If I See You

by echofinley

Rumple goes to New York City after he was banished and wants to go back to Belle and talk to her. Belle feels bad about banishing him and wants to talk to him too, but they will have to see each other if they want to talk and fix what they broke. Takes place in New York City after winter finale.

19. Chapter 19

Sorry for not updating in forever I hope this long, final chapter makes up for the wait. Hope you like and review. All mistakes are mine, sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or the deep and complex characters

Ruby, who had entered the room shortly after her boyfriend, started pacing across the white hospital floor. She too had heard about the arrival of the Savior, her parents and the former Evil Queen.
"No one told them you guys were here." Ruby said looking at Rumple and Belle, who were both sitting on the hospital bed. Rumple had joined his wife on the bed with a protective arm around her waist, letting a hand fall guardedly over their baby. His other hand was intertwined with Belle's. "I certainly didn't." Ruby continued, trying to solve the puzzle. "Neither did Archie. So unless you," she turned on Whale, "did," She gave him a questioning glare. "Emma and her parents and Regina shouldn't have figured we were here." It was at this point that Rumple sat up and gave Whale a threatening stare.

"If you so much as pressed one number on your phone-" Rumple began when Whale interrupted.
"I didn't!" He said, his hands tense in front of him. "I have no idea how they know!"
"Of course you don't!" Rumple yelled at him, skeptical. He pulled his hand out of his wife's. Belle tried to hold on to it, but he walked closer to Whale making her hand fall limply on the sheets. Rumple started yelling at the doctor. Ruby joined in, shouting at Whale. Whale not liking being accused argued back. Archie's voice joined the others trying to get everybody to calm down, but it was useless.

It was a good couple minutes of intense arguing, that surely the whole hospital could hear before a voice was heard above the rest.

"Please would you all stop talking?!" Belle pleaded. The room went quiet. All the participants of the quarrel stopped and looked at Belle. She had a frustrated and tired look in her eyes. "It doesn't matter how they know. What matters is what we're going to do?" Ruby was the first one to speak. She let out a long defeated sigh.

"Your right Belle." She told her.

"What are we going to do?" Archie asked. No one spoke, but they all had their own ideas. Rumple thought about racing over to Belle and taking her away from it all. Magic her away to his hidden cabin. However he stayed still.

"Maybe we could talk to them and work everything out." Archie suggested. Rumple scoffed.

"Why don't we just go to your office and have group therapy." He told the psychologist sarcastically. "I sure that will work everything out."

"I can't believe I'm going to say it but I think he's right. I can't see talking to them ending well." Ruby stated.

"It doesn't look like we have a choice." Belle said as they heard a lot of footsteps coming towards them.

The whole gang marched into the hospital room, Emma leading them. They took in the scene. Belle sat wearily on the bed, while Rumple, Whale, Ruby, and Archie stood together. Archie took ruby's hand, while Whale took an obvious step away from them. Emma stood with her parents behind her on either side and Regina was somewhat behind him.

"How are you here, and what did you do?" Emma said, her face stern. Her long blonde hair sweeping over her shoulders.

"I'm afraid you going to have to be more specific," he said before adding a condescending, "Dearie." he walked over to Belle. He needed her to be close, to protect her. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. He had lost her so many time, but coming so close to losing her at the town line had been beyond painful. She had died in his arms, faded away. In an instant all his happiness and joy and love had faded away too. If he lost her he would lose the will to live. Belle and the baby were his life. "What are you accusing me of?"

"We saw the purple magic, Rumple." Regina said. "We know something," Regina searched for the word while moving her hands in front of her. "Magical," she finally got out. "Happened at the town line. Something very powerful."

"That wasn't Rumple." Belle spoke up.

"Really," Regina said dubiously. "Because it sur-"

"It was the baby," Belle interrupted and a collective gasp was heard from those who didn't know about the baby. "Our baby." She said after a moment of silence looking at Rumple.

"Belle your pregnant?" Snow asked. Belle nodded. "How far along are you?"

"Just over three months." Belle told them. "As to how he got here." She explained. "When I left Storybrooke I went searching for him. I took a leap of faith and went to New York City. I thought he would want to be closer to Bae." At the mention of the man Emma and Rumple winced while the rest of them had sorrowful looks on their faces. "We somehow found each other, but then we had to come back to Storybrooke." Charming gave her a puzzled look.

"Why?" he questioned.

"Because our baby needed magic to live." She answered. "It was created by true love's magic and dark magic. He or she will be powerful. That's what you saw at the town line. When we crossed the baby absorbed magic, and then it shot it out like a spark of energy." They whole room was rather stunned at her retelling. They didn't quite know what of make of it all. Regina was the first to speak.

"So let me get this straight. After he lied to you about the dagger, killed Zelena, almost tricked Emma, captured all the fairies, and took Hook's heart you decided to banish Rumple, only to go after him and bring him back." Rumple gave Regina an enraged glare. However she didn't back down. Regina held his gaze.

"I realized that I was wrong to do that." Belle said quickly before Rumple did something he would regret. "I don't condone what he did, but I can't condone what I did either." She told them making sure they knew how much she regretted commanding him away from her with his dagger. "I abandoned him when he needed me most, but I won't ever do that again. I plan to stay with him and be by his side until I die." She noticed Rumple flinch at the mention of her death. "I don't care if anyone has a problem with that." She said sternly before looking down at her hands with a sad expression and adding. "I know all of you probably hate him but ask yourself what you would do?" she looked up at them with a pleading look.

"What would you do if someone locked you up, took you will, took your power, and was responsible for the death of your only child?" everyone looked down thinking hard at what she said. Rumple was scared. After being at the mercy of the witch it made sense he would try to gain more power, trying to prevent that from ever happening again. Also not only had he lost his free will, but also his son. Each of them could relate. Snow and Charming had, not only Emma but also Neal. Regina and Emma had Henry. If anyone killed Henry, who knows what they would do…

"Seriously!" Whale said as he saw nobody was going to do anything. "He's the Dark One. Are we just supposed to forget everything he's done?" Everyone looked at Whale. Ruby stalked towards him her teeth pressed tightly together.

"You did call them!" she growled.

"Of course I did. The Dark One shows up out of nowhere and I do nothing." He said mockingly.

"I can't believe you Whale." Ruby said. Rumple took a half step away from Belle and towards Whale.

"I can. I'll-"

"You'll what?" Whale questioned. "You'll kill me?" Rumple looked at him his jaw clenched. "Like you killed Zelena." Everyone looked at the Dark One. Nobody knew what he was going to do accept Belle, the one who believed in him. She believed that he would do the right thing.

There was a long punctuated silence. Rumple looked down before answering him.
"No" he finally said looking up at all of them. "I won't." He paced around the room. Finally he stood still in front of everyone. "I'm so old. I've seen things you could never imagine. I've done things even your worst moments you would never dream of doing. I forgot what is was to be good, and forgot what is was like to be loved. It wasn't until Belle that I felt something. That I let myself think I was worth something, that I was worth loving, but I'm not." He truly believed this. Why would anyone love what he had become? Belle's love for him constantly amazed him. How could she love someone so unlovable? "No amount of good deeds could redeem me." he said sadly. "I know that. But I promise that I will not do anything other than protect and love my wife and my child. That is my only concern. I promise I will stay away from everyone. You have my word." he waited. He looked into each of their eyes want for them to pull out their swords or charge, but they didn't. They gave him hard stares but no one said anything. Regina even gave him a slightly sympathetic and knowing look.

Rumple was just about to magic himself and Belle out of the hospital when Charming opened his mouth.

"You're not the only one who's done bad things." The prince said. He was referencing a secret misdeed him and snow did that no one knew about. Something they had done in the Enchanted Forest. They only did it to ensure Emma's goodness, but sometimes he wondered if he took the coward's way. He didn't have enough faith that she would turn out good on her own. No one knew about what they had done but Snow would always remember too.

"It's choosing what to do from there that matters." Snow added. Regina took a step forward.

"Someone once told me 'no one decides my fate but me'." Belle had told her that, even when locked up. She had been determined and ever hopeful when Regina locked her up. Always optimistic that she would see Rumple again, and she had. "So what are you going to do Rumpelstiltskin?" she challenged. Rumple thought about the question as he gave them a long last look. He would do what he had to, to be a good husband and true love to Belle, and to be a good father and someone his child could look up to. He stepped over to his wife and took her hand before surrounding them in dark purple magic. In a moment he and Belle were in front of his salmon colored house.

The tension left Belle's shoulder as soon as she stepped over the threshold. She felt a relief she didn't know she would just by being in the house. Rumple walked behind her, an arm around her waist. She leaned back into his body, comforted by his grounding form. They moved to the kitchen where he kissed her cheek from behind. Her eyes fluttered and her face formed a happy smile. He then moved his hands to her shoulders where he started to massage them gently.

"Everything's going to be alright." He told her, to which she gave a slight nod. Belle turned in his arms to face him.

"I know." Somehow they would be. Even amongst the evil, the wicked, and the darkness in this world, they would prevail. There love would win out, and as long as they were together everything would be alright. Better than alright; amazing.

"You are so worth loving Rumple, never forget that." Belle whispered.

Resting their foreheads against one another's it was just them in this great big world. It didn't matter if the whole world was against them.

Belle suddenly leaped back from him, her eyes filled with concern.

"What are we going to do with the dagger?" she asked. "I don't want it," she rushed out. "I don't want to be able to control you."

"Belle," he said her name trying to calm her down. "You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that. I've decided that I'm going to place it in a safe and hard to reach place, but I want you to know where it is." She looked at him with wide eyes and a slight smile.

"You trust me, even after I controlled you with it?"

"Yes." He said completely honest. "How could I not trust you even after you used my dagger when you're giving me another chance after everything I've done?"

It was one month later when the Gold house was filled with a loud buzz.

"Belle, you timer went off!" Rumple yelled from the kitchen. Belle who was still up stairs getting ready for the evening, yelled back.

"Can you take it out?" she asked him. The timer went silent. Rumple carefully took out the perfectly cooked chicken parmigiana. "I don't want it to be burnt for the dinner tonight." She had slaved all day in their kitchen, trying to make the perfect meal. On top of that all their stuff from New York City had finally been shipped back to Storybrooke and they had to unpack all the boxes.

He walked up the stairs. Rumple smiled as he walked into the bedroom, seeing his wife struggle with the zipper on the back of her dress, while talking on the phone. The device was cradled between her ear and shoulder. While the strap of her dress was nearly falling down. The dress was a short, light blue, off the shoulder dress. He walked over to her placing a lingering kiss on her bare back, feeling her shiver under his lips, before zipping the dress up.

"Me too Natalie," Belle said into the phone. "And tell Shawn I said hi." Belle was silent for a pause. "It was really nice talking to you. Bye Natalie." She ended the call. Then tilting her head back she thanked Rumple. His cheek brushed against hers.

"No matter." He said with a smile. "What did you and Natalie talk about?" he asked.

"A lot of things actually," she replied. "It was really nice talking to her. We caught up, and I wanted to tell her I went back to Storybrooke." Belle told him. She was sad she would never see Natalie and Shawn again and their kids. Natalie had been a good friend to her, Shawn too. "You know I'm really going to miss them."

"At least you can call them and video chat them." he supplied. She gave a sad nod. He didn't like seeing her down. "Perhaps we can find a way for them to visit." He told her.

"Really!" her eyes lit up.

"I'm not making any guarantees but I'll will try," he said. "For you."

"Rumple, thank you." she said with big loving smile. Belle's heart was beyond content by being with Rumple. Her life had been a crazy one. It was filled with so many up and downs, so many bleak moments but being with Rumple made her life brighter. She loved him so much, and she loved who she was with him.

Rumple wrapped an arm around her waist and moved both of them in front of the floor length mirror is their room. He stared at her, his face falling on her shoulder. His free hand touched her growing belly.

"You are so beautiful." He told her.

She turned in his arms, staring into his eyes before leaning forward to kiss him. Unfortunately before she could make contact the doorbell rang. She took a step back, her face bright with excitement. "They're here!" she ran down the stairs leaving Rumple standing alone, looking at her fleeting form. Belle waited for Rumple to join her before swinging open the door. Now open, the door revealed a smiling Ruby and Archie. Ruby held a plate of dark, fudgy brownies, while Archie had a hand around her waist. Belle welcomed them in giving both a hug. Rumple stood a bit awkwardly to the side but had a small smile on his face.

"I'm so glad you guys could make it." Belle said to Archie and Ruby as they walked in. Rumple offered to take their coats. He walked over the coat closet and hung them up before rejoining the party.

They went to the table where Belle had spread a multitude of dishes. She retrieved her main dish form the kitchen, and placed it in the center of the table as everyone sat down. They all piled different dishes on their plates. For a while no one said anything too busy stuffing themselves, but then Archie spoke up.

"You know I don't think I ever heard the story of how you guys met." Archie told them about half way into the evening.

"Uh well," Rumple began. I was summoned to Sir Maurice's castle," he says somewhat mockingly. In Storybrooke he was just known as Moe French the florist, very different from what he once was in the Enchanted Forest. Instead of being clothed in fine garments for a lord he was decked in jeans and dirt. "To stop the ogres from compel wiping them out."

"He just appeared on my father throne out of now where," Belle butted in. "with his high trill of a voice, fully clad in leather."

"I thought I was telling the story," Rumple looked over and said to her playfully.

"Right, sorry." She said sheepishly. Ruby giggled. She rested her hand on her head as she waited to her the rest of their story.

"So here I was in a room full of proud, decorated warriors, who were now shaking in their boots. But then I saw her." he said with a nostalgic grin on his face. "A young woman with no trace of fear evident, just," he paused trying to come up with the right word. "Curiosity," Rumple finally decided. "And I guess me curious too. I wanted to know what was going on in that beautiful head of hers." Belle blushed, and held a flattered smile. "So I did what I did best, and made the best deal I've ever made."

"You made a deal for Belle?" Archie asked.

"Well he made me a deal to save my village if I became the caretaker for the Dark Castle." Belle explained. "And I said yes."

"She saved her village." Ruby said.

"Yes, she let the beast lead her to his cave." Rumple added.

"You're not a beast." Belle admonished him. "However, I have faced a beast in a cave."

"You have?" Archie asked incredulously. Belle nodded.

"But that's a whole different story." She said with a smile. They continued to talk, swapping stories. Ruby sat smiling along with the others her hand intertwined tightly with her boyfriend's secretly under the table. If someone had told her back in the Enchanted Forest that she would be in love with a cricket, laughing and enjoying the company of the Dark One and his mysterious wife, she wouldn't have believed them. However now, sitting at their mahogany table they weren't the legendary sorcerer and lady of Avonlea, they were just her friends.

She remembered a night a long time ago. Herself belle and Archie had been standing at the town line saying farewells. Belle had hugged her, and whispered in her ear. She told her, Archie and you will be great together. Your finding you happy ending, and I'm just running to mine. As Ruby sat there and watched the couple across from her, she saw that Belle had grasped her happy ending and she wasn't going to let go of him. As Archie and Ruby finished with their deserts, grabbed their coats, and headed for the door, Rumple and Belle followed. Archie always the gentleman opened Ruby's car door, before opening his own and sliding in the car.

As Ruby and Archie backed out of the driveway, she glanced at the couple waving to them from the front door and smiled.

"That was a really nice evening," Archie said and took Ruby's hand in his own. She smiled at him, and couldn't agree more.

"What about Hannah?" Belle suggested. Rumple cringed. They were sitting on the couch after Archie and Ruby left thinking of baby names. However he couldn't find one he liked because any name reminded him of a person he made a deal with.

"I knew a Hannah once. Almost 200 years ago."

"And?" Belle asked puzzled.

"I made a deal with her and the deal ended badly." He explained, and Belle let out a long sigh.

"Were never going to find a name for the baby, if we can't name it after someone who's made a bad deal with you. That's about everyone you've dealt with and you've made a lot of deals in your life time, darling."

"I know," he told her. "I just don't want to be reminded of them every time we call our son or daughter."

"I guess it's going to have to be really rare and unique then." Belle said. Rumple nodded. She thought about it for a while.

"My mom's name was Colette-"

"I made a deal with a Colette."

"I wasn't finished." She told him. "I was going to say her middle name was Arelah. It means angel." She looked at him daring him to tell her he made a deal with a person named that. However he didn't. He tested it out.

"Arelah." He mused over it for a moment before looking at Belle. "I like it. She will be our little angel." she smiled.

"I do too, and my mother would have been so happy. Ohh! "She cried out placing a hand on her stomach.

"What's wrong, Belle?" he immediately asked worried. She smiled at him, hoping to relax him. She took his hand as pressed it against her stomach.

"Do you feel it?" Rumple did feel it, and was filled with awe.

"Is that a kick?" he said barely able to talk. She nodded.

"You know they saw you should talk to it. Babies like the sound of their parents."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, go ahead." He felt a little silly talking to her stomach but did it nevertheless.

"Hello, little one." He said timidly. Belle giggled. "I can't wait for you to be born and I can actually hold you. I know you'll be beautiful like your mom." He glanced up at Belle who had a watery smile. "I can't wait to meet you properly and be your papa. I promise I will try my best to always be understanding and caring and the best papa I can be." He vowed. He kissed Belle's belly before sitting back up. She brought her hand to his face a brushed away a tear that ran down it.

"I never got to feel Bae kick inside his mother's belly. I never got to talk to him like this. I wasn't even there when he was born." He told her miserably.

"That wasn't you fault Rumple." she told him, her hands cradling his face. "And all that really matters is that you loved Bae and he loved you."

"Your right, sweetheart." He told her trying to hold back the tears, but he decided to stop trying. With Belle he was going to be honest. He wasn't going to hide anything from her. So he cried and let her hold him. She put her chin on his head as his face was pressed into her neck.

"I think it's about time we visit Bae again, don't you think?" she asked him in a whispers. She felt him nod. "We'll go tomorrow." Last time she told Bae she would be back with Rumple, and she was going to keep her promise.

It was a while before he composed himself and as he looked up at her he saw tears down her face too. He wiped them away before he realized they had another problem.

"What if the baby is a boy? What are we going to name the baby then?"

"I'll leave that to you." She said with a wink and a smile while she walked upstairs.

"Belle," Rumple called. "You have a text." He was already lying in bed waiting for his wife when he heard her phone buzz. Belle, who was in the adjoining bathroom, turned off the light in it and walked out to the bedroom. Rumple stared at her from the bed with a lazy smile. She had on short grey pajama shorts and a matching grey shirt with spaghetti straps. The shirt had become a little too small since she had a considerable baby bump but she still wore it, and he thought she looked gorgeously in it. She smiled at his gaze.

"What?"

"Nothing." He said softly and she let it go. She walked over and settled on the bed leaning back on the headboard before grabbing her phone from the nightstand. He watched her while she read the text. She giggled and he looked at her curiously.

"What is it?" she composed herself before looking over at him.

"It would seem that Snow and Regina would like to host a baby shower for me at Regina's house." He sat up on the bed looking at her incredulously.

"Really?"

"I'm seriously." She told him with a smile.

"Well I can honestly say I didn't see that coming."

"Neither did I." Belle said as both of them laid back down on the bed facing each other. They were quiet for a while. It had been a long few months for both of them. They had been through so many emotions and struggles but they were finally together.

"You know," Rumple said to Belle. She placed a hand on his chest and moved closer to him.

"What, darling?" she said and pinched her eyebrows together.

"Maybe one day we'll get back to the Enchanted Forest but really all I need to be home is you and the baby, sweetheart." She looked at him with so much love in her eyes and happy tears waiting to be shed. She hugged him.

"I'm so glad you saw me in that throne room, years ago." She told him.

"Me too." he said as he pulled her flush against him. He captured her mouth in a passionate kiss. They poured all there happiness and love into it. Rumple and Belle fell asleep, tightly holding on to one another and never letting go.

The End

Thank you so much for reading I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. its been a long journey but we made it. I will write an epilogue if you guys would like one, just tell me. Thank you again and never stop being amazing. Now go chase your happy endings – echofinley- 3

Thank you everyone and goodbye…

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