A/N: Almost at the end!
Ch. 26
"...Rumpelstiltskin will move from Storybrooke permanently," The judge read off.
He was reviewing the contract that Rumple, Belle, Jacob, Jacob's lawyer and David had all signed.
"And it says something here about an enchanted ring?"
"It will glow if the dagger falls into the possession of anyone besides David, Mary Margaret or Henry."
The judge nodded and continued to read.
"A million dollars! Didn't expect that," he mumbled.
After several minutes, he finally looked up at Rumple, Belle and everyone else gathered before him.
"Well, since the victim willingly signed this contract, and it expressly prohibits Mr. Gold from hurting or killing anyone else with his magic, I see no reason not to allow it. However, I would like to be clear that any violation of the contract on his end is grounds for immediate arrest and re-sentencing."
"That's fair," Belle admitted.
"I do have one final request," Rumple said.
"Yes?"
"I'd like to remain in Storybrooke until it's time for the c-section. Doctor Whale knows my medical history, and I'd prefer him to do the procedure. If this means staying in the jail cell for the next two months, I'm fine with it. I don't want to take any chances when it comes to my son's well being."
"Sheriffs Nolan and Swan, can you arrange for this?"
"Well, yeah," Emma replied. "We can figure something out."
The judge nodded.
"Alright, then. Mr. Gold will remain in Storybrooke until the time that his child is born. Once he has recovered, he will permanently move," the judge reiterated.
Belle took Rumple's hand and David shot him a look that said 'I told you so'.
00
"So...I've found some homes in Portland that I thought you might like."
Belle was sitting inside Rumple's cell, which had recently been made slightly more comfortable by the addition of a new mattress, blankets and television.
Belle was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding up her ipad for Rumple to see. He was nearly eight months along now and finding a comfortable position to rest in was near impossible, but for right then, he'd managed to find a good balance between pillows and bedding. He was grateful that Belle was kind enough to hold the ipad for him so that he didn't have to move.
"This one," she said, pulling up a photo of a medium sized gray house, "Is on the edge of town. Has two acres of land, fenced in yard. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, full kitchen and finished basement."
Rumple watched as Belle swiped through some more photos of the place.
It seemed like a decent house, sure, but it wasn't exactly what Rumple was looking for.
"I take it from your expression that you're not interested?" Belle asked.
"It's just… kind of sad, isn't it? The color, and all."
"Since when are you so sentimental about colors and such? Besides, we could repaint it."
"We could. There's also the lack of extra bedrooms, though."
Belle raised an eyebrow.
"You've not yet given birth to Tristan and you're already planning on more?" She smirked.
Rumple rolled his eyes, "I meant for when Henry and Emma and everyone else come to visit."
"Oh, yes. Good point. In that case," Belle quickly searched through her bookmarks before pulling up another listing, "This might be a bit better."
The house was yellow. A bright, sunshine-y yellow. Maybe it was the hormones, but for some reason, it made Rumple happy.
"Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, one acre of land, full kitchen, a study and ooh, a three car garage!"
Rumple smiled and looked through the photos.
The house was lovely. Newly built, with lots of windows to let the light in. He wasn't sure why he liked that so much but for some reason, he did. He snorted, thinking of how Belle would probably laugh if he told her that. Him, the one who'd covered his windows in the dark castle to keep the sunlight away.
Two rooms in particular caught Rumple's interest.
The first was one of the bedrooms. It was on the second floor of the house and had light colored hardwood floors along with three large windows. The walls were painted a very light green color and the window panes painted white to match the ceiling.
It seemed like the perfect place for a nursery. Rumple briefly imagined a crib set up there, Tristan inside, a mobile hanging from the ceiling. Perhaps they could paint a mural on the wall.
Right then, Tristan kicked him hard in the ribs.
"I take it you like it too," Rumple said, under his breath.
"Hm?" Belle asked.
"Ah, nothing. I was just thinking that this room looked like a nice place for Tristan and he happened to kick was all."
Belle smiled and rested a hand on his stomach, feeling Tristan kick yet again.
"That must hurt."
"To be honest I've gotten used to it. Now… There was another interesting room. The study, I believe it was?"
"Yes, there's a study." Belle flipped back to the photo that showed it.
In contrast to the lightly colored bedroom, the study was painted a dark red with even darker maroon colored stripes. The ceiling was painted gold and the floors were covered in a dark hard wood.
"Odd, it doesn't really match the other rooms," Belle noted.
"It doesn't. Yet I really like it. The color scheme, the way it's laid out… Could be a perfect spinning room."
"I could see that."
"And…" Rumple swiped over a few more photos, "Is that a picket fence?"
"Indeed, it is. Do you think it stupid?"
Rumple shook his head.
"Oddly enough, I rather like it. I think we should put in a bid."
00
When Rumple had entered his eight month of pregnancy, Belle had left Granny's. She put her belongings into storage at Rumple's shop and essentially moved in to the jail cell with him.
Everyone thought it was weird, even Rumple.
"Are you sure you want to stay here? It's not particularly nice," He had told her.
"Of course I want to stay. I'll sleep on the floor if need be."
The truth was, with Rumple's due date so quickly approaching, Belle didn't feel right leaving him alone.
Rumple didn't complain much about it, but Belle could see that he was having difficulty getting around and staying comfortable.
Much of the time, Belle did sleep on the floor, if only because she didn't want to take up any extra space on Rumple's small bed. She wanted him to be free to move around as much as he wanted while he slept. That was another thing- he seemed to be sleeping a lot more lately.
Tonight, though, she was sharing the bed with him.
They'd piled up some pillows and Rumple was lying in front of Belle, resting his head and back on her chest. She gently ran a hand through his hair, then trailed it down to his stomach.
From the way he was breathing, Belle guessed that he was sleeping. She kissed the top of his head.
"I love you," she whispered.
To her surprise, Rumple answered.
"I love you too, Belle."
This statement was quickly followed by a loud groan.
"Rum?!" Belle asked, noticing that her husband was starting to writhe in agony. "Rum, what's wrong?!"
Rumple was squirming, or doing so as best he could. Fast as she could Belle slipped out of bed and helped him lie back against the pillows.
"Rumple? Rum, tell me what hurts!"
"Ohhhhh," Rumple groaned again, louder this time.
This caught Emma's attention.
"What's going on?" She asked, walking over to the cell.
"I don't know! Rum, what are you feeling?"
Suddenly, Emma's eyes grew wide.
"Oh, I know what he's feeling. We need to get him to the hospital. That baby's ready to come out."