Eventually
By:RosexKnight
nevermore913 of Tumblr prompted: What if when Regina kidnapped Belle, she actually killed her? And when Emma and Hook (or Emma and Neal if you still don't accept his death) went to the past, instead of bringing back Marian, they find Belle, break her out and bring her with them without knowing the True Love she's looking for is the Dark One?
((Alright. So here's that time travel fic. Well, chapter one. I think I have a good idea of how things would have worked out without Belle in the first two seasons. But just so you guys know, taking her away changes SO MUCH it's actually kinda maddening to think about. Anyway, enjoy dearies!))
Chapter One
"The future?" The brunette had echoed the words of the blonde who had rescued her from the dungeons of The Evil Queen.
"You can't stay here. You were supposed to die hours ago." The blonde said, her eyes urging her to understand.
"I can't. I have a True Love. I have to get back to him." Belle said firmly. She'd been planning to leave that afternoon, the commotion from the invasion to the castle and Snow White's so-called "death" having calmed down.
"And he needs to believe you're dead, because that's what he's always thought." The man was saying now.
"Trust us."
She shook her head. "With all due respect I don't trust you. So, unless you're kidnapping me I'm getting back to Rum-"
Her words were cut off by a sharp pain in her head, and then the world went black.
Now, Belle found herself in an odd place, led down the street by a rather familiar-looking pirate with a hook for a hand.
No she didn't like this at all.
"Things are a bit different here." He said, leading her to something that looked like a tavern.
"I can see that." She said, eyeing the odd way everything seemed illuminated, though not by fire. There were no horses or carriages or anything. Was it magic?
The man, Killian, or Captain Hook, met Emma, the blonde, in the tavern. There seemed to be a gathering going on, and Belle took comfort in the familiar faces she saw. Snow White, Prince Charming, The Blue Fairy. A coronation ceremony was being held for the child it seemed. That was familiar. That Belle could do.
They say near a booth with a boy flipping through a storybook, glancing at her eyery now and then, as they ordered her what was called "hot cocoa" and explained things to her. It was a bit complicated. Talk of magic and time travel and other worlds. Belle half-listened, eyes never resting, scanning the crowd. Was he here? Did he even look the same? Blue didn't have her wings, would his skin be the same?
Her eyes finally did stop when he door to the...diner opened and a familiar figure stepped inside.
"That's The Evil Queen." Belle said, going rigid.
"It's okay." Emma assured her. "She's different now. She's not the same person anymore."
Belle stood. This was too much. Everything was the same but nothing was. She needed familiarity. She needed who she was going back to.
She was only vaguely aware of Emma calling after her as she marched to the raven-haired woman.
"What did you do to him?!" Belle demanded.
The Evil Queen looked surprised at her outburst, but she didn't care.
"Where is he?!" Belle demanded again before the woman could say anything.
"Belle?" The voice was beside The Evil Queen, belonging to a thief Belle recognized. "You're not dead?"
"She was supposed to be…" Killian muttered as he and Emma approached.
"You brought someone back?" The Evil Queen said in disbelief. "Do you even know who this is?"
"You're not really one that needs to be talking in this situation, Regina." Emma said.
"Where is he?!" Belle demanded. "You took me from him! You meant to kill me to get to him didn't you?"
"I did." Regina admitted. "But that's changed now that you're back."
"I won't ask again."
"Calm down." Robin Hood said, stroking his hand up and down Belle's arm comfortingly. She had to admit the contact was nice, even if the last time she'd seen him he'd been fleeing. "Who are you talking about?"
"My True Love." Belle said, never looking away from Regina.
The Evil Queen sighed. "You won't like it."
She didn't like cars. Or maybe she just didn't like this car. It was small, and though she didn't mind the yellow color it didn't resemble any bug she'd ever seen.
The town hadn't stood a chance against the wrath of The Dark One. Belle saw that now. Here and there buildings were still being rebuilt or fixed. Nothing was reduced to rubble, and she supposed that was good. The library was untouched, and a pang ran through her chest at that. Perhaps he still cared.
"Why did he…?"
"Unleash his wrath on the town?" Emma asked from the driver's seat. "It's complicated. Alot happened."
"I can tell." She glanced to the back where Regina sat beside Hook. The malice and hatred that had been in her eyes was gone, and she was stroking a boy, Henry's hair affectionately. "Will it take long to fill me in?"
Regina made a noise, but Emma ignored her, telling Belle of a curse, how she broke it, how Hook and Regina's mother Cora had came to Storybrooke, catching everyone off-guard before they were done in my Snow White with the help of Rumple. Then something about his son Baelfire and his grandson Henry and Neverland and a second curse that Regina negated, sending them back to The Enchanted Forest. Then there was a year there that no one could remember at first because of a woman named Zelena who took possession of his dagger and controlled him. It was really no wonder what he did when he got it back.
"He killed her." Emma said. "And it wasn't pretty. After what she did...Even Neal couldn't get him to calm down. He was hurt. Bad. He kind of...snapped. We had to put him under house arrest."
"House arrest?"
"Neal's idea...We figured being in cell wouldn't be good for him with the way he is now. He's...you'll see."
Belle only nodded, unable to say anything else. She felt sick, and if she opened her mouth she was sure the roiling in her stomach would make something rise. She swallowed as the car turned and pulled up to a salmon house. How odd. But somehow...fitting.
Do the brave thing, she reminded herself, and bravery would follow.
"Hey." A man said when he answered the door. He was slender, with a head of dark hair and brown eyes that were oddly familiar. His eyes. "He's almost out of straw."
"Right. Well, we have a more pressing matter." Emma said.
The man lifted an eyebrow to her, but then they were all glancing at Belle, and he seemed to make some sort of connection. "Who is she?"
"You're his son." She finally said. "He found you."
"You're the woman who died. The maid."
A smile quirked on the end of Belle's lips despite herself, and suddenly she was hugging him. Trembling because it was all too much and she needed something to ground her.
"Easy. I know it's alot." He said, stroking her back. "You'll get used to it."
"You said The Crocodile need straw?" Hook interjected.
Belle and Neal, that was his name here it seemed, looked back to the group. Regina had produced a basket of fresh straw, fiddling with it sheepishly. The brunette smiled, fighting back the sheen of wetness gathering in her eyes.
"I'll take it to him."
"You don't know what he's like, Belle. He's been through alot. He's different."
"Give me the basket."
All he had was an empty heart and a chipped cup.
It was fitting, of course after all he'd done. Not that he could bring himself to regret most of it. Just the things that had driven his son away. He'd made the curse, made sure all the pieces were aligned to cast it, suffered 28 long years under it, and then found his son when it was broken. And what did he have to show for it?
A son who refused to talk to him, an empty house despite its knick-knacks, a spinning wheel, and a chipped cup.
Yes. It was all very fitting.
At least he wasn't in a cage anymore. His house was certainly better than a cage. Even with his son barely speaking to him, and his bed being too empty.
"Rumpelstiltskin?"
Ah yes then there was the nightmares.
"Rumpelstiltskin…"
The voice floated to him from the entrance to the room, his room, where he was spinning. The porcelain tea cup sat beside him, in his usual place these days. It was really no wonder that the nightmares were so frequent, but he didn't have the heart to throw it out.
"Oh. You're um...nearly out of straw…"
He turned. Her dress was dirty from some sort of mid and grime, but it was still the same blue that her eyes put to shame. He'd seen her so many times, and somehow his subconscious had taken mercy on him this time and gotten her eyes right.
"I'm not in the mood today." He said, turning back to his wheel. Spinning. Spinning would make him forget. "Go away."
She didn't listen, then again she never did, and sat the basket beside him. For a moment she didn't move, taking his his mishaven and rumpled look, so different from his usual self.
"Rumple…" She put her hand on his shoulder. God this one was solid. When had he fallen asleep? Had he finally slipped into madness. "Rumple it's me."
"No. It's not." He said firmly, perhaps a little too much so, jerking away as if her touch burned him. "You died."
"I'm pretty sure I didn't." She said with a laugh. God tonight had even gotten her laugh right.
"Yes you did!" He bolted upright, jerking around to her. She flinched away for a moment, and he hated himself for it. "You died! And after everything I've been through you still haunt me. This is some vile trick. Some spell on my subconscious that refuses to be broken."
She looked to him, her eyes searching his for a moment before she stepped closer. "Rumpelstiltskin it's me. I promise it is."
"And you've promised before."
"But this time I'm real!"
"I said go away!"
"NO!"
She snatched his hand, bringing it to her cheek, wet with tears. She was trembling, looking at him with such pained hope that it made what was left of his dark heart shatter.
"Rumple, please…"
He wavered, but then snapped his hand away in a sharp snap. This made her recoil, but not back down. She lunged forward, grabbing the chipped cup.
"This. I chipped it the first week of being your maid. You told me it was just a cup. Then a few weeks later you gave me a library. And I fell in love with you because deep down you are kind. And you sent me away and I spent every day fighting to get back to you."
"I've heard it all before." He said, sounding defeated.
"I wound up in a dwarf bar. I went after and defeated, well sort of, the Yaoguai. Then I was coming back to you." She grabbed his hand again, squeezing it, desperate now. "How would one of your visions know that?"
Recognition flashed behind his eyes, and suddenly he crumpled, hands flying to her shoulders, squeezing to the point of being painful.
"Belle…?"
She nodded, cradling his face with her hands. "Yes. I'm here."
She was in his arms then, falling to her knees onto the floor with him as he held her, squeezed her. Her trembling returned, sobs breaking through as she cried into her shoulder.
"I love you." Belle said between ragged breaths and heavy sobs. "I love you."
"Yes." He cooed between tears of his own. "And I love you too."
She was in a new world. New time. But that was alright. Because they were together. And she knew if they were together, everything would be right. Eventually.