Weeks went by and things in the castle were a bit different. Rumple and Belle seemed nicer to each other, much to Rose's joy. She knew if they were kind to each other, they wouldn't fight. The days were filled with soft touches and terms of endearment, mostly from Rumple. Belle never knew how affectionate and loving he really could be. When he wasn't tending to Rose, he was with her. He would help her with some of her chores or use his magic to do it for her so they would have some alone time. They would talk about various subjects from what books she had read to the different kingdoms and realms he visited during the day. At night, they would cuddle together in Belle's library while she read out loud. He enjoyed hearing her voice. When he would leave for his trips, he would return with a new book from the kingdom he visited and something for Rose as well. Things weren't so dark in the Dark Castle anymore.

Rose's fifth birthday was approaching. Rumple told Belle of her past birthdays. He would always bake her a strawberry cake and give her whatever gift she asked for. With him being the Dark One, he could give her anything her heart desired. She never asked for anything extravagant or ridiculous. She would ask for simple things like new clothes for her dolls or a new dress or even just to stay home with her and read to her. Belle thought it was sweet and couldn't wait to celebrate it. She was finishing the last few stitching on the stuffed toy. She still remembered the day she got it. A traveling toy maker was in town and would be there for a few days. She spoke with the vendor about his work and his travels. It was all very fascinating that he traveled from town to town selling his hand-made toys with his family. He had a wife and two sons that would help him. She also remembered something else that he told her. Something that could make Rose's birthday even more special. After she finished the stitching, she went in search of Rumple. When she saw he wasn't at his wheel, in his room, or with Rose in the garden, she figured he was in his workroom in his tower. She knew she was never to go up there, but this was important and hoped he wouldn't mind. She went up to the tower and knocked on the door.

"Rumple? Are you in there?" She heard a quiet shuffling. He was in there. After a moment, the door opened and he stood before her.

"Belle, darling."

"I'm sorry to bother you. Is this a bad time?"

"No. Not at all. Come in." He stepped aside and she entered the room. She saw it had tables scattered with vials and odd ingredients he would use for potions. There was a shelves filled with books. Not as many as in her library, but enough for him. She figured they were filled with magic incantations and spells and whatever other magic references. She also saw a cabinet with finished potions that were each labels with a symbol. It appeared fully stocked except for one empty spot. She noticed the symbol under it was a heart. What could that have been? She knew it was none of her business, so she wouldn't ask.

"So, this is where you disappear to trying to get away from me."

"Well, being around you for a long time can become tedious." She laughed at his quip. He loved seeing her smile and hearing her laugh.

"I'll bet." He took a seat at his desk.

"So, what is it you need?" She walked over and stood in front of the desk.

"I was hoping to talk to you about something. Well, more like ask."

"What is it?"

"It's about Rose's birthday in a few days." He leaned back in his chair and brought his hands together in front of him.

"Huh."

"What?"

"I know you, dear, and I know you want to ask about something I wouldn't normally approve of." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You already know, don't you? You saw that I would come up here."

"That, I did, but I didn't see what you wanted to ask me. I would like you to ask me yourself." Belle gave a little smirk. She had always managed to surprise him and he hated him in the beginning. Now, he wanted to be surprised by her. "Now, what about Rose's birthday?"

"Well, I know that you would do the cake and the present with her and I think that's great. I thought that we can still do that, but wait until later in the evening or at night." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"And what, pray tell, would we do during the day, my dear?" Belle nervously bit her lip. She knew her suggestion would get a rise out of him that could lead to an argument, but she had Rose in mind. It was her birthday after all.

"Now, before I tell you, can you promise you'll at least hear me out before you reject it?" He already felt that he wouldn't like the idea, but he would give her a chance.

"I can't give you any guarantees, but I will try to see your side of the matter." She knew that's as much as she could get from him at the moment.

"Okay. Well, when I was in town last month, I had a conversation with the toy maker that sold me Rose's unicorn. He told me that his brother has a traveling fair. It has games, hayrides, face paintings, puppet shows, all things that children enjoy. They'll be in town for the rest of the week and Rose's birthday is the last day for it."

"And you want to take her to it."

"Well, I was hoping we could both take her, but..."

"No."

"But Rumple..." He stood from his chair and lifted his hand to silence her.

"I'm sorry, Belle. I know I said I would hear you out, but I'm not letting Rose out of this castle again."

"I know last time things got a bit out of hand..."

"A bit out of hand? Belle, you and Rose both were almost killed! You still have the scar on your back!" Belle remembered the mark across her back. It was a reminder of what she did for Rose. What she did for her daughter. Rumple sighed as he walked around the desk to her and ran the back of his hand gently down her cheek. "I can't risk losing her again. Or you. Both of you are too important to me. I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to you."

"That's why you should come with us. Who better to protect us than the most powerful wizard in all the realms?" He softly chuckled.

"It's a conflict when I'm also the most feared being in all the realms. I know you mean well, darling, but we can't." She took his hand in hers.

"Rumple, I know that you want to protect Rose. Every parent wants their child to be safe, but keeping her from the outside world completely isn't the way. If you keep her locked up, she'll start sneaking out on her own when she gets older. I should know." He smirked at her.

"You snuck out of your home? I knew you were rebellious, but I never took you for the sneaky type." She giggled.

"Surely you don't think I found out about you from staying in my castle like a good little princess?" He smirked.

"I suppose not."

"And I did my research on you and your abilities and I know that one of them is the ability to change your appearance. You could come with us as someone completely different if you're worried about appearing as the Dark One. We can go, have a great time, and give Rose the best birthday she's ever had." Rumple sighed. He did have the power to change his appearance. He could look like his old self or someone else. He would protect Rose and Belle at all costs. And he knew that Belle was right about keeping Rose locked away. He did the same with Baelfire. He lost one child. He couldn't lose another. Maybe he was being a bit overprotective of Rose, but that didn't mean he could let people know she was his daughter. If anyone to ever find out, who knows what they would do. Regina being the one person he saw as a real threat. She had seen Rose once. If she knew she was his daughter, there's no telling what she could do. Bell squeezed his hand to get his attention. "Rumple, do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?" He did trust her. She earned his trust when he let her go and she came back. He let her leave the castle many times after that and she always returned. He knew he could trust her. It was himself he didn't trust.

"Of course I do."

"Then trust me when I say that everything will be fine. If you're there with us, nothing can harm us. We will be perfectly safe with you. I believe in you and I trust your abilities. You've saved us before. I know you can again." He knew he could, and he would, protect them. He may not have trusted himself, but he trusted her.

"I'll think about it. Once I've gathered my thoughts, I'll give you my answer tonight in the library. Do you think you can wait that long? I know how impatient you can be." She chuckled.

"I think I can manage. Take all the time you need."

"That's all I ask." He kissed her forehead.

"Well, in the meantime, I suppose I should check on Rose."

"Yes. Where is my little flower?" She walked over to the window.

"Out in the garden. You can see her from here." He went over to the window and looked down. Rose was sitting in the shade under a tree. She had a circle of freshly picked flowers surrounding her. She picked up one of the flowers and tried to wrap the stem around a circular item in her hand. Rumple's eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"What on earth is she doing?" Belle giggled.

"She's trying to make a flower crown. She's been at it for the past hour and she won't allow me to help. She's determined to do it herself." Rumple smiled. Rose has always been a curious and determined child. When she saw something done, she wanted to learn to do it herself. She wanted to know how everything works and why they did what they did.

"Well, I know that she will figure it out eventually. It doesn't help to give her a little nudge in the right direction without giving it away."

"Hm. I'll remember that. Well, I'll leave you to your thoughts and work. Will I see you at dinner?"

"Yes. I shall be done by then." She nodded and exited the tower. He looked down at Rose in the garden. His sweet, innocent, precious daughter. She was a treasure to him and that's how he treated her. A priceless treasure that was locked away from the public and highly protected. He couldn't keep her locked up forever. She's going to grow up eventually. And when she does, she'll want to leave and make a life for herself. She may want to get married and start a family. She may want to travel and see the world. Whatever she wanted to do, he knew she wouldn't want to stay locked away from the rest of the world. She'll resent him. She'll hate him. She'll want to get away from him. Just like Baelfire, he thought. He'll have to let her go one day. For now, baby steps.