Belle entered Rumpelstiltskin's shop, presuming that to be the most likely place to locate him in this hellscape. After witnessing what had just happened, and thinking about all that Rumple had told her, she realized that they needed to talk.
"Rumple?" Belle called out as she entered. The shop was quiet, and no one answered. Belle spotted the chipped cup sitting on the counter, and she picked it up and smiled to herself.
"Hey," Rumpelstiltskin said, finally stepping out into the main area of the shop from the back.
"Why is this here?" Belle asked, setting the cup down.
"I broke it when I was being held captive by Merida – to use it to cut the ropes she had bound me with. I'm sorry," Rumple said.
"I think we need to talk," Belle said.
"Yes, we do," he agreed. "Before we do – I need to tell you one more thing. You want honesty – and I intend to give that to you."
"Alright," Belle said. Rumple leaned against the counter.
"I only came down here because Emma threatened to tell you that I had become the Dark One again. I wanted to be able to do that myself. I should have told you before I left. I should have told you before we made love when you came back. I was stupid not to and it was wrong for me not to tell you. I won't keep something like that from you ever again."
"Okay," Belle said. "Is that all?"
"Not quite. I ran into my father here. He wants me to exchange someone else's life for his, so that he can return to the land of the living. I won't do it. I wouldn't do it for anyone, least of all him." Rumpelstiltskin sighed loudly. "And then I saw my ex-wife."
"Milah? She's here?"
"In a manner of speaking. Belle – I wanted to find Bae. I wanted to make things right with him, but – well, it turns out that he had no unfinished business. That's the only reason people are here. When I was looking for him – I created a spell to allow me to see my child. And I saw you. That's how I knew that you – that you're expecting our baby. I just wanted to get home to you, to tell you everything. Unfortunately – Hades had other plans. He made me choose between you and our child – and Milah. I chose you."
"What did you do?" Belle asked.
"I pushed her into the river of lost souls. I'm sorry I did it – we had a talk and had come to a truce of sorts. But when I was forced to choose between you, and our child, versus the woman who abandoned me and my son, who did nothing but berate and belittle me our entire marriage – I had no other option. If I had – I'd have taken it. Belle, sometimes – there is no good option."
"So why didn't you come back?"
"Hades lied to me. He broke our deal. And now I have to find a way to defeat him. Belle, if I can defeat him – all of these souls – including the ones that are lost – can be set free. They can move on. And we can go home."
"I was thinking about what you said – about me loving both the man and the beast. I told Baelfire that, when we were trying to get you back. That I loved all of you – even the parts that belonged to the darkness."
"Belle – whatever happens with us, once we get out of here – it's your choice. I am willing to walk away from you. But I am not walking away from my child. Please don't ask me to do that."
"I would never ask you to do that," Belle said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
"At the moment? No." Both of them were quiet for a moment. "Belle – I love you. I am capable of love. Real, honest, true love. You know that. And I am capable of doing good things. I am not capable of returning to the weak man that I once was. To the coward I once was. I cannot – and will not – give up the power if it means that I cannot protect those I love. I can, however, be the man you want me to be – if you can understand who that really is. Belle, you fell in love with me when I was a far worse monster than I am now. You know that to be true."
"You were pretty awful back then," Belle admitted, sniffing back her tears and smiling a bit.
"Indeed I was," Rumple admitted. "What do you think would have happened if your kiss had broken my curse? What were you expecting me to become?"
"I – I don't know, really. And ordinary man?"
"I was already an ordinary man, Belle. You just reminded me of that when you kissed me. What is an ordinary man supposed to look like to you?"
"I – someone who is – good and kind and brave and – loves his family and wants to make the right choices."
"They don't always, do they?"
"I suppose not," Belle admitted. "Rumple, I – I don't know what to do."
"Belle, I have never once asked you to be anything other than who you are. Not in the Dark Castle, and not in Storybrooke. Can you do the same for me?"
"No more lies? No more going behind my back?"
"No. You will know everything I do – I'll even make up a bathroom schedule for you if you really want me to go into that much detail." Belle laughed a bit.
"I don't think that'll be necessary," she replied.
"I'll probably make mistakes. And so will you. And we'll work them out."
"How are we going to get out of here? Out of the underworld?" Belle asked.
"Well – that's our first thing to work out, isn't it?"
"What about the others?" Belle asked.
"I really don't give a damn about the others, Belle, save Henry and perhaps Regina for sentimental reasons. And if I'm being honest – I will never understand how you think those people to be your friends, because they are not. They've not done one friendly thing for you. However, I understand that you wish to help them and I accept that. So I will help them, with the understanding that I am doing this for YOU and not for them. Is that alright?"
"You're really going to be this honest all the time?" Belle asked.
"Yes I am," he replied. "Are you alright with that?"
"Can I be honest too?" Belle asked.
"I'd be offended if you weren't."
"I liked you better in the leather pants than in the suits." Rumple chuckled a bit.
"Is that so?" he asked.
"Yeah. Why do you think I practically jumped you when you got off that boat from Neverland?"
"You seemed very eager to get me OUT of that leather if my memory serves correctly," Rumple reminded her.
"Well, I like you that way, too," Belle teased.
"Anything else?"
"The Charmings can be a bit of an annoyance sometimes, always interrupting us."
"Yes, they can," Rumple agreed.
"One of these days I'm going to snap and tell them so," Belle admitted.
"I look forward to that."
"I'm sure you do."
"So – what now?" Rumple asked.
"I think we need to stop Hades and save our baby," Belle said. "Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"
"No," Rumple replied. "Do you want to know?"
"I'm not sure," Belle said.
"And – after we fix this? Then what?"
"Then we go home," Belle said.
"Together?"
"I guess we do," Belle replied. "Maybe we can, um – go to Archie for counseling or something?"
"I suppose I can tolerate talking to the cricket, he's not so bad. He did marry us, after all."
"None of this will be easy," Belle acknowledged.
"I never said it would be. But if we do this together – honestly – I think it can work."
"I think it can as well," Belle admitted, and she grabbed him and kissed him. It was barely ten seconds into their kiss when the door blew open and the entire group, led by David, entered the shop.
"Gold!" David shouted. Belle pulled away from Rumple and turned to glare at them.
"What do you want?" Belle asked, an angry tone in her voice.
"We need help with something," David admitted.
"Yes, of course you do," Belle said, rolling her eyes at them. "Give us a minute, we'll be right out." The entire group stared at Belle, dumbfounded at her comments. "I said give us a minute – do you need it in writing?" Not knowing what to say, they all left, and Rumple couldn't help but laugh.
"I can't believe you just did that," Rumpelstiltskin said.
"Honestly, they wouldn't accomplish a thing if it weren't for us, would they?"
"Indeed not," Rumple agreed.
"Can you be nice to them?" Belle asked.
"No," Rumple replied.
"Can you be civil to them?"
"Yes."
"Well, then let's go. Get this over with."
"Belle, you sound almost annoyed."
"Well, they interrupted our reunion, I should say I'm annoyed. By the way, when we get back home, I want you to wear the leather pants again."
"Yes, dear. Whatever you say." Belle took his hand and they walked out the door, together.