if we’d kill it within a week. By accident, not intentionally. My track record for goldfish isn’t exactly inspiring.”
“There’s quite a bit of difference between a human baby and a goldfish,” Archie pointed out.
"I know. No-one's ever been to prison for accidentally forgetting to feed their goldfish," Tina remarked drily.
"You don't generally forget to feed a baby," Ruby said. "They're very good at vocalising their hunger, unlike fish." She happily popped another biscuit in her mouth before offering the packet to Archie, as if she had only just remembered that he was standing beside her. Archie rolled his eyes in good-natured despair and snaffled a biscuit, his hand coming to rest on top of Ruby's bump.
"Did you have a good time?" Ruby asked Tina. The little blonde nodded. "It was fantastic. Could have done without the jellyfish sting but that was a minor hiccup in the grander scheme of things."
There was a squeal from the stacks as one of the children evidently found the other, and then pattering footsteps could be heard coming towards the issue desk.
"Charlotte, Connor, what have I told you about running in the..."
But Belle didn't manage to get the word 'library' out, because it was at that moment that Charlotte, sensing her mother was not happy with her behaviour, skidded to a halt right in front of Killian, who had just entered the library. Not wanting to tread on the small child that had seemingly materialised in front of him, Killian had tried to get out of the way and in doing this ended up falling flat on his face, a sheaf of papers fluttering neatly around him.
"Oh no!" Tina rushed over to see if he was alright.
"That's the second time today," Killian grumbled. "I managed to fall out of my chair in court this morning. The Chief Magistrate thought I'd fainted. I swear this should be the title of my memoir. 'Floors I Have Known Intimately'."
Tina pulled him to his feet and, as an apology, Connor and Charlotte began to collect up the papers they had scattered and handed them back to him. Belle watched the two newly-weds, fresh off their honeymoon and still so giddily in love. She wondered whether they would ever change their minds about having children. Tina loved doing storytime in the kids' section at the library. She liked children, that was certain, just as long as they were not her own.
"Give it two years," Ruby murmured, linking her fingers with Archie's on top of her belly.
"Give it eight and a half months," Gold muttered. "I reckon that the mini-Jones has already been conceived. People get up to all sorts on their honeymoons." He tilted his head on one side and looked up at Ruby and Archie. "You two should try it."
Ruby laughed and patted her bump. "We seem to get on perfectly well without the aid of a honeymoon. But maybe. One day."
As you may or may not know and may or may not have guessed, the majority of my rumbelle AUs are set in and around Exeter, where I went to university.
Today I went back for the first time since graduating in July 2012 and I showed Miran around all the places that have inspired bits of Carrot Cake, Cupcakes and the Chase Series fics.
Ok, I'm home, I've had a shower and I have calmed down a lot.
That wedding was beautiful. I cried. I would have loved it even more had Rumpel not begun the episode the way he did, but I loved that wedding. It was perfect for rumbelle. So sweet, so understated and private. I loved that wedding so much. And in the end, Rumpel's trust issues provide excellent fodder for S4 and the development of their relationship. I know they can pull through and I know they will kill me with their ups and downs, but I will go down with this ship.
The wedding was my second favourite part of the episode - my first being itty-bitty Neal's naming and Rumpel's reaction because that broke my heart into a million tiny pieces in a good way. (My third being Rumpel's denying his attraction to the maid...)
I did actually like the Enchanted Forest parts. However, I said it before and I'll say it again - effing time travel! Thanks to the effing time travel, we are now back with Regina and Emma at loggerheads and Henry caught in the middle. I am not looking forward to how this pans out in S4.
The thing I am most annoyed about?
Seriously OUAT, Frozen? FROZEN?
There are so many stories you've touched on, so many tales you've half told, and you go for a Disney movie released less. Than. A. Year. Ago.
Why??
Do the Snow Queen by all means. Go and speak to my Miran about the Snow Queen, she has a brilliant back story lined up and raring to go. But Frozen? Too soon, OUAT. Too soon.
And so hiatus begins. I'm excited because you know what haitus means? ALL OF THE FIC!
ALL OF THE FIC.
There will be Cupcakes, and Best Served Cold, and bits from the 'Untimely Interruption' verse, and Maison Rouge, and yes Ripper, there will be elevator porn.
So I'm sticking around. I can't wait. It's going to be a great hiatus. Here's to the fandom and here's to rumbelle in S4.
