Rumple stood with Mummy Chris watching excitedly through the window by the side of the door as the first guest came up their front walk. It was Victor accompanied by his older brother Gerhardt. They seemed to be taking forever. Finally Rumple could stand it no longer and pulled up the door and limped excitedly outside.

"Victor! Victor!" he called to his friend, waving his arms. Victor ran up the steps to greet his friend and they wiggled around and hugged. Victor hadn't had a cast for a few weeks now and Rumple always felt a momentary pang of jealousy whenever he saw him, but then Victor pushed a present wrapped in striped paper into Rumple's arms and gave him a huge grin. The present was a big rectangular box and it rattled a bit inside. Rumple's instantly grew wide.

"It isn't—"

"IT IS!" cried Victor.

"LEGO!" they both cheered in unison and danced around as Gerhardt rolled his eyes. Kids.

"See ya after cadets bro," he dismissed his younger sibling and trudged off in his cadet's uniform back to his waiting mother's car.

"So can I see it?" asked Victor excitedly.

"See what?" asked Rumple.

"You know! What your mums got you for your birthday! The Playmobil DARK CASTLE!" exclaimed Victor.

It was all they'd talked about on the playground for the past few days. It was the big present Rumple had received from his mums for his birthday which was actually two days before the party. The dark castle was enormous, without a doubt the biggest toy he had ever owned, with pointy black towers that nearly came up to Rumple's shoulder. There were two floors and a dungeon inside and a funny little drawbridge he could raise and lower with a real crank. There was also a playmobil wizard with a robe covered in stars and a magic staff with a green plastic orb on the top that glowed in the dark. The wizard was Rumple's favourite character, but there were also two knights with fancy helmets with plastic plumes on the top and even a big dragon with shiny green-gold scales and wings that moved up and down to live in the moat or the dugeon under the castle.

Rumple and Victor played with the dark castle in pure bliss. Victor had brought one of his own playmobil people with him in the pocket of his jeans, a little scientist figure in a funny high-collared lab coat that he liked to be. Rumple of course, played the wizard.

Soon Ruby came along toting the shaggy stuffed wolf she took with her everywhere. They pretended the wolf was menacing the dark castle and the wizard had to use his magic staff and the scientist had to use his invention (which turned out to be a robot dragon) to fight the man-eating wolf. In the kitchen the adults drank punch and talked among themselves. It was all very exciting.

Eventually, Emma and Neal arrived with baby Henry and Rumple was allowed to hold him, sitting down of course, so he was in no danger of dropping him. Baby Henry was so tiny and fragile that it was important to be extra careful, Neal explained. Henry was only just starting to lift up his bobbly little head on his own and roll over. He'd also started to to reach out his tiny hands to grab at things close by. Even though Emma insisted baby Henry's eyes were unfocused still, and he probably couldn't see much beyond what was directly in front of him yet, he still somehow always managed to grab Rumple's nose every single time the older boy held him.

Usually Rumple was very particular about how people touched him. He hated being hugged or picked up by people he didn't know or holding other kids' hands if they seemed the least bit untrustworthy. He even hated having his hair ruffled by strangers. But somehow Henry could yank at his hair all he wanted or grab his nose or even punch his tiny fists into his chest without Rumple minding it one bit. Even though he hardly knew baby Henry at all, he wondered if this was what it felt like to be a big brother.

Rumple was so consumed with playing with baby Henry, that he missed the doorbell ringing. Kate went to answer it, only to see Belle and her father Maurice standing on the doorstep. Kate's gaze softened as she spied how tired poor Maurice looked. When he'd come to pick up Belle after her impromptu playdate the day before, he'd explained about what had happened with the lungs that were supposed to go to Belle's mother.

"If only people understood how important it was," he sobbed. "They die and just throw their organs away to the worms because of some stupid religious prejudice, meanwhile they could be saving so many lives, not just of the people who are actually sick, but of all the people who care about that sick person. I wish I could go to those people, every single one of them who find themselves wondering whether this is the right thing to do and show them little Belle and explain how much she needs her mum, how much I need her. Oh-" His voice broke at this and he sobbed plaintively on Kate's shoulder.

Kate patted him on the back and tried to comfort him as best she could, but it all felt so horribly inadequate. Anything she said sounded silly and useless to her, like trying to cover a gaping wound with a tiny band-aid. After a while Maurice collected himself and took Belle home with him, despite Kate's offer that Belle could spend the night if it was easier for him.

That night Kate held Chris extra close to her in bed and made sure to tell her how much she loved her before she turned out the light. Often Chris's snoring irritated her, but that night all she could think of was how grateful she was to hear the sound, to be reminded that her partner was there, healthy and safe and warm beside her.

Her heart went out to Maurice, wherever he was, for she could well imagine him trying in vain sleep that night, after such a day of roller coaster emotions. She could see him in his cold bed all alone, desperately trying to stifle his sobs so little Belle wouldn't hear through the thin walls of their apartment. Kate didn't pray often, but that night she sent up a prayer from her bed, hoping that Belle's mother, Rose would get a new pair of lungs in time and that Maurice and Rose would be able to raise Belle together again soon.

"Look Rum! It's Belle!" she called out to Rumple.

"Belle!" he exclaimed and his already happy face beamed like a sun.

Emma came and took baby Henry back and Belle came over to Rumple.

"Here Rumple, I have a present for you. I- I know it's not that good, but I made part of it myself and you know stuff was going on with my Mum and Dad had to go to the hospital and I couldn't buy you a nice present like everyone else and I'm really sorry Rum, I am! But I hope you like it anyway!" she said, her words tumbling out of her in a torrent of speech.

Gently, Rumple took the plastic bag from Belle. "Thanks Belle. I know whatever it is, it's going to be my favourite."

"But Rumple, it won't, I couldn't get you a real present, like I explained I couldn't get to the—"

"I know," he said, brushing away her protestations. "But it'll still be the best 'cause it's from you."

"For really real?" Belle asked, still not quite believing him.

"For really real," he answered back with a smile.

"Oh Rum!" she exclaimed, overcome with emotion, with all the feelings that had been swirling around inside her since the whole thing with her mother had started and she'd gone to the new school and met Rumple, the boy she now thought of as her best friend.

Quickly, quickly, so fast that it was like the darting of a little fish coming up for a breath at the surface of the water, afraid to linger lest the bigger fish gulp it up; Belle bent down over Rumple. Busy as he was with the process of getting to his feet, he didn't have time to anticipate it as she bent down and kissed him, a quick peck on the left cheek. Rumple was so surprised he forgot that he'd been trying to get up and sat back down on his bottom again.

Humming a little tune, a satisfied Belle skipped off to join Ruby in the other room, leaving Rumple in a daze behind her.

Blushing a little Rumple glanced around, but no one seemed to have notice Belle kissing him. With an extra jolt of energy he grabbed onto the arm of the sofa and pulled himself up to his feet in half a second.

Belle peeked her head out from the doorway to the living room to see if he was coming.

"Hey Rumple we're going to play pin the wand on the wizard!"

"Wait, I'm coming!" said Rumple and followed her, still clutching the plastic bag with his precious gift from Belle inside it.