Chapter Four.

Rumplestiltskin had built the Dark Castle not long after Bae had been pulled through the portal. He'd been alone and he couldn't stand to remain in the Frontlands any longer without his son at his side. The place that he'd once refused to leave had held nothing for him then and he'd run. He was good at running, after all. Nearly as good at running as he was at being left behind.

The castle hadn't been welcoming, but that really hadn't been its purpose in the beginning. If it had been, he certainly wouldn't have chosen the Forbidden Mountain to set the stones against each other or laid down quite so many traps to ensnare visitors - not that there were any - that weren't there to deal. It had been built to be large, lonely, and silent. It would have remained so until the end of time, he imagined, had he not made a deal he'd never Seen and never made arrangements for. It had been a whim, really, that had caused him to bring back the woman that had changed his life. He really hadn't known what he was getting into.

And now, he still wasn't entirely sure what he'd gotten himself into.

They'd left the smoldering remains of the town behind for his castle, adding to their numbers with Robin Hood and his men. The thief seemed to have accepted the truth that the gold-skinned, reptilian-eyed Dark One that had once nearly killed him and then let him go was the same small, unimposing man that was traveling with Belle now on his arm instead of in his employ - service - and his son by his side. They watched him warily, but he paid them little mind as they moved closer to the castle, Rumplestiltskin reaching out to find his own wards feeding him information. They recognized him as he moved forward, something that he hadn't risked telling Belle he wasn't sure would happen. He had used entirely dark magic to put up the wards and it was meant to read him as the Dark One - not just him - and he felt it give as he walked through the layer just outside the gates, followed closely by Bae, Emma, Henry, and the others.

His grandson was nearly bouncing, undeterred by the exceedingly long day and the fact that they'd lost the sun hours before. "It's a castle! It's a real castle!" He turned, his eyes large and dark and full of youthful excitement. "Can I go in?"

"Of course you can, lad."

"You've brought the wards down?" Charming asked.

"Some," the former Dark One answered. "It would be foolish to bring them all down. Wouldn't want just anyone walking in, would we?"

"And… you really don't mind us staying here?" the blond prince murmured, those that might have guilted Rumplestiltskin into kinder words out of earshot. Apparently he really did want the honest answer then.

The gates let loose a terrible sound as they opened, allowing their master and his guests passage through them and into the front courtyard. "Well, we're here now, aren't we?" he grumbled instead, but the bite didn't quite make it into his voice as Henry went tearing forward, calling out about the various things he had found. Bae was with him, while Emma followed at a slower pace - though no less mesmerized, by the looks of her - between Snow White and a wary looking Regina. Rumple had thought the Evil Queen had tried to get into his castle while he'd been imprisoned in the mines before their curse. Now he was sure of it by the way she drifted carefully away from certain hidden traps. He'd let her know that they wouldn't harm her now… eventually. No need to rush.

"What a dump."

Rumplestiltskin turned, dark eyes flashing dangerously. The Dark Curse hadn't been kind to his home, certainly, but he could guarantee it was in better shape than Snow's castle and certainly safer at the moment than Regina's. An irritated snarl tore from him even as Hook shrugged.

"No hard feelings, mate. I just would have thought the Dark One would have protected his possessions a bit better."

"He's not the Dark One anymore," Belle said, suddenly at his side. She'd disappeared briefly to make sure the stragglers were on their way. There was no reason for anyone to be shut out of the gates when the wards were all put back into place. They hadn't brought everyone with them from Storybrooke, certainly, as some wished to try their hand at returning to their own homes and Snow White and her prince weren't the types to demand anything else of them. They offered what protection they could to those that wished to have it, but the others could leave as freely as they wish. Amongst those that had gone, thankfully, were most of the fairies.

"Curse hit before you kissed him, lass," Hook shot back. "I'm just saying-"

"You're always just saying," Rumple snapped. "Perhaps you could do so elsewhere. Not quite sure who invited you along in the first place."

"I did," Emma answered firmly. "Killian was willing to risk his life for us in Neverland. We owe him this."

"I owe him nothing," the owner of the Dark Castle shot back. "Next time you decide to to make offers to your schoolgirl crushes, Miss Swan, do so on your own account."

The blonde, to her credit, said nothing as she watched Rumplestiltskin storm past her through the dead and brittle gardens and up the crumbling steps. The doors were intact, at least, and he sent them flying open, not bothering to care if using magic might prove unpredictable and draining at the moment. He'd take his time exploring his new limitations once he was in the safety of his own space and away from prying eyes. Camping with the Charmings indeed. He was already at his limit.

Belle was behind him and others followed behind her more tentatively. He slowed his pace only so that he could make sure that the wards were truly still obeying his commands. The spells had been set long ago and they took little to twist to his will. He felt Snow and Charming enter behind them, Emma huffing in annoyance as she came through as well, and then Killian Jones made his go at entering. A sharp cracking sound split the air and the pirate captain was thrown back so that he was sent skidding across the tattered concrete and into a brickley and dead bush. He came up howling and Rumple tried to contain the smile that threatened, managing only to keep it to a smirk as Hook yelled at him. "That was petty, crocodile, even for you!"

"Rumple," Belle murmured, though her expression was not quite as admonishing as it might have been had she had her heart in it.

His smile had faded though, and he whirled so that he could shout his reply directly at the man in question. "Petty, Captain? That was a lesson, and one I suggest you learn quickly should you wish to stay. This is my home and I choose who enters." He shot a glare in Emma's direction, instantly silencing both she and her mother before they could argue. "Enjoy the courtyard for the night and be thankful I don't toss you outside the protection spells for Zelena to play with."

Rumplestiltskin turned towards the stairs that led up to the west wing of his castle. He was exhausted and he could feel himself fading quickly. Ripping a centuries' old curse from one's soul was no easy task - even if it had been banished by the strongest form of magic known to all the realms - and he'd been fighting to get his mental barriers in place for his own protection. He needed sleep. Probably quite a bit of sleep. What he didn't need, though, was a mouthy pirate and a princess that knew nothing of their world trying to defend him.

"Rumplestiltskin?"

Or her mother, trying to defend her in turn. "What?" the former Dark One growled.

Snow White pulled in a deep breath. "It's late and these people do need places to sleep. You're right: this is your castle. So where do you want them to go?"

"They can sleep in the main hall for all I care."

"There are plenty of rooms up that staircase there," Belle said sensibly, directing the statement to Snow. "The eastern wing should have a good number of beds for those that need them, and the castle has a habit of… accommodating for what is needed." She turned back to Rumple. "Will it still?"

"The Dark Curse did some damage. I have no way of knowing how much just yet," he answered, his tone softer than it had been. The anger had rushed out and left him feeling drained.

"If there's overflow, we can put them in the library. It's in the east wing as well. We'll get everyone settled." She turned to him now, tipping up on her toes and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. He blinked tiredly at her and hated that he knew what that meant. She wouldn't be coming up with him. "Get some rest," she murmured the affirmation, "and I'll be up in a bit."

"Make sure they don't go… snooping," he grumbled, eyes scanning the crowd.

"I promise."

Despite everything, Rumplestiltskin felt a smile tug into place and he lifted a hand to her cheek, fingers touching her auburn hair. She wasn't in such a hurry to jump into the chaos that she didn't meet him in the middle, the kiss sending a flood of light through his stained soul. There was such love in her eyes when they parted and he was reminded, as he was so very often by her sheer presence, that he could never do anything to deserve her. He could only try to be better for her. "I love you," he whispered softly.

"And I love you," she answered. "I'll be up when everything's set. Get some rest."

He stood on the stairs and watched as she turned back to the dark haired princess and her blond prince. It took a moment before he could finally tear himself away and slowly climb the stairs. She would take care of the details. She was the only one he could trust to do so.

There were fewer hours until sunrise then had passed since sunset when Belle and the others finished directing people. While many had returned to their own villages, they'd been left with hundreds that were seeking refuge in fear of the rumours that were already spreading about the so-called Wicked Witch from the land of Oz. Others, like Aurora and Philip, had joined to try to help in the fight, though perhaps to see find a bit more safety from Zelena's threats as well. They'd huddled into the Dark Castle, spanning from the poorest of the land to other royals. She'd long since lost count of just how many there were and even the castle hadn't been able to compensate. She didn't know if it was just being stubborn or if the spell was glitching, thrown off by the Curse to End All Curses that had ripped through it when they'd all been pulled away.

Exhaustion was beginning to pull on even her nerves by the time they were done. Bae had stayed to help, seeming to feel some sense of responsibility even though he'd barely spent any time at all in the castle before that night. Emma had taken Henry up into the western wing once the boy had hit the end of his adrenaline rush and had crashed from it, and as Belle looked out over the people that had flooded into the foyer now, she decided that she would have to find a way to make Rumple accept that they were sharing that wing with those that they could consider family, at least. She knew he wouldn't be happy to have anyone other than Baelfire and perhaps Henry in his side of the castle - when she'd worked as his maid even she had barely been allowed into it, often rushed out with one excuse or another - but they would have to make do.

"Did you give your own room away?" Snow asked as they slowly made their way up the stairs. They'd sent those that had been willing to help coordinate the chaos up to bed one by one as they started to daze off and become less and less useful in their tasks.

"Oh, I wouldn't have bothered with it anyway. I'll stay with Rumple." She heard the elder woman pause and Belle turned, watching Snow White's expression change thoughtfully several times and it set a bit of surprise in her. She'd never seen her as the judgmental type and it was no secret that she'd lived with Rumple in his home in Storybrooke for a time at least.

"I hate politics," Snow said at last, seeming to deflate. She cast a glance around, as if making sure that they could speak freely, and she sagged against the stone wall.

"You think the nobles staying here will notice and make a fuss over it?"

"I think they'll make a fuss over anything they think they can get away with," Snow answered honestly. "They've been picked up out of one life, dropped in another, and then picked back up again. They're going to be clamouring for control and some won't like the idea of the Dark One - former or not - being their benefactor."

Belle couldn't help but snort. "Rumple's hardly offering that. We're in this together."

"Just… be careful, Belle. Don't give them a way to use you against him. They will try."

Court politics was nothing new to her, but she had played it on a small scale compared to what this could turn into. Several royal families had come with them, including Philip and his young wife Aurora, Prince Thomas and his family, and several others that she'd only heard mentioned. Though David and Mary Margaret stepped into a place of authority in Storybrooke, things could very easily be different here. They were young and sincere, of course, but some of the more power-hungry monarchs saw that as a weakness. They would be looking for weaknesses wherever they might find them in their allies, as well, and though the warning put Belle on the defensive, she knew it had been given out of friendship.

"Thank you," Belle murmured. "I shouldn't think that Rumple and I will receive too much grief from them once they realize that his curse being broken has only made him stronger."

"What makes you say that?" Snow asked, genuinely curious.

The blue eyed beauty smiled. "Our love is stronger than anything that they can throw at us."

The words might have seemed silly to someone that hadn't experienced True Love before, but Snow White's face lit up at them and she nodded her understanding. Belle bid her goodnight before slipping off to the room hidden behind a set of large, ornate doors. Or she would have slipped in, anyway, if the doors would budge. She leaned into them, knowing very well that this was Rumple's room even if she'd only seen it once and very briefly at that. He'd never wanted her cleaning it while she'd lived there with him and she'd only tried to sneak in once - she couldn't help that her curiosity had gotten the better of her - and he'd been furious. It wasn't like she'd made it past the blood magic he used to seal the room off anyway.

"Rumple?" she whispered when she was sure that Mary Margaret was safely behind her own door down the hallway. She waited before trying to jar the door open again. "Rumplestiltskin!"

The door didn't budge. It didn't even make a sound, as if she'd been a wind knocking at it instead of a person trying to gain the occupant's attention. She let out a long, heavy sigh and pressed her back to it, sliding down to the floor. She was exhausted, or perhaps beyond that point now. The day had been non stop. Pan had first enacted his curse just before dawn and they hadn't stopped since. They'd managed to switch Henry back into his real body and Rumple had captured his father. Regina destroyed the scroll and reversed the curse and they were all thrown back into the Enchanted Forest where Belle had helped break her True Love's own curse and they'd lost Pandora's Box to a witch that seemed to know Rumple - that was something he hadn't been keen on talking about on their way there - before picking up and moving a good number of former Storybrooke citizens with them to the Dark Castle, avoiding flying monkeys on the way. All within about twenty-four hours. When she thought about it that way, Belle knew why she was so tired.

"You get locked out?"

She jumped, eyes flying open and staring into the shadowy hall. Baelfire came slowly into focus and he was grinning down at her. "Sorry," he offered.

"You just startled me is all," she murmured, picking herself up from the floor and dusting her dress off. "Yes, I do believe I have been, to answer your question. Rumple was so worn out when we got here that he probably would have scared half the people away if he hadn't gone to bed, but it seems that I can't get in now."

"Blood magic lock?"

"Probably. He is fond of it."

"Well, if it is, maybe I can help with that," Bae answered and stepped past her. He reached out and in the shadows Belle could see Rumplestiltskin in his son. They were so similar in so many ways, even if she thought Baelfire might be hesitant to admit it. It was the eyes, mostly, that were so close, and Henry had the same pair as his father and grandfather. Pan's, though, had been blue, Belle thought she remembered. Cold and calculating, not the same warm brown that Rumple, Bae, and Henry all shared.

The lock clicked and one of the double doors swung open. "There you go," Bae offered in a whisper, motioning inside.

The lights were low, but a lamp was still lit as if it were waiting on her. It cast just enough light that Belle and Bae could see Rumple lying on the bed, curled into himself so that he looked very small against it. The shadows that the dim light cast made it difficult to tell, but she thought as she stepped closer that she could see his brows drawn together and he was trembling, battling some demon in a dream. Perhaps still battling the one that had resided inside of him for so very long.

Bae didn't leave immediately, obviously seeing what Belle had seen and he stepped in behind her even as she crossed the space to the bed. She knelt down on it, brushing aside grey-streaked hair so that she could see her love's face more clearly. "Rumple?" she whispered and he relaxed at her touch.

Those dark eyes blinked open and came to focus on her. "Belle," he murmured by way of greeting and it looked like he was trying to work something through his mind. He made it as far as to prop himself up on his elbow before turning to the door, seeing his son there and hummed a small sound of acknowledgement, looking guilty even as he did. "I locked you out, didn't I?"

"It's okay. Bae let me in."

"Thank you, Bae."

"I just helped your girlfriend break into your room through blood magic. That definitely gets marks for weird if nothing else."

Rumple blinked tiredly, but Bae's grin seemed to settle him out of any confusion quickly enough. "Thank you," he said again and Belle shifted, pulling back the sheets as she did.

"You'll… watch after him, right?" Bae asked, still lingering.

"Of course."

"I'm next door, so just call if you need anything." The offer was a bit awkward, but there was worry in his eyes as the young man watched his father slip almost instantly back into sleep.

"I promise I will," Belle answered him softly.

When he was gone and the door shut behind him, she set to maneuvering Rumplestiltskin actually in to the bed instead of just on top of it. He let her move him, almost like a limp doll, and a little coaxing even received an automatic reaction for the effort. Thankfully he'd managed to take off his boots before collapsing onto the bed, so that hadn't been an issue, but as she bent to remove her own shoes she heard him shift under the thick covers and found him watching her quietly. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," he murmured back.

"How're you feeling?"

"Fuzzy," he answered honestly.

"You're exhausted. I would think that'd be expected after today. Were you able to build up those walls for your visions you were talking about?"

"Mm. Mostly. I should have them well enough in place tomorrow to start freeing up some of my magic to find out where I stand."

"Don't push yourself," Belle said as she pulled back the covers and climbed in, her face sinking down against a pillow that should have been covered in dust, but felt more like a cloud. A very, very comfortable cloud.

"Have to. Zelena won't wait, and if she has Pan… It can't wait."

"You won't do anyone any good if you're not at your best."

"Have to protect my family," he murmured, and she thought he was fading off again. After a moment though his eyes slid back open and they watched her carefully. "I love you."

This pulled a small laugh from her. "I love you too."

"I never want to live without you," Rumple confessed, his words slurred very slightly with exhaustion and Belle thought her heart might stop in her chest. He reached out, one hand on the side of her face and his fingers tangled in her hair as they lay facing each other. "I know I'm not a good man, Belle. I'll never be the man that you deserve, even outside of the curse. I'm a coward and I'm weak and… and I have nothing I can really offer you other than my love. I can't even promise you safety now. I-"

"Rumple," she whispered, lifting her head up from the cloudy pillow to press her lips against his, quieting him. When they parted, a smile pulled at her lips and she blinked back tears that threatened. His gaze was so honest and open in that moment and she feared that he wouldn't even remember the discussion in the morning. "You are brave and strong-"

"Belle I-"

"Shush," she ordered and snuggled up against him. She felt him put an arm around her and the smile remained. "You are. I've seen it. I love you, so don't doubt yourself."

He chuckled. "If I'm brave or strong, it's only because you've made me so," he murmured, tightening his grip on her and when he spoke. She was certain that he was mostly asleep. When dawn broke he might think this had all been a dream. That was if he remembered it at all. "I want to marry you, Belle."

Rumplestiltskin was asleep again before she could answer him and she found herself wishing he could be this honest all the time. Small steps, she reminded herself as she curled into him. Small steps, and maybe, just maybe, he'd find the courage to propose to her when he was actually awake.

TBC

Notes: In the next chapter - Henry finds trouble, Blue tries to sway loyalties, and Rumple and Bae understand that they have a long way to go.