(Sorry this took a while to upload here - if you're on Archive of Our Own you'll know this has been posted there a bit earlier than over here.) I know this has been done before with these characters but I wanted to take a stab at it. Non-betaed, don't own any of the characters, etc. Let's get goin'.
Save for a couple of fairytale oafs playing pool in the corner, the Rabbit Hole was unusually subdued. No clouds of smoke filled the dimly-lit ambience; no raucous laughter grated on the world-weary ear. The bartender, finished with his cleaning, cast a glance at the nearly-empty bar and disappeared into the back for reasons unknown. The bouncer at the door yawned, his face settling back into its typical expression of alert stoicism accompanied with boredom, only this time, the boredom was real. Gold calmly nursed his drink in well-concealed impatience. Of course the brat would take his own sweet time. The irritating flamboyance of Jefferson was only beaten by this fellow.
"Interesting establishment. And you didn't think to visit me in my kingdom where the spirits are superior to this hogwash? I'm wounded." Gold barely flinched at the dry remarks coming from behind him.
"So you decided to show up after all," he gestured to the seat beside him just as the bartender returned from the back, no doubt sensing the push of magic changing the atmosphere.
Jareth gracefully slouched onto the stool and conjured up his own drink with a smirk, earning himself a glare from the bartender who realized he had been bypassed, yet one of his brandy bottles was noticeably more empty. "Is that any way to greet an old friend, chap?" He took a sip before giving a curt nod of approval to the bartender. Placated, the man headed toward the back once more.
"We've never worked together and it's been at least 200 years since we were in contact last," Gold pointed out, "so I wouldn't exactly refer to us as 'old friends,' don't you agree?"
"Cut to the chase, then," Jareth shrugged, drumming his fingers on the worn wood of the bar. "I do have a kingdom to run, after all, and a fiery little queen to get back to." The Goblin King's voice dropped to a smoldering octave at the last bit. "Don't you have your own little– ah yes, wife now, is it? I suppose congratulations are in order; better late than never," Jareth smirked as he raised his glass in a mock toast. Gold glanced over in disdain but refrained from a retort as the reality of his current situation came to mind. Jareth paused as he realized the Dark One had something going on, indeed. His eyebrows rose slightly, then fixed themselves into a more composed expression, letting the silence take over as the man would speak when the words were ready.
Gold exhaled heavily, then began to recount the last year and a half of events, including his marriage to Belle, the Snow Queen and her curse, his banishment from Storybrooke, the Underworld adventure, his wife's pregnancy, Gideon's birth, and everything in between. Jareth hummed noncommittally as he listened to the not-so-short summary.
When Gold reached the end of his recollection, Jareth let out a low whistle. "You've really done a number since we last met, haven't you, Dark One?" Gold scowled at him and drained his glass. Before he could make a hand gesture to magically refill it with more whiskey, the Goblin King stopped him and conjured a small crystal, tossing the orb at Gold's glass and filling it with an unfamiliar liquor when the crystal burst. "Here, from what you've been through, you could stand to experience some of the more exceptional things in life."
Slightly taken aback by the visiting monarch's unexpected generosity, Gold grumbled, "This had better not be one of your fae tricks," he paused. "There's glitter on my glass as well as in my drink. Couldn't think of anything more masculine to accompany your flimsy magic show pranks?" He sneered.
Jareth rolled his eyes. "Oh, boohoo, and they call you 'the Dark One,'" he taunted. "If you can't even magic away unwanted particles of my irresistible aura, how do you expect anyone to take you seriously?" Gold hid his flippant remark behind a swig of his drink, only to cough and splutter the mouthful back out the way it came.
"What in the blazes is this abominable swill?" Gold wheezed, looking daggers at a smug Goblin King.
"Only the very best goblin brandy in my kingdom, not to be confused with goblin ale, which truly is repulsive," Jareth shuddered, recalling his own experience with the hateful brew. Gold shook his head and coughed again.
"Well, I didn't call you up here to compare the finer points of Underground spirits to this establishment's alcoholic beverages," Gold glanced over balefully, then took a breath to collect himself and his pride before declaring, "it's about Belle."
"What of her?" Jareth inquired mildly, his indifferent manner betrayed by the slight rise of his eyebrows.
"I need some… some information… on how to win her back." Gold spoke haltingly, refusing to look at the Goblin King.
Jareth tilted his head. "I fail to see how I come into this at all," he pretended to deliberate.
Gold huffed. "Do not play the fool, Jareth, you know what I mean! How did you convince Sarah, your rival who ended up beating you and your Labyrinth, to return to the Underground and marry you?"
"What's there to tell? I'm just that irresistible," Jareth shrugged. "Besides, you're already married to Belle. Problem nil."
"Haven't you been listening?" Gold snapped, "we don't even live together anymore! Yes, we're married. But we're more or less… estranged." The fight left him as he sagged in his seat. "I'd say your situation was fairly close to what is currently my situation, Goblin King," Gold glanced up at the now-serious fae king.
Jareth sighed. "A love like ours is never easy; you know that just as well as I do. Sarah was cruel, driven by her self-righteous perception of the roles we each played during her run in the Labyrinth. It stayed with her for years until she invited me back into her world with a careless mention of my name to that absurdly infatuated dwarf." He chuckled at Gold's raised eyebrow. "We had plenty of arguments about who was right and wrong and which motives were and weren't true. We fought a lot before both of us, individually, began to realize that our biased perspectives were getting in the way of truly understanding what the other was going through. Once we were able to put our pride aside and give each other respect during those interactions, it made things a lot easier to handle."
Gold furrowed his brow. "So it just takes understanding the other person to win someone back?"
Jareth tsked. "I wasn't finished yet. It's a part of it. Trying to relate to the other person and showing you're trying gives both of you a safe space to talk honestly and accept each other. More often than not, putting myself in Sarah's shoes helped me reevaluate my perspective before coming to a conclusion about her actions. The same helped her. Oh, and one more thing, old chap," he smirked when the other man bristled, "follow through with your claims. Our women are smart, Dark One. They can scent our lies from 100 miles away."
He grinned. "I can still be that unrepentantly arrogant jerk, as Sarah sometimes likes to describe me in fits of passion, but over time we've grown to understand and harbor a deeper respect for each other and if things need to be serious, we know we'll both buckle down and have that safe place to talk freely and be heard."
Gold sat in silence, absorbing the information as thoughts whirled around in his head. Finally, he looked up at the Goblin King. "When did you get to be so observant about these things?"
Jareth smirked, polishing off his brandy. "I've learned a few things over the past few centuries I've lived," he shrugged.
"And…" Gold hesitated, "you think showing Belle that I can try understanding her point of view will inspire the same in her?" He cursed himself as he heard the longing in his voice, knowing full well that the fae sitting across from him also noticed.
"It really costs a man to throw his dignity under the proverbial bus in order to show his sincerity, and even then it doesn't always work, which is a risk we'd rather not take," Jareth said bluntly, "but when it is finally reciprocated, what satisfaction; what gains! Then one really begins to see how important the concept of humility and honesty is in a relationship so precious."
Gold mused over this further for another minute before draining the last of the intense goblin brandy, wincing slightly as it burned its way down. "Thank you, Jareth," he looked the Goblin King in the eye. "I want Belle back. It seems like I've tried everything but have only succeeded in failing to reach her, and in the process, losing my son as well. I'll… I'll give this a try."
The Goblin King nodded back. "You say we aren't friends, Gold, but my kingdom is open to you at any time." He paused, then added thoughtfully, "And sometime, bring Belle. I'm sure she and Sarah would get along quite nicely." Gold smiled ruefully at the possibility, then smirked.
"Are you sure you won't be asking for trouble? Those two brilliant minds together in the same place would surely overrun the kingdom with their mischief," he bantered. Jareth snorted.
"Let's hope we can keep up, indeed." He stood up and reached over to grip Gold's hand in a firm handshake. "Well then, I'll be off. Don't be a stranger for another 200 years, Dark One." His gaze softened momentarily as he added, "good luck, old chap." Gold acknowledged the fae monarch's statement and watched as the Goblin King took a step back, grinned devilishly, and poofed out of the bar.
A moment later, he sighed as he realized his suit and the rest of the bar's counter were covered in a fine sheen of glitter. Irritably, he twisted his hand, banishing the godforsaken fairy dust, and headed towards the door, where he would spend the rest of the night in the pawn shop figuring out how to put the Goblin King's advice into action.
A/N: I haven't really been able to figure out the time frame over which all these things have happened to Belle and Rumple from the time they got married up until now. So my mention of a year and a half was just a guess. If someone knows the true time frame for their marriage up until this point, let me know and I'll make an edit! Also, Jareth's monologue is shite. I haven't fully grasped his manner of dialogue so apologies if he seems OOC. I really wanted to bring out the fact that he's learned a few things about understanding his wife and the respect needed in a relationship like that, but I fear he's been hanging around Archie too much. Hmm… maybe a one-shot with Dr. Hopper and all that psychological mumbo-jumbo is due? Haha! Thanks for reading!