Alright, so this is a fic about Belle and Prince 'Charming' James during the time when they were both locked in Regina's castle. It's really just happy fluff, and a beautiful conversation about true love.
This fic was inspired by a text post by tumblr user everything-storybrooke
I own nothing, all characters are property of ABC and Disney.
Song lyrics briefly used are from "My Happy Ending" by Avril Lavigne (I made a Rumpelle fan video to that song. It's on youtube, and you should watch it because it's the bomb)
"THANK YOU"
"Whatever you plan on doing to Snow, take my life instead"
"Who said anything about taking her life? I have something much more special planned for her."
Regina walks across the stone floor of the dungeon, holding the poisoned apple above her head and cackling to herslelf.
"NO!" he screams through the bars. But it doesn't matter. She is gone. He cries out in anger and punches the stone wall of the cell as hard as he can. "NO!" he says again, "you can't do this" he says the last part queitly, just for himself.
He slides down the wall and sits with his forearms resting on his knees and his head bowed in defeat. That bitch. He hadn't any idea what Snow White had done to the woman but he knew it much have been horrible. After all, Snow had said herself that she ruined Regina's life, not that he believed her. He knew Snow was a good person with a kind heart. He knows she isn't capable of hurting someone that much.
A tear makes it's way out of the corner of his eye. "Snow..." he murmmers, "Snow."
"Do you love her?"
His head snaps up at the sound of a new voice. "Who are you?" he demands, "Make yourself known to me!"
A small girl with red lips, a pale face, and matted brown curls is looking right at him, clutching the bars seperating his cell from hers.
"I'm right here" she says, "it's fine."
She has kind eyes. Bright, blue, and full of neverending emotion. He absorbs them for a long moment, but refuses to let his guard down, still eyeing her suspiciously. "Why are you here?" he asks.
"Same reason you are, I suppose. I tried to find the person I love.
He is stunned. He squints at her. "Who...who are you?"
She smiles. "Belle. My name is Belle."
His eyes widen. "The lost princess?"
"I don't consider myself to be lost."
"Your father sent your finacee out to find you...but he never returned. Is that the love you were trying to find?"
She chokes on a gasp. "Gods no! Gaston is...not the one for me. We are much better off without each other."
He laughs. "I'm sorry I asked."
Her smile resurfaces. And she giggles a bit at her own craziness. "And...who are you?" she asks him.
"James."
Belle tilts her head to the side. "Aren't you going to find your love, James?"
He gives her a wry smile. "Of course I will find her. I will always find her."
Belle rests her head on one of the bars. "That's nice..." she says wistfully.
"And you are not trying to find your true love?" James asks.
"I am. But it is proving more difficult that I thought, seeing as how I have been here for months. Regina will stop at nothing to keep us apart."
"Why's that?"
She shrugs. "I'm not entirely sure. She talks about him a lot, though" Belle points to the ceiling, "I can hear her. He helps her with things...and I was going to take away his power."
James's brow furrows in confusion. "Why would you take away the power he holds over Regina?"
"Because it was a curse," Belle says, her mind obviously in a far off place, "And Regina told me that true love's kiss would break it."
"Did it?"
"Yes. At least it started to...but then he sent me away. But that matters little. What matters is that I love him and I know he loves me too and that...that amazing, wonderful thing...is more important to me than anything he said."
James gives her a simpathetic look. "You really are in love, aren't you Belle?"
She sighs dreamily. "Yes. And despite all of this...it's the most wonderful and amazing thing in the world," she holds his hand through the bard, "and you have to get it back, James."
"As do you," he says, sqeezing her hand.
"Yes, if only. But I don't think I'll ever get out of here."
He looks down and she looks away, both of them lost in thought for a moment.
"Belle?"
Her eyes move back to him. "Yes?"
"The person you love...who is he?"
She bites her lip and looks to the ground. "I'm not sure I should say."
She is distraught, but he knows that if she tells him who she is looking for, he can get him to her. Though he can't help wondering who she could possibly be scared to tell him about.
"You must tell me, Belle. I will help you."
She looks up and lets him absork her bright, tear-filled eyes for a long moment.
"Rumpelstiltskin."
In that moment, a million pieces click together in his mind. The way Rumpelstiltskin always talked about the power of true love...how he said things about love being magic, but how it kills. "Why did he send you away?" James asks.
"He thought...he thought that all this time I was pretending. For Regina...that I was working for her to make him weak or something." She gives a sarcastic laugh, "So much for my happy ending."
He holds her hand again and gives her a determined look. "You will be together" he assures her.
She kind of rolls her eyes. "How could you possibly know that?"
"Because your love...your Rumpelstiltskin...he told Snow something I'll always remember."
"And what's that?"
He smiles. "That true love is the most powerful magic of all."
Her heart gives a little squeeze. "He said that?"
"Yes. And trust me, Belle, I will get him back to you. Whether it be in this life or the next, I will make sure he finds you."
She brings her face up between two of the bars and he does the same. Their noses are nearly touching and had he not been thinking of Snow, and she had not been thinking of Rumpelstiltskin, they could have kissed through the bars. But instead, she whispers two simple words:
"Thank you."