Once Upon a Time is the property of Adam, Eddy, and ABC. This is just me speculating.

This is based on some thoughts about what we'd like to see in Sunday's episode. I said I might fic it, so I did. Hope you enjoy :)

Everything to Me

Rumplestiltskin was trying to calm his racing heart. He had to think, but all he could do was panic. He'd thought they could run from Merida, and they were almost there. He'd found them a way to cross the town line without turning into trees, but now Emma had sent a bear after them.

Belle was shaking like a leaf in his arms and he was no better. Emma wanted her dead, all he had left, his precious, beautiful Belle. He could not lose her, not now when they had another chance together. But how could he fight a bear? He had no magic, no weapon: he could hardly club the thing with his cane. He was pretty sure this was no ordinary bear either: there was definitely magic involved.

'What are we going to do?' Belle whispered, cuddling closer as they crouched behind a rock.

'I don't know,' he admitted, looking down. He felt so helpless. How the hell could he hope to fight a supernatural bear?

Merida had put Belle's fate in his hands. If he didn't do something, she would die tonight, and it would be his fault, but what was he supposed to do?

All he really could do was face the thing and give Belle time to get away. That was it: his life for hers. That was how it had to be. He'd done it before: he could do it again. He had to, because the thought of living without her would surely destroy him.

'I have an idea,' he whispered.

'Go on,' she said, looking up at him with infinite trust. She'd gone along with everything today, even the plan to leave Storybrooke. She had seemed as resigned as he was to leaving, even said it would give them a chance to start again. A new start would have been wonderful, but she could still have one: just without him.

'Go that way,' he said, pointing along the path behind her where large rocks provided shelter. 'I'll go the other way and create a distraction. I'll meet you back at the car.'

She frowned. 'Rumple, that's awfully dangerous. Just come with me now.'

He shook his head. 'She's after you, Belle, not me. Trust me: I'll be right behind you.'

'But—'

'Belle, please!' he begged.

She stared at him and saw it all in his eyes: pain, fear, resignation, and a deep, abiding love that matched hers for him. She'd found him easy to read in the past, but it was even easier now, without the Darkness, and if he thought she was going to let him sacrifice himself for her, he had another thing coming!

Still, she could see he wasn't going to give up until he thought he'd gotten her to agree, so she nodded.

'Thank you,' he said, relieved.

She threw her arms around him and both of them stopped shaking as they held each other tight.

He kissed her cheek: he'd have loved to kiss her goodbye properly, but he didn't want her to know what he was doing, and if he kissed her, she'd feel it was the last kiss.

'I love you,' he whispered.

'I love you too,' she returned immediately.

He smiled as reassuringly as he could. 'Go on: I'll catch up with you.'

She nodded and turned, scurrying along the path out of sight. She didn't look back, because she knew that if she did, he would know she knew he meant this to be the last time they saw each other. He had to think he'd gotten his way. The moment she knew he couldn't see her any more, she stopped and waited, intending to follow him. She would not be parted from him again.

She disappeared from his sight in a matter of seconds and he turned and went in the other direction.

The bear wasn't looking for her, not really: it represented everything he needed to face within himself. Well, tonight the time had come: he wasn't running any more. His miserable, worthless life for his brave beautiful Belle's was a trade he was more than willing to make.

Belle followed far enough behind that he wouldn't hear her footfalls as she ran through the dark forest. She was terrified for him, but she was trying to think what she could do to distract the bear and get Rumple away from it.

She was quite sure this was no ordinary bear: she was nearly certain it had been conjured by magic by the new Dark One, or maybe Emma had transformed something or someone into a bear. She'd been around magic enough to know there was the taste of magic in this.

She had no more time to think as something huge moving ahead made her stop short. The bear! And there was Rumple ahead, oblivious to the danger he was in.

She screamed without thinking about it. 'Rumple, run!'

He spun around, saw the bear, and then her.

'Belle, what are you doing here?' he called back.

'Do you think I'm going to just let you sacrifice yourself for me?' she demanded.

'Belle, you have to—'

The bear swiping at him with a giant paw, sending him flying into the air, cut him off mid-sentence.

'Rumple!' Belle cried, staring wide-eyed as he landed in a heap on the ground. He didn't cry out in pain and she saw him scrambling backwards, so she realised he wasn't badly hurt, but still, the bear was on all fours now, prowling towards him, and there was nowhere for him to go. Belle could hardly see through her tears.

'It won't end, Belle,' he called, 'not until she has what she wants.' He was staring at the bear, but he seemed weirdly calm.

'I don't want you to do this, Rumple,' she called, sobbing: 'please!'

'I have to,' he said calmly, looking at her now as the bear stood over him.

'Why?' she sobbed, whole body trembling. How could she go on without him? This last, terribly final separation, would truly destroy her.

'Because,' he said, and smiled softly, 'you mean absolutely everything to me.'

Belle sank to her knees. Wasn't that what she'd tried to be to him…and she already was without realising it. How could she have been so blind? But she knew how: the Darkness. She'd lost sight of her Rumple because the Darkness had strengthened its hold on him, but he was still here: he'd always been here, and she'd given up on him.

'I'm sorry,' she called.

'You didn't do anything I didn't deserve.'

'Yes I did,' she replied: 'I gave up on you.'

'Anyone else would have given up on me long ago,' he said: 'it means so much to me that you kept trying.'

'But I let you go,' she sobbed.

'Only after I betrayed your trust in the most unforgivable ways, Belle, and yet you still came back.' He smiled at her again. 'You saved my soul: now let me save your life.'

'I don't want to lose you: I love you,' she cried.

'I love you too, sweetheart: always.'

He looked up at the bear, surprised it had waited so long before sinking its teeth into him.

'I once heard a very brave, very wise young woman say that if you do the brave thing, bravery will follow, so, here I am. My life for hers. Do your worst.'

The bear opened its maw and Rumple found himself literally staring into the jaws of death, but there was no fear: there was only pure love, and the knowledge that he was doing the right thing. Belle would live: she would accomplish so much, and, one day, he would see her again. She'd said the same thing to him once: she was right then and he was right now. Some day, they would find each other again.

Belle watched in horror as the bear opened its jaws and Rumple just stared at it, unmoving. She wanted to scream, wanted to throw herself on top of him, and she tried to move, but at the very moment she did so, the bear went to devour him. She screamed, and suddenly there was a blast of light.

It took a moment for Belle's vision to return, but when it did, she scrambled forward, uncaring about the bear.

'Rumple!' she cried.

'Belle!' he gasped.

Suddenly she realised the bear was gone and Rumple was still lying on the ground, and still alive.

'Wh-what happened?'

'Are you alright?' he asked urgently.

'Me?' she demanded. 'What about you? Rumple, you were almost eaten by a bear! Where did it go?' she asked, looking around.

'I don't know,' he said, sitting up.

'Let me look at you,' she commanded, checking him over for injury.

'I'm alright,' he soothed.

'You could have died!' she scolded, looking at him with tears in her eyes. 'Don't you ever do that to me again!' and she threw her arms around him, shaking.

He stroked her hair. He didn't know what had happened himself, but he realised that neither of them would die tonight.

'What happened to the bear?' Belle asked.

'I think my willingness to die to protect you chased it away,' he said.

'Not quite,' another voice said, causing Rumplestiltskin and Belle to jump.

'Merida?' Rumple called into the forest where the girl's voice had come from.

'Do you think I could borrow your coat?' she asked meekly.

He shrugged out of it immediately.

'Belle?' he asked.

Belle took it and hesitantly walked forward.

'H-here,' she said, passing the coat down to a very naked Merida. 'You were the bear?'

Thank you,' the young woman said, taking the coat. 'I'm sorry I frightened you. That was the only other way I thought might work.'

'Work for what?' Belle asked.

'To get him in touch with his bravery. He's a stubborn one, your Rumple.'

Merida wrapped the coat around herself and stood.

'Did I hurt you?' she asked him.

'I think I'll be alright,' he returned, smiling as Belle came to help him up. 'So, Emma didn't do that to you?'

'No,' Merida replied. 'This witch gave me a cake once and it turned my mother into a bear. It's a long story, but it helped us figure some stuff out in the end. I had some left and I thought it might work for you too. You finding your courage and being willing to die for her broke the spell.'

'So, are you, uh, done trying to kill me?' Belle asked expectantly. Today had been frightening, and she'd rather not have to go through the same ordeal again.

'I can't feel the compulsion any more,' Merida said. 'I suppose that means I've done what she wanted: made you brave.'

'He was already brave,' Belle said: 'you just helped him remember that he could be.'

'She helped me remember what I had to be brave for,' Rumplestiltskin said, smiling at her. She hugged him.

'So, I suppose that means you'll be able to pull the sword for her now,' Merida said.

'I don't know,' Rumplestiltskin returned, 'but even if I can, I won't. I know what she wants it for and I want no part of it.'

'And if she comes after you again?' Merida asked.

'We'll fight her, together,' Belle said confidently.

'Lucky she doesn't have your heart,' Merida said sadly.

'We'll get it back for you,' Rumplestiltskin promised.

'Well, look at you being the hero,' she said, and smiled at him.

'First, I'm taking you to the hospital,' Belle said. 'No arguments,' she warned, when he opened his mouth to speak.

He shook his head. 'I know better.' He looked at Merida. 'You'd better come with us.'

'I'd better not,' Merida demurred. With my heart in her hands, it's safer if I stay away from people.' She backed away.

'You'll have your heart back,' he called after her.

She nodded. 'I believe you. Thank you, and I'm sorry again, for everything.'

Rumplestiltskin and Belle nodded, and then she was gone.

'Right,' Belle said, 'hospital: come on.'

'Wait, Belle,' he entreated, looking down at her.

She smiled. 'What is it?'

'Just… I'm so sorry, Belle,' he said softly. 'I'm so sorry for everything I did: for the lies, for deceiving and tricking you. I gave you every reason to doubt me and—'

'Rumple,' she murmured softly. 'I understand that when you came back, you were trying to do what was best, trying to save everyone from the Darkness. I understand that the Darkness had a hold on you and changed you. We can talk about everything properly after you've rested and we've made sure you're really ok, but I want you to know that I love you and that I forgive you. We've both made terrible mistakes, but we can fix it now. We're together, and that's all that matters.'

'I don't know what I've done right to have you keep coming back to me,' he said, tearing up.

'Well, you did save my life tonight,' she said, smiling. 'You're my hero, Rumple.'

'Well, you're mine,' he returned, touching her cheek.

She tilted her face up and he took the hint, kissing her lips softly, something he never imagined he'd get to do again.

His heart thumped hard at the feeling of her lips against his, so hard it made him gasp and pull back.

'Rumple?' she cried, alarmed.

'It's alright,' he panted.

She saw him put his hand to his chest.

'Your heart! Rumple!'

'Feel,' he said, grabbing her hand and putting it over his chest, holding it there.

'Your hear's racing, Rumple,' she said, frightened.

'There's no need to be frightened, Belle,' he said: 'this is a good thing.'

'You're not making sense.'

'Emma wanted to turn me into a hero because my heart was a blank slate. She said I was useful to her because I was neither Light nor Dark: I was nothing, until now, until we kissed.'

Belle's eyes widened for an entirely different reason than fear now, and her lips trembled as she spoke.

'Are-are you saying that that was…'

'True Love's Kiss, yes,' he said, smiling.

Her face broke out into a radiant smile.

'So, your heart's filling up with love again?' she asked.

He nodded. 'No more blank slate.'

'So, Emma won't be able to use you now?'

'She can't shape me into what she wants, no,' he returned. 'My destiny is what I make it, and I want to be better, Belle. I promise to try.'

She smiled. 'That's all anyone can ask of you, and with no evil Darkness in you any more, you can be anything you want to be. You showed that tonight.'

'I love you,' he said: 'you make me stronger.'

'You make me stronger too,' she told him.

He smiled and kissed her again, holding her tight to him now as his heart thumped, coming back to life again.

Belle pulled away first, breathless.

'I'm taking you to the hospital so I can be sure you're really alright,' she said, in a tone that told him not to argue.

He might have pointed to the passionate kiss they'd just shared as proof that he was perfectly fine, but he let her have her way. Once she was sure he wasn't in any danger of collapsing, he would kiss her again, and then again, and then again.

They had a lot of lost time to make up for.

The end. Thanks so much for reading :)