Life was about finding Balance. Good thoughts and bad thoughts, junk food and healthy food, active and inactive, work and play, love and children…there was a balance to it all. Mr. Gold had never particularly worried too much about this balance. Living on his own with no family or friends, he'd always figured he could do whatever he wanted and there would be no repercussions. Rumpelstiltskin, on the other hand, needed balance in his life, especially after the Curse broke and he found himself living for not just a son but for a beautiful woman he was coming to love a little more every day.

He was failing at finding the balance between the two.

In the beginning, just after the Curse had broken and Belle had returned, she'd taken up the bulk of his time. It was natural, with Emma gone and August missing, there had been no clear path to his son. He assumed when they returned that finding his son would be easy, and so he'd invested into Belle, teaching her about the world, pondering what to do with her, and preparing for the day he might leave her behind to fetch Baelfire. They'd grown together in that time, developed a relationship, one that was emotional and physical and just about anything else it could be. They'd gotten into routines and habits. They took care of one another. He spent far too much time thinking about her at work, counting down the hours until he saw her again, and though he'd disliked it in the beginning, she always had a meal prepared when he walked in the door, and his home was cleaner than it had been in twenty-eight years. Life seemed perfect, at least until news about the town line struck, and now…

Now he was busy. The balance had shifted. He was more focused on Bae than he was on Belle. He took his meals with Belle, and he held her every night until she slept, but instead of staying by her side, he'd taken to getting up, kissing her forehead so that bad memories would keep her dreams sweet, and then retreating to the basement before sneaking back into bed in the early morning hours. He thought it was getting away with it, but tonight seemed to have disproved that theory. She might not have known that he left her in the middle of the night, might not have known just how distracted he was when they sat together on the back porch or after dinner, but he felt like she sensed it in some ways. He felt like what happened when he'd gotten home might have had something to do with it.

He needed to balance his life. He was neglecting her. He'd been spending too much time working on Bae, and he needed to find a way to shift some attention to Belle, to remind her that she was a priority to him. He wanted to do something special for her, truly special. Chocolates and flowers would be nice, but she'd be happy about it for all of one night before she grew restless again. He didn't want to promise her anything that he couldn't keep; he already felt guilty enough for tricking her into a "deal." A library had worked in the Enchanted Forest, but he doubted he could pull that off again.

A thought finally came to him in the early hours of the day. He needed balance. She needed to get out of the house. He needed to spend some more time with her to make up for what he'd taken in trying to find his son. She needed to be pampered and have space. He needed privacy, somewhere that he could be sure they would talk about Baelfire. She needed a place where she could be relaxed and listen to him without distraction.

He didn't need to take her across the town line to accomplish those things. He just needed to make some preparations and then take a few days off of work. So that morning, he kissed Belle and left for work as he always did, but didn't go to the shop.

Broken Curse or not, legally, he owned the town of Storybrooke. This meant he still owned the cabins in the woods people rented from him, including the one he used for himself. During the Curse, he had memories of Gold using it but now knew that the only thing he'd ever used if for had been to teach Moe French a lesson and make a deal with Sidney Glass. It was a bit dusty, but he cleaned it to perfection with a wave of his hand. He filled the drawers in the bedroom with clothes for himself and Belle, he made sure that the kitchen was stocked with food, and there was plenty of chopped wood outside. He stood on the dock and looked out over the lake to see many of the other cabins in the area. All were empty. That was what made this perfect.

In the middle of the broken Curse, no one was thinking about going to the lake for a getaway; they were all too busy finding family members and figuring out who the hell they were in this world. No one wanted to rent from the Dark One, at least not any more than they normally did. And that meant complete privacy. It was another weekend. It was an opportunity to bring Belle here, to let her hike, to stretch her legs, read outdoors, even go swimming if she wanted, though with the water this chilly, he doubted that would be a sound option. Although, as he stared at the fireplace and magically placed a blanket over the back of the couch, he acknowledged that a chill in her bones could provide opportunities for other, far more romantic things.

He added some finishing touches to it before he left; a new book by that author from this realm she'd loved in his castle, a spinning wheel in the corner for him, a couple of bottles of wine to help him loosen his tongue when the time came to talk about Baelfire. And then he left. Barely ten, and he returned home. A weekend with Belle, that thought excited him, even if the thought that he'd have to truly ignore Baelfire for the weekend depressed him. But this was the right thing to do. This would reset the balance, give her time Bae had taken. It was necessary.

She was worried when he pulled up to the house unexpectedly. He could see the panic on her face almost right away as she met him at the door.

"What's happened? What's wrong?" she demanded. He smiled, trying to settle her as he led her back into the house.

"I don't want to get your hopes up," he explained, suddenly feeling nervous. "We're not going into town, but there is somewhere I want to take you."

Her jaw dropped, her mouth opening and closing before a smile blossomed over her face, and she threw herself at him. He sighed as he returned the embrace, feeling her joy spring up around them. She was happy. This was a good idea. She was going to love it.

"When do we leave?" she asked, pulling away from him and revealing her smile and excitement again, the exact opposite of the mood she'd been in yesterday.

"Right now, if you're ready."

"I am! I mean…I think I am. Do I need anything?"

"Not a thing. Unless, of course, there is something that you wish to bring." She didn't hesitate when she shook her head. That was desperation to get out of the house, to go on an adventure. The news that they were leaving was enough. For now, he hoped that she liked the rest of it. "Come with me."

She beamed the entire way into the car, and as they drove, she spent the entire time looking out the windows. That was the first time that it really sank into him as to how long she'd been cooped up. It was only her second time in a car, her second time going anywhere. The last time they'd done this was the night he'd summoned the Wraith, and it had been dark. It seemed so long ago. Suddenly he found himself thinking that if it were him, he'd probably feel a bit contained too.

He watched her as best he could while he drove into the forest, watched her eyes sparkle with wonder, and then the joy that came from something familiar as they got closer to a place she didn't know existed. He had thought, before he'd left her that morning, that he could take her with him right then. He could have told her to pack a bag, told her his plans for their weekend. But he hadn't, and now he was happy for it. He didn't want this to seem forced or like it was a chore or a punishment. He wanted this. He wanted to watch her smile as she wondered. He wanted to surprise her. Oh, he hoped she'd be surprised. He hoped that it would be enough. He hoped she'd love it.

Suddenly it was his own heart that was pounding in anticipation as they turned down the dirt road that would bring them to the cabin. He observed her as they approached it slowly. There was curiosity on her face as she stared through the window at the cabin before he shut off the car engine, making it clear they'd arrived. He held his breath, waiting for her to react or say something. Finally, she smiled again as her eyes went wide, taking it in.

"Where are we?" Her voice was lyrical like she was laughing even when she wasn't.

"This is my cabin," he smiled.

Her eyes roamed over the building in front of her, not much different from a home that might have existed in the Enchanted Forest, though he doubted she'd ever experienced this kind of life. When Regina had first suggested she'd been kicked out of her home, before she'd told him that she was dead, this was exactly the type of home he'd thought she might enjoy. He hoped she'd enjoy it.

"Your cabin? Another house?" She looked sideways at him, and he nodded for her before turning back to it. "You live here too?"

"Well…not really," he admitted. "But it is mine. I made a deal a very long time ago with Regina for wealth and comfort in this world when she enacted the Curse. This became part of it."

And then it happened. As she listened to his tale and stared at it, a smile slowly broke over her face. "I hope she got something decent out of it."

He let go of the breath he'd been holding onto. She liked it. She was making jokes. That meant she was happy. He'd surprised her, and she was happy and excited about it. He'd done well.

"Come on. I'll show you around." She followed him out of the car as he reached for his keys. "The porch is covered and good for rainy days. You can drag a chair out and watch it pour while never getting wet. That's why the logs are kept there," he rambled as she looked it all over, and he unlocked the door. He couldn't tell if she was listening or not. When he'd turned to usher her inside, he found that she wasn't looking at him but at the forest around her. Happily?

"Belle?"

Yes. Happily. When she turned back, he saw her smiling like she'd just been given the best gift he could have offered.

Inside, she inspected the cabin in a way that told him she wouldn't have listened even if he did talk, so instead, he just let her wander, let her look around. It was small, he knew that, smaller than his house. But he figured she'd find its size cozy. And small or not, it did have all the comforts of home. The living room was basic, but the kitchen was capable of producing gourmet meals and the bathtub…he felt himself fight to contain a blush as he realized for the first time in his life that the bathtub was big enough for two. That was finally something that mattered in his life.

"The kitchen is well stocked," he commented to get his mind from that. He imagined they would have lots of time here to be together in that way, but they were here so that they could talk so that he could tell her about Baelfire. Though he was amazed at how easily she could reduce him, a man who was hundreds of years old, to boyish nerves and fantasies. "The bedroom and bathroom are just through that door, and I think you'll find everything you'll need is already here. I know it's not much, but-"

"It's perfect," she stated quietly, with a smile that eased any fears and anxieties he'd had. They were going to have a great weekend here.

"You can do anything you like here," he explained. "No one knows we are here, and very few know where this place is or that I own it. You can go outside any time you wish, go anywhere you desire, although I must ask of you to remain somewhat close by as I cannot make promises that you won't come across a few hikers. There's even a lake if you feel so inclined to swim, although I doubt it's warm enough. Weather in Maine rarely gets warm enough even in the summertime…"

His throat tightened as she came closer to him and rested her hands over his own on his cane. She met his eyes, and he noticed that they were bright and shining. "You did this for me?"

Those words…the last time that she'd said that to him had been when he'd surprised her with her library. As he'd told her before, that hadn't been so much for her as it was for him, to ease him of the guilt of that awful trip he'd dragged her on. But this…this was for her. And it wasn't. It was for her to get a bit of freedom, some fresh air. But it was also for him. It was so that she could tell her about Baelfire.

This wasn't a trip for either of them. It was for both of them. Together. He'd surprised himself without even knowing it.

"I know it's not town," he muttered, fitting their fingers together. "And I know that I haven't been around as often as I should be; old habits are hard to break. I just…"

He was sorry. He was sorry for a lot of things. In their past and their present. He wanted to tell her. The words just didn't come.

"Rumple," she smiled. "It's perfect. Thank you, for…for all this."

"It's not forever," he reminded her. "It's only for the weekend, but after that, we can plan trips to come back if it makes you happy."

It would. He could tell just by her expression it would. He could tell by the way she wound her arms over his shoulders to hold him that she understood even what went unsaid and that all this made her very happy.

"You make me happy," she whispered in his ear. "That's all I need."

He sighed in relief as he rested his neck against her neck. So, it would be done. If this was how he found balance, then that was what he would do.

"So…what would you like to do first, my darling Belle?"

That first paragraph, that's it. That's the true focus and theme of this fiction, in a way. I know I have mentioned it before, but it's all about him finding balance and combining those things he thinks he has to balance into one life. I like this chapter in his point of view because it shows that he finally has a knowledge and understanding of what he needs to do. He needs to find balance, and he needs to tell Belle about Baelfire. Will he manage to do it? I'll let you be the judge.

Thank you Alarda and Grace5231973 so much for your reviews and your kind thoughts until now on this fiction. I can't wait to see what you think about this chapter and Rumple's ongoing search for balance. This chapter was fun to write and imagine when writing for Belle, but flipping the coin and seeing it from Rumple's eyes, hearing his thoughts and seeing his nervousness, that was super interesting to me! I hope you'll find it interesting too. Peace and Happy Reading!