Chapter 1
"I'm coming back, Rumple."
Those were the words Belle had said, her promise to the man she still loved, and to herself as well. And she was always a woman of her word. She would ignore his protests; his declarations that he would never believe Belle truly loved him, that he didn't love her. She knew that was all hogwash. She was determined to make him listen, make him believe that what they had was true, that it was right and good. She would break his curse once and for all. She set out in the direction of the Dark Castle, but before she had taken her first step, she heard horses in the distance. Regina and her men were after her, and they caught her, Belle knew, she would never see Rumplestiltskin again!
Ducking into the woods, Belle hid behind a fallen tree, crawling as far under it as she could. She held her breath, her heart pounding so hard she was sure it would give her away. The caravan stopped, and she could hear Regina ordering her men.
"Find that little wench, no matter what it takes!" Regina was saying. "I don't want her getting back to Rumplestiltskin! She's the only leverage I have, the only weapon I can use against him, I want her!"
Two of the men started searching the woods. Belle stayed as still as possible, praying that they were in too much of a hurry to make a thorough search. She burrowed under the tree as best she could. For once, luck was on her side. They walked by without seeing her.
"No sign of her here, Your Majesty," one of them said.
Regina swore." She slipped through our fingers! Once she gets to the Dark One's castle, she'll be out of my hands!" The men were silent.
"WHY ARE YOU ALL STANDING THERE, GAPING AT ME LIKE MORONS!" Regina screamed. "LET'S GET GOING AND HEAD HER OFF!"
Belle smiled to herself when she saw them head off toward the castle by the main road. Her luck was holding out, for she had discovered a shortcut to the Dark Castle, and she would be safely ensconced there well before Regina could catch her.
When she was certain that none of the men had lagged behind and it was all clear, she stood up from behind the tree and after stretching a minute, she set off, going as fast as she could for the Castle. As the sun was rising, she saw the Dark Castle come into view. She was hungry, tired and still frightened of being caught, but she was not stopping, Nothing, and no one, would ever keep her from her love, ever again. She didn't even bother to knock, pushing the heavy door open as quietly as she could. She walked into the different rooms, unsure of whether or not she should call out to Rumplestiltskin, not even sure if he would be up yet. She checked a few of the rooms and saw no sign of him, so she found a sofa and lay down. Soon she was sound asleep.
She woke up a little while later, and sat up. Seeing a light on in the living room, she crept up to the door, which was open a crack. Sure enough, Rumplestiltskin was seated at his spinning wheel, making gold. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked in.
"Rumple," she said in a low voice, "I'm back."
Heaving a deep sigh, he turned around.
"I saw you sleeping in the other room. Why did you come back? We've been over this, I thought it was settled."
Belle blinked. She hadn't been sure what to expect, he was so unpredictable, but not this. He seemed sad, broken somehow. She knelt in front of him and took his hands in hers.
"I couldn't stay away. I love you, and no matter what you say or do, I know you love me too. I want to be with you, no matter what that entails. We belong together."
He jerked his hands away and stood up so fast he overturned the stool he'd been sitting on. Belle braced herself, remembering his angry, violent outburst when she'd kissed him and the curse had begun to fade, for a few seconds. He turned from her and looked out the window.
"You think it's as simple as that?" he said, his back to her. "You think this is like one of your books, and there will be a happy ending. 'Love conquers all'." He scoffed. "You don't understand anything."
"I understand that what we have is true love," she walked over and stood behind him and put a hand on his arm, trying to turn him around to face her. He refused to look at her. "Do you mean to say that means nothing to you, that I mean nothing to you?" She grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her. "You can let it go, just like that?"
Rumplestiltskin's face crumpled. He burst into tears, his whole body wracked with agonizing sobs as he sank to his knees. Finally he spoke.
"Of course, I love you," he choked out in anguish. "That's whyI wanted you to leave! How can I make you understand? I love you too much to let you waste your life on me! I wanted you to have a chance at a happy life, a family with someone worthy of you. That's what I want for you, Belle! That's what you deserve, and I cannot give you that. There's no future for you here, nothing but darkness and misery."
"What about what I want!" Belle was exasperated. No one, not her father, not Gaston, not Rumplestiltskin, had ever asked her what she wanted to do, they just decided what was best for her, without bothering to think that maybe she should have a say in her own life. She knelt in front of him and stroked his head.
"Rumplestiltskin," she said quietly, "Look at me, please."
He raised his head and met her gaze, his own face bleak and hopeless. Belle wiped the tears from his face, and then rested her hand on his cheek.
"There isn't anything I want more than you," she whispered. "You can trust me. I will never leave you, and I would never do anything to hurt you, not on purpose. But please, don't ask me to leave you."
She leaned forward and kissed him. This time, he didn't resist, didn't fly into a rage. She felt a sensation like a sudden, strong wind blowing around them. Rumplestiltskin shuddered, then collapsed on the floor with a groan.
"Rumple!" Belle gasped as he lay on the floor, not moving. For a horrible second, she thought he might be dead. She opened his shirt and checked to see if his heart was beating; it was. Then, in front of her eyes, he began to change. His green, shiny, reptilian skin became the skin of a regular man. This was Rumplestiltskin the man, not the Dark One anymore. When he opened his eyes, they were large, dark brown, and beautiful.
He was beautiful.
