Under the Sea

A/N: Finally, finally, finally, FINALLY, I have found my alternate ending. I realize the show has progressed way beyond this, but I wrote this ages ago. For those of you who asked for it, you are very welcome!

Epilogue: Alternate Ending

The little church was filled with people. There was hardly enough room for everyone to sit and so lawn chairs had been added in some of the aisles to accommodate everyone. It was hard to fit them in with all the white and yellow flowers, but somehow they had managed. Initially, they had meant it to be a small wedding. But since the curse had been broken, they decided it might be fitting to have a grand celebration. And so it was, everyone in town had been invited and of course, everyone in town had come. Even him.

He sat in the very last row, not wanting to be so close to everything happening in the front. He didn't need it to hurt more than it already was. But perhaps he shouldn't think that; perhaps he should be happy because of the lovely woman on his arm who was accompanying him on such a joyful day. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and smiled. Perhaps he had lost one, but he had regained another and that was just as good. He glanced back, looking to see if this wedding would start soon, and his smile turned wistful at the thought. Because of course, he had never really had her.

But there was no bride to be seen yet. It seemed as though they were running late. He couldn't help but wonder if she'd be in the most beautiful wedding gown he had seen in this world. It would be fitting, he thought, for a princess. He hoped she kept her hair pulled back because it was too lovely of a face to keep hidden. And he hoped, strangely enough, that she remembered him and that he might see a sunflower tucked in just above her ear.

"Oh, this is such a lovely wedding, don't you think?" Belle murmured softly from his side. He turned to look at her then, offering her a gentle smile. She had no idea the thoughts going through his head, would not know the thoughts going through his head. He thought he was better off for it, with her.

"Very lovely," he agreed, his voice soft and kind because this was Belle and he owed her everything. And he loved her, right? She was his true love. This is how it was supposed to be.

"I can only hope our wedding is so nice," she said with a great big smile. But his throat was constricting so all he could do was nod and turn to face the front once more. He wished it were over already, but it had yet to begin.

OOO

Ariel stood before the mirror, smoothing her hands down over her dress. She took several deep breaths and tried to calm her nerves. As if that was all she was feeling. A little nervous. She closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten, but then she was biting her lip and forcing tears back. She couldn't cry. Not now. She'd ruin her freshly applied make-up. She was about to be married. This wedding had to be perfect. It had to be…

A sob escaped her lips and she wrapped an arm around herself, steadying herself against the mirror with the other. She couldn't keep kidding herself. This was not what she wanted, what would make her happy. She had to do it though. She didn't have anything else, and if she didn't she'd be letting so many people down. She opened her eyes and gently wiped a few lingering tears away, careful of her make-up. Then she straightened her posture, squared her shoulders, and with a quick glance at the clock, smoothed her dress one more time. It was show time.

Before she could even move herself to the door, a knock sounded. She frowned, having not expected anybody. She had already sent out her bridesmaids and sisters just moments before, asking for a bit of last solitude. Perhaps one of them had come to check on her or maybe her father had been sent to fetch her.

"Come in," she called, turning to greet her visitor. She was surprised when Eric walked in, smiling sheepishly at her gaping mouth.

"You look like a fish," a laughing voice echoed in her head and she immediately closed her mouth.

"Eric, you're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding," she chastised lightly, a small smile playing at her lips. "It's bad luck!"

"I needed to talk to you," he said seriously and took a few steps towards her.

"What about?" she asked, her heart racing in anticipation.

"I was thinking about before when you…cheated on me," he said slowly and Ariel frowned.

"I thought we got past that," she murmured and he smiled sadly.

"We did. I did. Because I love you, Ariel. But you…you loved him, didn't you?" The question came as a surprise and she searched for a response, but she didn't know what to say. He continued anyways and his next words really shocked her. "It's Monsieur Green, isn't it? Er, I guess Mr. Gold here."

"How…how did you…"

"I know I'm not the smartest person, Ariel, but I'm not dumb. Back in our land, I remember the way you used to look at him when he came to visit, the way you still look at him. I saw the way you acted around him at our shower. You…you spent that night with him, didn't you?"

"I…" She bit her lip and looked away, bunching her hands in the skirt of her dress. "Yes."

"I can't marry you," he said firmly and she snapped her gaze back to him, her eyes widening.

"What? Why?" she panicked, but he smiled and took a step forward, gently cupping her face in one hand.

"Because it's not what you want," he calmly explained. "It's not what will make you happy. I'm letting you go. So do me one last thing and go find him." She smiled gratefully at him, but still the tears welled up in her eyes.

"He already has his true love. He doesn't want me. There's no point," she breathed and his smile saddened. He brushed her tears away and then pulled her into a hug she welcomed.

"Don't say that," he commanded softly, hugging her tight. "He looked at you the same way you looked at him. He couldn't stop that no matter how much he wanted to. He loves you. I've never been more sure of anything in my life." He pulled back and held her by the shoulders. "Go. I'll deal with the guests." She smiled and hugged him one more time.

"Thank you, Eric. Thank you."

"Just promise you'll find what makes you happy."

"I promise."

OOO

The groom appeared in the aisle and as soon as the band noticed, they started to play. However, he waved his arms at them frantically, signaling for them to stop. They did, clearly not happy. The groom approached the podium at the front of the church and turned to face the congregation. Already they were confused and murmuring among themselves.

"I hope everything's okay," Belle spoke quietly to Gold, but he wasn't paying her any attention. Not right now. His heart was speeding up and he was openly frowning at the groom.

"Hello, everyone," Eric finally broke through the tense air. He smiled half-heartedly and waved awkwardly. "Thank you all so much for coming. It's, uh, it's been great. Really. Unfortunately, there won't be a wedding today. Or ever, actually."

"What?" Triton roared from the back, his face turning red in anger as more murmurs and gasps spread through the guests. Sebastian stood beside him, trying to calm his friend down and hide his knowing smile. Scuttle and Flounder didn't seem surprised, exchanging a glance with each other and then Eric from their new spot in the back of the church behind the seats. Gold's frown deepened.

"Where is she?" Triton bellowed and Eric laughed nervously.

"She's gone," he said simply and then he made his escape.

Gold sat beside Belle, his heart racing as he curled a fist in his lap. His head was spinning and his mouth was try. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ariel, his Ariel, wasn't getting married today, would never marry Eric. His heart wanted to soar and his stomach wanted to flutter, but how could he let them? She still wasn't his; he still couldn't–

A soft touch of a hand over his fist pulled him from his thoughts. He hardly noticed the emptying church. He hadn't even heard Belle trying to get his attention. He finally turned to look at her, turning his hand over to hold hers. She was smiling sadly at him, but he didn't know why and then she squeezed his hand.

"Eric was right," she said softly and he frowned, his brow furrowing.

"Excuse me?" he tried to get her to clarify.

"I talked to him earlier, before I sat down," she explained. "We talked for quite a bit; he told me what I'd missed. And he was right. You do love her. I can…I can see it in your face. She is your true love."

"No," he denied and shook his head. "I love you, Belle." She laughed.

"You might love me," she said, "but it's not the same."

"But–"

"I'm letting you go," she interrupted and took her hand from his as if to physically show it. He looked down at his hand, now empty of hers, and then back at Belle, smiling apologetically.

"I'm sorry," he said and she smiled.

"I know you are."

"It just happened."

"True love does that."

"She's…she's something."

"So go get her."

OOO

He found her in the newly built playground. Usually filled with laughing children, it was empty now save her. She sat on a swing, still in her wedding dress, gently moving back and forth as she hummed a tune he vaguely recognized and carefully twirled her sunflower in her lap. She looked up at him slightly surprised when he approached her and he realized the crunch of mulch beneath his feet must have given him away. But then she let out a short laugh and looked back at her flower as he sat down in the swing beside hers. They sat in silence for a bit, neither of them sure what to say or rather, how to say it. He broke the silence first.

"That's a very lovely sunflower," he noted, motioning towards its place in her lap. She smiled, but still she did not look his way. "Wherever did you get the idea to do something like that?"

"There was a man I knew once," she said softly, her smile growing. "He suggested it for another wedding, though I never got the chance. It was supposed to be my something borrowed, a borrowed idea." He smirked.

"He must have been a brilliant man," he commented drying and she laughed, sparing him a glance.

"Oh, yes. He was very brilliant and quite wonderful, if I do say so myself," she said back as seriously as she could, but the large smile on her face gave her away. It was his turn to laugh.

"So I take it you cared about this fabulous bloke?" he continued the joke and she nodded.

"Very much," she said, her voice cracking a bit as he pulled her closer. "I…I loved him very very much."

She looked at him then, more than just a glance. He studied her for a moment until she offered him a small smile. He smiled back.

"Did you now?" he whispered, his face blank once more as their eyes met. She just smiled more.

"Yes," she whispered back. "And I do believe he loved me very very much as well." Here his stoic façade broke and a sad smile wormed its way onto his face.

"I believe he did too," he said softly.

They didn't say anything for a bit after that. He wasn't sure there was anything else to say. But she tore her gaze away from him and looked down at her sunflower. Her hands wrapped around the chains of the swing and she pursed her lips in thought. This time, she broke the silence first.

"You never came for me," she whispered. He frowned.

"You left me," he retorted. She did her best not to look at him.

"You got Belle. And you never came for me." They were quiet for a bit again. She was right, but so was he. Then he spoke.

"I'm here now." A smile tugged at her lips.

"Yes. Yes you are." And then he couldn't take it anymore.

All those times of wanting nothing more than to hold her close and kiss her and never let her go came rushing back to him, though he wasn't sure the feeling had ever left. So he reached over until his hands covered hers on the chains. Then he pulled her close and kissed her hard. Her eyes fluttered closed, she smiled against his lips, and the sunflower fell to the ground where it lay forgotten. His arms moved to wrap around her waist and her arms moved about his neck. He pulled her into his lap, their lips never one separating.

Then her dress was hiked up, covering both their laps still, and his trousers were unbuttoned and he was inside her. Sex on a swing was an awkward thing to do at first, but they still did it. Even when they fell off, they just laughed and kissed and finished. Because they needed it, that closeness, that feeling of the other losing control and coming undone. When they were though, they lay on the mulch panting and still attached and still clinging tight to the other. Her eyes opened and their gazes met and she smiled.

"You look good in white," he murmured and she laughed as he leaned down to flutter kisses over her neck.

"My dress is ruined from being in this mulch," she said and he smirked at her.

"So we'll get you a better one," he said and the laughter faded from her face as she stared up at him in surprise.

"What?" she breathed and he smiled, gently brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.

"I'm not letting you go again," he whispered and she grinned before tilting her head up and kissing him. Then he rolled his hips against hers and she moaned.

"Rumpel," she gasped and he chuckled, fluttering kisses over her neck once more.

"I love hearing you say my name." She laughed.

"Rumpel, we're in a public place."

"So? You weren't complaining about that earlier." More kisses. She tilted her head.

"Yes, well, I'm thinking more clearly now and someone could see us!" He bit back a laugh.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Let's go home."

"I do like that idea." So they did.

FIN.

And that is truly truly the end of this. Thank you all so much for following along, and many many apologies for years without an alternate ending! I hope this one was satisfying to some degree.

Also, as a side note, I've decided to rewrite my story "Hands On Me." Many of you have possibly read it, so if you've really enjoyed that story then favorite and follow it so you can keep up to date on the new updates! I will rework the story first so there is time if you haven't read it yet and would like to do so before it becomes even better. (My writing has improved greatly, even from this epilogue –much apologies for not reworking this!)

Now please, review and let me know what you thought!