Rumple stood alone in the Temple of Morpheus. He used his magic to release Belle from Pandora's Box and looked sadly at her sleeping form. He picked up the large urn nearby and poured out some of the enchanted sand. He sprinkled some of it over Belle, and then over himself and entered the world of dreams.

He was in the realm of FairyTale Land once again. It was daytime, and in the far distance were snow-covered mountains... and his Dark Castle nestled in the forest.

Rumple transported himself there in a puff of purple smoke, appearing in the front foyer. The interior was very dark and many things, even the decor, looked changed and different than it used to. He looked around and said to himself, "I know my castle was never cheery, but it wasn't THIS dark!"

He saw Belle standing there, dressed in her old blue work dress, near the long table. She seemed flustered. "Rumple! I... I didn't expect you back so early. I don't have the tea ready." She ran out the door and headed for the kitchen.

Puzzled, he wondered why Belle was acting so oddly? He caught sight of himself in the mirror... surprised to see that in the reflection, he looked like his old self, with the dragon-skin leathers, gold-green skin and the wide amber eyes. But looking down at himself, he appeared human, still clad in his black business suit. So perhaps...he pondered, the image in the mirror was what Belle saw in her dream?

He walked into the room. Belle hurried back in with the tea service on a platter. Unnerved, she accidentally dropped one of the cups. But this time he was standing nearby and he caught it in his hand. "Its all right. See? not chipped" and he placed the cup back on the table with a smile.

He waved his hand and the room was filled with soft music. He took her hand and said, "Come dance with me, Belle?"

"What's going on? this isn't like you," said Belle, bewildered. "Why... why do you want to dance with me?"

He made a flippant excuse, "I have a ball later... and I need the practice. Would you care to dance?"

"But... I am your servant. I wasn't aware I had any choices here."

He smiled at her. "You do."

She placed her hand in his, and smiled back at him. Rumple gently took her into his arms and they started to dance together slowly. As they did, the room transformed around them, becoming brighter and more beautiful. With a wave of his hand, he magically changed her outfit into the beautiful gold ballgown she wore on their honeymoon.

She looked puzzled. "What's come over you?"

Rumple's voice was soft, "Maybe I am tired of being a beast."

They kept dancing, and as they did, the room became less dark, and the table disappeared. The room felt more open and expansive, more bright and beautiful.

He looked around and said, "The place is looking nicer..."

She smiled at him, but then they stopped dancing. She said softly, "It's a pity you've been living here alone for so long."

(in the background, the music faded as he let the spell go.)

He said "I wasn't always alone. There was a son. He... left. He saw the darkness in me and didn't like it. I had a chance to change for him but I was too frightened to stop it."

Belle looked at him shrewdly, "If you had a chance to change now, would you?"

This is what he had been waiting for. "YES!" he said passionately. "I would change for you, Belle. I would be the best man I could be."

He held her close, and gently, they kissed. As they did, his gold/scaly features in Belle's imagination started to change... and he accepted it as they deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and he held her tighter. When they broke apart, he looked human once again... both to himself and also to Belle. She smiled and looked into his eyes.

He smiled back at her. "Do you remember now, Belle?"

She nodded her head, looking so happy. "Yes, Rumple! I remember everything! You, me, our life here..." then her expression turned sad, and she said, with a catch in her voice, "...and our life in Storybrooke. I'm so sorry things went so badly there. I'm sorry for all the hurt I caused you. I don't think I was in my right mind there. Something... Regina did to me while she held me captive? I don't know. But I never want to go back there. I want to stay here with you... and our baby. Raise our child together here with no more interruptions, no more heroes with their problems and their drama. Please... let's just stay here forever!" she begged him.

He smiled sadly at her. "We can't Belle. This isn't real. You're still held in the dream curse. I've come here to wake you up from it. But only if you want to wake up. I know its been hard for us. And I'm sorry for any harm I've caused you as well. I just need you to believe me when I say how much I love you, and how much I love our child. I would do anything for you both. As I tried to do for Bae. Please believe me, Belle. Do you want to wake up and give us another chance?"

She was crying now. "Of course I do. And Rumple... I know I'm not perfect. Just because you are the Dark One and have magic doesn't make you evil. I've seen you do good and heroic things, in spite of that. I've seen you heal with your magic. And I know now that I haven't been fair to you. Your magic is a part of you. And it will probably be a part of our baby too. I don't hate you, not the human or the magical side of you. I just couldn't see clearly there, in the Land without Magic. It was like... a part of my heart and soul were trapped behind a wall, blocked, and I could see myself doing and saying things which I didn't want... but I couldn't stop myself. Yelling at you, getting so angry with you, using your Dagger against you and throwing you out... then cheating on you!" She bowed her head, and he could feel her whole body trembling. She whispered, "Only in my dreams was I able to be free of that block. And here... now, I am once again." She looked back up into his eyes. "That's why I don't want to go back there. That's why you couldn't wake me up. I was afraid to. Because I knew that if I did, I would lose you forever. That part of me which acted so oddly, so hurtful & fearful... that would turn away from you. But... that's not me. That's not the woman who fell in love with you so many years ago, here in the Dark Castle."

He was bewildered to hear her say all of these things. But they all made sense. This was why she'd changed so much. This is why she'd acted so different. Why it seemed that nothing he ever did was good enough... no matter how hard he tried to please her. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. He found that he too was crying. "Oh Belle... " he whispered brokenly. "I'm so sorry... I had no idea. I knew something had changed... but I thought it was all my fault."

She pulled back from him enough to look up into his eyes. "No, sweetheart. It wasn't you. And that's what was so frustrating about all of this. It's like... this enchantment on me KNEW that you'd react that way. That you'd blame yourself... because you always do." Her expression turned angry, "You always do... and it's wrong. Because it's not true! You have done so many wonderful things for me. And for so many others... and nobody ever thanks you, nobody ever acknowledges your contributions, or the good that you do. They just always curse your name, and talk about how evil you are, and call you a liar and worse." Her eyes filled with tears. "And I did it too. I'm so sorry." She looked guilty and ashamed and looked away. "And worse... I sided with your enemies. I went to Hades and made a deal with him. I went to Zelena and took the sleeping curse from her. The woman who murdered Bae, who tortured you for a whole year and stopped your heart in the hospital! I even told you not to get revenge on Regina for locking me up for all those years and torturing me... or get revenge on Hook for shooting me, or for all the evil things he did to you and to Bae... Oh gods... poor Bae!" Now Belle was weeping once more. "I'm so sorry Rumple. I'm so sorry... I wouldn't blame you if you hated me for all that. I hate myself!" She tried to pull away from him, but he held her close.

"I'm sorry too, Belle. I'm sorry I didn't realize you were under some kind of... enchantment... or mind control. Or whatever it was. I'm sorry I didn't dreamwalk in your mind sooner or I would have realized what was going on."

She smiled at him through her tears. "It's okay, Rumple. How would you have known? And it's not like we ever got very much time alone in that town as it was. There was always some kind of crisis happening, some kind of trouble brewing that only you could help solve." Her expression turned bitter. "Not that anyone ever thanked you for it. Or for that matter, ever asked you nicely to help them. It was always threats, blackmail, manipulation, or orders."

"I know... and there were many times when I tried to get you to leave with me, to get away from them all. But you refused."

She nodded, "Yes... probably part of the enchantment I was under. I couldn't leave with you because if I did, there was a chance the enchantment would break and then you'd know the truth."

He stepped back and looked at her. "I wonder who did this to you? Regina isn't usually this subtle. Her style is often direct and painful, as you well know." He grimaced and shook his head. "Do you mind if I try to figure this out before I wake you?"

She shook her head. "Of course not! I really want to know who did this to me as well!" Her expression turned angry. "I'd like to pay them back for it too!"

He chuckled, "Oh? Revenge? That's not like you, Belle..." he teased her.

She got an expression on her face that he hadn't seen since she was "Lacey." It was sly and a bit sexy. "It is, actually... but it's probably not the side of me you're used to seeing. At least not in Storybrooke."

"Hmmm?" he grinned. "I think I can live with that..." and he kissed her once more, gently, then they nuzzled close, touching foreheads, both feeling so much better than before. "Okay then," he said, "is it all right with you if I use my magic now to see if I can determine how to release you from this mind-control?"

"Of course! I trust you, Rumple." For the first time in a long while, her blue eyes were full of love when they looked at him.

He waved his hand and a large comfy sofa appeared. He held her hand as she stretched out on it, with her head in his lap. He touched his fingers gently to her forehead. "Close your eyes, Belle. Just relax." He felt her love for him in his mind as he gently cast his magic over her. She felt nothing except the warmth of his touch as she opened her mind up to him. The usual feelings of confusion, anger and fear which dominated her conscious thoughts didn't exist here in her dreamworld. Just happiness and comfort, being with this man she loved so much. After a few minutes, he sighed and opened his eyes. He caressed her hair and smiled at her. "I've found it. Someone... probably Regina... put a negative compulsion deep inside your mind, associated with thoughts of me and my magic, which was masked by the many years of abuse and torture which Regina inflicted on you, both in her castle here as well as in the hospital in Storybrooke. All the drugs they used to keep you docile for 28 years just made things worse. I can't undo all of that, not so quickly, but I have removed the negative compulsion and it won't affect you anymore once you wake. Perhaps Dr. Hopper can help you with the rest..."

She threw her arms around him. "Thank you Rumple!" She kissed him softly. "I'm not afraid anymore."

He kissed her back. "Ready to wake up now, sweetheart?"

Belle smiled happily up at him. "Absolutely! But, Rumple..." she looked uncertain. "I don't want to go back there. To Storybrooke. I want us to come back home. Here. To the Dark Castle. I want to raise our child in our homeworld."

He smiled at her, "If that is what you wish. I still have the Apprentice's wand... and I also know of a certain portal jumper who owes us a few favors..."

She laughed. "Yes, I would love to see Jeff and Grace again too! As soon as possible!" Belle wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another passionate kiss. As their lips met, they both felt the power of True Love's Kiss sweep over them as they came out of the dreamworld.

When they opened their eyes, they were once more in the Temple of Morpheus. Rumple helped Belle sit up, and held her close in his arms. "We are in this together, my love." he said softly, then kissed her and quipped in his playful voice, "Its forever, Dearie!"

"Forever..." she agreed.