Part 10 Baelfire

A/N Okay, more back story. Try to stay with me and we'll be going back to Belle in the next part.

The baby started crying and both Rumpel and Glacories started to get up. Rumpel grinned. "Go back to sleep. I've got him."

He got up and made his way to the baby's room. He picked the child up and cradled him in his arms. The boy continued to cry.

Rumpel sleepily weaved his way in to the kitchen, trying to find some of the milk they had saved so Glacories didn't have to get up every time the baby was hungry. He found the milk and walked to the living area where a fire still smoldered. "Are you hungry, Baelfire?"

The baby looked up at his father and Rumpel smiled again. He stoked the fire, added several logs, and then sat down with Baelfire still in his arms. He brought the milk to the baby's lips and he immediately stopped crying. Rumpel glanced at the window. Dawn was on the horizon. Everyone would be up soon.

When Baelfire had eaten enough, Rumpel stood and took him back to his room. He was exhausted, but a smile still lingered on his lips. Had you told him even 5 years before that he would be a father; he'd have blown it off. A father. Him. The boy who was abandoned.

He would never let that happen to Bae. He had made that promise before the child had even come in to the world. He would never leave him alone and lost, not understanding when or if his parents would return. He made that vow and he took it very seriously. Bae would never know that kind of uncertainty.

He slid back in to bed and lay next to Glass. She stirred for a moment. "Is the baby okay?"

Rumpel nodded, although she couldn't see him in the darkness. "Fine. He slept through the night. It's almost dawn."

Glacories came awake at that and turned to look at her husband. "It's not yet midnight, Rumpel."

"The sun is rising, Glass," he answered. "You must have been sleeping harder than you realized."

She made a sound of annoyance. "Did you fall asleep while feeding the baby? Look outside. It's not even midnight." He sighed. She had been doing this for several months now. Trying to create arguments where there should be none. He had thought it was simply exhaustion, but now that they could trade off taking care of the baby, she was getting enough sleep and had no reason to pick fights with him.

He decided to humor her to avoid the inevitable argument and got up, pulling aside the wool they used as a covering for the window. It was pitch black outside. He paused for a moment, staring into the darkness. He was sure he had seen the pinks and purples that announced dawn a few moments ago.

Glacories' voice came from the bed. "See?"

"Yeah. I'll be right back." He left the room and went to the front of their home, pulling aside the door covering to look outside.

There, on the horizon, was a pinkish/red haze. What was it? He padded silently back to the bedroom and roused Glacories, who had fallen back to sleep.

"Glass."

She sighed in aggravation and turned over. "What is it now?"

"Come look at this."

"Why?"

"Glass, the sky is red. Please get up."

She threw back the covers and got up to join him. They quietly moved through the living area to the door. He pulled the door covering back and heard Glacories gasp behind him.

"You see? Have you heard anything? What do you think it is?"

Glass came to stand beside him. "What would I ever hear, Rumpelstiltskin? I have a house to clean and a baby to care for. You're never here during the day, so my going outside to speak to the other ladies in town is out of the question."

"I'm working, Glass. You know that. You've always known that. This life was what you said you wanted. Remember?"

She stared at the eerie sky and sighed. "I know what I said. I guess I assumed you would eventually see that you have a gift with magic and we would go somewhere else."

"Magic again? All magic comes with a price, Glass. What if that price was you? What if it was Bae?"

"At least I'd be out of here," she mumbled under her breath. It caused a sharp stab of pain to shoot through Rumpelstiltskin's body. She had known what he wanted. He had told her he wasn't going to change. Now, suddenly, this life wasn't good enough for her?

"Is that what you really think?"

She sighed heavily and shook her head. "Of course not. I'm tired."

He reached out for her, trying to pull her closer, but she twisted out of his grip and silently went back to bed. Rumpel stood there, staring at the ominous sky for nearly an hour, and then went back to bed as well.