Chapter 23: Changed

Rumplestiltskin traveled through the marketplace with purpose. He'd started off the morning relaxing with Belle in their bed and enjoying the simple pleasure of having her near. When they finally got up, Bae had been waiting on them with a small breakfast prepared. They ate together quietly, relishing the calm that had come over the house.

After breakfast, Belle and Bae decided to pay a visit to Maurice. They set out almost immediately; Rumplestiltskin declined their invitation though, instead telling them he had some business to take care of at the market. With one last kiss between them, and after ruffling Baelfire's hair with a wicked grin, they parted ways. Now Rumple was amongst the chaos of the market, looking for a small trinket to offer Belle. He wanted to give her something special, just because. He could conjure something if he desired, but he thought it might be best to browse the market square first. Belle seemed hesitant for him to use much magic; he would have to slowly ease her into getting used to it.

The thought occurred to him that he might make Belle another dress. He knew how much she loved the one he'd given her as an engagement present, but time and hard work had worn the dress down. Its color had faded, and it was patched in numerous places where she had ripped it doing her chores. Perhaps a new dress would be an appropriate and welcome gift. He could conjure various things, so he was not worried so much about the expense of the material, but he also understood that Belle would not appreciate him spending a great deal of money on her. That would upset her more than going to bed alone. He was going to have to be careful with this, he reasoned. He could buy simple material and perhaps use magic to enhance it a bit, but not too much though. Belle was not a vain woman, but she was his wife, and he wanted her to have the absolute best he could give her.

A trip to Ebert's stall was in order, so Rumple turned and made his way toward the end of the row of vendors to where Ebert's stall still sat. In all the years since Rumple's return from the war, Ebert had not changed much. Only his hair had receded, and he had grown fatter, but his hateful demeanor had not changed at all. As Rumplestiltskin approached the stall he could see a young woman standing before Ebert, and she looked distressed. Thanks to the Curse, Rumple could hear the conversation between the young woman and Ebert and the old man was being as lewd and unaccommodating as ever. The girl looked on the verge of tears, and something inside Rumplestiltskin snapped. With a snarl on his face, he stalked over to Ebert's stall, intent on doing something he'd never done before: be brave.

~000~

Belle and Baelfire sat with her father at his table sipping tea. Baelfire was excitedly speaking to his grandfather about the events of the past week, relaying the story of how his Papa had gone off and returned with power beyond comprehension. He was in the process of explaining what the other children had told him of the events on the battlefield when Belle interrupted. "Bae," she said tightly, "Would you mind going down to the stream to fetch some water? I'd like some tea before we leave."

Baelfire frowned. "What are you going to tell Grandfather that you don't want me to hear?"

Belle gave him a sharp look, "I'm going to tell him how his grandson is not obedient when his mother asks him to do something." Her gaze turned from pointed to pleading, "Please, Bae? I just want to talk to my Papa for a moment."

Baelfire nodded and fetched the bucket. He turned when he reached the door and looked directly at her, "Five minutes," he instructed before slipping out the door.

Belle chuckled at her son and glanced up at her father. He had gone from looking friendly to staring at her with genuine concern, and Belle let her pretenses drop. "Oh, Papa," she sighed, "I'm afraid."

"My daughter? Afraid?" Maurice asked skeptically, "I've never known you to be afraid my girl."

"I'm afraid for Rumple," she admitted, "He's….changed, somehow. Not just his appearance, either. I'm afraid this-this curse is going to do something. I don't know what, but I feel ill at ease."

Maurice frowned. "Do you think he will hurt you or Bae?"

Belle quickly shook her head," No!" She exclaimed hurriedly, "I'm afraid he's going to get hurt. I mean, it's a curse. It can't be good. I'm afraid something terrible is going to happen to him. And I'm afraid I won't be able to help him if that time comes."

She lowered her head, staring into her cup of ale. She flinched in surprise when she felt her father lay a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him, and he offered her an assuring smile. "You love him, don't you?" He asked tenderly. Belle nodded. "Well then, trust in that love. It's seen you through some tough times," he said, "The love I had for your mother carried me through some of my toughest times. Even when I lost her, it was the memory of our love that kept me going. That and you," he said, letting his hand cup her cheek. Belle rested against his palm and sighed, feeling strengthened by her father's comfort.

"You're right, Papa," she admitted slowly, "I just don't understand the curse, and I'm afraid that one day I'll come home to find that I'm no longer enough. It's all silly I know, but I don't want to cause him anymore grief over it than he's already felt. People seem to like him now, for the most part, but many seem uneasy."

"Well, he's the Dark One now," Maurice reasoned, "If I didn't already know the man myself, I'd probably be frightened as well."

Belle smiled softly at that. "I didn't think you were afraid of anything, Papa."

"I'm a father," he said softly, "I fear for you. And Bae has already gone on about how his father did this to protect him. It seems Rumple has the same fears as any man with a family. Now he just has the means to better protect what he loves." He sat back and crossed him arms. "Though, admittedly, I'm not sure I'm fond of this whole magic business. But I suppose he would know more about it than I."

Belle shrugged. "I hope so."

Baelfire entered at that moment, carrying the bucket full of water. He sat it by the hearth and scooped out some to pour into the waiting kettle. He placed it over the fire and returned to the table where his mother and grandfather sat waiting with cheerful grins.

"Now, my boy," Maurice said, wrapping his arm around his grandson, "Tell me more about what happened on the battlefield."

Bae smiled and began to talk animatedly to his grandfather again. At last, he ran out of things to say, and Belle decided it was time to head home. They bid goodbye to Maurice, and started down the path toward home.

"You seem more excited about your father's transformation," Belle observed softly as they walked. Bae shrugged.

"Morainne told me what happened. She and Anna witnessed him healing all those kids. It…it's really great that he did that. He didn't have to."

Belle smiled. "Your father is a good man," she agreed. Bae nodded, then sighed.

"I still don't like what he did to those soldiers though," he admitted slowly, "I keep dreaming about it."

Belle ceased walking and grasped her son's shoulders. "Oh, Bae," she cried, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Bae shrugged. "It's not that bad," he tried to explain, "I'm not scared or anything, I just dream about it. Papa looked so angry."

Belle nodded, "He wanted to save you," she said, "But you are right. I've never seen him like that."

Bae shivered slightly, "Maybe he'll be better now that things are calm." He looked at his mother with hope in his eyes, "Do you think Papa will be better now that the Ogre are gone?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Belle spotted Anna and Morainne racing each other. They were heading this way, and if Belle were honest, she was grateful for their presence. She was still uncertain about all her feelings regarding their situation, and found it difficult to soothe Bae's worries when she had her own to sort through.

"Bae!" Morainne called, looking healthy and strong. Bae flushed at seeing her and Belle nodded her head in the girls' direction.

"Go," she said, "We'll talk more later. For now, just enjoy yourself."

Bae nodded, and after giving his mother a brief hug, he met up with the girls, and they raced off to the nearby clearing, shouting and laughing the whole way. Belle smiled as she watched them leave. It was good to see him at ease. True he was impressed with his father, as was she, but she also couldn't help but worry that things weren't over yet. Deciding she needed some air to clear her head, Belle turned away and began walking toward the market square. She needed a distraction.

~000~

Rumplestiltskin arrived at the stall and stood patiently to the side with his arms crossed, waiting for Ebert to notice him. The girl noticed him almost immediately, and her small gasp caused Ebert to cease his talking and turn to follow the girl's gaze.

"Well if it ain't you, savior of us all," he said with a slight sneer. Even Ebert's dislike of Rumplestiltskin could not prevent him from acknowledging what the man had done for the village.

"What seems to be the problem?" Rumplestiltskin asked.

"There's no problem," Ebert said quickly, "Just tryin' to explain to the girl I ain't taking less than ten shillings for this."

Rumple looked at the girl, "How much did you offer?"

She glanced up at Rumplestiltskin. "Eight, sir."

Rumple glanced at Ebert. "Give it to her for five."

Ebert blustered. "That's half of what I asked for! I ain't listenin' to the likes of you no how! You don't tell me what to do-"

Rumple's hand shot forward and gripped Ebert's throat. Ebert's eyes enlarged, fear gripping him fully.

"You have been nothing but rude to this girl since she arrived," Rumplestiltskin sneered, feeling anger boil in his blood, "You've been wasting her time, and now you're wasting mine. You either take her five shillings, or I'll rip you apart….just like I did the Ogres."

Ebert sputtered, and Rumple let him go, watching in satisfaction as Ebert coughed and clutched at his throat. "Fine," he gasped. "Five shillings."

The girl wasted no time in giving him the money and taking the silk. She nodded at Rumplestiltskin in thanks and rushed off, leaving the two of them alone. Rumplestiltskin leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "I'm not afraid of you anymore, he hissed at Ebert. You're nothing but a thief and a scoundrel, and I won't tolerate it any longer."

"You think yer so tough," Ebert snarled, "But you ain't. Yer still a coward, hidin' behind yer fancy tricks."

Rumple leaned close, his eyes wild. "If I catch you doing anything like that again, I'll destroy everything you own. And I'll see to it that no one helps you. You'll find out what it's like to be the outcast."

Ebert opened his mouth to protest but one look from Rumplestiltskin silenced him. He tugged at his shirt, trying to straighten himself up. Rumple crossed his arms once more. "Aren't you going to ask me what I want?"

Ebert nodded grimly and asked, "What can I do fer you today?" He glared all the while but held his tongue. It was a wise move on Ebert's part.

Rumple hummed, tapping a finger to his chin in thought. "On second thought," he said with a hateful smirk, "I think I'll take my business elsewhere."

Turning on his heel, he moved away from the stall, pushing past the small crowd that had started to gather due to the commotion. Rumple walked with smug satisfaction. He'd enjoyed protecting that girl from Ebert but more than that, he'd enjoyed the power he'd had over the man. It felt wonderful. He became so wrapped up in his happy thoughts that he did not notice Belle and nearly crashed into her. He jumped when she grabbed his arms and looked at her curiously.

"What's going on?" She asked, nodding back to Ebert's stall where the crowd was dispersing.

Rumple frowned. "Nothing," he said quickly, grabbing her hand and leading her away. He allowed his thoughts to return back to what he'd been planning earlier: a dress for Belle. He'd all but ruined relations with Ebert, but it was better the man fear him than the other way around. Rumple had been afraid for far too long. Not anymore though. And at any rate, if the man refused to sell to him, he could always conjure what he needed.

"You seem upset," Belle said again, pulling him from his thoughts. She moved so that she stood in front of him and stared up at him expectantly. "What happened back there?"

Rumple heaved a sigh and pressed on, pulling Belle with him. "Ebert was being his usual self. I merely informed him that I would not be putting up with his treatment any longer." He frowned. "It's something I wish I'd done long ago."

"Telling him off?" Belle asked. She couldn't blame Rumple for finally snapping at the old man. He really was horrid.

"Standing up for myself," he said.

Belle frowned and squeezed his arm, "Just make sure you're not mistaking that for vengeance," she said softly, "I know he's rude but now you're the….Dark One… You have the power to be the better man."

Rumple was silent for a few moments before asking helplessly, "Where's Bae?"

"He ran off with Anna and Morainne."

"That boy is smitten," Rumple said with a chuckle. The tension that had settled between them over the talk of his magic lifted at the mention of their son.

Belle smiled and leaned against Rumple, "He's so grateful you brought her home safely. Anna too. She seems like a sweet girl."

Rumple glanced down at her in surprise. Bae had expressed his thanks on a few occasions but he had not thought the boy would be so appreciative. "It's true," Belle informed him, "He goes on about it to his friends all the time. And he was telling Papa more about it today. He thinks you're very brave, though I think he's a bit nervous with everything that's happened."

"What's happened?" Rumple asked with concern.

"Well," Belle began hesitantly, "Your transformation, mostly. I don't think he quite knows what to make of you. You have this confidence about you now that wasn't there before. You're not the man he grew up with."

Rumple came to a stop and tugged Belle to face him. "I'm still the same man," he said, slightly hurt. "I'm still his father. I haven't changed."

Belle let go of his hand and gently ran her hands over his cheek, brushing away some of his hair that now hung down in curls. "You have," she whispered, "Not much, but you have. You're confident. You don't have your limp. Your skin shines. You radiate this…power. You're still our Rumple, but you have changed."

She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing, Rumple. But he's known you his whole life and now you can walk and run and make things appear out of thin air. It's a bit of an adjustment for him," she soothed. "It is for all of us. It's going to take time for things to feel normal again. But we're together," she said, lifting her hand to caress his cheek, "And in the end that's all I care about. We're safe and we're together."

"And I will do everything in my power to keep it that way," Rumplestiltskin vowed as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, "No matter what, I will keep you and Bae safe."

"Just don't lose yourself in the process," she warned softly, before turning out of his embrace and walking toward their home. Disturbed and confused, Rumple followed her home, wondering what she'd meant.

Author's Notes:

First off I want to apologize for the delay. The site would not let me upload the document yesterday. So, I am sorry that it took me so long. But it seems they've fixed the problem so yay for that!

So...Uh oh. Rumple's realizing that he has power, and can influence things...

Not a lot happened this chapter, I know, but things will be picking up soon. It can't stay calm forever. :-/

Thank you for your reviews, follows, and favorites! I appreciate it so much!

Thanks to my betas, Sirensong24 and my husband. You guys rock!

Chapter 24 will be up April 25, 2014.

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time. I do own Anna.