The giant bed rattled under the intense pressure of their love making. Belle moved on top of him, straddling his hips, and grinding herself on his manhood. Their hands were clasped together; their eyes were closed. Belle arched her neck and moaned intensely. Rumple growled beneath her, his head deep in the pillows, breathing heavily. He felt his orgasm growing closer, and he sat up to wrap his arms around her waist. She wrapped one arm around his neck and used the other hand to grip his hair. They cried out, as their orgasms hit them simultaneously. Rumple buried his head into her chest, as he tried to catch his breath. She rested her head on his, ran her fingers through his soft brown hair. Her heart fluttered, as she felt his hot breath hit that sweet spot in between her breasts. Belle pulled his chin up to look at her; they smiled warmly at each other before leaned in to give him a sloppy kiss. He returned the kiss with equal passion, and leaned back down on the pillows, pulling Belle on top of him. He ran his hands over her back, as she ran her hand roughly over his cheek; their lips glided over each other's in a perfect dance. They finally broke their heated kiss, and both laughed as Belle stroked his cheek.

"Oh God….that was amazing," said Rumple breathlessly.

"It was incredible," said Belle, as she looked down on him with endless love.

Rumple grinned, and pushed himself up to kiss her again. She lay back down, resting her head on his chest. He pulled the warm covers over both of them, and he kissed her on her forehead.

Aeros and Barrett hoped along the path through the enchanted forest. They reached a bear cave, and tiptoed inside. Heavy breathing and growling echoed in the darkness. Aeros placed his hand on Barrett's shoulder as they crossed carefully to the far wall; both kept a watchful eye on the sleeping black bear that was chained up in the corner. Barrett cautiously moved the boulder against the wall, revealing a lit passage way. They both stepped in and Aeros moved the boulder back into place. They descended the dimly lit staircase; Aeros picked up one the torches that was sitting on the wall. They crossed the wooden bridge that led across the endless pit in the huge underground cavern. Crystals shimmered in the moonlight above them, bathing the cavern in chards of light. Once across the bridge, they turned down another passage way, which took them down a second long hallway, also dimly lit. Doors were placed all along, leading into different bedrooms. They reached the end of the hallway, and turned the corner, and entered a large chamber. A king sized bed was in the corner; a few steps up was a wooden desk, surrounded by a half circle of tall ebony bookshelves, lined with millions of books. The room was brightly lit with hanging candles placed all over. Tiberius, their leader, paced back and forth behind his desk, muttering to himself, and running his hand over the tattered pages of an old spell book. Tiberius was a tall man, over six feet; his long greasy black hair sat heavily on his shoulders, swaying back and forth as he went. He wore the traditional black like the rest of his brothers, except for the silver bracelets that signified his leadership. His long black beard was braided neatly under his chin. He had the presence of a dark and threatening man, but the guild respected him. Aeros and Barrett kneeled at the foot of the stairs.

"My lord, Tiberius…I apologize for our equal failure, but we come from the wedding empty handed. Instead we…"

"You wish to tell me of the dark one's threat," said Tiberius, interrupting Aeros.

"How did you know, my lord?" asked Barrett.

"Sir Rumplestiltskin is not the only one with eyes and ears in this forest," said Tiberius, as he closed the book with a loud thud, and dropped it on his desk.

"What will you have us do?" asked Aeros.

"Nothing. We are the Black Star Guild…we do not take orders from anyone…we hunt wherever we please…that is how we operate. That will never change and no one will change it. Not even the great Rumplestiltskin!" said Tiberius fiercely.

"My…my….you are a proud one….don't let your pride turn you into a fool," echoed a women's voice throughout the chamber.

Tiberius and the two thieves looked around, desperate to find the source of the cold voice. They looked toward the entrance, and there stood the Lady of the Lake. She was a ghost white, her dress matched her skin, and she was as eerie as always. The only thing different about her was her reattached arm, which now had a perfect circular scar. Tiberius stared at her, clearly suspicious of her and on his guard.

"Leave us," he commanded.

Aeros and Barrett bowed and left the chamber.

"What can I do for you, my lady?" asked Tiberius, as he stepped down so he was on her level.

"I will get straight to the point…I think we now have common enemies….the King and Rumplestiltskin….the Dark One chased from my home, almost killed me….all in the name of some king….the same king that forced you into these caverns…You want to return to your former glory, yes? I can help you."

"And in return?" asked Tiberius with a raised eyebrow.

"Simple. You help me kill the two bastards that have caused us both trouble."

"I would kill the King with my own sword… Rumplestiltskin cannot be killed."

"Anything can be killed….we just need to find the Dark One's dagger," said the witch, as she gently touched his arm.

"Dagger?" asked Tiberius with a skeptical look.

"The only thing that can kill him…I owe him….He humiliated me….I will cut off his arm…Then I will kill him, and watch his new wife cry over his blood soaked body," said the witch with an evil grin.

"Deal….Welcome to the Black Caverns, my lady," said Tiberius, as he kissed the witch's hand.

Rumple awoke to the sounds of the wind howling outside. It was dawn. He looked down at his sleeping wife; her head was resting on his chest. Rumple smiled and kissed her forehead. He carefully moved from under, hoping desperately that he would not wake her. He slipped on some pants and a pair of boots; and journeyed down the hall to the bathroom. He muttered a spell under his breath, and the bin filled with hot water. He cupped his hands, filled them with water, and splashed his face. His whole body seemed to relax at the warm sensation on his face. Then, out of nowhere, he felt a searing pain in his head. He groaned and hissed, gripped his forehead, and collapsed against the bin. He managed to pull himself upright, when the pain suddenly stopped.

"That was to let you know…I'm still the powerful one," said a familiar sinister voice.

Rumple lifted his head slowly; in the mirror, behind him, stood the Dark One. He was dressed in familiar dragon skin clothes, his golden skin and dark green eyes shimmered in the candle light. Rumple glared at him, while his other half just smiled as if it were a game.

"You almost killed me," said Rumple coldly.

"Why didn't you kill those thieves?" asked the Dark One, his face was now stern and cold.

"It was unnecessary.."

"They were attempting to steal on our land. If it were me I would have carved their hearts out with a butter knife."

"I know. If they're not completely stupid, they will heed my warning."

The Dark One's familiar high pitched laugh startled Rumple, and shook him to the core.

"You have grown so soft…so weak…you are unworthy to wield my power, Gold. You better watch yourself….if you're not careful, I will take control when you least expect it," said the Dark One, and with that he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Rumple could feel his evil half re-enter his mind; his stomach sank when he heard his whispers echo through his subconscious.

"You better show me you have a spine and soon…..or this body will be mining….permanently."

Rumple covered his ears, as the Dark One's maniacle laughter filled his ears. He washed his face again, and the voice faded away. He washed his face one more time, and then headed back to his bedroom.

2 weeks later…

Rumple tied his leather vest and belt. His sword and dagger dangled on opposite sides of his hip. He looked in the mirror, secretly hoping the Dark One would show himself to put his mind at ease, but nothing. The fear of the darkness consuming his heart and the thought of losing Belle again overwhelmed him. Rumple knew that monster was enjoying this. Rumple began to beat his chest, like he was beating the fear out of himself; he wasn't going to let the monster control him. He was no longer a coward; he had no reason to be. He slipped on his long leather coat, grabbed his pack, and went downstairs.

Out in the stables, Belle was saddling the horses, getting ready for their trip to The Castle. Philippe was the male, a large, strong, beautiful black horse, well groomed and fierce. He was Rumple's horse. Ava was the mare, Belle's friend; she was strong for a mare, and just as gentle. Whenever Belle had free time, she would come out and brush Ava's golden hair and shite mane. She had seemed to form a special bond with Ava. Belle was wearing her favorite battle outfit; red dragon skinned top, black pants, and brown leather boots.

"Here is packed food for you, my Lady…and water," said Veronica, as she handed Belle two large packs and two large metal tins.

"Thank you, Veronica."

Belle attached one of each to the two horses, two for her and two for Rumple. She threw blankets over the backs of both horses, and tied them on. Rumple strode in, his coat swayed behind him. He kissed Belle, then placed his pack on his horse and tied it down. Belle grabbed her light brown cloak and tied it on. She gave Veronica her last instructions and said her goodbyes, while Rumple led both horses out to the front of the castle.

Lumiere and Cogsworth stood at the door, their hands were folded in front of them; they looked absolutely pitiful. Rumple smiled at them.

"You both know your instructions….Look after our home while we're gone. We should be back in three weeks. We'll send word if it will be longer."

"Yes, sire," said Lumiere, as he bowed.

"You can count on us, master," said Cogsworth, as he also bowed.

Rumple nodded at them, then mounted his horse. Philippe stirred beneath him, kicked up and neighed a little at the sudden familiar weight of his master. He was like a dog going for a ride in a car. Belle ran over, gave Lumiere and Cogsworth a quick kiss on the cheek, and then mounted her horse. The two horses reared, then ran out the gate, and out of sight.

Belle and Rumple trotted on their horses along the pathway, through the enchanted forest. There was silence for a while; Belle seemed to be more interested in the forest, marveling at the beauty that surrounded them. Rumple reached over and took Belle's hand. He held it firmly, and kissed it. Belle smiled at him.

"The forest is so beautiful during the day, and so dark at night," said Belle.

"Yes. This is the first time you and I have traveled through it together like this."

"When will we arrive in father's village?" asked Belle.

"Tomorrow….We'll stay there for a day or two, then leave for Charming's castle," said Rumple.

"It will be good to see everyone again. Father especially."

"Yeah."

Rumple leaned forward and kissed her firmly. He pressed their foreheads together, as the horses continued to trot along.

A few hours later, it began to get dark; Rumple found an ideal spot and they stopped to set up camp. They were so tired, not even Belle objected when Rumple used magic to build the tent. Belle left to gather firewood; moments later she returned to find the camp abandoned. She dropped the pile of wood and looked around, but could find no trace of her husband. It was getting darker by the minute. Her ears perked when she heard a loud splash east of where she was standing. She grasped her dagger, and moved in that direction to investigate. Treading further into the forest, she came upon a small lake; a waterfall poured over jagged rocks on the other side. It was considerably cooler in the area, and the air was moist. She looked down to see Rumple's clothes in a pile on the edge. She kneeled down, and was startled when Rumple resurfaced, then splashed water at her head.

"How mature," said Belle laughing.

"You want your revenge, you're going to half to catch me first," he said with a wide grin.

"What are you doing here?" asked Belle.

"I just thought I'd take a wee bath before bed."

Belle smiled seductively, then stripped on the edge. She jumped in and dived underwater. It was very warm; Rumple must have used a spell to warm the water. Rumple laughed at her, but when Belle did not resurface, he began to worry.

"Belle?!" he called.

Nothing. Rumple prepared himself to go under after her, when she suddenly resurfaced right in front of him, and spat a mouthful of water playfully in his face. Belle laughed hysterically, then swam away. Rumple quickly caught up with her, and grabbed her playfully. He held her and their laughs turned to soft chuckles, as they gazed at each other. She moved strands of his wet hair out of his face, and kissed him passionately. Rumple kissed her more intensely, and clawed at her back. He moved his kisses down to her jaw, then to her neck, and across her shoulder. She moaned and bit his shoulder, as she held on to him. They made love fiercely in the water. The birds scattered, as they both cried out with pleasure. They kissed passionately again, then swam to the edge and got dressed. They arrived back at camp; Rumple started a fire. They ate some bread and drank some water. An hour later, they were fast asleep in their tent.

Tiberius and the lady of the Lake walked through the dark forest. Tiberius could hear the soothing sounds of the sea nearby. The lady of the Lake shimmered in the moonlight, her beautiful pale skin lighting their way. They approached the shore, and the witch stopped. She waved him back, and stepped a little further into the water. The waves crashed around her ankles, Tiberius waited patiently and cautiously on the shore. He watched her raise her arms to the sky; she whispered incoherent chants. Her hands glowed brightly, as if they were channeling the light of the moon. The sea began to glow green; a wavy green line right down the middle, stretching endlessly across the sea. The waves parted slightly, and one black tentacle after another emerged from the water. An octopus like creature rose from beneath the sea, except the creature had a human torso, a woman. She was plump, he skin was a shimmering purple, her hair was white, and her eyes were black. She slithered closer to the shore, and so did Tiberius.

"Ursula…It's so nice to see you again…I'm here to make a deal," said the white witch.

Ursula smiled an evil smile; her white fangs reflected the green light from the water beneath her.

Rumple woke with a start, sweating and looking around in a panic. Belle was still fast asleep next to him. Was it a dream, or a vision of things to come? Rumple hoped to the stars, it was just a nightmare. A nightmare that would never come true. If the Lady of the Lake had indeed joined forest with the sea witch, that was a major cause for alarm. He looked outside; it was dawn. He kissed Belle on the cheek.

"Wake up, darling. Time to go."

Belle stirred and stretched. They both got dressed and packed up. A few moments later, they mounted their horses, and were on their way to Belle's village. But Rumple's mind still lingered on the dream that could predict a very serious problem.