A/N: This is the final chapter in this Rumbelle tale, but if you're interested in a sequel that jumps forward in time, and focuses on Baelfire and Emma, look out for the second story in this series, coming soon to afanfic site near you ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see Chapter 1)

Book 1, Chapter 10

Belle woke to the warmth of another body close to hers and soft kisses on her neck and shoulder. A smile graced her lips as she allowed her eyes to open and she turned into the embrace of her beloved.

"Good morning, Rumpel," she greeted him and kissed his lips.

"Good morning, sweet Belle," he replied in kind. "I thought I should never tire of watching you sleep, and yet I felt compelled to wake you."

"I shall certainly never tire of that kind of awakening," she promised him. "Is it early?" she checked, noticing the room was barely in half-light yet.

"A little," he confessed. "I was having trouble sleeping myself."

Belle frowned a little at that.

"Are you in pain?" she checked, worrying her lip.

Since he ceased to be the Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin had to get used to things physically hurting again. He had a bad ankle and Belle knew why. It was one of many stories he had told her over the years they spent together, though he was not proud of injuring himself. He had said he was almost glad to have the pain back, reminding him of the man he had been once, the coward he would never be again. Still, Belle hated knowing he felt any pain.

"The leg is not so bad," he assured her, smiling at her concern. "It took a while to adjust to feeling it again, that was all," he told her. "All these months gone by, it's not so bad."

"Then what's bothering you, Rumpel?" she asked worriedly.

Life had been a constant series of adjustments for the past eight months. Coming back from Neverland with Baelfire, it made Rumpelstiltskin happy, and Belle was hardly less grateful for the way things turned out. Of course, that didn't mean everything was perfect, nothing ever really was that. They all had to adjust to their new lives, their new roles, and it had taken some time to all be completely comfortable together. They seemed to be there now, and yet Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help the worries that plagued him.

He was lucky, he knew that much. Things could have been so different, so awful. Finally, Rumpel had his son back in his life, and the teenager that seemed to grow like a weed had adjusted to his new lifestyle quite well. Baelfire still got upset sometimes, had nightmares, threw accusations in Rumpel's face the moment there was a disagreement, but their scuffles were less all the time, and ultimately Bae seemed happy to be home. He and Belle were the greatest of friends. She could never replace his mother and Rumpel knew neither of them would want that anyway, but she was motherly enough when Baelfire needed that, and a friend and confidante when that was what was required. She played peacemaker very well too, as and when any bickering began.

As for Belle herself, Rumpelstiltskin still wondered at how she could love him as she did, and perhaps ever more so at how he had kept his distance from her year on year. He supposed with almost all his focus pinned on finding Bae, missing the son he had betrayed and feeling guilty as any person could for what he had put him through, it was that much easier to put Belle to the back of his mind much of the time. Now she was very much in the forefront of his thoughts, central to his life. In relative terms she was his wife. They had made their vows to each other and started to share a bed within a week of her breaking his curse, though nothing was official. Rumpel feared anyone outside the castle knowing he was powerless now, and Belle, as well as Baelfire, well understood that. The two of them would go to town, with Rumpeltiltskin's accumulated riches in hand to buy whatever provisions they needed. He hardly ever stirred out of doors and certainly never went beyond the castle grounds. Most of the time, Rumpel couldn't imagine wanting to leave the bed he shared with Belle, apart from to spend time with his son. The two of them were his life, his world, all he could ever want, and perhaps that was why he worried so.

"I wonder at my life, Belle. All it has been... all it might yet be," he considered in a voice so soft, had she not been paying full attention Belle was sure she wouldn't have heard a word. "If I had continued in my plans, forcing Regina's hand until she cast the dark curse..."

"But you didn't," she cut in.

Rumpel shook his head.

"Because of you, dearie," he told her honestly. "My love for Bae, it blinded me to what I was doing, to how many lives I was destroying for my own ends," he said, staring off into space, perhaps seeing the past or some form of the future there, Belle couldn't be sure. "And then you came along. Your love opened my eyes to new possibilities, Belle, to a life I never dreamt could be mine," he said, hand cupping her cheek as he met her eyes once more. "I shall never be able to thank you enough for all you have done for me."

"I don't want your thanks, you silly man," she assured him, leaning into his touch. "You love me, and that is all I need. Our love sustains us, all of us," she reminded him. "You told me yourself that true love is the strongest of all magic. That's true whether it's romantic, or between a parent and child, or amongst friends. Nothing is stronger than the three of us now. It never could be."

Tears came to Rumpel's eyes as he moved in and kissed Belle's lips. She was the most incredible creature he had ever met in his entire life, and certainly he had lived longer than many a man could ever dream of. What she said was true, he was certain. The love in their family, between the two of them and his son too, it was stronger than anything. The power of it was that much more than any magic Rumpelstiltskin had ever wielded in darkness. This was a light magic, a power that was overwhelming and yet felt perfectly safe to hold on to.

"You know, if the curse had been cast, I still think we would have found each other," said Belle then. "We were fated, Rumpel. Destined to be together, and I believe that if we had been thrown into the Land Without Magic or been cursed to stay in Neverland forever, it wouldn't matter. You and I would always find each other, Baelfire would always come back to us. Somehow, some way, we were always going to end up exactly like this."

He smiled at her pretty words, and though it seemed like such a far-fetched idea, he would like to believe she was right. Certainly true love was supposed to always find a way. Through it all, Snow White and her Prince Charming never failed in getting back to each other in the end, and their trials had been numerous to say the least. Perhaps Belle was exactly right in what she said.

Rumpelstiltskin opened his mouth to say as much when a knock came on the door. Frowning, he moved away from Belle and ensured the covers were arranged properly over the both of them before he called 'come in' to the only person who could be on the other side of the door.

"Baelfire, what have you been up to?" asked Belle with a smile as the boy, who was by now quite the young man, approached the bed with a tray laden down with food.

"I got up early," he explained. "I wanted to do something special, so I used all the skills you taught me in the kitchen. I might've made a mess down there," he admitted, looking awkward. "But I'll clean it up. Hopefully it was worth it," he said, presenting his tray to the couple. "Happy Father's Day, Papa."

It was clearly a surprise to Rumpelstiltskin to realise it was even that particular occasion today, and he was completely bowled over by his son's charming gesture of breakfast in bed.

"And since there is no day on which we might honour Belle, I thought she could share with you," said Baelfire with a bashful grin.

"Oh, you are so sweet!" his step-mother enthused, gesturing for him to come closer so she could hug him.

"Aye, son. You've done a grand job," his father smiled, feeling quite overcome. "Thank you, Bae."

"You're welcome, Papa," Baelfire smiled back at him.

It was the start to another happy day in a castle that no longer deserved its title of dark. There was far too much love and happiness within the family living there for it to ever be true again.

"Happy Father's Day, Daddy!" yelled eight year old Emma as she threw herself bodily onto the bed, startling her father and almost doing him an injury into the bargain.

"Thank you, Emma," David chuckled none the less as he sat up, stirring Snow at the same time. "But is it not a little early yet?"

"It's never too early for presents," the little princess rolled her eyes as she forced a handmade card and a wrapped gift into her father's hands.

Snow sat herself up and watched the joyful interactions between her husband and daughter. She loved days like this, happy family days with no commitments to worry about. Being Queen was all well and good, but it could be tiring. Every once in a while she got to take a day, or even part of a day, to enjoy being a wife and a mother, and those were her very favourite times.

Of course, Father's Day was tinged with sadness for a woman who had since lost both her parents at the hands of those to remain nameless and unmentioned. All Snow could do to console herself was remember that at least justice had been done on her mother and father's behalf. Regina was behind bars, since before Emma was even born, and had posed no threat in all that time. The kingdom was a calm, peaceful place for the majority of the time. Even Rumpelstiltskin had not shown his face in months now. Some said he never had returned from Neverland. Others claimed he was holed up in his castle, nursing a broken body or a broken heart, perhaps both. Snow wasn't sure what to think. Her only concern for the longest time had been Emma's welfare, what might become of her after the night when she summoned Pan's shadow to her window. She never had mentioned it, not since the event itself occurred, and Snow certainly wasn't going to bring it up herself. There had been no nightmares, no fears or worries, so Snow let the concern she had felt slip away.

"Wow, that is... that's really something," said Charming with a smile as he looked over the home-made gift his daughter had given him.

Snow took pity on her husband within a moment when she realised he hadn't a clue what he held in his hands.

"I told Emma you would love a birdhouse for the garden," she explained with a look. "After all, you were the one teaching her all the names of every bird in the woods. Now they might come and visit us more often."

The little house meant for feathered friends was kind of lopsided and painted in an odd design, but the prince knew his baby girl had been heart-felt in her gift. He grinned as he placed the birdhouse on the nightstand and pulled his little girl into his lap, hugging her close.

"Thank you, Emma," he told her, planting a kiss on her forehead. "It is the third most perfect gift I have ever received in my life."

"Only the third?" she asked, looking a little hurt, but Daddy was quick to console her.

"Yes, third. After you and your mother," he promised. "You two are the greatest gifts a man could ever wish for."

Snow couldn't keep the smile off her face at the sound of those words and leaned over to kiss her husband's cheek.

"Still as charming as ever," she teased him.

Emma was grinning with joy as she threw herself into the centre of the bed right between her parents and looked up at them both from the pillows with dancing eyes. Even at eight years old, Emma was certain that when she was older, she wanted to be just like her mother and be married to a man as great as her father. They were so very happy, it amazed her sometimes.

"I love you, Mommy. I love you, Daddy," she told them in turn.

"We love you too, sweetheart," Snow promised, leaning down to kiss her face, wondering why she ever worried for a moment about things going wrong.

For as long as it lasted, she really should enjoy this happily ever after she had found, just in case it didn't quite last forever.

The End