Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a work of pure fiction. All characters and events depicted in this story are entirely fictitious. Any similarity to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Tags: *Belle/Rumpelstiltskin, *Baelfire, *Rheul Ghorm, *Peter Pan, *Maleficent, *Angst, *Fluff, *AU, *True Love, *Romance

Summary: Rumpelstiltskin loathes fairies until he meets the most willful one of them all, Belle. Even though it's forbidden for a fairy to help the Dark One, Belle will risk her magic as well as her wings to help him find his son. But will granting the Dark One's wish be enough to win his heart?

A/N: This was written for Ethereal Wishes. This was her prompt. Hope you enjoy it, love.

This story was originally posted under a different title. It has hence been renamed, re-edited, and now reposted. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

A Wish for the Dark One

By:

CharlotteAshmore

I

High above, on the uppermost limbs of the great pines which surrounded the Dark Castle, she sat, tiny and insignificant to the great beasts of the forest. But she wasn't concerned with what lurked in the shadows below. Her attention was focused on the man she spied through the open window of the highest tower as he moved about in his agitation.

He was rarely still, constantly moving back and forth, gesturing with grand flourishes of his elegant spinner's hands and most times talking to himself. She knew he couldn't be speaking to anyone high in his tower, for he seldom opened the doors of the castle to visitors. He fascinated her, this current Dark One. It had been too many centuries since she could recall being captivated by anything … much less anyone.

But this human, who had been taken over by the Dark One's entity, was different. He hadn't taken on the curse for wealth or fame or unimaginable power. No, he had sacrificed himself to the evil in order to save his son. It had been a noble gesture, but one which was slowly destroying the good in him, a good she could see as clearly as the branch she sat upon. But how long would he be able to bear it before the light in his heart was completely consumed by the darkness?

"Here again, Violet?" her mentor asked, perching on the branch next to her. "No good will come of you spying on the Dark One. You cannot breach his wards unless he calls for your help and even if he did so, you are forbidden to go to his aid."

"Belle, my name is Belle," the violet fairy stated stubbornly. "And why must I stay away? He needs someone to guide him on this path he's chosen. If we won't help him, who will?"

"Our kind is forbidden to help the monster known as the Dark One. He is evil personified. There is no good in him," Blue said stiffly, unused to having her commands questioned. "Besides, he doesn't want our help."

"He's so lonely, Blue, my heart aches for him. There is such a sadness about him," Belle replied, her voice barely a whisper as she felt the moisture gather in her eyes as it always did when she watched him. "I want to help him. I want to bring joy back to his life."

Blue reached out and gripped her pupil's chin roughly in her hand. "You cannot help him, Violet. He is beyond your reach. Would you really risk your wings … your magic … to help one such as he? You would become human again … for him? For a creature who would happily rip the wings from your back and watch you bleed to death?" she hissed angrily.

"There is good in him, Blue. He just needs someone to show him it still exists in his heart."

"Rubbish. I will not tolerate this from you, Violet. You are to return to the glade at once and are suspended from duty for no less than a fortnight. And I will hear no more from you on the so-called virtue of the Dark One." The queen of the fairies drew herself to her full diminutive height and glared fiercely.

Belle's clear cerulean eyes flashed angrily, but she held her tongue. It would do no good to argue and risk losing her magic. How would she be able to help him if she were powerless, after all? Glittering wings expanded on her back as she hovered momentarily over the branch. She nodded to the Blue Fairy and with one last yearning look at the man in the castle's window, she disappeared with a faint pop.

Belle breathed a sigh of relief as she perched once again in the very tops of the pines surrounding the Dark Castle. It had been two hellishly long weeks since she'd been able to leave the glade she and the other fairies called home. A fortnight since she had been able to gaze upon the imp who captivated her so. It had taken her that long to realize what she felt for the Dark One wasn't a simple obsession. She loved him. It was unfeasible for her to love him; fairies weren't capable of love any more than a demon or a dwarf. But how else could she describe the longing she felt towards him? She dreamed of being able to sit and talk with him, to have him share his stories with her, and to tell her why he was always so sad. She didn't want to dwell on the more physical attraction she felt for him or the dreams which plagued her. If she did, she just might go mad from wanting.

She struggled with the feelings which overwhelmed her, never having had to deal with such in the five centuries that she'd been a fairy. Her heart was not supposed to flutter pleasantly in her chest at the mere sight of the Dark One. Her fingertips were not supposed to itch with the desire to touch his green-gold skin, to see for herself if it was as textured as it seemed. And she was definitely not supposed to yearn to card her fingers through his hair to experience its softness for herself.

But what made her ache was the desire to press her lips to his and lose herself in a kiss filled with hope and passion which would bring joy back to his life and quench the fire he'd ignited in her blood. She'd thought long and hard about her own immortality as she'd spent hours contemplating the Dark One's situation. If she could somehow help him, she'd happily give it up. She would fall from grace for him and become human.

All he had to do was ask.

Rumpelstiltskin upended the table in his workroom, sending an assortment of potion bottles, dried herbs and books scattering to the floor of his tower room. For good measure, he gave it a swift kick and sent it crashing into the bookcase. For centuries he'd worked diligently to find the path, the one true course which would reunite him with his son … all to no avail.

Long ago, he'd trusted that devious wretch of a seer, taking her at her word the only way to journey to the land with no magic would be to cast a curse dark enough to rip apart the realms. There had to be another way! But if there was, why hadn't he been able to find it?

The one man he could call friend in this world, Jefferson, the realm jumper, had brought him countless magical items in hopes he could help. That, too, had proved fruitless. Some days … years if he thought about it … the only thing which kept him from losing his sanity was the knowledge of his own foresight which assured him he would indeed be reunited with Baelfire. But how? If that loathsome sanctimonious jellyfish of a Blue Fairy hadn't interfered and given Bae that blasted magic bean, he wouldn't be going through this. His boy would be at his side and they would be happy … a family … as it should be. He would have found a way to break his curse without having to leave the realm … eventually.

"Blasted fairies!" he seethed, moving to the open window. He braced his palms on the window sill and breathed deeply of the crisp clean night air, trying to quell his rage. If there was a way to rid the entire realm of those annoying little bugs, he would happily set himself general of the army to wipe them out. Thinking about annihilating an entire species helped greatly to rid him of his anger and brought a sinister smile to his face. "I will find you, Bae. I will get you back. I just need a little help. That's all I wish for, Bae, just a little help."

Before he was able to grasp the windows to pull them closed, a blinding streak of violet light raced over the castle walls, across the grounds and through the window, smacking him with the force of an anvil in the center of his chest. With an oomph, he crashed to the floor to land on his leather-clad backside, stunned speechless. His head hurt with the force it had hit the floorboards and brought stars to dance behind his closed lids.

It was the weight of another body lying atop his own which brought him back to his senses, and his dark bronze-colored eyes flew open to stare in astonishment at the lovely chestnut-haired beauty laying in his arms. His arms?

"Well it's about time you asked for help, Rumpelstiltskin," she cooed in her bell-like voice, a sound which reminded him of wind chimes.

Her eyes were deep oceans of the clearest blue he'd ever seen, eyes he could have drowned in had he not been filled with fury. "I did NOT ask for help from a bloody fairy," he snapped, shoving her over onto the hardwood floor.

She landed on her behind and scowled up at him in offense. "You don't have to be so mean. I'm only here to help now that you've called for me."

"I did not … why the hell am I even debating the issue with you?" he asked, more of himself than of her. His magic crackled to life, ready to be called, but she had her wand out, immobilizing him before he could lift his hand to strike.

Belle tsked at him and smiled. "None of that, Rumpel … do you mind if I call you Rumpel … Rumpelstiltskin is quite the mouthful, I must say," she rambled, nervous now that she was finally in his presence. How long had she wished to be with him in such close proximity and now that same closeness was turning her into a babbling idiot. Oh, how her sister fairies would relish the thought of miss-know-it-all reduced to a quivering mass of nerves. Her teeth worried her lower lip as she stepped forward and reached out to brush the hair away from his eyes. It was just as soft as she'd always imagined, and she had to bite hard on her lip to keep the moan from rising to her lips.

His eyes flashed angrily at her, promising retribution once he was free of her magic. Her spell was already weakening due to her distraction and she had no time to waste if she were to keep her head intact. "You did ask for help; I heard you. At great risk to my person I've decided to grant your wish to help you find … Baelfire? I believe that was the name you spoke."

His brows drew together in vexation as he stared at the curious creature before him. At least she wasn't dressed in one of those horrid jellyfish costumes, he thought. No, the sparkly violet dress she wore left her shapely legs bare, the sectioned skirt - resembling the petals of a flower - hit her mid-thigh. The neckline plunged in a deep vee, showing her ample cleavage off to her advantage and the fact that there were no sleeves left her lovely arms free of ornament. Deep purple bangles which shone in the candlelight of the tower room adorned her delicate wrists and a simple pearl pendant hung from her bare throat. She was the loveliest woman he'd ever seen in his very long existence and he was horrified to feel his body responding in kind. He was growing hard with wanting … a bloody fairy! If he could have made a sound, it would have been a groan. She had to go … now!

And it was not helping matters when she looked at him with tenderness in the depths of her eyes as she continued to stroke his hair. Free me, dearie, and I've give you something else to stroke. He gave himself a mental shake, cursing himself for his wayward thoughts. It had been a good twenty years since he'd let himself feel anything for the opposite sex and he wasn't about to start now over this mere slip of a girl … fairy, he reminded himself.

"Always so sad or angry. Has it been so long that you've forgotten how to smile?" she murmured as she searched his face. "Let me help you find it again?" Though she knew it would be a mistake, she stepped away from him and released him from her spell.

His hand was at her throat before she could blink as he pushed her up against his spinning wheel with his fierce grip. "How dare you come into my home uninvited and use your magic on me!?" he raged.

Belle, with her strength failing along with her vision, gave him a sharp jab in the ribs with her wand. It wasn't enough to hurt him - hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do - but it gave him a little jolt, enough to gain her release. She collapsed to the floor in a heap, coughing and fighting to catch her breath. "I couldn't have entered the Dark Castle without an invitation. You know that," she rasped out.

Rumpelstiltskin rubbed the fingers of his right hand together against his thumb in a sign of marked irritation she would know that. When he realized what he was doing, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. "Get out! I neither need nor want help from the likes of you. Should I be expecting Rheul Ghorm to momentarily be beating down my door?"

Belle rose shakily to her feet and smoothed her hand over her short skirt, ignoring him for the moment and taking in his dimly lit sanctuary, sneezing just looking at the dust which covered every surface. "Blue doesn't know I'm here. If she did … well, I'd rather not say what she'd do to me."

"Then why are you here, dearie?" he asked, still in a quandary over her motives for invading his home. "Never mind. Just go!"

"No."

"Did you just tell me no? You'll get out or I'll throw you out!"

"I don't think so. And don't you dare try, Rumpel. I can't leave until I've granted your wish," she informed him, moving to the door and leaving him gaping at her retreating form.

Now that she'd obeyed his request, he visibly relaxed. Is she humming? He took a hesitant step toward the door, then another and another until he was following her down the tower steps and into the corridor which led towards the kitchens. "The door is that way," he pointed out, wasting his breath because he was certain she was paying him no mind.

She hummed a merry little tune all the way to the kitchen and set about making tea and raiding his food locker. "Do you have any honey?"

"Honey?" What the hell?

"Yes, you know, the sweet thick gooey stuff bees make?" she asked, speaking as if he were a simpleton.

He arched a brow and smirked at her, reaching past her and taking a jar from the shelf. Belle's breath hitched as her eyes drifted to his chest, bared by the deep vee of his shirt mere inches from her lips. Gooseflesh erupted down the length of her body and she was forced to twine her fingers together to stop herself from reaching for him.

He was further intrigued by the blush which rose up her neck to stain the apples of her cheeks. "Hot, dearie?"

"Y-Yes," she stammered, relieved when he moved back into the kitchen proper. "A bit warm in here," she offered lamely. She followed him and shut the door behind her, arms laden with bread, cheese, a crock of butter and some cured ham she'd found in the locker. It would have only taken a moment to whip up a sumptuous meal using fairy magic, but she was stalling for time.

The kettle whistled, and Rumpelstiltskin left her at the table to retrieve it from the hook over the fire. "I didn't think fairies had need for food," he snarked, watching her drizzle honey over the buttered bread she had on her plate.

"We don't normally, but I have developed a taste for honey and fresh baked bread over the years," she replied, her voice like a warm caress to his frazzled nerves. How long had it been since he'd been in the company of someone who didn't fear him? She was a pleasant surprise. All the more reason to see the back of her walking out his door. "Aren't you going to join me, Rumpel?"

His teeth gnashed together at the shortened version of his name falling from her rosebud lips, but he didn't chastise her. Instead, he sat next to her at the table and wrapped some cheese and ham in a slice of the bread, waiting to see what she had to say. "Well, out with it, dearie."

Belle's eyes closed, and a dreamy sigh of pure bliss escaped her as she bit into the honey-covered bread. His mouth gaped open and he could feel his traitorous body responding to her again, much as it had in the tower. What is wrong with me? he thought frantically. I cannot be attracted to a fucking fairy! He groaned and then prayed she hadn't heard his lapse of sanity.

"Are you going to tell me what makes you think I asked for your help? Or are you just going to eat up all the food in my pantry and perhaps take a nap in the library?" he asked snippily, crumbs flying at her as he flourished the hand holding his sandwich.

Belle eyed him over the rim of her teacup and sighed wearily. "Must I explain everything to you, Rumpel? I heard you ask for help to find someone named Baelfire. And here I am," she said simply.

"What if I don't want your help?"

"Then why did you ask for it?"

"I didn't!"

"You did! Otherwise, I wouldn't have come," she retorted with an infuriatingly beautiful smile.

He pushed himself away from the table and moved to stir the fire in the hearth before he did something stupid … like haul her onto his lap and kiss her senseless. Gah! "Why would you want to help me?"

"Because I want you to smile again," she murmured softly.

The Dark One turned to stare at her and let his lips curl upwards into a feral smile. "There, I've smiled, happy?"

"No. I want to see you smile with your eyes, Rumpel. I want you to be happy. I'm tired of seeing you so sad and angry all the time," she admitted.

"Why you spying little harpy!" he fumed.

"You fascinate me. I just came off probation for watching over you. Blue didn't like it one bit," Belle shook her head, offering her own sad smile as she ignored his outburst.

"I ought to carve the wings from your back and use them in one of my potions," he snarled, his anger rising once again in his breast. Who knew what she might have witnessed him doing through his tower window.

She waved a hand dismissively, unafraid of his wrath. "So, tell me about Baelfire. Where is he that you can't find him?" she asked, her eyes bright with curiosity. "I need a bit more information if I'm going to help you."

With a snarl in her direction, he turned on his heel and made his way out of the kitchen, taking a left out of the foyer and climbing the stairs to his tower room. But instead of going up to his workroom once he'd gained the corridor on the third floor, he turned to go to his bedchamber. She wouldn't dare to disturb him there even if she were able to find it. He opened the door and used a bit of magic to change his clothes into a pair of soft calf-length cotton pants and a black silk tunic for sleeping.

What was it about the little bug which had him so riled, aside from the very fact she was a fairy? He wondered if his insane attraction to her was the only reason he hadn't squashed her and rid himself of her annoying presence, or if he had succumbed to something different … something so foreign he dared not put a name to it. No, hope was not something he ever let himself feel. He merely went through the motions of his existence without ever letting hope play a part in it. There was no hope for him. But what if she could help him?

He slammed his fist into one of the posts on the massive four poster bed in his chamber with an audible crack. "Damn her!"

"There's really no reason to resort to violence, Rumpel," her bell-like voice chimed throughout the room.

Rumpelstiltskin wheeled around and pinned her to the spot with his cold stare. She was perched upon one of his armchairs by the hearth, a warm smile upon her lips and her feet curled up beneath her. In his favorite chair. She looked as though she belonged there and that thought disturbed him more than it should. "Do you have no notion of a man's privacy?" he snarled, advancing on her to show her out the door.

Belle waved a hand dismissively. He found she did that a lot, as if his anger were of no consequence to her. "I'm perfectly safe here with you, Rumpel. I've watched you for a long time and if there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that you are no ravisher of women. Won't you sit here with me, so we can talk?"

Rumpelstiltskin was taken aback by her confession. What could possibly instill such trust of him in her? She was either extremely brave or incredibly stupid. How could she not know just how much he desired her delectable form if she were as intuitive as she claimed. Shaking himself from his reverie, he glared down at her. "You're in my chair."

Belle arched a brow and tried not to laugh at the petulant pout on his thin lips. She rose to her feet and moved to sit in the chair opposite him. Yet, still, he remained standing, his wide eyes following her every move. After several moments of silence where only the crackling of the fire could be heard, she asked, "Well aren't you going to sit down?"

He flopped into the worn leather armchair and stared at her, his brows drawn together in a frown as he continued to try to deduce her motives for wanting to help him. Anyone else would be shifting uncomfortably under the weight of his malevolent gaze, yet she seemed unfazed by it. "You're not going to leave until I let you help, are you?" he asked, stunned at the question which fell from his lips. He had only been thinking it and hadn't meant to speak it aloud.

Belle smiled brightly, and he could swear he could count every one of her teeth. "No, I'm not. You don't realize how long I've waited for you to ask for my help and I will not abandon you in your hour of need," she affirmed softly. "Now tell me about Baelfire."

The all-powerful Dark One shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a low growl issuing forth from his lips. He had never shared his tale with another living soul and he wasn't about to start now. Yet, something in her smile and the sincere offer of friendship in her warm gaze called to him. "Baelfire is my son, dearie. And because of Rheul Ghorm, your illustrious leader," he sneered, "he was lost to me."

"He was the reason you took on the curse of the Dark One," she said, sympathy for his plight coloring her tone. "What did Blue have to do with him being lost?"

He gazed into the fire, the flames casting flickering shadows across his face. "He didn't like what I'd become. I frightened him," he explained in a low tone, the shrill high pitch to the voice of the Dark One giving way to something more natural. "He became obsessed with finding a way to break my curse, but when he wasn't able to find one, he asked Rheul Ghorm for help."

"But only True Love's Kiss would be able to break your curse … or if someone killed you with the dagger."

Rumpelstiltskin snorted. "Yes, dearie, I know this. And you should have seen the droves of women just lining up to kiss me," he replied, sarcasm dripping from his tongue. "Look at me! Who would want to kiss the beast I've become?" Or the cowardly spinner I was before, for that matter?

I would. "What did Blue do when Baelfire asked for her help?" she asked, resting her elbow on the arm of the chair and propping her chin in her hand.

"She told him of a land with no magic, one where I would lose my power and become human again. She gave him a magic bean, the last one in existence, to take us there."

"Is that where he is now?" she asked, her brows disappearing into her hairline in surprise. It wasn't like Blue to give up something so precious to a mere mortal. She hoarded her trove of treasures like a dragon and would part with them under only the direst of circumstances.

"As far as I know," he murmured absently, wishing she would leave off from the questioning. It had been days since he'd slept, and the constant barrage of questions was making him weary.

"Why didn't you go with him, Rumpel?" she asked, her heart breaking as the mask he wore slipped and she was able to glimpse the full weight of his pain.

"Because I'm a coward. I was afraid if we went to this new land, I would lose my power to protect him. I didn't want to be a cowardly spinner anymore, incapable of protecting my boy. I made a poor choice and I've paid for it from the moment the portal closed," he spat bitterly. "I've spent centuries trying to find a way to him."

Belle slipped out of her chair to kneel at his feet, taking his hand in hers and holding it to her cheek. "I don't think you're a coward, Rumpelstiltskin. You took on a curse to save your son from war and death, sacrificing your very soul in the process. I think you are very brave."

A warmth spread through his chest at her words which had nothing to do with the effect her touch had on his body and he stared down at her in awe. He was so very tired. Sleep was not something which came easily to him, what with the nightmares which plagued him. He needed sleep if he were to solve the puzzle that was the little violet fairy who supplicated herself at his feet. "You should be going … I don't even know your name," he said, withdrawing his hand from her grasp.

She smiled gently. "It's Belle; my name is Belle."

"Well, it's late and I'm sure you have better things to do than nag me with your endless questions."

Belle offered her hand to him and pulled him to his feet, giving him a gentle shove towards his bed. "I haven't. Go, sleep and I will watch over you tonight."

"You are not staying here," he insisted as he climbed into his bed.

"When is the last time you actually had a decent rest?" she asked imperiously, refusing to let him bully her into doing what he wanted.

His eyes were already so heavy he could barely hold them open. He didn't have the will to fight her any longer as she pulled the coverlet up to his chin and climbed onto the mattress to lie beside him. "Dunno."

Belle propped her head on her hand and carded the fingers of her other hand through his hair as he drifted off. "I won't leave you, Rumpel. I will find some way to reunite you with your son," she vowed and settled in to watch him sleep.

A/n: I really hope y'all are ready to come with me on another journey through fic :D Thank you to everyone reading. I really want to know what you think!