Disclaimer: Only the plot is mine!
"What, no mistletoe?" Snow asked as she strode into Rumple's shop and looked around. "This place is so sparsely decorated, seeing that it's the holidays." She put some mistletoe up and smiled. "There you go," she said. "That's much better."
Rumple glowered at her from behind the counter, coming over and pulling the mistletoe from the door, throwing it in the trash. "And what good would it do to decorate my shop in a ridiculous way like that? It's only one day."
"Save your breath, Snow," Neal said, coming in with a wreath and hanging it on the door. "I've already gone over this with him, and he's not budging."
"Well, unlike the rest of you, what do I have to be merry about anyway?" Rumple asked. "Belle's gone. What's the point?"
"But at least you have your magic to keep you warm," Snow said dryly. "Or does it really?"
"It'll do for now," Rumple replied shortly. "I'll figure out a way to get Belle to come back to her senses soon, believe you me."
"So you mean you're gonna give up on the magic?" Neal asked, and then scoffed. "You couldn't even give it up for me. It doesn't surprise me that you won't do it for Belle, either. In the end, it's always obvious what's most important to you."
"Oh, go on," Rumple said irritably. "I don't have to stand here and listen to you berate me for choices that were my own to make."
"You're right," Neal replied. "We'll go, then. If you want to come join us at some point, you know where we are."
"You know, Emma and Killian are back at the house having cookies and cocoa," Snow said as they left and Neal shut the door behind him on Rumple's scowl. "And we're all gonna go caroling later. Wanna join us?"
"Sure," Neal replied. "If I'm welcome."
"Of course you are," Snow replied. "Everyone is welcome at our house."
When Snow said 'everybody', she wasn't kidding. She opened the door and Neal saw not only David, Emma, and Killian, but also Belle, Henry, and Ruby and Granny who were taking a midday break from working at the diner and joining in the fun.
"Cider or cocoa?" Ruby asked him when he walked in the door. "Or you can have both. But then again, the question is, which one would you want first? I wouldn't recommend having them mixed together."
"I think I'll start with the cider," Neal said. "It's untainted with any dark magic, right?"
"Of course," Ruby nodded. "There's a reason we didn't invite Regina."
"But she's family, so we're going to see her later," Snow said firmly.
"As I've already been poisoned by her once, can I stay home?" Emma asked.
"Don't worry about it, Swan," Killian replied. "I'm sure I can think of something that will make you have to send your regrets about this evening." He took a drink of his cider and scowled. "What is this? It doesn't even taste like real cider at all!"
"So you were thinking we were gonna give you the hard stuff?" Emma asked.
"Well, yes!" Killian nodded. "And the fact that I don't have any is a real disappointment!"
"To make up for that disappointment, I'll meet you on the ship tonight and we'll use some of the rum supply that is undoubtedly still there to make egg nog, okay?" Emma asked.
"Do you promise?" Killian asked. "None of this ridiculous soft stuff?"
"If you don't want the cider, I'll take it from you," Emma told him and took the cup away. "No complaining on Christmas."
"Yeah," Neal nodded. "My father is the miser around here. We don't need another one. Speaking of..." He went to sit next to Belle, who was sitting by herself and nursing what looked like her third cup of cocoa. Neal was shocked to watch her spike it and down it in one gulp.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Sure," Belle replied. "Fine. Leaving your father was the best thing I ever did. If anyone would know how I feel, it's you, right?"
"Definitely," Neal replied. "I can't believe he turned down wanting to marry you. It makes no sense."
"If he wants me back, he's going to have to really grovel," Belle continued. "But I bet he doesn't even care, does he?"
"No," Neal sighed. "I was just at the shop, and he didn't ask about you."
"Well, there's a big surprise," Belle replied. "You know, I talked him out of his addiction to magic once, and I thought I could do it again, but he's just too far gone this time. I'd be an idiot to just stick around in the hopes that he'll come back to himself."
"You hope he does, though?" Neal asked.
"Always," Belle replied. "I will always hope that he finds his way again, no matter how long it takes. But until that happens, I have to live my own life."
"Yep," Neal replied, taking her hand. "You can only be disappointed so much before you realize that you have to move on."
They sat in silence for a few seconds and then Neal shook his head. "We shouldn't let Papa ruin the holiday for us," he said. "Let's focus on other things."
"Good idea," Belle replied. "Let's do that!"
"Any change in your dad?" Emma asked Neal.
"Nope," he said. "Nothing. Still as unmoved as ever. Now, I know I've never had much stock in magic, or miracles or anything like that, but as it's Christmas and all, I wish something could happen that would make my dad see the light."
Emma thought a moment, and said, "You know, I just might be able to help with that. You know the book 'A Christmas Carol', right? Ebeneezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, 'God bless us, everyone'?"
"Well, yeah," Neal nodded. "Of course."
"I have a good grip on my magic," Emma said. "What if I could make what happened with Scrooge happen to your father? You'll have to help me, of course. I don't know enough about your father to make the spell be truly effective on my own."
"Sure, I'll help," Neal replied. "Whatever you need."
"Excellent," Emma replied. "I'll be there after Killian and I make the egg nog. So a few hours, I think."
"Good," Neal replied. "I'll be waiting."
That night, Rumple closed his curtains on all the revelry and, with a drink in hand, settled in for the night.
"What's the point of Christmas?" He muttered to himself, taking a seat in an armchair. "It's only a chance for the soft-hearted fools of the world to be taken advantage of by 'the poor', and such. I'm glad I can't get tricked into those kinds of things."
Suddenly, there was a large bang and lots of crashing. Swearing, Rumple put his tea on the little table by the chair and got up to go check on the merchandise, but was stopped at the door by a very familiar young woman, someone he hadn't seen for years, at least not looking as young and pretty as she did now.
"Hello, Master," the woman, who was tinted an odd shade of blue said as she approached him. She seemed to be floating and made of nothing at all.
"Cora?" He got out. "I-I thought you were dead."
"Oh, I am," Cora replied. "Dead as a doornail because of that cursed Snow White. But that's neither here nor there. I've come to talk to you. So go ahead and sit!"
Rumple jumped as his armchair raced over and forced him to sit, then rendered him unable to move until Cora was finished speaking.
"Now that I have your attention," she continued, "I will tell you why I'm here: You better than anyone should know how I got where I was in my life. Magic. I gave up my heart because all those feelings got in the way of my power!"
"You made a good choice," Rumple commended her. "If you love people, they can hurt you. But power can't hurt you. You can hurt other people then. Make sure that you can't lose. And that's the best position to be in."
"I couldn't agree more," Cora nodded. "Why do you think I chose what I did? And it worked for me. But you? Not so much, I don't think. I remember that heartbroken look on your face when I told you that I'd decided to marry Prince Henry, and that the baby I was carrying was his, not yours. That is not the face of a man who has what it takes to fully enjoy his power above everything else. So you get your second chance. I've come to tell you of a way out."
"And just what is that?" Rumple asked. "Are you gonna make everyone love me?"
"No," Cora shook her head. "Whether or not that happens is up to you. Tonight, you will be visited by three spirits who will make every effort to help you change your ways."
"And what will happen if they don't succeed?" Rumple asked.
"Well, you'll spend the rest of your life miserable and alone with just your magic for company," Cora replied. "And despite your...bravado, I really don't think you have it in you to handle that lifestyle long term."
"You know, for someone who is a manifestation of my mind, you're awfully impolite," Rumple observed.
Just then, the clock chimed and Cora slowly disappeared.
Shaking his head, Rumple stared down at his glass. "I shouldn't drink any more of this," he decided. "It's making me see things." He dumped the rest of it down the sink and got ready for bed. He had just settled in when he heard a soft voice whisper, "Papa? Papa!"
"Bae?" Rumple muttered sleepily and sat up. It was then that he noticed his son standing at the foot of his bed. But not the young man who'd come into his shop earlier that day. The Baelfire who stood at the foot of his bed was glowing just as Cora had, and was no older than fourteen.
"Bae?" Rumple repeated. "What's going on? Are you dead?"
"I'm just a shadow of the past," the spirit told him. "Your past, which I've come to show you."
"Oh, I think I'd rather stay in bed," Rumple replied and closed his eyes. But when he opened them again, the spirit was standing at his bedside, holding its hand out.
With a sigh of exasperation, Rumple took it, and the two of them flew through the window and into the skies over Storybrooke, ending up at a place Rumple hadn't seen in a long time.
"Remember this place?" The spirit asked as they looked into the little shack and the two women standing over the young boy at the spinning wheel. "It was the first place you were happy."
"Yes," Rumple nodded, going inside. "My father dropped me off here before he went out of my life forever. This is where I learned how to spin!" He then turned to the spirit. "Can they see us?"
the spirit shook its head. "These are just shadows of the past," he said. "They can neither see, nor hear you."
"It wasn't a grand life I lived with them, for sure," Rumple said. "But I felt cared for, which was a nice change from what I'd had before."
"You didn't need magic to be happy then, did you?" The spirit asked.
"Magic is not as bad as its painted!" Rumple said defensively as he watched his child self and the spinners hug. "Sure if you only focus on the bad things, it might seem awful, but it can be good."
"Not from what I've seen," the spirit replied. "And I think you knew that too, eventually." The scene then changed, going forward several years, and Rumple watched himself once again in the Dark Castle, sitting in a chair and watching as Belle danced around and put decorations up.
"What a perfect way to spend a cold, snowy day like this!" She enthused. "Decorating to make things pretty for the holiday." As she approached a ladder to hang a wreath, it was suddenly zapped out of her hand and stuck exactly where she wanted it to be.
"Can't have you falling, dearie," Rumple said, trying to hide a smile. "You'd be no use to me then. Tinsel and nonsense is a terrible reason to lose my workforce."
"Yes, of course," Belle smiled. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Rumple nodded. He started to head back towards his chair, but Belle held onto his arm and pulled something out of her apron pocket, holding it over her and Rumple's heads. "What are you doing with that weed?" He asked.
"It's mistletoe," Belle replied with a smile. "And it lets me do this." To his surprise, she kissed him then and went to grab her cape. "Where are you going now?" He asked her.
"To the woods to get a tree," Belle replied. "There has to be a tree!"
"If this is another thing that might cause you to hurt yourself, I'm coming too," Rumple replied.
"Well, I would love that," Belle replied as she fastened her cape. "Bundle up, though. It's cold outside."
"Oh, cold doesn't bother me," Rumple replied. But he put a cape on anyway and followed her out of the castle to help her bring back the tree she wanted so badly.
"You see, that's nice," the spirit said with a smile. "You were given a gift. It's a shame you couldn't hold onto it, though."
Rumple was then forced to watch with complete clarity the day Belle had found out that he was lying about the dagger and hiding his addiction to magic. How he'd tried to reason with her about why taking her and Henry away from Storybrooke was a good idea, and that after it was all over, they'd be happier than they'd ever been. But she hadn't reacted as he'd hoped. She'd cursed his name and strode from the shop, telling him that as long as his magic was more important to him than she was, she'd never return.
"It's a shame you always have to ruin a good thing," the spirit mused sadly as everything went dark. "A real shame."
Rumple woke up with a start and let out a relieved breath when he realized he was safe in his bed. "It was just the drink that brought on that vivid hallucination," he said to himself. "A really really bad drink."
He tried to settle in again, but a familiar, sweet laugh suddenly rang in his ears and he smiled as he noticed Belle standing next to his bed, a tray of food in her hands.
"What's all that?" He asked, sitting up.
"Just wonderful things to eat from the party over at Mary Margaret and David's house," the spirit replied. "You really missed out on a good time. Everyone was there."
"Well, you know I'm much happier when it's just the two of us," Rumple replied with a smile, reaching for her hand.
"Even so," the spirit replied. "I have to show you what you're missing."
"You mean we have to go out again?" Rumple asked. "Why can't a man just sleep a night in his bed?"
"There's no time!" Belle replied."Come on!"
Rumple sighed and went with her, strolling through Storybrooke, and seeing how everything was all decorated. "You see what you miss when you spend all day locked up alone in that dreary shop?" The spirit asked. "The beauty and the camaraderie of it all?"
"I suppose," Rumple replied. "If you like that sort of thing."
The spirit just shook its head and led Rumple to the place where Neal had chosen to live. He was hosting a party and was among friends. He looked like he was having fun, and that made Rumple turn for the door again. "He's having a good time," he said. "What does Neal need me for?"
"Oh, but he does," the spirit replied. "Listen."
"It's a real shame your father couldn't come today," Rumple heard David say to Neal.
"I know," Neal replied. "I realize he's not really the Christmas type, and I hate the thought of him spending the holiday all alone in that shop, but he's stubborn, so what are you going to do? Fortunately, I have other friends who actually accept my generosity."
"Hear, hear!" David cried and they all toasted before Neal put his drink down and stood up. "Now, who wants to help me get presents?" He asked.
"I will," Killian replied. They went and got the presents and handed them out.
"Who's that small pile by the fireplace for?" Rumple asked the spirit, unable to look away from it and see that everyone was enjoying opening their gifts.
"Those are for you," the spirit replied. "Even though you reject your son's company, those gifts alone should make it clear that he wants you with him."
Rumple began to hurt inside, but just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, it did.
"Belle!" Neal said and went to embrace her warmly. She took a chair by Emma, who offered her a cup of cider and handed her a gift.
"Thank you," Belle smiled. "I just love Christmas. It's a perfect way to distract myself from all the...unpleasantness. And you know, I met a very nice man at the library the other day. I'm thinking of asking him for a cheeseburger at Granny's."
"No!" Rumple cried. "That's our thing!" Then, he growled as he watched Killian kiss Emma.
"You still remember," the spirit smiled. "I didn't think you would. And don't worry. That last little bit was to get a reaction out of you. It's not really happening."
"Take me home," Rumple said irritably. "I don't want to see anymore! I don't want to watch the pirate be happy while I get tortured like this."
"Fine," the spirit replied, and everything went dark once more.
When he found himself in his room again, he said, "All right. I've had Christmas Past, Christmas Present, now just one more. If this is all real, that is."
"Oh, it is, Laddie," said a voice that made his blood run cold.
"Pan," he whispered.
"Indeed," the spirit in the guise of his father said as Rumple pulled himself from his bed. "Haven't you learned that by now? You were always a stubborn one. But I, for one, am proud to see you embracing your darkness again, Rumple. Good for you. No wasting your time with feelings and all that. Your life will be much better without them. Or not."
"What do you mean?" Rumple asked. "And let me guess: I have to come with you."
"Unless you're too afraid, that is," Pan replied. "They didn't call you a coward for nothing."
"Oh, I'm not afraid," Rumple replied. "I'll come with you and face whatever it is you have in store for me."
"Good," the spirit replied. He grabbed Rumple roughly by the arm and took him outside. This time, they were in a cemetery, standing in front of a grave, draped in a withered holiday wreath.
"Whose is this?" Rumple asked the spirit.
"Look down and see for yourself," the spirit replied with a grin.
Rumple leaned down to have a look and felt himself begin to cry. "The grave is my son's," he said. "How did this happen?"
"He tried to save you," the spirit said dismissively. "He got in the way of your magic, and it killed him. Good choice, by the way. You really are a chip off the old block."
"No, I'm not!" Rumple cried. "I'm nothing like my father!"
The spirit heard this and burst into awful laughter as Rumple ran from the cemetery, but the laughter followed him wherever he went. He couldn't escape it. Finally, he just shut his eyes and cried out for everything his choices might cost him, and when he opened his eyes again, he realized he was safe in bed, the sun was shining, and there was no trace of Pan in sight. Instead, he heard an insistent knocking on the door. He got up, zapped some normal clothes on and went to get the door, surprised to see Henry and Neal on the other side.
"Son, Henry," he said, stepping away from the door of the shop. "Come in."
"We know you're not much for Christmas," Henry replied. "But since it's Christmas Day, we thought we'd bring you your presents anyway."
"It's Christmas?" Rumple asked, his eyes lighting up. "You mean, I haven't missed it?"
"No," Neal replied, a little smile playing on his lips. "How'd you sleep last night, Papa?"
"Oh, fine," Rumple replied. "Just fine. A little too much wine before bedtime, but no trouble otherwise." He looked at the presents they held. "I know you two made all the effort to come down here, but I was wondering if I might come join you for your celebrations? If I'm welcome."
"Of course," Neal replied.
"But just to warn you, Belle will be there," Henry added. "And it seems like things are still bad between you two."
"Well, I have plans to fix that," Rumple replied, then grabbed the dagger. "All right," he said to Neal. "Lead the way."
"What's the dagger for?" Neal asked warily.
"This is the real one," Rumple said. "I'm giving it to Belle. She's the only one I trust to have it. Oh, and I need to get one more thing. It would probably be better for me to meet you at your house, Neal."
"All right," Neal replied. "We'll see you there."
Once they were gone, Rumple took some wine in hand so he wouldn't arrive at Neal's empty handed, left the shop and headed over to the town jeweler to place an order for a ring for Belle before heading over to Neal's.
His son welcomed him in with more enthusiasm than he felt he deserved and sat him down on the sofa. "That's a lovely tree you have," he said.
"Belle helped me decorate it," Neal replied.
Rumple nodded. "And that's why it seems so familiar."
"You want some punch or something?" Snow asked.
"I brought wine," Rumple said. "I didn't want to come without anything."
"I could use a glass," said a voice. Rumple looked over and gasped at the sight of Belle, who was dressed more like Lacey, standing in the kitchen entryway. "What do you want, Rumple? Come to ruin my holiday?"
"No," he said, walking over to her and proffering the dagger. "I actually came cause I was hoping to make it better. I have two gifts for you."
"Save it," Belle said dismissively. "I can't be bought."
"I have the dagger," Rumple told her. "The real one this time. And I want to give it to you."
"How can I trust you?" Belle asked.
"Give it to me," Regina said. "I can help."
"Oh, I'm not so sure," he said, holding it out of her grasp.
"I'm not going to use it against you," Regina said irritably. "There's a spell that can be used to detect whether or not something is genuine or fake. I'm just helping you assert your claim."
"You're helping me? Why would you do that?" Rumple asked.
Regina shrugged. "Christmas softens me up. What can I say?" Rumple then reluctantly handed over the dagger to Regina who showed that he was, in fact, telling the truth.
"Take it," Rumple whispered to Belle. "Please."
"All right," Belle whispered. "But you know this won't just fix everything."
"I know," Rumple replied. "But I know what will." He got down on one knee as everyone looked on in shock. "Belle, will you marry me?" He asked. "Sorry I don't have a ring for you at the moment. I'm having it made the old fashioned way. If you want to check, the jeweler has my order."
"You-you're serious, aren't you?" Belle asked.
"Yes," Rumple nodded earnestly. "I am."
"I-I don't believe this," Belle said, looking as if she were about to faint.
"So, what do you say?" Rumple asked. "I know this didn't go so well last time, but this time will be different. I promise."
"All right," Belle said after looking at him long and hard. "All right, I believe you. But what brought on this welcome change in you all of a sudden?"
"Must've been Christmas magic," Emma said as she cuddled with Killian. "Right, Gold?"
"Yes," Rumple nodded. "Christmas magic. Of course."
"I think an engagement calls for a toast," Snow said, making up a tray of egg nog and passing it around, with everyone's drink having alcohol in it except for Henry's. Then she held up her glass. "To the holiday," she said. "And to Mr. and Mrs. Gold."
Everyone then toasted and Henry said, "If I can make one more toast?"
"Sure, Henry," Snow replied. "And what's that?"
"Well," Henry smiled. "I have to do this: And god bless us, everyone."
"Hear, hear, Tiny Tim," Emma replied as they toasted again. "And god bless us, everyone."