Belle's death was certain. When she delivers the child, Belle will die because it takes a life to transfer that dark magic her child inherited from its' father. Belle's mind completely shut down and didn't even remember saying 'goodbye' or 'thank you' to Mother Superior as she exited the building. She walked as if in a dream, numb to the world, back to the car. She couldn't even bring herself to tears she was so overwhelmed with shock. She was lost in thought. She felt alone and she was scared. All this information was too much. Belle didn't even remember turning on the car, or getting into the car for that matter, and somehow found herself back at their house.

She had intuitively parked their car in the driveway and stomped heavy-footed into the house. With each step she took, she was reminded of her own mortality. Nothing felt real. She was exhausted. Done. Belle walked through the front door of their house and dropped her purse to the floor. It was taking every effort for her to not collapse on the floor like her purse.

"Belle," Rumple said with a serious look on his face, "we need to talk."

"Rumple… I… can't. Not right now."

"No!" he said sticking his foot down and raising his voice, "You've been avoiding me. We need to talk about this now!"

"Talk about what?" she gave up fighting him, fatigued and on the precipice of tears. He strode over to her bag and took out his three books.

"Why are you learning magic? And why are you hiding this from me?" he said accusatively, raising his voice.

"Rumple..." Belle said breaking before him, her eyes were watering. He was furious and she could see that. Rumple was at a point in his fury where nothing she said mattered, because his frustration with her had consumed him entirely.

"And why were you at the convent today talking with Mother Superior?!" he said pointing an angry accusatory finger at her.

"…you… you were following me?" Belle said bewildered, "You still don't trust me?!"

"You have to give trust to get it dearie, and you studying magic from my books without my knowledge on the matter is not a great way to establish that trust with me."

"You should know by now that I don't want to learn magic!"

"Well all evidence is pointing to the contrary my dear. Anyone who learns dark magic never has good intentions!"

All of sudden it finally became clear to Belle as to why he was so upset. How it must have appeared from his perspective with her abrupt absences, leaving him to study the dark curse on her own using his books on dark magic. He was comparing her to Cora. Belle knew about her. When Regina came into the diner that one day, warning them about Cora, it prompted further questioning on who exactly this woman was. Rumple had mentioned briefly his relationship with her and their involvement with magic. How she had left him for power. And how in the end… it was Cora who had come back to threaten his life using magic. The mere comparison to Cora was repulsive, and Belle was at her wit's end.

"No! Anyone who learns dark magic is a threat to you… and I am not Cora!" she shouted back at him, leaving him silent. He was flummoxed, unsure as to what to say next. He didn't even know what to think.

"I can't handle this!" she exclaimed exhaustively, "I'm done arguing. I can't even be with you right now."

Belle was barely to the staircase when Rumplestiltskin had confronted her. She immediately turned back around, grabbed her purse, and left the house slamming the door on her way out.

… …

Belle didn't return to the house all evening, so Rumple concluded that she must have taken temporary residence at the apartment above the library. He knew it was her little sanctuary and space so he went to bed that night alone. He felt odd sleeping without her. Rumple sorely felt the absence of his wife and he missed her. He couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned until finally he gave up and began staring at the ceiling, thinking.

Rumple thought back on the past few weeks, back to when his dreams about the Lily first started. He thought about all that had transpired between him and her. He thought more so on what was different; what was odd. There had to be a correlation, a connection; every detail mattered.

The orange juice in the fridge is practically gone every morning… her bouts of fatigue… her nausea… mood swings… her adjustments to her wardrobe… the book at the library when we met for lunch the other day… she had set it down too quickly… why? What section of the library was she at? Health… Women's Health… Maternity…

"A bab…" he mouthed silently to himself. Suddenly, it all became clear. The dreams he had been having weren't dreams, but a result of his power to see into the future. What did everything mean then? He wondered.

Perhaps the growth of the Lily growing from the mucky dark dwellings of the pond represented the darkness and chaos from his life. But from it, fighting through all the adversity, like their love, the stem reaches out to find sunlight… Belle. Belle had always represented the light in his life. And the blossoming flower? Something beautiful and feminine growing from the product of two opposite forces… perhaps that represented a new life as a result of their relationship; a child. And the feminine quality the flower symbolized… the sex of their child. They were having a girl.

The good news Belle wanted to tell him. This was it! A smile broke out over his face. "I'm going to be a father," he said out loud to himself, beaming with pride. He remembered hearing the news of his parenthood for the first time through the Seer. The joy he felt then was the same joy he was experiencing now. He thought of Bae.

All he ever wanted for Baelfire was to be happy, but he knew long ago that Baelfire wasn't going to be happy with him. Baelfire knew of his regret for letting him go through that portal alone and that Baelfire had eventually forgiven him. Baelfire loved him and Baelfire knew of his father's love for him. Bae knew that he was loved by all. Bae had even found love and at some point in his life, happiness. Baelfire lived, forgave, loved, was loved and had found happiness. Isn't that what every parent wished for of their children?

Will he continue loving and missing Baelfire? Yes. Now that Zelena is gone, he took this moment to reflect on what Baelfire had given him; this moment of peace within himself. Things had come full circle. Everything he did, everything he had done up to this point was worth it. If he were asked to do it all over again, he would do it in a heartbeat and change nothing.

He was going to be a parent again. Belle was carrying their child. If she knew, then why was she so sad, or scared even? Wouldn't this be joyous news to her as well? He thought about the books she brought home from his personal library; the books on dark magic. Rumple thought back to his Lily dream…

"Now I have to pay the price…"

The price of… what? He thought. Magic? He thought of the books on dark magic she had in her purse. Perhaps it was the price of dark magic; his dark magic. Perhaps that's what she was afraid of, because she rarely ever accepted or used magic. But in the dream she looked sad. His hand was over her heart; her life in his hands. In the dream she disappears and her heart becomes replaced by their flower, their child, which he cradles in his hands. By gaining a daughter, was he also going to lose his wife to dark magic?

Dread succumbed Rumplestiltskin. He finally understood what Belle was going through realizing that she was probably scared out of her mind. Rumple handled the situation all wrong. He should have known, the signs were all there! He felt ashamed of himself for treating her the way that he did, like the beast he can sometimes still be. Of course he knew that she never wanted to learn magic. She wanted to learn of the price of bearing the child of the dark one. It all made sense and it even explained the books that were in her purse.

She wasn't avoiding him, she was afraid to tell him. What a burden, to tell your loved one the good and bad news of your revelation. How could she be happy when she knew the price meant her life? Perhaps she knew all of this and perhaps… this was why she was sad. She was scared and he pushed her away.

His reaction toward her was a travesty and he knew he needed to rectify the situation. He was determined to lessen her burden of knowledge by sharing his revelations with her and his understanding of their situation. He knew that they were much stronger when they were together and that together they would find a way. No one was dying, not yet. There was still time to react. He believed they would get through this. He believed in their love.

He closed his eyes finally but he didn't sleep. He felt, within his heart, emotional conflict. He was filled with both joy and sorrow. She was afraid of what she didn't know and the sudden news of her insight was startling. But he wasn't afraid. Unlike her he had, in a way, always known. The dreams were telling him so all along, and it was not too late to save her.

Sorry if the previous chapter was a bit confusing. Hopefully this chapter helped clarified some of the misunderstandings from before. Montreat11, BreathingintheSun, OUATgirl17 and Grace5231973 Bless you for your comments. It's not that I'm second guessing my writing, but your reviews certainly keep me on my toes. Thank you all! See you next chapter.