Work Text:
Rumple opened Pandora’s Box so that Belle would end up on the cot in the back of the shop. He gently covered her with a soft blanket and made sure she was comfortable. As he looked at his wife he sighed, put a protection spell around her, and headed off to the Game of Thorns to get her father. He was worried that Moe’s kiss wouldn’t work. After all, Moe had always wanted Belle to be someone she wasn’t. He never approved of her idealism, her love of books, and most certainly he never approved of Rumple. He couldn’t think of all that right now, he needed to get Moe and hope that her father’s love was enough. As he walked into the shop, Moe came out from the back holding a bouquet of mixed flowers.
“What are you doing here and where is my daughter!”
Rumple held up both hands in front of him in a sign of surrender and tried to control the irritation he always felt towards Maurice.
“It is a long story that I don’t particularly want to go into right now. What is important is that your daughter needs your help.”
“What did you do to her” Maurice spat out
Shaking his head and looking sad and confused “I…..she put herself in a sleeping curse to protect our unborn baby. She needs you to kiss her awake.”
Rumple waited patiently while he let Mo process all the information and what he was asking him to do.
“Will you help her?” he finally asked
“Why don’t you just wake her up?”
“Because she wanted you to, now are you going to help or not?” Rumple’s now completely irritated voice cried out.
“Of course I’ll help, let’s go.”
Mo sate at the edge of the cot where Belled laid sleeping. He looked down and pressed his lips to his daughter’s forehead as he whispered,
“Belle, sweetheart it’s time to wake up.”
Mo and Rumple sat back and waited for absolutely nothing to happen.
“Well, what’s next?” Mo looking at Rumple with a defeated look
“I don’t know.” Rumple said sadly “but I will figure it out.”
Rumple sat at his desk scowling at several books that were scattered around him, desperately searching for anything that could wake Belle up from her curse. The bell above the shop door gave a loud and annoying ring. Rumple looked up briefly to see who it was and then looked back down to his books completely ignoring Regina who was walking towards him.
“What do you want, Regina?’ Rumple asked never looking up from his books.
“Hades is in Storybrooke.”
“My wife and unborn baby are under a sleeping curse; I don’t care about anyone or anything other than figuring out how to wake her up. So, if you would please leave so I can continue my research I would appreciate it.”
“You know how to wake her up, just give her true love’s kiss” Regina stated.
Rumple sat quietly at his desk and continued to look down at his books.
“What are you saying, you don’t truly love her?” Regina snarked out
“of course I truly love her!” Rumple spat back.
“Then what’s the problem?”
Rumple briefly looked up at Regina and then quickly back down at his books but not before she noticed the look of utter devastation on his face. Regina stared at him and then let out a light wicked chuckle,
“You insecure imp! You don’t believe she loves you.”
“Go away, Regina”
“Rumple, there is no doubt that girl loves you. After all you have done, all the lies, all the things you have put her through; she is still here with you fighting. Believe me, Rumple no one stays around all that if they aren’t truly in love. She has never given up on you, even when everyone else had. And let me tell you, you have been a complete ass since…….Well since Neal died. No matter what you have done, she always comes back. She loves you. Now get in there and wake up your wife!” Regina snarled and stomped out of the shop.
Rumple let out a deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He walked into the back room and sat on the cot next to Belle. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and took her hand between his.
“Belle, I love you. I love you more than anything else. More than my life, more than my power. And I know you love me. I know it! Please, please let this work!” He then gently but firmly pressed his lips against hers and immediately Belle opened her eyes.
“Where are we?”
“Storybrooke”
“And the contract?
“taken care of”
“Good” Belle said as she released a big breath
“Belle, do you have any idea how angry I am with you” he stated in an exasperated voice. He then let go of all his pent up emotions as tears gathered in his eyes. “What if it didn’t work?” was all he could say.
Belle smiled and grabbed his hands, “I never for one moment doubted it would work. I always believed Rumple, it was just time you did too. I love you. I love all of you. And yes, we are going to fight, and we are going to hurt each other, and this relationship is never going to be easy. But nothing that is worth it, ever is. I won’t say that I will always approve of your decisions or that I won’t try and encourage you to be the man that I know you are, but I will tell you right now, I am in this with you forever. That was the deal and it is a deal that I don’t ever want to break. But you also have to believe and trust in me. Trust that I love you and that I won’t leave you. Trust that we can be a family.”
Rumple gathered Belle in his arms and buried his face in her neck and just breathed in this wonderful, intelligent, and exceptional woman who dared to love him. “I think I can do that; I love you Belle.”
Belle nodded her head and smiled, “and I love you too.”