Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time or any of the characters and storylines in the show. This is just a fanwork made for fun.
Reading Pixie prompted: Belle is Neal's real mother and when the Curse took place, he left.
First chapter updated, now revised, thanks to my new wonderful beta Ethereal Wishes.
He was twenty-three, a master at stealing things and opening locked doors.
She was eighteen, blonde, sassy, and got herself in trouble constantly.
They met inside his stolen car, the exact one she'd stolen from him.
He didn't know why, but he trusted her effortlessly.
She didn't know why, but he made her feel home for the first time in her life.
They took on the world together, even though the world was really one city; they didn't care about that, because when they were side by side, they were genuinely happy. She kept wondering about the family she never had and he kept reminiscing about the one he'd lost.
In this land, he called himself Neal Cassidy, but his true name was Baelfire, and he was born in a place where everything was possible and where he was the heir of the Dark One and his lovely wife, a blue-eyed princess with a determination that would leave some knights ashamed of themselves. He spent years trying to find them, but he never thought that the orphaned blonde girl, Emma Swan, would be the one to lead him back to the two people he missed the most.
Another time in another realm, there were two other lovers.
But he was not a thief, just a dealer, a powerful sorcerer, that most people considered a monster, and she was not a blonde, but a beautiful brunette, with the loveliest smile in the realm, and a big wish for adventure.
They'd met through a deal he made with her father for her hand.
He never intended to fall for her, just to have a woman in his bed.
She never intended to fall for him, just to make her sacrifice and save her people.
What really happened to them? They discovered love and how much it can change your life.
She came to his castle when she was merely nineteen, a pure delicate flower, young and docile with rose lips and pink cheeks, which turned ruddy with every new thing they shared. He was immortal, and even older than her when he became the Dark One. Belle didn't seem to care about that, she was truly hesitant when they wed and looked really nervous when she first entered his home on what should have been their wedding night, but he didn't touch her on that occasion, just sent her to the chambers he'd prepared for her.
Rumplestiltskin let her get used to him, observing, fascinated every step his little wife took during those three months, seeing how much she appeared to be more curious about him with each passing day, asking about his life before her, the deals he'd made, the things he collected. He wasn't willing to talk at first, but she looked at him in a way nobody ever had before, so slowly, he started to share small details about his life. And as odd as it sounds, they become friends.
His wife was the reason he came back home after his exchanges, and he found himself more and more anxious to talk to her, to see her smile and to touch her. The very first time he came to her chambers, he found her sitting at her vanity, brushing her curled hair and wearing a thin blue nightgown. He didn't want to startle her, so he walked silently towards her and placed both hands on her shoulders, caressing her naked flesh with his nimble fingers.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to come for me," Belle whispered.
"You were waiting for it?" He asked, incredulous.
As much as they'd grown fond of each other, he expected her to feel repulsed by him when he finally claimed his right to her bed, but despite what he thought, she stood up, palming his chest and looking deep into his eyes, with a hopeful expression on her face, that of a woman truly in love.
"At first, I wasn't, but then, something changed my mind," she released a nervous breath, glancing deeply into his sable eyes.
"And what was it?" Rumplestiltskin inquired, his heart beating with anticipation.
"I found out that you're not who I expected you to be," she dispelled.
Belle leaned forward, brushing her lips against him in the loveliest contact he ever had with another person. It was the first time he had ever kissed her and it was the first time she had ever been kissed. He wanted to go back to his room after that and relive the moment a thousand times. His body reacted, and he could feel himself hardening for her, the desire to make love to her until she was screaming his name, overwhelming him.
"Come to bed, sweetheart." Rumplestiltskin coerced. "Let this old beast love you like you deserve to be loved."
That night, he adored her-eliciting low moans of pleasure from her throat as he assured his wife that she was loved and he was never going to disappoint her. Belle trusted every single word he said, feeling more in love than ever, grateful the rumours about the nefarious Dark One was just a sick lie created by the people. And even when he pushed himself all the way inside her and she cried out in pain, with blood dripping between her thighs, she still didn't regret a single moment of her time with him.
It would sound absurd for anyone if she told them this, but she was glad to be Rumplestiltskin's wife. Beast or not, he truly loved her, and when she felt his warm seed filling her at the edge of his pleasure, she was completely sure that she had made the right choice when she decided to accept his deal.
Some time passed and the world they lived in became darker as Rumplestiltskin's apprentice, a woman known as the Evil Queen, hunted her step-daughter throughout the realm, promising to destroy her happiness. Belle, as compassionate as she was, didn't allow the Evil Queen's plot to distort her happiness, because she had her own life and struggles to deal with. She had been waiting to be certain before telling him, but now, Belle had no doubt her suspicions were correct. She tiptoed to the dining hall during the late evening, observing him feed straw through the wheel.
"Rumple?" Belle called warily, gaining his attention.
"I thought you were in the library or had already turned in," he remarked.
A snide smiled played upon her lips as Belle thought about the beautiful large room with a million books that he had made for her. It was her favorite place in the entire castle, and she spent a lot of time there, mainly when he was traveling like he had been during the last few weeks, occupied with his many deals. She hadn't had the chance to see him until now, but the hum of the wheel and his presence were too loud not to be noticed, and she'd hurriedly slipped out of bed when she realised he'd returned. Belle felt lonely during his absence and the joy she felt when he returned made her heart swell with joy.
"I sensed your arrival," Belle said.
"Oh, you did?" Rumplestiltskin chuckled. "Are you a witch now?"
"No," she pressed a kiss to his lips. "I have something important to show you."
His countenance was soft and gentle, much different from the beastly mask he used to put on when he was around other people, but for his wife, he showed his true colors.
"And what important thing could my wife show me on this beautiful night?"
Belle undid the lace of her night-vest and took his hand, bringing it up to touch her belly. He gasped, feeling the slight curve which had formed there, showing how her body was changing to accommodate a child, one which was already forming inside of her.
"This," she beamed radiantly at him.
"Oh!" The word slip out of his mouth like a surprised gasp.
"It started to grow after you left."
"A child." Rumplestiltskin bounced, looking at her stomach like it was the most precious thing he had ever seen.
"Yes," she confirmed.
Pulling her closer, the imp pressed a long kiss of adoration to her baby bump.
"Sweet, darling Belle," he whispered against the fabric of her nightgown. "You're giving me the greatest gift I could ever ask for."
Rumple sounded so stunned as he moved her to set on his lap, that she thought it was humorous, but she was too overwhelmed with the news to jest about it. Instead, Belle toyed with his hair, allowing him stroke her belly with that admiring expression on his face.
"If it is a boy we will call him Baelfire," he said.
"I like that," she replied. "Why did you choose it?"
"It's just a name I've always considered strong."
"You'll have to think of another name if we have a girl," she giggled.
"I will," he promised, kissing
Years later, Neal Cassidy sat on an empty carrousel in the middle of the night with the most beautiful girl he had ever met by his side. They conversed about her painstaking childhood. He sighed deeply and looked at her, enchanted with the way her blue eyes shinned behind her black glasses, reminding him a little of his mother.
"I think I know how you feel. I was ten when I ran away from home."
"And why did you do that?" Emma asked. "Your parents were terrible, I presume?"
"No. My mom was the sweetest person you could ever meet, and my father was a cool guy most of the time, but he had an addiction that mattered more to him than me and my mom ever did," he confided in her. "I just regret not taking her with me when I left home, but I keep searching for her every day."
"Do you think your father could have done something bad to her?" Emma inquired.
Neal looked at the stars, thinking about the good family he once had and how it was ruined by magic. If he had the chance to bring her to this realm, where those horrible powers couldn't affect them anymore, he would have.
"I hope not," he respired, glancing at the black, vast expanse, wondering where she was, now. Wherever it was, he just hoped she was safe.
Author's Note: My apologize if there is something wrong with my writing. English is not my first language. I do hope you guys enjoy it, specially Reading Pixie.