Summary: Belle is in the hospital trying to sleep and she dreams of Rumple.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Once Upon A Time.
Rating: K+
Pairing: Rumpelstiltskin and Belle
PHANTOM:
Belle lay in her hospital room trying to sleep, to drown out all the beeps and alarms from various machines around her. Her eye lids were heavy; each time they fluttered closed she dropped deeper and deeper into sleep. Finally she was resting in the black oblivion of sleep, but she wasn't alone. Belle knew she should have felt fear, but she didn't. The dark presence lurking just out of sight was familiar to her and she didn't know why. Belle turned but saw no one until she felt hands on her shoulders; sliding down her arms teasingly. A moan echoed on the darkness emanating from deep inside of her. The hands were familiar; the body that pressed to her back was familiar, wanted.
Her heart skipped a beat, her breathing ragged. Belle wanted more. The phantom hands touched her hips, sliding along her skin to rest over her lower abdomen. She felt the muscles of her stomach quiver in anticipation. Her head fell back against her phantom feeling safe and warm. Then, suddenly, lights swirled around her beating back the darkness to find her in a castle. She looked down at her appearance to see she was clad in short blue jean shorts that were frayed at the ends and a gold v-cup bikini top. This was familiar and strange all at the same time. She turned to face her phantom to see a face she knew and a face she didn't know melded into one. "Who are you?" She asked.
The phantom heaved a half sigh, half laugh looking at her. "You know who I am." He took one step closer and into the light. The candles cast shadows along his skin, dancing in his eyes. Belle stood near the fire light, it seemed to make her glow. "My name is right there on the tip of your tongue." He teased.
"I don't know you." Belle defended placing her hands on her hips. But his words struck a resounding cord deep inside her heart. She did know him. She recognized his golden skin his crimped hair, eerie amber eyes, and he was practically salivating over the skin tight leather pants he wore. "Who are you?" Belle asked again.
The man sighed and came ever closer to her. "Search your heart," He towered over her in the boots he wore, "You know me. You love me." The phantom rested his hands, palm down, on her flat abdomen. "I love you." He said, sincerity ringing in his voice. "Belle, you must free me. Say my name. Call to me. Please, save me." He asked, pleaded with her. His memory was trapped inside of her mind, the curse killing him by the second.
Belle warmed to his touch, her heart swelling at his whispered words of love. "I can't tell you what you want." She felt tears gathering in her eyes. "I can't remember who you are." Belle rested her forehead against his chest feeling the pounding of his heart. "I can't remember." She sobbed repeating her words over and over digging her fingers into the silk of his dark purple shirt. "I don't want to be like this." She drew her arms over his shoulders and clung to him.
He held her as tightly as she held him. "I love you more than I have ever loved anyone." His voice was low, cracking under the weight of his emotions. He longed to be free, to hear her name fall from his lips. This darkness was killing him. It was pushing him further and further away from him. "You are everything to me." Gently his kissed the top of her head. "Please remember who I am." He begged kissing the top of her head between each word. "Please." Kiss. "Please." Kiss. "I love you so much."
Belle listened to his voice, tried to remember him. He was a dark memory out of a dream she could not place. Her heart, her body knew him. They screamed at her to remember, but her mind fought. It wanted the falseness of reality. This man holding her, kissing her lovingly, was fiction. He was a beautiful lie come to drag her out of herself. "Help me remember…." Belle mumbled against is chest.
The nameless phantom pulled back and cupped Belle's face looking deeply into her eyes, "Look at me, really look at me. See who I am." He brought all the magic he dared, lighting his eyes, making them glow. "You know me, you know you do. Concentrate and I can help you." He was the last vestige of her memory of him and his strength was waning under the weight of this curse. Bringing more of the magic he filled her with as many memories of them as he dared so as not to overwhelm her. He recalled her on the ladder, the first time she was in his arms. He replayed their conversation about love. He smiled at the memory of her accepting the rose he offered to her. Then the memories turned to this world; her coming into his shop. He showed her them at the diner eating hamburger and playing a game where she was winning every time. Them on the trail to the well with him saying he loved her. The last memory he gave her was of their first kiss.
Belle was seeing so many images, they were of her and him in another land and they looked happy, falling in love. They were smiling, flirting, and teasing each other. Then they were in the real world eating at a diner, playing a game and she was winning. Then they were out in the woods hiking, going to some well, and then he told her he loved her. She was crying from the overload of emotions. So many wonderful things had happened to her while being with him. It was enough to break the hold the dark curse had over her. "Rumplestiltskin," She breathed out his name like a prayer. Belle remembered. He held her so close, picked her up, and spun her about. She couldn't help but to laugh. "I love you."
Rumplestiltskin breathed in deeply bringing more light to this dark castle. He felt the chains of the curse shatter around him. "You freed me." He smiled leaning his forehead to hers. "I love you too." Passionately Rumple kissed her infusing her with all the love he had for her. He forced her to drink him down, to take what power he had inside of her. She would need some small measure of protection in the world without him. This small amount of magic was a protection spell and it would keep her safe. Like a mist, the Phantom disappeared inside of Belle to bond with her, to protect her, and to give her magic.
Belle broke from the dream back in her hospital room, but she knew who she was. She looked around the drab walls feeling an ache in her head. On the counter near the mirror was a change of clothes left for her by Ruby. Belle quickly got out of bed, dressed and snuck from her room to head home. She knew that Rumplestiltskin had left town to search for his son. When he got home she would be waiting for him. Belle passed by a window catching sight of her reflection. Her eyes were glowing amber; the same color as Rumple's when they had lived in the Enchanted Forest. She had no time to think about it. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be surrounded by the scent of Rumplestiltskin until he came back to her.
NYC:
Gold sat in the cab with Emma and Henry seeing all the people pass by on the street, or other cars zooming along the clogged roads. There were too many people and they all irritated him for just being here. He wanted to find his son as quickly as he could so he could return to Storybrooke, return to his power, and to Belle. Rumplstiltskin closed his eyes conjuring her image, the shape of her lips, and the warmth of her skin when he heard her panicked voice in his mind, "Rumplestiltskin…" But then it calmed, "I love you." He opened his eyes sucking in a sharp breath, breathing out her name, "Belle…" The phantom must have done its job in helping Belle remember.
Emma looked over to Gold hen he said Belle's name, "You ok?" She asked catching the hint of panic in his eyes. Emma could see that he was scared of being away from magic, from Storybrooke, and from Belle. There was nothing more terrifying than being somewhere new for the first time.
Rumplestiltskin rubbed his hand over his mouth feeling his heart beat wildly out of control. Belle had called to him and he didn't understand how she could have done that. But she had called to him using his name. That brought the greatest joy to his soul and only reinforced his need to find his son so he could go home to her faster. "Yes, I'm fine." He answered smiling for the first time in three days.