A glare coming from the window beside him might have been the saddest sight he'd ever seen in his entire life. Hiding the dagger had been freeing. Yesterday, the day that followed, had been wonderful. Last night had been exquisite. But this morning, mere hours ago, had been quite possibly the happiest moment of them all. And she'd missed it.

He'd woken to use the bathroom, asked her politely, and managed to stir her enough so that she would roll over for him. When he returned, he settled back into the bed, glanced over to her, whispering her name so that she'd know he was there and ready for her again…

And then it happened…

He caught a flash of her brown hair on the pillow, her bare shoulder poking out from under the sheet. And then she turned, revealing her face to him, her head rested on his shoulder as it always did, her arm wrapped around his chest. Without giving himself permission, while feeling utterly bewildered already, he reached down to grab her hand, checked that she was still asleep, and saw her smile. A familiar smile. One that he knew…because he'd seen it before.

This was the vision, the one that had tormented him for years before he'd seen the second half of it. The woman in his bed with brown hair…he'd convinced himself that one time he'd seen Belle's face in it had been a dream, a fantasy. But it played out now just like it always had. It was the outcome he hadn't expected but always wanted. The best thing he could have hoped for, and as she stayed quietly asleep on his chest, he felt himself clutch her tighter to him while he began to cry.

This was what was always meant to happen, what the Seer had seen and told him about ever since he'd acquired her powers of foresight. A woman that was meant for him and him alone. Beautiful, stunning, the only one that he wanted.

He wanted to marry her.

He wasn't even sure where that thought or that desire came from. It had come on so quickly. There were a million reasons he should have rejected that notion, a million reasons he should be convincing himself that he couldn't let her make a commitment like that to him, and yet…he wanted to marry her. He wanted this. All his life. Forever. Every day and every night, he wanted to wake up with her folded into him just like this. He wanted to call her his wife. He'd never wanted to call a woman wife in all his life. Not until now. He wanted to put the best ring he had in his shop on her finger, wanted to have one himself that announced to the world that he belonged to her.

Not today. Now wasn't the time. There were other things he wanted, other things he needed to do, like test his potion and find Baelfire, before he could ask her to marry him. But he wanted to. And somehow, he knew, one day he would. One day he would ask her to marry him, to make him a husband again and give him the chance to do things right, the way they were supposed to be done. Maybe they'd find a way to break his curse now that the ties he'd put on it were stronger. Maybe one day they'd have that baby that he'd imagined in her arms all those years ago.

But not today.

The room lightening indicating that morning was approaching, called him out of his thoughts. Baelfire called for him. As much as he wanted to close his eyes, go back to sleep, and live these last couple of days all over again, he knew that he couldn't. To begin with, there was too much going on in town. With the murder of the cricket and Regina on the run, he'd need to check-in, to take stock of what was going on. And as much as he loved spending time with Belle, Bae still needed him. He'd spent enough time indulging in the two of them; his son needed attention too. Besides, if they stayed in bed like this together forever, at some point, it would lose its attraction. Although he was sure they could go on for a week or two, it was best to save up their energy. It would feel just as good the next time they got to do this as it had over the last few hours. He hated it, but he had to go.

"Beautiful Belle," he whispered against her. She stirred, but only just barely. Enough for him to know that she was in the shallows of consciousness when she curled around him. He recalled how possessive she'd been the last time this had happened. She was going to make this difficult again.

"It's morning, Sweetheart."

"Don't leave yet," she muttered against her.

He squeezed her tight and kissed her head. She was going to make it hard indeed.

"I don't want to go either. But want and need are two very different things. And if I don't go now, I don't think I'll be able to leave you later."

He expected more argument. He braced himself for the way she might cling tighter to him or engage him again in an activity she knew he wouldn't refuse. But instead, she sighed heavily, gave him a small squeeze of her own, raised herself up to kiss him again, and then rolled over to the other side of the bed, releasing him from her grasp.

She turned her back and practically clung to the edge of "her side." He would have thought that she was upset with him, but he understood the motion. If she didn't get away from him, she was likely to roll over and pull him back to her. And if he didn't get up now, he was likely to roll over and hold her close again, taking another day from Baelfire. No, it was time to go.

He picked himself up and hung on the side of the mattress, trying to locate the place his blasted cane had landed. There, by the foot of the bed, after they'd showered yesterday and climbed back into bed. He hobbled over, grabbed his cane, and went about fetching what he needed. He drank a glass of water, started some muffins for himself and later for her. He turned on the water in the shower and struggled through a shower as hers wasn't equipped with a rail to hold himself up with his injury, acknowledging that showers were a lot more fun when they were doing it together. Then again, everything was more fun when they were together. Maybe, later, she could drop by the store, and they could spend some time together as he worked, then he wouldn't be missing anything. He didn't have to choose between Bae and Belle.

How was this going to work? How was he going to be Bae's parent and put him ahead of everything when she was so close by, and he just wanted to spend all his time with her? How did men do this naturally? How did they master the ability to be father and lover all at once? Hell, how did they manage to be fathers, lovers, friends, brothers, sons, and a million other things all at once?! He was haven't enough trouble with two!

He stepped out of the shower and quietly moved around the room. Not that it was necessary to be quiet. She was awake, her eyes were heavy with a deep desire for sleep, but she was still watching him as he moved, removed the baked muffins, and dressed in one of the suits he'd brought over yesterday. Maybe he should bring more over. He sure as hell wasn't going to let her spend nights here alone, knowing what was going on with Regina. Besides, he liked the little apartment. It was close to town, it was simple, and it was enough for the two of them. Hell, the only reason he liked having a big house was for its status. He'd trade having her in her tiny apartment for his empty house any day of the week. And he liked having clothes here.

"I'm happy you stayed," she whispered into the room as he buttoned his clean shirt.

"Not as happy as I am," he muttered back, turning up his collar. He felt clean, but he'd take that sweaty thick smell of sex and a day with her over feeling clean and fresh any day of the week. She rolled and grabbed something over his side of the bed, rewarding him with a tempting view of the small of her back before he saw what she'd reached for. The tie he'd been wearing a couple of days ago. It hadn't wrinkled, miraculously, and it would look better than the one he'd chosen for this one. He slid the vest on over his shoulders as he hobbled over to join her on the bed. He sat down, and she sat up, placing the tie around his neck as she might a scarf or a crown. He was trying not to notice her breasts. Or the fact that she didn't feel the need to drag a sheet up over herself anymore. He did the easy, but unknown to her, knot to tie the tie, and she smoothed it over him before buttoning the vest over it.

"Thank you," he muttered, amazed at how good it felt just to have her help him dress instead of undress. Maybe they were there. He allowed himself to reach out and place his hand against her cheek, then over her shoulder and down her arm to reach for his hand. She held it tight between her own and smiled regretfully and longingly as she looked him over.

"You still look tired," she pointed out.

"I am," he admitted. "But if I don't leave now-"

"I understand," she whispered. Still, the idea of being away from her even for an hour or so after these last few days was painful. He didn't like it.

"Can I see you tonight?"

"I promised Ruby I'd meet her at the diner tonight," she muttered sadly. "Archie's funeral is tomorrow."

He nodded, realizing that she was right. His sense of the last few days was off. Hour after hour blended together with only memories of her and him and-

"But, maybe…maybe when all this madness with Archie and the Evil Queen is over…maybe the two of us could go up to the cabin again?" she suggested, cocking her head to the side as if hoping he'd say "yes." "Maybe we could go for a long weekend?"

"Maybe a week," he offered, shocking even himself as she broke out into a smile.

"I would enjoy that."

"As would I." Taking a day or two off was one thing; a week was an entirely different affair, but…for her, he'd do it. He'd do it and enjoy it. But a trip like that would have to come after he had Baelfire back after he found him. At least it was something to look forward to if finding his boy didn't turn out as he hoped. There was always her.

"But we should talk about it later," he urged, realizing it was growing late, and she was looking nearly as tired as he felt. "You still look tired too."

"I had a busy day."

Even he blushed at that comment, of the memory of saying nearly those very words to her when he'd excused not leaving her side yesterday morning. A busy day and two nights, time together they hadn't had for what felt like an eternity. His mouth went dry as he looked at her, as he took in her lack of dress and the tousle of her hair, the way the last thirty-six hours hung in the air between them and tempted him to pull off his jacket, yank back the sheets around her waist and-

He was kissing her before he knew it, pulling her closer, letting his hands wander over her body. The way she pressed into him would have made it easy to give in for yet another day, but the memory of her tired face managed to work its way into his mind and urged him away from her. She needed rest before she went out tonight. And he needed to get to work if he ever wanted that week in the cabin to come. When it did, they could have an entire week of this, of never leaving their bed.

"Later," he managed to promise himself sadly.

"Later," she confirmed. What a wonderful reward it would be. And until then…

"Lay back," he ordered firmly, bracing himself for the sight before she listened and worked her way back into the bed. He covered her, first with the sheet, then when blankets, and finally with her comforter, tucking her in while her breathing evened and her eyes grew heavy again. Finally, he leaned down and kissed her one last time, something she returned lightly from her place on the edge of sleep.

"Sleep well, my darling Belle," he whispered. He could have sworn she nodded before he left.

This chapter is nothing and everything all at once. It's bittersweet in so many ways. First and foremost, the timing. This is another of those chapters where you can just see how close they've gotten, see how far their relationship has developed, and see where it might have gone if the events at the end of 2x11 hadn't taken place. Rumple is temporarily forgetting that little "the boy will be the end of you" and really daydreaming here, imagining a future in a really darling sort of way. But of course, there's that bittersweet sensation in some of his planning because we know what they don't, which is simply...it's going to be a while until they are really together like this again. In fact, they don't really get an extended period of time to spend together, as Belle and Rumple, until season four. This leads us to...

Rumple finally seeing the vision of the brown-haired woman coming to pass and wanting to propose to Belle. In Moments Revealed and Unrevealed, Chapter 47: Flawed and Flawless, after Rumple has proposed to Belle, Belle asks Rumple if he planned on asking her to marry him or if he did it in the heat of the moment. His answer is essentially both, that he hadn't planned on it, but he had been thinking about marrying her for some time and he even mentions that he was thinking about it before the town line. So here it is, Rumple, pre-town line, resolutely realizing that he wants to marry Belle. The truth of it is, if he doesn't think about it in this chapter, there is really no other place he could. So, I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into Rumple's head. And for those of you who have been reading since Moments, I hope this gives a little bit more meaning to that chapter. It's a really special one for me, especially for where we're going in this fiction. Peace and Happy Reading!