Chapter Ten
The bedroom door opened while Mary Margaret walked to the bed and sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked at Rumplestiltskin sleeping with some of his hair in his face and he was lying on his left side. He looked peaceful, but she needed to wake him and she reached her hand out, touching his shoulder. His eyes snapped open as he woke with a start and she moved her hand back.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," she said and he looked at her.
"That's alright," he sighed. Standing up, she moved the bedding back then helped him sit up and he placed his hands on either side of him. Reaching over, he placed the leg brace on then took hold of the gold handle of the black wood cane and stood up. She went to help him, but he moved back and held his hand up. He didn't mind Belle, Henry or Mary helping him, but he still didn't like anyone else touching him. Sighing, Mary Margaret nodded then watched him head for the bathroom and closed the door behind him. She saw the light come on under the door when she left the room and gently shook her head.
Gold's Victorian
The pounding in his skull woke him as Will opened his eyes and winced at the sunlight. He felt sick and needed to pee. Carefully moving the bedding back, he half crawled out of bed then stood up and held his head in his hands.
"Bloody hell," he whispered. He then remembered where he was as he sighed and stumbled toward the door. He hoped he was heading to the bathroom when he opened the door and jumped at the sight of the black panther standing in the hallway. The black panther growled while showing its long fangs and he slowly backed into the room, closing the door. He stood against the door while something slammed into the door and he felt the back of his head bang against the wood.
"Well, look who the cat scared in," a voice said as he looked at the bed and Emma smiled. She was sitting on the bed and Will tried to figure out which was safer….being out in the hallway with the black panther or being in the room with her. Emma got off the bed as she walked to him and placed her hands on either side of his head. "Do I scare you?"
"Aye," he said with a nod of his head.
"Killian told me you need some help."
"I want… I want you to get rid of someone," he said, trying not to be afraid.
"Who is this someone?" she asked, moving her face closer.
"It's… It's the Dark One."
"That would be me."
"I'm talking about Rumplestiltskin," he said and saw the red light flashing in her eyes. She slammed her hands against the wood as he gulped and felt something wet rolling down his legs.
"Aw, the baby wet himself," Emma said, looking down and Will sighed. She grabbed hold of his throat as he gagged for air and she lifted him slightly off the floor. "Now, I am going to say this only once. No one, and I mean no one, touches Gold!"
"But…Killian….," he said and she tightened her grip.
"I will deal with him shortly," she said then dropped Will to the floor. He rubbed his throat while watching her vanish in a puff of black smoke then he leaned against the door and sighed.
Mary Margaret and David's apartment
Rumplestiltskin came out of the bedroom as Mary Margaret looked at him and noticed how nice he looked in a white shirt, jeans, the leg brace and a dark blue slipper. He held onto the gold handle of the black wood cane while heading for the table then sat down, placing the black wood cane against the table.
"Where's your husband?" he asked as she walked to the table and placed the bowl and coffee mug down. He looked at the creamy oatmeal with some honey dribbled on the top and the tea and she softly smiled, sitting down.
"He went to work," she said as he picked up the spoon and started eating. She was glad he was able to keep the oatmeal down and he looked over the top of the coffee mug while sipping the tea.
"Why aren't you at school?"
"I was waiting for you to wake up."
"I see."
"He told me you were up when he went to check on Neal."
"I don't really sleep," he said and she saw how tired his eyes look. "I woke up when I heard the baby fussing and went to see what's wrong."
"I guess that's from when your son was a baby," she said and he nodded his head.
"We never finished our conversation," he said, placing the coffee mug on the table. "If you weren't afraid of me, what were you?"
"I guess I was desperate. Whenever I needed something, you were the only one I knew who could help me," Mary Margaret said and he placed his elbows on the table then folded his fingers together. "Why did you help us when Regina was going to cast the curse? You must have known what she was doing."
"Of course I knew," he said then started eating and sipped on the tea. "Just like I knew being allied with you would put me where I needed to be."
"But you could have sided with her."
"True, but things would have happened differently, don't you agree?"
"I guess."
"Also, if I had stayed where I was, then I wouldn't be here now."
"You believe she wouldn't have taken you with us?"
"Of course she wouldn't."
"Didn't you mind being down there in…," she said then noticed the look in his eyes and reached over, touching his fingers. "I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for?" he said, moving his hand back.
"I didn't mean to remind you about being locked up in the storm cellar while you were Zelena's prisoner," she said and he saw the honesty in her eyes.
"Yes," he said with a small nod then dangled the spoon between his thumb and fingers.
"Do you remember what you said when we found you in that cage in Regina's castle?"
"No. What did I say?"
"You said 'Rumple Bumple isn't here. Rumple Bumple is gone, My Dear.'," she said and he frowned. "What did you mean?"
"I don't remember saying that," he said then blinked. "I do remember telling you something after taking Belle's hand."
"Do you think it was the darkness?"
"It might have been," he said when someone knocked and she looked at the door. "That must be Belle and Doctor Hopper."
"Then I better get going," she said, getting up and walked to the door. He looked at the crib then at her and she gave him a small smile. "Hope you don't mind babysitting."
"No, I don't mind," he said. Mary Margaret picked up her purse then opened the door and smiled at Belle and Archie.
"Good morning," she said then walked by them and Belle and Archie walked in the room. Archie closed the door while Belle walked to the table and gently kissed her husband's cheek.
"What are you eating?" she asked, sitting next to him.
"Oatmeal," he said, placing the spoon in the bowl. He sat back against the chair when the baby started sobbing and Belle got up, walking to the crib. Belle picked the baby up when she rocked him and sweetly smiled. "Have you noticed they seem to rely on you or someone else to take care of him?"
"I think it's because they really don't know how to be parents," Archie said and Rumplestiltskin arched an eyebrow. "Yes, they are my friends, but they don't know anything about raising a child."
Belle walked to the kitchen when she opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle. Rumplestiltskin watched her while some moments of his dreams moved through his mind and he smiled.
"You are a wonderful mother," he said, softly and she looked at him.
"I'm not a mother," she said with a shy smile.
"I meant when you were in the book I wrote with Isaac," he said and she placed the bottle in the bottle warmer. Archie noticed how they looked at each other while he sat down at the table and frowned. He didn't remember being in the book and wondered just how many of them Rumplestiltskin had left out.
"Did you have a good night sleep last night?" Archie finally asked as Belle removed the bottle from the bottle warmer and Rumplestiltskin looked at him.
"As I told Mary Margaret, I don't sleep all that much."
"So you didn't get any sleep?"
"No, I did, but woke up when I sensed the baby was awake," he said, looking at Neal.
"Was he alright?" Belle asked, walking to the table and sat next to her husband.
"Yes, he just wanted to be fed."
"Well, I suggest we get started," Archie said when he placed a digital recorder on the table and Rumplestiltskin looked at the digital recorder then at Archie. "Is it alright if I record the sessions? It's better than writing everything down."
"That's fine," he said and Archie turned the digital recorder on.
"How about we start at the beginning? How did you two meet?"
"The story of how we met is in Henry's book. Haven't you read it?"
"No, Regina didn't want me reading the book. She said it would influence how I would treat him," Archie said in reference to the time when Regina was trying to convince people Henry was insane.
"Would you like to start?" Rumplestiltskin said, looking at Belle. She handed the baby to him then started telling her part of the story and his eyes widened. "Wait, you sent for me a few days after your mother died?"
"Yes," Belle said and he moved the chair closer then slid his arm around her shoulders.
"No wonder your father didn't' want you to come with me," he said and she placed her head against his shoulder. "If I had known, I would have picked someone or something else."
Archie noticed the loving look he was giving Belle and felt like he was intruding. He made a little cough as they looked at him and he pushed the glasses up with his finger.
"How did you feel after you arrived at his castle?" Archie asked.
"I didn't get much to time react. He placed me in the dungeon," Belle said while Archie gave Rumplestiltskin a look he had seen before and Rumplestiltskin took hold of the gold handle of the black wood cane and carefully stood up. He headed for the window as he held Neal in one arm and leaned the gold handle of the black wood cane against the windowsill. He placed Neal against his chest as he watched the clouds slowly moving across the bright blue sky and blinked his eyes a few times. Belle got up when she walked to her husband and stood next to him. Archie picked up the digital recorder when he got up and stood a few feet behind them. "Why did you place me in the dungeon? Did you think I would leave the first chance I got?"
"Everyone does," Rumplestiltskin said while looking at her then back out the window and she placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Do you remember what I told you when I came back with the straw? You asked me why I came back and I told you I wasn't going to, but something had changed. I fell in love with you."
"No one could…"
"I do," she insisted as she gently rubbed his back and he shrugged. Looking down at Neal, he saw the baby was asleep and, taking hold of the golden handle of the black wood cane, he headed for the crib. He placed the baby in the crib when he returned to the window and looked out at the sky. "Answer me this. When you told me to leave after I had talked to Regina, did you ever think of coming after me?"
"Yes."
"What would you have said when you found me?" she asked and he turned to face her. He had rehearsed what he would say to her many times. He knew the words by heart, but the words failed him. He felt his stomach bubbling while the bile rose to his throat and he turned to look out the window. Belle could see he was shutting down when she placed her hand on his shoulder and he quickly glanced at her. "It's alright. You can tell me."
He shook his head as she looked at Archie and Archie motioned for her to keep trying. She turned Rumplestiltskin to face her when she cupped his face in her hands and gently brushed her thumbs over his cheeks.
"I can't do this. All I can think of is when Regina came and told me you had died," Rumplestiltskin said, moving back and looked out the window.
"When was this?" Archie asked then made a small cough.
"It was a few days after Belle had left. She told me Belle had gone home, but her father had shunned her and locked her away in a tower. His priests were going to "cleanse" her…."
"How were they going to do that?"
"They would torture her until they found her free of my influence," Rumplestiltskin sighed. "Regina said Belle decided death would be a better option and jumped out of the window."
"Damn." Archie said and Rumplestiltskin placed his hand against the glass. Belle looked at her husband when she turned him to face her and he sighed.
"That never happened," Belle said. "Now tell me. Where am I when you find me?"
"It was a tavern in a village not far from the castle," Rumplestiltskin said with a shy look on his face.
"It is daytime or nighttime?"
"It's mid-afternoon."
"Is the tavern crowded?"
"There are a few people there."
"How are you dressed?"
"Why does that matter?" he asked and she smiled.
"I need to know so I can picture it in my mind."
"I'm dressed in my dark brown leather waistcoat. I am also wearing my black leather vest, copper silk shirt, dark brown leather trousers and black leather boots."
"Do you come in the door or do you just appear?"
"I….," he said with a small smile then shook his head. "I wanted to make a grand entrance so I used the door."
"What was I doing?"
"You were talking with some of the people at the bar."
"How did you feel?"
"I was… I was…," he said then sighed. "I was jealous."
"Why?"
"You looked so happy and seemed to have forgotten all about me," he said, lowering his head. She wondered why he would think she could ever forget him and Archie whispered into the digital recorder to find out more about Rumplestiltskin's past.
"I never forgot you," she said and Rumplestiltskin looked at her. "What did you do next?"
"I walked to you and you looked at me with such anger in your eyes."
"What are you doing here?" she said with anger in her voice and Rumplestiltskin backed away from her. She took his hand then shook her head, squeezing his fingers. "Play along. What would you say?"
"Um," he said then stood a little taller and placed his hands on top of the gold handle of the black wood cane. "Hello, Dearie."
"I asked you what you're doing here."
"I've come for what's mine," he said with a smug look on his face.
"Are you talking about me?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.
"Yes," he said with a nod.
"I'm not yours anymore, remember?"
"We have a deal," he said, lifting his right hand and wiggled his index finger back and forth. "I save your father's kingdom and you would come with me forever."
"But I didn't expect to become nothing more than one of your toys," she said a little too sharply and a small gasp came from his lips. His heart slammed hard against his ribs as he balled his right hand into a fist and ground his teeth until his jaw ached.
"You are not one of my toys."
"No, what I am is just a servant. Someone who cooks for you, cleans up after you and can be tossed out the first time I ever did something wrong."
His heart was thundering in his ears as he glared at her and ground the end of the black wood cane into the floor.
"If that was the case, Dearie," he said through clenched teeth and breathed hard and fast through his nose. "I would have tossed you out when you broke that teacup! But I didn't do that, did I?"
"No, you didn't. You just told me it was a cup."
Archie became concerned by the anger he saw when he looked at Rumplestiltskin, but Belle just shook her head and Rumplestiltskin slammed the end of the black wood cane onto the floor.
"Another thing, if I had thought of you as nothing more than a servant, I would have just let you fall to your death after you fell off that ladder! What's one dead servant? I could always get another! But I didn't! I caught you!" he said while hot tears rolled down his face and the urge to hit something roared through him. "Do you have any idea how frightened I was as I watched you fall?! That the thought of you being hurt or dead nearly shattered my heart?! I could have used magic, but there wasn't enough time! You think you were surprised when I caught you? I was as well! I didn't know I could move that quickly! So don't you bloody dare tell me you're nothing more than a servant, a toy or a thing because you are so much more! You are…!"
He didn't understand what was happening. The emotions moving through his mind came at him in waves. He felt like he was drowning. He whimpered as she moved closer then wrapped her arms around him and he buried his face in her hair. His body was shaking as he held her and she stroked the back of his head. She let him cry as Archie walked closer and handed her his handkerchief. She rubbed her husband's back while he sobbed and she hushed him. A few minutes passed until he calmed down then moved back and she used the handkerchief to wipe his eyes and nose.
"Feeling better?" she asked.
"Yes, but would you…? Would you have done that if I had broken down at the tavern?"
"Yes," she said and kissed his wet cheek. She wasn't sure if he wanted to continue as she looked deeply into his red rimmed eyes and Rumplestiltskin nodded. "I… I had no idea."
"Well, now you know," he said with a small sniff.
"Tell me something. When that thief came into the castle and took one of your wands, did you miss the cart on purpose? He said an arrow fired from that bow never misses its target."
"I was aiming for the cart."
"Why didn't you kill him?"
"I… I didn't want their child to be without a father."
"I see," Belle said and Archie wondered who they were talking about. She mouthed "Robin" as his eyebrows went up and he nodded.
"I do admit I liked it when you hugged me," Rumplestiltskin said and he blushed as she smiled.
"What about when those women kidnapped me?"
"Are you talking about after I gave them the gauntlet?"
"Yes, you said you didn't care about me."
"Well," he said with a small grin. "The reason I said that was due to my uncertainty that they had really gone. If they knew that I do care about you, they would keep taking you or using you to make me do what they want."
She saw the honesty in his eyes as she finally understood why he got so angry and she brushed the hair out of his eyes.
"Tell me why you pulled away when we kissed."
"I felt… I felt my power and magic fading and that is something I cannot let happen. Not yet."
"Does this have to do with your son?"
"Yes," he said with a nod. "I need them to find him."
"You did say he was lost, but didn't tell me how."
"It's a very long story," he said then sighed. "You see, everything I've done was for him. He is my world."
"I see," she said, lowering her head. He lifted her chin to look in her eyes and made a small grin.
"You are my world, too," he said and she heard the honesty in his voice. "Now, will you please come home?"
"I don't know if I should."
"Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg you? I don't care if the others are looking. If that is what you want me to do then I will," he said with wide eyes and she smiled.
"If I do, you have to admit that I am right. You are lonely."
"You're right. I am."
"You have to talk to me. I don't want to know everything. Just tell me about you."
"I'm the Dark One."
"No, you are Rumplestiltskin," she said and kissed his lips.
"Why do you want to know anything about me? I'm…."
"I love you."
"You love me?" he asked with a small squeak.
"Yes, I love you," she said, gently poking him in the chest.
"No one could ever love me."
"You told me that before, but you're wrong. I do. Do you love me?"
"Yes," he said while looking deeply into her eyes when a low beeping sound made them looked at Archie and he looked at the digital recorder.
"Sorry, the batteries are dying," Archie said with a shrug and Belle smiled. Archie placed the digital recorder in his pocket then looked at him and smiled. "Well, this is a good start. Maybe we can delve more into other aspects tomorrow."
"What sort of aspects?" Rumplestiltskin asked.
"I would like to hear your side of the story of how you met and how you felt having her around," Archie said then walked to the couch and picked up two cushions. "Before I go, I want to do a trust exercise."
"What sort of trust exercise?" Belle asked, walking to the couch. Archie placed the cushions on the floor when he looked at them and Rumplestiltskin came closer, standing next to Belle.
"Belle, if you will stand over here," Archie said as he gently lead her to one end of the cushions then checked the angle then looked at Rumplestiltskin. "I need you to stand there."
Rumplestiltskin stood near the cushion when Archie nodded and checked the angle.
"Belle, what I want you to do is turn around then fall backwards. If your trust in your husband is strong enough, he will catch you," he said and looked at Rumplestiltskin. He glared at Archie then looked at Belle and she turned around. She looked at the leg brace as he looked down and both of them came to the same realization.
"I can't do this," Rumplestiltskin sighed.
"And I don't want you to," Belle said and Archie frowned. He had forgotten about the leg brace and shook his head, rolling his eyes.
"That's fine," Archie said when he placed the cushions back on the couch and Rumplestiltskin felt guilt burning inside him. They watched Archie walked to the door as he opened the door, turned and looked at them. "I'll see you both this time tomorrow."
They watched him leave then Rumplestiltskin looked at Belle and she picked up her purse. He sat down on the couch as she walked to the door and he sat forward, placing his head in his hands. She rested her hand on the door handle then walked to the couch, placed her purse on the floor and sat down next to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder as he looked at her and she brushed some hair behind his right ear.
"I'm…," he started to say when she placed her index finger against his lips and shook her head.
"No, it's alright," she said. She watched him lean back against the cushion when she took a small pillow off the couch, placed the small cushion on the coffee table and lifted his right leg up, placing his foot on the small cushion. He gave her a small smile as she snuggled closer, bent her legs up and he placed his arm around her. She slid her hand around his waist while placing her head against his shoulder and he sighed, gently stroking her hair.
Gold's Victorian
Will looked at the door as the sounds of Killian's screams filled the air and a cold shiver moved down Will's back. Slowly, Will walked to the door then opened the door enough to look out into the hallway and jumped when he saw Lily looking at him.
"Finally decided to come out?" she asked, sarcastically. She didn't seem bothered by the screaming as he opened the door wider and she crossed her arms under her breasts.
"What is that noise?" Will asked with a shaky tone to his voice.
"Oh, it's just Emma showing her boy toy it's not a good idea to sneak out and bring trash home without asking," Lily said with a small grin. Will shivered then walked by her and headed down the hallway.
"I, uh, I think I'd better go," Will said with a small nod, hoping she wouldn't stop him. The screams grew louder as he ran down the hallway, down the stairs then opened the front door and left. He ran half way down the sidewalk when he turned to look back at the coral pink house and swore he heard Emma's laughter drifting through the air.