This story takes place a few weeks after 3x10 and the return from Neverland. Pan did NOT switch bodies with Henry, and there is no 'new curse' taking place.

I don't own 'Once Upon a Time.'

Chapter 1

Rumpelstiltskin wandered through his house early that morning, thinking about all that had occurred over the past month. He found his son. Then lost him. Then found him again. He almost lost Belle. He almost lost his own life. He wouldn't have cared much, except for, at that particular time, he actually had something to live for.

He recalled the first time that he and Belle shared an innocent kiss. It was unexpected, and pure. There were no ulterior motives for either of them, although he foolishly didn't accept that was true on her part at first. That was one of a myriad of things about his long and tired life that he was ashamed of. And Rumpelstiltskin was tired. He was tired of the magic and what it brought to his life, which was nothing good. He was tired of people not trusting him and yet demanding things of him at the same time. Finally – he was tired of being tied to a curse that controlled him and ultimately determined who he was, no matter how much effort he put in behaving to the contrary.

For nearly three centuries, Rumpelstiltskin knew nothing but magic. He didn't think he could live without it. He wasn't sure if he wanted to live without it. But at the same time, he wanted his son back. And now he wanted to be with Belle. He wasn't sure if it was possible to have both of those things AND his magic without hurting them.

He wondered many times why his kisses with Belle in Storybrooke didn't break his curse and free him from the dagger. They certainly shared enough kisses; they shared far more than kisses, actually. But he hadn't truly given himself over to her enough to break this curse – and now he understood why. That moment that Belle almost broke his curse in the Dark Castle, he wasn't thinking about his curse breaking. He wasn't thinking about anything at that moment. He was simply a man in love – and that is what he needed to be if he was going to be rid of the darkness once and for all.

Rumpelstiltskin walked into the main parlor area of the house and picked up the chipped cup that he and Belle had set in a place of honor on the fireplace mantle. He sat down on the sofa and stared at it, and was still doing so when Belle entered the room still dressed in her nightgown.

"Rumple? Is something wrong?" Belle asked as she sat down next to him. Rumpelstiltskin sighed.

"I think I'm ready to go back now." he said.

"Back to what? Where? Rumple, I didn't think we could go anywhere." Belle said.

"Back to the man I used to be. Like I said to you when I called you in the hospital." he told her.

"Well, I did like you in those leather pants." Belle teased, and he chuckled a bit.

"I mean back to – who I was before the Dark Curse." Rumpelstiltskin said. "We need to have True Love's Kiss."

"But we've kissed many times in this land, Rumple. You said magic is different here." Belle said.

"Magic IS different here. But so are we. Too much has happened for the kiss to be effective, Belle. I need to be taken by surprise again. I need YOU – to just take me, and my magic." Rumpelstiltskin said.

"How do I do that?" Belle asked.

"We have to re-create that moment in the castle. That moment when you came back to me, and for that one, beautiful moment I was distracted, and I let my guard down. And magic happened."

"What do you mean, re-create it?" Belle asked. "I thought it wasn't possible to go back in time."

"Not go back in time, just – make ME go to that very moment." Rumpelstiltskin told her. "Are you willing to try?"

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Belle asked. Rumpelstiltskin touched her cheek.

"I told you when I returned from Neverland that the only future I wanted was the one where you and I were together. But I don't see how that will work if I'm still under the power of this curse, Belle. I'm afraid that – at some point, I won't be able to resist the darkness. It's a struggle every day, Belle, and I don't have any idea how to make you understand that. And I'm still a coward – I don't ever want to give into that. And I'm afraid that, despite all of my best efforts – someday I will."

"Okay." Belle whispered. "I'll do whatever you like."

"It won't be easy. For either of us." he told her.

"It never has been. As long as we're together – we can get through anything." Belle said. "I love you."

"And I love you, too." he said, and they melted into a kiss.

The next day, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin sat together in the parlor of the house, his spinning wheel in the middle of the room. "So how will this work?" Belle asked.

Rumpelstiltskin walked over to the spinning wheel and sat down, and Belle sat in front of him. He held a vial of liquid in his hand. "Once I drink this, I shall be taken back to that day in my mind. I will have forgotten everything beyond the moment just before we kissed. This time – you must not stop. Don't hesitate – just kiss me again."

"You're sure this will work, Rumple?" Belle asked. "I mean – everything looks different, WE look different."

"Just do it straight away, and don't stop. If I recall that moment correctly, if you hadn't stopped and distracted me, I would have kept right on kissing you."

"Distracted you?" Belle asked.

"You always distracted me in the castle." Rumpelstiltskin told her.

"Is that why you yelled at me so much?" Belle asked. He smiled a bit.

"I'm very sorry about that." he admitted. "I didn't understand how to deal with my feelings for you at the time."

"What will happen after we kiss? How do I know you won't lash out at me again, like you did before?" Belle asked.

"I don't know what I'm going to be like, just – get me to drink that potion in our cup. It will restore my memories once I'm freed of the curse." Rumpelstiltskin told her. Belle glanced over to the chipped cup, which was sitting on the table and contained the same memory potion that restored her own memories. Sitting on the table next to the cup was his dagger, with his name still etched across it. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Belle said nervously.

"Just remember – I did love you back then. No matter what happens – that love is there." Rumpelstiltskin said.

"I know." Belle assured him. "I'm proud of you – you're being very brave." Rumpelstiltskin just nodded, and he put the potion to his lips and drank it down. Belle quickly grabbed the vial from him as soon as he did so, and then she kissed him. As she kissed him, she thought of nothing but her love for this complicated man. During their kiss, she could almost see him as he was back then; a broken, cursed man who felt unloved and unlovable who was allowing himself a moment of vulnerability for the first time in centuries. As per his instructions, she didn't stop. She didn't utter one word as he kissed her back. After several minutes, he pulled away from her and gasped as he looked around the room.

"What's happening?" Rumpelstiltskin asked. "What is all this?" He moved to stand up and his leg gave out immediately, and he cried out in pain. "What have you done to me!" he screamed at Belle.

"Rumple, it's alright." Belle said, trying to calm him down. Rumpelstiltskin glanced at the table and saw the dagger sitting there. It was blank.

"No! No, no, what have you done!" he shouted, and he reached for the dagger.

"Rumple, please just listen to me, you have to -" Belle began, just as he reached for the dagger. As he did, and before she could stop him, he knocked the teacup onto its side, spilling out the potion that was inside of it. "NO! Rumple!" Belle shouted, as Rumpelstiltskin collapsed onto the floor, cradling the dagger in his hands. He looked up at Belle, tears in his eyes.

"You broke my curse." he said in a whisper of a voice.

"Yes." she replied, moving down to the floor next to him. "Everything's okay now."

"No – no it's not." he said. "I'll never find my boy now."

"You've found him, Rumple." Belle said. "You did. You just don't remember." Rumpelstiltskin took a careful look at his surroundings.

"What – what are we wearing? What is this place, I don't understand." he said.

"We're in a land called Storybrooke. A lot has happened. You asked me to break your curse, and I did. There was a potion in that cup that was supposed to help you remember, and you spilled it. I'm sorry." Belle said.

"You – you said I found my boy." he said.

"You did. He's here in Storybrooke, would you like to see him?" Belle asked.

"How do I know you're not lying, how do I know you're not working for one of my many enemies?" he asked, sneering at her a bit.

"Because I love you. I would never do that." Belle said.

"No one has ever loved me except my son." Rumpelstiltskin said.

"And me." Belle said. "It's true love, Rumple. And you were brave, and you let it happen. Please – just let me explain."

"You really do love me?" he asked, a tone of surprise in his voice. "What kind of girl could possibly love a monster?"

"The kind that can see past the monster – and can see the good man you've always been deep down inside." Belle said. She moved in close to him. He trembled nervously as she kissed him. "My true love." she whispered, and then they melted into a deep kiss.

Belle spent the day explaining to Rumpelstiltskin all that had happened that his memory had been erased of. He sat and listened with intent curiosity, disbelief, shame, and a gamut of other emotions. "So Bae is really here? In this land?" he asked.

"He goes by the name Neal now. But yes – he's here." Belle said. "And he loves you. And he forgives you."

"And I have a grandson?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"Yes. Henry. You'll love him, he's a wonderful young man." Belle said.

"How do I know that this man you're bringing here is really my son? How do I know that this isn't just some trickery?" he asked warily.

"You'll know." Belle said. "You still don't fully believe me, do you?"

"I've learned over the years that it's best to be wary of everyone." Rumpelstiltskin said.

"I know. That's what caused all of this. If you had just believed at first – so many things would be different." Belle said. The doorbell rang, and Rumple looked up.

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

"It's a doorbell. There are – many interesting gadgets in this land. It's your son. Are you ready to see him?" Belle asked.

"This better not be a trick." Rumpelstiltskin said.

"Be right back." Belle said, and she went to answer the door.

"Hey." Neal said when Belle opened the door.

"Come on in." Belle said, giving him a hug.

"So he seriously doesn't remember anything?" Neal asked.

"Nothing past the moment of our kiss." Belle told him. "He's still – unsure. He wants to believe but – I really don't blame him, I understand actually, I went through the same thing when my memories were taken from me."

"Isn't there any way to restore his memories?" Neal asked.

"There's a potion, but – he accidentally spilled the last of it, I was supposed to give it to him. The Blue Fairy knows how to make it, maybe we can ask her." Belle told him.

"I can't believe that he actually did it. He gave up his power." Neal said as he followed Belle into the living room. Rumpelstiltskin was sitting on the sofa, fumbling with the television remote. He pushed a button and the television turned on, startling him.

"What sorcery is this?" he asked just as Belle and Neal entered the room. Belle laughed a bit.

"It's a TV, Rumple. I was taken aback by it at first, too." Belle said, and she took the remote away from him and turned the TV off. Rumple looked up at Neal.

"Hey, Papa." Neal said. Tears began to form in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes.

"Bae." he said quietly, and he stood up, reaching for his cane as he did so. Bae moved toward him and the two men hugged tightly. "It really is you." Rumple said, sobbing.

"It's me, Papa." Neal said. "I go by Neal now – but you can still call me Bae if you want." Rumpelstiltskin looked up at him and touched his face.

"I am so sorry, my boy. I'm so sorry I let you go." Rumpelstiltskin said, still sobbing.

"I know." Neal said. "I've missed you so much, Papa." The two men hugged again for several minutes, Rumpelstiltskin clinging to him as if he would lose him again if he let go. When he finally started to regain his composure they sat down, and Belle sat on the other side of Rumple. "I'm so proud of you for being brave. We'll get your memories back, okay?" Neal told him.

"Okay." Rumpelstiltskin said quietly. "I did – so many terrible things. How can either of you even look at me?"

"You were cursed." Belle said, putting her hand on his knee. Rumpelstiltskin gasped at her touch.

"You did a good thing, Papa, letting go of the curse like you did." Neal said.

"How about we go show you your shop, would you like that?" Belle asked.

"Come on – we're gonna go for a ride in a really neat horseless carriage they have in this land, it's called a car." Neal said.

"Is it run by magic?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"Nope – something even more costly. Gasoline. Let's go." Neal said.

Rumpelstiltskin looked around the shop in awe as he entered with Neal and Belle. He looked at several of the items knowingly. "My things – they're all here." he said. "How did they get here?"

"I think they just kind of showed up with the curse." Belle said.

"I'm not sure I like that 'car' thing – it seems unsafe." Rumpelstiltskin said.

"I didn't like it much either at first. You'll get used to it." Belle told him. All of them turned around when the door to the shop opened.

"You." Rumpelstiltskin sneered as the Blue Fairy entered. "This is all your fault, you foul jellyfish! What is she doing here?"

"I asked her to meet us here." Belle said.

"I only came for you, Belle. Not for him." Blue said as she glared at Rumpelstiltskin.

"Well, I need you to be here for him." Belle said.

"He broke his curse. He had to give up a good chunk of his memories to do it. Belle said you can get them back for him." Neal said.

"I could." Blue said. "But I won't."

"I'm sorry, what?" Belle asked, shocked.

"Returning the knowledge of magic to the Dark One, even if he no longer has those powers, is dangerous. It's best that those memories be gone – for everyone's safety." Blue said.

"You foul little gnat! I should have destroyed you ages ago for what you did!" Rumpelstiltskin shouted.

"Rumple." Belle said as she touched his arm.

"Look, I know he's not a saint, but he did a good thing. Doesn't that mean anything at all to you?" Bae asked.

"One good deed doesn't make up for hundreds of years of evil." Blue said.

"I can't believe you would be that cold." Belle said.

"Oh, believe it. Doesn't surprise me one bit." Rumpelstiltskin said. "We'll find another way. I found a way to get my son. I'll figure out a way to return my memories."

"That spell requires light magic. Something you know nothing of." Blue said smugly, and she stomped toward the door.

"You know you could have told me about the true love's kiss thing when I called you for help all those years ago!" Bae shouted at her as she was walking away. Blue ignored him as she left, slamming the door behind her. "It's okay Papa, we don't need her." Neal said. "You're right – we'll find another way. Maybe Emma can help."

"Who's Emma?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"My son's mother. She has light magic." Neal said.

"I don't think she knows enough though." Belle said, then she looked up at Rumple. "But you do."

"What do you mean?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"You made a sacrifice. You gave up the Dark Curse for love. You did a good thing. You still have knowledge of magic, you could figure out a way. Anything you did now with magic COULD be good if you wanted it to be." Belle said. "You don't have to fight yourself to be good anymore, Rumple. You can CHOOSE to be."