This night in Neverland was darker than any other nights. Perhaps because no light was to be expected. Perhaps because the nightmares were never to take an end. That was what Rumplestiltskin was thinking when, from the deepest cave of the jungle, he saw the Jolly Roger cross the sky and disappear among the stars. Despite his pain, he smiled. He knew his son was safe, so was Henry. He knew their family was finally to be reunited. And above all, he knew Belle would be protected. She would be able to start over and know the happy ending she deserved. So as a drop of blood was falling from his temple, he smiled, and fell into a restless sleep.
That wasn't the first time he dreamt of Belle. She was there, standing in front of him, wearing the beautiful yellow ball gown she was had the day they met. They never talked, perhaps because even if he couldn't feel it there, he was too weak back in the reality, or perhaps it was simply because she was nothing but a dream and that dreams could do nothing but smile. But then, with a simple glance they shared everything their love, their fears, his pain, her solitude. He could feel her, too, shy touches on his cheek, on his chest, her face blushing as he closed his eyes and her smile went wide, but he was sure it was only the strength of his memories that made him feel her hand running on his skin. It must have been weeks now since they were apart and yet, he could recall every rare moments they spent together in Storybrooke. He could recall how they gently sit on the couch to drink some tea and talk for hours, about her books, or about the strange objects she didn't know yet and which had been part of his daily life for twenty eight years. He could recall how they walked, hand in hand, across the streets, towards Granny's or the docks were they would sit on a bench and looking at the sea, talk about all the adventures they would only be able to imagine. And he could recall this night. This night where he finally abandoned the mask of the monster he had been wearing for too long. This night, where a simple touch had been able to wake up in him feelings he thought definitively lost. He remember her voice, how she felt, how she smelled, how she tasted when they kissed, he remember her pale skin and her dark hair curling around the sheets. And he remember her eyes and the light he saw there, the moment he knew she would never let him down and that even if they were to break up one day, his love for her would last forever.
His awakening was harsher than any previous one. Around him, the Lost Boys had stopped dancing, and they were all staring at him, and all the bleeding scars he was wearing on his face and chest. He knew they would never disappear. If he was to survive this, he was to see them every day in the mirror, to remind him the pain. A punch took him out of his mind.
"Dreaming are we, Rumple?" Peter Pan laughed. "You know, you disappoint me... I thought you would be more... talkative... More like the child I left so many years ago. Frail. Frightened. But you've grown up so headstrong.. I won't kill you, you know. I don't need the to become the Dark One. I just need the dagger to make you do whatever I want. It is so simple... Tell me where it is and all this suffering will be over."
"And you'll use me to take control of Storybrooke. You'll use me to destroy my family. The one I love. And I'd rather die than being their murderer. I may have grown up headstrong, but you became a monster". There was another punch, not as hard as the previous one, but full of anger and sadness.
"Don't you dare talk to me like this! You will not kill your family, Rumple, but you'll lose them anyway. And since you refused our deal, I don't need you anymore."
"Then you'll have to kill me... Father." Rumple said, with a vicious smile which came as a provocation towards his father. Peter Pan turned his back, to hide his sudden sadness. The Lost Boys carried on torturing him, the unease of their leader being enough for them. At each one of his scream, Peter Pan felt his fist drawing tight. He knew Rumple wouldn't bear it any longer. Even the Dark One had his limits, and they were nearly reached. Some blood started to escape from his lips, and the hits were even more hurtful that his muscles were already aching from the previous days. From the jungle, his cries clattered, making the few birds fly away. But then, when the Boys were to give him a fatal punch, Pan felt his heart faint.
"Stop!" he exclaimed without turning back to face his son. "Let's leave him here. Alone." He said, without facing them, and then, disappeared among the trees, trying to ignore the tear which had escaped his eye.
Once all the Boys were gone, Rumple sighed, defeated. He was alive, …, but Pan was on his way to Storybrooke and he was here, attached to a tree, powerless. He closed his eyes to feel magic running through his veins. Then, he looked at his hand and try to collect all the strength he had left. But the only magic which appeared was a tiny flame which fainted too rapidly. A quiet rage grew inside him. At this precise minute, he felt weak. He felt what he tried so strongly to escape during all those years spent under the name of the Dark One. He felt like the man he used to be, the coward, the man who had to hide, to sneak among the crowd. "If only you were with me, Belle. Only you turned me into a better man. Only you saw through the mask of both the monster and the coward... If only you were here..."
"But I am here, Rumple."
A voice made him give a jump. He blinked, thinking he had just dreamt, but then he heard the voice again.
"I am here, Rumple. I've always been here. As long as you love me, I'll be with you, in your heart."
In front of him, Belle was standing. The same Belle he saw in his dream, apart from the fact that now, she was wearing the little blue dress he had given her to ease her moves in his Castle. She was looking at him, with her deep-blue eyes and her shy smile.
"You're not real. I must be dreaming..."
She approached him and slighty touched his cheek. Then, she raised her head, and he closed his eyes, expecting a kiss. But instead, she whispered:
"Dreams can do nothing but smile, you said it yourself... This land has the power to develop your imagination."
"You're telling me that... you're a trick of my mind?"
"Because you need me. For a reason."
"Which one?"
"Remember... The day you understood that you loved me..."
"What?"
"Hush... Follow me..."
"But, Belle, I'm stuck here, I can't move..."
"Look!" she said, mysteriously, leading his glance with hers down his green chains. The liana had been roughly cut, but a simple move of his arms released him. But when he raised his head to look at Belle, she was gone.
"Belle? Belle? Belle!" but no one answered him. A few rustle of leaves broke the silence, and he thought that was a sign. He had to go, to leave this place, to find a way back home. So he ran. Among the heavy trees, the roots threatening to make him fall, the branches scratching his face more than it already was. But then, he stopped and looked around him. He was lost. Back to the camp he left a few minutes ago. He sat on a rock, desperate.
"How do you want me to follow you if I can't even see you...?"
He didn't expect the wind to brng him an answer.
"I told you... remember the day you knew you had fallen in love..."
"The day... fell... in love..."
That's when Rumple understood. Of course that was the key. He remembered her body curved in his arms, and her blue eyes in his black ones. He remembered her "Thank you" and the way he let her go back on her feet, her cheeks blushing, his confusion, their embarassment. He had saved her, this day. Saved her from a deadly fall. He had saved her, this day, but so did she. She had openend the curtains which had been closed for too long. She had saved her from a life of loneliness and isolation.
"A brief flicker of light..." and as the words escaped his lips, he saw a bright trail appear among the trees. With no hesitation, he followed the way, until he felt the dark sand of the island under his feet. Belle was standing here, looking at him with a huge smile.
"Look at the ocean... It seems so calm, and yet, it is so dangerous... How many had died thinking they were safe, but then getting stuck in a storm..."
"As long as you are with me, I fear nothing. One can cross realms through waters. If it is the only way, I.."
"No, Rumple... There's another way..."
"Which one is that?"
"Second star to the right..."
"...and straight on 'til morning. The sky, of course... But I can't fly, Belle."
The young girl took is hand and looked at him.
"You can do anything, as long as you believe, Rumple." she said, before disappearing.
Rumple looked abashed, but then, when he looked at his hand, he saw a small pit of dust. Fairy dust. He smiled, as he threw it in the air and started to run. Rapidly, his feet took off the beach and he was flying. He couldn't help but laugh. He was free, he was on his way, and he felt he had never been more happy than this day. "I'm coming back", he said for himself, but somewhere, deep in his heart, he knew the wind would blow his words to her ears. Guided by the stars, he relaxed, and looked behind him, to the island which used to be so dark, and which now was revealing its true colours. His eyes opened wide. It was beautiful, a peaceful harmony of blue, green and gold which was arising in front of him, and he smiled. He smiled, for he had lost hope, until the eternal night of Neverland faded.