This was just a quick oneshot I wrote out of boredom and for fluffapalooza! Happy rumbelle anniversary!
I own nothing.
Belle, Belle, Belle.
It was her name, she understood this by now.
Each time a new visitor came, a new face, they always told her this.
They always told her what she liked. Who she was.
Belle hated it. She would know who she was, wouldn't she?
She was the unnamed girl in the room underground.
She remembered this. She remembered staring into space. She remembered the woman who stared in at her as if she was some sort of prey. She remembered the nurse.
The nurse was in this place too, which Belle despised. Even she was calling her Belle now. Before, she hadn't spoken a word to Belle, except to tell her to get up or to stay still. Now the woman always seemed to be the one jabbing her with the needles that made her body numb and her mind soft.
The man who had healed her with a flick of a hand hadn't visited in awhile, which she was relieved of. She wasn't sure if she had dreamt of him kissing her, but he had scared her into throwing that cup. He had insisted of some life in a castle. She had chipped the cup, he had told her. It was worse than chipped now because of her. Part of her despised herself for it. The look in his eyes after she had broken it haunted her. Each time she recalled that defeated look in his eyes, guilt stabbed at her heart.
In the end, it had given her something to keep her mind off of things.
A good while after the man left, Belle had crawled from bed, carefully retrieving the pieces and stowing them away in the drawer beside her bed.
She only needed glue. She recalled the woman who had given her the book and a various items of food in a basket. She'd surely help her if they were supposedly friends, wouldn't she?
There was also the other patient, Greg. Belle doubted he could help. She was appreciative that he believed her testaments of the ball of fire and being healed, but she didn't feel comfortable around him.
Belle found that the girl called Red was more than happy to get her glue. Their visit hadn't ended with that wretched nurse stabbing her with a needle and dragging her off, giving her the chance to ask for the stuff.
Later that evening, Belle had been set off by a movie on television, where a group of children waved wands around and used magic, reeling Belle into an anxiety attack from recalling the accident. She had slept heavily that night, waking to see that a small vial of super glue had been left for her on her bed stand.
Belle's hand jerked out, grasping onto the vial as if it would save her life. She finally could do something useful. She hadn't felt like reading because the words always ran together and hurt her head, but this was a simple task. Glue the already chipped cup.
She spent most of her time doing this now and found it surprisingly comforting. It was frustrating at times, but she made quick progress, the base of the cup forming easily. The cup had broken into large pieces, leaving no minuscule pieces.
She was thankful for this. Perhaps if the man drank from it he could do it once more when she was done. He did save her life, scary as it was.
Even when the woman called Mary Margaret and her husband, David arrived, Belle was still working on it. They took her to their home, showing her to the spare bedroom that she would be staying in until further ado. Belle was hesitant to stay, but the woman had a kind smile and was very calm towards her, even when Belle would slap her hand away from her when she attempted to offer her the pills she was made to take.
She soon was restless in fixing the cup, staying up late at night with the small lamp beside her bed on while she glued the remaining bits to the cup.
She eased the last piece onto the rest of the cup that night with satisfaction, slowly holding the cup back to examine it. She stared closely at the cup, satisfied with her job. There were cracks running all through the cup, but it was in one piece. The cracks were barely visible unless you squinted. Surely the man would like it.
Rumplestiltskin.
The voice startled her, almost making her drop the cup completely. It was her own voice.
I...remember. I love you.
Belle felt dizzy, her stomach reeling. She shakily sat the cup down beside her bed.
She slept that night, dreaming of a familiar man with odd skin and a castle hidden in the mountains.
The next morning, she was startled to see the man from before sitting at her bedside with the cup clasped in his hands. He seemed better tempered, if not happier today. He had a look of ease on his face, but the pain still lingered in his eyes.
He jumped upon seeing her wake, pushing himself back as if he expected her to cry out.
When she stared at him with confusion from his action, he seemed to relax. "You fixed it." he stated, fondly smiling down at the cup.
"I had nothing else to do." she lamely lied, her voice faltering as she stared at the cup.
I'm...I'm so sorry. It's...chipped.
An intense feeling now plagued her chest, leaving her shaky. "You...healed me. Just like that." she heard herself say, remembering to be scared of this man. He had held fire in his hand, after all.
"Yes. Magic." he told her. He gritted his teeth, looking to her with sudden question. "They didn't tell you?"
She felt relieved that he answered her so easily. "They said I was imagining things." she softly uttered. She wasn't terrified of him anymore and she didn't understand why. She felt at ease in this moment.
He seemed angry at this, but forced himself to relax. "Yes, with magic, I can do this." he waved a hand glowing in a purplish blue haze over the cup. When his hand was gone, the cracks were all gone.
It was almost as if she hadn't thrown it at all.
Belle couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated that he had repaired the cup as if it were nothing. It had taken her a good long while to fix it, after all. She stared at it, frowning.
You can hardly see it...
"Of course, you did most of the work." he assured her before placing the cup on her night stand. He stood, taking his cane in his hand. "Thank you..." he told her in an earnest, soft voice before turning to leave her.
Belle watched him leave the room, soon followed by his rather angry voice downstairs. "You let them lie to her?" she heard him lividly state. "You let them make her feel as if she were crazy? They convinced her of that once before already."
Belle plugged her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't like his angry voice at all. It made her chest tingle with pain.
She stared at the cup, making herself focus on that rather than the voices from below.
The cup.
Not just a cup, but a chipped cup.
It's just a cup.
All you'll have is an empty heart...and a chipped cup!
Of all the things in this shop...
Belle's eyes widened as a floodgate broke in her mind, memories upon memories breaking into her mind.
She remembered the line. She remembered it all.
Yes, and I love you too.
Rumplestiltskin. She had forgotten? She had broken the cup. Their cup? Belle's eyes filled with tears. She broke their precious cup. She reached over to take the cup in her hands, cradling it against her chest as she stood.
"I'm sorry..." she softly whispered to the cup, cradling it for a moment before placing it down. The voices were still angry, still fighting.
She ran as fast as her weak legs would carry her down the stairs, shocking the occupants of the room. She recognized everyone, save for the young man standing between Henry and Emma Swan. Belle remembered with a start that Rumple had been going out to find Baelfire with his shawl.
Baelfire. Belle stared at the man with sudden emotion. It was him. The son. Eyes just like his father, who had come into her view, holding his hands out with a worried expression, as if he was cautioning her to stay calm.
Emma, Henry, Snow, David and Baelfire all watched as Belle swiftly threw herself into his arms so suddenly that he almost toppled over. "I'm sorry, Rumplestiltskin, I'm sorry!" she cried into his shoulder, her small form shuddering against him. She kept their cup in her hands, keeping it safe between them.
His eyes widened in disbelief, arms sluggishly wrapping around her to keeping their balance. "Belle?" he questioned, his voice a rasp.
"I remember, Rumple. I love you." she cried into his chest, clutching onto him as if she never would release him.
"Y-You do?" he asked in disbelief.
She nodded, her bright blue eyes filling with tears. "I broke our cup. I broke it!" she pulled away, disgusted with herself. "It doesn't matter if I glued it. I broke it right in front of you."
"I don't care about the cup Belle!" he insisted softly placing his hands on her rosy cheeks. "I only care about you." he urged. "I thought it would work. I was so hellbent on it that I forgot to be gentle." he then laughed, shaking his head. "In fact, it was the thing that saved me. I realized that our cup doesn't decide our fate. We do."
Belle recalled saying something very similar a long while ago and laughed, staring up into his eyes. "The cup did help me. Each time I stared at it, I remembered. Little by little."
He stared at her, shaking his head as if he questioned if this was a dream. "I can't believe it..." he stared down at her with such an intensity that Emma Swan personally felt as if she was intruding on a personal moment and glanced away.
She tilting her face up towards his, a soft smile on her lips. "I love you." she repeated.
"I love you too, Belle." he sighed, leaning down to press his lips to hers in a chaste, but desperate kiss, wrapping his arms more snugly around her.
Neal blinked, shooting a sidelong grin to Emma before clearing his throat.
Belle jumped back, eyes wide. "Oh..." she flushed, her pale face going an adorable shade of pink. A wide smile replaced her embarrassed grin as she approached Neal. "You're Baelfire?" she softly questioned.
"I am." he offered a grin. "And you're dad's girlfriend, huh?" he teasingly questioned.
Belle felt her face go a bit warmer and shook her head. "I suppose I am." she hugged the man, unable to contain herself. "He loves you so much..." she murmured into Baelfire's ear as they hugged, desperately hoping that the son of Rumplestiltskin didn't question his father's love.
"I know." Bae nodded, a smile on his face. "I love him too." he quietly admitted.
Belle turned to see Rumple holding a hand to her, which she took. He pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go home." he murmured into her ear before pressing his lips to her temple.
Belle thanked Mary Margaret and David for caring for her, sure to ask them to thank Ruby for her.
Belle would do so herself eventually, but right now, all that mattered to her was Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire.
They drove to his house, Bae staying behind to spend time with his newfound son. As soon as they were through the door, he had his arms around her waist, face buried into her back.
Then she heard the whimper. He was crying. Rumplestiltskin. The Dark One. Crying. He had only teared up a few times before, but she had never seen those tears fall.
They sank to a sitting position, Belle placing their cup to the side before turning her body around to hug his head to her, stroking his back. "I remember. I won't forget again. I won't." she promised, over and over as he calmed.
"Belle...you asked me what I was. I didn't know how I'd get you back. I wasn't sure I ever would..." he gasped, looking up into her eyes.
Belle wiped away his tears with her thumbs before pressing her lips to his in a kiss that went beyond the lines of passionate. It went beyond kisses of tongues and lips, beyond it all.
It was the kiss of two lost lovers, found once more. So full of emotion that Belle was crying when they parted.
The door opened and they looked up to see Baelfire, awkwardly standing with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets. "Henry wanted me to come here and spend time with you two." He said, glancing around the house before looking to the two on the ground. "Is everything okay?" he questioned, an eyebrow raised.
"Of course, of course. Help an old man up, would you?" Rumplestiltskin teased, smirking. Belle was so relieved that Baelfire was now here. Rumplestiltskin acted and probably felt as if a boulder had been lifted from his heart. He smiled easily now, which made Belle smile easy too.
Belle knew he would get up on his own, but sweet Bae didn't care. He took his father's cane in one hand, then his father's hand, tugging him to his feet. Belle stayed at Rumple's side as he stood, one hand splayed across his chest to keep him steady.
Belle looked between the two before breaking out into laughter, shaking her head. "I can't believe it." she stated, biting her lip. "You two even have the same floof." she beamed.
Rumple scowled as Baelfire gave a snort of amusement. "For that, you're making lunch, my dear." he tried to appear menacing as he poked Belle's nose, but her smile never faltered.
Belle rolled her eyes, tilting her head at him. "I just was released from the hospital a few days ago, you know. I'm supposed to be recuperating." she reminded him.
"It was a quip, dearie." he smirked, extending an arm to her. "Shall we prepare lunch as a family?" he questioned, looking back to Baelfire.
Bae gave a bashful nod. This all felt so strange to him, seeing his father at such ease. Was this how a family was meant to be?
Belle linked her arm through Rumple's planted close against him as they walked to the kitchen.
Bae watched her, smitten in seconds. She melded to his father like a puzzle piece, even accustomed to his pace of walking.
Neal had been hesitant about this all, about this woman, but in his mind, she was already his mother. It didn't matter if he was even older than Belle. She was everything a mother should have been.
She wasn't afraid to challenge his father or even show affection.
It made Baelfire hopeful about his own situation with Emma and Henry.
If Belle could readjust so easily, so could he.
The rest of that afternoon was spent preparing hamburgers, Belle having Granny's own recipe. When Bae left to go bid his son goodnight, Belle caught Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire hugging in the hallway.
It made her cry right there, revealing herself to them.
Baelfire stretched an arm to her, grinning. "Come on, ma." he called, which made Belle cry even harder as she joined the hug.
That night, Rumplestiltskin slept without nightmares, without any fear. His beloved Belle was tucking in against his side and his son was in the next room.
As far as he was concerned, his life was perfect.
I hope you enjoyed! I needed to get some feels out of the way :)
Thanks for reading, dearie!
Review if you so desire to do so!