The first time he'd ever felt magic in his body, it came as an invasion. He'd stabbed Zoso, and his hand couldn't let go of the knife. Magic, strange and foreign, had overcome him, changed him, altered every limb, every cell, even his own DNA. He hadn't known the words for it then, hadn't understood how deep the transformation went, only that he'd felt it down to the marrow of his bones. He'd felt fear as magic invaded; he'd felt uncertainty and foolishness that he hadn't known what would happen or what was happening. Magic crawled into his body, overpowered who he'd been, and when the war was over, he was something new.

This time was different.

The pillar of magic rose up and then expanded so rapidly that he didn't have time to prepare for it. He heard Belle give a sound of shock and felt her as she turned to huddle against his chest, frightened as the first time he'd been when he'd first been given magic. He held her but smiled before closing his eyes and letting the breeze of it wash over him. There was nothing to fear this time. Only anticipation…

If the first time had been an invasion, this time was like a dam breaking apart to release the floodwaters. He could feel it all over his body, but his head most of all. It was as if his magic had been stored in a crate that was far too small, and now it all came tumbling out of him, bursting forth with an energy that made him grip Belle tighter just to stay anchored on the ground. Magic, his own magic, poured back into him, soaking him through to the bone, making him stronger. It wasn't a transformation, not at all, because he wasn't becoming something new. He was being restored. Mr. Gold had always been Rumpelstiltskin in some strange way, just without his magic. And now that last piece of himself, the thing that had been missing from him for twenty-eight years, rolled back into place.

And with it came…

Voices.

He couldn't have one without the other. He couldn't have magic but not the Seer. He couldn't be the Dark One and not have the others in his head just as they'd been the moment he took his Curse. They'd been in him all this time, locked away in that too small box, unable to talk, to growl, to order, to advise. Free again, they had a lot to say.

The chatter in his head was overwhelming. It was loud. There were too many voices, too many sounds to make out words or phrases. Not even Nimue came through clearly. It was as though they'd been keeping a running commentary on his life all these twenty-eight years, and now he was experiencing every comment and question, every joke and insistence, all of it all at once. They were confusing him, disorienting him, confounding and drowning him out so that-

And then she was there.

He felt a void against his chest where someone had once been.

Belle.

She'd pulled away from him slightly and was looking around. And then back at him.

Her eyes. He loved her eyes. He would be lost in them if he stared forever.

Better to be lost in her eyes than in the cacophony of dozens of Dark Ones and a Seer.

Dark Ones and a Seer…

He looked over at the well, calm and peaceful once more. The magical cloud had dissipated.

He'd done it. He'd actually done it. He was in the same realm as Baelfire, the Curse was broken, and magic was restored. He could go. He could find his son! He could-

Another void, the feeling of absence, drew his attention back to Belle. He hadn't realized that he'd still had an arm around her, not until she started to move away and now.

"My darling Belle…" he reached back out to grab her, to pull her back to him. Yes, the Curse was broken. And yes, with magic restored, he was free to find his son. But she was a reminder that there were still things he needed to do here before he could leave. Including one task he hadn't planned on. Not until he'd seen her again. "You have to tell me what happened to you."

"I was abducted," she answered quickly. There wasn't a single bit of hesitation in her voice, no desire to question what had happened because she knew it to be true. She hadn't left of her own free will when he'd dismissed her and been in hiding. She'd been taken from him. And he had a feeling he knew who had done it. Not her father, believable as that was, but rather the woman who had tried to convince him it was her father in the first place; the woman who had done everything she could to control the narrative...

"Regina…" he growled.

She frowned but nodded in confirmation. "She locked me away until her curse, and I've been in the asylum ever since."

"For twenty-eight years?"

She nodded, and he felt his body tense as the newly returned magic inside of him longed to flex its power in any way...even this one. An asylum. His Belle? The most level-headed intelligent person he'd ever known. And Regina had kept her in a place like that, a padded cell all this time?! Nearly three decades!

"All these years, you've been here," he snarled. "Alive!"

"Is…is that why you did this? Why you wanted magic?" Belle pressed, coming closer with a look of suspicion on her face. "For revenge?"

"Oh no. But it might come in handy…"

"No."

Indeed, his mind was already beginning to fill up with all matter of fair punishments he could bestow upon the woman he no longer needed. He'd tolerated her as long as he had to in the Enchanted Forest because he needed her to get here. Here in Storybrooke, he'd gone through the hassle of handling her because he'd needed her to get Emma to play her role. But now that they were here and the Curse was broken, he had no more use for her. And he wasn't going to let her get away with this.

"No!" Belle cried, forcing his attention back on her. But she couldn't understand, didn't understand. And his magic…oh, his magic wanted out so badly!

"I cannot let this stand, Belle. I will not let this stand!"

"Look…" And then she took a step closer so that it made his breath catch and the darkness inside of him flinch. He could still hardly believe that she was alive, let alone close and…touching him. Her hands reached out to hold his own. They were warm and just as steady as her eyes. It was like a balm for his temper.

"Promise me," she whispered. "Promise me you won't give in to your hate. Promise you won't kill her."

No. No, absolutely not! He huffed and shook his head. He would do many things for the woman before him, but he couldn't promise such a thing. He and Regina had a precarious relationship as it was; if he just let this go, let her walk away after holding Belle hostage from him and attempting to free her with terrible, half-assed agreements, she'd take the upper hand, she'd think he was weak. It would be so much easier to simply-

"Promise me," Belle insisted, gripping his hand tighter so that she recalled his gaze again, "and we can be together."

The voices inside of him hissed to life, excited and eager.

Deal, they hissed.

It's a deal!

Make a deal!

Just as his magic wanted to work, to stretch, to be active, the Dark Ones were just as eager to do their part again as well. And what Belle had said…

It was a deal. It might not have sounded like it, but that's what it was. Don't kill Regina, and in return…they could be together.

He felt something in his chest shudder and melt, leaving him breathless. "Be together." Two words with a very serious implication. She wanted to be with him, to stay with him. Not as they had been before, living in the castle as two separate entities but...together! The thought of it left him trembling. His eyes filled with tears at her wishes, and he was shocked to find her own did as well. He'd dreamed of this, imagined it, and hoped for it even when he'd thought she was dead. But to hear it from her mouth! He wanted what she wanted. She wanted what he wanted. All these years, he thought he'd just wanted Baelfire, but now that she was here beside him again, he wanted her too, just as he always had in the castle. He wanted to talk with her, to hold her, to laugh with her. He wanted to experience everything he'd seen in those visions of her. He wanted to keep touching her. And maybe even do a little bit more than that.

Don't kill Regina, and he could have it…he could make that deal.

"Oh, Sweetheart…" he reached out and let the back of his knuckles graze against her cheek. She didn't pull away from him or hesitate, just stared at him with anticipation and fear. She needed to hear the words, he realized. After what had happened in the castle, after he'd favored Regina and sent her into the world to be captured, she needed to hear that he was choosing her this time. Even as the voices opposed it, he chose her.

"I promise," he nodded with a simple smile.

She smiled too, taking a timid step toward him that made a resolve he hadn't known he'd been carrying since he left the shop snap.

He chose her. He wanted her to know he was choosing her.

So even as she came closer, he let the hand at her cheek wrap around her neck and gave her a gentle tug forward. He braced himself for the kiss, allowed his Curse to reclaim those burrowed holes within his soul, and dig their way in before he did it so that True Love's Kiss couldn't threaten him as it had before. He braced himself…but there was still no preparing for it.

He'd wanted to kiss her for decades, to be the one bold enough to do it right. He wanted to be gentle, to close his eyes and just relish in the feel of her lips on his as he hadn't before. But he couldn't be, not when that was the painful memory that rose to the surface of his mind. "Kiss me again," she'd begged once upon a time. Then he'd forced her away. Never again.

So he wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer, hip to hip, chest to chest. She gave as much as she took. He felt her fingers in his hair, pressing into the base of his skull, felt the way her arms wrapped around him like she didn't want it to end either. Passion, heat, gratitude, love…he felt it all. He'd never had a kiss like that before. He'd never given one like it before, and he knew he never would again. Not to anyone but her.

The need for air demanded they stop, let themselves breathe. He let his eyes drift open to the sight of her still only inches away from him. He wanted to do it again. He wanted to kiss her a hundred times over, to live in that feeling forever. But the smile that she gave him was unique and special all on its own. And when she closed her eyes and lowered her head to his shoulder before he pulled her closer, he realized there were other forms of intimacy he couldn't wait to experience with her too…

Just as soon as he'd taken care of Regina.

Don't kill Regina, and he could have this…he realized as he held her tighter to him.

Don't kill Regina…there were so many loopholes in that request.

Hi! For those of you that are just checking out this fiction, welcome! For those of you who are a fan of the Chronicles of the Dark One, welcome back! I hope you'll enjoy this fiction. It's the 6th in the Chronicles, a series that is an attempt at an accurate portrayal of Rumple's perspective during the Once Upon a Time series. This fiction features everything that happened in Storybrooke from the moment that magic returns to Storybrooke in "Broken" up to the moment that Belle is shot at the town line in "The Outsider".

The Dark One Chronicles is meant to be a companion series with The Moments Series, which explores Once Upon a Time from Belle's perspective. This means that everything you read in the Chronicles where Belle is concerned will show up in Moments as well. It is just told from a different point of view. If you'd like to see Belle's chapters from her perspective, Moments Seen and Unseen is the companion story to The Chronicles of the Dark One: Magical Loopholes! You can find The Moments Series by checking out my profile.

If you enjoy this fiction, please review! I always enjoy those wonderful gems waiting for me in my inbox and I love writing back to thank you personally for reading! It helps me know that I'm doing a decent job! Peace and Happy Reading!