Hey guys, this is my first story. (Please don't stop reading because I told you that lol). It might be good, it might be bad. Constructive Criticism is welcome, but if you just want to comment to tell me I suck at writing, please don't. Anyways, I love Rumbelle and I had an idea, so here I am. I should update once every two weeks if this story does okay. Just a warning, this story sort of follows the events of season 2 in Once Upon a Time, but I will be changing some things up, obviously. So without further adieu, I give you Against All Odds.

Chapter One

"Rumpelstiltskin... wait." His name. She spoke his name. He didn't dare move. It was like the air had been knocked right out of his lungs, he couldn't breathe.

"I remember."

Remember. The word struck the him like a blow to the gut, twisting his insides. The anger, the pain, and banishing her to whatever terrible fate she had met. He believed she had had died, and even without her memories, still found her way back to him. But now, she remembered the the heart ache, and the cruel words spoken when he forced her to leave in the dungeon. He was absolutely terrified of what she was going to say.

"I love you." She whispered. Those three words almost knocked him back in astonishment. He looked up to meet her eyes and saw tears shining in them. He could feel his own tears, just waiting to fall. After everything he had done to her, she still loved him.

"Yes." He breathed out as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "And I love you too."

The Dark One was crying, but he didn't care. She was back, his Belle, looking just as she had when he'd last seen her. He had so many things to say to her, so many apologies that he needed to make. But there was no doubt that Emma and the Charming clan would come looking for him soon. He needed to finish what he came here for, so he pulled back and caressed her cheek.

"There will be time for that, there will be time for everything. But first, there is something I must do." With that, he grabbed the beauty's hand and they walked the rest of the way to their destination.

"What is this?" She asked as her eyebrows scrunched up.

"This is a very special place, Belle." He explained. "The waters that run below are said to have the power to return that in which someone has lost."

He reached into his coat pocket to grab the vial. He uncapped the lid of the sparkling, purple potion and dropped it into the well. The splash echoed from around the stony walls, as purple smoke started to rise from the bottom.

"I don't understand." She admitted as she stepped closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder protectively, feeling her relax. They watched as the smoke began to pour out of the well.

"We're in a land without magic, Belle. And I'm bringing it. Magic is coming." He was so close to having everything he ever dreamed of, his true love and his son.

"Why?" She questioned.

"Because magic... is power." He stated. And power will aid me in finding my son, he added silently in his head. She grabbed his hand as the smoke surrounded them. He inhaled the smoke and felt such immense power enter his body. He felt his leg start to heal, he felt more energy enter his body than he ever had in this world. With Belle by his side and his magic back, Rumpelstiltskin felt like he could do anything. The smoke slowly faded as they stood close, hands clasped together.

She turned to him, looking at him suspiciously. "Rumple, what's the real reason behind why you brought magic back?"

"I already told you... magic is power." He said trying to avoid having this conversation here and now. He would tell her the truth if she asked again, but he would have liked to do it on his own time.

"Yes, but why do you need it?" She asked, desperately trying to understand his reasoning. Rumpelstiltskin paused, trying to figure out how to word it.

"You don't need power Rumple, you need courage to let me in." She sighed and started to walk away before-

"Belle wait!" She turned around and he couldn't help but notice the hopeful glint in her eyes.

"You're right, I am a coward... I have been my entire life. I've tried to make up for it by collecting power... that power had become so important, that I couldn't let go. Not even when it meant losing the most important person in my life."

"Your son." She guessed as she stepped closer to him.

"Baelfire was his name." He provided. "After he left, I dedicated myself to finding him. I went down many, many paths, until I found a curse that could take me to the land where he'd escaped to."

"Here." She concluded. He just nodded.

"And I found myself in this little town, with only one thing left to do: wait for the curse to be broken. I brought magic here, so that I could find my son. Belle..." Rumpelstiltskin pleaded for her to understand. "I have to break this new curse, so I can see my boy again."

"I understand. But why didn't you just say that in the first place? I can help." She inquired.

"Because I'm a coward." He responded. He was scared that he wouldn't locate his son's whereabouts, he was even afraid of finding his son, of hearing how bad of a father he was, he was afraid that he'd end up disappointing Belle. Most of all, he was was terrified of losing everything he had worked for.

"Rumple, no matter what you did in your past, I'll still love you. Please try to be honest with me. If we want this to work, we need to communicate." She emphasized the word need. Relationships were and always have been built on trust.

"I love you so much, Belle." Rumpelstiltskin said as he gazed into her eyes. They fluttered shut as she leaned up slowly, brushing her lips against his. She completely obliterated his every thought, and for a short amount of time, the Dark One's mind went completely blank. His hand rested below her ear as his thumb caressed her soft cheek. His hands went to her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them. She pulled away, feeling the slow, soft beating of his heart as she rested her head against his chest.

"I love you too, Rumple."

On the way to the magical well, the streets had been bustling with people. Now, cars sat deserted in the middle of the road, shop doors had been left open. He carried his cane under one arm, while his other hand was reserved for Belle's. At times he would stop to apologize again or tell her that he loved her. He couldn't believe that she was real, that she was actually here with him.

They strolled past Granny's where everyone was gathered, no doubt to worry and complain about Regina's next move, they walked past the library and the empty schoolyard. Finally arriving back at his large home. And Belle started to giggle.

"What?" He demanded.

"Oh, it's nothing." She said with an amused glint in her eyes. "I just never thought I'd see the 'oh so powerful' Dark One living in a pink house."

"It's salmon." He defended. "Plus I didn't choose this house, Regina did.

At that, her face darkened and her eyes reflected pain. He led her up the porch stairs and opened the door for her. Belle could definitely see him living here. She walked into the living room and saw that it was quite cluttered, with old paintings and antiques; He was like a dragon hoarding his treasure. There was a couch facing a strange looking black box, which she would have to ask about later, and a fireplace. Rumpelstiltskin set down his cane and led her up the stairs to the third door on the right.

"This will be your room for the time being." He informed her as he opened the door. It was nothing special, with a queen sized bed, a small dresser, and a door that she assumed led to a bathroom. The walls were a soft green color, matching the sheets of the bed. "I could clean out one of the larger bedroom's tomorrow, if it's not to your liking."

"Oh no, this will do perfectly." She smiled as she set down her recently bought clothes. "Thank you, Rumple."

"It's no matter." The Dark One responded with a soft smile. "I'm going down to the kitchen to start dinner. You may down come whenever you're ready."

Belle watched as he walked out of the door. She was so happy to be here with him. The beauty had thought her life was over when she was captured by the Evil Queen, for years she had sat in a cell. Her heart broke every day that he didn't come for her, she watched as the queen told her love that she was dead. She had tried to escape that day, not being able to bear seeing her Rumple cry for her. That was probably her worst day in the Evil Queen's possession. She was beat until she passed out, the pain being so unbearable. The next day, the queen came in to heal her, so that she was ready for another day of torture. It was an endless cycle of pain and misery, but it was worth it in the end as she got to see her true love again.

She was broken out of her thoughts when Rumple yelled up that dinner was almost ready.

"I'll be down in a moment." She called down to him as she stood up from her bed. She looked around her. Yes, she would definitely go through all of that pain to end up here again, just to be here with him.

After dinner, she watched him put their dirty plates in this strange machine that he called a dishwasher. She would have to learn how to use many of the new devices that this world possessed. He had already bought her a cell-phone. All she had to do was type in four numbers as her password and push the Rumple button if she ever needed him.

"Would you like to watch a movie?" He asked. "They are quite a lot like books, but instead of reading the words, people act it out on a screen."

"That would be lovely." Belle replied. Well, this would certainly be interesting, she thought as they settled on the couch. He told her that the film was called Breakfast at Tiffany's. She snuggled up to him as what he called the previews came on.

After about an hour and a half, she was completely and utterly enamored by the film. As Holly got out of the cab to find Paul, she secretly cheered inside. They shared a beautiful kiss and the final credits rolled.

"Rumple, that was absolutely amazing." She beamed up at him. "Could we, perhaps, watch another one tomorrow night?

"Of course." He said with an amused glint in his eyes. "Let's get you up to bed." He suggested as he watched her yawn. Rumpelstiltskin helped her up, leading her up the stairs. They stopped before her door.

"If you need anything at all, my room is the one furthest down the hall." He murmured.

"Goodnight." He said to her as he wrapped his arms around her once more.

"Goodnight, Rumple." She said into his shoulder. Today had been one of the best days of her life. Belle had spent the morning in her five by five cell, when a stranger had come to let her out. She found the man she loved, who was going to find his son, and they had spent the day together. She pulled back and smiled at him.

The beauty turned to open her door as he walked away. She nearly stumbled into the room, just now realizing how tired she was, before falling into bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.

During the twenty-eight years of the curse, Rumpelstiltskin had wished for his magic back. At least he wasn't completely powerless, he did own the town and he had a lot of money. But now, with Belle, his magic, no limp, and the possibility of finding his son; everything was going according to plan. As he walked into his room, he heard Belle's door shut. He didn't want to scare her away, so she would be sleeping in one of his many guest rooms. His house was so large, reminding everyday of the curse how lonely he truly was. Now that she was here, he had a feeling he would never feel that way again.

He hopped into the shower, and let the warm water run down his back. He wondered why she had forgiven him for everything that he did at the dark castle and for sending her away. She had only been trying to help him. Deciding he had no answer to the difficult question, he finished washing up and wrapped a towel around his waist. He quickly got dressed and climbed into bed.

He was nearly asleep before a loud scream pierced the air. He jumped out of bed and rushed down the hall to her room. He flung open the door to see her huddled at the frame of her bed, crying.

"What happened?" He asked hurriedly as he made his way over to her. He sat down next to her on the bed.

"I was back there, she was torturing me, telling me you didn't love me. That you didn't even try to come find me." She sobbed. "As soon as she left, her guards started to beat me."

"Regina?" He didn't even need her to confirm it. But she nodded anyway. "She told me you were dead. She will pay for everything she ever did to you-"

"No" She interrupted.

"Belle, please. She tortured you. She kept you prisoner, for nearly thirty years... she deserves to suffer as you have." He said, trying to control his anger. The tone of his voice turned sad though. "I went to your grave and mourned for you because of her lies. I cannot believe that I trusted her. I was such a fool. Can you ever forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive Rumple, it's not your fault that I was captured. But leave Regina be. Promise me you won't hurt her. Please? For me?" She begged, her eyes still shining with tears.

"I promise." Two words, very simple. And he meant them, he would try his best not to lie to her. Her imprisonment was his fault, though. He basically created the Evil Queen, and he was the one who had forced Belle to leave. Her pain was all his fault. He shouldn't have trusted the Queen. Rumpelstiltskin should have known when Regina had told him, with that smug look on her face, that Belle was dead. He was broken out of his thoughts when she spoke.

"Can I... um, maybe sleep with you tonight?" She asked, looking hopeful. "To keep away the nightmares?"

"Yes, of course." He breathed out, staring at the beauty in amazement. She wanted to feel safe; she trusted him for some reason. And he would do anything to keep it like that. Rumpelstiltskin never thought he would have this: true love. He would go to the ends of the earth to make her happy.

He helped her stand, wrapped his arm around her waist, remembering the first time they met, and led her back to his room. Rumpelstiltskin had missed her so much. He became a shell of his former self when she had 'died'. No Belle. And no Bae. He believed, for a while, that it was inevitable for him to end up alone. The Dark One had started dealing less, and when he did deal, he was more cruel than ever. The only thing keeping him going was the fact that his son was still alive. But every time he searched for a way to find Baelfire, he failed. It was like his heart was slowly being torn apart... until he discovered the curse. Everything turned out so much better than he had ever expected, Rumpelstiltskin now had his Belle, and he was going to find his son.

He walked into his room with her close behind and let her pick the side of the bed. As soon as she was settled, he climbed in after her.

"I love you Rumple." She said as she rested her head on his chest. And his heart swelled. He turned to kiss her on the forehead.

"And I you." he said with all the love that he possessed.

She lifted her head and her gaze met his. Her eyes flickered down to his lips and tentatively, she leaned down and brushed his lips with hers. His hand caressed the side of her face as they, once again, shared true love's kiss. This world was amazing, he had his power, but could also kiss Belle without his curse breaking. She broke away, never breaking eye contact. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and hers were pure. She was all that was good in this world.

He couldn't help it, his lips met hers again, but this time in a more heated kiss. He could tell she was inexperienced, but the kiss wasn't at all unpleasant. She practically melted into his arms, combing her fingers through his hair, in an effort to memorize the feel of him. They broke apart as Rumple flipped them over. She giggled. Suddenly his lips were traveling down the side of her face. His light kisses sending shivers down her spine as he traveled below her jaw, and down her neck. One more kiss, long and deep, and they broke apart, breathing hard.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" He asked breathlessly, looking at her in amazement.

"Rumple... I love you, and only you," She breathed, "the past is behind us. It doesn't matter what you did, it only matters that I'm here now."

Laying back onto the pillow, she closed her eyes. He couldn't help but notice how Belle, his Belle, looked almost younger as she slept. Her face relaxed, like she had nothing to worry about. She looked like an angel, beautiful, with her full lips and her lovely blue eyes, which were closed now.

Belle was as close to perfect as a person could be, and she was lying next to him. Still wondering what he did to deserve her, to deserve this moment, he wrapped his arms around her and made a promise that everyday, he would strive to be a better person, more worthy of her love.