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.
"I'm coming back, Rumplestiltskin." Belle whispers for herself, her broken heart aching inside her chest, making her wanting to cry, but she knows that this is not going to happen. She's a strong woman who just faced another beast and succeeded in saving the prince that was trapped in that form.
Mulan and Philip wanted her to go with them in the journey to find Aurora and if she hadn't realized that she could not spend another day without her True Love, she may had gone. Or may not, after all because there was exactly four months Belle left the Dark Castle and the was exactly four months she hadn't bleed.
She knew very well what that meant. The fact that she needed to untighten the laces of her bodice a little each day collaborated to the realization that her body was changing to accommodate a child. A little child made on her very first time in Rumple's bed. The first and only time, when after that disastrous kiss, they discussed in the dungeons and ended up wrapped in each other's arms, both full of lust and desire, letting little noises escape from their mouths until find their release, the imp finally spreading his seed inside her. Only to shout her out moments later, saying that it all was a mistake and he could never believe in her love for him.
Belle's hands reached for the little bump that started to form in her belly, caressing it slowly and silently praying that this time Rumplestiltskin could hear her and accept all her affection and devotion. If not for her, at least for their baby.
It took her days of traveling to reach the Dark Castle, but when she arrived, it was the middle of a cold night. Belle was trembling, freezing, starving and completely tired from her long walk since the last time she stopped to get a little rest or even sleep. Reluctantly, she entered the castle, tiptoeing not to alarm Rumplestiltskin, although she knew he had probably already sensed her presence, but if he did so, he hadn't cared enough to go to her.
Seeking for a warmer place, Belle made herself at home and went to the great hall, where she was used to serve him tea, and there she found the imp, sit by his spinning wheel. She could feel her heart race, her mouth get dry and for a brief moment before finding her voice again, she doesn't know what to do. "Rumplestiltskin."
Slowly, he turns. Disbelief fills his face as he looks at her, with his reptilian eyes wide in an almost funny way. She smiles to him and take careful steps in his direction.
"Belle." He whispers and rises from his seat. "What are you doing here? I told you to go away."
They met in the middle of the way. Belle was wrapped around a long burgundy cape, shaking hands atop her bump hidden by the thin fabric, wanting nothing more than reach for her True Love. "I know." Her voice was soft and low. "I needed to come back for you."
"Why?"
"Because despite of what you believe, I love you. I missed you."
He lifted one hand and hesitantly touched her cheek with the tip of his fingers. "Oh, Belle. I was such a monster with you… You shouldn't be here. I took your virtue and them casted you out. How could you miss someone like me?"
"Well is True Love, isn't it?" Tears rolled down her eyes as she unlaced the cape and let it fall by her feet, giving Rumplestiltskin his first full view of her since the day she left the castle. She heard him gasp when his eyes met her middle section to see her delicate hands caressing her baby bump.
"You're…"
"With child." Belle finished. "Your child, Rumplestiltskin."
She grabbed his hand and placed it in her belly, watching every reaction passing through his face: reluctance, surprise, fear and finally… Love. "Sweetheart." The word slipped out of his mouth like a prayer right before he wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his face on her neck. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"It's alright, Rumple. We're alright."
"No. I made you left, while carrying my child." His voice was muffed by her skin, but it was impossible not to notice the regret in it. "I didn't believe your love."
"Hey, look at me." Belle begged, running her fingers in his soft hair as he looked up to face her. "I'm right here now and I'm not going anywhere. I will always love you and this baby."
"Oh, I want to kiss you right now, but I can't." Rumplestiltsking said. "It's not because my power is more important to me than you are. It's because I need it to find my son."
And suddenly everything made sense to Belle. Of course, there was a good reason he was so desperate to keep his curse. It was his only way to reunite with his boy.
"Why don't you tell me more about him?" She asked gently. "You still owe me that story."
Rumplestiltskin smiled and took her by hand to join him in the seat near the spinning wheel. "His name was Baelfire…"
The library has more than a lot of books to choose and yet, somehow Belle had ended up sat comfortably in chair with her old copy of Her Handsome Hero in hands, rereading the well-known words one more time. She grabbed her cup of tea and drank a bit of it.
Resting the cup in the table, she felt a strange pressure in her womb. Immediately, Belle closed the book and looked down, trying to figure out what was wrong when she felt it again, a little stronger, in one of the sides of her belly. "Rumplestiltskin!" She called out, afraid of what was happening.
In a blink of an eye, he was there by her side. "What is it, sweetheart?"
"I - I don't know." Her voice was purely fear. "I'm having this strange pressure in my womb and I don't know exactly what it is. Do you think there is something wrong with the baby?"
He knelt in front of her and put both hands on her belly. At the contact, the pressure came back once more, making Belle's heart skip out a bit. She was about to cry, thinking that she may have being losing her child, when her eyes met Rumple's. He was smiling. An actual genuine happily smile.
"What - ?"
"He's kicking, my love." Rumple explained, making her features soft with relief. "And he's strong."
"He? It's a boy?"
"Well, I don't know. I'm just guessing." The look in his eyes was so full of love, that had her heart melting. His hands caressed her growing belly as it was the most precious thing in the whole world. "Don't you scare your mama like that, little one." He whispered right after pressing a gentle kiss on the place they felt their baby kicking.
"I can't wait to see him." Belle said. "I'm desesperate to see his face."
"Let's just hope he doesn't have scales or reptilian eyes. I'll be very grateful if he is just like you." Rumplestitlskin replied, a little bit more concerned than he ever sounded before. "That poor baby doesn't deserve to heir my bad looks."
"Oh, you are such a fool. I think you are handsome, Rumple, and won't love our child any less if he has your appearance."
"You say that now, but when you find out what you win by bedding a monster, you might change your mind. Don't forget you're carrying the demon's spawn."
Belle rolled her eyes. "You're not a monster nor a demon." She said touching his face and making him lean into her hand. "What about you get me to your room now?"
He kissed her palm, giving her a lustful look.
"As my lady wishes."
"So what is so important that couldn't wait for me to finish one page from my book?" Belle asked stressed, as she was the whole week.
Rumplestiltskin dragged her into the nursery, leading his lady to a corner where a second crib had been placed in that same morning. Belle looked down at the furniture confused with that fact that he had put another crib in there.
"What is it about?"
"This is an enchanted crib, Belle. I put a spell on it, so when you place the baby here, he or she will sleep as long as it remains inside."
Lifting one single eyebrow, she touched the wooden crib. It was a lovely thing, white painted and simple but yet, very beautiful. And enchanted. "But why would we need that? I can assure you that it won't bother me waking up in the middle of the night when I hear our child crying."
He shook his head. "It's not for that using, sweetheart." His hand came to her arm, rubbing it nervously. "I often have to make deals, as you know, and some of the people who seek them use to come here in the castle, and no one should ever find out that you gave me a child, because I have enemies who would love to take it away from us and use it against me. Like the Queen."
"Would she be capable of that?"
"Not only her, but many others. Most people hate me."
A small laugh came from her throat. She could certainly imagine what other people thought about her lover, as she knew him before as the terrible and feared Dark One, who made the most unpredictable deals, in exchange for precious things of all sort.
"Yeah, I think I've heard enough bad things about you before we met to be aware of that. I just…"
"You never thought that you and the child would be in danger because of me?"
She bit her lip for a moment and then whispered: "Yes."
"I'm sorry for that. But when somebody come over, do as you've been doing these past months, hide in your library and place our child inside the enchanted crib, so we won't have the risk of it cry or make noises that could reveal its presence, and you two will remain in secret. Can you do that, Belle?"
"Sure."
He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, sweetheart. I promise I'll won't ever let anyone hurt you."
Different levels of pain have hitten Belle on that long interminable night. She was suffering, the baby stuck inside her, positioned on the wrong side, slowly dying, as she cried out in agony. The midwife was set between her legs, trying to turn the child around and making more tears slip down her face as the ache grown alongside with her fear of giving birth to a dead baby.
Rumplestiltskin grabbed a ragged piece of fabric and used it to dry the sweat from her face. "Everything is going to be fine, sweetheart. I promise." He assured her, although his own expression showed how much he was terrified too.
"We did it, milady! I turned your child." The midwife said proudly. "The baby is in the right position now. You need to push."
Letting out another cry, Belle closed her eyes wanting for that torture to be over. "I can't… I'm too weak."
"No, Belle you're strong, and our child needs you." Rumple said encouraging her. "You can do this, my love."
"It's time, milady, you must push now." Ordered the midwife.
Screaming Belle rose her back from the bed and pushed with all of the strength she had left, feeling like she was being ripped in two. She grabbed Rumplestiltskin's hand, smashing it in hers, when the next contraction came and she was forced to push another time.
"We're almost over." The midwife said, happily, what made Belle want to threw something at her for being so joyful when she was drowning in pain. "The head and shoulders are already here."
"Just a little bit more, Belle and then we'll have our baby." Rumple said, trying to cheer her up, which didn't work.
A suffocated groan scapped her as she pushed once more, hoping for her child to be born well and healthy, despite of all of the labor complications. So, using her last lack of energy she gave her last push and felt the baby slip completely off of her.
Belle fell down to the pillows, ragged breathing and looked to Rumplestiltskin who had his gaze fixed in the little baby, that the midwife was cleaning. "Is it ok?"
"Yes." The woman answered. "It's a boy.'
"He is not crying." Pointed out Belle, tired and worried.
She saw when the woman cleaned the child's mouth one last time and it started squealing. Relieved, Belle held her arms up to pic the baby from the midwife's, pulling him close to her chest and taking a good look in each detail of his perfect little face. The baby was still covered in blood and other fluids, but she could see that his skin was pale pink and the colour of his eyebrows seemed to copy her auburn hair.
"Oh, you're perfect." She whispered, amazed by her child, slightly swinging him to calm him down, making the cries cease.
By her side, Rumplestiltskin was petrified, looking at them as if he was seeing he sun for the first time after long years locked in a cave. Belle raised a hand a touched his cheek, smiling at him and receiving a wider smile from him in return.
"Milady, you should pass the baby to him for a moment, I need you to push one last time, to clean your insides." The midwife said.
Belle carefully place the baby into her lover's arms, watching him held their son for the first time, the adoration clear in every expression he made. "Papa got you, little one." Rumplestiltskin muttered. "You'll never be alone, I promise. I will always be there for you. And so will your mama."
Turning her head to the other side, she forced herself to push another time. Once the midwife had put all the bloody sheets away from her, she cleaned Belles thighs with a cloth soaked in water and finally let the tired mother rest. Rumple returned the baby to her and got some gold and a blue potion from one of his drawers, standing in front of the old woman.
"Here is your payment." He said, handing the gold coins to her. "And now you'd better drink this, dearie."
"What is that?" She asked, looking at the blue potion with suspicion.
"Memory potion. You should not remember that you came to my castle or most important, that you helped delivering this child."
The midwife nodded and drank all the liquid, disappearing from the room in a purple cloud of smoke by the moment she swallowed the last drop of it, leaving the three of them alone. Rumple came back to her side, sitting near her in the bed.
"We made him, Rumple." Belle said with a smile still on her lovely face.
"Indeed." He agreed, running a careful finger on his son's chubby rose cheek, before kissing the mother's forehead. "Thank you, darling Belle, for giving me this. He is as beautiful as you are."
"What should we name him?"
"I'm not sure. Do you have something in your mind?"
She nodded, lost in thoughts about the names she have being considerating the last few months, while sat in the calm silence of her library. "Actually, I do." Belle said. "But only if you agree."
"Tell me, then."
"Gideon." Announced the proud mother.
"Gideon?" Rumplestiltskin repeated. "Like the hero in your favorite book?"
"Yes. Exactly like him." She bit her lip. "Do you think it sound stupid?"
He shook his head. "No. I think this is a strong name and it's perfect for our boy. Our Gideon. Your own handsome hero."
"And I'll love him forever." Belle whispered, kissing her son's head. When she moved away to face the baby again, his eyelids trembled and he opened his eyes to her, making the mother gasp, stunned. Beautiful brown eyes, just like his father's. "Rumple! He has your eyes!" She said, cheerfully. "Your real eyes."
As her gaze met her lover's, she swore she could see tears shinning in there.
"Please, read another chapter." Five-years-old Gideon begged.
"No." Belle said and rose from his bed. "We can read more tomorrow, but now you should sleep. It's late."
"Please, mama!" He insisted, giving her a pleading look that always made her heart melt. Belle had to turn away and grab the blanket not to face him and let herself be convinced by her child.
"Tomorrow, sweetheart." She promised, covering him with the dark-blue blanket and kissing his messy auburn hair. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, mama."
Rumplestiltskin appeared at the door and approached them to sit by his son in the bed.
"Did you liked spinning with me today, son?" He asked.
Not so long ago they had found out their boy had magic, just like his father and since them, Rumplestitlskin was doing his best to teach him to use it in a good way, and seating by the spinning wheel, turning straw into gold, had become one of Gideon's most cherished moments of the day.
"Yes!" Gideon answered, joyful. "I always like spinning with you, papa. I feel special."
"Well, that's because you are special, my boy. Very special." Rumple briefly touched his face with a smile, before rising up. "Sweet dreams."
Together, Rumplestiltskin and Belle left their son's bedroom, heading to their own, where they closed the door and he looked at her for a moment before speaking. "I'll leave tomorrow morning to make a deal."
"Another one?" Belle asked. "With who?"
"Some girl named Cinderella. The same one I told you about months ago."
Raising an eyebrow, she took a step in his direction, analysing her lover. "I thought you already had streaked a deal with her."
"I did. She still owes me a baby, but I received a letter from her earlier and she says she wants to change things a bit." He explained.
"You're dealing babies again?"
"Only this one. And when I brought it here, maybe you can take care of her for some time before we find a family who will want that little girl Cinderella will give birth to." He tried to persuade her. "I know you miss having a baby to look for."
"Yes, but I'd prefer that baby was ours, not one of your exchanges."
Rumple gave her a smirk. "And I'd love to fulfil your wishes and have you pregnant again, but the curse I told you about is coming and we don't need to have another person to worry about when it arrives." He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close to kiss her neck. "We will find Baelfire and then we'll have how many children you want." He promised, licking her jaw and making Belle breathless. "But for now, I think I can give you a little remind of how good it is to make a baby. What do you think?"
He loosened the laces of her bodice, and kissed every millimetre of skin he could reach, without meeting her lips to not accidentally break his curse. Belle felt her head spinning as he pulled her to bed, both full of desire. "Don't you dare stopping this." She muttered, feeling his hands find their way down in her body causing her to ache in pleasure.
"Oh, sweetheart, I don't intend to."
Two weeks later, Rumplestiltskin hadn't returned. Belle was worried. He had never been out for so long since the day she came back to his castle, revealing that she was pregnant with his child. Each day that passed, she grew more and more terrified, only trying to hid it from her son, to not get him scared too.
"Mamma, when is papa coming back?" Gideon asked sweetly during their dinner. "I miss him."
"I miss him, too, Gid. But I have no idea of when he is coming back. Let's just hope it is soon."
Her son nodded, taking a sip of his soup before continuing: "Will you read for me tonight?"
"If you wish so."
Gideon smiled. "Can it be Her Handsome Hero?"
"Again?" Belle questioned with a laugh.
"It's my favorite book."
"And so is mine."
A loud noise outside the castle startled Belle, making her jump from her seat and rush to the windows, seeing a carriage parked outside the gates. Her heart skipped a bit, as she turned to her son.
"Gideon, go upstairs. Someone is here, you need to hide."
He standed, leaving his half-eaten meal cooling down on the dinning table. "What about you?"
"Don't worry," she said, kissing his forehead gently. "I'll be fine. Now go and no matter what you hear, don't get out of there."
The boy disappeared in the stairs that lead to the library and Belle hurried to take the dishes to the kitchen, so nobody would know that two people had being dinning there.
She came back just in time to see the Evil Queen entering the great hall.
"Your Majesty." Belle greeted her.
"Hello, girl." The other woman answered, delighted with the sight of Belle worried and alone in the huge castle. "Is your master around?"
"I'm afraid not. He has been out for days to make a deal or something like that."
"I see… Well, that's good, because what I really need it's you."
Surprised, Belle pointed to herself, miserably. "Me? But – But I'm only a maid."
"Yeah, you may be only a maid, but you're one he cares about. After all, not just your True Love kiss worked on him, but also, he expelled you from his home just for take you back months later. And for what I want, I need to have something he is willing to exchange anything for."
Fear ran though her veins. Her only thought in her mind was that she couldn't let that woman discover her son, or who knew what she could do to him. "Do you think Rumplestiltskin cares about me? He just keeps me here because he likes my cleaning, nothing more. Since the day, you persuaded me to kiss him, he barely looks at my face!"
"It won't hurt me to try." The Evil Queen said, right before grabbing Belle by the arm and start to drag her out of the castle.
"Let go of me!" She screamed.
"Oh, no, dearie." That woman played with the familiar word. "You are coming with me."
"No, please, no! You can't do this!"
"I can and I will."
The Evil Queen raised a hand and Belle's world went black.
Gideon heard his mother's screams from the library. He wanted to help her, but he was too afraid for that and she had said he must've stay there no matter what happened, and so he did. When he looked through the window seeing the carriage leaving, he rushed downstairs, finding the castle completely empty.
Almost immediately, the boy started crying. He was alone. His father was gone. His mother had been captured and he had no idea what he should do. Tears streamed down his face in the quiet of the night as he sat on the seat near his papa's spinning wheel.
A small blue light came from the front door and approached him slowly, making Gideon shrink in the stool, fearing that whatever had taken his mama, had come back to grab him too, but then it came closer and he realised that right in front of him was a fairy.
"Who are you?" He asked, still crying.
"I'm the Blue Fairy. I've sensed your needing for help, Dark One's son."
"My name is Gideon." The reply sounded a little impertinent.
"It's ok, Gideon, I'm here to help you."
Rubbing his eyes, the boy gave her his most mistrustful gaze, looking as much like his father as possible.
"Can you bring my papa and my mama back?"
"Sorry, but that I can't do."
"Then you can't help me."
"I can take you to a safer place, where you'll be secure, until your parents can be reunited with you again." She offered, with her melodic voice.
"And they will find me?" He asked, not daring to fully trust her. "You assure that?"
"Yes, of course I do. No matter what happens, they will always find you."
Gideon nodded, clinging to that hope, because for him, his parents were the most important people alive. They were his family, his everything and every moment apart of them would hurt him like nothing had ever done before, so he let he Blue Fairy sprinkle her magic on him and take him to a safe place, where he laid down in a comfortable bed, wishing that when he woke up, he could see his mama and papa by his side.
The curse hit the Enchanted Forest some time later vanishing everyone there to a very different world. And then, in Storybrooke, there was a very wealthy business owner named Mr. Gold, a very debited young woman locked in a hospital and a clever five-years-old abandoned boy, being raised by the nuns of the town's convent. What was once a loving family, separated by one curse.
Author's Note: This is the compilation of three One-Shots I wrote a while ago, so it will have another two chapters. I hope you guys liked it, and I apologize if there is something wrong with my writing, because english is not actually my first language.
