The blinds did a poor job of keeping the sunlight out of her room. Slowly the light from outside moved across her still form in the bed and over their joined hands. He held her hand tightly between his face and hand, his eyes constantly watching her face. Waiting for her to wake up left him with an empty feeling, not knowing was driving him mad.

Rumpel heard the door behind him open and turned to see Gideon creeping into the room, a cup of tea in his hand. His smile was weak as he closed the door and shuffled over to his father, holding the tea towards him. Leaning back off the bed, still holding Belle's hand, Rumpel took the tea from his son with a nod of thanks. He sipped the hot tea cautiously as Gideon moved around the bed to sit on the other side to take hold of Belle's hand.

"She's got a bit more colour in her cheeks." Gideon commented with his thumb stroking the back of Belle's hand.

Rumpel put his tea on the unit beside him. "Yeah, it's slowly coming back."

"Still hasn't woken up?" His son asked with a quick glance from his mother to his father.

"No."

Gideon's head bowed. "Can't we just wake her up?"

"No, son. It's better to let her wake naturally and your mother would not appreciate us using magic on her." Rumpel leaned his elbows onto the edge of the bed, placing her hand back against his cheek.

"Have you been up to see the baby again?" Gideon asked raising his head to look at his father.

"Gideon, have you come in here just to keep asking me questions?" Rumpel's frustration and short temper got the better of him. "I am not interested. I just want to sit here until your mother wakes up. I know your sister is fine, I can feel it."

Gideon frowned. "Feel?"

"I can feel you and your sister, because of the magic you both have and that you're both a part of me." He told his son, tilting his head against Belle's hand to look at their son.

"Is that why you were in pain last night? Because you felt something was wrong with my sister?" His son pondered.

Rumpel ingested his questions as he laced his fingers into Belle's, shifting the position of his face against her hand. "Maybe. But, I think the small bit of magic your mother had in her from your sister, was allowing me to feel her."

"So, you were feeling her pain?" Gideon asked his father. A heavy sigh escaped Rumpel, wondering when his son was going to stop with the questions. He knew why he was doing it. It was another trait he had annoyingly inherited from Belle, asking questions when they were worried. Normally it would have been a nice reminder of Belle, but all it did was encourage Rumpel's annoyance to grow.

"Could have been. I'll never know." Rumpel said as he reached for his tea. "It's not like I've heard of such things before. But then, the Dark One has never had a family before."

Sipping at his tea, Rumpel sat back into the chair, returning to watch over Belle. Gideon had gone quiet as he looked through the blinds to outside, his hand holding his mother's at her side. Rumpel was thankful for the return of silence. The voices in his head were thankfully being quiet, his darkness knowing not to push him. He just wanted everything to stop, so he could be there for her.

There was a faint knock at the door. Rumpel rolled his eyes, turning to see Lilly poke her head around the edge of the door. Seeing it was only her, Rumpel turned back to Belle and drank some more of his tea. He heard the door shut and saw Lilly come to stand beside him out of the corner of his eye, her hand rested on his shoulder.

"Emma wants to see you outside." Lilly informed him.

"Tough." Rumpel muttered.

She squeezed his shoulder, which made him look up at her. "She really wants to talk to you."

Growling as he stood, Rumpel lent over the bed and kissed Belle's lips. He paused over her in hope that her eyes would flicker open, but he knew true love's kiss would not work. Rumpel shook his head at his stupid thought and stepped pass Lilly to yank the door open to Belle's room. As he stepped out into the well-lit corridor, the Charmings huddled together greeted Rumpel.

He shut the door behind him and obtained there attention. "Right, dearies. What do you want?"

"Rumpel, I need to apologise." Emma took a step towards him and touched his arm. "I thought it would be harmless to release Zelena last night. I'm so sorry this happened."

"Wait a second," Rumpel moved closer to her, his brow pressed down over his eyes. "You have called me from my wife's bedside to burden me with your own self-pity. You have some nerve, Emma."

"I'm sorry, Rumpel." She stammered at him, seeing coldness in his eyes.

He grinned evilly at her. "Dearie, I don't give a damn. Everyone is too busy thinking of themselves and telling me how sorry they are. I'll tell you what, you can take your apologies and shove them. This could have happened any time, you stupid girl."

"Whoa." Charming pushed Rumpel back from Emma, coming to stand between them. "You can't talk to her like that."

"Really, dearie?" Rumpel pursued his lips and shrugged his eyebrows at Charming. "And what are you going to do about it?"

"This isn't what Belle would want." Snow said as she came to stand besides Charming, holding onto his arm.

Rumpel chuckled and stepped forward towards Snow. "Do not tell me what my wife would want."

"Rumpel!" At hearing Lilly's voice, Rumpel turned to see her in the doorway to Belle's room. "She's awake." Forgetting everything else, Rumpel ran back into Belle's room and quickly sat back in the chair beside Belle's bedside.

Her eyes were not quite open but she was gazing at Gideon as she quietly spoke to him. "It's okay."

"Belle!" Rumpel clasped at Belle's hand.

Belle turned her head slightly to look at him and then a small smile crept over her mouth. "Hey."

"What are you trying to do to me, sweetheart?" He asked wiping a tear away, all the hostility Rumpel felt outside was gone at hearing her voice.

"Keeping you on your toes." She said with her hand squeezing his. He closed his eyes and leaned heavily against her hand, thankful that he had not lost her. He could not bear to lose her and have all his foundation crumble from underneath him. Even though, Rumpel would have had Gideon and their daughter, nothing would ever measure up to the strength that Belle gave him. The courage she gave him to stand out of the darkness and into the light. The thought of being pulled back into the darkness, deeper into it than before, had scared him.

They were all chatting to Belle. Rumpel remained silent, praying to whoever his thanks.

"Excuse me, everyone." Dr Whale called from the doorway. "If I could have a moment alone with Belle, I want to examine her and then you all can come back in."

Rumpel opened his eyes to watch Dr Whale move further into the room, stopping at the foot of Belle's bed. Gideon stood off the bed and lent over his mother to kiss her cheek, and then shuffled his way out of the room. Regarding Belle for a second, Rumpel stood keeping hold of her hand and lent over her to brush the back of his fingers down her cheek. She tried to smile at the touch, it was weak but it made Rumpel smile.

"Love you." He told her before leaning down to kiss her lips. Rumpel felt her kissing him back, filling his heart with joy as he lent back to gaze at her. "I'll be right outside."

"Okay, Rumpel. I love you too."

Unwillingly Rumpel slipped pass the chair and left the room with his gaze staying on Belle whilst he looked over his shoulder at her. She was listening to Dr Whale, who was moving to stand in the spot Rumpel had vacated. As he stood beside Lilly in the corridor, Rumpel held a hand over his heart feeling some of the weight lift.

Turning to look at Lilly, Rumpel touched her shoulder. "Hey, can you go to the house and get her some things? Get some books and a couple of her nighties, and whatever else you can think of."

"Okay," Lilly nodded her head at him. "I'll take Gideon with me and I'll grab you a change of clothes as well."

"No, don't worry about me." He said, touched that she was thinking of him.

"Alright." She smiled at him before leaning up to him to kiss his cheek and then walked pass him to grab Gideon's arm, dragging his son down the corridor as she spoke to him. Rumpel leant back against the wall, letting his head rest back against the wall to gaze at the ceiling above him. A lot had happened in the space of twelve hours. It was the first time in a long time that he actually felt like he could go to sleep.