Hello! This is my first Once Upon a Time story, so please be nice. =) I have recently fallen in love with this show, and my absolute favorite couple is Rumbelle. And since we are one month away from the premiere, I decided to write a little story about them! I hope you like it =) Please let me know what you thought at the end!

These nights were very lonely for Belle. In her lifetime, she had endured countless nights alone, whether it was locked up somewhere (that happened to her way too often) or simply in her bedroom at her father's palace. It was nothing new to her.

Of course, that fact made it all the more awful. She had grown so accustomed to being on her own that it felt more foreign to her when she wasn't. When she realized this, Belle didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

She had hoped that when the curse broke, when she was finally reunited with her true love, those empty nights would be filled. That she could finally stop feeling lonely. She let herself get her hopes up. She even began to envision the way her life could play out, peacefully and happily with her love.

However, when you're in love with the Dark One, things don't stay peaceful and happy for long. And that was when Belle was painfully reminded not to get her hopes up.

They suffered several mishaps over the course of a few weeks. First they had trust issues. Then she fell over the town line and forgot her memories. Then she gained false memories of being a skanky bar crawler named Lacey. And then, just when she got her real memories back, his grandson was kidnapped, and he decided to honor his son by saving him. Belle's heart had warmed at the sight of Rumplestiltskin limping up the gangplank of the Jolly Roger. He may not be the most pure man in the world (far from it), but he could rise to the occasion and prove everyone wrong.

And that couldn't make her more proud.

Of course, there were drawbacks to Rumplestiltskin being away in Neverland. Namely those lonely nights that seemed to be making a reappearance for Belle.

At first, she was able to cope well enough. She had faith in his return, even if he didn't. She carried on and protected the town with the help of Ruby and Grumpy. The library was even opened, and since that day it was never empty. Belle was pleased at how it turned out, but she was sad she couldn't share it with the man who provided her with the keys.

Still, she pressed on. The town slowly came to see her as Belle, the librarian, as opposed to Belle, the crazy woman who lived with the Dark One, or worse, Lacey, the woman who wore almost no clothes and drank at all hours of the day.

Every morning Belle would walk to Granny's and drink a hot chocolate before heading over to the library. She worked there until noon, which is when Ruby would arrive with a bagged lunch. After that it was more work until five, then she'd close up and return home. Sometimes she would spend time with the residents she had come to know, but for the most part she opted to stay in.

Every night was spent in Rumplestiltskin's room. She would slip on her pajamas and curl up in his bed, book in hand. Sometimes she didn't read at all, instead preferring to just lie there, inhale his scent and pretend he was there. Maybe he was working late in the shop, or perhaps it was rent day and he had been taking his time.

Sadly, no matter how hard she imagined it, she could not make these fantasies real. Each night, her last thought was, Rumple, I miss you. Please come home…

Slowly, the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. Two had now passed since the Jolly Roger had slipped into the portal, and Belle didn't know what to think.

She wanted to believe he was still out there. That he was still alive, but it was getting to be so hard. Her nights were now frequented with nightmares of Rumplestiltskin taking his last breath, all alone in some Neverland forest.

Ruby told her to stay strong, but even she was getting worried. Her best friend was on that ship, and with every passing day there was a better chance that she would never see Snow again.

"They're fine," Ruby would say bravely. Belle would give her a half-hearted smile in return, ignoring the pang in her heart.

Where are you? She thought. I told you I would see you again. Don't make me a liar.

She doubted he could actually hear her thoughts, but pretending like she could talk to him made her feel more in control of the whole situation. She knew she wasn't, but she desperately needed to feel like she was.

Please come home…

One night Belle sat in the back of his shop, idly playing with his wheel. If he were there he would admonish her and take her hands in his to prevent her from breaking anything. Then he would guide their hands, silently showing her how to properly spin. She would lean back into his embrace.

She would feel safe.

Belle often thought of those days in his Dark Castle, back before the curse, when she would watch him spin. Sometimes he wouldn't notice her staring, and other times he would put on a show for her if he did. She loved the look of concentration that would grace his face as he worked. He always looked so peaceful. In fact, he had almost looked like a man.

The wooden wheel creaked beneath her hand, and Belle let out a whimper. It wasn't fair. Now that the curse was broken, they were supposed to have their happy ending. They were supposed to be together.

One by one, tears began to fall from her eyes. Her fingers wrapped around the wheel tightly, as if it could bring him back to her just like that.

"Rumplestiltskin…" she whispered. "You can't be dead. You just can't. I wasn't done with you…"

She abruptly stood up and moved away from the spinning wheel. It turned lazily for a few moments before it petered out. Belle took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. She locked up the shop and walked back to her- his- their- house.

"Please come home…" she murmured.

Now everyone was worried. The third month since the extended Charming family's departure was nearing its end, and people were beginning to whisper in the streets. Rumors of why they left spread like wildfire. Belle had told Ruby and Grumpy of what happened, but they decided to keep it to themselves. If word got out that one child- that child being Snow White and Prince Charming's grandson and the Evil Queen's adopted son- had been kidnapped from under their noses, people would get anxious. There was also the possibility of more outsiders arriving, which constantly frightened everyone. Belle didn't want to share exactly who gave her the spell to protect the town, seeing as no one trusted him.

With each passing day, however, and with no further news of the Charmings' return, unrest began to grow. Citizens were asking too many questions and demanding far more answers than Belle could ever give out. They still trusted her (to a degree) and liked her, but they were confused about the whole situation.

Belle felt awful. She developed near-constant headaches, most likely brought on from her sleepless nights. She would work feverishly all day, as if her work could make her forget everything going on around her. Sometimes she forgot to eat, and Ruby would have to force her.

"Belle, you have to get some rest," the dark-haired waitress insisted one day. Belle shook her head and proceeded to stack more books.

"I'm fine."

"You're clearly not." Ruby grabbed Belle's wrists and forced her to look her in the eye. "Have you been sleeping?"

"Yes," Belle lied. She dropped her gaze to the ground. Ruby paused, then smirked.

"Whaddya know. I guess spending a lot of time with Emma caused me to develop her superpower of detecting lies." Belle let out a little moan.

"I can't help it. If I close my eyes, all I can see is him, hurt… broken… Sometimes he's dying, Ruby!" She could feel tears pricking the back of her eyes. They were never far off these days.

"You have to have faith," Ruby tried.

"I do! I've had it in the past! It's just…" She sucked her lips in. "It's been so long. I can't help but wonder…" Her voice trailed off. Ruby's eyes softened. She wrapped her arms around the librarian and held her tight.

"He'll return. Don't worry."

Belle pulled away and gave Ruby a watery smile. "Thanks. Now shoo. I'll be alright, trust me."

Ruby hesitated and considered her friend for a long moment before nodding. She exited the library just as a gaggle of schoolchildren came in, all wearing their Storybrooke Elementary uniforms. Belle was about to see if they needed help when the kids shoved a girl forward. They gave her short nods, like they were egging her on. Belle immediately recognized the girl as Jefferson's daughter Grace.

"Miss Belle?" the little girl asked timidly.

"Yes?" Belle tried to sound as friendly as possible, seeing as Grace looked so nervous.

"Do you… Could you tell us…" She sighed. "Where's Henry?"

Belle's heart sunk. She swallowed nervously and knelt down to Grace's eye level. She prayed that there were no tears in her eyes.

"He went on a little trip with his family. They wanted to spend time together, you know, since they were separated for so long."

"Will he be home soon?" Belle swallowed again.

"I certainly hope so."

As the kids disappeared through the doors, Belle sent up another prayer.

Please come home, Rumple…

A few nights later Belle was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea held in her hands. The cup was the one she chipped her first day at Rumplestiltskin's castle. She often teased him for keeping it, but secretly she loved that he had. It made her feel special. It made her feel loved. It reminded her of how he never forgot her or gave up hope that she would return to him. Now she was hoping it would do the same for her.

The ticking coming from the clock was the only sound in the house. At first it had been soothing, something to fill the silence. After several minutes of listening to only that, however, Belle felt like she was going mad. She stood up and dumped the remainder of her tea in the sink and padded upstairs, the cup still clutched in her hand. She set it on the side table in her- Rumplestiltskin's- bedroom.

She didn't know how much longer she could go on like this. Constantly yearning for him to return. If there was anything in the world Belle truly hated, it was feeling useless. She was never one to sit back and let others do things for her, and now was no exception. Sadly, there was nothing she could do to fix this. He was worlds away, and she had no way of getting to him.

If he even needs help… If he is past help…

Belle had been trying to prevent herself from crying every night, but it seemed like tonight would be the breaking point. She didn't believe in wallowing in self-pity, but she felt so alone. The house was dark and empty and silent. She couldn't take it.

Hot, angry tears slid down her face almost immediately. She sank onto the bed and held his pillow flush against her chest. Sobs emitted from the back of her throat. Strands of her hair were beginning to stick to her face, but she didn't care. It didn't matter.

Belle continued to cry for exactly how long, she didn't know. Eventually she began to calm down, and she drifted off to sleep. It wasn't a deep sleep. That was why she was able to feel the hand push her hair off of her face.

She stirred a little, making incoherent noises. A soft chuckle sounded from above her.

"Rest, dearie. I think you need it."

She had nearly fallen back asleep, but then she recognized the voice. Her eyes flew open. Standing next to the bed, looking far too thin and worn, was Rumplestiltskin. He leaned heavily on his cane, but the smile on his face made him look far more energized.

He was home.

"Rumple!" Belle flung her arms around him, and he cradled her body against his. His lips pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"I guess you were right," he said, his fingers playing with her hair. She pulled back to look at him.

"About what?" Her voice was hoarse. She couldn't believe that he was here. With her. Home. Safe.

"About us seeing each other again. I should have trusted you."

She smiled shyly. "Then I'm glad you learned your lesson."

His gaze dropped to her lips, and within seconds he brought his lips down to meet hers. Their kiss was hungry, desperate to feel each other. Yet at the same time, it was also loving. They poured every ounce of their love into that kiss.

"That's one lesson I'll be happy to learn over and over again," he breathed when they separated. He ran his hand down the side of her face. "My darling Belle… I've missed you more than words can tell."

"And I you. But what happened? Is everyone alright? Is Henry okay?" Suddenly she was wide awake, anxious to hear of his journey.

"He's fine. They're all fine. I can tell you more tomorrow, but right now…" Belle suddenly remembered how exhausted he looked. She scooted back on the bed and patted the space next to her. Rumple gratefully sank down and stretched out. Belle pressed herself against his side, and he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close.

"Sleep, Rumple," she whispered. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Good," he mumbled, eyelids already drooping. He gave her a little squeeze.

"I love you." She smiled and snuggled closer.

"I love you, too." Thank you for coming home.