The crisp chill of the night air keeps the coin in her hand cold to the touch. The sound of the lapping water stirred beneath her in the well below. To Belle it was soothing. It was her favorite thing about the well. The calm water spoke to her, vanquish your fears and make a wish. A desire to be safe, to be happy, to be strong, whatever hopes she placed on the coin in her hand, the waters in the well were sure to grant. Or so she thought. Wishes don't work, they backfired, and this well was just a pit with water that she was naive enough to believe would help her.
"Making a wish?" He asked appearing beside her.
Belle scoffed. "I better not. My hopes and plans don't turn out like I want them to."
Rumple dropped his head, looking down the dark pit similar to his own heart. Something so pure as water can even turn dark and dingy. "I understand the feeling."
"Do you?" She asked, pulling Rumple out of his reflection. " 'Cause, I mean, apparently you wanted to keep him tied to this horrible fate, and you succeeded."
"No, I wanted our son's life to take its natural course." He told her. Yes, he was going to use the Shears of Destiny on his son, but at least while he was young and a baby, there was still a chance for his life to play out for the best. Not this 28-year-old hell bent on killing The Savior. Not any of this.
"And you think he'll make the right choices now?"
He sighs and leans forward on the well. This answer won't be easy, but lying to Belle was proving to be a more difficult task. Deceit and deception were what separated them and got their son stolen from them. Maybe honesty and truth will bring them together and get their son back on his right path.
"No." He answered her, considering that what they both needed was honesty. "But I hope he still may."
Belle took a step from the well to shake her head. She's heard this one before. Rumple hoped that things would turn out for the best when in actuality, he like having this powerful destructive son. When has her husband ever relied on hope, never, because he didn't believe in it. The only thing Rumple relied on, was Rumple.
"I know you don't believe that's what I want, Belle, but it's true. When Baelfire rejected my magic, I respected it. I just wasn't brave enough to follow it." He said staring into her blue eyes that refused to look back at him. "My whole dark life, I've sought out those who are light, like you."
"So you truly don't want him to kill Emma?" She asked finally turning to him.
"No, I don't. Belle that would be an irrational act of someone so blind with pain that they think they're reaching for the cure, but in fact, it's just more poison." He sighed, that blinding pain, it's what fed his own inner darkness, a poison he knew all too well.
He clasped his hands together and bowed his head again, looking into the well's murky depths, his soul staring back at him. "I've done it myself. And frankly, I suppose, I'm addicted to it, but I don't want that for our son."
Belle flips the coin around in her hand, she closes her eyes and tosses it into the well. "Gideon."
"The hero from the book your mother gave you?" He asked, wondering why she would whisper that name as a wish.
"No, that is our son's name."
Rumple smiled and repeated the name aloud. She gave him a hero's name, a strong name of a man who didn't use brute or magic to conquer his enemies but instead, compassion. "That's the perfect name for our son, Belle."
She puts her hand on his shoulder, and he reaches for it stroking her softly. Belle was glad he liked the name she chose. For both father and son could change their fate and both be the hero Belle knew they could be.
Rumple waved his hand over the well, letting his magic pour into the pit until it's dirty waters became clear. Belle could see all the coins from previous wishes below the surface of the water. How many of them came true, or more importantly, how many were just false hope?
"There must be something you can do to help Gideon, some trick or magic-"
"No, and besides, that's not how I want to help our son."
Belle sighed, feeling her heart plunge into despair. "Then how can we save him?"
"If there's anything we can do to help him," He said turning to his wife. "Perhaps that's something we can do together."
Belle turns to him with hope back in her eyes. " You want to work together?"
"Yes. And maybe by showing to our son that we're working together to save him from darkening his heart, will prove to Gideon that killing Emma is not his path, but the one that the Black Fairy set him on."
Rumple used his magic again and conjured up her wedding ring from the bowels of the Jolly Rodger. He took his wife by the hand and slid the ring back on her finger. "But I don't want it just to be for show. I want us to be together for real."
Belle gave him a hug. "It can be for real. Just don't ever give me another reason to take it off."
"Never. I promise." He said, holding her close and tight. "I won't ever hurt you again, Belle."
They left the well together, hoping that just this one wish, would come true.