Author's note: I loved writing this scene, but as I wanted to stay as cannon as possible, I decided not to include it in my story. Thought about making it a one-shot, but then thought it would be better here.

This takes place about a week or so after Rumple proposes to Belle.

~..~..~..~..

Rumple and Belle were approaching Granny's Diner when Mary-Margret came running out.

"Belle!" She called out. "Thank goodness you're here."

"Why?" Belle asked, concerned, as she and Rumple came to a stop at the foot of the stairs. "What's wrong?"

"Well..."Mary-Margret looked worriedly over her shoulder, and it was only then that shouts could be heard from inside.

"What's going on in there?" Rumple asked.

"You know how Regina kept you imprisoned in the asylum?" Mary-Margret began, turning back to the woman at Rumple's side.

"Yes..." Belle answered, wondering if she was going to like what Mary-Margret was about to say.

"Well, David and I thought that there may be other innocent people kept prisoner down there as well , so we went to see if we could help."

"And?" Belle asked as Snow trailed off.

"Well, we were able to free a few people, actually," Snow's smile appeared more anxious than happy. "Among them were Sydney Glass, and... a man who claims to know you."

"Me?" Belle repeated. "Who would know me?"

Gesturing for the pair to follow, Snow led the way into the diner.

As they stepped through the door, they found David doing his best to calm down a man who stood with his back to the door.

"I don't care who you are," the man was yelling, "you will not keep me from my quest."

"Listen," David was saying in a placating tone, "I realize you've been through a lot-"

"It'll take more than a cell to defeat me," the man shot at the prince. "Now, for the final time: where is Belle?"

Catching sight of them, David's face changed from exasperation to relief.

"Right behind you," he pointed.

The man turned, and Belle felt her jaw drop.

"Gaston?"

Rumple's hand tightened reflexively on his cane.

"How, the hell, did he get here?" He growled.

Gaston strode forward, fearlessly, only to find his path blocked by Rumple's cane pressing against his ribs, preventing any further movement.

"That's close enough, pretty boy," Rumple's voice was low in warning.

"Unhand her, Beast!" He commanded. "You have no right to keep her, now."

"Actually," Rumple smiled. "I do."

"Okay, wait a minute," David held up his hands and stepped between Rumple and Gaston, trying to calm the pair down. "First things first: How do you know each other?"

"That Beast," Gaston pointed to Rumplestiltskin, "took my fiancé away as his price for protecting our village from the Ogres War."

The silence that followed this statement was deafening.

"Fiance?" David repeated slowly.

"We're not engaged anymore," Belle said quickly. Then her eyes widened.

"Are we?" She wondered aloud.

"No." Rumple was quick to reassure her, never taking his eyes off the man who had arrogantly tried to break his deal by sword point.

"If that were the case..." Rumple continued, "Charming here," he gestured to David, "would still be married to Kathryn Nolan."

Belle breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good," she mumbled gratefully.

"Excuse me?" Gaston demanded.

"Gaston, we had an arranged marriage," Belle stepped forward to explain. "I'm sorry, but I never wanted to marry you."

"What do you mean, you never wanted to marry me?" The knight sounded shocked. "No one says 'no' to Gaston!"

"Does he often refer to himself in the third person?" Rumple asked Belle curiously.

"Yes, he does," Belle muttered.

"I went to rescue you!" Gaston told Belle. "Once our village was spared, and the danger passed, I rode to the Dark Castle to free you!"

"Which was breaking our deal," Rumple explained slowly, "as it was agreed that Belle would stay with me forever."

"He...came to the castle?" Belle queried, looking at Rumple quizzically. "When did that happen?"

"I forget," Rumple said mildly.

"I challenged you," Gaston said fearlessly. "Everyone else refused to join me, but only Gaston was brave enough to travel to the Dark Castle and challenge you. Then, I blacked out..." he trailed off weakly.

"What did you do?" Belle asked Rumple.

"I didn't hurt him," Rumple defended himself. "Look at him, he's perfectly whole and unharmed."

'Unfortunately,' he added in his mind.

"Why wouldn't you want to marry me?" Gaston returned to his earlier question, staring at Belle in confusion. "I am the bravest knight in your father's court. And now that the curse is broken, you no longer have to be in the Beast's service-"

"Don't call him that," Belle told her ex-fiance firmly. "His name is Rumplestiltskin."

"You don't have to be afraid of him anymore, Belle," Gaston told her before turning his eyes defiantly towards the Dark One who stood at her side. "In this land, he must be powerless."

"Well, that's not quite true." Rumplestiltskin said smoothly. He wasn't about to let this arrogant idiot know that he wasn't the Dark One anymore, but he had to let him know he could still use magic.

"You have no control over her, Beast," Gaston's voice was commanding. "You can no longer keep her captive."

"I've never forced her to do anything," Rumple hissed. "No one decides Belle's fate, but her."

"You arrogant monster," Gaston whispered. "How dare you make a mockery of Belle's wicked fate. How dare you!"

Rumple took a step forward, but Belle put a hand on his arm to reassure him.

"No," Belle told Gaston firmly. "How dare you. It's my life, and you do not have the right to tell me who I cannot be with."

"I am your fiancé!" Gaston was indignant.

"Actually," Rumple said, smiling as he took Belle's hand in his own, "she's my fiance."

As he watched the expression changing on Gaston's face, Rumple's smile became more indulgent.

'Oh, it was worth him being here,' he thought to himself. 'Just to see this.'

"And he hasn't been holding me captive," Belle added quickly. "And I'm not under a spell. I chose to be with him."

Gaston's eyes widened in shock. Why would Belle choose to be with a monster such as Rumplestiltskin, when she could have someone like him?

"How could you choose..."he whispered slowly, "to be with this Beast?"

Smack!

Everyone's eyes were on Belle, who raised her hand again threateningly as Gaston staggered, holding a hand to his cheek.

"Don't," she warned. "Ever. Call him that again."

Rumple's smile grew. 'Now this was perfect,' he thought smugly.

"Sorry you had to see that, Rumple," Belle said with dignity as she returned to his side.

"Actually, my dear," Rumple said, impressed at the display, "I rather enjoyed watching that."

"Can we have lunch at home today?" Belle continued, her eyes on Gaston, daring him to say something.

"Of course," Rumple opened the door for her.

"Home?" Gaston repeated faintly.

"Welcome to Storybrooke, Gaston," Rumple said grandly as he followed his Love out the door.

As the couple walked away from the diner, Rumple began to laugh quietly.

"What?" Belle asked him, smiling.

Rumple took a breath. "I know you want me to be a better man, Belle..." he began.

"And you did fantastically well back there," she congratulated him.

"Thank you," Rumple nodded graciously, "though the star of the show was certainly you."

Belle smiled sheepishly. "Well...I never really liked him much, anyway. And he never should have insulted you like that. "

Rumple smiled, before becoming thoughtful.

"Was it wrong of me," he began, "to be thankful that Gaston made it here, just so that I could see the look on his face, when he realized you were now engaged to me?"

Belle thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"No," she answered. "It's just very...human."

Rumple nodded in relief, before surprising his Love with a kiss.

"You know, if he bothers you..." he suggested, "I could always turn him into something for you."

Belle gave him a look.

"With your permission, of course" Rumple assured quickly.

Belle shook her head.

"I'd never give it," she said surely. "But you don't need to," she smiled. "He's already halfway into a peacock."

As they walked on, Rumple considered...

He didn't know if turning people into things was a power he still possessed, but if Gaston tried anything that upset Belle, or their wedding...

'Peacock...'He muttered.

~..~..~..~..

Author's note: What do you think?

I know that Gaston was turned into a rose in FTL, but I just couldn't resist the thought of what would happen to Rumbelle if he turned up...So, I thouhgt that maybe Regina found him, as she knew Belle's fiance had gone 'missing' and perhaps turned him back into a man, keeping him prisoner with Belle, as another way to agrivate Rumple.

Then, I was going to have him do an 'I object' thing at the wedding, and then exchange more words with Rumple at the reception, but thought that would've been the worst interuption ever for Rumbelle, and I wanted them to have a happy wedding day.

Unlikely scenario, I know, that's why I didn't put it in, but I just loved the tension in that room!

I loved the idea of Rumple being protective, but Belle being the one to shoot him down. Rumple gets to show that he has changed, in that he doesn't start beating Gaston to death, but you can't just 'flip a switch' after centuries of acting a certain way, so I had to have a taste of the old Rumple, imagining turning gaston into a peacock...