ONLY ONE WEEK OF THE HIATUS LEFT YAY!
I'm very curious to see what 4B is going to bring...
But anyway here you go! (Keep in mind that this is three chapters from the end, so it's going to be intense)

And sorry for the short chapter, but it was necessary!

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As much as he could be in this situation, Rumplestiltskin was happy.

He finally had Belle back in his life, even if it remained only through letters. And both of them were determined not to screw it up this time.

The day before, he had finally decided to pay a visit to the Charmings and Regina, ready to face any hatred they had to throw at him. Emma Swan had been the first to lunge at him, but, much to Rumplestiltskin's surprise, Hook had stopped her. Apparently the pirate had made a promise to Belle not to go after Rumple, and even though Rumplestiltskin hated the thought of the pirate anywhere near his wife, he was quite grateful for that agreement, since it would save him quite a bit of precious time.

He made a deal with the group that he would explain to them his connection with Maleficent, Ursula, and Cruella if they allowed him to return to Belle without interference. And out of sympathy for Belle more than anything else, they agreed.

So Rumplestiltskin explained to them how he had made deals with each of the woman for their perspective powers, which meant he also knew their weaknesses. After offering up the information of what those weaknesses specifically were, he took leave of the group, leaving them to do what they pleased with the information. He may have helped them, but he was still no hero, and certainly had no true investment in saving the town.

So today he made his way down main street to face an even bigger challenge. It was finally time to come face to face with his wife.

He was intent on making his way back to his shop, to grab one more of the roses he a had trimmed from the bush in their garden, to give to Belle when he finally faced the beauty. He was finally prepared to try again, to accept her flaws if she would accept his.

But as he made his way to the shop, something changed. As if by instinct, Rumplestiltskin completely changed his direction from heading to his shop to the library apartment where Belle had been residing.

But Rumplestiltskin knew this change wasn't out of instinct. Instinct didn't cause you to feel frozen with fear, without any control. No, he recognized this feeling all too well. Someone was commanding him to head to the library. Someone was using his dagger.

But Belle still had his dagger, to the best of his knowledge. She had promised never to command him again. He couldn't help but feel hurt and angry that she would go against her promise and use the evil tool on him yet again, no matter how innocent her intentions may be. He approached the library rapidly and wondered what exactly she felt was so important that she needed to see him so badly that she commanded it.

But as he approached the back steps of the library, he saw the door slightly ajar, and a cold fear settled in the pit of his stomach. Belle never left her door open.

He entered the room cautiously, and what he saw inside made his heart clench. Nothing was broken or shattered, there had been no fight. But a hundred blood red roses were scattered across the floor. The sight was not beautiful to Rumplestiltskin, but rather horrified him. He picked up one the roses, carefully avoiding the thorns, and could nearly feel the dark magic radiating off of it.

"Belle? Belle!" Rumplestiltskin shouted his wife's name again and again, hoping she was somewhere, anywhere, she could hear him. As he wandered the apartment, he heard a crunching sound under his boot, and looked down to see what exactly the victimized object was. A crumpled up piece of paper. He picked up the note and unfolded it, his heart clenching as he saw the loopy scrawl he knew all too well.

"I need to see you. It's important. I know how we get our happy ending."

His heart rose at those words, and then fell almost immediately, realizing that whoever had been in the apartment had obviously wanted to prevent that from happening. And he knew three lovely ladies who were very likely behind this.

It was at that moment that Rumplestiltskin heard it; the voice in the back of his mind, the dark one, that had to follow the commands of the dagger. Go to the center of the forest, the voice whispered sharply, and so, having no choice in the matter, Rumplestiltskin disappeared in a puff of purple smoke, still gripping his love's written message tightly in his hand.

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Rumplestiltskin appeared again a mere moments later, in the thick of thousands of trees, standing in from of Maleficent, Cruella, and Ursula. His eyes caught the glint of light that reflected off the dagger that Cruella held tightly in her gloved hand. His eyes roamed frantically, as he searched for some sign of where they were keeping Belle.

"How nice of you to finally join us Rumplestiltskin." Maleficent said in a snake like hiss. "It seems you haven't been part of our team very much since we arrived in Storybrooke."

"You should know me better than that, dearie. You were simply a useful distraction for this town. I work alo-

"Silence, imp." Cruella said, holding the dagger out before her, leaving Rumplestiltskin with no choice but to comply. "We all knew from the moment we arrived here that you were no more invested in helping us find our happy ending that we were in yours. We knew you'd go crawling back to you true love, begging for forgiveness. How pathetic."

"How on earth you ever got such a pretty thing to believe she was in love with you is still beyond me." Ursula said with a snort.

Rumplestiltskin stared at her with such ferocity that it was a surprise the sea witch didn't simply burst into flames under his scrutiny. Growing bored with the silent confrontation, Cruella held the dagger out. "Speak."

"Where. Is. She?" Rumplestiltskin growled, feeling the need to strangle one of the women rising in his veins.

"Well, it seems that someone gave a bit of aid to the heroes, and that you're just as eager as they are to keep us from our happy endings. So we figured, if we can't have our happiness, why should you have yours?"

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!" Rumplestiltskin roared at the three women, magic pounding in his veins as Cruella prevented him from using his magic.

Maleficent was the one to speak up, chuckling maliciously. "Why don't you see for yourself," she replied as all three of the women parted their U- shaped formation.

And at the moment, Rumplestiltskin felt the world stop turning, as if existence had ended in that very instance.

Because lying pushed back in the trees, as cold and as pale as death itself, was his sweet Belle.

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Now before you grab your torches and pitchforks, I just needed to say there are two chapters left, and a lot can happen. They'll be posted at the same time, and it will be before the premier of 4B!