The Beast´s Death
If Rumpelstiltskin would be dying at the end of "Once upon a time…" I imagine it being like this:
Belle is running towards Rumple who´s laying coughing on the ground and kneels down next to him. "Rumple, Rumple. Please, don´t go. Don´t leave me. I need you." A tear rolls down her rosy cheek. "I love you." A tiny smile crosses his lips until it is filled with pain again. He wags his head and gasps for air. "You don´t need me. You need someone with a heart as pure as yours." Wagging her head Belle grasps his hand and holds tight. "But you´re a hero now", she says under tears. "No", Rumple contradicts, "I´ll never be a hero. I´ve done things, unforgivable things. Things that won´t ever be forgotten. I spent nearly my whole life amidst an ocean of darkness. But you were my brief flicker of light. And that´s why I owe you more than I can ever say. But even you weren´t strong enough to rip the darkness out of me. What doesn´t show your weakness but mine. I didn´t let the light into myself, even when it was all around me. Instead I kept spreading darkness. I deserve to die, Belle." Belle wags her head energetic: "No!" Rumple squeezes her hand tender. "You have to move on and take care of our son. And find someone that deserves you, a hero, like you are one." "But you are a hero. You are my handsome hero." He took a weak breath. "Meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I will never understand how you were able to see the man behind the beast. But you were the only one to see it. The only one to treat me with kindness and love. And I love you for that." Slowly Belle leaned down and gave him a slight kiss. When her lips left his, he stroked her cheek. "My beauty." Then he closed his eyes and his heart stopped. The beast´s body disappeared and where it had lain a red rose showed. Crying quietly Belle took the rose and her tears fell on the blood-red petals, like morning´s dew on barely awoken flowers.