Notes: This does follow in after my stories Home and The Greater Darkness, so is AU after the mid-season break in Season 3.

All Falls Down

Chapter One

Yeah God love your soul and your aching bones
Take a breath, take a step, meet me down below

Everyone's the same
our fingers to our toes
We just can't get it right
But we're on the road

If ever your world starts crashing down
Whenever your world starts crashing down
That's when you find me.

"All Fall Down" ~ OneRepublic

Life, if nothing else, had proven unpredictable even to one who could see the future. Sometimes good and sometimes bad, but always unpredictable, even when he thought he had it all mapped out. He could set up all the pieces in perfect order for years and then a variable - unseen, but certainly not small - could send tremors through it all, threatening to topple the best laid plans. Henry had been one of those variables when he'd sought out Bae. Thankfully that had turned out well enough, even if he'd been put into some close calls on behalf of his grandson since. The boy's mother also continued to be a changing piece. Emma Swann. The product of True Love. Rumplestiltskin had known she'd be important, had known that she could and would break the curse that he'd manipulated Regina into casting for him, but she'd turned out to be so much more. She'd been his son's own True Love, the mother of his grandson, and, heaven help them all now, family. In a roundabout way, she was also the reason that he was now sitting - Belle called it sulking, but really he was just sitting - in a closed carriage that was taking them on a journey that would have gone smoother and oh so much quicker if they'd just allowed him to teleport them to where they needed to go. He hated lengthy trips.

Miss Swann had created her newest jolt to his plans when her mother had announced that they would, once again, be returning to the Enchanted Forest. Anton and the dwarves had been hard at work in the fields growing beans for months without wanting to get anyone's hopes up. There had been no guarantee that the formerly burnt fields had been really reset when Storybrooke had come back, but even after Mallicade had been dealt with there had been a general unrest that never faded from the displaced population. So they had planted and they had tried and in the end the beans grew.

Rumple, somewhat to his own surprise, hadn't wanted to go. There was something soothing about his shop, the home that he, his love, and his son shared - often with Emma Swann in recent months which brought Henry along as well - and the stillness of Storybrooke. In a way it reminded him of Bae's youth when everything had been so quiet in their little village. Thankfully the town in Maine had modern amenities and he wasn't scrounging to put enough food on the table. Okay, so it reminded him of the good parts of their quiet little village.

He had been ready to voice his thoughts on the matter to his son, but Snow and Charming were going back with their people and where they went their daughter would follow. Where their daughter went, so would her son, and that ensured Baelfire's return as well. After everything, Bae would not risk losing his family again and, in turn, Rumple would never stay if his son were leaving. He'd told Belle that late one night after she'd finally coaxed it out of him and she'd promised to stand by his side if he wanted to stay or if he wanted to return. As long as they were together, she had promised him, that would be enough for her. There had been a choice, in the most practical sense of it, but for Rumplestiltskin who had spent lifetimes trying to find his only son, the choice was made as soon as Bae had made his.

So they had returned through a portal made by one of those damned beans that still made his skin crawl to think too much on. He hadn't needed to look to the future to see what was going to happen then. The Charmings were fond of Bae and they'd put him straight back to the counsel he had sat on before they'd been pulled back to Storybrooke this last time. If Rumplestiltskin was forced to give them credit for everything - something he'd much prefer not doing if he had a choice in the matter - it was that, while in some ways they acted very much like the royals that they were expected to be, in others they broke expectations into pieces. They didn't see social status as those around them often did.

Bae had been put to the counsel and Rumple and Regina both had been roped into the place of providing an entirely different kind of counsel. Between the two of them they had more magical knowledge than the newly disgraced Blue Fairy could have ever provided - or would have, if the purpose hadn't served her - and there he found himself trapped, not by any physical or magical restraints, but by expectations he'd never bothered with before this. Damn them if they expected him to play the parts they played.

"Hey." The nudge jolted him out of his irritable thoughts and the clearest blue eyes that he'd ever known were staring at him, those red-painted lips pulled in a gentle and almost teasing smile. "You promised that you were done sulking."

Rumplestiltskin snorted even as his son made a sound that might have been a barely-contained chuckle across the carriage, cutting it off before he roused the blonde sleeping against his shoulder who would readily join in on the complaints over taking a carriage above any other form of transportation. Perhaps the Enchanted Forest wasn't exactly what she remembered it being from her brief visits.

Belle leaned into him again, playfully knocking their shoulders together as she spoke in hushed tones so as not to disturb Emma either. "I know magic would have made the trip easier, but-"

"I know," he huffed, though not bothering with whispers. His son shot him a glare and he shrugged. What did he care if she roused? He might get some support in the argument. It was an absurd argument anyway, as far as he was concerned. Maurice was spineless and showed it often enough. Belle had thought that to simply appear in the castle would have made him uneasy - her words, Rumple would have said made him quake in his boots which would have been closer to the truth - and Snow had readily agreed that it would be best not to push at the early stages of an alliance with him.

"You two need to find common ground," Belle continued, her voice leaving him no room to cut in and argue. He knew the tone. He'd already lost this round, just like the last one and the one before that. Hell, he'd lost the moment that Snow and Charming had decided that they needed to reach out to Sir Maurice and his - in Rumple's opinion, worthless - army for an alliance. Belle had been the obvious choice for an ambassador to her father's castle and the Charmings had decided that it was a fine time for Emma to step outside of her comfort zone and begin establishing herself as the princess that she was. Needless to say, it was further outside her comfort zone than she'd been happy to approach and Bae had gotten roped into going with her - not that a spinner's son knew a great deal about courts and procedures that accompanied them, but he had spent nearly a year in her parents' court, so it had been good enough for her - but the real surprise had come when Belle had asked him to come along. Rumple had been quick to accept with the quip that it was really to make sure that her father allowed her to leave once their business was done. Well, she'd thought it was a quip and he hadn't told her otherwise.

Belle had reached out and taken his hand now, fingers lacing through his own. "I love you both very much and I'm not willing to give either of you up. Will you do this for me?"

"You know I can't deny you anything," Rumplestiltskin whispered, his voice low and unsteady as it left his throat.

"You hear that, Neal?" Emma's groggy voice sounded from a few feet away. "Your dad knows that's how it works. You should've gotten me out of this."

Baelfire laughed which, in hindsight, was probably not the smartest move he could have made as she sat up and took a half hearted swing at him. "Hey, I came along, didn't I? At least you don't have to suffer alone."

"I don't see you in frills," she groused, motioning to the dress that was not, in all the grandness that could be in the Enchanted Forest, as frilly as they came. Three days' ride by coach would have been entirely hellish if she'd worn one of the dresses her mother had packed in the trunks that were riding atop the carriage. The terrible thing was that she knew she'd be expected to change into one of those once they got there. "So what exactly do we do on an ambassadorial visit?"

"I've never been on one, actually," Belle murmured thoughtfully. "My father's father was the second in line for the throne in our kingdom, so when his brother's son - the current king - was born he was given Avonlea, so while I'm of royal descent - technically - I never really was coached in anything like that. I'm rather excited to find out though."

Emma looked like someone had spun her around and then told her to walk a straight line. "So your dad's a… Wait. His dad was… Nope."

Belle started laughing. "Trust me, it's really not worth it. Someone did something and someone ruled somewhere… Though I think that we may have received the better end of it. When not being attacked by ogres, Avonlea is one of the best towns you could ever hope to visit. Not that I'm biassed, of course."

"Does it… get attacked by ogres very often?" Emma managed, mind automatically going to the one time she'd experienced an ogre attack. Suddenly she thought that instead of teaching her ballroom etiquette her mother should have been instructing her on how to shoot a bow.

"Not anymore. Rumple saved us."

Rumplestiltskin waved a hand dismissively in the air. "I got the better end of the bargain, I assure you."

"Not sure you thought that right after I came to the Dark Castle," Belle teased.

"Wait, you were the price?" Emma demanded, whirling on her son's grandfather before Belle had a chance to explain. "What is with you and making deals for people? People are not currency!"

"Of course not," Rumplestiltskin answered with a slow smile that she'd learned well with her dealings with him as Mr Gold, "but their skills can often be. The person tends to come along with that."

When the carriage finally came to a stop and Emma almost tripped over her own feet - not to mention her dress - trying to pile out. Servants met her, instantly at either side and taking her hands to steady her. She shot Bae a dirty look when he laughed. "Yeah, you keep laughing in there. I know how you get after a ten hour car trip."

"Can't stretch you legs in a bug," he answered, showing no trouble at all in following her. She had decided that she was certain that his somewhat impish smile that he wore from time to time was something he'd gotten from his father. As he flashed it now it struck her that Henry had begun picking it up as well, especially when he was in trouble.

The servants helped Belle out, who didn't appear stiff at all. Rumplestiltskin might have, if magic had been wrapped tightly around his ankle to secure it without the need of his cane or walking stick. He'd brought it with him, the black one with the gold handle as opposed to the older one from before his curse that Bae had explained to Emma had markings from where he'd grown notched into it, but it was nowhere to be seen. Bae and Belle both knew why as they watched him take confident steps forward, offering an arm to Belle even as he did. Maurice wouldn't see any weakness from Rumplestiltskin today.

Emma let out a long whistle as she looked up at the castle. "So, I know you said you were a… princess removed or something like that, but that's a helleva nice castle for a princess removed."

Belle managed not to laugh too loudly as the doors opened and her father appeared. She looked up at Rumple and caught his dark eyes, an unspoken conversation happening between them before he released her arm that was looped through his so that she could move towards Maurice. "Papa!"

Maurice embraced his daughter readily, nearly pulling her off her feet. "My darling girl. It's been too long." He looked past her and offered a stiff bow to Emma. "Princess Emma, it is an honour to welcome you into my humble home."

"Hi," she managed and looked more awkward than before if that were possible.

"Papa, this is Baelfire - " Belle introduced, but quickly cut off her father's immediate reaction to begin peppering poor Bae with questions on where he was from "- and you remember Rumplestiltskin."

Maurice went pale as his eyes came to rest on Rumple. He'd obviously been caught up enough with his daughter's return home that he'd hardly noticed - though the sorcerer might have had something to do with that, if he were being a bit more honest than he usually was - but now his eyes widened at the sight of him standing in some of his tamer clothing of silk and dragonhyde vest. He looked more the part of an eccentric nobleman than the Dark One these days, but his presence caused the lord to stutter. "You never said-"

"Papa," Belle admonished, her bright eyes narrowed and he silenced almost immediately.

Bae leaned over to his father's ear. "She can do that with anyone can't she?" he asked and Rumplestiltskin's lips tipped in a knowing smirk.

"Sir Maurice," he drawled, the title coming out in a tone that was most certainly mocking, "while I'm flattered that you'll keep your daughter and the princess you're to meet with waiting outside the gates on my account…"

"Of course!" Belle's father managed. "Please, Princess Emma, this way. We have rooms prepared for you and your… guests."

Emma nodded with a strained smile and followed them in, falling into step with her love's father after a moment. He shot her an amused look. "I don't think he remembers you, sheriff."

"It's the damn dress. Or the fact you probably beat the memories out of him. Belle know about that?"

Rumplestiltskin shrugged. "She wouldn't be happy, but I had my reasons. I didn't do any permanent damage."

The blonde snorted and they followed the aging lord into his home.

If one thing was certain in the Enchanted Forest it was that pomp and circumstance would be observed in the presence of royalty. Bae felt like a waiter at a high-end event that had somehow convinced the crowd there that he was one of them when he'd really just put down his tray and flashed a smile. He'd pulled his fair share of cons before he'd met Emma so he could manage the smile that they expected well enough. The clothes had helped. It was hard to feel like a kid that grew up in some backwater little village when dressed like a prince. At least the discomfort didn't show, or at least he hoped it didn't.

He could tell his father wasn't any less uncomfortable than he was - though from what he'd said he had had plenty of experience dealing with royals over the years - and had barely budged during the entire meal. He seemed to know the motions to go through and Bae followed suit, but they'd been put several seats down from Belle and Emma, leaving them as outsiders even if they were close to the head of the table. They knew no one else here and the younger man was certain that if anyone actually tried to speak to him that the facade would shatter like a brick going through glass.

His papa had done well enough in his promise to Belle and together they weathered the meal. Before they'd left Belle had warned them - or perhaps the warning had truly been for Emma - what to expect. The ball was as extravagant as anything he'd seen Mary Margaret and David throw in their own palace. Women in their fine dresses and men dressed with ribbons from wars that had taken place over three decades before. Not that it seemed like it had been three decades before, not to them anyway.

"Everyone just picks right back up, don't they?"

Rumplestiltskin glanced at his son. "There's not a lot to pick back up on in a place like this," he drawled, motioning to the dance. "Nothing changes, curse or no." He paused, dark eyes taking in the crowd before flickering back to meet Bae's. "When are you going to ask her?"

His son had taken that moment to grab one of the passing champagne glasses and choked down the sip he'd taken. "Ask… what?"

"You know what I mean. Emma."

"Papa," Bae hissed and downed the rest of the drink in two large gulps before continuing, his voice a bit scratchier than it had been with the alcohol still burning at it. "Things are… complicated here."

"You were quick enough to propose to that girl that tried to kill you."

"Thanks, Pop. In my defense, I didn't know she was crazy."

"Miss Swann seemed to," his father pointed out with a small smile. "My point is that matters between the two of you have always been complicated. You ran from this place and managed to fall in love with the one woman that brought you directly back into it."

"Not complaining."

"Nor I, but you can't start calling it complicated as if it hasn't always been."

Bae reached a hand up and ran it through his hair, eyes very much like his father's searching out where Emma was being introduced to Lord-Such-and-Such of the Such-and-Such-Lands with this, that, and everything else to offer. He knew how these things worked, or at least how they had years ago and he'd have bet anything that that was the one thing that never changed. "She's a princess," he breathed at last.

"That doesn't matter."

"Seriously? Have you met these people?"

"You've earned your place, unlike the majority of them. Do you love her?"

He didn't miss a beat. "Of course."

"Then don't let it matter, son."

A small smile crossed his lips. "Never thought I'd be having this conversation with you. Much less about her." He made a face. "Much less about her in the Enchanted Forest in your girlfriend's castle."

Rumplestiltskin smiled, his own gaze finding Belle.

"What about you, Pop?"

"What about me?"

"Oh no. You don't get to pull that," Baelfire chuckled. "I know you love her. What's stopping you from asking her?"

Rumple's voice caught in his throat as their eyes met and Bae saw the tamed panic there. It must have been a question that he'd asked himself a million times over and found a million reasons to back out if he'd ever convinced himself to do it in the first place. Their travels with Milah had taught Bae just how badly his mother had damaged his father. The damage had ripped open old wounds that were ripped open again when he'd fallen through the portal and his papa had been left behind. Funny, in his dreams Bae had always seen Rumplestiltskin letting go of his hand, but now when he reached back into his memories he couldn't tell if he let go or if the he'd simply been pulled away.

"Papa, I-"

"What if she says no?"

The words were so honest that Baelfire stood and blinked at him for a moment. "Why would she say no?" he asked carefully after a moment, feeling like anything he said would be wrong.

"Because my father was right in one thing: I'm very good at being abandoned."

Bae reached out, hand resting against his father's shoulder. It is a terrible feeling when children are forced to realize that their parents are just as flawed as they are. He'd spent so much time hating him for his flaws that he couldn't understand as a child and since getting him back, he'd just focused on being grateful for that second chance. It didn't matter that sons shouldn't have to comfort their fathers. Only one father in the world was Rumplestiltskin and he was his only son. Unspoken rules such as that never really mattered much in their family.

He'd opened his mouth to tell him he was wrong, to tell him that he knew beyond any doubt that Belle loved him more than Milah ever could, more than Cora ever could, and that he'd finally found the one that would not leave him for anything, but a high-pitched scream shattered the words before they tumbled out. Both men turned towards it, eyes narrowed and everything tense in preparation for the next round of chaos.

"What was that?" Emma asked, suddenly at Bae's side.

"Don't know, but it came from the balcony."

A woman in all her finery was running as best as she could into the the ballroom, a gentleman backing in behind her with a sword drawn and looking up to the sky. "It's terrible!" she announced uselessly, nearly falling over herself in her haste to escape whatever she'd seen.

Bae was walking forward, Emma at his side. Belle met them halfway to where the doors to the balcony had been thrown open to give them a clear view of the dark, angry clouds that were coming towards them. It was no storm. Baelfire knew magic when he saw it.

"You!" Maurice called and they turned to see him pointing an angry finger accusingly at Rumplestiltskin. "What have you done?"

"He's cursed us!" another voice rang out. "The Dark One has cursed us!"

The murmured agreement passed through the room even as Rumple moved to stand with those he'd come with. His dark eyes watched the cloud seriously and his thin lips were pulled into a frown.

"Papa, what is that?"

"Nothing good." Something clicked in him and he yelled to those closest to the doors for them to be shut. It did little good as glass shattered inward and smoke poured in around them.

TBC