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'Dearest Belle'

'This library feels empty without you, every time I look around I half expect you to be curled up in your chair reading that book. You were always beautiful when you read, that was when you were happiest, wrapped up in a made-up world with your characters and stories. I wish you could have lived like that forever. Wherever you are now, and I don't know where you are, I hope you have a library with enough books.'

'In all my years of studying magic and obtaining power, all 300-some years, I never had an interest in what happened after death or how to bring the dead back. There was never anyone I wanted to bring back, maybe you are best left where you are, you deserve to have a peaceful afterlife after all the hell I forced upon you. Life is complicated and has too many layers, death is something that should be simple. You never did like simple things though, I suppose that's why you –there was a word crossed out- didn't hate me.'

'I couldn't completely take Regina's word, although I should have, and I returned to your old home. You had a grave, small and out of sight. Right next to a tower, I expected as much from how your father treated you, at least there were flowers.'

'I truly do not know how the afterlife functions, but if you don't have a sense of what happens at your grave, but I returned your rose. I suppose I should tell you the story behind that rose, there wasn't a woman selling flowers the day I gave it to you, if I am being truthful I transformed your ex-fiancé into a never-wilting flower after he showed up to the door and, well, I didn't think you would approve.'

Surprised at herself, Belle let out an odd laugh around her tears, that was the sort of thing she would expect Rumple to do. And in his semi-twisted way and her completely crazy way, it worked, it fit, and it wasn't strange. Though she knew for a fact that if Rumplestiltskin were here-

Well she didn't really want to think about things that were along the lines of 'if he were here' or 'what if'.

Apparently Rumplestiltskin did when she had 'died.'

'That's another way your death was caused if I'm to be honest. I am in no way an honest person but you deserve every truth I can and will give you. If I had not transformed your ex-fiancé, someone would have married you (even if he was an idiot), your father wouldn't have locked you away, and you wouldn't have died. That's the first truth I will give you, your death was my fault, I know that, and that is most definitely the worst thing I have ever done. That is not a light statement Belle, I have done horrible things, don't doubt that, but causing your death was the worst thing I have ever done.'

'Throwing you out, accusing you of working for the Queen, bringing you to my castle in the first place, I was beyond stupid. I marked you and threw you out to the wolves and the people who judged you. I did love you, I still love you, and I haven't loved anyone in a very long time. I shouldn't have let things get as far as they did. There are potions that can take away memories of people you loved, I should have done that to you in order to keep you safe.'

Remembering back to the time when she did forget him, Belle thought about how he had tried so hard to get her to remember, she remembered his speech through the phone as if it was painted on her mind. She remembered how even though she had no idea who he was, Rumplestiltskin still told her beautiful words and kissed her gently and tried to help her as best he could. She forgot him for twenty-eight years while he thought she was dead. No, forgetting him willingly, even if it kept her safe, she would never do that.

'Here is a second truth you deserve, or is it a third, regardless, you deserve the story I promised you.'

I had a son, when I was still a man so many years ago, his name was Baelfire and he was the center of my world. I raised him after my wife left me for reasons that are not important. I was weak and cowardly before becoming the Dark One. I injured myself so I would not have to fight in war and I could return home to my son. My village branded me, my wife hated and left me, the only thing I had was my son.

'When he was fourteen he was to be drafted for the first ogres war as I was before he was born, but you know from experience that men cannot fight ogres. I would have lost him if he fought, but there was a way out. Back then the Dark One was controlled by a Duke of the Frontlands, he used the Dark One to force the people to sacrifice themselves. A man told me how to get control of the Dark One and take his power in order to protect my son, it was a trap and I can write down how I did it on the off chance these letters get in the wrong hands. But I became the Dark One, I ended the First Ogres War, and Baelfire was safe. But the darkness and the power feeds on you, it took me over and changed me into a person Baelfire hated. I agreed to go with him to a land without magic so the power of the Dark One would no longer corrupt me, we were going through a portal, and I let go at the wrong moment. But I was told I will find him, and I vowed I would dedicate my whole life into finding him, no matter how long it took. My son is out there somewhere Belle, but I know it will not be long before I do find him. Many years to you but not to me, that's the story, most of it, the important parts.'

'I hope I gave you the story you wanted Belle, I should have given it to you long before.'

-Your, forever, Rumplestiltskin.

Belle's tears reduced and her breathing steadied, Rumplestiltskin had told her that story, of him and the Dark One before him and Baelfire. That was one of the first things she had asked him about when they were reunited. He had told her about Baelfire, what happened after she left, his imprisonment, things that happened after the Savior came to Storybrooke, everything. In the library, the second library he had given her.

She remembered their time in that library, how he would drop by to help her arrange the books and clean up. How he would watch her as she read and came by every other day with lunch. That was before she lost her memories, before he found Bae, before everything had gone to hell. They had only had a few months of time together, then after Neverland only a week. She always thought the universe was conspiring against them, never giving them enough time.

In her lap sat years of lost time.

"Hey," a voice startled Belle and snapped her back to reality, she looked up to see Baelfire walking up the stairs carrying tea. Quickly closing the box and pressing her sleeves to her wet eyes she gave him her attention. "Hey."

With concern in his eyes he set the tray on the table next to her, all the teacups and pots were silver except for the white and blue chipped cup reserved for Belle. Upon walking into the Dark Castle she had spotted their cup sitting on a pedestal, treated like a treasure. Baelfire had been entirely confused, watching this woman he had only known for a week crying over and cradling a damaged piece of china.

He still had yet to know what the meaning of the cup really was.

"What's that?" he asked her as he sat down on the carpet, pointing to the box of letters.

"Nothing." She replied quietly, she didn't know why she didn't tell him, but somewhere in herself she couldn't. They were her letters, Rumplestiltskin had written them for her. Perhaps she would tell Baelfire once she went through them but now was not the time.

To her slight relief, Baelfire nodded, he knew that there was something personal in the box that had to do with his father. But he wouldn't pry, he was the expert at giving people space. Belle turned to fill her cup with tea and cream, her hands were tired and sore from the hours she spent going through books and the heat from the tea soothed them. She took a moment to watch the cream swirl around in the cup.

"Did he tell you about this cup?" she asked Baelfire. Her gaze was still focused on the artistic coil of the cream but she felt Baelfire looking up at her.

"No he didn't." he replied calmly. On their journey to the castle Belle had told him the outline of her story with Rumplestiltskin. How they met, their deal, how they fell in love, what happened with Regina, her imprisonment, her memory loss, and him leaving for Neverland. She hadn't gone into detail and only gave a brief outline.

"I dropped it on my first day here." She said as she took a spoon and mixed the tea to a light brown. "I was terrified, I had heard tales about him, things he did to people, I thought for certain I was going to die." Baelfire looked down, he knew some things his father had done in his early days of being the Dark One, just how much had he done in over 300 years Baelfire still didn't know. He didn't want to know.

"He wasn't trying to intimidate me when I first got here, I was serving tea and he was going over my tasks. I was so scared of messing up and angering him, he made this morbid joke and startled me. I was pouring tea in this cup," she lifted the cup up to her lips to take a sip and smiled fondly as she recounted the memory. "and I dropped the cup, spilled tea all over my dress. It was chipped and I was petrified, I didn't know what he was going to do or how he would react. But he told me he didn't care, it was 'just a cup'." She made her voice slightly higher pitched and almost laughed before her eyes went sad.

Baelfire was drinking in the story, the corner of his mouth was turned up as he listen to Belle and watched how the thought of this event made her feel slightly happier.

"He always used this cup after that, it made me not feel anxious, I knew that he wouldn't hurt me and that I was safe around him." Belle's voice grew quieter as she went on. "Even after he made me go, he still kept it, he always kept it, even three decades after he'd thought I died." She remembered how she had seen the cup when they had been reunited, Rumplestiltskin still drank from it and cherished it. Belle couldn't help but do the same.

Baelfire looked at her warmly, "He wasn't sentimental." He told her, "Before he was the Dark One, after he was the Dark One, he never kept much and he didn't really care about anything he owned." Baelfire wrapped his arms around his legs and looked at the floor. "He didn't keep anything my mom had, I saw all the stuff he had in his shop and here, but trust me he never thought anything was that important." He pointed to the cup, "You meant a lot to him, if he kept that for thirty years, especially if he thought you were dead, it meant he cared about you a lot."

Sleeves covering her mouth and her eyes watering Belle felt her breathing stop for a moment. Feeling numb and hollow she fell silent, fingers tightening around the cup handle.

Baelfire moved over to her and he put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, she bit her lip as large tears dripped down her face.

"I know," she said once she shook off her emotions, "that's I need to get him back." Baelfire nodded in response. "Um, could I have a little time to go through this?" she gestured to the box, Baelfire gave a concerned glance but obliged. He took his teacup, along with a book from a pile on the floor and went down the stairs.

She took a sip of tea as she started her third letter