A/N: This is my first attempt at solo fanfiction, so I hope you guys like it! I've had this idea for a while now and finally got down to writing it. R & R, and enjoy!

Prologue

"You would love her, Bae."

Rumplestiltskin stood in absolute stillness amidst the centuries-old trees, gazing at a very particular spot on the damp earth. It was a spot he had committed to memory long, long ago: the place where his life, his love, his world had been swept away. He hated coming back to it. He hated having those last moments with his son replayed before his eyes, as if they were happening all over again. His boy's shrill scream rang in his ears, threatening to burst his skull. "You coward! Don't break our deal!" He'd said he was sorry, but it had all been too little, too late. "You coward!" the boy had shrieked, and he couldn't have been more right.

But as much as it all pained him, Rumplestiltskin felt himself constantly drawn to that spot. This was the place where it had all begun. He had stood at this very place and made a solemn vow; he had committed his life to finding his son, to making things right. Now, gazing at the exact spot where that accursed bean had hit the ground, he was reminded of the price he had paid in exchange for power – of a choice he had made that had been the worst mistake of his life.

A mistake he almost made twice.

Almost.


He had never thought another person could make him love again the way he had loved Bae; he had been so sure of the impossibility of it that he had sworn to love nothing else. But then a petite, bright, beautiful caretaker had walked with him through his castle gates, and all of that changed. It was as if someone had rekindled a flame, a light that had long been absent in his heart. Belle was smart, genuine, and was perhaps the first person in centuries to draw a genuine smile from the Dark One. Most astonishing of all, she somehow managed to see him for who he truly was, underneath the scales and the high-pitched giggles.

Yet, when it came down to it, he couldn't let himself believe what he was seeing. He let her slip away – no, forced her out. He had been wrong about her. She'd been playing him all along, working for his most ruthless enemy. She wanted to strip him of his power, make him helpless and weak. He was better off without her, and she without him.

But he couldn't forget that look in her eyes. Every time he closed his own eyes, he saw those bright blue orbs looking back at him, full of the absolutely heartbroken emotion that had flowed out with her tears as she bade him farewell. The Queen was conniving and manipulative (he had taught her well, after all), but he found it difficult to believe she could convince Belle to fake that kind of emotion. Despite his attempts to keep his expression unemotional and apathetic, she had read him like a book.

Though it felt like years, it had in reality only been a matter of days since she had left when he felt it: a sharp pain, radiating from his heart throughout his chest. This wasn't a normal sensation for Rumplestiltskin; after all, the Dark One could feel no physical pain, could not die. No, this felt like a connection being severed, like some invisible bond in his heart had been broken. And he knew instantly what had caused it.

Belle was in trouble.

He was more sure of it than anything he had ever felt in his life, and he knew in that moment that he couldn't ignore it. He knew in that moment that his blue-eyed beauty had been telling him the truth. "You're a coward, Rumplestiltskin," the Beauty had said, and she couldn't have been more right. But this time, the Beast wasn't going to let that be the end of it. He wasn't going to let his cowardice cost him the second person he had ever truly loved, as it had cost him the first. This time, he made a different choice: he chose to rescue the woman he loved.

It took all the strength he could muster. He was terrified of what he would find – would he be too late? Even if he did manage to get to Belle in time, would she go with him? Could she ever forgive him for casting her off as if she were nothing?

And in that instant, Rumplestiltskin thought of his son. His beautiful little boy, who was courageous and brave in all the ways his father never was. He summoned every ounce of bravery he could, and in mere seconds he was by her side as she lay in a dungeon, bruised and broken after what had obviously been quite a struggle. "Belle?" he called, in a voice barely above a whisper, so quiet he wasn't entirely sure if he'd said it aloud. Her unconscious form remained still, only her chest moving slightly with the rhythm of her shallow breath.

He paused for a moment, staring at her as she lay on the cold, dirty floor. This was his fault, and it made him sick. If he had only trusted her, had only opened his heart to let her in, she would have been safe in his castle right now. Instead, here she was on the floor of a wicked Queen's dungeon, and it was his fault. He made another promise, right then and there, to always keep her safe.

He waved a hand over her, healing the cuts and bruises. Another wave of a hand and a cloud of smoke, and she was safe in bed in the Dark Castle.

There was one matter left to take care of: the Queen. She had kidnapped the woman he loved, probably could have killed her if given the time. His first instinct was to squash her under his foot, or perhaps give her a taste of her own heart-ripping treatment – but he needed her to cast his curse. All the same, he couldn't let Regina near his Belle again. A deal was struck: she would leave him and Belle alone, and he would help her with her magic whenever she asked. She scoffed at the offer at first, but in the end, they both knew she would need the assistance.

With that, he returned to his home and his Beauty.

He sat on the edge of her bed, careful not to disturb her. He watched her chest rise and fall, listening to the soft breeze of her breath. Ever so gently, he brushed a loose curl of dark hair off her face. He had made the same cowardly mistake again, but this time, he had been given a chance at redemption. She was his match in every way, and he was determined not to lose her again.

When she awoke, he told her everything as she silently listened. He told her that he had always been a coward, that power was his crutch. That he had made a terrible mistake, and that he never wanted to hurt her again.

He told her why he needed magic: to find his son. He told her all about Bae. About the curse, about the Queen, about the inevitable future. They were both in tears by the end of his tale.

She was apprehensive; he could see it. But she steeled herself and accepted his feeble attempt at an apology. She still had that uncanny ability to look beyond the monster and see him for who he was – a man trying to make things right.

She made it clear that they both had plenty to work on, and that she wasn't going to make unnecessary sacrifices because of his cowardice. Several years were spent mending their relationship. There was friendship, there was laughter, there were tears, and finally, there was love. True, magical, perfect love.


Rumplestiltskin stood in silence amidst the centuries-old trees on the eve of his wedding, gazing at that spot on the ground, telling Bae about his bride-to-be. Bae and Belle were alike in so many ways – in their bravery, in their ability to bring out the best in Rumplestiltskin. It was no coincidence that he loved them both more than life itself.

"You would love her, Bae," he said once more. As the sun began to set, he walked away from that memory-ridden place filled, for the first time, with hope instead of remorse.

He was about to experience not a new journey altogether, but a merging of two journeys. The road to find his son and the road to true love had somehow merged to form one road into his future. And really, it wasn't just his journey anymore; it was theirs. His and Belle's.

And neither of them could ever have guessed the new frontiers this journey would bring them to.