*Dark Phantasm*

by: WhiteGloves

"So long as you live in the past, you'll never find your future."

~Rumplestiltskin

CHAPTER 1: THE WIFE

Belle saw it in a dream. They were coming back. It was a sudden flash, a chip in her dream, but he spoke to her—her husband, to softly tell her the message. They were coming back from the Underworld. The time has come.

Without further delay she raced towards the lake and had waited there, looking, gazing by the dark lake's horizon. She held her hands together as she stood restlessly by the lakeside amidst the slumbering night. The moon was full. She was alone. She wrapped her hands around her arms and had started pacing on the ground and still nothing made the slightest change in the dark lake.

Maybe it was just a dream after all? A voice in her head said quietly.

But Belle remained rooted on her spot no matter how deep the night became, no matter how high the moon rose, she waited still... because when Rumple says he will return to her, she believed him.

Belle was just about to resume her pacing when out of the corner of her eyes she saw something emerge from the dimness. A shadow cutting the moon's reflection on the lake. And it was growing bigger.

Belle didn't have to look twice to recognize a boat when she sees one. She ran at the edge of the lake as she saw it come, held herself together as she strained her eyes to identify the figures riding on it. Then when the moon showered the world of its light—she saw them. She saw him. She could never be wrong of whose silhouette it was standing at the front of the boat. Her lips formed to call his name but suppressed it, wondering why on earth her voice won't come out.

There was no wind but chill was in the air as Belle waited painstakingly. Fog was surrounding the boat but what made it more mysterious was the absence of any oars. But then again Rumple was there. It was all magic—that he is.

And the boat docked and he was the first to touch the ground. Their eyes met and he was the same as ever; and she was so overwhelmed by emotions that she was on his arms at once.

"Oh, Belle." He held her close like how she was so used to. Despite everything he's ever done, his arms, his touch— for Belle—had always been warm. There was always a place for her there.

"There's a lot of things I need to explain to you..." he started while around them others have come to the ground to join them, "Belle, I—"

"You always had to explain many things," Belle answered with a touch of smile on her lips as they parted to gaze at one another, her hands on his shoulders, "why couldn't you just... be quiet for awhile?"

And she planted her lips on his. For a whole second, the world seemed to stop. It was just the two of them.

Until—

"Oh, how sweet," said a very edgy voice of a woman that made Belle look around behind Rumple and see a strange, curly dark haired woman she has never seen before and who was also looking at her with raised eyebrows, "but that's my husband you know?"

Belle frowned as she thought her ears were deceiving.

"What?" she looked up at Rumplestiltskin and saw his grim expression. That wasn't a good sign. Belle let go of his arms to stare at the woman again. The others were watching them quietly. "W-who is she?"

"You've never heard of me?" the woman asked testily with a hand on her waist, then she looked up at the Dark One with somewhat amused expression, "Do you want me to break it to her, Rumple?"

"Rumple?" as far as Belle was concerned nobody as in nobody had called Rumplestiltskin so familiarly aside from her and this clearly wasn't a mistake so turning to the man in the black suit, Bell braced herself for the truth, "Rumple—start talking."

Rumplestiltskin raised his eyes at her and there she saw what she was afraid of—

Uncertainty. Doubt.

What has the Dark One gotten himself to?

Belle took in everything he said half an hour later when the others have gone to the safety of their homes while she, Rumple and the dark haired woman went directly to Mr. Gold's pawnshop. Emma and Snow had wanted to stay but Belle told them it was something only the three of them can find answer. And at the same time, funny enough, even before Belle heard it, she knew who the woman actually was.

Milah. Rumple's first wife. Baelfire's mother.

And they say you always have to prepare for the worst in a relationship.

Belle opened her eyes after Rumple had finished his story as they stood in the middle of the shop. Gold was seated by the high stool on the right side of the room while she was behind the counter. Milah was walking around the shop looking with interest upon the objects when Belle had turned around to face them.

"You're now called Gold," Milah said mildly as she looked at the man, "Does this mean the shop's mine?"

"It's mine," Belle suddenly cut off before Gold could answer, her tone crisp and cold, "I am Mrs. Gold."

Milah didn't look too happy with that as Belle turned to Rumplestiltskin who was quietly waiting for her response on his tale. There was a long pause as the brown haired Mrs. Gold tried to find the right words.

"So you mean to tell me you did not bring her back from the dead but that she is here because she's your Phantasm or some sort? That she is a ghost?"

"Not technically a ghost," Gold said with glance at his ex-wife who had taken a silver goblet and was looking at it thoroughly, "basically... she can still touch, feel and walk the surface of this earth like a real human while she's not. A Phantasm is the creation of the mind, Belle."

"You mean you created her?"

"Dark magic rooting from me created her." Gold glanced at Milah and she looked back, "Her desperate desire to cling on me as we finish our business in the Underworld is so strong that she materialized like this. Dark magic is embedded on her soul, Belle... and she's attached it to me. To curse me."

"But you're the Dark One—"

"Not as Dark as the real one under this realm."

"Oh, the Dark Lord was bad." Milah chanted as she crossed her arms, "And you think you're the strongest, Rumplestiltskin? How does it feel to be defeated by me in the end?"

"Milah." There was a warning tone in his voice but he didn't look at her. "Stop—"

"You can tell me stop anytime you want but you know I won't," her tone had become so chilly that Belle actually felt the coldness seep into her skin, "you know this was bound to happen Rumple. And I'm the one who's going to give you your personal hell."

Belle gazed at Milah in disbelief. Then turning to the man, she started again—

"You found her in the Underworld but I don't understand—why curse you—?"

"Because he killed me and took everything I should have when I was alive." Milah said as she now walked towards the two with eyes almost too dark, "I am dead yet I am here just for him."

"For revenge," Belle spelled out with disgust in her tone, "don't you have something else better to do?"

"Try telling that to a woman who's spent her times in hell, who found out her son's dead because of the ex husband, who also killed her, who has become the most powerful in the living earth—and happily married. And then found the real man she ever loved in love with another woman. I'm sure you'll understand where I'm coming from."

Belle paused long enough to look at Milah and shake her head.

"The real man... you've ever loved?"

Milah's eyes glinted, "Why? You didn't think I ever loved this coward, did you?" she nodded at Gold who closed his eyes quietly. Belle felt something in her chest break as she understood.

"You..." she whispered as she moved around the counter slowly, "never loved him?"

The smile on Milah's face was the coldest one that Belle had ever seen.

"Who can ever love a man like him—"

Gold clicked his fingers and Milah disappeared. Silence fell in the room as Belle stood frozen on the spot with her lips trembling. Gold looked up at her and gave a loud sigh.

"Now you know... who first broke my heart." He whispered in this soft voice and ironic smile that made Belle throw herself into his arms and hold him close with tears on her eyes. Gold embraced her tightly. "Oh, Belle."

"Don't listen to her," she sobbed with her face on his neck, "I love you!"

"I know," he breathed in relief, "I know you do. But I can't keep her away from me. She did the curse with blood magic. She can be around me any time she wants. That's why you have to get away from me until I break it."

"What—no!" she pushed herself from him looking indignant, "I won't leave you here with her—"

"She cannot harm me."

"She may not be able to hurt you physically!" Belle shook her head as she reached her right palm on his cheek which he welcomed with a kiss, "But she can torture your mind! She's the first woman you've ever loved and she can hurt you as many words she can what with your past together— with Baelfire, no Rumple, I need to be here with you. I want to be with you! No, Rumple, listen!" she cupped his thin face on her hands when he looked away and made him look directly in her eyes , "I won't leave you. We've been separated for a long time. You've given me my chance to happiness when you let me go... now I'm the one not letting go because Rumple... I realized I can never be who I am right now without you. You and I both... we belong together."

Rumplestiltskin, for all his worth, closed his eyes with a trickle of tear falling down his eyes.

"Thank you, Belle," he breathed as their forehead touched in earnest, "you don't know how much I needed to hear that..."

And they kissed. Belle felt this steam of magic suddenly envelop her body that when they broke apart she was looking at him curiously.

"What did you do?"

He smiled so kindly with an expression Belle knew he always reserve for her. "Protect you."

"Rumple—?"

"I'll come back to you. Good bye, Belle."

He clicked his fingers and the last thing Belle saw was Milah standing behind Gold with a smirk on her face and then she—Belle suddenly felt the ground she was standing on disappear—

The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the soft bed of their house, all alone.

Belle blinked several times before she understood what happened and with heart beating so fast, she raced out of the house again, into the road and run towards the antique shop with the cold wind making her feel the chill of her sweat—

And found it gone.

Belle opened her mouth in disbelief as she gazed at that empty space in the middle of the town where Mr. Gold's shop was supposed to be standing. It was not there, like it was torn from its spot.

And Belle knew it was all Rumple's doing.

~ToBeContinued~

A/N: I love it when Dark One cries. He's always earnest.

I wish the new season was here. But hey, Happy New Year comes in mind!

More Rumbelle bumple in the future! Might run for 3 chapters~

See yah next in Chapter 2:

The Husband

Thanks for reading! ;)