This is the first of my Fanficitons for my #fight for Rumbelle! I hope you enjoy! :)
Summary: Emma finds some comfort as she struggles against the Dark One. Belle worries about Rumple…. Takes place when the whole team is in the Enchanted forest before they reach Camelot.
(5x01): The Beginning of the End
Belle holds the jar in her hand, fingers pressed against the cold glass. Her eyes are fixated on the little flower that sits inside of the jar, watching the petals pulse crimson light, as if the rose is infused with blood.
It might as well be, she thinks. This is Rumple's life, she realizes, turning the jar in her hand. The flower is a clock ticking away the seconds he has left, timing it down to his very last breath.
She feel powerless to save him.
"Belle?" the voice is tentative next to her.
She turns to see Emma, who is standing a few feet away, her blonde hair a tangled mess around her face. The tan cloak that she is wearing seems to swallow her up, hanging down her shoulders in huge waves. She is pale.
"Hey," Belle says with a sad smile.
"I…" Emma has to swallow before she continues. "I never knew it was this hard for him."
Belle automatically knew who 'him' was. She nods, patting the ground next to her. Emma looks confused for a moment, pulling her cloak tighter around her thin frame.
"Sit down, Emma," Belle prompts. Emma lowers herself to the leaves and pulls her hood off her head.
There is a few seconds of tense silence and Belle notices Emma studying the rose intently.
"There is a little tendril of dark…" Emma mutters to herself. Belle nearly drops the jar, gasping and clutching it to her chest for a moment. When she brings it to her eyes, she can see a little strand of black, a little twinge of darkness that seems to swallow the red glowing around it.
"Oh my god…" Her hands tremble and she can only focus on the pounding of her heart in her chest.
Until now, a little part of her had remained hopeful, wondering if it were possible that Rumple was just in an extended sleep, praying that the rose would remain bright and alive forever.
But now she knows that was a lie. The darkness is small, but it is there.
Rumple is dying.
"What's wrong?" Emma asked.
"This… It's… ummm…" She has to pause, a tear dripping down her nose. "This is Rumple's rose… it's… it shows me that he is still alive… and okay."
"So…. he's dying," Emma says, looking away from the rose. There was a dark twisting in her gut, and she could hear a voice behind her… his voice.
If he is dying, what hope do you have?
If he couldn't beat me, how could you?
Give in. You know I'm right.
Belle doesn't answer, looking back at Emma and noticing the young woman's pale face and swollen eyes. She is staring behind belle, her mouth moving as if responding to someone.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Belle asks, covering the jar with a blanket again. Emma looks startled for a moment, but answers her.
"I… I don't know…. I thought maybe you could help me?" Emma asks. "I don't know what to do… He's in my head all the time, telling me what to do. And I want to listen, Belle. I want to listen."
Her voice has risen to a shout, and everyone glances over at them from the other side of the clearing. Hook begins to walk forwards, and Belle shakes her head, signaling him to go back.
"I know what you mean," Belle says. "There were days Rumple would just… lose control. It was never really obvious to other people, but I could tell. He would just speak differently and act differently. He fought so hard against it, but in the end, I guess it won over."
She tries not to think about all the lies, all the deceit. She can't help herself.
Emma looks horrified, digging her hands through there hair. "I don't want it to win. I don't.. I can't let it win…"
"You won't let it win, Emma. I believe you can beat the Dark One once and for all," Belle says, and is surprised that she herself believes it.
Emma shakes her head. "How can I?"
"You have something that Rumple didn't," Belle pauses, placing her hands on Emma's wrists and pulling her arms down to her sides. She is limp, letting Belle guide her, icy eyes staring straight into Belle's own, pleading her to make some sense of all of the confusion, to say something that will prove she can beat the unbeatable.
"You have Regina. You have your parents. You have Henry. You have me. You even have his help, if he ever wakes up. You have people, and we will never give up on you Emma. I hope you know that."