2
Midnight's Inferno
After her sons' enthusiastic greeting, Belle said, "So how are you two holding up?"
"We're good, Mama," Bae answered. Both he and Robin were also dressed in leather, but theirs was dyed to different shades of earth and green tones, unlike Rumple's plain black dragonscale. That was because he and Robin were Recon—Reconnaissance and Scouting—experts.
"We just wanna go home and unpack and get out of these uniforms," Robin said, his dark eyes glinting. "But we'll be back for supper." They lived in a small house along the same street as Rumple and Belle. And had since they were both eighteen and decided to move out of their parents' house and live together in one. The "boys" were now in their early twenties. "Hiya, Abby!" he turned to hug Abby.
The little girl held out her chubby arms to him. "Wobin!" she cried, lisping his name.
Robin picked her up and kissed her. "Hey, little love bug! How you been?"
She giggled. "Jus' fine n'dandy!" she responded, then she kissed him. "Mmma! Abby kiss Wobin!"
"How about me, sprite?" Bae asked, pretending to look sad. "You forget your older brother?"
"Bae-bae!" she screeched and almost wriggled out of Robin's hold. "Give kisses!"
"Whoa! You're slipperier than a squid that doesn't want to get caught," Robin cried, and handed his sister to Bae.
Abby threw her arms around Bae and gave him a smacking kiss on the mouth. "My Bae-bae!"
Robin laughed. "I think someone's gonna be a wee bit jealous once she finds out about Emma, huh, Bae?" He elbowed his brother playfully.
"Uh . . . we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Bae said, and kissed his sister back. Abby adored both her big brothers, but for some reason had formed a deeper attachment to him, probably because he had taken care of her once when both his parents had been out on an assignment with Robin. She had been only over a year and had developed a high fever and had convulsions. Scared him out of his life, but luckily the Healer had been able to bring the fever down using combinations of herbs and magic. Bae had taken care of the little girl ceaselessly all night. But ever since then, he'd been her Bae-bae, as she called him since she couldn't pronounce Baelfire.
But recently, like just before they'd gone on the Neverland mission, Bae started dating Sergeant Swan. And while usually it was frowned on for an officer to date an enlisted person, since Emma was a master sergeant, she was the top rank for an enlisted, and so almost like an officer, so people looked the other way.
And Abby who generally got along with everyone, would probably throw a fit at seeing another woman so close with her brother.
He smiled at the little imp, who was the apple of everyone's eye in the merc barracks, Steeleville, which was a separate area, almost like a little village, where the merc companies, like Gold's Magical Mayhem and Regina's Red Queens, were quartered. "You been good, Miss Gold?"
Abby nodded seriously. "Uh huh. I twy."
"Yeah and I bet she tries harder than we ever did," Robin chuckled.
"Oh, I'm sure that's true," Gold drawled. "At least I don't have angry shopkeepers and merchants banging on my door demanding money for something you boys stole."
Robin spread his hands. "Uh . . . but we were performing community service, Papa. Robbing the rich and giving to the poor."
"Yeah, right. Marian DuBois was NOT poor, Robin!" Rumple wagged a chiding finger at him.
"You were stealing hair ribbons and brooches to give to her to get her to go out with you!" Bae hooted.
"And it worked, because she did!" Robin huffed. "And it was worth every minute of scrubbing latrines and Papa's spanking too." He pointed out. "And you were doing it right along with me, Baelfire, so let's not forget that."
"Kleptos, the pair of them!" Rumple sighed. "I damn near wore my hand out on you two."
Bae laughed. "And my butt hasn't forgotten it."
"Your poor father! You drove him insane," Belle said.
Abby looked from Bae to Robin to Rumple then piped up with, "You's bad boys!" she made a tisking noise. Frowning, she added, "Papa no spank me, cuz I's a good girl!"
They all laughed at that.
"She's right. She very rarely needs a swat," Belle said. "Though she has her moods at times. But all Rumple or I have to do is Look at her and she stops."
"The Look of Doom," Bae chuckled. "Yeah . . .that worked on me . . . sometimes."
"Me too," Robin recalled. "Except when we chose to ignore it."
"And then our butts regretted it," Bae murmured. He handed Abby back to Rumple. "Here, Papa. Take your angel girl home."
Rumple smiled as his baby nestled against his shoulder. "I'll see you two at 1700 sharp then."
"Yes, sir!" his sons said in unison.
"We'll bring a bottle of wine to celebrate," Robin promised, then he walked off whistling an old tune about a soldier coming home from war, his rucksack slung over his shoulder.
Bae followed a moment later, with Rumple and Belle bringing up the rear, moving slowly in deference to Rumple's leg.
Abby wriggled and said, "Down, Papa! Walk now!"
"Okay, but you hold my hand," he stressed to her. "Or else the hungry hungry monsters will come eat you up."
"No!" she yelped and when he set her down, she clung to his hand like a barnacle.
Rumple winked at Belle. "Works every time."
She smiled lovingly at him. "She missed you so much, Rum. And so did I."
"I know. But I'm home now . . .and will be staying home. Convalescent leave," he grimaced at his leg.
She touched his arm lightly. "And we need to schedule some sessions, Rumplestiltskin. You promised."
He scowled briefly. "I know. And my word has always been good." He had a reputation as a shrewd negotiator but his word was ironclad.
"If . . . you don't feel comfortable with that, you can always see Archie," she reminded him as they walked.
"No. That's the whole reason why I chose you, dearie. Because I won't have anyone but you inside my head, not for any reason. You're the only one I trust enough to do that."
Belle nodded. As a Mind Healer and Empath, she was trained to travel inside a patient's mind to help them face their fears and confront their demons, and to heal what had been broken. But there was a level of trust that came with that sort of magic, and if the patient was not willing to trust his Healer, all of the sessions would fail. Rumple, she knew, trusted very few people to get inside his head, and therefore had requested that if he were to receive the standard treatment given to POW's, he wanted no one but Belle to be his Mind Healer. And the Royal Council valued him too much to fight him over this . . . they wanted their top magical soldier back in fighting form as soon as possible . . .and so they allowed it, even though normally such would not be the case.
"All right. Tomorrow then, we can begin," his wife said. She thought it best to start as soon as possible, since she knew nightmares had to be plaguing her husband. "But for tonight . . . let's celebrate that I have my boys safe and sound where they belong. Right, Abby?"
"Papa an' Bae-bae an' Wobin come home! Yay!" she screeched, then she pulled Rumple down the street towards their home, which was a two story maple home with salmon colored shingles and trim.
It was distinguished from every other officer's home by the climbing rose trellis and the ward posts on the house and grounds, which were triangular posts with silvery runes in them, Rumple's magic protecting his family from anything or anyone that meant them harm.
Rumple relaxed a fraction when he saw the familiar house . . .which he had raised two rambunctious boys and now his tiny sprite in and carried his beloved Healer over the threshold of to begin their married life together. He felt the familiar tingle of the active ward spell pas over him as they crossed the boundary and he thought, you're home now, Gold. Now relax, you old beast.
He intended to do just that, because what he'd told the young Lieutenant was correct . . . the one place a soldier always longed for was home. And for him it had always been home and family, even when some of his family accompanied him on missions.
Safe and sound, Rumple. He smiled as he allowed himself to be towed up the walk and smelled the scent of roses and honeysuckles that permeated the air. It was good to be home.
Yet in the back of his mind, an unpleasant odor still lingered.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Later that night:
Belle slowly undressed and sat on the side of the bed, combing out her hair. Rumple was just tucking their daughter into her bed and singing to her until she fell asleep, a fatherly duty she knew he enjoyed and had missed while away. She smiled as she heard his voice singing the refrain to the old lullaby, and ran the brush through her hair. She always brushed out her hair, one hundred strokes, like her mama had taught her, every night before going to sleep.
As her lush auburn tresses crackled around the brush, she considered letting down her shields to read her husband's emotional state. Normally an Empathic Healer, such as herself, never did so without permission, for such was considered an invasion of privacy, but she and Rumple shared a heartbond—a rare Empathic entwining of each other's hearts and minds, so that she could always feel him, on some level, even when he was thousands of miles away. Unless she was consciously blocking him out.
Which she had done, at his insistence, before he'd left on the transport to Neverland. But now that he was home, her heart cried out to remove the block and let her feel his golden presence again. But she hesitated. Perhaps it was too soon . . . and she'd better wait until tomorrow's session . . .
She hummed the lullaby's refrain while counting the strokes, and had reached twenty-five when she heard the tap of his cane upon the floor and she looked up to see him enter the bedroom.
"She asleep finally?"
"Yeah. After three stories, a drink, going potty, and me singing Good Night Sleep Tight till I went hoarse," he laughed.
"You loved every minute of it, Captain Gold."
"You know it, sweetheart," he winked roguishly at her and went to sit beside her on the bed. "May I?" he held his hand out for the brush.
"Of course, love," she surrendered the brush to him and allowed him to continue the chore. As he brushed gently and firmly, she said, "You always did love brushing my hair, Rumple."
"Because I love how it feels beneath my hands," he murmured, smoothing the tresses with his scarred fingers. "Like watered silk on fire."
"The soldier with a poet's heart."
"I was a spinner before I was a soldier, dearie." He deftly untangled a knot, so lightly she barely felt it.
"I can tell." She leaned back into him, feeling the old rush of warmth and heat flow through her. She knew of no other man who could arouse her with the simple act of brushing her hair. But her husband could.
With each stroke of the brush, and the intoxicating smell of honey and lavender that wafted through his nostrils, Rumple felt his own libido awaken and clamor to be fed. And this time he didn't use meditation to send it back to sleep, as he'd done upon that accursed island. This time he let it out, and felt fire lick through him, a steady burning need that only one person could put out.
He set the brush aside. "One hundred, dearie. Now come to bed, please," he said, his eyes dark with passion.
Belle turned and wound herself around him. She always loved this side of him, the passionate side, but also the fact that, unlike most soldiers, he never took without asking. He was always polite and considerate of her needs as well as his own. And for that she loved him best of all.
She kissed him long and deeply. "I love you, my war mage. Now let me welcome you back home properly."
"Love you too, dearie. And I've been looking forward to this for a long long time . . ." and then he pulled her onto the bed and they lost themselves in each other, merging seamlessly together in a dance whose steps they knew like their own hearts.
Page~*~*~*~Break
He dreamed of fire.
Fire licked the outer walls of Skull Rock's cavern, the smoke and heat trickling insidiously into the porous rock and clinging to the walls, causing the children trapped inside to cough and gasp for air.
Inside his cell, Captain Gold gasped too, the breath rasping in his throat . . . knowing that if he didn't get free soon he would roast here along with the other captives.
He could hear the crackling hiss of the flames as they ate their way through the floor and the heat of the fire cloaked everything in a shimmering haze of hellish red mingled with the ever present shadows.
Just when he was sure he was going to breathe his last upon the stone floor, his cell door was jerked open and he heard a familiar voice crying, "Papa! Let's get the hell outta this shithole!"
"Bae!" he coughed as he recognized his son.
"You didn't think Pan could hide you forever on this rock, huh?" Bae said, coming to help him up off the floor. He swore when he realized Rumple could no longer stand on his own. "Gods, Papa, what'd he do to you . . .!"
"What he's always done. Destroyed my happiness . . ." Rumple gritted out. "Need a staff, Bae . . . and then you need to get them out . . . all the children . . . trapped . . . get them out!" he pleaded.
"Shhh . . . okay, we'll get them out . . .I promise, but first let's get you out . . ."
He began to help Rumple out of the cell.
As soon as he was free of the cell's magic, Rumple felt his powers return in a rush.
And he used them, Fetching the children from their fiery inferno and depositing them safely outside upon the rocky beach. Some of them he was too late to save . . .
He woke with the stench of fire in his nostrils and knew he had to save the children.
Half blinded by tears, he rolled out of bed, forgetting his cane, and cursed viciously when his damaged leg crumpled beneath him.
Clinging to the bed, he grabbed his cane and limped out the door, one thought in his mind.
There was a fire and he had to save the children.
He knew there was a child here . . .the memory tickled him . . . and as he limped into Abby's room, he saw flames preceding him and licking up the walls.
Panicked, he went and snatched the sleeping child from the bed.
"Got to save you . . . fire . . .!" he rasped.
In his arms, Abby stirred. "Papa . . .mmmm . . .sleepy . . .!" Cranky from being woken up, she started to cry.
He hugged her to him. "Shhh . . .Papa's got you . . . gonna take you away . . . . don't be scared . . ."
Abby's thin wail roused Belle, and she woke to find her husband gone and knew instinctively something was not right.
"Rumple!" she called as she jumped out of bed, her Empathic senses screaming in warning.
Rumple was about to teleport away with a frightened Abby in his arms, his eyes wild and seeing things that weren't there, when Belle raced into the room.
She skidded to a stop when she saw her husband, his eyes not even tracking on her, but filled with an unnamed terror, holding her child, who was crying and whimpering. She dropped her shields then, and felt what he was feeling.
It slammed into her in a rush and she gasped softly, then her training took over and she compartmentalized the images and emotions. Back in control, she held out a hand and called softly, "Rumplestiltskin! Wake up! You're dreaming! There's no fire . . . your children are safe . . ."
He blinked. "Gotta save them . . . they'll die . . . burn to death . . ."
"Papa . . .sleepy . . .!" Abby howled.
He flinched. " . . . they're crying . . . I can hear them . . ."
In his head he heard the screaming of all the children whom he'd heard Pan torture . . . and he was helpless to save them . . .
"Useless . . . coward . . ." He slammed a hand down on his leg. " . . .can't do anything . . . gotta save the children . . ."
Belle tried again, reaching out with her power, trying to contain his rampaging flashback. As her min touched his with her empathic power, she crooned, "Rumple . . . listen to me . . . there's no fire . . . you're home . . . with me and Abby . . .now wake up . . . what you're seeing isn't real . . ."
"Of course it's real! I was there . . . I can hear them screaming . . ." He began to glow with a purple light, a prelude to using his powers to teleport.
"No!" Belle shouted, desperate to prevent that from happening. In this state, he could teleport them both into a wall or a tree. "Rumplestiltskin Gold—wake up!" she used her power then to cocoon the memory, sending it back to the dark recesses of his subconscious.
Rumple shook his head, confused. "What . . . where . . .?" he stared at the sobbing child in his arms and then at Belle. "Abby . . . hey, it's okay . . ." He patted her back. "Belle . . . what am I doing here . . .? She have a nightmare?"
"Sort of." Belle said. "Why don't you go back and lie down, Rumple? I'll be there in a bit, okay?" she didn't want to tell him about the flashback right away. Relief shot through her that she was able to halt him in time.
She came and took their daughter from him, whispering, "Hush, sprite, Mama's here and we're gonna go back to sleep, okay?"
Now that Rumple wasn't feeling the false energy of the flashback, he was suddenly weary and limped back to his room. His head felt muzzy and he laid down on the bed, feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Something happened to him . . .and he needed to know what it was.
After five minutes, Belle returned to the bedroom. "I sent her back to sleep, she's okay," she assured him. She had used a bit of her empathic talent to do so, soothing the child until she fell asleep again.
"Belle . . . what the hell just happened?" Rumple asked. "One minute I was asleep . . . and the next I was . . . holding Abby . . . and I can't remember how I got there!"
She came and curled up beside him. "You had a night terror, Rumple . . . one that you never fully woke from . . . and you thought you needed to save some kids from a fire . . . so you went and grabbed Abby out of her bed . . ."
"Oh gods!" he closed his eyes. "Flashback . . . gods dammit . . . I scared her, didn't I . . .?"
"You woke her up. She was more cranky than scared . . .but Rumple, you almost teleported with her," Belle said.
He shuddered. "I'm dangerous, Belle. I'm losing my mind! You need to bind my powers . . . lock me up . . . I don't want to hurt you or my baby . . .!"
"No! You're not losing your mind," she whispered, hugging him. "Rumple, it was a flashback. It happens . . . we can deal with it . . .and I'm not locking you away or binding your magic . . ." she declared fiercely. To bind a sorcerer's power, even for a short time, was agony and she refused to do it.
"Belle . . . I'm broken . . . cracked in two . . ."
"Then I'll fix you. Rumple . . .you need to trust me . . . please . . ."
"I do . . . you're the only one I trust . . ."
She stroked his hair. "Then let me help you, okay?"
"Yes . . . help me, please . . ." He felt tears dribble down his cheeks.
"Shhh . . . we need to talk about this . . . but you're tired, Rumple," she realized as she held him. His body was weary, it needed sleep. She carded his hair. "You need to sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow morning and you can tell me everything about the fire and the children."
"Belle . . . all the children . . . I tried to save them . . ." he sobbed. The guilt was tearing him to shreds.
"You did save them, Rumple . . .now they're at peace . . ." she reminded him for he had saved the children during the Ogre Wars. Her hand continued rhythmically stroking his hair. "Now rest, sweetheart . . . sleep . . . and dream no dreams . . ."
She touched his mind then, absorbing his pain and blanketing him with a soft fuzzy blanket of soothing peace and contentment and shoving the guilt away for the moment. It would be dealt with . . . must be dealt with . . . but not yet.
"Sleep . . .Rumple . . ."
Her hands glowed briefly, as she cast a simple spell that would send him into a deep restful sleep without dreams, for that was what he needed now.
Rumple cuddled against her, and his breathing evened and became steady, as he fell into the deep sleep she'd conjured.
Belle breathed a sigh of relief. That had been close. But thank the gods he trusted her enough to allow her to work such on him, because if he'd fought her, she would have never been able to counter his resistance, as he was a stronger mage than she was.
My poor Rumple! But I will mend you! I will! She thought determinedly. For she would have her husband back—a whole man—no matter what it took.
Then she curled up beside him and fell into her own dreams, where she walked beside her beloved captain in a meadow of wildflowers, and Abby ran before them, picking them and throwing them all over, until she was surrounded by a blizzard of rainbow petals.
And the Gold house was at peace once again.
A/N: Hope you all liked! I'm also writing another less angsty story called Unexpected Surprise, for those of you who like more fluffy Rumbelle and teenage Bae, where Belle supposedly cannot bear children. . . and then an unexpecte surprise happens to her and to Rumple! Check it out if you like funny fluffy mishaps with pregnancies . . .and a Rumple who experiences most of Belle's pregnancy symptoms!