Title: "Too Late"
Author: Kat Lee
Rating: G/K
Summary: A little bit of insight into Rumpel's thoughts when he first visits Belle in the hospital. SPOILERS!
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, names, codenames, places, items, fandoms, titles, and etc. are always © & TM their respective owners, not the author, and are used without permission. Any and all original characters and everything else is © & TM the author and may not be reproduced in any way without the author's express, written permission. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
He'd done it. He'd finally taken all of his courage and kissed his beloved Belle, but it had either taken him too long or he simply didn't have true love's kiss to give. He shrank away, wanting, for the first time in centuries, to curl up inside of himself and hide as she screamed at him. This wasn't his Belle. This woman thought him a monster.
And yet, she was his Belle. She just didn't remember him. She didn't remember that she loved him. As he turned and fled from the hospital, however, Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help wondering. He had kissed her. If she'd loved him, truly loved him, that should have brought her back. It had, after all, brought Snow White back for Prince Charming, and the Prince returned for her.
She didn't love him. Or perhaps she did love him, and he was the one at fault. He was, after all, a monster, a Demon, the Dark One. He'd said it before himself: He wasn't capable of love. Yet, deep within, even as he continued to fight to keep from crying after reaching his shop's safety, Rumpelstiltskin knew the truth. He did love, but he had loved too late.
The End