Emptiness. That was all Belle felt. She sank to her knees, sobbing. "Rumple! No…" she gasped out, "He's gone." Rumplestiltskin's words echoed in her ears.
"Bae, I traveled across realms to find you, and give you a happy ending. Now that happy ending is possible, just not with me. I love you Bae. And I love you Belle. You've made me stronger…but I'm a villain, and villains don't get happy endings." And then, just like that, he was gone. Disappeared. Dead. Gone forever. This time, he wasn't coming back. Her heart, already broken so many times, now seemed irreparable, because he wasn't there to put the pieces together again. Never again could she turn to him for comfort, for love, for a shoulder to cry on. Her heart was empty. There was nothing left for her to live for.
Belle was only half-aware of an arm helping her up, and the kind voice of Archie Hopper telling her they needed to go. She was only half-aware of what Regina said about the curse. Her head felt unable to register anything. The only thought she consciously understood was "so this is what losing one's true love feels like, as if one's entire heart and soul were ripped out, torn apart, and stomped on, never to be repaired.
As the curse cloud enveloped her, and she was swept away to the old land, her last thought was "I love you, Rumplestiltskin. I always did, ever since I fell off the ladder into your arms, and I always will, until the end of my days."
Belle was falling, falling…memories ran about her head.
"Why did you come back?" "I wasn't planning to, but…something changed my mind."
"My power means more to me than you." "No, it doesn't…and all you'll be left with is an empty heart, and a chipped cup."
"You can't keep us apart forever. I will fight for him. I will never stop fighting for him!"
"Wait! Rumplestiltskin, wait. I, I remember. I love you!" "Yes…and I love you too!"
"We may sit in our library and yet touch all four quarters of the earth."
"I have lost so much that I love. I didn't want to lose you, too, without you knowing everything."
"You are a hero who saved her people. You are a beautiful woman who loved an ugly man. Really, really loved me. You find goodness in others, and when it's not there, you create it. You make me want to go back, back to the best version of me, and that's never happened before. So when you look in the mirror and don't know who you are, that's who you are."
"The prophecy. The boy is my undoing. But, he's also my grandson. I must save him. I must do this to honor Baelfire. He's gone, and I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye." "I understand. But I also know that the future isn't always what it seems. I will see you again."
"I told you I'd see you again." "That's the last time I don't listen to you."
"Now what?" " Well that's a question I haven't had to ask myself. I didn't think I had a future." "But you do. The boy wasn't your undoing, and neither was Pan. So now you stop worrying about prophecies, and start thinking about your future. There's endless possibilities, countless paths to take!" "But there's only one of those paths I'm interested in." "Which one's that?" "The one where you and I are together."
"And I love you, Belle. You've made me stronger."
Countless pictures flashed through Belle's head. Rumplestiltskin the Beast becoming Rumplestiltskin the man…reuniting at the well…watching his face crumple as he admits that he lost Bae…seeing him off and knowing she might never see him again…watching as the ship, along with Rumplestiltskin, returned…getting married…planning their future…watching helpless as Rumplestiltskin killed both Pan and himself…the curse cloud taking over the town…
Suddenly, the strange feeling of endless falling stopped. Belle opened her eyes and looked around. Everyone from the town of Storybrooke seemed to be there. But where was there?
"We're back," the awed voice of Snow White broke into Belle's thoughts. And yes, they were back. Belle looked down, and all around…everyone were in their Enchanted Forest clothes. In fact, she was in her golden dress, the very one she had been in when she vowed to stay with the Dark One forever. Belle's heart surprised her by breaking just a bit more. She'd thought, at that point in her life, that she'd been doing a heroic deed, going to live with the monster to save her people. Instead, she'd found a lonely, miserable, regretful man, who needed someone to show him the goodness in his heart. Yes, she was back, but her heart wasn't. Her heart was with Rumplestiltskin, wherever he was. Dead or alive, he possessed her heart, and Belle didn't want it back. A few fresh tears trickled down her cheek. They'd been married. Rumple proposed, but had wanted to wait a few months. Belle, however, had insisted. She hadn't wanted to wait any longer. So they were married at the convent by one of the nuns. No one else knew. That night, they'd become truly one flesh, and then spent the rest of the night planning on growing old together. Belle once more sank to her knees, overcome. They never would, not now. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and silent sobs shook her figure. He was gone.
Far, far away, in a distant, strange land, a man limped along. He wore a tattered suit that had seen far better days and carried a cane. His long brown hair was laced with gray and was wipped around by the wind. His brown eyes, flecked with gold, were mysterious and sad. He had the look of a man who carried the world on his shoulders. Periodically, he would wipe away a tear, swiping at it as if it were an annoying fly. His lips uttered only two words: "Belle…Bae."
A figure in a gold ball gown sat by the river, talking. It was Belle, and she was telling a story. To any bystander who happened to see her at a glance, she seemed to be speaking to herself. However, she wasn't. As she straightened up, her belly, swollen with child, became viewable, and they realized she was speaking to her unborn child.
"Then, the beautiful princess- that's me, Elsa, in case you've forgotten- kissed the beast, and broke his curse. He became very angry, and threw her out before the curse could be fully broken. He was too afraid to let go of his power, for the unknown seemed frightening. I spent many years trapped by an Evil Queen, the very one who told me about True Love's Kiss, and its curse-breaking qualities. Then, along with many others, I was transported to a town called Storybrooke, in a land without magic. There, I was reunited with the beast, Rumplestiltskin, your father. We were married, and would've lived happily ever after, if not for the evil boy-man, Peter Pan. He wanted to kill everyone, but Rumple wouldn't let him. He sacrificed himself for all of us, for you, even though he didn't know you existed. Oh, Elsa, how I wish you could've known him. He would've loved you so much…he was a wonderful father. He made mistakes, but he regretted them, and tried as hard as he could to set them right, and restore his relationship with his son- your brother- Neil. We'll be your family, Neil and I, and tell you everything there is to know about your papa. If you want a sister, which you probably will, Grace can be one to you. She's a sweet, darling girl, and she looks forward to meeting you almost as much as Neil. But, not as much as me…and definitely not as much as Rumplestiltskin would've! I still miss him, your papa, I mean, and think about him, every day. I can never forget about him. He will always be there, in my heart, and now in you, too! I cannot wait to hold you in my arms, my darling Elsa! I love you, sweetheart, your papa would've loved you, your brother loves you…and I will never leave you. I promise."
A voice called out from the bank a bit upstream. "Belle! Come on! We're meeting now!" That voice belonged to Grace, Jefferson's daughter. Belle got up, and went to join Grace. As they left, Belle grabbed Grace's hand, and they walked hand-in-hand back to camp.
As Belle and Grace approached the campfire, Belle felt a twinge in her side. She ignored it at first, retiring to her tent under the pretense of sleep. As Belle lay there, listening to the birds in the trees, a cramp seized her, bearing her away on a wave of pain. She tried to stifle her cry, but too late. Snow and Red came running. Snow immediately recognized the pangs as contractions.
"Belle, I think that you are going to have your baby a bit ahead of schedule," at Belle's concerned look, Snow smiled, "Don't worry. Emma was early, too. You'll both be alright."
As the long hours of the night wore on, the pain grew more intense. Soon all Belle was aware of was the seemingly endless cramps that seized her. Snow and Red helped her as best they could, and Charming and Neil stood guard.
Suddenly, Regina came running into the clearing, shouting.
"She's here! The Wicked Witch!" Charming and Neil flew into action. They, along with Snow, Red, Regina, and the others formed a protective wall at the entrance to the tent, while Granny and Ella stayed with Belle.
In the distance a black cloud could be seen, billowing and teeming. "The monkeys!" Red cried, as her wolf instincts saw what normal eyes couldn't. Yes, indeed, the monkeys, aka evil minions of the Witch, were on their ways here, flying fast in the midst of a cloud of black magic. Regina prepared herself to meet the Witch head-on, while the rest began to form battle formations to stop the evil monkeys.
Inside the tent, Belle slipped in and out of a daze of pain. She felt as though the pains would never end.
"Alright, Belle… it's nearly time!" Granny stated. Belle gasped, and tried to smile. Soon she would hold her precious Elsa in her arms, the darling child she and Rumplestiltskin had created with their love.