This is a fic written for the well known Rumbelle War on Tumblr. If you don't know what the war is, get on Tumblr and find out. But here's a warning, you'll probably have your heart crushed or feel like someone just kicked an ovary. Just a fair warning, cause that's what us fighters do. ;)
He didn't know what was going on at the hospital, but whatever it was drew out quite a crowd with camera crews from the local news station. He continued on his way walking along the sidewalk across the street, keeping an inquisitive eye on the action. Directly across from Sheriff Swans patrol car stood Henry, arm wrapped around the enormous book that hardly left the boys side since he got it back. Mr. Gold paused next to the boy who was watching the scene with intense interest. He turned to face the scene as well, both hands on his cane before he turned to the boy.
"What's all this?" He nodded to the commotion across the street as the young boy turned to look up at him.
"Some kind of secret rooms were found; Emma's in there freeing the prisoners." He said proudly, puffing his chest out as he talked about his biological mother saving the day.
"Secret, huh?" Mr. Gold's brow furrowed and he watched the scene with increased interest.
"Yeah, like a dungeon." The boy spouted and then cast a suspicious glance to his mother, the mayor, who was in front of the cameras.
Mr. Gold watched her as well. Mayor Regina stood with a serious look on her face, her lipstick perfectly outlining her lips. The blood red lip color seemed to match her blood red need for revenge on the population of Storybrook and it always seemed as a reminder of just how dangerous she was. He had no doubt that she knew about these 'secret rooms' and now he waited to see just who she was hiding.
Henry was quietly watching the scene as well and gasped dramatically when the cameras moved from Regina to the entrance of the hospital. Through the swarm of camera and onlookers Emma became visible with her arm wrapped around a woman who was of about the same size with limp brown hair blocking her face.
"Give us some room!" Emma yelled and the crowd slowly started parting for the women.
Mr. Gold watched with interest as the woman finally came into view. A baggy hospital gown covered what looked like a frail body, her feet were bare, and she hunched into the leather jacket that with no doubt the sheriff's jacket.
But a moment later, his world halted to a stop. Dull hair parted and brilliant blue eyes shown through, right at him. His grip on his cane tightened and breathing became impossible.
Henry started talked, but only muffled words filtered into his mind; 'Belle', 'Beast', and 'Queen's dungeon' were among them. But his eyes didn't leave hers.
She stopped moving as well, not noticing Emma's worried glance or gentle pull, she watched him as he watched her and then the unbelievable happened.
Her eyes lit up in recognition and she pushed herself out of Emma's arms.
Mr. Gold moved as if possessed. He made his way through the street blocked with paused cars, his attention barely focused on where he walked just the face with a look of astonishment displayed on her beautiful features.
Suddenly she was in his arms and nothing else mattered. Not Emma who ran to follow Belle who now stood shocked just a few feet back or Regina's face that was emotionless with eyes that held fury.
The only thing that mattered were the slim arms that were wrapped around his middle and the too thin body he held in his arms.
He breathed out just one word: "Belle." Then she was pulled back to look in his eyes and he saw that her face was damp with tears, matching his.
"Your curse," She whispered, her voice sounded raw from lack of use. "Someone broke it." He saw the pain in her eyes and his mind quickly caught up with what she was thinking.
"No, no." He said and brought a hand to her face, his heart softening as he felt her lean into his palm. "Only you can break my curse."
She pulled herself back into his embrace and for the first time in so long did he feel happy.
It had been weeks before Belle, or Irene as she goes by, could move in with him. Emma had been furious, arguing that Irene needed to heal before she could make such a decision which caused the brave Belle he remembered to reappear.
"So what's your plan then, stick me in a hotel room and wait for me to get 'better' before I can make my own decisions? No, only I decide what right for me; no one else."
Mr. Gold smiled but tried to hide it when Emma caught him. She seemed to back off after that. Either from Irene's insisting or how the smile warmed Mr. Gold's face until he was unrecognizable.
They worked together to clean the house and clear out the clutter. Irene couldn't stand feeling of being closed in so he took down the curtains and opened the windows.
At night he slept in his same old bed with his door cracked open so he could hear if she needed something from the guest room. He knew they would have demons to work through and every night when a muffled scream filled the house he would hurry down the hallway and hold her tight. She spoke of the Queen kidnapping her after she left his estate and how one day the dungeon turned into a mental facility and she was half convinced she was crazy with the memories of two lives. He stroked her back and left kisses in her hair.
She made breakfast one morning, dressed in a light blue summer dress that brought tears to his eyes. Irene turned to him, a smile across her lips that immediately fell when she saw his face.
"Oh, no. No more of that." She set the spatula that she was using on the pancakes down and rounded the island where she had already set out fruit and coffee. She stopped when she was standing right in front of him and placed her handed on either side of his face to keep him looking at her. "We are together again and the Queen can't touch us!" She said with conviction and a low voice before lift her lips to meet his. Warm tears rolled on her cheeks from his and she pulled back again.
"Rumpelstiltskin," She said and his eyes opened to meet hers, she only used his real, full name when she was going to say something important. "I love you." Another press of her lips and she added, "I forgive you for what happened. I promise I do. Please just love me too-"
She pressed her fingers to his lips to stop him from interrupting. "Love me without the guilt. I can taste it on you."
With his eyes trained on hers he nodded stiffly before they both leaned in for another kiss.
That day she stayed at the house when he went to the shop. He laughed when she told him her most recent discovery, the library. He gave her a kiss which she returned without pulling her eyes from the words on the pages.
Irene spent the morning reading and in the early afternoon she packed up two lunches and started the walk through the warm summer air to Mr. Gold's shop.
When she turned the corner and the shop finally came into view her heart stopped. Outside the shop was an ambulance with its lights flashing and Sheriff Swan's patrol car. The small cooler Irene had packed the lunch in fell to the ground and she ran down the sidewalk and pushed herself through the shop's door.
The room was too quite, the paramedics were slowly standing from behind the counter, and one of them murmured something about being 'too late'. Irene felt her stomach disappear and took more steps into the shop. Emma was suddenly at her side, trying to grab on her arm. Irene saw her mouth move but she only heard her own heart pounding in her ears. The paramedics were looking at her with pity and she finally turned to see behind the counter.
Mr. Gold lay on the ground, looking far too frail with vomit pooled beside him and a chipped cup near his hand. Irene dropped to her knees, her vision suddenly so blurry she couldn't see straight and her hands grasped his jacket and started shaking him as she called his name, like she could wake him is she shook him enough.
He didn't wake and her hands went to his face, where they felt a pulse under her fingertips only hours ago before breakfast. He felt cool and no pulsation met her fingers. The tears fell, covering his face with eyes opened and slack jawed mouth. Irene quickly replaced the tear drops with kisses.
True loves kiss and all that. But nothing was happening and she felt her heart breaking.
Arms pulled at her and suddenly Irene was embraced by Emma who was still speaking but what of, Irene had no idea. Mr. Gold was on the floor, dead, behind her. And all she could see was another tea cup, still sitting on the counter with blood red lipstick on the rim.
She remembered what the Queen had told her when she would look through the dungeon bars and then the door at the mental ward.
"No one will get their happy endings."
Please R/R. Let me know if I should prepare to fire another shot into this godforsaken war against emotions.
Thank you! =)