#rushacey
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The Worst That Could Happen - Chapter 5
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Summary: Nicholas Rush has been told to lighten up or face repercussions in his professional career. Lacey French is in desperate need of a wedding date. A blind date provides them both with an opportunity. From the prompt “Rushacey blind date”.
[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4]
In the end, Rush took a half-day on Thursday, heading north on the I-95 around two in the afternoon. It was just under a four hour drive to Storybrooke, most of the way straight highway. He only had to look at directions on his phone once he exited, taking a twisting forest path through dense green trees. After twenty minutes he was worried he was lost, certain there was no town up ahead, only more greenery. But, before he could fret too much, he saw a sign to the side of the road. “Welcome to Storybrooke”.
The forest finally gave way to small wood framed houses, increasing in frequency as he approached the center of town. It was late afternoon and the sun was starting to set, casting white clapboard and red brick in shades of gold. The houses soon started to be joined by businesses, a fishing supply store here and a convenience store there. Soon he had turned on to Main Street, a quaint little downtown that looked plucked from another era entirely. Main Street seemed to lead down to a wide bay dotted by boats in the harbor, their colorful flags fluttering in the evening breeze.
It was a far cry from Boston, even further from Berkley, Glasgow, anywhere he’d ever lived. It was like something from a story where a plucky female detective investigated murders that rocked the small, closed community.
Rush shook his head. What was supposed to be so great about small towns anyway? No wonder Lacey hadn’t expanded her business. She needed to be somewhere with clients if she wanted to design clothing.
Lacey had given him an address for where to meet her and he’d assumed it was her home. That soon proved incorrect as he turned off Main Street to find 910 Maple.
He stopped the car, parking on the curb and climbing out to look around. Rather than the house or apartment building he’d been expecting, he was faced with a two-story shingle style cottage, its gray paint starting to fleck away in places. Hanging above the small porch was a wooden sign bearing the name Granny’s Bed and Breakfast. He’d noticed a Granny’s Diner on Main Street and the two businesses seemed to back into each other, connected by a late addition to the original buildings.
Rush sighed, walking around to the trunk of his car and pulling out his suitcase. Well, it was Gold’s, in actual fact. He hadn’t owned anything he could hang his borrowed suits in and Gold had insisted his beloved clothing make the trip in style. He hoisted the garment bag over his shoulder and slammed the trunk shut, shuffling up the cement steps that led from the curb up to the B&B.
So Lacey had booked him a room, he supposed. It was just as well, considering he and Lacey barely knew each other. She’d hardly want a strange man sleeping on her sofa no matter how harmless he seemed.
The entrance to the inn was small and slightly musty. He couldn’t imagine there was much use for a hotel in a town as small as Storybrooke, but he’d expect there to be other guests with a wedding in town. From what he’d gathered, the bride was far from local.
There was a small desk nestled under the stairs, a row of recessed key cubbies set into the wall beside it, each bearing a key attached to a shiny brass fob. Rush wasn’t sure he’d ever stayed at a hotel with an actual key rather than a plastic card.
The desk was currently empty and the little bell set atop it made barely a sound when he tapped it, certainly not enough to summon anyone to his aid.
Rush stepped away from the desk, looking around and straining his ears for any sign of life. Perhaps the eponymous Granny was busy in her diner.
He thought he could just make out a mumbling of voices proving he wasn’t alone in the inn when it was punctuated by a loud laugh, well a guffaw really, and he immediately recognized it as Lacey’s. He wasn’t sure how he could recognize the laugh of a woman he’d only known for two short weeks, but he could picture her accompanying smile, her head thrown back, eyes filled with mirth. Rush smiled in spite of himself, following the sound down the hall and into a cozy lounge.
Lacey was seated on a red damask sofa, sagging a little in the middle from use. She had a china tea cup balanced on her knee and a wide smile on her face. Across from her in a high wingback chair was a plump old woman with a graying bun piled up on her head. She had a pair of bifocals hanging around her neck and a thick khaki cardigan wrapped around herself for warmth. Granny, he presumed.
“And speak of the devil, here he is!” Lacey cried, motioning at Rush with both arms spread wide, her tea nearly sloshing out of its cup. “You made it!”
“Uh, I did,” he said, dumbly, nervous as always when faced with Lacey’s full attention. She was smiling at him as if she was genuinely happy to see him and though he knew it was most likely an act, he couldn’t quite stop his own smile at the sight of her.
“So you’re the one who swept in and stole our Lacey,” the old woman said, leveling him with a hard look. Rush turned to face her.
“I haven’t stolen anything,” he returned. “I’m just here for as long as Lacey will have me.”
Granny regarded him for a long moment, before giving a curt nod and standing up.
“Let’s get you checked in, shall we?”
It was the work of moments to get Rush checked in, one of those shiny brass key fobs in hand, even with Granny leveling mild threats at him if he treated Lacey badly.
“She’s mildly terrifying,” Rush said once they were headed up the stairs and out of ear shot.
“Who, Granny?” Lacey asked. Without waiting for an answer she gave a flippant wave of her hand. “She’s harmless. Unless you insult her cooking, that is.”
“Is she your grandmother?”
“No,” Lacey said with a shrug. “Everyone just calls her that since she runs Granny’s Inn and Diner. I don’t think she was the original Granny though. It may have been her mother? Or grandmother? I don’t know. She’s my friend Ruby’s biological grandmother but she fills the role for most people in town. Ruby’s mum split when she was six and Granny raised her. Me and Belle’s mum died when we were 13 and she kind of took it upon herself to mother us too.”
“I didn’t realize you lost your mother so young,” he said. “That must have been difficult.”
“Oh,” Lacey said with a shrug. “I mean sure, it sucked, but it is what it is, right? And we still have dad.”
The last was said with a little eye roll that belied her words. Rush could well understand complicated feelings about fathers.
“And here we are,” Lacey said once they’d reached the end of the upstairs hallway, motioning at the door with a brass number 3 on it. Rush used his key to unlock the door, having to force it slightly with the side of his foot.
The room was small but clean, a little too floral for his tastes. There was a double bed in the middle of the room, a small antique desk beneath the window that looked out toward the forest, and an armchair in the corner next to a lace doily covered rickety side table with a rotary phone on top.
But the thing that most arrested Rush’s attention was the presence of a small duffle bag sitting in the middle of the bed.
“I think Granny gave me the wrong room,” he said, turning to Lacey as she followed him inside.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, stepping around him to throw herself bodily onto the bed, the springs creaking loudly beneath even her slight weight.
He motioned to the suitcase next to where Lacey was sprawled across the bed.
Lacey followed his gaze.
“Oh, that’s mine.”
Rush blinked.
“What?”
Lacey pushed herself up on the heels of her hands, giving him a look like he was somehow stupid. Rush was not stupid.
“It’s our room,” she said slowly.
“Why are we sharing a room?” he returned, just as slowly.
Lacey shrugged. “Because we’re dating, silly. It’d be weird if we didn’t sleep together.”
“I apologize,” Rush said with a little shake of his head. “But I’m a little confused. I assumed I was staying here at the inn because having a strange man in your home was an issue. Why are we both staying here?”
“Oh!” Lacey exclaimed, sitting forward. “Sorry. I figured you didn’t want to stay at my dad’s place. That’d be…awkward.”
“You don’t have your own place?” he asked, before realizing how that sounded. “Sorry, no judgment. I’ve heard it’s hard out there for…millenials.”
Lacey snorted a laugh and Rush winced at how terribly old he must sound.
“No, I had my own apartment,” Lacey said with a nod. “But I’m back with my dad for a bit. Once Will left town I couldn’t afford rent by myself so…” she trailed off.
“You lived together?” he asked. It seemed every time he got more of a glimpse of Lacey’s previous relationship, the more involved it was.
“Yeah, well we were together almost four years. At some point you move in together or you split up.”
“F--four years?” he stuttered out. “You never told me that.”
Lacey blinked.
“Look, Lacey, I need to know what I’m getting into here. You and Will were together for four years? You lived together for some of that time? What, were you ever engaged?”
“No!” Lacey exclaimed. “It was never that serious.”
“Four years and a shared apartment isn’t serious?”
“We were never gonna get married,” she countered. “It was fun and easy, but not earth shattering. We were…glorified roommates. With benefits. Not even great benefits, in case you were wondering.”
He wasn’t.
“Regardless,” Rush continued. “You were together a long time and now, only a few months after your split, you’re attending his wedding. Have you thought this through?”
“Yes!” Lacey exclaimed, hopping up from the bed, the creaky springs bouncing wildly. “Yes, we were together for a while. Yes, he dumped me. Yes, he’s getting married to someone else in an infuriatingly short time span. But I don’t love the guy, okay? If I ever did, those feelings ended long ago, before the relationship did. Right now what I need is a nice, stable boyfriend so I don’t look pathetic and Ana doesn’t get weirdly jealous and decide not to wear my dress last minute. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, well, you can go.”
She pointed to the door of the room, her chest heaving and blue eyes flashing.
“I just want to know what I’m getting into,” he repeated.
Lacey took a deep breath, her arm dropping to her side.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a little nod. “I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just so fucking tired of people asking me if I’m okay. I’m great.”
“Okay,” he said, unconvinced. He crossed the room to where a small wardrobe stood, and hung up his garment bag inside. “What now?”
Lacey gave him a big smile. “Free booze and crab cakes, baby. Who doesn’t love a wedding? We’re gonna have a blast.”
Rush just grunted in response. He’d never been keen on weddings, but at least there’d be an open bar.
“Oh shit,” Lacey said, glancing down at her watch. “I need to get dressed for tonight.”
“What’s tonight?” Rush asked.
Lacey’s eyes widened.
“Did I forget to tell you? There’s a little party at the diner for the out of town guests.”
“You told me about the rehearsal dinner and you told me about the wedding, that’s all I packed for. I didn’t bring any extra clothes,” Rush said, glancing down at his jeans.
“What you’re wearing is fine,” Lacey assured him. “It’s just Granny’s. It’s a diner.”
“Then why are you changing?” he asked with a pointed look at her leggings and sweater.
“Because I’m a fashion designer,” Lacey crooned. “And people expect me to make a spectacle of myself. I’ll just be a minute!”
She grabbed her bag off the bed, heading into the en suite bathroom and Rush sat back against the rickety bed, the mattress groaning beneath his weight. He tested it a bit, bouncing himself up and down.
It was a good thing he and Lacey weren’t an actual couple. If they tried to get up to anything on this bed, the whole bloody town would know.
It took Lacey twenty minutes in the bathroom with her makeup bag to be ready for the evening’s events. Her dress was store bought, but heavily altered. A fitted black mini dress, she’d opened up the back, using ribbon to criss cross across her back and ending in a bow right above her backside. Paired with her signature heels, it was, perhaps, a little dressy for the gathering at Granny’s. But then again, Lacey had never shied from attention of any sort. Everyone would be looking at the happy couple in any case.
Her stomach churned at the thought, and Lacey squashed down the feeling, smiling at herself in the bathroom mirror instead. There, that was almost how she usually looked.
When she came back out to the bedroom, Rush was seated on the bed, scrolling on his phone. He’d changed his shirt, she noticed. The rumpled blue one he’d been wearing was replaced with a crisp white button down that stood out beautifully against his tanned skin. He looked up at her as she entered, stuffing his phone into his jeans pocket.
“Wow,” he said, his eyes widening slightly. Lacey smiled, pleased by his reaction.
“Not too much?” she asked, twirling to show off the back of the dress she’d worked so hard on.
Rush stood up from the bed, grabbing the brown suede blazer beside him and shrugging it on.
“You, um,” he cleared his throat. “You look nice.”
“Oh Nick, you’ll make me blush,” she said with a wink at him. He shuffled awkwardly, glancing away from her, and Lacey took pity on him.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing him by the elbow and steering him out the door of their rented room. “Adventure awaits!”
Granny’s Diner was, predictably, packed, and Lacey could feel Rush tense up beside her as she opened the door, laughter and the smell of sizzling meat spilling out into the chilly evening. She looped her arm through his, trying to feel confident enough for the both of them.
She whispered names and tidbits of information to Nick as they maneuvered their way through the crowd.
“That tall one with the red streaks in her hair is Ruby,” she whispered into his ear while feigning a flirtatious moment. “Granny’s granddaughter and my oldest friend. The blonde next to her is Ashley. Don’t get stuck in a conversation with her unless you want to be bored to death.”
“Thanks for the warning,” he mumbled back.
“Oh, and here comes the bride,” she intoned, stepping back from Nick to welcome the approaching Anastasia.
“Lacey!” Ana called, her voice a little too loud. There’d been a lot of that in the last week, smiles just a little too wide, excitement just a little on edge. Lacey could have excused it as pre wedding jitters if she didn’t know the truth. Ana was trying desperately to be okay with her presence.
“Hi, Ana,” she said, before being pulled into an awkward hug. She patted the taller woman’s back twice before stepping away. “You look beautiful, as always.”
Ana glanced down at her cream colored shift dress. It was chic and simple but rather than looking plain, Ana sparkled in comparison.
“Thank you!” she exclaimed, grabbing hold of Lacey’s hand. Her eyes slid across to Nick and she gave him one of those overly sincere smiles. “And you must be the professor!”
“And you’re Mary Anne?” he joked. Lacey snorted.
Ana looked confused. “No, I’m Anastasia,” she said, pumping Nick’s hand for all he was worth. “The bride. I’m marrying Will, I believe you’ve met.”
She gestured over her shoulder to where Will was chatting with a few of his mates.
“Of course,” Nick said smoothly. “My apologies.”
“Oh no,” Ana said with a wave of her hand. “I’m so glad you could make it. Please come in, eat something, have a drink. This weekend is all about me, but tonight is about you, the guests!”
“Oh, thank you,” Nick said, looking slightly startled, as though he was staring into the sun and having a hard time not looking away.
“Ana!” someone called from behind them and she grabbed both their hands. “Excuse me,” she said with a brilliant smile and then swanned away with a slight wave in their direction.
“Wow, she is…”
“Gorgeous?” Lacey interrupted, interpreting Nick’s thoughts. Every head in the room swiveled to follow Anastasia. She didn’t have to dress in over the top frocks or towering heels to get attention. She was one of those rare creatures who entered a room and immediately commanded it. Of course Nick had noticed. He wasn’t blind. She wasn’t sure why it annoyed her so much.
Nick looked down at her. “I was going to say chipper,” Rush said with a wry twist of his lips. “Do you think if she keeps smiling like that her face will get stuck?”
Lacey let out a startled laugh, squeezing Rush’s arm before steering him toward a friendlier face.
Ruby was leaning back against the diner counter with a glass of champagne in one hand and a bored expression on her face that split into a relieved smile when she spotted Lacey.
“Oh thank God you’re finally here,” Ruby said, pulling Lacey into a side hug. “I’m supposed to be a guest at this thing but Granny keeps making me hand out hors d'oeuvres. Let’s grab a bottle of champagne and split.”
“No can do,” Lacey said, grabbing Rush’s hand and pulling him to her side.
“Nick, this is my friend Ruby, Rubes, this is Dr. Nicholas Rush. My boyfriend.”
“Pleasure,” Ruby said, holding a red nailed hand to shake his. Her eyes cut across at Lacey, her eyebrows raised in a question.
“Nice to meet you, Ruby,” Rush said, drawing her attention back to him. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting any of Lacey’s friends yet.”
“Oh really?” Ruby asked. “I didn’t even realize Lacey was dating anyone.”
“It’s still a new thing,” Rush said with a shrug. “And you know Lacey, doesn’t want to make a big thing of it.”
“Yeah,” Ruby said, unconvinced. “Lacey is so understated.”
Lacey grinned widely, wrapping her arms around Rush and leaning her head against his shoulder.
“I just wanted to keep him all to myself for a bit.”
“Oh, hey, Lacey,” came a voice from beside them. “I didn’t realize you were coming tonight.”
Lacey spun to see Ashley Boyd, holding a tray of beef and caramelized onion canapés. She grabbed one, stuffing it into her mouth and speaking around it.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Ashley’s eyes darted to where Will was standing and back to Lacey.
“Well…” she began.
“This is my boyfriend,” Lacey cut across her. “Nick Rush.”
“Oh,” Ashley said, looking at Rush with startled blue eyes. “Hello.”
Nick graciously shook her hand.
“So, how did you two meet?” Ashley asked, setting the tray of canapés down on the counter next to Ruby.
“Nick works with Mr. Gold at the University,” Lacey supplied. “Gold and Belle set us up on a blind date about three months ago and, well, fireworks.”
“Oh I don’t think there were any fireworks on your side, sweetheart,” Rush said self-deprecatingly. “But I was certainly awestruck to be on a date with you. Still not sure how I got so lucky.”
Lacey could feel herself blushing at the compliment and worked with it, giving him a soppy little smile.
“That’s so sweet!” Ashley said, before Granny barked at her from behind the bar to pass the canapés again.
“Excuse me, guys, work calls.”
Ruby took a long sip of her champagne, her eyes never leaving Lacey as though she was trying to read her mind.
“Hey, Lace, can I talk to you for a minute?” Ruby asked, her smile strained. “Alone? Excuse us, Dr. Nicholas Rush.”
Ruby grabbed her hand, lugging her toward the back of the diner by the jukebox.
“What are you doing?” Lacey asked.
“Who the hell is that guy?” Ruby returned, motioning toward Rush.
“Dr. Nicholas Rush,” Lacey said with a shrug. “My boyfriend.”
Ruby narrowed her eyes.
“You said you’ve been dating him for three months,” Ruby pointed out. “So how come I distinctly remember you telling me about a one night stand you had with some twenty-two year old three weeks ago?”
Lacey swallowed, buying herself a moment.
“We weren’t exclusive then,” she said.
“Oh bullshit,” Ruby cried. “Where did you find that guy?”
“I told you, he’s friends with Gold,” Lacey said truthfully. “Belle set us up.”
“You’ve never dated an older guy before.”
“Well I’m twenty-eight years old,” Lacey pointed out. “Maybe I’m sick of slumming it with pathetic boys. Maybe I want a real man for once. It seems to be working out for Belle.”
Ruby raised an eyebrow. “And the two of you have been known to want the same things,” she said, sarcastically.
At Lacey’s silence, Ruby gave an exaggerated huff.
“Fine. He’s your boyfriend,” she said, making air quotes around the word. “I’ll go along with it if it’s what you need right now. But you do owe me an explanation at some point.”
“Can’t wait,” she deadpanned at Ruby’s retreating back.
She stood there for a moment, feeling like she’d been knocked off her groove. She hadn’t expected anyone to see through her ruse quite so quickly. She knew Ruby wouldn’t tell anyone or try to embarrass her, but the more people who knew her secret, the higher the chance she’d end up looking like an idiot.
At least Will and Ana didn’t seem to suspect anything. The bride-to-be was sipping a glass of white wine with a gaggle of adoring buffoons circled around her. Will was on the opposite side of the diner with his own crowd of well wishers. He looked happy. Happier than she’d seen him in a long time.
She wished that didn’t make her want to shatter something.
Instead she opted for a drink, grabbing a glass of champagne off a tray at the bar and swallowing down half of it in one gulp. Then she stood up a little straighter and headed for Will's group. She needed to say hello at the very least.
Rush was standing awkwardly next to Will, surrounded by a few of his friends. He had a beer clenched in his fist and looked at her rather hopelessly as she approached.
"Lacey," he said, and she didn't think she imagined the relief in his voice. She wondered how he'd been drawn into conversation with Will in the first place. She could only hope he wasn't so annoyed with Will and his friends that he abandoned this whole scheme.
“Dr. Rush was just telling us all about academic life,” Will said with a slight twist to his lips. “Never knew you to go for the brainy types, Lace.”
“I didn’t go to college,” boomed Will’s friend John, a giant of a man they all had to crane their necks to see. “Yeah, just wasn’t for me.”
“I think finishing high school is a prerequisite for getting into university, mate,” Will said, slapping his friend on the back.
“Oh and where did you go to school?” Lacey cut across Will. “If I remember correctly, your Facebook profile says you attended the “School of Hard Knocks”. Where is that located? Seattle?”
Will opened his mouth with an undoubtedly witless retort, but was saved the embarrassment by Rush.
“Academia is just another job,” he said. “No better or worse than any other. My father was a dock worker in Glasgow and I did my fair share of manual labor in my youth. I’ve nothing but respect for honest work. Frequently it pays better than teaching too.”
That earned a round of agreement from Will’s friends.
“You know how much underwater welders rake in?” Will’s friend Robin asked. “A guy I used to work with went to diving school and now he’s making six figures.”
The other men all gave suitably impressed grunts of approval and Lacey resisted rolling her eyes.
“Thrilling conversation, lads,” she said, stifling a fake yawn.
“Oh, I apologize,” Will said sarcastically. “Are we boring you?”
“You?” Lacey shot back. “Always.”
Will snorted a laugh. “Well let's get some tequila in you and you can end the night giving half the diner a lap dance.”
“That was one time, you asshole,” Lacey laughed, giving Will a playful shove at the memory of her 24th birthday. “And it wasn’t a lap dance, it was a table dance. Get it right. Granny had me banned for a full 6 weeks.”
Will’s friends all laughed at the memory and for a split second, it felt like life had gone back to normal, to six months ago when everything still made sense. Until they were interrupted.
“Hey, you, I thought I’d lost you,” Ana said, walking up and placing a hand on Will’s shoulder.
“Never,” Will said with gusto, wrapping his arm around Ana’s slim waist and kissing her cheek.
Lacey felt the smile on her face freezing like she was in rictus.
“What’s so funny over here?” Ana asked, glancing around at them all.
Will swallowed uncomfortably. “Oh nothing, just remembering a time Lacey made a fool of herself.”
Ana glanced at Lacey with raised eyebrows.
“That’s me,” Lacey said, raising her champagne glass in salute.
“Hmm,” Ana said, turning back to Will with a pretty little pout. “I’m heading back to the house. I have an early morning tomorrow and I need my beauty sleep.”
“Aw, babe, it’s so early still,” Will groused.
“I have yogalates at 6 and I will look dreadful if I don’t get seven hours sleep before then.”
“Not possible for you to be anything but perfect,” Will said, nuzzling his nose against Ana’s.
Lacey had to clamp her lips together to keep from chucking up her champagne and canapés.
Ana let out a tinkling little laugh, pecking Will on the lips.
“Oh, stop, darling,” she said, lightly slapping him on the chest. “You need to get your sleep too. The last thing we need is you showing up to the wedding completely sleep deprived because you’ve stayed up until the wee hours all weekend, you night owl. Lacey, I’m sure you remember what he’s like.”
Suddenly all eyes swiveled from the happy couple to Lacey. It was Ana’s first public acknowledgment of Lacey’s status as Will’s ex.
“Um, yeah,” Lacey said, unsure of where the conversation was headed.
“But of course that was ages ago. I’m sure his habits may have changed as he matured.”
Next to Ana, Will’s eyes widened, his head dipping almost imperceptibly into a nod. A clear sign she was meant to agree with Ana’s misconception.
“Ages,” she repeated flatly.
Will gave her another little nod.
So, he still wasn’t being honest with his fiance. Lacey felt a bubble of anger rising up in her stomach to be in this position yet again. But never mind all that. She just had to get through the next couple of days. Then she could never see Will or Ana again. Then she could forget this whole horrid thing and, hopefully, move on to bigger and better commissions. Enough to get her own place. Enough to leave Storybrooke entirely.
“Not so sure about matured, though,” Lacey couldn’t help the barb. “There’s something to be said for experience, after all, and Will is certainly lacking in that regard.”
She turned to Rush still standing silently at her side, cupping his cheek with her hand before pulling him down for a kiss. His beard was scratchy beneath her palm, his lips parting in shock as she dipped her tongue into his mouth. His hand came up to cradle her waist, giving her a firm squeeze that also served to push her away slightly.
Lacey stepped back, breaking the kiss as the other assembled guests looked around awkwardly.
“Anyway,” Ana continued brightly, “beauty sleep and all that. I’ll see you tomorrow at the luncheon, Lacey?”
“Of course,” Lacey said, still wrong-footed from Rush’s reaction to her kiss.
Ana gave them all one last brilliant smile as Will walked her to the door.
“I think that’s our cue, too,” Lacey said, downing the remnants of her champagne. Rush was tense beside her, and she needed to free him from this charade as soon as possible before he blew their whole cover. “Goodnight, everyone.”
Rush followed her silently out of the diner and back out into the chilly spring evening.
Rush was quiet on the short walk back to the B&B and Lacey was desperate for something to say to break the tension. Rush had been selling their fake relationship so well up until the end when he’d almost physically recoiled from her. It couldn’t just be the kiss. She’d kissed him before and while surprised, he’d seemed to enjoy it.
They trudged up the stairs and to their shared room at the inn and Lacey couldn’t stand the idea of spending the night with someone who wasn’t speaking to her.
Rush’s shoulders were hunched, his hands buried in his jeans pockets, his face inscrutable. He looked like that miserable man she’d first met in the bar in Boston weeks ago.
“What’s the matter?” she blurted out once they were in their room. “I get the feeling I did something to upset you and I’d rather just know what it is.”
Rush half turned to glance at her, not giving her the benefit of looking her full in the face.
“It’s nothing,” he said, his hands still stuffed in his pockets.
“Please don’t do that,” Lacey said with a sigh. “Something you should know about me, I’m a frank person. I don’t play games and I don’t make you guess what I’m feeling. I’d prefer the same courtesy.”
“Fine,” he said, spinning on his heel. “You made me uncomfortable tonight, are you happy?”
Lacey just blinked.
“I’m sorry,” she said after a moment.
Rush shook his head. “Look, I know it’s technically what I’m here for, but having you stuff your tongue down my throat to upset your ex boyfriend’s new fiance at her wedding party felt ever so slightly morally reprehensible.”
“So this is about Ana,” Lacey said, crossing her arms against her chest. “I suppose she’s got you in her thrall too already. And you’ve only just met her. I suppose it’s no surprise Will is ready to marry her after only a few months.”
“This isn’t about Ana,” Rush countered. “Though she seems like a perfectly nice person and I'm unsure what she’s done to piss you off so badly.”
Lacey didn’t have an answer for that. It wasn’t Ana’s fault. She hadn’t known of Lacey’s existence when she met and fell for Will. She hadn’t even known they’d ever dated until recently and she still didn’t know the extent of their past relationship. None of this was Ana’s fault. But she was just so bloody perfect. Lacey was used to being desired, to men finding her attractive. She’d never felt ugly until she stood next to Anastasia. She’d never been a jealous person until that striking blonde had showed up. She was wildly jealous of Anastasia, for everything she was and everything Lacey wasn’t.
“I dated Will for four years,” she said. “And he broke out in hives at the hint of any sort of commitment whatsoever. He didn’t even go to Belle and Gold’s wedding with me because he was so freaked out by marriage as an institution. But he’s willing to marry her? Some girl he barely knows?”
“You wanted to marry him,” Rush accused.
“No!” Lacey shot back. “I never even thought about it. If he’d ever asked I’d have laughed in his face. But having someone so soundly reject you stings. Forgive me if I think I’m owed the right to be a little salty about all this.”
Rush took a deep breath before nodding.
“Could you just not spring any more surprise kisses on me?” he asked, tentatively. “We can hold hands and dance and flirt, but no more of that. You made me feel…” he trailed off, seemingly unable to find an appropriate word.
Lacey felt suddenly small, like the tiniest most insignificant person in the world.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “No more kissing. I’ve got it.”
Rush gave her another stiff nod before going to the wardrobe and shrugging off his blazer to hang it there.
That was the end of that, then. No kissing. No rubbing her “relationship” in Will’s face. Suddenly the weekend didn’t seem so fun.
After a quick trip to the bathroom to clean up and change into her pajamas, Lacey found herself lying in bed beside Rush, the awkwardness between them almost unbearable. She wasn’t sure how to approach him now. She’d played too fast and loose and made him uncomfortable. He was a good man doing her a massive favor and she’d alienated him after an afternoon. She was a completely shit person.
“I’m sorry,” she said aloud, unsure if Rush was even still awake on the other side of the bed with his back to her. “I really am.”
“I know,” he returned, his voice sleepy. “It’s alright.”
It wasn’t though. And she didn’t know how to make it so.
“You’re an excellent kisser, by the way,” he said into the darkened room. “That’s not what this is about.”
She stared at his back in the gloom, wondering where he was going with this.
“Thanks?” she said, her statement sounding like a question.
Rush snorted a laugh.
“I just didn’t want you getting the wrong idea,” he continued. “Under other circumstances…” he trailed off, letting the statement hang in the air.
“Yeah,” Lacey agreed.
She rolled over on the creaky mattress, putting her back to Rush. Maybe if Gold had set them up when they’d had no ulterior motives. Maybe if she’d been a fully functioning adult. Maybe…
Lacey drifted off to sleep on the thoughts of what might have been.
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Since my inbox is always open for prompts* ( seriously, send them in, as many and as often as you'd like - I love working with prompts! ), here's a handy list of all the ships you can send them for:
Rumbelle
Golden Lace (Mr Gold & Lacey)
Woven Lace (Weaver & Lacey)
Woven Beauty (Weaver & Belle)
Woven Kitten (Weaver & Hierophant from Operation Endgame)
Russelle (David Russell from The Last Enemy & Belle)
Russellacey (David Russell & Lacey)
David & Hiero
Rushbelle (Dr Nicholas Rush from Stargate: Universe & Belle)
Rushacey (Dr Nicholas Rush & Lacey)
Rush & Chloe
Hamelle? MacBelle? Bellish? (Hamish Macbeth from the eponymous tv show & Belle)
Hamacey? Lacish? (Hamish Macbeth & Lacey)
Sutherbeth? Macland? (Isobel Sutherland & Hamish Macbeth from the eponymous tv show)
Bellix / Felle (Felix DeSouza from Formula 51 & Belle)
Lacix / Fellacey (Felix DeSouza & Lacey)
Felix & Hiero
Develle (Danny Devine from Dead Fish & Belle)
Lacine? Devacey? (Danny Devine & Lacey)
Danny & Hiero
Rob and Sam Morrison from the Flood
Robelle? Morrelle? (Rob Morrison & Belle)
Wirrelle? Belleric? (Eric Wirral from There's Only One Jimmy Grimble & Belle)
Laceric? Wirralacey? (Eric Wirral & Lacey)
*prompts are welcome and encouraged for: ficlets (of course!), TMI Tuesday questions/IC questions (you can ask any couple in general or specifically from one of my fics any questions), moodboards/aesthetics, gifsets (you can also request a gifset related to one of the aforementioned characters - whether it be a moment from their show or aesthetic or compilation or lyrical gifset etc), edits/fanvideos
The list will be updated as I watch more of Bobby's and Em's filmography and/or grow more confident in writing other Anyelle couples.
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Rush / Lacey
#anyelle#rush x lacey#rushacey#rumbelle#rumbelle aesthetic#anyelle aesthetic#lacey french#nicholas rush#ouat#mrbpics#my edit#mrberumbelle#rumbellepic#rush x lacey pic#sgu#crossover ship#crossover pairing#you queued me! picard never queued me.
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Ficlet: Student-Teacher Conference
Summary: Rush and Lacey have some fun in the bedroom, wondering what they could have got up to if Lacey was one of Rush’s undergrad students. Rushacey, a pure PWP little smutlet.
Rated: E
Student-Teacher Conference
“Do you ever think about what it would be like if I were one of your students?”
Rush drags his fingertips up Lacey’s bare back as he contemplates the question. They’re lying in her bed, sated and sleepy. Lacey’s friends can never quite believe that they got together in the end. She’s spent so much time complaining very vocally about how hard it is to be his TA and have him as a PhD supervisor, and how much of an arsehole he is.
What’s she’s only recently realised is that the antagonism between them was actually disguised sexual attraction, and since they started fucking instead of arguing, their partnership has been far more harmonious.
“You are one of my students,” he points out.
“Yeah, but there’s a big difference between PhD and undergrad. What if I were in Astrophysics 101 and I kept handing in papers late? Would we have ended up like this?”
“I doubt it. I might not balk at the age difference between us but the power balance between professor and undergrad is much bigger than between professor and TA. You’re faculty now, even if you are still studying.”
Lacey rolls her eyes.
“Let’s not get into power dynamics. I wish I’d never asked. Sometimes I wonder why I decided to become a physicist.”
“To defy all expectations.”
There’s a lot of truth in that. Looking at her in the street, Lacey knows that no-one would put her down as an AP honours student pursuing a doctorate. She has gone out of her way to prove that a girl can be a wild party animal who thoroughly enjoys sex whilst still enjoying learning just as much.
They lie in silence for a while, contemplating, until Lacey gets up on her knees, throwing the covers back and straddling Rush. His eyes narrow with desire as he looks up at her, and Lacey preens under his attention. She’s always been comfortable in her skin, and she made Rush’s eyes bug out of his head by answering her door buck naked this evening.
“So, back to the scenario,” she purrs, raking her fingers down his chest. “If I was your student and you needed to punish me for missing all my deadlines, what would you do? Take me over your knee and give me a good spanking?”
She takes his hands and brings them round to her backside. He gives her a light slap, then shakes his head.
“No, not my style.”
Lacey pouts. “Well, we’ll just have to think of something that is, then, won’t we? Surely you’ve got some kind of kinky student-teacher fantasies?”
“Hmm.��� Rush closes his eyes as his hands rub circles on her thighs, getting closer and closer to her core. “I don’t know. Maybe…”
“Go on. I’ve told you all of my filthy fantasies.”
“We’ve acted out most of them.”
Lacey leans in and kisses him. “Fuck me over your desk?” she whispers. “Against one of your precious whiteboards?”
“Never. I’m not having my equations smudged on your boobs.” He pinches one of her nipples and a jolt of pleasure shoots straight down between her legs.
“Maybe something different? Princess Leia in a metal bikini? Some poor innocent alien slave girl on a distant planet who’s so grateful for her freedom that she gives you her virginity as a thank you?”
Rush raises an eyebrow. “We’ve come a long way from the student with the missing homework, here.”
“So? I’m just trying to get a fantasy out of you here.”
“So, let’s get back to where we started.” He takes her shoulders and turns them over, then indicates for her to roll onto her stomach. Lacey wriggles her bum, and she feels Rush’s hands come down and cup her cheeks.
“I can think of much better things to do with your arse than spank it,” he growls in her ear. “I may be persuaded to leniency if I can get better acquainted with it.” He drags a finger down between her cheeks and pets at her tight asshole. Lacey grins at him over her shoulder.
“Anal for an extension? I’ll take that deal. My ass if yours for the fucking, Professor.”
He reaches under the bed for her box of toys. Lacey swears that he nearly fainted when he saw it for the first time, but she’s managed to get him comfortable with some of her tamer items. He grabs lube and a butt plug, and Lacey knows that he’s going to take his time and really make this a night to remember.
He drizzles the lube down between her cheeks and begins to work gently at her asshole. There’s one thing to be said of Rush’s attention to detail in his work - it definitely spills over to into the bedroom. When one finger is pumping in and out easily, he gradually adds another, stretching her out until he can slide the plug inside. He slowly fucks her with the silicone until it pushes all the way in, and Lacey’s hips are shaking with the effort of not wriggling around with her arousal. Rush once described sex with her as attempting coitus with an overexcited octopus. She hears him chuckling as he goes to wash his hands.
“You really are desperate, aren’t you?”
“Fuck, yes.”
“Turn over, then. Let’s see what you’re made of.”
Lacey flops down onto her back, immediately changing the angle of the plug inside her, and she writhes on the sheets against it.
“Seriously? You’re making me do all the work?”
“This is punishment for your work being late,” Rush purrs. “Besides, I like watching you play with yourself. You’re bloody gorgeous with sticky fingers.”
Lacey hisses at him, because she just wants his cock in her Right Now, but she brought this predicament on herself by pushing him on the fantasy thing. Not that she’d really want to be in any other situation, of course, but Rush doesn’t need to know that. Maybe she can turn the tables on him.
She lets her legs loll open, parting her nether lips with one hand and showing off her sex, rubbing her clit as achingly slowly as she can bear and giving a guttural groan at the sensation. It takes the edge off her mounting arousal, but she can still feel herself clutching around nothing, needing something, anything inside her. She looks over at Rush; his cock is hard in his hand and he’s stroking it lazily, when really, he could be putting it inside her and solving both their problems in one go.
“Please,” she moans. “Please come here and fuck me.”
Although she knows that Rush has a great deal of willpower when he chooses to, evidently today it has deserted him as he crawls up the bed and settles himself between her legs, going in for a fierce, possessive kiss. Lacey pulls him in closer, digging her nails into his back.
“You are a greedy girl,” he says, his voice low and husky and betraying that his need is just as great as hers. “Needing both your holes filled up at the same time.”
“Yes, damn it, Nick, fuck me!”
He lines them up and presses inside her in one smooth stroke, and Lacey howls at the sensation of his cock and the butt plug together, stretching her in the best possible way and giving her a feeling of completion and pleasure unlike any she’s ever experienced before. They definitely need to do this again, if her brains haven’t blown out of her ears by the end of this.
“God, Lacey… I can feel the plug…”
He’s gone, coherent words beyond him, and Lacey shifts her hips, trying to get him to move. Finally, he obliges, his thrusts quick and desperate as the feel of the plug pushes them both on higher towards that peak. Lacey tumbles over it first with an unashamed scream, her inner walls clutching and fluttering around Rush’s cock and making him follow her over the edge just a moment later, cursing over and over as he spills deep inside her.
They’re both panting heavily as they come down from the high, their little roleplay forgotten in all of the heat and passion that’s been building over the last few minutes. Rush slips his softening cock out of her and rolls over with a groan, running a hand through his sweaty hair, and Lacey rolls over onto his chest.
“I’m gonna make you act out your fantasies more often if this is where it gets us,” she mumbles.
Rush gives a murmur of assent before running his hands down her back and gently working the plug out of her ass, stopping every time she twitches with an aftershock of pleasure.
“Yeah,” he says eventually. “I might be amenable to that.”
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Shameless Happy Ending Awards Plug Post
My master list is up to date, and I'd be mighty flattered if y'all nominated me for stuff for @therumbellehappyendingawards !
If you're overwhelmed, might I suggest the following stories that I'm very proud of but I never won anything for? 💔
So A Lawyer Walks Into A Bar... | Golden Lace office smut with spanking, a butt plug, lots of feelings, and a touch of fluff at the end! 😈😚
I Must Be Warmer Now | A Golden Lace one night stand that blossoms into something more 🥃🌹
Let's Spend the Night Together | Rush/Lacey smut that's equal parts snarky and fluffy 👽👨🎤
A Dedicated Follower of Fashion | Rumbelle smut featuring a submissive Gold with a shoe fetish. Also, any of the other stories in its 'verse, Gold On the Soles of Her Shoes 😏👠
*Note that The Boston Hour and Alterations aren't eligible because they're TEA winners, (which??? Thank you???) though other fics in the Alterations 'verse might still be eligible? Not sure what the rule is there :x
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I now have 60 fics on AO3!
You’d think I’d get bored of writing these two idiots banging but I don’t think I ever will :D
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Possibly random request here. Do you have any Rushelle/ RushxBelle fic recommendations?
Hi Anon. I don’t read a ton of Rushbelle/Rushacey so this list is by no means complete, but I can recommend a handful that I have read and that can be found on AO3. This list represents a fair range of styles and premises as well.Dr. Rush and the Space Dragon by @of-princes-and-savages as well as The Doctor’s Assistant
The Quest by @still-searching47 as well as Brighter Days and Swim to the StarsAnd Then You series by @rowofstars also Distractions
Amid the Stars by @worryinglyinnocent
One Million and One by @theladyofthedarkcastle
Another Chance at Love series by @charlotteashmore13
Infected by @gwenore
@emospritelet and @thatravenclawbitch have each written several.
Alternatively, go through the tag on AO3. Click the link for TONS of goodness.
Friends, please feel free to add on.
#rushbelle#rushacey#anyelle#fic recs#rush x belle#rush x lacey#not a complete list#I'm sure I'm leaving people out#add on from here friends#Anonymous
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Have we rumbelle' strange magic? If we have, have we either role reversed it or Anyelle'd it?
This goes out to @iguessifinallygotone, who asked for the same:
The Fairy Kingdom could not have been happier when the Queen gave birth to twins, Isabelle and Lacey, and though the joy was marred by the queen’s subsequent death all fairies were proud of their royal family, from the boy-loving, wild Lacey to the serious and gentle Belle, the heir apparent. And they were even happier when Princess Belle agreed to marry the dashing Gaston, captain of the King’s army and, surely, the best person to become their future King.
When the engagement was broken there was a lot of speculation. But only Lacey was privy to the whole story, during those long nights were Princess Belle could only tolerate her twin around her. And during those long nights she pointed out, for the first time, how relieved she was. Because Belle was curious and bookish and thirsted for adventure but had been so caught up on how she should behave, what the kingdom expected of her, to truly follow her heart.
And so, free and bitter, Belle decided to listen to her twin. No more would she hide who she was, or repress her instincts or character. She would read and train and be both Queen and King to her people, self-sufficient, strong and independent. She would never let anyone break her heart again. And so the kingdom watched their princess change, devour book after book out in the open, participate in council meetings and train with a sword, to protect herself and those she loved.
The King was unhappy, of course, but Lacey was ecstatic. Except for the fact that, in the process of becoming extremely more awesome, her twin had also become a bit of a shrew when it came to boys, Lacey number one interest. It came to a point when the only man allowed around her was her tutor, Nicholas, who she was pretty sure hated her (reason why Belle didn’t object to him).
In the forest nearby there lay another kingdom, with a kind so fierce and feared few dared say his name (but with a name like Rumplestiltskin few could pronounce it anyway). Bitter from a love potion incident gone wrong, and a rejection that had marked him, he’d grown bitter and prickly and renounced love and its dangers. For his mother, Dowager Queen Fiona, this meant no grandchildren, which was not an acceptable course of action for her (though she’s very much in favour of banning the Love Potion and imprisoning the Blue Fairy, creator of it and largest pain in everyone’s ass).
Everyone’s paths become connected when Nicholas, renowned alchemist as well as tutor, succeeds in brewing the Love Potion, a feat thought reserved to those with incredible magical abilities and beyond the powers of science (and it has nothing to do with the fact that he might have a crush on Princess Lacey, because he doesn’t and those are vicious lies). The rumour spreads to the two worst possible people: Gaston, who realises he can win the throne back, and King Rumple, who rushes to get the potion to destroy it. Though he doesn’t manage it he gets the next best thing: a royal hostage, Princess Lacey, who is too good to pass up (even if she’s magically-induced into loving him and singing). This prompts Princess Belle to go on a quest to retrieve her twin. Nicholas, grudgingly, teams up with Gaston, to atone for his role in the princess kidnapping (because he totally doesn’t love him).
What happens once Fairy Princess and Bog King meet is… magic. The kind of sparks that takes too people two deeply in denial to ignore (and one desperate mother to see). With a little help from the King’s minions and a little help from Fiona Belle and Rumple might stand a chance.
#rumbelle#strange magic#straggle rumbelle's stuff#i loved this but it was hard! i wanted to write it all#rushacey#allisquish
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The Rumbelle Happy Ending Awards – Winners!
Thank you to everyone who voted and helped spread word about this event, the fandom surprised me again. Congratulations all winners, you are really loved! Here is the masterlist.
*Categories with two winners had the same number of votes.
FLUFF
Best Fix-It
The Life You Save May Be Your Own by @thatravenclawbitch
Best Comfort
The Gift of Magi by @findingtallahassee
Best Date
The Worst That Could Happen by @thatravenclawbitch
Best Happy Moment
Quia Parata Sunt Omnia by @thatvermillionflycatcher
ANGST
Best Exes
Dark Heart by @emospritelet
Best Misunderstanding
Dripping in Gold by @maplesyrupao3
Best Post-Belle’s Death
Coming Home by @scribbles-by-kate
Best Love and Hate
Unfailing Faith by @mrs-stiltskin
Best Reencounter
The Bookshop Owner by @imgilmoregirl
AO3 TRIGGER WARNINGS
Best Underage
Reckless Abandon by @rufeepeach
Best Rape/Non-Con
Old Habits Die Hard by @dowehaveadeal
Best Major Character Death
A Safe Place by @lotus0kid
Best Graphic Descriptions of Violence
Death Becomes Her by @crysania
FAMILY
Best Gideon
The Bond Between Us by @sarashouldbestudying
Best Baelfire
Caged Love by @sarashouldbestudying
Best Belle/Rumple original child
Rose – The Dark Children by @imgilmoregirl
Best Family Long Fic
Heat of the Moment by @thescholarlystrumpet
Best Family One Shot
To Keep Out The Dark by @rufeepeach
Best Pregnancy
Heat of the Moment by @thescholarlystrumpet
SMUT
Best First Time
Bravery Will Follow by @emospritelet
Best PWP
Off Duty by @emospritelet
Best Threesome
Love and Trust by @emospritelet
Best Romance
A Dozen Roses by @ladybookwormwithteeth
Best Hate-Sex
Dark Heart by @emospritelet
Best Kink
The Party by @worryinglyinnocent
AU
Best Movie AU
The Parent Trap by @imgilmoregirl
Best TV Show AU
Home by @winterswanderlust
What Once Was… by @barpurplewrites
Best Modern AU
The Tie That Binds by @ishtarelisheba
Best Curse AU
Shape Of Love by @Rumpelstiltskin_wait
Best Creature AU
Heavenly Bodies by @maplesyrupao3
Best Historical AU
Dark Sight by @maplesyrupao3
BEST OF THE BEST
Best Drama
Angel’s Unaware by @ethereal-wishes
Best Angst
Dark Heart by @emospritelet
Best Hurt/Comfort
I Must Be Warmer Now by @ifishouldvanish
Best Series
Reckless Abandon by @rufeepeach
Best Roleplay
The Fate of Pierrot by @thatvermillionflycatcher
ART
Best Sketch
Sea wizard by @nia-sketches
Best Manip
Lust by @virgidearie
Best Digital Art
Precious Moments by @licieoic
Best Gif-Set
I miss you - we miss you too son by @virgidearie
Best Graphic Art
The Gold Family - King of Loopholes by @nropay-gallery
Best Cosplay
wizard world chicago - @klairabelle, @delintthedarkone, @druidkitty, @snafu-moofins
Best Fan Video
Rumbelle Forever / OUAT/ Belle & Rumplestiltskin by @spellbound
Once Upon A Time There Was a Beast by @allicamallison
Best Artist
@virgidearie
SPECIAL MATCHING
Best RushBelle
Love and Trust by @emospritelet
Best WovenLace
Off Duty by @emospritelet
Best Rushacey
The Worst That Could Happen by @thatravenclawbitch
Best WovenBelle
Off Duty by @emospritelet
Best GoldenLace
Recovery by @justadearie
BEST SIDE-PAIRING
Best Swanfire
Waiting Game by @emospritelet
Best CuriousArcher
Stolen Books and True Love by @imgilmoregirl
Best Gidrick
The Light That Waits by @likehandlingroses
GOLDEN CATEGORIES
Best Author
@emospritelet
Best Rumbelle Fic
Dark Heart by @emospritelet
Best Anyelle Fic
Let’s Spend The Night Together by @ifishouldvanish
No Light Over London by @lotus0kid
Best Commenter
@ultimatefan
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The Rumbelle Glossary--add on, please!
@standbyyourmantis did a great job composing this--I have added a few S7-specific terms. Are there any other new terms that you think would confuse rookies?
~~~~~~~~
1x12: Season One, Episode 12. ie. Skin Deep, the first episode in which Belle appears.
A&E: Reference to Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, the creators and producers. See: Kitsowitz, Adam & Eddy.
Adam & Eddy: Reference to Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, the creators and producers. See: A&E, Kitsowitz.
Anyelle: Basically, a ship that is Robert Carlyle in another role and Belle. There is a more in-depth definition and a full list of Anyelle ships as well as a links to fic about them provided here.
Anyem: A ship where any Robert Carlyle character is paired with any Emilie de Ravin character. Popular Anyem parings include Hiero & Ives and Rushacey (Rush and Lacey).
Beauties: Fans of Belle.
Dearies: Fans of Rumple.
Detective Weaver: Rumple’s S7 cursed persona.
DO: Dark One--usually Rumplestiltskin, usually set in the Enchanted Forest, but could also refer to other bearers of the Dark One Curse.
Dove: The bodyguard/hired muscle Rumplestiltskin-as-Mr. Gold has repossess Moe French’s van in Skin Deep. In fandom, a common assistant to Mr. Gold.
February 12: The original air date of Skin Deep, considered a most sacred and holy day to Rumbellers, celebrated by the Fluffapalooza festival.
Floof Family: Belle, Rumplestiltskin, and Bae/Neal. Named for their shared floofy hair.
Fluff Family: Belle, Rumplestiltskin, and Gideon. So-called for the short hair.
FTL: Shorthand for Fairy Tale Land, a fan-given name for the Enchanted Forest.
FTL2: The second Fairy Tale Land, home of Cinderella Tremaine 2 and her family.
Golden Beauty: The specific pairing of Mr. Gold and Belle. See also: Golden Lace.
Golden Lace: The specific pairing of Mr. Gold and Belle’s alter ego, Lacey. See also: Rumpled Lace, Woven Lace.
Goldstiltskin: Rumplestiltskin in Neverland. Specifically, wearing black leather and the painted face.
Her Handsome Hero, H3: The title of Belle’s favorite book, and also of the season 5 Belle centric ep.
Jane Espenson, JE: The writer of Skin Deep and founder of Rumbelle.
Kitsowitz: Reference to Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, the creators and producers. See: A&E, Adam & Eddy.
A Monthly Rumbelling: A Rumbelle prompt event taking place, well, monthly, and offering both smut and nonsmut prompts.
NTIC: Nick the Incorporeal Creeper. A specific fandom version of Nicholas Rush from a fic by user badfaerie. He helps various AU Anyelle Bobbys find true love.
Papafire: The parental relationship between Rumplestiltskin and his son Baelfire.
TMI Tuesday: A chance for fic authors and RPers to answer fan questions, sometimes in-character.
RCIJ: Rumbelle Christmas in July. A version of Rumbelle Secret Santa running over the summer.
RSS: Rumbelle Secret Santa. A gift exchange running over Christmas where volunteers create gifts for each other based on a short prompt by the giftee. See: RCIJ.
Rumbelle Showdown: A yearly fic writing contest where fic writers write short stories under pseudonyms in a head-to-head tournament style competition.
Rumblr: The Rumbelle fandom on Tumblr.
Rumpled Lace: The specific pairing of Rumplestiltskin and Lacey.See also: Golden Lace, Woven Lace.
Sir Rumple: Rumplestiltskin as the knight from the season 4 finale AU.
Skin Deep: The first episode wherein Belle appears, the basis of the entire Rumbelle ship.
Spinner Rumple: Rumplestiltskin as the spinner character from before taking on the curse. Usually, appears in alternate universes wherein Milah has left but Rumplestiltskin never takes on the curse.
Storybrooke AU: Nonmagical alternate universe set in Storybrooke, usually set outside of the show’s canon.
TEA: The Espenson Awards. A yearly award show for fanfiction and other creators. Named for Jane Espenson, writer of Skin Deep.
The Thing: The official Rumbelle welcome wagon post. Introduce yourself and ask @thestraggletag for it.
The War/The Rumbelle War: Several years ago, a group of fiction writers decided to try to kill each other with feels. We call this dark time The Rumbelle War or The War. It’s best not to speak of it.
Woobie: Usually used in the context of Woobie!Rumple. Defined by TVTropes as:
A “woobie” is a name for any type of character who makes you feel extremely sorry for them. Basically, the first thing you think to say when you see the woobie is: “Aw, poor baby!”
Woven Lace: The specific pairing of Detective Weaver and Lacey in S7 AUs.
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I hope I won't regret this, but... Does the word 'regret' appear in any of your WIPs?
She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. It wasn’t like their previous kisses that had all been for show. This time it was just the two of them, no one was watching.
“Lacey, wait,” he said, gripping her by the arms and pushing her away. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret come tomorrow.”
From "The Worst That Could Happen"
“I let him go,” Rumple said with a ragged gasp. “In a moment of cowardice, I let go of his hand. I watched my boy fall and I didn’t go with him. I’ve done many things wrong in my life, as you well know, but that, that will always be the thing I regret most.”
From Purgatory, chapter...whatever
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Rumbelle+ May Day Menagerie: Sign Ups Close at Midnight Tonight!
Hey so you know that we have one day left before we close the sign ups for our gift exchange? Find out more about the gift exchange here.
Are you still wondering if you would get a gift for an Anyelle/Anyem pairing, should you sign up? Also, here is the sign up sheet. For, you know, reasons.
Well, let’s check out which pairings I can see being suggested by the current Zoo Keepers (some have several):
Develle
Plunkelle
Bellish
Hieros x Ives
Rushbelle
Nostelle
Macelle
Hiero x Rumplestiltskin
Rushacey
Golden Lace
If any of these pairings are interesting to you, you might want to sign up for this event! We’ve got twelve participants so far, so please reblog so that more Rumbellers see that our sign ups are almost closed. Thanks!
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The Worst That Could Happen
read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2F2UoBM
by ThatRavenclawBitch
Nicholas Rush has been told to lighten up or face repercussions in his professional career. Lacey French is in desperate need of a wedding date. A blind date provides them both with an opportunity. From the prompt "Rushacey blind date". Rating will definitely increase.
Words: 2297, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English
Fandoms: Once Upon a Time (TV), Stargate Universe
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: F/M
Characters: Lacey (Once Upon a Time), Belle (Once Upon a Time), Nicholas Rush, Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Relationships: Lacey (Once Upon a Time)/Nicholas Rush, Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Additional Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Crossover, Alternate Universe
read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2F2UoBM
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Call It Destiny, Pt. 2
@still-searching47 prompted: “What do you get when an astrophysics professor walks into a bar?”
RATING: T
WORDS: 985
TAGS: First Meeting, Happy accidents, Drabble, Anyelle, or… anyacey, rushacey
A/N: whoops my hand slipped
[Part 1] [Read on AO3]
“Here,” Rush said, sliding a ten across the counter. “I believe I owe you a drink.”
She stared at the bill hesitantly, unsure of whether or not to accept it.
“I was a dick.” He admits. “My reaction was... an inordinate response to the stimuli and I… suppose I ought to–” his throat bobbed as he swallowed his pride, “apologise.”
Her eyes wandered over his angular features and slight frame. It was as though he was up for inspection and she was checking off a list of benchmarks in her head. Once she'd finished her assessment, she met his eyes and sucked her teeth. “...Alright. But you owe me more than a drink.”
Rush rolled his eyes. The nerve of this woman! Here he was, trying to patch up the gaffe he made, but she just won't let it go, will she?! He wasn't even that much of a dick! He wouldn't have been so rude if she hadn't been so bloody careless in the first place!
He took a swig of his beer to buy himself a moment before he could cock everything up again with another outburst, and she slid into the empty stool next to him.
“...Make it two.” She winked, flagging the bartender down.
He sputtered on his drink. “E-excuse me?”
“You're um, kinda cute. ...And maybe I think you're kinda hot when you're angry.” She said, nibbling her lip and wiggling her brows before putting their order in.
What in God's name? Was this woman absolutely mad!? She calls him a dick, then comes back later to… pick him up?
“...I'm what?”
She tossed a quick look over her shoulder, then smiled back at him. “So. Whaddya got in that notebook that's so important?” She asked, peering over his shoulder slightly as if to take a peek while the bartender set two glasses of whiskey down.
Rush eased his shoulders, grateful for the change of subject. “...None of your bloody business,” he said, busying himself by thumbing through its pages.
She groaned and rolled her eyes. “D’ya need a little help pulling the stick out from your ass?”
He froze and clenched his jaw. “That something you have experience with, Miss–?”
“French.” She finished, taking a swig of her drink. “But you can call me Lacey.”
He gave himself a moment to commit it to memory. Lacey French. Wee bird from the bar with a big mouth. And blue eyes. Really, really blue eyes.
“Well?” She hung her head and pouted her lips. “Aren’t you gonna tell me yours?”
Right. Right.
He shook his head. “Rush.” He said, extending his hand as the corner of his mouth twitched with discomfort. “Dr Nicholas Rush.”
“Ooh…” she grinned, wiggling her brows and scooting closer as she shook his hand. “A doctor…”
He rolled his eyes and let go, returning to his notebook.
“...Doctor of what?” She asked.
Rush let out a deep sigh. “Astrophysics.”
Lacey snorted, almost spitting out her drink. “Astrophysics?”
“I'm sorry– is that funny?”
“No! No! That’s just not one you hear often, you know? It's actually uh… pretty cool.” She shrugged and gazed off wistfully for a moment. “Dr Nicholas Rush... astrophysicist by day, total fucking dick by night.”
He was almost startled by the little huff of laughter that escaped him. He tilted his head and scratched at his beard, fidgeting with sudden unspent energy. “Actually, my ah… students would beg to differ.” He said with a little smile. “Rest assured, I'm a fucking cunt all hours of the day.”
“Ah.” She nodded. “So you're used to having to apologise, then.”
He furrowed his brows. Sure, he could spit the words out if it meant putting some trivial conflict to bed, but it's not like he had to mean them. Especially when the other party was clearly at fault. “...No.”
Lacey cracked a smile from behind her glass. “So, what– I'm just special?”
“Well, as a matter of fact–” he said, finding the right page of his notepad, “your little incident may have helped me catch a wee error in one my calculations.” He let the notepad drop onto the bartop with a smack and tapped a finger on the stain.
“My incident?” Lacey leaned in to look at the densely packed lines of incomprehensible glyphs and scowled. “Right...”
“Aye. Your incident.”
She suddenly perked up and gave him a knowing smile. “You're not sorry at all, are you?”
“Of course I–” he cut himself off. “What do you mean?”
Lacey took a hefty swig of her drink. “You're not sorry for being a dick at all!” She laughed. “You just decided you're okay with it now because you got something out of it!”
Rush looked down at his notebook and scoffed. Well, she wasn't wrong.
“You really are a dick!”
He just scratched his beard and shrugged. It’s far from the worst thing he’s been called, and she seems to treating it more like a compliment than anything else.
Lacey looked over her shoulder again. “Well, fair enough.” She said, getting up from her seat and shouldering her bag. “I was just sitting here so that guy over there would leave me alone.”
“You what?” He followed her gaze to a man across the bar who was trying and failing to get some redhead’s attention. Well, that made sense. So she's not completely mad, then.
“I wasn’t lying though,” Lacey said. She swilled down the rest of her whiskey and slammed the heavy glass back down on the counter. “You really are kinda cute. And I like your beard.” She winked.
Rush watched, dumbfounded, as she tugged down the gravity-defying hem of her dress, strut across the bar, and slipped out the door. He began staring a hole into his notepad again, and his hand creeped up involuntarily to touch his scruffy face.
He might need to come to the Rabbit Hole more often. For science.
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I can't believe you introduced Rush into a Golden Lace fic! Why would you do this to me? Rushacey is my one weakness. You can't just leave him there Lacey-less. Poor Rush. (Great chapter btw)
LOL. In this verse Rush has a Belle, so he’s not alone. EC!Gold is already worried enough about Lacey leaving him when she goes to college. I couldn’t throw a sexy snarky scientist into the mix for too long, the poor guy would have a heart attack
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thatravenclawbitch replied to your post: Please prompt me art ?
Oooh Rushacey??? Doing something sexy???
A little more specific ? ^^
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