So glad to be back to writing again! Please see ending for longer a/n. I know some of you have missed the fluff in this story so there is a bit of that for you. This one is all Rumbelle and Gold/Emma - we'll get back to the other folks (yeah, and HER) next chapter. Enjoy and thank you for the kind feedback!

I do not own 'Once Upon a Time.'

Chapter 27

Gold mumbled sleepily as he was awakened by soft kisses peppering his cheek. His eyes fluttered open and he looked up to find Belle smiling at him. "Good morning." she said softly.

"Mmmm." Gold mumbled, and he moved in close to Belle and nuzzled up against her.

"I hate to wake you sweetheart, but they're going to come soon to get me for therapy, and they like to clean the room and change the bedding while I'm there." Belle told him. "You can come back later. Or you can go with me to therapy if you like – you can see what I've been learning to do."

"I'd love to do that, sweetheart." Gold said, and he leaned his head up and kissed her gently.

"If you're hungry, you can have something from the fruit basket Gwen brought me." Belle said.

"Thank you." Gold said, sitting up a bit. Belle sat up as well, and Gold just stared at her for a moment and smiled.

"What?" Belle said.

"You are – the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Gold said. Belle blushed a bit. Gold hesitated for a moment, then moved in close to her suddenly, pressed his lips hard against hers, and kissed her with as much passion as he was able to muster up. When he finally pulled away, he reached his hand up and ran his fingers through her hair. "We're going to have that talk when you get out of here."

"What talk?" Belle asked.

"The one you said you want to have – about taking things to the next level." Gold said. Belle blushed again and grinned at him.

"I hope we do more than talk." Belle told him playfully.

"Count on it." Gold said. Just then, his cell phone began to ring from inside his jacket pocket, which he had hung over the chair next to the bed. Gold grabbed his jacket and pulled out the phone, glancing at the caller ID. "Miss Swan, whatever it is will have to wait, I am – what? Where are you? Alright – alright just stay there, I will take care of everything. Is he alright? Okay – I'll be there as soon as I can." Gold hung up the phone.

"Is everything alright?" Belle asked.

"I – I have to go, Belle, I'm sorry. I'll come to your therapy some other time." Gold told her.

"You can't tell me anything, can you?" Belle asked.

"Not until I know more information. Belle, I know we said no more secrets but in my line of work there will have to be some, for your own safety, you understand that, right?" Gold said as he began to put his shoes back on.

"Of course." Belle said. "Be careful, alright?"

"Don't worry about me. You do well in therapy today, and I'll see you later." Gold said. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you." he whispered.

"I love you, too." Belle told him. Belle smiled happily as she watched him leave.

Gold arrived several hours later at the small motel about an hour outside of Boston. He had procured a car with tinted windows from the agency, and asked Leroy to drive him there. Gold got out of the car, took out his phone and dialed it. "I'm here." he said, then hung up the phone. He walked toward one of the doors at the motel and knocked twice. The door opened, and Gold stepped inside.

"You're sure no one saw you?" Emma asked as he entered.

"Positive." Gold replied. Henry looked up at Gold and smiled excitedly.

"Grandpa Gold!" Henry shouted, and he stood up and ran to Gold and hugged him.

"Shhhh. Not so loud." Emma said.

"Sorry." Henry replied.

"Henry, look at you, you've grown almost a foot! You'll be taller than me soon." Gold said, hugging him back.

"That won't be hard to do." Emma commented, and Gold shot a glare at her. "Henry, I need you to go in the other room."

"What other room? The bathroom?" Henry asked.

"I need to talk to Mr. Gold privately. Take one of the books I got for you. It's a – secret part of Operation Cobra. I'll fill you in later." Emma said.

"Okay." Henry agreed grudgingly. He picked up a book and went into the bathroom.

"Operation Cobra?" Gold asked.

"It's a secret little game that Henry and I came up with years ago when I first explained to him what I do for a living. I told him that someday he may have to get involved with one of my assignments, and if he did, our code word would be Operation Cobra. Do you have everything?" Emma asked.

"No. Because you're coming home with me." Gold insisted.

"Are you nuts? Regina is probably casing the place as we speak!" Emma argued.

"Let her try. The house is too secluded, there's no way she'll get access to it, and Gwen is doubling security right now. You already jumped the gun once on this case and almost ruined everything. It's not happening again. And besides – if you think I'm letting you and my grandson run off to god knows where you're insane."

"I'm not your kid. And he's not really your grandson." Emma said.

"He's the closest I'll ever have to one." Gold told her. "Emma, please – you'll be safe there."

"Yeah, if we stay holed up like you did. I don't want that for Henry. And I don't want him witnessing one of your hissy fits." Emma told him. Gold sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I went to see Belle. You were right. She still loves me." Gold admitted. "I'm also on a waiting list to go into rehab at the DC center, and I'm back in counseling. You have nothing to worry about with me. I promise." Emma sat down next to him but remained quiet for a moment.

"That bullet that Belle took was meant for me." Emma admitted, and Gold looked up at her. "Regina was trying to get rid of me so that she could take my kid. And she's still gunning for Belle because she knows it would destroy you if anything happened to her. She tried to get me to agree to a deal – said she'd give up whoever she's working for – if I made some arrangement for her to see Henry. But only if I got rid of Belle."

"Please don't tell me you considered that even for a moment." Gold said.

"Of course I didn't. I just waited a few days, then caught her off guard. I disabled her security system and got my kid the hell out of there." Emma said. "So now she'll be after me, too."

"Emma – you won't be safe if you run. Please don't do this, I can't lose another child." Gold begged.

"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if you hadn't given me up?" Emma asked.

"Yes, quite often. I imagine it wouldn't be much different – except you'd be calling me Papa instead of Gold or – jackass." Emma snickered a bit.

"I'd probably still call you jackass sometimes. There's one big difference though – I probably wouldn't have Henry." Emma said. "Okay. We'll go home with you. But this isn't a permanent thing, as soon as we have Regina we're moving out on our own."

"I understand." Gold said. "Get Henry – let's go."

Gold sat on the edge of the bed with Belle holding her hand as the doctor removed her stitches. Belle sat as still as possible, wincing a few times as the stitches were removed. Mary Margaret was there as well to assist. "Got all of them, that was the last one." the doctor said as he finished up. "Okay, I know you've been doing therapy to keep your hand and elbow strong, let's see how well you can move your shoulder." Belle moved her shoulder only the slightest bit and cried out in pain. Gold squeezed her hand.

"It's alright, sweetheart." he said softly.

"It hurts." Belle said, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"You're doing fine, Belle. We'll start working tomorrow, okay? You can just get some rest today. I know it hurts, I'll order something for the pain." Mary Margaret told her, and she left the room.

"Once you get going on therapy you'll do fine. I'll do a recheck in a month." the doctor said, and he left as well.

"I want to see it." Belle said.

"See what?" Gold asked.

"My scar. I want to see what it looks like." Belle said. Gold sighed. "It's ugly, isn't it?"

"You just got your stitches out, love. It'll take a few weeks before it settles." Gold told her.

"I want to see it." Belle insisted, standing up. Knowing better than to argue with her, Gold followed her into the bathroom. Belle stood with her back to the mirror, and Gold picked up a hand held mirror and gave it to Belle. She took it with her left hand, and Gold gently pulled back the right side of the hospital gown she was wearing to cover herself. Belle looked at the scar and started to cry again.

"Sweetheart, it's not that bad. It'll fade, you'll barely notice it, and really, who will even see it there except for me, and given the amount of scars I have on my person, do you really think I'll care?" Gold said, and he kissed her softly on the lips. "Come on – let's get you back to bed." Belle and Gold walked back to the bed, and Belle sat down on the edge.

"I want this gown off, can you get one of my shirts?" Belle asked. "They're in the top drawer."

"Um – of course." Gold said. He went to the dresser and took out one of the t-shirts that Ruby had cut the right arm out of and brought it to Belle.

"I need you to help me." Belle said.

"Belle, maybe you should wait till Mary Margaret gets back." Gold suggested. "I mean, I haven't – we haven't -"

"Ian, you're going to see me topless eventually, you do realize that, right?" Belle asked. Gold blushed a bit.

"Yes, I just – wasn't expecting that to be today and under these circumstances." Gold said. Belle looked up at him and sighed. "Alright – but I won't look." Gold said. He helped Belle off with her gown, keeping his eyes focused on her eyes the entire time. He then took the t-shirt and helped her put it on, once again not once looking down. Belle smiled a bit as he finished helping her change.

"I wouldn't have been offended if you peeked." she teased.

"I want something to look forward to." Gold said, and he kissed her tenderly. "Feel better?" Belle nodded.

"It's still pretty sore." Belle said just as Mary Margaret entered the room.

"Oh, you got changed, good. Come on, let's get you settled in bed." Mary Margaret said, and she and Gold both helped Belle lie back, cushioning her shoulder with several pillows. "How's that?" Mary Margaret asked.

"It's fine." Belle said. "Thank you."

"You still want something for the pain?" Mary Margaret asked, and Belle nodded. She picked up the pill and glass of water that she brought in and handed it to Belle, who took the medicine without argument. "Rest up today – we're gonna start working tomorrow, I know you want to get out of here."

"How much longer do you think she'll need to be here?" Gold asked.

"If she does well in therapy – a couple more weeks. She'll still have to do some outpatient, but – I can do home visits if necessary." Mary Margaret said.

"I think that would be best." Gold said.

"I'll stop in to see how you're doing before I leave." Mary Margaret said, and Belle nodded at her as she left. Gold moved to Belle's left side and climbed onto the bed with her.

"You hear that, sweetheart? You'll be coming home soon." Gold said, and he kissed her on the cheek.

"Is the new house nice? You haven't told me anything about it." Belle said.

"It's adequate. But it – it just won't seem like home until you're there with me." Gold said. Belle smiled at him. "You want to watch a movie? I have my laptop with me."

"Ian, I'll probably fall asleep twenty minutes into it, this medicine makes me tired." Belle said. "But you can do your work while I take a nap, I know that's why you brought it here."

"I just wanted to be with you today – I know how it is when the stitches come out after surgery and I knew you might have a hard time of it." Gold said. He stood up and went to get his laptop, got it plugged in, and settled back next to her on the bed. "You sure I won't bother you."

"No, I'll be fine." Belle said, and she yawned a bit. Gold opened up the laptop and signed on to it. A photo of a man that Belle had never seen before popped onto the screen when he did. He had dark, wavy hair. "Who's that?" Belle asked.

"That um – that's Bae." Gold said. Belle gave him a puzzled look. "It's a computer program that the agency uses to age photos of people who have been missing for an extended amount of time – shows what they'd look like as they aged. It's quite accurate, I've tested it on photos of myself and several other people. I can show you what you'll look like in twenty years if you're interested." Belle giggled a bit.

"I think I'll pass on that." Belle said.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be lovely as ever. I won't bother to show you what I'll look like in twenty years because it may make you rethink this entire relationship." Gold said.

"Stop it. I'm sure you'll look as handsome then as you do now." Belle said. Gold gave her a look of puzzlement and kissed her on the forehead.

"I think that pain medicine is kicking in." he joked.

"Doesn't change the fact that you're a very handsome man." Belle said. "And so is your son."

"Yes. He does take after Milah's side of the family more though." Gold admitted.

"He has your eyes though. I'm sure he would have grown into a fantastic young man." Belle said.

"I can't help but wonder what he would have been like. Sometimes I look at this photo and just – pretend he's out there somewhere, living his life like he should have been all along." Gold admitted.

Several days later …..

Late in the afternoon, Gold moved toward the closet to get his jacket when Henry came bounding into the room. "Where are you going, grandpa?" Henry asked.

"I um – I have to go see a friend." Gold said.

"Your girlfriend?" Henry asked. Gold gave him a look of astonishment. "Mom said you have a girlfriend. Is she nice?"

"I think so." Gold said. "She likes to read books quite a bit – she's a librarian, actually. I know how much you enjoy reading, I think the two of you will get on well."

"When do I get to meet her?" Henry asked.

"Well – she had a bad accident and she's in the hospital right now. Once she gets better – she'll be coming home with me so that I can take care of her. You'll meet her then." Gold said.

"Henry, didn't I tell you not to go downstairs without telling me?" Emma asked as she came down the stairs.

"Sorry – grandpa's going to visit his girlfriend." Henry said. "I wish my mom would find a boyfriend. I know she misses my dad." Emma glared at Henry, but he kept talking. "He was a fireman – he died before I was born. He was a hero – just like you and mom."

"Henry, go upstairs and finish the project I gave you." Emma insisted.

"Okay." Henry said grudgingly. "Bye grandpa!"

"See you later, Henry." Gold said as Henry made his way up the stairs.

"Sorry about that – he's getting a bit stir crazy being cooped up after finally not having to be – well, cooped up. He's been asking a ton of questions since he got back. He noticed you were – different – not to mention that you never spend the night here - so I told him about Belle. Not everything just that – you had a girlfriend and you were really happy." Emma said.

"A fireman, really? That's what you told the lad?" Gold asked, changing the subject.

"How do you know it's not true?" Emma asked. Gold smirked at her.

"Are you forgetting who you're talking to? I'm as good at reading people as you are – better, even. That boy's father was no fireman." Gold said.

"It's none of your business." Emma said. She stomped into the living room and sat down. Gold turned to follow her and sat down next to her. "Don't you have a girlfriend to visit?" Emma asked, not looking up at him.

"You were in love with him, weren't you? Henry's father." Gold said.

"No." Emma said curtly.

"You're seriously going to lie to me? Who was he?" Gold asked.

"Nobody." Emma said.

"What did he do to you?" Gold asked.

"Nothing. Not a damn thing." Emma said. Gold took her hand, and Emma just stared at him in disbelief.

"Do you want me to find him? Tell me his name, I'll get the process started." Gold said. Emma pulled her hand away from him.

"I don't need you to play 'daddy' for me. Henry's father might as well be dead as far as I'm concerned, so that's what I told him. You want to know how I met him? I was stealing a car – and apparently so was he. He was a crook and a con artist and he's the reason I ended up in jail. You really want a man like that in Henry's life? I don't know where he is and I really don't give a damn." Emma said. "I don't even know if the name he gave me was his real name anyway."

"I want to find this man, Emma." Gold said.

"Why?" Emma asked.

"Because he hurt you. Do you really think I can let that stand?"

"What would you do to him? Beat him with your cane?" Emma asked. "Just let it go. He's not worth finding. He's not even worth this conversation. Go to Belle – at least one of us found someone worth loving, even if we don't deserve it."

"Why would you not deserve to be happy, Emma? I want that for you." Gold said.

"I'm happy. I have my kid back. And as soon as I can get the hell out of this place – we're gonna have a good life." Emma said. "I don't need a man to make that happen." Gold sighed sadly as Emma stood up and left the room.

Gold entered Belle's room. She was reading her kindle, as usual. Gold quickly moved to her side upon entering the room. Without saying a word, he took the kindle from her and pulled her into a kiss. "What was that for?" Belle asked when they finally pulled apart.

"Do I need a reason to kiss you?" Gold asked.

"No, but – you've just become a lot more forward these last few days. I'm usually the one who does the chasing." Belle teased.

"Well, you finally caught me. Now you have to deal with the consequences." Gold said, and he kissed her again. Belle giggled a bit. "Do you want me to do that massage for your shoulder like Mary Margaret showed me?"

"That would be nice." Belle said. She sat up a bit more and turned her back to Gold, and he took off his jacket, then moved behind Belle and began to gently rub her shoulder.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you, love." Gold said.

"It feels nice. Mary Margaret said I'm doing very well. She said I might be able to go home next week if I keep it up." Belle said. Gold kissed her neck softly.

"I can't wait for you to come back home. I'm excited for you to meet Henry." Gold said.

"Do you think he'll like me?" Belle asked.

"Who on earth wouldn't like you, love?" Gold asked.

"Well you didn't at first." Belle said.

"That's because I'm a damn fool. Luckily I realized that." Gold said. He continued to massage her shoulder for several more minutes. When he was finished, Gold leaned back and Belle moved in to snuggle with him. She winced a bit as she shifted her weight.

"Careful, sweetheart." Gold said.

"I'm fine, it's just sore." Belle said. "They want me to use my entire arm more now. What better way to use it than this?" Belle said as she finally settled herself, her head resting on his chest. Gold kissed the top of her head. "How are things going with your new therapist? You haven't talked about that."

"I, um – he put me on some medicine." Gold said.

"When was that?" Belle asked.

"About five days ago. I know I should have told you, but – I was worried about how you'd react. Don't want you to think you're dating a crazy person who needs to be medicated to stay sane."

"Ian – if it's helping you that's a good thing. And you're not crazy. You've had a very traumatic life and this probably should have happened sooner but you're taking steps to get better, and I'm glad. Have you been taking the meds?" Belle asked.

"Yeah. They actually help – been much calmer the last few days. I'm sleeping better, too." Gold said.

"Yes, I've noticed." Belle said.

"Though I think that's more from being here with you than anything." Gold told her.

"Anything else you want to talk about?" Belle asked.

"Not much to talk about, really. Nothing that you don't already know."

"Well, there is that one thing you haven't told me yet. About Milah's lover." Belle said. Gold sighed.

"Can we not talk about that today, please? I'm really not up for that conversation at the moment." Gold said.

"I knew something was bothering you." Belle said.

"What? How on earth would you figure that?" Gold asked in disbelief.

"Because any time you're overly affectionate it's usually because you're upset about something and you're looking for comfort to try and forget about it. Which I prefer to the drinking but – it's become a pretty obvious pattern." Belle said. Gold became quiet. "I told you when we first met that I'd figure you out."

"You are too smart for your own good, you know that?"

"Isn't that one of the things you love about me?" Belle asked.

"I suppose it is." Gold admitted.

"So tell me – what's wrong?" Gold sighed.

"Emma opened up a bit about Henry's father today. First time she's ever done that." Gold said.

"What did she tell you?" Belle asked.

"Nothing good. Just that the man was an apparent con artist and criminal and it's obvious that she was very much in love with him and he hurt her, badly." Gold said. "A bastard like that doesn't deserve someone like Emma. Or Henry."

"You aren't planning to do anything to him, are you?" Belle asked.

"Couldn't even if I wanted to. She won't tell me his name. It's probably for the best. If she did tell me I'd probably track him down and – well let's just say I don't take kindly to someone who hurts the people I care about." Gold told her.

Late that evening, after Henry had gone to bed, Emma wandered downstairs into the den. She started a small fire in the fireplace and sat down in front of it, watching it glow. After some time, she reached into her pocket and took out a small wallet. She reached deep into its lining and took out two strips of photos that were obviously taken at an instant photo booth. Emma looked at the photos for several minutes, then began to tear the strips into several pieces. One by one she tossed the pieces into the fireplace.

The photos were of a slightly younger Emma with a young man who, unbeknownst to her, had the same exact face as the age-progressed photo of Bae that Gold kept on his laptop.

A/N: Thank you all for staying with me and especially to those who have sent me good wishes. My recovery from surgery is progressing MUCH better and I will be writing on a more regular basis now, at least a chapter a week if not more. I have a bunch of PM's to answer - some from some time ago - that I will get to this weekend. Please follow my tumblr blog if you're into that, I'm charmedrumbelle there as well. Hope you enjoy what's to come! Stuff is gonna get intense - hope you enjoy the ride!