Rumplestiltskin drove back home from his shop after speaking to Miss Swan. He knew that the savior would be the first to figure out that he had taken up the mantle of the curse again. What he hadn't suspected was for Emma to resort to blackmail. However, the curse always left its mark on the host, no matter how pure of heart they were. Emma Swan was no exception. Rumplestiltskin didn't truly want to take back on the curse back on himself, but he knew that there was no way to ever destroy it in Storybrooke, or this land, at least not one that he had ever heard of. Besides, Rumplestiltskin did this for Henry. His grandson deserved better. Rumplestiltskin never felt that he had done enough to earn Baelfire's forgiveness, so he felt that the least he could do was make sure that Henry got to live the life that he deserved. He thought that Belle was gone forever, anyway, so he felt that he had nothing else to lose.
"Belle," Rumplestiltskin thought, as he parked his Cadillac in front of the driveway to their home. He had to tell her the truth. Rumplestiltskin had promised to love her honestly, and already he was failing her by sneaking behind her back. "Not this time," he thought to himself, as he walked inside.
Rumplestiltskin saw Belle laying on the sofa waiting for him. She was wearing a pink silk robe, and she looked as though she were basking in the afterglow. Her cheeks were pink, her lips were swollen with kisses, and there were several spots on her neck that marked her as his. Belle looked so lovely, and Rumplestiltskin felt tears spring to his eyes. Once she knew the truth would she stay? He had just gotten her back when he least expected her, and he didn't know if he could bear to lose her again. But he would let her go if that was what she wanted. It would shatter his heart to pieces right when they had a second chance, but he was used to being left alone.
"Rumple, where were you this morning?" Belle asked with her brow furrowed in concern.
"I just had to go and take care of some things with Emma," Rumplestiltskin said.
"Oh, what things?" Belle asked with curiosity.
Rumplestiltskin looked at Belle, feeling so utterly small and afraid, as he bit his trembling lower lip. He looked at her with such hopelessness in his expression that Belle just instinctively knew to reach out her hands to grasp his.
"Rumple, what is it?" Belle asked. "What's wrong?" Belle could tell by the look in his eyes that whatever Rumplestiltskin was about to tell her couldn't be good. However, she was prepared to fight for him this time. Belle had almost lost Rumplestiltskin too many times to give up on him so easily this time.
"Sweetheart, I-I did something that you're not going to like," Rumplestiltskin stuttered nervously.
"Rumple, whatever it is, I promise that I won't just walk away, so long as you tell me the truth," Belle said seriously.
Rumplestiltskin gave Belle a watery smile, and pulled out his new dagger. The shiny white letters stuck out brightly against the shiny new sleek black paint. Mocking him. How could Belle ever want to stay with him now?
"Rumple, what is this?" Belle asked, as tears of sorrow and frustration sprung to her eyes. "You had a chance to be free. We had a chance to start fresh without the curse's interference. Why?" She asked. Rumplestiltskin never did anything without a reason, and she couldn't believe him so willing to take back the same curse that had cost him so much happiness and love in his life. Belle had to believe he had a good reason for taking back the curse too. It just didn't make sense, otherwise…Rumplestiltskin had seemed happier without it too.
"Emma was planning to destroy the curse by killing herself with Excalibur, but there is no way to destroy the curse in Storybrooke. I-I have tried to find a way to break it without the darkness getting released before here, but there isn't one. That's one of the major reasons why I couldn't, why I can't, let you break the curse here. That's why I took it back," Rumplestiltskin said. He looked at Belle, pleading for her understanding, hot tears of agony filling his eyes, as they silently streamed down his cheeks. "You were gone, I thought that I would never see you again, and I knew that Emma's plan to destroy the curse wouldn't work. I did it mostly for Henry's sake. I-I don't expect you to want stay with me, or to believe me. And I don't want to keep you from your happiness if it's not with me. I'm so sorry, Belle. I-I promise you that you don't have to feel responsible for me at all. I-I won't do anything evil just because I am alone, I promise. But I-I love you so much, sweetheart, just as much as I have ever loved my son. You must know that my whole world, Belle." Rumplestiltskin couldn't continue anymore, his voice finally breaking on her name in his last sentence, as the sobs racked through his entire frame. He wept into his hands, trying to muffle his keening in shame, as he turned away from Belle. Rumplestiltskin had meant to cry only after she left, but he just couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Losing Belle for good with no one left to live for would be harder than ever before when he had just gotten her back, but he couldn't chain her to him if he wasn't what she truly wanted. He couldn't force Belle to stay with him for the However, Rumplestiltskin gasped in surprise when he felt a pair of soft warm arms embrace him.
"Oh, you silly man! I do still love you too, you know? I always have, and I always will. I believe you, Rumple," Belle said with a smile on her face. She pulled him back to wipe the tears from his face, but she knew that once Rumplestiltskin started crying, getting him to actually stop was no easy feat. For all of the power and wealth that he hid behind, Rumplestiltskin had one of the most sensitive hearts she'd ever encountered. Indeed, a beautiful heart capable of the most powerful love she'd ever felt or seen, yet as fragile as their chipped teacup. And knowing that she held the power in her hands to crush it to pieces terrified her.
Rumplestiltskin looked at Belle with disbelief written on his face. Tears still spilled down his slightly weathered cheeks from his brilliant warm brown eyes, but this time they were tears of joy and awe because he was grinning at her brightly at her from ear to ear. "You-you do? Truly?" He asked hesitantly. She nodded. "Oh, thank you Belle! It's just I-mmph!" Belle cut him off with a kiss to his lips. In the next moment, she was on his lap, kissing away the tears from his face, and stilling his trembling lips with her own. Soon enough he calmed down, so that he could pull himself together. They rested their foreheads against each other's, and a lull fell between them.
Belle pulled back to look at Rumplestiltskin with her arms wrapped around his neck, and she rested her face against his chest. She felt a pang of sharp guilt in her heart. He was the Dark One again because of her in a way. If she had just not been so selfishly indecisive and prideful in worrying about protecting her own heart yesterday the well and in the pawn shop when he told her to leave, she could have helped him find another way. They could have left Storybrooke together, and started over somewhere else without the curse. Belle knew that something was wrong with Rumplestiltskin yesterday at the shop, she saw the silent plea for understanding in his tear-brimmed brown eyes, and she felt his desperate arms pull her to him, clinging to her like she was his lifeline. However, she chose to ignore all of that and walk away because she was afraid to have her heart broken again. Oh, her poor husband! He was far too forgiving of her for his own good. Rumplestiltskin had been to Hell and back, and she was horrible to him when he needed her most. Belle felt her own bright cobalt blue eyes fill with tears, as they spilled over her pale cheeks. She let out a muffled sob against Rumplestiltskin's chest, her hot tears staining his suit jacket.
Rumplestiltskin pulled Belle back from his chest, so that he could look at her face properly when he felt her shudder against him with the force of her sobs. "Belle, sweetheart, why are you crying?" Rumplestiltskin asked her with concern in his tone, as he brought the pads of his thumbs to her cheeks to wipe them away. "What's wrong? Have I done something to upset you? Please, tell me."
"I-it's nothing that you have done, Rumple," Belle said to him, as she continued to cry. "It's me. I'm so sorry. I treated you terribly. I sent you mixed signals in my selfish pride to try and protect my heart from getting hurt again, but I only ended up hurting the both of us. I knew that you lied to me and manipulated me because of the curse's influence darkening your heart. Even during our brief honeymoon after you were resurrected, had lost Baelfire, and had been controlled by that witch for a whole year I knew that something had to be wrong. But I'm always so afraid to face the harsh truth because I just want to believe that everything will be good and work out every time. I-I didn't mean to ever hurt you. I-I was just so afraid of getting hurt myself. I'm sorry, Rumple. I'm so sorry."
"Belle, Belle, Belle," Rumplestiltskin said, as he pulled her back to him, so that he could rock her gently in his arms. "Shh…Shh…Hey, it's alright, sweetheart. You know, I've never blamed you for anything. I pushed you to your breaking point every time."
Belle stopped crying to look at Rumplestiltskin seriously. She wiped her eyes, and cleared her throat silently. "That's not the point, Rumple," Belle said, as she took his hands in hers. "The point is that you see me as perfect when in reality I'm just as flawed and insecure as you, or anyone else. I'm supposed to be your rock, your salvation, but all I ever do when things get tough with you is walk away. I-I don't mean to, truly. It's just that I want you to trust me and love me more than your power so much. After Baelfire died, after we got married, I tried so hard to be everything for you, but it felt like you loved your power more than you ever loved me. And I can never forget what you said that to me thirty years ago." Belle slumped her shoulders insecurely. "I see now that I was being foolish and ignorant. I can't say that you chose power over me this time when I left you first this time, I believe you when you say that you were trying to do the right thing in the only way you knew how by taking the curse back, but I feel partially responsible for it."
"Belle, you never have to blame yourself for my bad choices," Rumplestiltskin said softly, as he brought his hands to cup her cheeks. He pulled Belle's face closer to his, so that he could lay a gentle kiss on her lips. "You and my son have always been everything to me, it's never been about power, as I said before. I'm not going to lie, and say that the idea of taking back the curse for power to feel safe wasn't tempting because I've always felt weak without it, but I swear that I didn't take it back for power this time. Belle, truly, I was happier without the curse. I meant every word that I said to you, after pulling Excalibur from the stone when I apologized. I'm sorry for ever making you feel like you didn't matter to me. And you don't have to try so hard to be perfect for me. I know how you love to always be strong for me, but I'd love to be strong for you too, Belle. Let me in, sweetheart."
"Rumple," Belle said softly, as she leaned against him even further, so that their noses were brushing. "I love you for your consideration of my feelings, but you're too good to me. Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, you can, sweetheart," Rumplestiltskin said, as he gently twirled her chestnut locks between his fingers.
"Alright…Well…" Belle stammered awkwardly. "I was just wondering…Why is it that you haven't gotten truly angry with me since our days back in the Dark Castle?"
"Belle, sweetheart, why would I ever get angry with you after that day I frightened you off when I was foolish and cruel enough to force you to leave me?" He asked her, as he felt a pang of deep self-loathing."You were imprisoned by Regina for twenty-eight years because I was such a beast to you that day when I sent you away from me in my cowardice. I'm still the same coward that I have always been, but I figured that the least I could do is spare you from my wrath after learning you were alive again after all of these years."
Belle brushed her fingers through Rumplestiltskin's silvery brown locks at the nape of his neck. "Oh, Rumple," Belle said comfortingly, as she gently tugged him closer to her by the ends of his soft hair. She cupped his cheeks in her hands, and rested her forehead against his. "You know, I promise that I'll never leave you if you tell me how you feel. Really, whatever I've done to make you feel happy, sad, angry, afraid, hopeful, or hopeless, I want to hear the truth of it all. I know that you'd never lay a rough hand on me, and I promise you that it's alright. This will be good for you, trust me."
Rumplestiltskin took a deep shuddering breath, and closed his eyes. It had never been easy for him to honestly express his own thoughts, needs, desires, and personal feelings to those that he loved. Al-alright, sweetheart, I-I'll try," Rumplestiltskin stammered.
Belle squeezed his hands in hers. "Go on, I'm right here. Tell me the truth, Rumple," she said. "I know that I have done a lot to hurt you too, but I need to hear about it from you. Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I can take it," Belle said, as she brought Rumplestiltskin's hands to her lips to kiss them.
Rumplestiltskin felt horrible for what he was about to say to Belle, so he squeezed his eyes shut. "I-I know that I can't blame you for this when you were only doing what you felt was best, and I lied to you first, so you couldn't know," Rumplestiltskin said tremulously, as he squeezed her hands in his. "However, I just wish that you had talked to me before you had banished me at the town line. You must know that you had my forgiveness the moment that you banished me, but I-I felt betrayed."
"Rumple, I'm so sorry," Belle said, stroking his cheek, as she leaned in to kiss it. "I know that there is more Rumple, so please tell me."
"It's alright, sweetheart," Rumplestiltskin said, as he stroked her hair. "You never have to apologize to me. I know that I drove you away first. There is one other thing that bothered me, actually, but I'm not angry with you about it." Rumplestiltskin looked at Belle, blinking back tears, as he remembered seeing her kiss Will Scarlet that night.
"Rumple, what is it that I did to hurt you love?" Belle asked him softly, as she kissed his cheek.
"I-I saw you kiss Will Scarlet in my shop," Rumplestiltskin whispered. I-I know that I had no right to claim you at the time, but it still broke my heart…"
"Rumple, I'm-I'm so sorry," Belle said, as she blinked back her own tears. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and hugged him close to her. "That was wrong of me. It's just that I missed you so much, and I thought that you were gone forever. I wanted to forget the heartbreak, but you're my true love. I could never get over you. When you came back there wasn't a moment that went by where I didn't want to run back to your arms, and run away from this all. I know now that you had the right intentions in mind with the author, the curse, and your heart blackening. It's just that I didn't know that then, and I didn't think that you could possibly ever love me again after I banished you. Then, you gave me back my heart that day in the shop, I knew that still loved me, and I ended things with Will."
"Oh, Belle," Rumplestiltskin said, as he stroked her cheek with a smile on his face. "How could I not love you? You're everything that's good and beautiful in the world both inside and out. You're virtuous, loving, compassionate, brave, intelligent, and of all the men out in the world, who are far more deserving of your love than I could ever be, you chose me. I do have one more question, though." Now, he felt more nervous to ask the question that he most dreaded the answer to, but it would never stop bothering him if he didn't know.
At the look of utter dread on Rumplestiltskin's face, Belle took his hands in hers, and gently squeezed them. "What is it, Rumple?" Belle asked him encouragingly.
"Did-did you and the knave do anything, um..intimate together?" Rumplestiltskin spoke the word with a sharp note of heartbreak in his voice that he couldn't quite manage to mask. "It's okay. If you did you're forgiven, and you have my word that I won't harm him. I just need to know the truth."
"Are you asking me if I ever had sex with Will?" Belle asked Rumplestiltskin. He nodded. "No, we never did, Rumple. I promise you that you're the only man that I have ever been in bed with. You're the only man that I could ever want to be in bed with." Belle blushed a little at her wording, and giggled when she heard her husband's sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank goodness for that!" Rumplestiltskin said with relief, as he chuckled into her hair. "God knows I already have to struggle enough with the temptation to turn him into a snail, and crush him under my foot every time I see him now."
"You wouldn't dare" Belle said, as she laughed right along with him against his chest.
"Oh, wouldn't I?" Rumplestiltskin asked jokingly, as he lightly tapped the tip of Belle's nose when he pulled her back to look at him. Every time he tapped her nose, it had the habit of crinkling up adorably. Then, Rumplestiltskin tickled her side, and Belle fell into a fit of laughter.
"Rumple, stop that," she said with a gasp in between giggles, as she playfully swatted his arm away.
The laughter died down, and the couple clung to each other in a comfortable silence. Belle sat on Rumplestiltskin's lap face forward. However, Rumplestiltskin turned her facing back on his lap, so that he could recline them both comfortably on their black leather sofa. They closed their eyes in peace for a few moments, just enjoying the feeling of being happy together in each other's arms.
"Rumple, what happened to our cup?" Belle asked him softly, breaking the silence between them. "I went to the shop yesterday, and it wasn't there."
Rumplestiltskin conjured the chipped teacup up in his hand with magic, and Belle grinned. "Here it is, sweetheart," Rumplestiltskin said, as he reached forward to place it on their wooden coffee table in front of their couch where they were sitting. "I broke it yesterday to cut through the rope that Merida tied my hands up with. Well, it's fixed now." Rumplestiltskin looked resigned to his fate. He gave Belle a wan smile.
"Hey," Belle said, as she placed a gentle hand on Rumplestiltskin's arm, "it'll be alright. Maybe, when this is all over we can find a way back to the Enchanted Forest, and break your curse safely there…Would you like to try that, Rumple?"
"Oh, my brilliant darling Belle, yes, of course, I would love that," Rumplestiltskin said with a smile. "It seems to be the only place that the curse could have been broken safely. But would you truly wish to be with me without the curse? You've seen me without it before now. I'm weak, crippled, defenseless, timid, and even earlier today at the well when I was a hero…"
"Oh, Rumple, I'm so sorry," Belle said, as she cupped his cheeks, and brought his face close to hers to kiss him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed a kiss to the hollow of his throat. "Of course, I'm proud of you. Of course, I want you with or without the curse, with or without magic, and you don't have to be a hero. At least not in the conventional Prince Charming sense. I love you. All of you. Light, dark, and in-between. I didn't fall in love with the curse, I fell in love with the handsome, gentle, funny, caring, loving, compassionate, brave, sensitive, loyal, and intelligent man beneath it. You just have to be you. My Rumplestiltskin, the man that I love. You don't have to be a hero in the eyes of the world. As long as you are you, that will always makes you a hero to me. I was just scared to let you back into my life after you broke my heart, but I hurt you, instead. I'm sorry. I promise that as long as you're honest with me, I will always be by your side."
"Belle, I've never been many of those things for anyone, but you, Baelfire, and my family, in general," Rumplestiltskin said. "I've even failed all of you time and time again because I never feel worthy enough of your love, I get scared, I make one mistake, and then I manage to screw everything all up. I've said it a thousand times before, and I'll say it again: I'm a coward."
"Rumplestiltskin would you please stop calling yourself a coward?" Belle asked with frustration edging in her tone. "Yes, we've all felt afraid before, but there is no such thing as true bravery without true fear. It doesn't mean that you're a coward. Yes, we've all made cowardly choices before, but they don't have to define us. They don't have to define you."
"I'm sorry, Belle," Rumplestiltskin said remorsefully. "The word 'coward' is a label that I have been outrunning for as long as I can remember."
"Well, maybe it's time for you stop trying so hard to outrun the past and the labels, and it's time to start living your life with me by the side in a way that is true to yourself," Belle told him, as she took his hands in hers. "Please, Rumple, let me in. Be honest with me."
"I'll try," Rumplestiltskin said, as he brought her hands to his lips "It's just so difficult for me to let go of the past. With you by my side as my strength, anything is possible. I can promise to be honest with you, but I can't promise the same for everyone else."
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Rumplestiltskin got up to answer the door for one impatient Miss Emma Swan.
"Gold, hurry up," Emma said in an icy tone. "I wouldn't want to have to tell Belle the truth about you being the Dark One again. We're going now, and you're going to be our personal tour guide in the underworld."
"No, we certainly wouldn't want that now would we, dearie," he replied nonchalantly. "Alright, let's go save your bloody pirate, and get this over with. Please, Miss Swan, just give me a moment, and I'll be with you all shortly."
"Fine, but make it quick," Emma snapped. "We don't have all day to wait around for you, Gold."
This didn't seem like the same Emma Swan that he had met almost three years ago. That seemed to be both for the better and the worse. She was still beautiful. Her long, blonde locks framed her pale toned skin, and her bright blue-green eyes made her look fierce. She was more open hearted, and willing to believe. Rumplestiltskin supposed that Emma was still being as brave and heroic as ever. Those things were good. "But you're being brave and open-hearted for the wrong person with the wrong reasons in mind, dearie," he thought to himself. "Risking the lives of your family, including Henry, your son, your true love, to save the man that almost damned them all isn't like you at all. But I suppose that I'm not the only one that's capable of being selfish." It really wasn't Rumplestiltskin's place to judge, he had abandoned his son for power before, granted it had been an accident, but he had been selfish and greedy plenty of times before. Still, he had always had Belle and Baelfire's happiness in mind because they were his true loves. However, he had never seen Hook as Emma's true love. "If anything, he makes her weaker," Rumplestiltskin thought to himself. He had learned that true love was strength, not weakness from Belle, Bae, and even watching Snow and Charming find each other time and time again. After hearing Hook's desperately self-deluded plea to Emma to 'let him die as a hero,' it had cemented his theory that Hook was looking more so for attention and validation than true love in Rumplestiltskin's mind. Still, it wasn't Rumplestiltskin's place to give Emma his personal opinion about her romantic relationship with Hook, so he let it go.
Belle sat at the kitchen table, as she waited for Rumplestiltskin to tell her what was happening with him, Emma, and the other heroes. She heard footsteps a moment later, and Rumplestiltskin walked over to sit in the chair next to Belle, so that he could take her hands in his, and face her.
"Belle, you should know that Emma used you to blackmail me," Rumplestiltskin said.
"What? Why?" Belle asked.
"If I don't go with her, she'll tell you that I'm the Dark One again, except she didn't expect me to tell you the truth as I already have," Rumplestilskin said. "Besides, we all need to make sure that Henry is kept safe."
"Rumple," Belle said, "let me go with you, please. I love you, and I know how terrifying your past must be. Let me help protect you."
"Sweetheart, I'd love nothing more than for you to come with me, but no, I can't let you come to the Underworld because it could be dangerous," Rumplestiltskin said, as he brought his hands to her head to gently stroke back her hair. "However, I'll find a way to get a message to you when I'm coming home safe, I promise."
"Well, alright," Belle said, as she leaned up to kiss his soft lips. She heard him moan with pleasure, as she traced his lips with the tip of her tongue. Then, very slowly, she brought her tongue through the parted seam of his lips. "I love you, Rumplestiltskin," she whispered against his parted lips.
"And I love you, Belle," he said in return against her parted lips, as he held her close to him. The tip of his own tongue mimicked Belle's in their kiss. He traced the shape of her lips with his tongue, and it entered the sweet cavern of her mouth.
Emma rang the doorbell again furiously several times, interrupting them, and Rumplestiltskin embraced his lovely Belle one last time before facing his past in the Underworld with the heroes.
Six weeks later, Rumplestiltskin was simultaneously impressed and furious with Belle for disobeying him by putting herself in danger coming to the Underworld pregnant with their child on her own to help him. If there was one thing that could make Rumplestiltskin angry with Belle, it was endangering her life, particularly considering that there was a baby involved. Apparently, the pregnancy was sped up when they opened the portal to the Underworld, and Zelena sped up the pregnancy.
As is the norm with Rumplestiltskin and Belle, there was some typical shouting and crying involved. Rumplestiltskin turned Zelena into a toad, Belle found out about Gaston being turned into a rose by her true love, and they both went on an adventure together by fighting him off. Then, they hugged, kissed, and everything was forgiven.
They came back home, found a magic bean, moved back to the Enchanted Forest in Rumplestiltskin's Dark Castle where Belle broke his curse, and she gave birth to their daughter. They named the baby girl Rose. She was so beautiful. Little Rose had her mother's pale skin, rosebud lips, her chiseled jawline, and curly chestnut locks. However, she had her father's large and brilliant brown eyes, and his broad forehead. As she grew older, she displayed the best qualities of both her parents, though she had inherited stubbornness from both of them. Like both of her parents, little Rose was highly intelligent. She had Belle's compassionate spirit of seeing the beauty in the dark and unconventional, but she also had something of the sly and cautiously adaptable realistic attitude that her father had. Compared to Rose and Rumplestiltskin, Belle felt that she could be so utterly naïve and starry eyed at times.
It took a few years and a lot of manual study, but eventually Rumplestiltskin found a way to use magic without the curse. It was a mere shadow of the magic that he was capable of when compared to his time as the Dark One, it was weak light magic, but he was happy to have his hobby back without the curse to some extent. At least, he could make his bad leg easier to walk on without the cane. At least, he could provide for his family by spinning gold again.
Henry, Emma, Regina, Snow, and Charming often came to visit Belle, Rumplestiltskin, and little Rose down in the Enchanted Forest at the Dark Castle for holidays. Oddly enough, they all became closer than ever before.
Emma had ended things with Hook back in Storybrooke a year or so after Rumplestiltskin and Belle had left. She was now in a relationship with Regina, and Hook had been kicked out of Storybrooke without his memories when he tried to trade Henry's soul with his own to survive. Emma could never forgive Hook for an attempt to kill Henry or her family a second time, and Rumplestiltskin truly wasn't surprised. He thought he had always seen sparks flying between Regina and Emma, anyway. They were good for each other.
As for Regina and Robin, they parted ways as friends after Rumplestiltskin and Belle left for the Enchanted Forest too. Robin left for New York with Roland, and he remarried a nice woman back in the city, according to Regina. If Rumplestiltskin was honest with himself, he had never really seen much romantic connection between Regina and the thief, either, anyway. They seemed more like friends than lovers.
Emma, Regina, the Charmings, and Henry were a true extended family to Rumplestiltskin, Belle, and Rose. It was more than anything that Rumplestiltskin could have ever hoped for. True love, family, friendship, and a means to still provide for Belle and his child without the curse. He was truly quite blessed to have found the bright light at the end of the tunnel.
Finis.