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Chapter Text

As Rumplestiltskin stepped one foot and then the other over the town line, Belle held her breath in anticipation. A blue wave of magic washed over his body, and he stood still for a moment. He turned slowly towards her, a faint furrow in his brow. 

Belle could do nothing but stare and pray that the man who crossed over the town line was still hers. 

“Belle.” 

An immediate sense of relief flooded her. She reached out to touch him, mindful not to cross the line and risk losing herself. Rumple grasped her hand firmly in his and smiled widely at her. 

“It worked!”

“Yes, it did,” Rumple replied, clearly also relieved that his plan had worked perfectly. It unsettled Belle to think that even he had some doubts as to whether or not it would work. Even after hundreds of years and almost three decades trapped under a curse, Rumple was still willing to do whatever it took to find his son - even if that meant risking losing himself in the process. 

“Now you can go find your son.” 

“Oh, Belle,” he said her name reverently, as if she were a saint that mortal men worshiped and prayed to. It was an odd feeling to have a man like the Dark One say your name with such adoration. Nobody had even spoken her name like that before, not until Rumple. “I so wish you were coming with me.” 

“As do I,” she answered truthfully. “But it doesn’t matter.” 

“And why not?” 

“Because you’ll find him,” she replied. “And when you do, I’ll be here waiting for you when you get back.” 

It’s strange how quickly one moment passes you by and another arrives in its place. One moment may be filled with the greatest joy and excitement while the next is overshadowed by grief and loss. It wasn’t the first time Belle had experienced such a turn of events (that fateful day in the Dark Castle came to mind). But she hadn’t expected this moment to turn into one of those. 

An ear-splitting shot rang through the night. She had never heard a gunshot before but she never could’ve expected it to be quite so loud. Her eyes squeezed shut instinctively and her ears rang. When they opened again, she wished more than anything that what she saw was merely a dream that she could awaken from. 

Rumple stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder and groaning in pain. Before she could race to his side, he quickly shouted DON’T! That simple command brought reality crashing down around her and reminded her of what would happen if she crossed that line. 

A menacing chuckle from behind forced her to turn her attention away from him.  

“Oh, crocodile,” Hook smirked. “Now that was just too easy.” 

“You bastard,” Belle gasped, her voice barely above a whisper. 

“Belle, don’t,” Rumple warned. He tried to pull himself into an upright position but the sharp pain in his shoulder prevented him from doing so. 

“He let you go!” She raised her voice at the pirate. He just continued to smirk at her and she felt her blood boil. She had never felt such rage against another person before, not even Regina. 

“That was his mistake,” the pirate replied. He creeped ever closer to the town line, keeping his (Rumple’s) gun pointed at her. “You know what I realized earlier, love? He went to such lengths to retrieve that ratty old shawl and for what, I asked myself.” 

“Once Mr. Smee relayed his and the Dark One’s secret little experiment to me, I knew that he would try to leave town soon. In Storybrooke, he may still be the all-powerful Dark One. But out here?” 

Hook stepped across the town line. It didn’t have the slightest effect on him. Belle stood frozen as the pirate stalked closer and closer towards Rumple. 

“Out here, you’re nothing,” he spat. 

While there were no visible stains on his all-black clothes, she could see droplets of blood start to pool underneath Rumple. Still, he stared defiantly up at Hook, his would-be murderer. 

“Do it, then,” he said. “You got me exactly where you wanted me. Kill me.”

He’s bluffing, Belle thought to herself. Why else would he say that? He didn’t come all this way to be killed by a vengeful pirate mere moments before he went to find his son. 

“How noble of you,” Hook cooed mockingly. “But I’m afraid a quick end isn’t in the cards for you, crocodile.” 

Belle felt the pirate’s gaze lock onto her and she knew. Rumple looked over to her desperately and mouthed the word run. 

“I had to watch you kill the love of my life while I stood there helpless to stop it,” Hook snarled. “And now, you’ll do the same. Only I won’t give our darling Belle quite such a quick death.” 

“No,” he continued. “As you lay there, weak and pathetic and helpless, I will kill your true love in front of you and once I am satisfied you have finally felt the same pain you inflicted upon me all those years ago… then, I will kill you and rid the world of your filth.” 

“Do what you will with me,” Rumple said. “Leave Belle out of it.” 

“You should’ve left Milah out of it!" Hook roared. “No. An eye for an eye, I say. You kill Milah, I kill Belle.” 

Hook tossed the gun aside into the ditch and reached into his coat, revealing a long, sharp knife. Rumple mustered all of the strength he could to sit upright and scream at Belle to run. She stood there, torn between obeying his desperate, terrified command and the urge to protect him. She wasn’t some poor, simpering princess unable to protect herself. She defeated the Yaoguai, escaped the Evil Queen, and even tamed the dreaded Dark One (although he didn’t need taming so much as loving, in her opinion). If it meant protecting her true love, she was more than capable of taking down a cocky, arrogant pirate. 

She hadn’t spent long in this strange modern world but she thanked her lucky stars for one very useful invention (given to her by Ruby after her father kidnapped her). As Hook advanced on her, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small tube and pointed it at him. 

Hook had the nerve to laugh at her. 

“I’m supposed to be scared of perfume?” 

“Not quite,” she said coldly. 

The fool had the stupidity to move even closer to her, which was exactly what she wanted. She sprayed it and the pirate immediately collapsed in a heap on the ground, clutching his eyes. A stream of curses and incoherent words tumbled out of his mouth as he fumbled around blindly on the ground. 

“Belle?” She focused once more on Rumple, who was quickly turning pale from the effort it took to keep himself upright. “Are you alright?” 

“I think I should be asking you that,” she laughed in disbelief. “Can you make it over the line? I could call Emma for help?” 

“No,” he said firmly. Though suffering from blood loss and an attempted double-murder, Rumplestiltskin still wouldn’t accept help from others. With great difficulty and a fair amount of swaying and staggering, he managed to get to his feet and carefully avoid Hook who was still howling and writhing in pain on the ground. If Belle hadn’t been there to catch him, he would’ve collapsed over the line with how pale he looked. A wave of his hand healed the bullet wound, but he had still lost a lot of blood. As he so often reminded her, magic was different in Storybrooke. It wouldn’t be the same as merely waving off an arrow to the chest here. He would need some time to recover. 

“Let’s get you in the car,” Belle led him towards the vehicle, allowing him to lean on her. She took the keys from his pocket. 

“You’re driving?” He asked skeptically. 

“I’ve driven before!”

“In a parking lot, sweetheart,” he laughed lightly. 

Belle scowled at him playfully when a pair of bright lights caught her attention. To her amazement, a sedan was barreling down the road towards them. Rumple and Belle both flung themselves against the Cadillac as it drove over the still-incapacitated pirate and screeched past them before hitting a tree. The couple looked at each other incredulously. 

“What the hell?”

Chapter Text

As luck would have it, rain began to pour from the sky as the couple stood there dazed by the events that had just occurred. The silver sedan sat motionless, its hood dented from where it collided with a tree. Its driver made no move to get out of the vehicle. Unfortunately, the pirate seemed to still be alive if his weak groaning and wheezing was any indication. 

“...We should call Emma,” Belle said. 

Rumple looked over at Hook. 

“...Do we have to?” 

She shot him an unimpressed look. 

“Alright, alright,” he sighed, reaching into his jacket for his phone. 

“I’ll call her,” she replied, taking the phone out of his hand and looking for the sheriff’s number. “You need to sit down before you collapse.” 

“I’m fine,” Rumple protested, but obliged her request nonetheless and sat in the car. “You should worry about yourself, you’ll catch your death standing out in the rain.” 

“Says the man who quite literally got shot not five minutes ago,” Belle countered. 

He was right though, she had to admit. It was quite chilly with the rain pelting down. She quickly ran over to the passenger side door and got into the warm, dry car. 

Belle almost thought Emma was going to let the call go to voicemail when she finally picked up with an annoyed what?  

She clearly didn’t appreciate a late-night phone call from the pawnbroker-slash-Dark One. 

“Emma?” 

“...Belle? What’s going on?” 

“There’s been an… incident at the town line,” she explained. “Hook shot Rumple.” 

“Hook did what now?!"  

“Rumple’s fine,” she replied, although she was quite sure that Emma didn’t particularly care about his wellbeing. “But there’s another problem.” 

There was a long pause on the other side of the phone before Emma sighed in frustration. 

“First, Archie came back from the dead. Then, Hook and Cora somehow manage to get into Storybrooke. Now you’re telling me Hook shot Gold and there’s yet another problem?” 

“Erm…” Belle looked desperately at Rumple who motioned for her to hand over the phone. 

“Forget about Hook and Cora for the moment, Ms. Swan,” he said. “It seems they are not the only ones able to get into Storybrooke.” 

“What the hell does that mean?” Emma asked. 

“See for yourself. Get to the town line,” he went to end the call before adding. “Oh, and you should probably call for an ambulance as well. The pirate’s in rather bad shape after he got run over.” 

“What?!" 

The sheriff was cut off as Rumple flipped the phone down. 

“You know she’s going to assume you ran him over, right?” 

“I wish I had.” 

Despite her better nature, Belle had to laugh. Hook had attempted to kill both of them in a matter of hours, she supposed. A small joke at his expense was hardly a crime. 

It was only a few minutes before lights and sirens came racing towards the town line. Emma, David, and Snow jumped out of the car and the paramedics followed close behind. Rumple ignored Belle’s plea for him to stay in the car and rest. She rolled her eyes at his stubbornness and pulled an umbrella out of the glove box and walked over to join the group. 

“What the hell happened here, Gold?” Emma demanded. 

Rumple was loath to reveal his plan to leave town to the heroes but Belle wasn’t sure what excuse he could come up with as to why they were at the town line so late at night. 

“Hook attacked Belle earlier as a distraction to steal something of mine,” he said vaguely. “We managed to retrieve it but Hook wasn’t satisfied. He followed us here and shot me. Belle incapacitated him and as we returned to the car, the sedan came out of nowhere, ran over him, and crashed into that tree.” 

If the look on her face was any indication, Emma clearly picked up on the fact that a lot of details were left out of his retelling. She didn’t call him out on it though and instead instructed the paramedics to check on the man in the silver car. 

“You sure you didn’t run Hook over with your car?” 

“Believe me, Ms. Swan. If I had, I would be shouting it from the rooftops.” 

“Fair enough,” she sighed. 

David returned to the group after checking on the unconscious man in the car. 

“He’s definitely not from around here,” he said. “They found his wallet. Name’s Greg Mendell and the car’s from Pennsylvania. You said he drove across the town line?” 

“He nearly drove into us,” Belle replied. “He sped over the line and when he ran over Hook, that’s when he lost control and slammed into the tree. We barely got out of the way in time.” 

“It’s odd though, isn’t it?” Snow asked. “Hook and Cora arrive and all of a sudden strangers start finding their way into Storybrooke?” 

“This isn’t Cora’s doing,” Rumple replied. “Nothing has ever prevented people from entering Storybrooke, just from leaving. It does, however, seem that whatever protections discouraged outsiders from entering and hid the town from maps during the curse have been lifted.” 

“What does that mean?” David asked. 

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. 

“You don’t know?” Snow repeated incredulously. 

“I’m not omniscient,” Rumple said bitingly. 

“Alright, everyone. Just calm down,” Emma interrupted before an argument broke out. “Let’s focus on getting this guy out of here as soon as possible. We don’t need any more surprise visitors with Cora on the loose.” 

“What about Hook?” Belle asked. 

“We’ll fix him up at the hospital and then lock him up,” she replied. 

“Make sure you do,” Rumple warned. 

“I can handle it, Gold.” 

Rumple looked unconvinced but didn’t protest as the paramedics tended to the pirate and loaded him and the unconscious driver into the ambulance before speeding away towards the hospital. 

“You alright?” David asked as Emma and Snow made their way back to the car to follow the ambulance. 

“I’m fine,” Rumple repeated. 

“Why were you two out here anyway? It’s dangerous to be so close to the town line.” 

“I hardly see how that’s any of your concern.” 

“I’m serious,” David said. “With Cora lurking about, the last thing we need is you out of commission.” 

“It’s so nice to be appreciated,” Rumple said sarcastically. 

David not-so-subtly rolled his eyes at that comment and turned to walk back to the patrol car. Emma and her parents sped off towards the hospital, leaving Rumple and Belle alone once more at the town line. 

“Let’s go,” Belle said, tugging Rumple’s arm towards the car. She didn’t argue when he got into the driver’s seat, although he still looked a little pale. 

The drive back to the library was silent save for the soft pattering of rain on the windshield. They didn’t go to the hospital. Emma or David would surely inform them of any updates in the morning. In wet and bloodied clothes, the pair trudged up the stairs to the library’s apartment. Belle turned on the kettle and instructed Rumple to take off his jacket while their tea brewed. The skin was completely healed, as if no bullet had ever penetrated his shoulder. He looked better, she thought. He wasn’t so pale anymore and he had managed to get up the stairs without any trouble. Well, with as little trouble as a man with a limp and a cane could at least. 

“Satisfied that I’m not about to keel over?” 

“Don’t even joke about things like that,” she scolded. 

He reached out to brush an errant curl out of her face and stroke her cheek. 

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. 

“I know,” she replied. “You scared me today.” 

Rumple pulled away and looked down at his hands. They both knew she didn’t just mean him getting shot. She had learned things about Rumple and his past, things that even he was too ashamed to tell her when she had seen him at his absolute worst and darkest. But she wasn’t fool enough to believe that the pirate’s tale was all there was to that story. 

“Tell me.” 

He just shook his head. 

“I can’t.” 

Belle reached over and held his hand in hers. 

“Trust me, Rumple.” 

He looked at her with such fear and apprehension in his eyes. She couldn’t imagine what kind of story could provoke such a response in him. She knew who he was and what he was capable of. She wasn’t naive. She knew that he had manipulated, hurt, and killed many as his time as the Dark One and he wasn’t particularly remorseful about any of it. But this? It seemed like a sin so dark and heinous that even he couldn’t bring himself to speak it aloud. 

“Please, Rumple,” she said softly. 

He paused for a long time. 

“I don’t even know where to start.” 

“Start at the beginning,” she replied. “I’ll listen.”

Chapter Text

Rumple never could deny her anything. He began to speak, slowly but surely, like a man walking to his own execution. 

“It all began with this, I suppose,” he tapped his injured leg with his cane. “I was called to fight in the Ogres War. I thought I could prove myself worthy of being the man Milah married. But the night before we were set to march into battle, I met a seer.” 

“She was a young girl. I didn’t believe her at first. But she knew things about my past, about Milah. The girl said she was pregnant and that I was to be a father.” 

“She told me that my actions on the battlefield the next day would leave my son fatherless. I was terrified. I didn’t want my son to grow up without a father as I…” he stopped himself. “I didn’t want him to grow up without me.” 

“What did you do?” Belle prompted. 

“I took a hammer and…” 

“You injured yourself?” 

“If I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t fight. The next day, everyone in the battle died. But I didn’t care about my leg, I only cared about getting back to Bae.” 

“They let me go home, but everyone knew what happened. What I had done to avoid the battle. Milah couldn’t bear to look at me. I was branded the village coward and she was the coward’s wife.” 

Belle didn’t think that was fair. Drafted to fight in a bloody and pointless war, he didn’t run away simply because he was scared. He ran because he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving his child fatherless. If she had been in Milah’s shoes, she would’ve been thankful to have her husband and the father of her child back alive, regardless of what the village thought of them. 

“She resented being married to me and I don’t blame her. They treated her with almost as much disdain as they did me. We slept apart and barely spoke unless it was about Bae. When he was about five or six years old, a pirate named Killian Jones came into port.” 

And so Hook enters the picture, Belle thought to herself. 

“She liked him. She spent hours in the pub with him, for weeks on end. And then one day, she disappeared. A neighbor had the decency to tell me that she had seen her leaving with the pirate towards the docks. At the time I thought she had been taken against her will so I went to the ship.” 

“I begged him to let her go. I told him that we had a son together and that Bae needed his mother. He just threw a sword down at my feet and told me to fight for her.” 

Belle couldn’t believe the image of a cocky, young pirate challenging an inexperienced, disabled father to a duel. A rigged fight if ever there was one. 

“I didn’t. I feared what would happen to Bae if both of his parents were killed or kidnapped. I left and let him take Milah away.” 

“But he didn’t take her away, did he?” Belle asked. 

“No,” he replied, his voice thick with shame. “She wanted to go with him, as I later learned.” 

“I had to go home and tell our son that his mother was dead. What else was I to say? That his mother cavorted with a pirate and left us without a second thought?” 

Rumple took a deep breath and Belle let him collect his thoughts before he continued. 

“Years later, after I became the Dark One and after I lost Bae, I was desperate to find a magic bean to get to this world. They had all been destroyed except for one as the rumors went. When I discovered that it was Hook that had the bean, I didn’t just want it. I wanted revenge. I challenged him to a duel just as he had all those years prior. But during the duel, Milah came running to save him. Her lover, not her captor.” 

“I wanted to kill the pirate, but she bargained for his life in exchange for the bean. I should’ve just taken the bean and left, but I needed to know.” 

“Needed to know what?” 

“Why she left Bae,” he replied. “I could well enough understand why she left me, but she left Bae without a goodbye or so much as an explanation. I might have deserved that, but he didn’t.” 

“I asked her why. She said that her misery clouded her judgement and that she…” he swallowed. “She said that she never loved me.” 

“Oh, Rumple,” she reached for his hand again but he pulled away. 

“Don’t." 

“I was angry. Angry with how she abandoned Bae. Angry that she loved some filthy pirate more than our family. Angry at myself, perhaps, because I knew deep down that I had done the exact same thing to Bae that she did. I also valued something else more than him, if only for a second.” 

Belle could piece together what happened next, but she needed him to say it. 

“What happened, Rumple?” 

“I killed her.” 

They were both silent for a long time after his confession. She didn’t need to hear the rest. She already knew that Rumple was the one to cut off the pirate’s hand and that Hook had sworn revenge against him for killing his true love. 

“Do you regret it?” She asked. Rumple looked at her apprehensively. “If you could go back in time and change what happened, would you?” 

The question lingered heavily in the air. 

He nodded. 

“I shouldn't have done it,” he said quietly.

“Not because of Hook and his quest for vengeance,” he clarified. “But because even if she never loved me, I loved her. Without her, I would have never had Bae and for that I will always be grateful.” 

“If she deserved punishment for abandoning her son, then so did I,” he continued. “I was just as guilty as her, if not more so.” 

Belle knew it wasn’t her place to disagree, but she thought differently. Surely Milah had many years to say goodbye or visit them before Rumple ever became the Dark One. She knew where they were and could have easily returned but she chose not to. Rumple spent hundreds of years looking for his son and Belle was certain that he would die before he ever stopped trying to find him. Belle wasn’t so naive to think that this absolved him from blame, but it did at least give some context to his actions. 

She wasn’t sure what else to say. Rumple looked at her as if he expected her to run for the hills at any moment. She supposed she now knew why he always expected people to leave him and why he was so convinced that he was utterly, inherently unlovable. 

She did the only thing she could and pulled him into a hug. He stiffened as if waiting for the final blow. 

“Thank you for trusting me,” she whispered. 

He slowly relaxed and moved his arms around her waist. She could feel his shaky breaths underneath her hands as she rubbed his back. 

“I don’t deserve this.” 

“Love isn’t about deserving, Rumple.” 

The couple stayed like that for a long time before pulling apart. Belle led him towards the bedroom where they changed into pajamas and collapsed into bed. Rumple was clearly much more exhausted than the let on with everything that had happened that day. 

“I love you,” he said quietly as Belle went to turn out the light. 

She turned and kissed him deeply, pouring her sincerity into it. 

“I love you too, Rumple.” 

~

Seventeen missed calls from: Emma Swan, David Nolan, and Ruby Lucas. 

“Damn,” Rumple muttered as he flipped his phone open. He had left it in his jacket on the couch the previous night and hadn’t heard a thing. He glanced at a clock and saw that it was nearly ten o’clock in the morning, well past when he usually awoke at dawn. He supposed the blood loss had done more damage than he realized if he slept for that long. 

His pulse quickened when he realized that Belle was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t condemned him the previous night after his confession but perhaps she was just waiting for the right moment to leave, he wondered. Although it would hurt more than anything, he couldn’t blame her if she did after what he revealed to her. 

Just as his mind began to race, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs towards the apartment. The door swung open to reveal none other than Belle herself carrying a brown bag that smelled delicious. She smiled softly at him as she placed the bag down on the small kitchen table. 

“You’re awake! I was worried because you never usually sleep that long but I supposed you needed the rest so I decided to pop out for some breakfast,” she chattered as she put the kettle on and started taking items out of the bag. There were a couple of bagels, some scrambled eggs, and a small stack of pancakes with syrup. 

“Pancakes?” Rumple said dumbly, not sure of what else to say. 

“I know you don’t like them, they’re for me,” she replied. “Come and eat, Rumple.” 

He did as she asked and sat down across from her at the kitchen table. He could only manage a few bites of his bagel and eggs before his stomach began to turn. 

“Belle?” 

She looked up at him, her fork hanging midair with pancakes dripping in sickly-sweet syrup. 

“Yeah?” 

“About, erm…” he paused. “We should talk about… what happened yesterday.” 

“We already did, Rumple,” she replied. “Remember?” 

“I know, it’s just…” he couldn’t find the right words to express himself. “I don’t understand.” 

Belle placed her fork down onto the plate and stared at him with that all-knowing gaze that made him feel like she could see into his very soul. He supposed it was both comforting and terrifying in different ways. 

“You thought I would leave, didn’t you?” 

He couldn’t bring himself to confirm or deny her question although they both knew the answer. 

“Rumple,” she sighed. “I’m not stupid. I know who you are and what you’ve done in the past.” 

“That’s my point,” he said. “You know exactly how much of a monster I am and yet you always stay. Why?” 

She looked sad when he spoke. He hated that he made her look that way. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” she asked. “It’s because I love you, Rumplestiltskin.” 

“I can’t be the man you deserve,” he replied. “I’m not a Yaoguai, Belle. I won’t magically transform from a beast into a prince.” 

“I never wanted a prince,” she smiled sadly. “I just want you.” 

“Let me ask you a question,” she continued. “Do you love me?” 

“Of course I do,” he answered immediately. 

“Why?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Why do you love me?” Belle repeated. “I’m nothing special. I have no magic. I have no power. I’m of no real use to you or anyone else. So why?” 

“Don’t say that,” he replied. “You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. You’ve probably read more books than any other person alive. You speak multiple languages. You’re a good fighter. You’re brave and kind and caring and…” 

Rumple paused when he noticed Belle staring at him with a knowing look. 

“See? You don’t love what someone could be. You love what they are,” she said. “When I look at you, Rumple, I don’t see a prince or a knight or some dashing hero. I see you. A man who would do anything to protect his child even if it meant selling his own soul. A man who respects me and listens to me and doesn’t treat me as a pawn or some kind of broodmare. A man who has suffered so much and yet still tries to do the right thing.” 

“I don’t want to transform you into something you’re not,” she reached over to grab his hand. “I just want this. You promised me forever and I intend to hold you to your word.” 

Rumple couldn’t help but laugh softly at that last remark. He never could have dreamed that that single decision would change the course of his life forever. After such a speech, he was at a loss for words. He could only murmur a soft I love you that made Belle beam at him with that infectious smile of hers. 

“Now that’s sorted,” she picked up her fork again and shoveled the pancakes into her mouth. “Eat your breakfast. You didn’t eat anything yesterday.” 

She was right, he realized. Between his excitement that he found a way out of Storybrooke and the whole Hook incident, he hadn’t had anything to eat the previous day. If they were back in the Enchanted Forest, it wouldn’t really be an issue as the Dark One technically didn’t need to eat or drink. But magic was different here in Storybrooke and Rumple couldn’t sustain himself off magic alone. His stomach rumbled and he picked up his forgotten bagel. 

“I ran into Ruby at the diner, by the way,” Belle said. “The man in the car survived. They weren’t sure if he would for a while, but he pulled through.” 

“Hmm,” Rumple nodded. He didn’t say it aloud, but he thought to himself that it might have been better for everyone if this mystery man succumbed to his injuries. They would need to get him on his feet and out of town quickly before the next magical emergency occurred. Which lately in Storybrooke was every few days at the most. 

“I suppose that's why they called me so many times last night,” he said. A slight look of guilt flashed on Belle’s face before she returned to inhaling her pancakes. “Belle?” 

“...I may have turned your phone off while you were asleep,” she admitted. “It kept ringing and ringing and you were out like a rock. I couldn’t stand it anymore so I just… turned it off.” 

Rumple began to heave with laughter at the thought of Belle purposefully ignoring the heroes' never ending demands for his help (even when they were perfectly capable of solving their own problems as it would seem). 

“Oh, Belle,” he said between giggles. “They won’t be happy when they find out.” 

“Who says they need to find out?” she replied mischievously. 

He didn’t deserve her, not by any stretch of the imagination, but by Gods was he grateful for her, he thought. 

Chapter Text

Rumple decided that the shop was still the safest place for the shawl. He hadn’t expected anyone to understand the significance of it before which is why he left it in such an easily accessible place. He would use magic to protect it this time in case the idiotic pirate tried to take it again. 

After breakfast, the pair made their way over to the pawnshop. Rumple had already cleaned it up with magic the previous day and it looked immaculate, as if neither the pirate nor his minion had ever stepped foot in there. Belle watched as he revealed a hidden panel in the floorboards of the back office with a wave of his hand. He placed the shawl inside and sealed it once more with another wave. It looked completely unremarkable, just like all of the others, and nobody except Belle or Rumplestiltskin himself would ever know it was there. 

“It’s safe?” Belle asked. She knew it would destroy Rumple if he lost it again. 

“Completely,” he replied. “Hook isn’t getting in there in a million years.” 

He then moved over to his desk where maps and travel guides were scattered all over. 

“How are you going to find him? He could be anywhere.” 

She hated to be negative when Rumple was so close to his goal, but she had done a lot of research since waking up in this strange world. There were billions of people in this world. In this country alone there were thousands of miles of terrain and fifty states to search. It seemed an impossible task. 

“She’s right you know,” a cold voice in the doorway made them both jump. “It’s quite the task in a world without magic.” 

Rumple stood protectively in front of Belle, shielding her from his old adversary. 

“Cora,” he said darkly. 

“Hello, Rumple,” her tone was sickly sweet. “And who is this pretty little thing? Your latest plaything?” 

“Get out,” he growled. 

“Oh my! Such hostility, my dear,” she laughed. “And to think I came here to help you.” 

“I don’t want your help.” 

“That may be true, but you do need it,” she said. With a snap of her fingers a box appeared on his desk. He refused to take his eyes off her. 

“It’s not a trap, darling. I’m not Regina. I have no interest in hurting your girl.” 

Rumple hesitated for a few moments before turning towards the desk. A glance was all Belle needed to retreat behind the desk. He wouldn’t risk her safety again and she knew that Cora was not one to trifle with. 

He pulled the lid off the box to reveal a white globe. Smoke swirled within it and Belle couldn’t help but wonder what it could be used for. Rumple kept his guard up but she could tell that this meant something to him. 

“I’m not a fool, Cora,” he said, turning back towards her. “You wouldn’t bring this to me free of charge. What do you want?” 

“You always were a clever man,” she smirked. “You’re right, of course. This isn’t a gift. It’s an exchange.” 

“What sort of exchange?”  

“My daughter for your son.” 

Belle looked up sharply. Cora knew about Baelfire. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer as to how the witch knew about one of his most tightly guarded secrets. 

“I can’t give you Regina,” he said simply. 

“Perhaps I should clarify,” she replied. “You can run off to find your long lost son and I will stay here and make amends with my daughter without any interference.” 

His purposefully blank expression broke as he let out a soft laugh and shook his head. 

“You just want to make amends?” he echoed. “Of course you do, dearie. And I’m sure the second I leave, you won’t burn the town to a crisp.” 

“What could I possibly gain from that? I don’t want revenge, I want forgiveness,” she said.

“Good luck with that,” he deadpanned. “I’m sure Regina will be thrilled to see you.” 

“Trust me, Rumple. I just want my daughter back.” 

While Belle had never met this woman in her life, she didn’t believe a single word that came out of her mouth. Neither did Rumple. He did however look thoroughly amused by her attempts to wheedle him. 

“Trust you? You can’t possibly believe that I am that stupid,” he said. “I learned my lesson a long time ago, Cora.” 

“Oh dear,” she cooed. “You’re not still upset about that are you? Though I suppose you always were such a sensitive little Dark One.” 

He didn’t rise to the bait, but Belle could see his jaw clenching. 

“I know how I can sweeten the deal,” she continued. “I give you my word that no harm will come to Storybrooke while you are gone. I even promise to leave your precious little Belle alone.” 

“And Hook?” 

He wasn’t fool enough to believe that just because the witch swore not to harm Belle, that she wouldn’t use someone else to hurt her in her stead. 

“He won’t harm a hair on her pretty little head,” Cora swore. 

Belle could see his mind racing, trying to work out any possible loopholes in her proposal. She swore not to hurt her or the town but there was certainly a lot of grey area in that deal. He must be truly desperate for whatever that globe was if he was willing to make a deal with her.

“Do we have a deal, Rumple?” 

Cora waited patiently. She seemed to enjoy watching Rumple calculating the risk of accepting her deal and what consequences his decision could have. It was quite disturbing, knowing that someone could hold such power over him. But if Belle’s suspicions were correct and this globe could help him find his son, then it was no choice at all. He had to pick Baelfire, come what may. 

“Yes.” 

“Excellent,” her smile was almost predatory. She extended her hand and he reluctantly accepted her handshake. “It’s too bad you’re taken these days, Rumple. We could’ve sealed the deal like we used to.” 

He looked disgusted by her comment, as if he simultaneously wanted to vomit and/or throttle her. She laughed at his discomfort before disappearing into a puff of smoke, no doubt off to find Regina. He turned back to Belle and just quietly shook his head. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said quietly. 

She nodded, respecting his wish. The whole damned encounter had made him very uncomfortable and she wouldn’t push any further. She returned her attention to the globe in front of them. 

“So,” she began. “What does it do?” 

He spun the globe gently with his fingertips. 

“It finds people.” 

Her suspicions were correct, then. 

“It can find Baelfire?” 

He sighed deeply. 

“With any luck.” 

Without further ado, he pricked his finger on the sharp needle atop the globe. He let the droplet fall onto the globe and the blood quickly coalesced into an image of North America. A dark red dot fell over what would be New York City. 

“Bae,” he whispered breathlessly. 

“It worked,” Belle gasped. 

It worked and they were closer to finding Bae than ever before. Her geography of this new world wasn’t yet perfect but even she could see how close they were. A day’s journey in one of those metal carriages, maybe less, and Rumple could finally find his son. His hands shook as he traced over the city with his fingertips. 

“After all this time,” he trailed off. His eyes almost couldn’t believe what they were seeing. 

“You did it,” Belle said. “You found him.” 

“Not quite,” he replied, his expression turning serious. “New York City is one of the largest cities on the planet. Millions of people live there. He could be anywhere.” 

He glanced over at the maps piled over to the side. 

“But maybe…” 

“Maybe what?” Belle asked. 

He didn’t answer, remaining laser focused on finding a map of New York City. Once he found it, he swiped all of the other maps onto the floor and opened it up completely. He waved his hand over the globe and a small cloud of smoke escaped from the globe. It hung over the map until one spot turned a dark red. Rumple quickly grabbed a pencil and poked it through the smoke onto the map. The smoke dissipated and all that was left was a small pencil mark on the map. 

“Bae,” he said softly. 

“What happened?” Belle asked. “Why couldn’t you do that before?” 

“I needed the globe,” he explained. “It wouldn’t have worked without its magic.” 

He studied the miniscule street names and numbers listed on the map. He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down an address: 

89 Wooster Street, New York City 

“My boy,” he whispered in awe. He turned to Belle, smiling shakily. “We found him!” 

He pulled her into a tight hug and she looped her arms around him, holding him just as tightly.

After centuries of trial and error and countless dead ends, he had succeeded at last. He had finally found his son. 

Chapter Text

“...Is it supposed to look like that?” 

Rumple glanced up from his current project, a map of Storybrooke covered in his messy writing and surrounded by scattered pens and rulers. It looked like an arts and crafts project gone terribly wrong. 

“Yes!” he protested. “It’s a decoy.” 

“A decoy for what?” 

“The dagger,” he explained. “In case Cora or any of the others come looking for it while I’m gone.” 

“Why can’t you just bring it with you to New York?” 

“I don’t want to draw any attention to it by moving it. Better to leave it where it is for the time being,” he said. “Besides, I would either have to carry it with me at all times or leave it unattended in a bag where anyone could take it. It can’t be protected with magic outside of Storybrooke.” 

“I understand that,” Belle replied. “But I still don’t know why you’re creating a fake map to its location.” 

“If Cora comes looking for it while I’m gone as I suspect she might, you’ll be the first person she asks about it and she won’t take no for an answer. You can give her the map in exchange for your safety and then get to the Charmings as fast as you can. They’ll protect you.” 

“But you made a deal with Cora,” she replied. “You made her swear that she wouldn’t hurt me.” 

“You don’t want to test her ability to maneuver out of a deal, Belle,” he warned. “If it comes down to your safety or the dagger, you must promise me that you will put yourself first.” 

“You can’t ask that of me. You told me what would happen if someone else wields the dagger, that they can control or even kill you.” 

“The dagger is irrelevant,” he dismissed. “It cannot be used to control me outside of Storybrooke and as the wretched pirate has already proven, Cora doesn’t need the dagger to kill me once I am past the town line.” 

“That’s hardly reassuring, Rumple.” 

“Please, Belle,” he sighed. “Promise me. You are infinitely more important than the dagger. If it’s stolen, it can be retrieved, but your safety is not something I am willing to gamble with.” 

She didn’t like agreeing to such terms. When he had first explained what the dagger was and the power it held over him, she was horrified to think that a single object had the potential to wreak such havoc. But she also couldn’t think of a good alternative. If they kept it hidden in Storybrooke, they risked Cora getting her hands on it (that is, if she had the wits to discover its hiding place). If he brought it with him, it would be unprotected by magic and completely vulnerable to theft. 

Against her better judgement, Belle supposed that he was right. It was better to leave the dagger where it was and trust that his enchantments would be enough to keep it safe from the likes of Cora. She might try to get past them but Rumple was no fool. His spells would not be easily broken. 

“Alright,” she conceded. “I’ll promise you if you’ll promise me something in return.” 

“What’s that?” 

“Promise me that you’ll stay safe,” she said. “You won’t have magic to protect yourself. You need to be more careful out there.” 

“Aren’t I always?” 

Belle rolled her eyes good-naturedly. 

“If you look up ‘careful’ in the dictionary, I think you’ll find your name under its list of antonyms.” 

“That’s rather harsh,” he laughed lightly. 

“My word in exchange for yours,” she said. “Deal?” 

“Deal,” he yielded. “You’re getting quite bossy these days, you know that right?” 

“That had better be a compliment, Rumplestiltskin,” she scowled playfully. 

“Wouldn’t dream of having you any other way,” he replied smoothly. 

Together they added some finishing details to the map to make it look as realistic as possible. In truth, all it would lead to was an empty box hidden in the middle of the forest. But the thought of Cora or Hook traipsing through the forest and digging a massive hole all for nothing amused Rumple to no end. 

With the fictional clues hidden and false trails planted, Rumple was free to plan his route to New York. He nearly lost his nerve, the reality of coming so close to finding his son clashing with his fear of rejection. He floated the idea of waiting until he could recreate the potion that would allow Belle to cross the town line as well. She reminded him that this was his journey and he needed to do this for both himself and Baelfire. She would support him every step of the way but he had to do this part by himself. There was no need to delay any further, not when he had already spent centuries waiting for this very moment.  

With her encouragement, Rumple purchased the plane tickets and booked a hotel room near the address the globe provided. All that was left for him to do was cash in on a favor he had saved for this very moment. 

Unfortunately, Emma was not in the least happy to see them when they turned up on her doorstep. 

“Oh, now you show up!? We called you about a hundred times, that guy nearly died!” 

“I fail to see how that’s my problem,” he shrugged. 

“You have magic!” Emma said angrily. “You could’ve fixed him up in no time! Instead, we had to rely on Doctor Frankenstein, who just so happened to be drunk off his ass, to save him.” 

“Clearly the good doctor was able to save him, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” he said sarcastically. 

“That’s the point, Gold,” she replied. “If that guy died, what the hell were we supposed to do? Someone would’ve come looking for him eventually and then this whole town would be screwed!” 

“Nevertheless, the man survived and the argument is moot. You’re more than capable of sending him on his way as soon as possible, are you not?” 

“Yeah, I am,” she said, gritting her teeth. 

“Then that’s sorted,” he replied. “Now, may I come in or would you prefer to continue shouting at me in the hallway for everyone to hear?” 

She shook her head in annoyance but let the pair into the apartment nonetheless. David and Snow were cooking dinner while Henry sat at the counter. Unsurprisingly, the young boy seemed the only one glad to see them. 

“Hi Belle!” Henry said excitedly. “Did you guys really get into a fight with Captain Hook?!” 

“Henry, now’s not the time,” his mother sighed. 

“Nobody ever tells me anything around here,” he pouted. 

“Hey, buddy, why don’t you take the trash out before dinner?” David interrupted, sensing that they hadn’t shown up just to have a quick chat. 

“You just want to talk without me around,” Henry scowled. 

“It’ll only be a few minutes, kid,” Emma said. 

Henry groaned, clearly outnumbered by the adults. He took the trash bag and dragged it towards the door. 

“If I come to the library tomorrow, you’ll tell me the story, right?” Henry not-so-subtly whispered to Belle as he passed her. She smiled softly and nodded. As the door shut behind him, the Charmings wasted no time inquiring as to why the Dark One had made a house call. 

“What do you want, Gold?” 

“Remember that favor you owe me, Ms. Swan?” 

“Yeah,” she said hesitantly, clearly not liking where the conversation was heading. 

“I’m cashing it in,” he said. “I need your help finding someone.” 

“Who?” 

“My son.” 

“Your what?” Emma exclaimed. She looked between Rumple and Belle and then back at her parents who looked equally shocked. “Since when do you two have a kid?” 

“Not mine, Rumple’s,” Belle clarified, but it did nothing to wipe the look of pure bewilderment from the Charmings’ faces. 

“Your previous job was finding people, was it not?” Rumple asked. “And you do honor your agreements?” 

“Yeah, but Gold,” she struggled for words. “With everything that’s going on right now…” 

“I need your help, Ms. Swan,” he said plainly. 

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. She clearly wasn’t happy about the arrangement but she couldn’t deny that she had given her word. In fairness, of all the things he could’ve asked her to do, this request was probably the most straight-forward. 

“Fine,” she said. “Where are we looking?” 

“New York,” Rumple replied. 

“That’s why you were at the town line,” David realized suddenly. “You were making sure you could cross it without losing your memories.” 

“Indeed,” he confirmed. “And before you ask, I can neither fix the town line nor do I have any of the potion I used left.” 

He fudged the truth there slightly. It was true that he couldn’t fix the town line for everyone and that the potion was gone, but he could potentially remake it, although it would be tricky and time-consuming. 

“Convenient,” Snow murmured. Rumple chose to ignore her comment and turned his attention back to the Savior. 

“We’ll leave for New York tomorrow morning.” 

“What about Henry? I’m not leaving him here with Cora lurking about.” 

“Then I suppose we’ll just have to purchase another plane ticket,” he replied. It wasn’t worth the effort of arguing over whether or not the boy could come with them. Emma seemed satisfied and nodded her agreement. “I’ll see you in the morning, Ms. Swan.” 

“That went better than I expected,” Belle said as they descended the stairs. “You think she’ll be able to find him?” 

“I do,” he said. “Her entire career was based upon finding people and besides, she’s much more adept at navigating this world than I am.” 

“And when you find him,” Belle used when rather than if because she was certain that he would find his son. “What will you do?” 

Rumple paused. While he had always had faith that he would find Baelfire, he hadn’t ever quite allowed himself to hope that he would find him. He had imagined a million times what he might say when he finally saw his boy again but those words were tainted and stolen by the deceitful Pinocchio. He couldn’t repeat and reuse those words as if they were recycling. Baelfire deserved better than that. He deserved more than a tired, rehearsed speech from a father who failed him in the worst possible way, that nasty little voice in the back of his head reminded him. 

It was a good question. After centuries of searching, what could a father possibly say to a son he so carelessly let go of, if such a man could still be considered a father at all. 

“...I don’t know.” 

Chapter Text

For a man that had travelled to countless realms and never batted an eye, it was Boston Logan International Airport that finally got the better of him. Between the sea of travellers and a horrendous number of airlines, gates, and terminals, it was terribly overwhelming for someone who had never set foot out of Storybrooke before. Thankfully, Emma knew exactly what to do and he gladly let her take the lead once they arrived. 

After checking their bags at the airline counter, they made their way over to security. Rumple had a few vague cursed memories of airports but even Mr. Gold hadn’t flown anywhere after the Transportation Security Administration was created. Yet again, the Dark One felt completely out of his depth. As they approached the front of the line, he noticed that all of the passengers had to go through metal detectors and put their belongings through some sort of machine before being allowed through to the gates. He was suddenly very grateful that he hadn’t brought the dagger with him as it would no doubt have raised many questions from whatever security agent found it. 

“Have you ever been outside of Storybrooke before, Mr. Gold?” Henry asked. 

“No,” he replied. 

“Are you nervous?” 

“No.” 

“Are you worried about meeting your son?” 

“No, Henry. I’m fine,” he said with a touch of frustration. He liked Henry well enough but he wasn’t in the mood for questions. 

“How about we talk about this later, kid,” Emma intervened. “We’re next.” 

“It must be really hard not to use magic, being like everyone else,” Henry continued. 

Tactfulness was clearly not something that ran in that family, Rumple thought to himself. Emma grabbed a bin and started putting her belongings in it, including her boots. 

“You have to put your shoes in,” she explained when she saw his confused expression. 

“How terribly uncivilized,” he mumbled. He removed his Oxfords and started to move towards the metal detector before being stopped by a security agent. 

“Scarf and cane go in the basket,” he said. 

“What?” 

“Scarf and cane go in the basket,” the agent repeated as if he hadn’t heard him the first time. 

“I can’t,” Rumple said quietly to Emma. 

“You have to.” 

“It ain’t rocket science, buddy,” a rude man behind them piped up. “You ever been on a plane before?” 

Rumple momentarily forgot that he was in one of the busiest airports in the country surrounded by security agents and no doubt police officers as well. 

“Have you ever been impaled upon a cane before,” he began angrily before Emma grabbed his arm. 

“My father’s a little nervous,” she explained quickly. “We’re headed to a family reunion, sorry.” 

“...Father?” 

It was quick thinking, but the remark threw him for a loop. It had been centuries since someone had referred to him as their father. 

“Just put your shawl in the bin, I’ll help you get through,” she said. 

“If I let this go, I could forget who I am.” 

“I’m not going to let that happen,” she promised. 

Somehow her belief was enough to make him believe it too. 

He nodded and took off his shawl and jacket in one fell swoop. Immediately, the room began to spin and he nearly stumbled as he walked through the metal detector. His head became cloudy and he was only faintly aware of the hustle and bustle of the airport around him. His ears rang and he felt as if he might collapse at any second. 

Then, all was clear again. Emma placed the shawl around his neck and looked at him nervously. He simply nodded, still feeling a little dazed and startled by what could have happened. 

“Guys!” Henry called, oblivious to the disaster that nearly unfolded. “There’s a Cinnabon here!” 

Rumple felt his heart still racing after the near miss. It was much too close of a call for comfort.

“What’s your name?” Emma asked quietly after she retrieved her belongings. 

“Rumplestiltskin,” he replied. She nodded and breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t have to deal with a very confused and likely very angry Mr. Gold in the middle of an international airport hours from home. 

Though Emma allowed Henry to purchase the sticky and sugary monstrosity that was apparently called Cinnabon, she made him eat the sandwich that she had packed for him first. 

“You can’t eat a cinnamon roll for dinner, kid.” 

“But we’re on an adventure!” 

“I don’t want you hurling over everybody as soon as we get in the air because you ate nothing but sugar for dinner.” 

Henry grumbled a bit but ate the sandwich nonetheless. She asked Rumple if he was hungry, but his stomach was so tied up in knots that he felt it was more likely that he himself would start throwing up rather than the young boy. They waited by the plane’s gate for what seemed like forever. Henry, bless him, did not seem to notice or care that neither of the adults were in the mood to talk so he peppered Rumple with questions about Captain Hook. 

“Belle promised that she would tell me about your fight with Hook, but seeing as we had to go to the airport today, I haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet,” he prattled on. 

“I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to tell you when we get back,” Rumple replied. 

“Or… you could tell me about it now?” Henry pulled out his puppy dog eyes. 

“Leave him be, kid,” Emma said. “We’ll start boarding soon.” 

Rumple stood from the wildly uncomfortable seat and Emma raised her eyebrows. 

“Where are you going?” 

“To call Belle,” he replied. “I need to make sure Cora hasn’t seen fit to destroy the town in our absence.” 

“Okay,” she nodded. “Just remember we’re going to start boarding in like ten minutes.” 

“I’ll be right back,” he assured her. 

He walked over to the restrooms and made sure that all of the stalls were empty before dialing Belle. It only rang a few times before she picked up. 

“Hi, Rumple,” she greeted. “Is everything alright?” 

“Everything’s fine,” he said. “We’re getting on the plane soon.” 

“Are you nervous?” 

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” he sighed. 

“It’s okay to be nervous, Rumple,” she said. “You’re in an unfamiliar place, you’re about to meet your son, and you have no idea what to expect about any of it - that would worry anyone.” 

“It’s not that,” he said. He faltered for a moment, struggling to articulate his fears. “It’s just… I know what will happen tomorrow.” 

“You may be able to see the future, Rumple, but I know for a fact that even you can’t predict what will happen tomorrow,” she said. 

“I do know,” he repeated. “He’ll hate me, I know he will.” 

“No, you don’t,” she sighed. “I’m not saying that it will be easy, because it most certainly will not. But this is your opportunity to speak with him and explain what happened. He’ll be hurt and angry and he may lash out, but at the end of the day he is still your son. It is your responsibility to be there for him, even through the bad times.” 

“I know, it’s just…” he trailed off. “I don’t even know what to say to him. What if I say the wrong thing and lose him forever?” 

“There’s only two things you need to tell him, Rumple. You need to tell him how much you love him and you need to apologize for letting him go. You can explain everything else later, but you need to say those things first.” 

“You also need to remember that you have been preparing for this moment for centuries,” she continued. “Baelfire has no idea that you’re coming. It will be one hell of a shock for him when you turn up on his doorstep, so you need to be gentle. You need to be patient and level-headed even if he gets upset or angry. You need to be his father, Rumple.” 

He mused over her advice. She knew what it was like to have a strained relationship with one’s father and what she was telling him to do with Bae was what she wished Maurice would do for her. Maurice refused to acknowledge her existence these days, preferring to think his daughter lost or dead than in love with Rumplestiltskin. He couldn’t imagine rejecting his own child based solely on who they loved. Belle was a wonderfully kind and intelligent person but that man refused to believe that she had her own autonomy or was capable of making her own decisions. She was absolutely right, he didn’t want to do to Bae what Maurice had done to her. He needed to make sure that his son knew he was loved and that letting go of his hand that night was the worst sin he had ever committed. 

“Thank you, Belle,” he said quietly. “I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

“You’re strong, Rumple,” she reminded him. “You can do this. I know you can.” 

A knock at the door startled him. Henry poked his head in and called out. 

“Mr. Gold! We’re boarding soon,” he said. “Are you coming?” 

“In a minute, Henry,” he replied. “I have to go, Belle.” 

“I’ll call you in the morning,” she said. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, sweetheart.” 

He slid the phone into his pocket and took one final look in the mirror. He needed to do this. He had come this far, he wasn’t about to back out now. 

It was time.

Chapter Text

After receiving a call from David to meet him at the hospital, Belle felt her pulse quicken as she approached its doors. She hadn’t come anywhere near the building after she escaped. It brought back many unpleasant memories from her nearly three decade long confinement in the asylum. Luckily, Rumple knew one of the doctors, a kind middle-aged woman, who was more than happy to pay a house call. A few days after the curse broke, she gave Belle a full physical and confirmed that there were no serious long-term effects to the drugs she had been given to keep her sedate. Still, after years of being held captive and made to think that she was crazy, she felt wary around hospitals. 

“Hey, Belle,” David said as she entered the lobby. “Thanks for coming.” 

“It’s no problem,” she replied. “You said that you want to find Hook’s ship?” 

“You, Gold, and Archie are the only ones who know where it is,” he explained. “But Gold’s out of town and Archie’s been through enough. Could you point it out on a map?” 

“Of course,” she said. “I assume Hook wouldn’t talk?” 

“No, he would not,” he sighed heavily. 

They made their way up to the hospital room where the pirate was currently being held. His hook had been confiscated and his good hand was chained to the bed rail. His face was bruised but he still managed to scowl as David and Belle entered the room. 

“Oh, you,” he growled. “Haven’t I suffered enough?” 

“Not nearly enough, in my opinion,” David retorted. “Time’s up, Hook. Where’s your ship?” 

“Not telling.” 

“That’s too bad,” David said. He pulled out a map of the harbor and asked Belle to point out the ship. It took a few seconds for her to get her bearings but she managed to find where the ship was hidden on the map.  

“We’re finding your ship whether you like it or not, Hook,” he said, pocketing the map. “Get up. We’re leaving.” 

“You trust her word?” Hook spat. “She’s in cahoots with the Dark One. She’s as dark as him.” 

Belle rolled her eyes and David looked just as unswayed. 

“Says the man who tried to kill me multiple times,” she muttered. 

David not-so-gently dragged Hook out of bed and threw his clothes at him (sans sword and hook, of course). Once dressed, he practically frog-marched the pirate out of the hospital with Belle following closely behind. 

“If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll leave you to it now,” Belle said when she saw Snow and Leroy waiting for them outside. They had more than enough people to watch Hook and she was in no mood to return to that godforsaken ship. 

“Of course,” David said. “Thanks for your help, Belle. We’ll let you know if we find anything on the ship.” 

They parted ways and Belle started to make her way back to the library. She checked her watch and wondered if Rumple and the others had made it to the airport yet. He promised to call before they boarded the plane but their flight wasn’t scheduled to leave for a few hours yet. She could pass the time organizing the library, she supposed. It was nearly ready to be opened to the public after all. There were only a few sections left to categorize and she also needed to set up the digital checkout system. Rumple may be many things but unfortunately tech savvy was not one of them. Thankfully, Ruby had given her some basic computer tips and referred her to some YouTube videos to help her set up the library’s system. 

As she approached Main Street, she noticed Archie and Pongo taking a walk. She was surprised to see him out and about so soon after his kidnapping and alleged murder. 

“Belle!” Archie called out. 

“Hi, Archie,” she smiled. “How are you?” 

“I’m doing okay,” he shrugged. “I wanted to thank you for rescuing me the other day.” 

She felt a little awkward accepting his thanks as rescuing him was really just a side effect of retrieving Baelfire’s shawl. She had assumed he was dead along with everyone else and she felt guilty that nobody had truly gone looking for him. 

“I’m glad I caught you actually,” Archie continued. “I heard that Mr. Gold and Emma left town?” 

“Henry as well,” she replied. It wasn’t hard to guess who blabbed that information. The Charmings weren’t exactly known for their secrecy. 

“He’s looking for his son, isn’t he?” 

Belle narrowed her eyes slightly. 

“Who told you that?”  

“Nobody!” Archie clarified quickly. “He told me about his son and I figured that’s the only reason why he would need to leave town…” 

He clammed up as soon as he realized that he was violating doctor-patient confidentiality. 

“I’m sorry,” he laughed nervously. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” 

“It’s alright,” she replied. “When did Rumple tell you about his son?” 

“It was during the curse,” he explained. “He thought that his son had come into town and he asked for my advice on what he should do.” 

August, Belle sighed internally. That whole ordeal had really shaken Rumple. It made him more nervous to find Bae than ever before. It was a cruel thing to do, to dangle the prospect of finding his son in front of him only to rip it away at the last second. It was no wonder he fell for it in the first place, knowing how desperate he was to find Bae. 

“I won’t tell anyone about his son,” Archie said. “I just figured you already knew and wanted to ask.” 

“It’s fine,” Belle replied. “I suppose it won’t be a secret for much longer, but let’s keep it between us for now.” 

“Of course!” 

As she returned to the library and began organizing some of the remaining shelves, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like once Rumple found his son. She worried that he had been so focused on the singular act of finding his son for so long that he hadn’t thought about what would come after. She had no idea how old Bae might be, but presumably he had his own life in New York. He might not be able or want to leave his home there. Not to mention how he might react to his father appearing on his doorstep after so many years apart. She knew these thoughts plagued Rumple as well. He just chose to focus on one step at a time, probably to protect his own sanity and stop himself from obsessing over his fears (well… more than he already did). 

A thundering shake of the ground and faint screams of terror caught her attention as she stacked the shelves. She raced to the window and saw a giant chasing David, Snow, and Leroy down the street. 

She sighed. 

Never a dull moment here in Storybrooke, she thought to herself. 

~

“I’ll call you in the morning,” Belle said. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, sweetheart,” Rumple replied. 

She smiled as she hung up the phone. She could tell immediately from his tone of voice how nervous he was. With any luck, talking had helped calm him down a little before their flight. She hadn’t bothered to tell him about the giant on the loose from earlier. It seemed that David resolved the situation on his own and there was no need to worry him further. 

She pocketed her phone and stepped into Granny’s. She had spent the best part of the day organizing the library and was in no mood to cook herself dinner. 

“Hey, Belle!” Ruby called over from where she was cleaning a table. “I’ll be right over!” 

“No rush!” Belle replied. She took a seat at the counter and said a polite hello to David and Snow who were grabbing some coffees. She asked about the giant situation out of curiosity but the couple seemed to clam up. 

“Yeah,” David cleared his throat. “It’s a long story. He thought I was somebody else, but it’s all fine now. Nothing to worry about.” 

“That’s good,” Belle said. “Where did he come from anyway?” 

“We found him on Hook’s ship,” Snow answered. 

That was odd. Belle had searched that ship high and low for the shawl. She surely would’ve noticed a giant on board, even a miniaturized one. 

They quickly made some excuse to say goodbye and left Belle utterly confused. There was more to the story than what they were willing to share, that was for sure. As to what that was, however, she had no clue. 

In the meantime, Ruby took her order of spaghetti - to-go, of course. She wanted nothing more than to curl up on her couch and watch the next episode of Downton Abbey. Rumple, as much as he denied it, loved the show and they usually watched it together. They had just finished the second season but she was desperate to see Mary and Matthew’s wedding and what Rumple didn’t know wouldn't hurt him. 

“One spaghetti to-go,” Ruby presented her with a brown bag. “How long is Gold out of town by the way? We should have a girls’ night.” 

“I’m not sure,” Belle shrugged. “You’re always welcome to come over anytime, Ruby.” 

“I don’t know about anytime,” she grinned wolfishly. “I see Gold leave the library practically every morning. I wouldn’t want to catch you two in flagrante.” 

“Ruby!” Belle gasped, looking over her shoulder to make sure nobody heard her comment. 

“I’m only teasing,” she laughed. “It’s cute, even if you two are a bit of an odd couple. Plus, Gold kinda has that silver fox thing going for him.” 

“Stop!” Her face blushed a deep red as the werewolf continued to giggle. She shook her head and smiled back at her. “Goodnight, Ruby.” 

“Night, Belle!”

Chapter Text

Rumple glanced at the bedside clock in his hotel room. Eight o’clock. He had barely slept at all the previous night, tossing and turning for hours on end. He finally gave up some time around four o’clock and turned the TV to some random channel just to escape the overwhelming silence in the room. 

Emma and Henry woke up around an hour earlier, or rather Henry had forced his mother awake in his excitement to explore New York City. She texted shortly afterwards to tell him they were going to breakfast and would be ready to go once they ate something. Rumple couldn’t even stomach the thought of eating something, his nerves were so shot to hell. 

He stood up quickly when he heard a knock at the door, his leg protesting as he did so. He opened the door to find Emma and Henry standing there, the latter nibbling on a waffle clearly taken from the hotel breakfast buffet. 

“You ready?” Emma asked. 

“Of course,” he replied. He pocketed his key card and shut the door behind him. 

The three of them made their way down to the lobby and out onto the street. Emma hailed a cab with ease and instructed the driver to head to 89 Wooster Street. Henry insisted on sitting in the front seat so he could have a better view of the city. The fifteen minute drive was silent for the most part, save for the cabbie giving some choice words and hand gestures to an oblivious tourist who had walked straight into the road without looking. Emma quickly muttered to Henry not to repeat this incident to anyone back home, although the boy looked utterly thrilled by the whole experience. 

As they arrived at the address and exited the cab, Rumple froze as he looked up at the building. It was a tall, brick residential building typical of New York on a reasonably busy street. People hurried up and down the street and paid no attention to the trio as they rushed to their own destinations. It was very unlike Storybrooke. 

“What’s wrong?” Emma asked. “Is this the right place?” 

“Yes, it is,” Rumple replied. 

“Let me guess,” she said. “He’s not expecting you?” 

He didn’t have the heart to respond. 

“Well,” she sighed. “Who doesn’t love a surprise?” 

They entered the apartment lobby and were greeted by a pair of gates and an intercom system. There were twenty-four apartments in the building. While it wasn’t a Herculean task, it wouldn’t be easy to find the correct one either. 

“No Baelfire,” Henry observed as he looked at the list of names on the intercom. 

“Yeah, that probably wouldn’t fly as an alias,” Emma replied. “No Baileys or anything similar from the looks of it either. Your magic globe didn’t give you an apartment number?” 

“It doesn’t work that way.” 

“Do any of these names mean anything to you?” Henry asked. 

Rumple looked at all of the names but none of them jumped out to him. Johnsons and McDonalds and Smiths were there, but nothing seemed familiar. 

“Well, names are what I traffic in, but sadly no.” 

Emma pointed to apartment number 407. 

“Here’s your boy,” she said confidently. 

“Or it could just be vacant,” he sighed. 

“Look at 505,” she pointed. “It says unoccupied. If 407 was vacant, it would say so. You might traffic in names and magic, but I traffic in finding people who don’t want to be found. Those sorts of folks don’t like to advertise their whereabouts.” 

She went ahead and buzzed the intercom. It picked up but whoever was on the other side of the intercom remained silent. 

“UPS package for 407,” Emma said with authority. 

The line went dead. 

“Maybe you should’ve said FedEx?” Henry said. 

A series of loud clanks and bangs drew their attention. 

“He’s running,” Emma headed for the door immediately, with Rumple and Henry hot on her tail. 

A man in a dark jacket and jeans was hurrying down the fire escape. Rumple couldn’t see his face, but he was undoubtedly an adult. Three hundred years of pain and anguish and there he was, only twenty feet away. 

“That favor you owe me, this is it,” he said quickly to Emma. “Get him to talk to me. I can’t run.” 

Not for the first time, he cursed his leg and his inability to run in this world. The damp chill in the air wasn’t helping his pain either. 

The man dropped a few feet to the ground and began sprinting down the street. 

“Watch Henry,” Emma instructed. “I’ll be back.” 

With that, she too began racing down the street after him. They quickly disappeared from sight and that left Rumple and Henry standing there on the street, unsure of what to do next. 

“Why did he run?” Henry asked. 

Tactfulness truly did not run in their family. 

“I think I have some idea why,” he said quietly. 

The boy thankfully took the hint and looked up and down the street. 

“How long do you think it’ll take?” 

“I don’t know,” he sighed. He didn’t know whether to wait on the street or return to the lobby. He had caught just a glimpse of his son and he felt completely unravelled. He didn’t know what to do in the slightest. 

“Did you know that over eight million people live in New York City?” Henry said suddenly. “And that fifty million people visited here last year?” 

Rumple jerked out of his stupor and looked at the boy. He was reading from a pamphlet he had undoubtedly picked up from the airport or the hotel. It seemed Henry wasn’t so tactless after all to not only notice his distress and attempt to distract him from it. 

“I did not,” he replied. 

“It also says that over eight hundred languages are spoken here and that it’s the most linguistically diverse city in the world,” Henry recited. “Eight hundred!? I can’t even think of a hundred. Can you speak any other languages, Mr. Gold?” 

“I know some Gaelic,” he replied. “Otherwise, no. Belle knows a few though.” 

“Does she know French?” Henry asked. “We started learning it in school, but it’s kinda confusing.” 

“She’s fluent in it,” Rumple said. “I’m sure she would be happy to help you.” 

“Really? That’d be awesome!” Henry smiled. “Can you teach me some Gaelic?” 

He looked down the street again. Neither Emma nor his son was anywhere in sight. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to entertain Henry and take his mind off things while they waited. 

“Alright,” he nodded. “Try: madainn mhath.” 

Henry repeated it, although he completely butchered the pronunciation. 

“What does that mean?” 

“It means good morning,” Rumple explained. “You could also say: shin sibh, or hello.” 

“Shin sibh,” he said, his second attempt much better than the first. 

“Well done,” Rumple said. “Try this: is mise Henry.” 

“Is mise Henry,” he repeated. “...I am Henry?” 

“That’s right.” 

“Cool!” Henry exclaimed. “So I could say… shin sibh! Is mise Henry." 

“Well done,” he praised. The boy was a smart lad and he clearly picked things up quickly. 

“Mr. Gold?” 

“Yes?” 

“Could we get something to eat while we wait?” 

Rumple checked his watch. 

“Didn’t you just finish breakfast an hour ago?” 

“Well, yeah,” Henry shrugged. “But we’re on an adventure! I really want to try a New York hot dog.” 

He pointed to a hot dog stand just down the street. It hardly looked appetizing or sanitary but the boy was looking at it with such longing. 

“Fine,” he sighed. It wasn’t exactly a shock that he was hungry again, seeing how he had practically inhaled that gigantic Cinnabon the previous night. Plus, he was an eleven-year-old boy. He knew from experience how ravenous kids of that age could get. 

Henry asked for a hot dog with ketchup and mustard, although he hadn’t tried mustard before. He took a bite and declared that it was “delicious,” an adjective Rumple seriously doubted could describe food procured from a cart on a sidewalk in the middle of New York City. As the boy munched on his snack, Rumple started looking down the street again, searching for any sign of Emma or his son. 

“Don’t worry,” Henry said. “Emma’s really good at catching people.” 

“My son has been running away for a long time now,” he said. “I have a feeling he’s equally adept at it.” 

“Well, at least we found him, right?” 

“Indeed.” 

“Oh and thanks for the hot dog,” Henry said. “I forgot.” 

“You are quite welcome,” he replied. “And thank you.” 

“For what?” 

“If it wasn’t for you bringing Emma to Storybrooke, none of this would’ve come to pass,” he explained. “You are a remarkable young man.” 

While it’s true that it was predestined for Emma to break the curse, Henry played a significant role in breaking the curse himself, something that Rumple never foresaw. His persistence and faith in others truly was remarkable in such a young boy. 

“You know I forgave her,” Henry began. “Emma. For giving me up. She thought it was the best for me then, so that’s why she did it. I’m sure your son will get it, too.” 

Ah. There was that Charming optimism that ran through his family’s veins. 

“Alas, the circumstances surrounding our separation weren’t quite so noble.”

Well, that was certainly putting it lightly. 

“But you’re here now? And you want him back, right?” Henry asked. 

“More than anything.” 

“Then that’s all that matters,” he shrugged. 

“Perhaps,” Rumple replied. He took one final look down the street before turning towards the apartment building. “Let’s wait inside. It’ll be warmer there.” 

In truth, his leg was really starting to bother him. While he still limped and needed his cane in Storybrooke, he could usually manage the pain well enough. Standing in the damp cold on a hard sidewalk without any magic to alleviate his symptoms was not doing him any favors. 

They walked into the lobby and sat on one of the benches. Henry finished his hot dog quietly while Rumple checked his watch yet again. It had been over half an hour since Emma chased after his son. Perhaps she had lost him. From what little he had seen of the city so far, it was an overwhelming junction of streets and alleys and crowds that you could easily lose someone in. In any case, he knew where Bae lived now and he would wait there until the end of time itself for his son to return. 

“Why are you so nervous?” Henry asked. “When I found my mom, I was excited.” 

The boy certainly had a talent for neverending questions, that was for sure and certain. He didn’t think he had ever met anyone who asked as many questions as Henry did, except perhaps Belle. 

“Because I have the benefit of a little more life experience,” he sighed. “I know that things don’t always happen the way we want them to.” 

“Sure, but in my book, it says that you could see the future. Why can’t you just look and see what’s going to happen?” 

“Well, that ability is complicated,” he said. “I didn’t always have it and then when I did, well… it’s maybe not the gift one would expect.” 

It hadn’t taken him more than a few seconds to realize that fun little fact once he took the power of sight from the girl. He thought his skull would split from the influx of images he couldn’t begin to comprehend or piece together. Even with practice, he still found it an extremely difficult power to use. 

“Seeing the inevitable can be a terrible price,” he continued. He had tried more than once to change something he foresaw, both large and small, but he always failed. 

“But you wouldn’t have to worry about stuff,” Henry pointed out. “You would just know.” 

He had thought the same when he took on the power of sight. He thought it would solve all of his problems…how naive he had been. 

“But that’s the great trap,” Rumple said softly. “The future is like a puzzle with missing pieces. Difficult to read and never, never what you think.” 

Henry nodded thoughtfully. They both glanced up as the door opened to reveal Emma. Rumple quickly stood from the bench. 

“Did you find him?” he asked immediately. 

Emma paused for a moment before shaking her head. He felt his heart sink. 

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Your son got away.”