34. What Good Men Do

Rumplestiltskin pulled Belle behind him out of the castle. Belle blinked as the bright sunlight hit her face. She had no idea where they were going, but let him drag her along, knowing it would be futile to try to fight with him now.

They arrived at a stable and Belle noticed that to the left was a pen with the sheep roaming inside. She pulled her hand away and stopped, staring at the animals with surprise. She had been so caught up in her own misery that she'd completely forgotten about them. But they looked happy and healthy, running around in the brisk autumn weather. Belle frowned. How much had Rumple been doing while she had been curled up in her room, angry and moping. Shame gripped her, and despite everything that was going on, she made a vow in that moment to be better when they returned.

With that, she turned to Rumple, who had gone off in her distraction to ready a carriage. There were four black horses hooked up to the carriage, and Belle stepped forward to pet the one closest to her. It whinnied at her touch and she smiled, the animal nuzzling against her affectionately. Rumple appeared beside her and tugged on her arm, more gently than before. "Come," he instructed. Belle followed, letting him help her into the carriage. He hopped inside and clapped his hands, and the horses began trotting at a quick pace down the path.

Belle glanced behind her, and seeing no driver, turned to look at Rumple. "How-"

"Magic," he snapped, then closed his eyes, and took a breath. When he opened them again he was calmer. "They're cared for by magic, though I come out once a week and brush them."

"Where did you get them?" Belle asked softly. Rumple shrugged.

"As I do all things," he stated, "A deal."

They rode in silence for a while. At length it grew cooler, and despite the warmth of her cloak, Belle shivered. She felt something heavy on her lap a moment later to see Rumple had produced a large wool blanket that lay draped over both their laps. Smiling softly at the thought of sharing a blanket with her husband, she pulled it closer, sat back, and shut her eyes. If she kept them closed, she could imagine she was on a pleasant ride with her husband, and not on a chase to find a thief.

Belle opened her eyes and studied her husband with that thought. He was looking around intently, concentrating on locating the man. She felt the shame from earlier grip her once more, and she shivered once more. It was wrong, what the man had done, but was it not also wrong to torture someone? Belle felt conflicted, knowing she had angered her husband. She remained resolute though, in the fact that it was wrong of Rumple to torture the man. The man she married was not a torturer and she would not stand by and let him succumb to the darkness any further. She wanted to save her husband from the evil that had taken root in him, and she knew the only way to do that was to convince him to let the stranger go.

She hoped he would listen to her. She knew she'd given him no reason to trust her. But she had to try.

~000~

They rode in silence for a while longer. Belle began to grow impatient, and even the blanket was starting to have little affect against the cold. At length Rumple sighed.

"We're losing track of him," he said, "This forest is too thick."

"Maybe we should go home?" Belle offered helpfully. Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes.

"No."

Belle opened her mouth to speak, stopping only when Rumple raised his hand. Thinking he was shushing her, she glared, but then noticed he was not looking at her, but past her. She turned around as well, tilting her head in puzzlement when she saw a man in black standing in the road. He held the reigns of a horse, and look proud and angry.

Rumple pushed the blanket off and stepped out of the carriage. He glanced between the man and Belle, then held out his hand for Belle to take. She did, and stepped out of the carriage carefully.

"Stay behind me," Rumple murmured as they walked forward, and Belle felt no inclination to disobey.

"What are you doing in my woods?" The man demanded, looking cocky and smug. Rumple paused and bowed gracefully before replying.

"I'm looking for a thief," he said, his accent twisting into something strange. Belle raised an eyebrow at his theatrics. This wasn't like him at all. "He stole something of mine. I want it back."

The man in black nodded in understanding. "I know who he is," the man said, "And I'll tell you all you want to know…for a price."

"I see you know who I am," Rumple said, amused.

The man nodded, "The Dark One," he acknowledged. "A powerful creature who can do anything. You're a legend in these parts."

"Always nice to make an impression," Rumplestiltskin tittered. "Now, what's your price?"

The man looked Rumple up and down, then his eyes shifted and landed on Belle. He grinned appreciatively. "How 'bout a night with your wench?" He asked, the look on his face making Belle shudder in disgust.

Rumple glanced back to look at his wife, and she stared at him in horror. He gave her an assuring glance, then turned back to the man in black. "I think not," Rumple said.

"Then how about an hour?" The man bargained. Rumple shook his head and the man tried once more, "Twenty minutes?"

Rumple stepped forward, his gaze growing dark. "I have a better idea," he said with a manic giggle. With a wave of his hand, the man's eyes widened and he clapped his hands over his mouth in horror. He looked, as did Belle, is shock as Rumplestiltskin held the man's tongue in between his fingers. "Now, let's get something straight," he said as he waved the tongue in the man's direction. "She is not a wench. She's my wife."

The man's eyes widened and he began to grunt and whine in apology. Rumple continued, "It would behoove you to treat her with the same respect you would show me. In fact," Rumple said, "It would probably be wise to treat all women with the same respect you would show me. Are we clear?"

The man nodded eagerly, obviously desperate to appease the enraged Dark One. Rumple nodded, and continued, "How about this deal? I give you your tongue, in exchange for two things: an apology to my wife and where to find that thief."

The man nodded again, and motioned for Rumplestiltskin to give him back his tongue. Rumple leaned forward, frowning. "I'm sorry, what was that? I can't quite hear you."

The man grunted loudly, sounding like a pig. Rumplestiltskin laughed, then the tongue disappeared from sight. A moment later, the man gasped appreciatively and stuck his tongue out to test the muscle. Rumple crossed his arms. "She's waiting." Rumple motioned for Belle to join him and she did. Placing his arm around her waist, Rumple glared at the man, who dropped to his knees before her.

"I am sorry, milady," he said, "Please forgive me."

"You're forgiven," Belle said simply. She was disgusted by the entire display she'd just witnessed and wanted nothing more than to go home. Rumple, however, seemed determined to follow through with his plan to catch the thief.

"Now the man?"

"His name is Robin Hood. He's a menace. He stole my love," the man chuckled darkly, "He rather has a penchant for taking what is not his."

"Where can I find him?" Rumple asked, uninterested in the man's story.

The man pointed to the east. "He has a camp down that road, though they move frequently. I've never had any luck in catching him, but perhaps you will fare better than I, what with your magic."

"Oh, I intend to," Rumple declared, then turned away from the man. He pressed his hand against Belle's back and led her toward the carriage. Belle glanced over her shoulder once more, to see the man staring at her. She shivered, and Rumple turned his head to look at her in concern.

"I'm cold," she managed, preferring to leave it be and get on with things. The carriage began to move again and Belle sighed. She hoped this Robin Hood was far away by now. Whatever he wanted the wand for, she refused to believe it was for evil. Rumple noticed her pensive gaze and asked what was the matter. She told him her thoughts, and Rumple scoffed.

"Clearly you aren't aware of just how wicked people can be," he said, "No good will come from that man having that wand, I guarantee it."

"And I guarantee that it won't," she pressed. "Rumple, please-"

"Enough," he snapped. "That's enough."

She glared, but slumped back into her seat and refused to look at him.

Eventually they stopped, the forest becoming too thick for the horse and carriage to pass through. Rumple tied the horse, then grabbed the bow and quiver and made his way through the forest. After a few steps, he turned and scowled.

"Come on."

She sighed and followed, deciding it would be better to stay with her husband than risk running into that horrid man in black again. She followed Rumple silently for a few minutes. Finally, after stepping in mud and tripping for the third time, she stopped and growled, "I'm not going to stand by and watch you…I don't know… kill this man!"

Rumple turned and glowered. "Well, you're welcome to sit if you like-"

"You're not going to hurt him!"

"And you're going to stop me?"

Before she could respond, there was a rustling in the bushes. "What was that?" Belle asked. He grabbed Belle's hand and led her over to the edge of a bank, looking down to see Robin hiding at the bottom amidst some trees. He looked around impatiently, and Rumple smirked.

"Got you," he said triumphantly.

"He's waiting for someone," Belle observed. Rumple shrugged.

"No doubt more ruffians like him," he said.

A moment later, a carriage arrived and Robin ran out of his hiding spot to where it stopped. Belle stepped forward. "There's a woman," she said, glancing back at Rumple. "She…she's sick. Rumple, he took the wand to heal her! I told you it was for good!"

She turned fully to regard Rumple, who looked unmoved. "There are plenty of methods to heal someone," he sneered, "That don't require stealing from me."

"He's trying to save the woman he loves." She turned back and smiled as she watched the man wave the wand over the deathly pale woman. "It's sweet."

"It's ridiculous," he said as he readied the arrow.

Belle had had enough. "Stop!" She cried, grabbing his arm, jostling him. "Please," she begged, "You never listen to me and look where we are! Please, Rumplestiltskin, for once in your life trust me!"

Rumple hesitated, his hands gripping the bow but making no attempt to raise it again. He watched as the woman sat up, looking healthy and happy. In his delight, Robin tossed the wand aside and took the woman in his arms. The blanket that had covered her slipped down, and Rumple's breath hitched at the sight: the woman was pregnant. Images flashed through his mind of himself, and his impending fatherhood, and the sacrifices he'd made in order to be with his son. He'd shattered his leg, he'd broken into a castle and stolen a dagger. This man was a reflection of him, Rumple realized, though he seemed no more interested in the wand now that it had served his purpose.

Beside him, Belle let out a sigh. "She's pregnant," Belle breathed, squeezing Rumple's arm tightly. "I was right about him. He wanted to help her."

Rumple watched as the couple embraced, Robin kneeling down to press his hands and lips to the woman's stomach. They looked so happy, so in love. Rumple thought back to the days when he'd felt that same happiness, that same passion for the woman beside him, and he realized suddenly that he wanted to feel that again. He missed his wife, missed the love and passion and happiness they'd shared for so long. He'd tainted them with his magic, but this could be his chance to make things right. He wasn't a murderer, not truly. He'd lost sight of himself along the way, but Belle had always been the light in the darkness. Perhaps this could be the start of their finding their way back to each other.

There was only one way to find out.

He lifted his hand, letting the arrow float in front of them. Belle looked up in alarm, but Rumple gave her no time to speak or worry. He let the arrow fly forth magically, and it struck the top of the carriage that had delivered the woman. Robin and his lover looked around in fear, and they heard Robin say, "We've been found. Hurry."

He lifted her onto the horse, and they, along with the carriage, took off toward the west.

Belle glanced at Rumple curiously. "What was that?"

Rumple shrugged. "A warning. I'm sure that Sheriff will be after them soon enough. Best to give them a head start."

"You're letting him go?"

"Well, I'm not clearly following him anymore."

Belle stepped in front of Rumple, staring at him in wonder and surprise.

"Why?"

Sighing, Rumple took Belle's hands in his. "Because you're right," he sighed eventually. He patted her hand and added, "Let's go home."

He turned to move, but Belle squeezed his hand to stall him. He looked at her with confusion, then tensed when she flung herself forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"Thank you," she whispered against him, "Thank you so much."

She released him, then stepped around him to walk back toward the carriage. After several steps she paused and glanced behind her to see him still standing there, staring after her.

"Are you coming?" She asked sweetly, and for a moment it was as if they were happy again. She was looking at him with something that resembled kindness and he felt the darkness that surrounded his heart fade ever so slightly. He nodded and moved after his wife, a stupid smile forming over his lips when she slipped her hand in his.

Author's Notes:

Looks like someone's making progress...

Thank you everyone for your continued support. It means so much to me.

Chapter 35 will be up July 25!

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time. All characters, scenes, and dialogue you recognize belong to ABC, Adam Horowitz, and Eddy Kitsis.