I'm Coming Back, Belle
Author: The Daughter of Santan
Rating: T (just to be safe)
Pairing: Rumplestliltkin/Mr. Gold / Belle
Disclaimer: Hey don't look at me I'm just taking the Characters for a spin who belong to ABC and the people who brought them to life. The Archer belongs to me though.
Genre: Romance/ Fam.
Summary: Rumplestiltskin survived the sacrifice he made and landed in the Enchanted Forest. He now must find a way to his beloved son and only True Love, after he deserved one.
A/N: Let's face it the winter finale sucked big time with the death of Rumplestiltskin. The man made the greatest sacrifice ever and became a hero for it only to have everyone be sent back to the Enchanted Forest. This a gift to everyone since the 13th is my birthday.
"I'm sorry, Belle and Bae." Rumplestiltskin/ Mr. Gold the Dark One apologized silently to his loved ones as he plunged his dagger into both him and his father who turned from a young teenager into the man he remembered from his childhood.
Malcolm tried to wheedle his way out of the situation his loathed son had placed them both in. Rumplestiltskin was not to be dissuaded though. "Villains don't get happy endings." Was all he replied forcing the dagger deep into his father's chest and into his. The effect was instantaneous as both Rumplestiltskin and the adult version of Peter Pan; his father vanished in a black haze. The last thing he remembered was a fleeting image of Belle who looked like she was crying even though she along with everyone was immobilized, he hoped Belle never forgotten him when she found someone else to love. He didn't feel the forest floor on his back as his appearance in clothes and being changed into what he looked like before Regina cast the curse that had transported him along with everyone else to Storybrooke. He also didn't realize that his father could still move slightly due to the grievous wound Rumplestiltskin had caused him when he basically committed suicide to stop him. Malcolm took the dagger that had fallen from the younger man's lax grip. If he was going to die because of his bastard son, he was going first.
Unfortunately for him his plan didn't go as he wanted as a large leather boot made contact with his ribs, breaking four of them instantly. He didn't know what was hurting more right now the stab wound or his – his thoughts became scattered as a solid blow hit him in the head, concussing him instantly as he dropped the dagger whose lettering was quickly vanishing as the figure who had used the thing that had smacked painfully into his head quickly flicked the dagger into the air. It flip end over end in the air before it fell back down and into a long fingered hand. Malcolm looked up from the large black leather boots to dark brown leather pants that had a large knife tied to a thigh. In one hand was the dagger and in the other was a large bow with carvings cut into the wood. Up to a lightly tanned elfin face with large crimson red eyes with pointed ear light brown hair that was braid to the back of her knees for it was a pretty young woman, one who he had heard of for the last three hundred years and one that he had never thought to exist. It was the Archer. A figure who the villagers told stories around hearths on cold nights the figure who protected them from dangers with both magic and archery skills.
He tried, keyword tried to lunge at her but found he couldn't move at all for she had frozen him where he was. Turning from him she made her way to the prone figure of Rumplestiltskin. The girl knelt down at his side and placed the dagger in his taloned hand and healed the injury he caused himself. Her free hand patted him kindly on his shoulder before she turned on him with a frigid glare that froze his blood in his veins returning her bow to the quiver that was slung over one shoulder before she grabbed a hold of Malcolm by his shirt and shoved him into a tree causing him to cry out in pain as everything started to hurt worse.
For the first time she spoke in a voice that was accented and carried a drawl to it, "That was for your great-grandson." She yanked him closer till they were nose to nose before she shoved him back into the tree harder this time. "Your grandson." She released him so he could slightly stand up better. It was then he noticed that she had healed the worst part of the stab wound before she caught him in the fork of his legs doubling him over before she punched his in the face.
"And that was for the boy you left, your son." This was growled in a low voice. Malcolm spit blood that had filled his mouth out then glared at the girl who had basically beaten him senseless with just a few blows. "Are you going to kill me?" He snarled at her, light green eyes glared hatefully into icy crimson eyes. A slow cold smile graced her lips as she spoke, "Oh no, I won't kill you that would go against the promises I made. What I'm going to do is much worse, Malcolm, that if you ever do remember it'll be that much more torturous." A loud horrified scream echoed loud and clear in the forest.
Rumplestiltskin sat at his large spinning wheel that had been handed down from the spinster sisters who had taken him in after his father had cruelly abandoned him for the return of his youth and smiled lovingly at his beloved Belle who was preparing tea for him and the children who could be heard playing up stairs.
Belle turned and returned his smile as she slowly walked toward him with her belly swollen with a child he had helped to create. She sat down in his lap and pressed a kiss to his mouth which he deepened as he pressed his own more passionately against hers. Once she pulled away and rested her head on his thin shoulder she told him, "I still say it's going to be a boy." He rested his on top of hers much like when he did as he figured away around his promise not to kill Regina. "True sweetheart, but I'm adamant it's a girl. Bae told me he wanted a little sister and so has the boys." He argued gently, " Maybe." She agreed quietly, not bothering to look up to see the wide grin that crossed his face every time he got his way. "Yes my Isabella." That made her look up at him with annoyance clouding her sky blue eyes. "We are not naming our daughter that." She scolded him with a smack to his arm. "You're right Clarabelle." That earned him a solid slap and he broke into a fit of laughter.
The strong scent of the ocean reached his crooked nose and caused him to jerk awake. He was in his bed from the Dark Castle a place far from the ocean as it could be, so why was so where was he? A better question would be why wasn't he dead? Rumplestiltskin gingerly sat up and looked around the large room he was in with slightly bleary eyes. The room looked slightly familiar to him but who was really familiar or what was the head laid comfortably on a small arm encased in a leather wrist guard with long fingers. Archer who he knew by another name, Ruen of the Coastal Mountains kingdom. That explained the where but that didn't explain how he was still alive but he knew he was safe for now. The Coastal Mountains held a kingdom hidden very well by a spell even more powerful than the one he created to send him to the land that Bae had landed in.
As if sensing Rumplestiltskin was watching her, Ruen woke from her nap and opened two dark crimson eyes that lit up at seeing him awake. A dimpled smile graced her face that almost a week ago showed cold malicious towards his father but now showed joy at seeing him awake. "Good your awake, old friend." She yawned and stood up from the chair she had pulled over to the bed side while he was unconscious. "My father?" He bit off the anger and hate he held for the man pronounced in his high pitched voice. "Taken care of, after I gave him a sound thrashing." Nothing she wouldn't do for a friend in trouble. "And before you ask, I did it after I saved your life before I did it." Just like old times he thought watching her walk around the room to a large wardrobe and pulled out one of his silk shirts, vest, and leather pants. The door opened suddenly causing both immortals to turn and look.
A little girl with black unruly hair and light cobalt blue eyes came in followed by a boy a year or so older than the girl much slower than the smaller one. The boy could have been a carbon copy of the man in the bed except for the green eyes. Upon seeing Rumplestiltskin he smiled and ran to the bed then on it into his arms. "Papa you're okay. Miss. Ruen said you would be after those b-" Ruen cleared her throat as she caught what he was going to say, "Men who attacked us!" The excitement in the boy's tone was evident as she spoke.
Rumplestiltskin was thunderstruck at his words. Papa? There was no way he could be the boy's father. " Malcolm, your papa just woke up so don't bombard him till he at least gets up." Ruen calm accented voice called to the boy who instantly stopped his babbling a shy smile on his face. His Rumplestiltskin's smile when he looked human. "Now go take Amelia here and see if Adrian could keep you busy for now." She concluded, placing the clothes on the bed.
The children ran out of the room, slamming the door on their way out. "Papa?" Rumple asked sharply, removing the blankets from his body to stand up somewhat. "What did you do, Ruen?" Though he wasn't a tall man, he towered over the smaller immortal who calmly returned his look with a smirk that despite her youthful appearance, she was far more dangerous than anyone he knew or had known. "Your father, 'Stiltskin, was going to run you through with your dagger and if I hadn't intervened we wouldn't be having this argument. And as for 'papa', I turned your worthless excuse for a father into a child so maybe he won't do the same things again. Now get dressed and come downstairs." She evenly explained then vanished, The true form of the man known as Mr. Gold stood alone in his borrowed room in utter shock. Ruen not only saved his life from his and his father's action but gave him a second chance at being a father in one brilliant move.
He could hear laughter in the large dining hall two children and two adults. This was where he was going to come face to face with child who was once his father once more. Ruen, Malcolm and two people who looked alike stopped laughing as he entered the hall. Malcolm jumped up from his chair, sprinting over to him. "Papa, Miss. Ruen said after you felt better and eaten something she'd take us back home to mama and Bae." He rambled on till Rumplestiltskin placed a hand on his head to get him to be quite. Malcolm was so different from the boy his father had been he had that child innocence that made his eyes light up. "How 'bout you let papa eat before talk his ear off." He suggested as he lead him to the table where Ruen, the little girl Amelia and the man sat.
"How long was I unconscious, Ruen?" He asked, pouring a cup of tea. "A week, 'Stiltskin. After you were injured it took some serious healing magic to close it." Ruen explained, loading a plate of her own with bacon and biscuits. The cup was set down with a sound thump at hearing this. A week a full week.
A week in his home realm was a month maybe two for Storybrooke. That long with Belle and his oldest son thinking he was dead? It was unacceptable he had to get back to them to alleviate their sorrows and now! "We need to leave right now, Ruen!" He snarled at her. Ruen stood up slowly and crimson eyes snapping with fire at his words. "Rumplestiltskin I can understand your impatience to see your other loved ones but I must ask you to calmly think things through. You just barely awoke from injuries that would have made anyone else be having supper with their ancestors. So do me, your son, and more importantly yourself a favor and give it a day." Her words had an immediate effect on him. It shut him up quickly and she sat back down with both children looking at her with something akin to shock at her words and action.
Malcolm sat next to the girl, Amelia and told her "Your stepmother is something else and really neat." Amelia giggled quietly at his words she already knew that her stepmother lived up to legends told about her.
Rumplestiltskin looked out at the small houses that were spread out before the castle lost in thought. "Ruen means good, Dark One. I know this because she truly knows what it's like to lose those she cared about and isn't willing to help you to destroy yourself to get to those you care for." The man who looked like the little remarked approaching him calmly as could be. The smaller man looked over his shoulder at him. "You can glare and snarl at me all you want but I've lived with Ruen for the past twenty-eight years, you don't scare me." He added. Leave it to Ruen to find someone who wasn't afraid of him but was willing to stand up to her and defend some of her actions like Belle to him. Belle, he missed her and couldn't wait to see her again. He could only imagine what she felt thinking he was dead. If it was anything like when he thought she had died because of him for twenty-eight years it wasn't a good feeling.
Rumplestiltskin turned around fully to face the younger man and pinned him with a warning look. "You take care of Ruen or you'll answer to me, dearie." With those words he transported himself to the huge library where he knew Ruen wouldn't allow anyone to bother him.
Hours seemed to crawl by as he read several books on different types of magic he in his three hundred some odd years he hadn't known existed mainly because he only borrowed books on very powerful curse and the how they effected people. Though he read many of the books, he wanted to get back to Storybrooke, Bae, Henry, and his dear Belle.
The large library doors opened to reveal the small figure of Ruen who leaned against one of the doors with her arms crossed. Rumplestilstskin carefully set the book aside as he stood up to look at her. "You ready to go back to your family, "Stiltskin?" Her voice was calm and gentle as if he was a spooked wild animal. Had it already been a full day? He hadn't realized it cause it seemed to pass by in a blur with teaching his son. A small smile graced her elfin features and added, "What surprised that your forced stay is over? Come on, you're 'bout to climb the ceiling in the throne room waiting to go back to your family."
Rumplestiltskin quickly jumped up from his seat and was out the door like an eager child let out of his lessons early, when they made it down to the dining hall Malcolm ran up to him barely containing his joy at going home. As it was, though he looked like the Energizer Bunny hipped up on sugar.
"Papa, I meet the person whose taking us home." He declared, bouncing up and down on his toes. He was dressed more like a child of wealth than the small clothes Ruen lent him the day before he realized. Must've conjured them with magic, he concluded.
Tugging lightly on his vest to hide his impatient to go home to his true love and oldest son when Ruen walked past them both and knelt down to a small figure dressed in a suite of pure white with large magenta eyes who had evidently seen him and decided to hide from him. She said something to the figure low enough that he couldn't catch it even with his inhuman senses. "Alright I'll take you all to this Storybrooke but you Archer can find your way back." He snapped, holding a paw? out for her to shake which she did engulfing it in her much larger hand.
Ruen pulled a coat out of the air and swung it around her shoulders as she reached their sides with a steady determined look that she wore when she was getting ready for a fight to protect innocent people who were being terrorized by those who were supposed to protect them. Something that he knew since she saved him and Baelfire a year or so after Milah left them to be with her pirate. The person turned out to be the White Rabbit of Wonderland. An associate of Jefferson's.
The Rabbit stepped around the pillar so he could create the portal that would take the Dark One, his son and the Archer to Storybrooke. Rumplestiltskin once more stood looking into the gaping maw of the portal. Once before a long time ago he faced one that would take him and Baelfire to the realm without magic but an act of cowardice cost him his boy but now he could go back to him and Belle with his new son with a new one.
"What if it doesn't work, Ruen?" The question slipped without him realizing it as Malcolm grasped his hand tightly. A smirk curved her lips as she said, "You have to have hope, 'Stiltskin." That said she took a running start and hurled herself into the portal. "Have hope? Indeed." He murmured as he and Malcolm approached the portal and vanished inside it.
One month after Rumplestiltskin's death
Storybrooke, Maine- Land without Magic
It had been along month since Rumplestiltskin had died to protect them all. The curse his father had created from Regina's original one had turned in on itself somehow with their death's that had protected them all.
The man who once called himself Neal Cassidy went back to being Baelfire with the last name of Gold to honor his father had taken over Rumple's pawnshop while Belle ran the library. Regina co-lead the town with her stepdaughter Mary Margret while Emma, Hook, and Charming had taken over the Sheriff Station. The loss of Rumplestiltskin had resounded deeply than anyone had expected and affected many who hadn't even expected but none like Belle who cried herself to sleep every night and basically had stopped eating. This was the Storybrooke they found themselves in.
Rumplestiltskin picked himself up then helped his son up as they took in their surroundings and the fact that both Rumplestiltskin and Ruen lost their cursed appearances. He snickered when she reached for where her pointed ears should've been but found the soft roundness of human ears. Large dark blue eyes widened further in surprise at this but quickly vanished.
"We better get to the Sheriff's office in town." He said, taking Malcolm's hand so he wouldn't try to wonder off. Before leading them out of the small forest clearing the found themselves in. Malcolm kept up a constant stream of chatter as they made their way out of the woods and onto the asphalt street on a side street a couple blocks from the station.
Somehow they managed not to run into anyone or in Ruen's case since she had never been there get caught up in looking around like a fool. Rumplestiltskin stepped inside the building that was the Sheriff's Station for the first time in many months. His and Malcolm's footsteps echoed off the linoleum flooring. Ruen's much like when she was in the Enchanted Forest didn't make a sound.
"'Stiltskin what in the names of the Twelve Dancing Queens is the horrid stench? Not even the breathe of a dragon is a bad as this." Ruen's voice called to him from a few steps behind him. "Ammonia." He explained, as the figure of Emma Swan stood in the doorway of her office while her father and the captain of the Jolly Rodger sat a desks all looking at him in stunned astonishment not surprising since they had witnessed him do what he did to stop his father from killing everyone he loved.
"Well whatever it is, someone should really open a window." She grumbled and stopped on his other side one hand on her bow seeing the stunned trio looking at him. "Friends or Foes?" She added, under her breathe thinking of what spell to use to stop them for reaching for a weapon in case they turned out to be enemies. "Depends on the day or the time." He responded quickly loud enough to snap them out of their amazement. "I am real, dearie, so would you call Belle and Neal here and maybe bring my grandson as well, please." This was addressed to the blond woman who hid a slight flinch at his tone of voice that brokered no argument from her.
Belle sat in her library seemingly not noticing anything as Baelfire burst through the front doors with Henry both had an unreadable look in their dark brown eyes that they had inherited from Rumplestiltskin. Her heart gave an odd lurch at thinking his name unlike many times before. Just that morning she had looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and realized that he wouldn't want to waste away and become of a shell of the person he had fallen in love with in his castle back in the Enchanted Forest.
"Belle, Emma called wanting us down at the Station. She didn't say why though, just to be there right now." Bae explained as Belle looked at them confusion clouding her sky blue eyes before she grabbed her well Rumplestiltskin's coat since she had taken to wearing since it still smelled strongly of his cologne before following the boys out.
A slim figure of a small man with shoulder length hair had his dragon scaled coated back to them as they entered the small holding area as an even smaller figure was talking. It was a man they had seen engulfed in a black haze of smoke; Rumplestiltskin. As if sensing them staring at him, he turned and looked at his loved ones with a gentle smile filled with love and kindness at seeing him.
Belle was moving before she knew it and was in his arms with her lips pressed against his tightly. "Eww get 'em to stop Miss. Archer." A small boy interrupted them by speaking "They're your parents Malcolm. They will do stuff like that and embarrass you all your life." The rough accented drawl of the Archer hushed the boy who Belle looked at after she removed her lips from his but didn't pull away all the way just yet. "Belle I want to introduce you to our son Malcolm Gold." Rumplestiltskin introduced the boy who hugged his mother then the Archer who barely dipped her head in greeting.
"How can I ever repay you for all you did to help, Rumple?" Belle asked finally with tears clogging her throat. The kind smile lit the Archer's elven features that held many years and many secrets as she spoke loud and clear to all who bore witness the reunion Rumplestiltskin and his family, "You owe me nothing, my dear, you found the one thing he had thought long dead; his heart and soul. The soul of the kind spinner he is. So it is I who thanks you."
The words held such emotion behind them that they were felt throughout the town both heroes and villains stopped as they sensed them in their hearts. Granny was later heard saying that it was almost like the legendary High Queen Ruen herself had come back from the dead to say the words to produce such emotion that it was felt by one and all.
"Though there is something missing here though." She added more to herself than anything else before flicking her hand causing smoke to engulf them all before vanishing back to her home.
Once the magic cleared it was to show Rumplestiltskin dressed once more like Mr. Gold with the exception of his vest which was a royal blue with his shirt and tie the color of gold as Belle was wearing a fancy dress of gold. "What was this a bout villains not getting a happy ending?" Belle asked as Rumple pulled her tightly to him and lowered his head to once more claim her lips for his own, "Its true dearie, villains don't but heroes do like you do, Belle. Even if it's with an imp like me, sweetheart." He explained before promptly shutting her up with a long slow kiss that spoke of love and happy endings.
This is dedicated to everyone who reads my work and everyone who thought that Rumple's dad deserved an ass kicking
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