Belle wasn't sure what woke her up in the middle of the night. It certainly wasn't Gideon. Since her and Rumple were able to bring him back home safe and return him back to a newborn so he could be raised properly, she wondered if the short years he had to grow up had somehow calmed the often erratic behaviors that was that of a newborn. There were only a few nights were he would wake her and Rumple up in the middle of the night, needing food or changing. Tonight was no different from the others. Their child remained peaceful and quiet. But it didn't stop Belle from wanting to check up on him. She had been lying awake for the last hour and admitted defeat when she realized she wasn't going back to sleep any time soon.

Belle quietly entered the hallway. It was only a few steps to her son's room but her heart nearly stopped when she saw that the door was slightly ajar. She always made sure to close it shut before she went to bed herself. Meaning someone was in there. She was ready to barge in and defend her son from his attacker but stopped when she peaked in. It was only Rumple.

She froze. For some reason, one she couldn't fathom, Rumple was preforming some sort of magic on their son. She felt cold. She looked closer at their son. Gideon seemed perfectly happy and in peace, meaning Rumple wasn't harming her. She knew he never would, but sometimes, when remembering about the Seer's prophecy concerning Henry, she had to wondered.

When she saw Rumple was finished with whatever it was he was doing Belle quickly made her way back to her room, careful not to make sound. She gently closed the door, leaning back against it. Her heart was beating against her chest. Rumple was hiding magic again and she knew if she asked he wouldn't tell her what he was doing. She wiped the tears from her face. She tried to remember their sessions and what she learned. Then she remembered the list Archie wanted them to write. She hadn't started on it yet, but now she had something to add.

Archie blinked. Belle was seeming nervous, passing side way glances to Gold every so often. Gold seemed….distance. As if he didn't want to be here. Though the more he looked at the man the more Archie thought he was just tired.

"Do you two have your list?" He asked them. They both smiled and nodded. Belle reached her hand out but Archie shook his head.

"No, it's okay. I don't want to read them. I want you to. Out loud."

The couple passed nervous glances at each other.

"Wh..what?" Belle asked at the same time Rumple did as he uncrossed his legs and sat up straighter.

"I want you to read your list out loud. So the other hears. Remember, that's what we are here for. To learn. So….Belle?"

She quickly blinked at Archie.

"Do you want to go first?"

"Um…" She brought her hands back to her lap, her note still clutched in her right hand. "Okay. How…how do you want me to do this?"

Archie shrugged his shoulders. "However you wish. You could read the whole list and than we can pick a topic, or you can pick the one that perhaps bothers you most."

Belle blinked, glancing down at her list. "Um, okay."

Rumple didn't look at her. He was thinking about the list in his pocket. He would have been okay with Archie reading it in silence, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to read it to Belle. He held a breath as she began.

"Well," She glanced at the doctor. "You first wanted us to write about an issue we still had. Um…" Belle played with the edges of the paper her list was written on, keeping her eyes glued to the sheet. She wondered if she should skip it and move on to another part. Archie acted like that would be okay if she wasn't ready. She looked at Rumple who was picking at his fingernails, trying not to pay mind to her. It seemed like he was opening up more and actually talking to her, but she wondered if she brought up what she saw last night, would he lie? Would he simply shrug off whatever he was doing as 'a few tests' as he had after the curse broke. Rumple had eventually told her the truth, a few days later, but if it had concerned Baelfire then and Rumple shrugged it off, would he do the same now as it concerned their child?

"Belle?"

She blinked and looked back at Archie. She tried to smile. "Um, I wasn't really sure what to write about myself."

Rumple bit back a scoff. He knew that would get him in trouble. He wasn't surprised Belle couldn't find anything. He couldn't either. Well….he almost couldn't. There was one thing he wanted to change about himself. Something Belle already had. But he knew she couldn't see too much flaw in herself. She was never vain or proud, but just like with everyone else she always tried to see the good in herself. And he knew that if she did ever see anything that needed to be changed, it was because of him.

Rumple almost spoke up and asked if there was anything about himself she wanted to change (he was certain that list would be long) but Belle had continued speaking.

"I guess if there was something it could be…patience?" She asked as if she wasn't sure.

Archie nodded. "Okay. How so do you think?"

"Well…." She glanced between the two man. "Perhaps there are times I jump to conclusions without knowing everything. I guess I…assume the worst."

"Odd considering you always try and see the best."

Belle glared at Rumple. "You could be patience too."

Rumple didn't bite back the next scoff. "Sweetheart, I am patience. I've waited for decades to find my son. You don't get more patience than that."

"Perhaps, yes, but you have to admit you can get angry pretty quickly."

"I have reason to be angry."

"Well it doesn't mean you have to lash out all the time."

Rumple sighed. "At least I don't hit you."

The silence following felt like knifes. Knifes and warmth. Belle had heard many stories back home of men who beat their wives. Some did it because they were drunk, or angry, and some because they just liked it. She knew she was grateful to have a husband who would never want to hurt her. Even in his rage back in the Dark Castle he held back the desire to destroy everything around him until she was safe in the dungeon. He had still roughed her up a bit by shaking her by the arms and almost literally throwing her into the cell the next time, but he never punched her or slapped her or actually caused her pain. And if he did by any sort of accident he always healed it up with his magic.

She never liked to see Rumple take his cane and smash glasses and counters and windows and any trinket that was unfortunate enough to meet its end with his rage, but he never hit her. Surely that meant something.

"Gold, why do you get so angry? What do you think causes these outbursts?" The cricket asked.

"Simple. The curse."

Belle almost laughed. Even still he was blaming his anger on the curse.

"Laugh if you want, dearie." Belle shot a glare his way. "But as hard as if might be to believe, I wasn't always that way."

"What do you mean?" Archie asked.

Rumple sighed. "I never had such an outburst before the curse. In fact, I never got angry."

"Everyone gets angry, Rumple." Belle said. "Even me."

"That doesn't mean anything." He said. "But I never got angry."

"So how did you feel when someone…did something that hurt you? Before the curse."

Rumple glanced away, clearing his throat. "I've always been a coward. I got afraid before I got angry. And even then, I always tried to find a corner to hide in."

Belle watched him as he spoke. She thought about the man he was describing, the man he once was, and the man she knew. It was hard to believe they could be the same person. They were so…opposite. In almost every way.

"I didn't have strength or skill to fight back. And I was too tired to get angry."

"What do you mean?" Archie watched him carefully.

"I had lost my father a young age to both gambling and an island. My wife, whom I believed loved me, left me to raise our child on my own. Though I was good spinning wasn't exactly a wealthy trade. We were lucky enough to get one plate of food for both of us. I was tired from the days work and how crappy my life had turned out to be. If I got angry…it wasn't worth it."

Belle looked down at the floor, absorbing the words of his tale. Archie was about to ask what happened when Gold became the Dark One, but instead he asked, "Would that be a trait you would want to change about yourself? Being afraid?"

"You mean being a coward?" Rumple spatted. He looked away, his silence answering.

"That seems to be a strong word for you. Coward. You use that word instead of saying you're afraid. Belle," Archie looked towards the beauty. "Do you ever see Gold as a coward?"

Belle blinked hard, as did Rumple. A recent moment of truth in the pawn shop both entered their minds. Belle bit her lip. She had called Rumple a coward. And it wasn't the first time.

Rumple looked at her, as if daring her to answer the doctor. She didn't look back. And she didn't answer.

"Have you ever called him a coward?"

Belle bent her head. Her hands rested in her lap, shaking.

While there was something of a bit more importance Archie wanted to talk about, he asked the couple if there was a trait about the other they would like to change. He expected it to be Belle who spoke first but she was surprised just as Archie when Rumple said, "I don't want her to be a hero."

Another deafening silence.

"What?" Belle gasped.

Rumple let go of a breath. "Perhaps I should be more specific. I….I don't like….I don't like how she thinks she can always be a hero."

"What is wrong with wanting to be a hero."

"Nothing. There is nothing wrong with wanting to help others and wanting to save them. But there might be something wrong with thinking you can always win just because you believe in it. It doesn't work like that. You can't always be a hero. Sometimes, you have to lose. But you're too stubborn to see that."

"Stubborn?! I'm stubborn? You're one to talk, Rumplestiltskin."

He scoffed. "I may be stubborn but at least I can understand that you don't always get it your way."

"Unless you manipulate everything to make it your way."

Rumple took a deeper breath. "You're not getting it."

"Okay, okay. Belle, Gold? It's okay. Let's just…take a moment." Archie spoke up, quenching the fire to a low shimmering pile of ember.

"You two…definitely have a lot of trust issues among yourselves, but do you remember what I said in the last session? We need to learn more about the trait that we would like to change in the other person rather than actually change it. We need to learn to accept that part we don't like. Belle, it seems you don't like how Rumple can be-"

"A coward?"

Archie grimaced at Gold's interruption. He didn't like using that word, but honestly it was the best example right now. "And Gold, you don't seem to like how…heroic Belle sees herself to be. Now that is two very different sides. Polar opposites. Which makes your relationship a lot more…complicated."

"Rumple can be a hero. I've seen it before. Enough times to know that he can be if he wants to."

"But that's the thing, dearie. I don't want to be a hero."

Belle's eyes widened. "Oh, but you want to go around manipulating, lying, and hurting everyone around you?"

Rumple blinked. "No. Not really." He opened and closed his mouth. "I feel like we're coming back to that whole 'hero-villain thing' again."

"He's right." Archie said. "Belle, I'm not sure we have really…decided, why you think someone needs to be a hero."

"Can I not be myself? You know, Belle, I don't really like dealing with others. I only do so when I need to. Honestly, I would very much like it if they left me alone. But they don't. The Charmings and Regina and the pirate always seems to be barging on my door. Asking for help or seeking revenge. They don't leave me alone. If they did, I probably wouldn't have to be a villain as you so well think of me."

Belle rolled her eyes. "I don't think of you as a villain, Rumple."

"Actually, dearie, you've made it clear that you do."

"Stop calling me that."

"Belle, Gold." Archie sighed. "Okay, it's time to tell you two what you need to hear. What you need to know. Because…I'm not sure you're figuring it out yourselves as I had hoped. Belle," He turned his eyes to her. They won't cold or harsh, but rather strong and steadfast. She blinked as the surprising turnabout of the doctor. "Gold has a very destructive behavior. Which often comes from abusive and dsyfuntional homes. Which is clear he comes from. It's best not to call him what he already believes himself strongly to be. It's best not to add on to the 'coward' image he has."

Belle opened her mouth to speak but the doctor continued.

"Gold, because of this image of a coward that you seem to portray yourself as before anything else, you don't seem to understand how someone can be a hero. You've never had someone in your life be a hero. You were never taught that, were you."

Rumple didn't answer.

"Belle's…need…to be a hero derives from her mother's death. It's okay if she chooses to be as such. However, Belle, it's not best to push the idea onto either Rumple or your son. You need to accept that being a hero is probably something Gold will never be, or even wants to be as he said. And that's okay. Because it seems that often times, his plans do work. Gold is the type of person that thinks about a situation before he acts. He makes a plan. But maybe…" He glanced at them both. "You can make a plan together. Gold, you can't be afraid to talk to Belle. And Belle, you can't get upset because it's not something you like or approve of. Marriage is a partnership. It's not your way or not at all."

"I do believe that was exactly what she said a day or two before she put herself under the sleeping curse. Which certainly was not the best idea."

Belle sighed. "You know why I did that. Hades could have sped up the pregnancy-"

"Yes, I know, I know. But you could have also harmed the baby."

Archie leaned back, wondering if the two had even listened to him. He knew they were very smart people and he had hoped that they could have figured what they needed to do on their own, but Gold was right before. It just seemed that they were only making circles. The two were stuck in a cycle of pain and hurt and Archie needed to help them break it. If he learned one thing among others with these two it was that they both responded to harsh and direct. He looked at them both.

Neither were looking back at him. Belle was staring at Rumple and looked to be on the verge of crying. Gold was looking at anywhere but her.

"What?" Belle whispered. She blinked. "Is that why…"

Archie blinked. He was following this short conversation easy. Gold implied that Belle could have hurt their child due to her, what he had to agree on, reckless behavior. Yes, harsh and direct was the key with these two.

"Why what?" Rumple looked at her, somewhat casually.

"I saw you last night. Preforming magic on Gideon. Why?"

Rumple remained quiet. He wasn't surprised she was asking. He was surprised she was asking now, rather than having barged into their son's room last night and demand answers. It wasn't like he hadn't sensed her last night. Plus she had just barely touched the door enough for it to squeak. She must not have heard it because she was too focused on watching him, but he had. He smiled. Maybe she was finally learning to be patience. She was finally thinking.

He took a breath.

"Rumple." Belle said, trying not to cry. "Did I…"

"No." He quickly answered, looking at her dead in the eyes. He wasn't lying and he wanted her to know that. "You didn't. I've checked."

Belle sat back in a defeated manner. She closed her eyes trying to keep her breath. She hadn't hurt her son…but she could have.

"All I wanted was to protect him."

"By a sleeping curse?"

She looked up at Rumple.

"Belle, I never told you because…well, one. I knew you wouldn't listen. Second, I didn't want to frighten you." Rumple blinked. "There are side effects to going under a sleeping curse. Side effects I'm sure Henry, Snow, David, and even Aurora would tell you."

"What…what were they?"

Rumple shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I've checked and you don't have any. My guess is that Pandora's Box helped with that. It's hard to explain. But whatever was lingering I managed to fix with my magic. I've….checked on you too."

"What? When?"

"When you were asleep. Don't worry. It wasn't until after we got Gideon back."

The two fell into a quiet somber. Archie watched them both. It seemed as if Gold actually felt bad about telling her. He wasn't surprised. The man truly did love his wife and it was clear to the doctor that he never wanted to hurt her. Even with bad news. But this was good. Belle needed to hear it. She needed to hear how her reckless behavior endangered both her and their son.

"Belle," She looked at Archie. "Though his methods are questionable, Gold does have years of experience. It would be best to hear what all he has to say. When it comes to magic, it's best for you two to talk together and make a plan. One where you understand everything Belle and one where you don't always have to hurt people, Gold."

The sorcerer scoffed. "Like I said, I don't like bothering with people. But they come to me…so."

Archie nodded. "Alright, well, I think you two have made improvement. I apologize if before my behavior seemed…harsh."

They both laughed.

"Belle, you seem to respond well to harsh and direct. Just now you were willing to listen and be patience at the thought of having put your child in danger because of reckless behavior."

Belle tried to smile but she felt tired. It hurt to hear that, but maybe he was right.

"Now, I want to talk a little about you two as a couple."

They both blinked. Did they really have to?

"To fix a relationship it does help to learn about your mistakes and how you can fix. Learning to work together and such. However, if there is no…connection between you two, than it will be a lot more difficult. You two have a common interest for being here. Gideon. But Gideon didn't start this relationship. If you two want to get back together, you need to decide that…together. But I do not want a decision tomorrow or any time soon. When was the last time you two had a date?"

Belle and Rumple looked at each other.

"It's been awhile."

"We've never really had a time for a date." Belle said.

"And if we do we're always interrupted. Again. Mostly because of the Charmings and Regina. I'm not sure those people understand the concept of alone and private."

"Belle, have they come up to you since you told you couldn't hang around them?" Archie asked.

"I never really hung out with them. It was always something to do with magic and they needed my help. I…I don't think I was ever really….friends with them."

"More like a tool." Rumple muttered under his breath. Of course the other two heard. But Belle didn't get upset. She was beginning to agree.

"Right. They just always seemed to need my help. Even now," She perked up a bit. "Snow wanted me to babysit Neal so her and Charming could do something. I asked her why Emma or Henry couldn't. She said Emma was busy with Hook and Henry wasn't old enough."

Rumple scoffed. "Henry is plenty old enough and Miss Swan can help with her own family. She's the one that wanted them."

Belle nodded. "I know. So I told Snow…I couldn't help for awhile."

"But they haven't bothered you since?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Good. So maybe now you two can have a date without any interruptions." Archie glanced at Gold. "Gold, you're okay?"

He smirked. "Perhaps not any interruptions but certainly whispers."

Archie saw that the idea bothered Belle as well. Having a date where people would whisper. He made a note to talk to Belle about how she felt in the town.

"Than alone. A nice dinner at the house? Just something for you two."

The couple smiled.

"Perfect! Well, why don't we do that and I will see you two tomorrow? Actually," Archie took a peek at his notes. "How about the day after?"

Belle and Rumple agreed. Though Rumple wondered if the doctor's hesitation had something to do with his homework concerning Zelena. He shook his head. He just wanted to focus on Belle.

Okay, so I know this was a short chapter. Really short, but I really want the next one to focus entirely on the date, that way I don't have to cut it short in this chapter just so I don't go over my word limit.

Anyways, I've got news for anyone reading my other story, The Epic of Youth. I have plans to rewrite the story. The plot is still the same, I'm just changing how the story flows. I felt it was a little rigid and I've been told that. Re-reading the story I realized a rewrite couldn't hurt. Let me know what you think of that.

Thanks!