Please Come Back
Summary: Belle is caring for Rumple while he is in stasis, and then the Heroes come to her and bug her to rush Rumple to awake, and she finally goes off on them for how they have treated her and Rumple.
A/N: This was written for my 500 follower prompt-a-thon. The prompt was sent in by an Anon (and even though I couldn't verify you were following me Anon, I still wrote it cause I LOVE THIS PROMPT).
I'm really sorry it's late everyone. Please forgive me. *hugs* I'm working on the next prompt right now so hopefully that will be up tomorrow. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or it's characters.
Warning: Post finale angst and really sassy Belle….
Rating: PG- nothing bad happens… just sass.
It has been a week since the Dark One left Rumple. A week since Emma Swan went missing. A week since Belle's whole life changed (for the good or for the bad, she still wasn't sure).
Belle sits alone in the hospital room, the plastic chair digging uncomfortably into the back of her spine. The persistent beep of the heat monitor echoes off the white walls, the noise both comforting and annoying at the same time.
She hasn't been home since the incident.
A few days ago, Ruby came with a bag of her cloths and a toothbrush. Belle took a two minute shower, changed into sweatpants, and then went right back to Rumple's side.
She honestly doesn't care how she looks right now. She only cares about him.
She looks down at the face of the man she had grown to love. His forehead twitches, his brow furrowing in pain. She strokes her hand through his soft hair, closing her eyes and humming a soft melody.
She remembers the tune clearly, though she only heard it once before. It played as they danced, her yellow dress twirling around her feet. She remembers how Rumple swooped her around the room, his feet light and graceful, his eyes bright and alive.
His unsteady breathing begins to even out.
"I still love you," she says to him. "I just…. I know that we have a lot of problems that we need to work through. I know that there are things that you did that were wrong. But I also know that you need me now more than ever, and I never ever plan on leaving your side."
She leaves a lot unsaid, but she feels a little better getting that out. She leans forwards and places a kiss on the top of his head, lingering there a little longer than necessary.
As she straightens upwards, the door slams open.
Regina storms in, her blue coat pulled tightly around her shoulders, black hair falling over her dark eyes. No one is with her, but Belle can hear Snow and Charming's voices from the hallway.
"Hello, Regina," Belle says, her voice soft. She looks away from the door and back down to Rumple, her left hand clenching the bedsheets tightly. Regina is the last person Belle wants to see right now.
"Belle, we need you to wake him up," Regina said, not bothering to hide the absolute desperation in her voice. "We found Emma…. and she's not the same. Something's happened to her."
Belle didn't know what came over her, but suddenly she was angry- angrier than she had been in a long time.
"I can tell you exactly what happened to her, Regina Mills." She stands up out of the chair, the plastic legs screeching against the floor.
"The Dark One- the most powerful… most evil sorcerer in the world entered her heart and nothing can stop him. Rumple had to deal with the exact same thing, Regina." Her voice is bitter, and she can feel tears of frustration prickling in the backs of her eyes.
"But he can still help!" Regina is shouting now. "He owes us that much!" Her hands fly up in the air, almost as if she was about to cast some sort of spell and then gave up halfway through.
"No."
The word is solid, cutting through the air like a sharpened sword. There is silence.
"No…" This time, it is a weak echo. Regina almost misses the word, it is whispered so quietly.
"You don't understand what he had to go through… none of us do. He was constantly in a battle… a battle in his own head. He had to fight every day against that thing… that monster. And on top of that, every single godforsaken time there was even the slightest problem in town, he had to help all of you. He had to help you, even as you told him how evil he was- how hopeless he was. He sacrificed his life for me… for us, Regina. You don't understand," Belle says, her voice giving up, as if the weight of her words are to much to speak aloud. Tears drip down her nose. One lands on her lips and she wipes the back of her hand across her face, trying to scrub the weakness away.
Regina opens her mouth to say something, but Belle doesn't listen. At this moment, she doesn't even care if it's an apology. She just wants the 'heroes' to understand her feelings- to understand Rumple's feelings.
"Regina, I don't want to hear it," Belle snaps, trembling.
Regina just nods her head once, her head down. She exits the room, her heels clacking loudly on the linoleum.
Belle sinks into the chair by Rumple's bed, letting her head fall onto his chest. She listens to the sound of his heart under her ear, feeling the rise and fall of his chest.
"I miss you," she whispers. "Please come back to us soon."
