A/N: Not beta-ed, so I'm sorry if there are any typos.
When Rumplestiltskin had disappeared in a golden flash of light after stabbing Pan, Belle and Baelfire found it hard to think of the ancient man as truly dead when there was no body to prove this to be the case. There were so many other possibilities for what could have happened afterwards, that neither of them could accept that a man such as he had simply died. After knowing Rumplestiltskin for as long as she did, Regina couldn't bring herself to disagree with the notion, so she had used her magic to bring some books back from her own castle's library to aid in Belle and Baelfire's search to find something that could help find out what happened to him. However, even with the added collection, Belle still lamented not being in her own library in the Dark Castle because it would probably be much more helpful than any in here.
Walking into the huge palace library, Bae couldn't find Belle at first thanks to the enormous stacks of books placed on the tables near the cushy green, velvet chair she occupied. In the three months since they found out that Belle was pregnant, she had gained a very noticeable baby bump that she was now using to balance the book she was currently perusing.
"Found anything?" Bae inquired as he plopped into the chair next to hers.
"No," Belle sighed as she closed the book she was looking through. "Not a thing. Like usual."
Dropping her head back, she rolled it to the side to look at Bae before smiling tiredly.
He gave a sympathetic smile in return before he reached over and grabbed a random book from the pile nearest him. He absentmindedly flipped through it as he stretched his legs out in front of him and slumped into his chair.
Belle watched him quietly, enjoying Bae's comforting presence.
Closing the book with a snap, he sighed and looked over at her, "So."
Belle smiled, "So?"
Nodding at her growing belly, he said, "Have you thought of any names?"
Belle blinked and crinkled her nose in thought, "Kind of? However, none of the names I think of sound right."
"Like what?" Bae asked.
"Well," she started, "I contemplated the name 'Colette' for girl after my mother, but I just don't know if I want to do that. If I name the baby after someone, there's always the chance of them being compared to that person, and I don't want that. I want my child to be their own person."
Bae nodded, "Yeah, I know what you mean. What other names have you thought of?"
"I actually kind of like Bartholomew for a boy, but then I also like Ives or Ezra. Then, for a girl I also like Esme or Raelyn. Not to mention, there's so many beautiful plant type names to choose from, like Clover, Ivy, or Rose."
"Sounds complicated," Bae commented.
"It is!" Belle complained.
Bae snorted at the whining tone her voice had taken.
"Don't laugh at me, Baelfire!" she scolded jokingly. "This is a very serious matter. Whatever I choose will be with this child for the entirety of its life! I don't want to make this choice lightly."
Raising his hands in surrender, he smiled softly, "Hey, it's ok. You just want to make the right choice for your kid. I get that."
Belle smiled sympathetically back at him, knowing exactly where his mind went, or rather who.
After his discussion with Rumplestiltskin the day before, David talked to his soldiers and forbid them from discussing it with others until the official word was out about Rumple's return. David wanted Belle and Baelfire to learn it from him and not from the Enchanted Forest rumor mill.
He and Hook were helping to take apart their campsite when Rumplestiltskin came wandering into the clearing. The camp quieted at the sight of him, and one of the soldiers directed the king's attention to the older man. Rumple stood nervously at the edge of the campsite in the same clothing as the day before carrying nothing but a threadbare burlap rucksack.
"Rumplestiltskin!" David greeted jovially, walking over to the man. "I'm glad to see you join us."
One by one, the soldiers started talking amongst themselves again as they went back to work packing up camp.
Rumple smiled shyly as David neared and bobbed his head in a small bow. "Hello, sire," Rumplestiltskin replied. "If what you said is true, and you can help me find my son, then going with you is without a doubt better than where I was."
Hook was walking by, carrying his rolled up tent to his horse, when Rumple caught sight of him and froze.
"You!" Rumplestiltskin breathed, his face contorted in anger as he pointed a finger at the pirate.
Hook grimaced, and looked over at David who was nervously glancing between the two men.
"You...he...?" Rumple sputtered looking between the king and his old enemy. "You're working with him? He's a pirate. He..." Rumple cut himself off with a sigh as he glared at the ground hugging his rucksack to himself, his chin wobbling slightly.
Thinking quickly, David nodded at Hook to move away as he walked closer to the trembling man. Whether it was entirely anger or if there was fear in there, David wasn't sure, but it didn't matter, so he pushed that thought aside. He reached a hand a cautiously placed it on Rumple's shoulder.
"Look, I know you two have issues," David started carefully. Rumple looked up at him and opened his mouth as if to say something, but David cut him off, "No, really. I know you two have issues between you, but you have to trust me, Rumplestiltskin." The way David said it startled Rumplestiltskin who gave him a confused once over.
Smiling gently, David continued, "As I said, I can help you find your son. Okay?"
Rumple gave him a baffled look before glancing over at Hook before looking back at David with an unsure look on his face.
"Can you just try to trust me on this?" David implored. "Nothing will happen with him. He's no longer a pirate these days. Actually, he's been a huge help lately. You'll be fine. I promise you this."
David watched Rumple examine his fingers holding tightly his rucksack as he thought it over. After what felt like a long while, Rumple slowly nodded jerkily.
"For Bae," he muttered softly.
Gently patting the older man's shoulder, David returned quietly, "Good, man."
Rumple caught his eye and gave a sort of grimace smile. David led him over to one of the extra horses they had brought to carry supplies, and told him that was to be his for the remaining journey to the castle.
Regina had argued at first when it was decided that everyone would be staying in Snow and Charming's palace, but she eventually agreed it would be best if everyone stayed in the same place while they figured out how to gain back their lands from those that had taken over in the time they were gone. To not quite everyone's surprise, she whole heartedly threw herself in with Snow and Charming's lot.
This is how she found herself sitting beside Snow in the younger woman's war room. Grumpy the dwarf stood dutifully next to Snow's chair. On Snow's other side sat Henry's father Neal, or was it Baelfire now that they were back in the Enchanted Forest? She heard him being referred to as both, so she wasn't sure what to call him these days. Belle sat beside him as per usual these days, her belly slightly swollen with child. Regina wasn't quite sure how to react when she heard that particular news. She did feel for the woman, though. Regina knew what it was like to watch her love slip from her in front of her very eyes. At least Belle had support from another who was grieving with her. Regina didn't have any such support and had to put on a good face and pretend. Next to Belle was Robin Hood. Despite having a bit of a rocky start, Regina was starting to enjoy the banter she shared with the outlaw. Mulan sat on his other side with a heavily pregnant Princess Aurora next to her and Prince Phillip sat on Aurora's other side. Those three were an interesting trio to say the least. Not long after Regina and the others returned from Storybrooke, several started to suspect the three were in a sort of three way relationship. Not that it was any of her business, though. As the former "Evil Queen", Regina felt she had no room to judge. Ruby, her Granny, and a couple of the dwarves filled the rest of the sets at the round table.
Regina had zoned out of the conversation for a bit, but last she had heard David and Hook were set to return soon if things went as scheduled. However, hearing someone say Emma's and Henry's names, Regina abruptly tuned back in.
"Okay, but how would that even work?" Ruby was saying. "It's not exactly easy to cross realms."
"Yes, that may be true," Snow said, "but there are still many ways to do so. It's just a matter of finding one."
"What if we offered a reward for magic beans?" Aurora shrugged.
"Yeah," Bae hesitated. "I guess that could work. However, that's still a long shot. They were rare back when I was a kid, and that was three hundred years ago. What makes you think it'll be any easier to find them now?"
"True," Snow softly agreed before suddenly bursting out, "Wait! We could always ask Blue! Surely she has a way?"
Bae grimaced as he replied, "I doubt it. Even if she did, what are the chances of her giving it to us? She wouldn't even help my father cross realms even though she knew he was going to make a curse in order to get to me. Do you really think that she'd help us with this?"
"I have to believe she'd do the right thing," Snow said firmly.
"Okay," Bae patiently responded, "but what if your idea of 'the right thing' is different from hers?"
Snow shook her head before stating, "She's always helped our family before. I have to believe that she'd do it again if it's in her power."
Regina snorted, "Yeah, she's always helped your family. Like when the blue bug lied about how many people were able to go through the wardrobe?"
"I don't agree with the Evil Queen very much," Grumpy interjected causing Regina to throw him a glare for the name, "but I have to say that she has a point. If she lied about those things, what else has she lied about? Can we really trust her?"
Regina stared disbelievingly at him as she said, "Wait, is the dwarf questioning the fairies? What is this world coming to?"
"Okay, so we could visit the idea of asking Blue another time," Snow said patiently. "In the meantime, let's figure out what other portals exist."
Everyone nodded as Robin and Bae shared a glance.
"From what Baelfire told me back when we were trying to find a way for him to return to Neverland, there are many ways to make portals. What else was it that you mentioned other than magic beans? Some kind of slippers and mirrors? What else is there?"
Bae sighed as he looked down, "There's a fair number of enchanted clothing that create portals from what I've discovered."
"Yes, but Jefferson's hat has been destroyed," Regina interjected. "Even so, while in a magical realm, it could only transport you to other magical realms. We wouldn't be able to get into the Land Without Magic that way. Not to mention, the same amount of people that went in must come back. Meaning, even if we were able to use that hat, which we can't, and it created a portal to that land, which it won't, we'd have to find two people willing to stay in that world in Emma and Henry's place.
"To be fair," Bae said wryly, "I think we'd find plenty of people who'd want to do that?"
"What makes you say that?" Snow said confused.
Bae snorted softly, "From personal experience, it's much easier being poor in the Land Without Magic than it is to be a peasant here."
Everyone glanced around at each other as most realized that they couldn't quite refute that.
After over a month of being away, David was glad to finally be arriving home. He could feel his soldier's spirits lifting as they neared the palace, their excited voices filling the air. Glancing to his right, he could see a relieved smile beginning to grace Hook's face. To his left, what little he could see of Rumple's face looked amazed as he took in the large lakeside palace.
The night before, they had made camp one more time with Rumple nervously agreeing to share David's tent. The next morning, David walked over to Rumple holding a long, thick hooded cloak instructing him to wear it and to not let anyone see his face. The elder man was confused, but still listened to the young king.
As the gates opened for their arrival, Bae stood on a balcony that overlooked the courtyard. A flurry of activity greeted the soldiers return. The courtyard was packed with people to help care for the horses and unload any extra parcels into the castle that the company had brought back with them. He watched with a fond smile as David dismounted right before an excited Snow launched herself into his arms. Looking around at the mass of people below, Bae noticed the hooded figure that remained on his horse. It seemed as though the soldiers that had arrived were keeping the servants away from the cloaked stranger. Bae watched curiously as David pulled himself away from Snow, saying something to her that caused her to disappear inside before turning to help the cloaked stranger off his horse without disturbing his thick hood. He saw the young king look around a bit before glancing up and catching Bae's eye. The corner of David's mouth crooked up in a slight smile as he looked away.
When David looked up and saw Bae watching from the balcony, he couldn't hold in the small smile that escaped at the knowledge of the good news he was about to tell the older man. Getting the attention of a servant nearby, David had him give Bae a message to meet him in the red drawing room. Looking back up at Bae, he nodded before turning back to Rumple. After a gentle reminder to the older man to keep his hood up, David asked Hook to make sure Rumple's horse was squared away before leading the hooded man into the castle.
Rumple had to be careful to keep his hood covering his face as he took in the majesty and detail of the palace as he followed King David through the entrance hall and up the stairs. The spinner couldn't remember ever seeing such splendor in his life. He's even amazed at how beautifully dressed everyone is. Even the servants seem to be dressed in finer clothes than even the wealthiest in the village he lived in. Well, other than the Duke and his family that is. It wasn't often that Rumple's seen people so well dressed, and here he was positively surrounded by wealth.
Glancing over at the young king that has been so kind to him up to this point, Rumple thought that if anyone had the means to help him find his son, this man did. Though, Rumple still wasn't sure why he would want to help a peasant such as him. However, there was just something about this man that just caused Rumple to believe that he was an honest man. He didn't know just what it was about this man that felt so trustworthy, but he just somehow know that he wouldn't lead him astray.
Turning down another hallway, David walked over to a door on the right and held it open for Rumplestiltskin to walk through. The room they just entered appeared to be a sitting room. The large floor to ceiling windows give the white and gold room an open airy feel to it. David smiled at the look of amazement that had never left Rumple's face as he told him that he could remove his cloak in here before excusing himself and leaving the room.
Walking over to the plush blue couches, Rumple sat so he could look out at the blue skies outside. It was strange to believe that only a couple days before, Rumple was living in a borrowed room and now he was sitting on the most comfortable chair he's ever sat in while in a palace. There have been few times in Rumple's life where he's felt hopeful. However, for the first time in a while, the warm fuzzy feeling of hope filled his chest.