@rumpledspinster Okay, your idea is legit amazing, and I love it so much. Luckily Rumple incognito and going out on a date with Belle is going to be canon in RI, so there is that to look forward to even if not fake dating. ;)
However, your ingenious reply inspired me so much that I’m suddenly thinking of a different AU, and while not a fake dating AU I raise you... A secret dating AU with Belle secretly dating an Imp Rumple while all the women in Storybrooke are confused and trying to figure out who the librarian’s mysterious boyfriend is.
Like just imagine Emma over hearing Belle talking on the phone in a loud voice going ‘And no-you can’t turn my father into a snail again!’, or Mary Margaret stopping by the library to ask Belle about bringing her class in for a project and finding the librarian in her office but looking disheveled, flushed, and sheepish but there is no one in sight (even though she swore she heard a man a moment ago), and then Ariel stopping by Belle’s place before they go out to the Rabbit Hole and meet up with Ruby but there is... Golden thread stuck in Belle’s hair-what on earth?
I need secret dating AU with Belle and Imp Rumple and also Fake Dating AU with Animatronic!Rumple and SecurityGuard!Belle. Both please.
That night Rumple sat quietly at his spinning wheel with still hands. Belle noticed from her spot on the couch, missing the comfortingly familiar sound of it. Belle took a seat next to him. “What’s on your mind?”
Rumple shrugged. All these years with magic and he had yet to find his son, and now…
Belle sensed his fear and loss. “You’ll find him. Have faith.”
Rumple sighed, “He may not forgive me.”
Belle’s voice was somber, “He’s your son isn’t he? I saw the clothes and the toy sheep in your workroom. You left your chest open.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ve been preoccupied.”
For a moment they simply sat together. Belle let her arm wrap around him. There, alone with her in the warm dim light of the hearth and candles Rumple let himself open up. “I wasn’t always a monster…”
Then it was pouring forth from him like a torrential storm. The details of his early life, his bad marriage, the ogre wars, taking on the curse, how he let fear lose him his son. His emotions washed over him in waves that had him feeling unsteady.
Belle held him close to her. “You must keep hope. While we were researching I read a passage that said the key stone to a strong magical foundation is belief. You have to believe.”
Rumple nodded silently, but Belle could see the unshed tears in his eyes.
Belle felt her chest tighten at the sight. “That’s what you were trying to do that day. Rid yourself of the curse but keep your magic.”
Rumple nodded. “Aye”.
Belle placed her free hand on his knee. “You’re not a monster Rumple. There is good in you.” Belle turned him to face her and leaned in and sucked on her lip slightly as she saw him unconsciously lean toward her as if her warmth had a magnetic quality. Belle’s voice was a whisper, her breath warm on his face. “You will get your magic back. Everything will work out. I have faith in you.”
Rumple felt as if he was on auto-pilot. The air felt thick and warm and his breathing became shallow. Suddenly he felt Belle’s soft lips on his own and it was as if time stood still. He let his eyes close as a wave of blissful warmth washed over him. He could feel magic at work so he focused on it with all his might. He held on to it in his mind’s eye even as it glowed brighter and brighter until a final burst of energy exploded forth and then there was darkness.
Rumple opened his eyes to find himself laid out on the floor with a plush pillow under his head and a cool wet cloth on his forehead. Before he could question his current state of being, Belle was helping him sit up and then she was falling into his lap in her rush to wrap her arms around him. As she pressed her cheek to his own he could feel her tears.
Belle sniffled, “You’re awake!”
Rumple patted her on the back and noticed his very not scaly hand. “Belle?”
Belle pulled back slightly and caressed his face. “True love’s kiss.”
Rumple struggled to understand. True love… his curse was gone. Belle loves him, truly loves him! But what of his magic?!
Belle could see the fear flicker in his face. “You are more than that curse.”
When he continued to stare at his hands she turned his face back toward her. “You told me that you taught Regina magic and her mother before that. You are capable of magic. The curse was no more than a crutch for your self-esteem. You must believe.”
Rumple wanted so badly to believe Belle’s words. He wanted to believe that he was more than he felt, but his life experiences seemed to indicate otherwise.
Belle helped him to his feet. “Anything can be possible if you believe. And I believe that you are capable of greater magic than you know. I believe that your son will come back to you, and I believe that we can build a life together.”
CRACK! Magic like a lightning strike sliced through the air in the space about ten feet away from them. They looked toward the sound as they held each other close and saw the figure of a young man.
Rumple gently let go of Belle and stumbled forward in hopeful disbelief.
“Bae?”
Belle watched in astonishment as the underfed young boy in tattered clothes began to cry. His lips wibbled as he seemed to choke around his words. “Papa?”
Then Rumple had his arms around the boy and they were shaking like leaves in a storm.
After some time had passed and they had calmed, the trio made their way to the kitchen and Belle gave the boy some bread and soup while she and his father took tea.
Bae explained between mouthfuls all that had happened to him since he and his father were separated. He had just described finding out the truth about his mother and escaping to the caves of Neverland when he closed his eyes for a moment as if trying to hold back tears. When he opened them, he stared down dejectedly at his food. “I was so thirsty from the salt water. I could hear a spring toward the back of the caves. It glowed.” Bae sighed, “I suppose I should’ve known it was magic. I drank from it and I saw the truth.”
Rumple looked worried and confused all at once. “The truth?”
Bae looked up at him and it seemed to Belle that he had the eyes of one who has lived a long life.
Bae nodded slightly. “The truth of my life. All of my memories, all the way to my birth came flooding to the forefront of my mind in vivid clarity. It took years to sort through them all, but in Neverland time is something I had an abundance of. I saw the truth of your relationship with mom. I saw her clearly for the first time.” Bae took a deep breath and looked Rumple in the eyes. “And I saw you. The memories you tried to spare me from, how I took advantage of you, those came back. As I watched all the memories of our life together I not only saw you clearly, I saw me… and I was ashamed of what I saw.”
Rumple seemed on the verge of tears again as he reached a hand out toward his son.
Bae stopped his hand by putting his own upon it. “I see now how much you love me and how hard you tried. And I see now that I was unfair to you.”
Rumple shook his head. “No. I could’ve… I should’ve…”
Bae shook his head. “I may not look it Papa, but I’ve grown. I no longer see my life and experiences through the eyes of a self-centered child, I see them with the eyes of truth. And now it’s time for me to get my wish.”
Rumple’s face scrunched in confusion, “Wish?”
Bae nodded. “I wanted so badly to be able to tell you that I forgive you and that I very much hope that you forgive me.” Bae wiped away a tear from his cheek. “Every night I would look up at the stars and wish that I could be back with you so that I could tell you, and one night a star fell from the sky in a streak of light right outside of my cave. When I looked inside the crater it left I found the heart of the wishing star. When it had cooled I picked it up and held the shimmering stone in my hand and wished.” Bae pulled out a small sparkling stone and showed his father before returning it to the dark confines of his pocket. “The next thing I knew I was here.” Bae held his father’s hand tightly. “So… do you forgive me?”
Rumple stood and pulled Bae into his arms. “There is nothing to forgive.”
Belle was in tears as she had sat and watched the exchange between father and son.
When their embrace ended Bae took a step back and looked his father over before turning his gaze to Belle. “So, how did the two of you come to be a couple?”
Rumple seemed to choke on his tongue as Belle felt her face go red. Since Rumple had yet to speak, Belle decided to save him from his embarrassment. “I tell you what Bae, come with me back to the great room and I’ll tell you the story while your father brings us some fresh tea and biscuits.” Rumple nodded in sincere thanks and Bae followed her out of the room.
On the way back to the great room they walked slowly and Belle told Bae about her mother and how she had been killed by an ogre, the war and her father’s desperation, her brutish fiancé, and the appearance of the dark one come to make a deal. She explained her decision to make the deal she did with his father.
They reached the great room and took a seat on the floor in front of the hearth and Belle began to tell him about how the relationship between his father and herself progressed. She told him about the rose, the library, the quips and secret smiles. She told him the story of how his father had saved her from the queens of darkness, the loss of his magic, his heartbreak, how he had saved her from Regina, and finally she told him about the true love’s kiss that had banished his father’s dark curse.
Bae smiled warmly as she finished her tale. “He really has changed.” Bae looked her in the eyes and she could see they were misty. She wondered at that as he continued, “He must really love you. He’s never been that open with any one before. If he trusts you that much, he must really love you.”
Belle leaned toward Bae and motioned to hug him. He reciprocated and wrapped his arms around her. They held each other and Belle whispered to him, “He loves you too you know, so very much.” She could feel Bae nod against her shoulder.
He took in a shuddering breath and replied, “You’ll make a great mother someday, much better than my own. She could never be as selfless. Or as kind.” Bae began to weep and Belle’s heart broke for the boy. She held tightly to him as she heard him sob out, “I wish you had been my mother. I wish I had grown up with you and papa and that our life had been happy and full of love.”
Suddenly a light burst forth from between them brilliantly bright. When it dissipated, and Belle could once again see, the first thing Belle noticed was that Bae was no longer in her arms. The next thing she noticed was that she was very, very pregnant.
Rumple entered the room with a full tea tray. He sat it down on the long table and turned to where a very shocked Belle stood still as a statue facing the hearth. Rumple looked around and noticed that Bae didn’t seem to be there. “Where’s Bae gone?” Suddenly Belle turned around and for a brief moment Rumple swore she looked very pregnant, but no… it must be a trick of the light. But then he saw her face…
He was at her side in a flash. “What’s happened?”
Belle was pale as her lips moved but no sound came out. She took Rumple’s hand and placed a small stone in it. Rumple looked at the now dull heart of the wishing star. Belle’s voice was a mere whisper as she spoke, “He wished… he wished I had been… we had been…”
Rumple looked up from the dull stone to Belle’s face and then to her stomach. Silently he reached out his hand and Belle met it and brought it to her swollen womb and together they gasped as they felt a kick.
Belle’s voice was full of awe as she whispered, “How is this possible?”
Rumple’s mouth felt dry as he replied, “While most wishing stars contain only enough power for one wish, some can grant more than one. I suspect that all of Bae’s nightly wishing on this one over the century he was trapped charged its power to the point that it granted him a second wish.”
Belle looked up from their joined hands and into Rumple’s blank face. Her voice wavered as she spoke, “Oh Rumple, I’m so sorry.”
Rumple looked up at her and shook his head. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” He sighed, “His wish might have been ill thought out, but his heart was in it otherwise the star wouldn’t have granted it.”
Belle couldn’t help the smile that crept across her face. “I’ll make sure that his wish comes true. And yours as well. His life will be happy and full of love, and you will have your son. This can be my gift to the both of you. The life he longed for and a second chance for you to learn from your mistakes.”
Rumple took Belle into his arms. Happy tears streaming from his eyes. “Oh Belle, I love you so very much. You are so good… I… I’m so sorry. I know you didn’t ask for this. You needn’t feel tied down. I can return you to your father. I can give you wealth and a life of your own… I”
Belle pulled away so that he could see her face. “I want this.” She sighed, “Ideally we would have had more time to develop our relationship, and it is a bit unconventional that we are about to share a child when the height of our intimacy up to this point has been a kiss.” Belle chuckled and muttered under her breath, “I guess nurse wasn’t lying when she used tell me not to go kissing boys because it would end in me getting pregnant.” Belle smiled and cupped his cheek with her warm palm. “I know that you love me Rumple. I felt it. We’ll figure the rest out together. You just have to believe.”
Rumple chuckled. “If you say it then it must be so. Just a few hours ago you said you believed that I would get my magic back and my son back and now here we are. I tried for over a century to get him back and you ‘believed him back in an instant’. I dare say I’ll never doubt you again.”
Belle chuckled, “Now we just need to work on your magic.”
Rumple smiled knowingly. “It’s already taken care of.” With a flourish of his hand he transformed her now uncomfortably tight and ripped dress into a very comfortable night gown.
Belle sighed in relief before marveling, “Light magic?”
Rumple nodded, “Aye. When you kissed me and true love banished my curse there was a wave of light magic. I held onto it with all my might and it seems it stuck with me. It’s strange though, with the curse magic always felt like it developed at my finger tips and then moved out, but now… now it feels like it comes from my heart.” Rumple shook his head in thought, “I feel… as if I’ve been reborn.”
Belle felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and then warm liquid was running down her legs. She reached out for Rumple and he steadied her arms with his own. He helped Belle to sit down on the couch and used his magic to dull her pain. Belle took a deep breath and looked at Rumple. “You’ll have to help me. This is my first time at a birth.”
Rumple gave an uneasy smile as he replied, “Mine as well. I was away at war when Bae was born the first time.”
Belle moaned, “Do you know anything about it?”
Rumple shrugged. “I’ve helped birth sheep. Don’t worry sweetheart. We’ll get through this.”
Belle nodded, “And we should have time yet. I’ve heard that women can be in labor for hours.”
Rumple spread her legs and examined her. When he looked up shock was clear on his face. “I don’t think it will be nearly that long. He’s already crowning.”
Belle shrieked, “What?!”
Rumple shrugged. His voice was fast and erratic. “Magic can be unpredictable. Especially wish magic!” He took a couple of quick breaths. “My magic must be keeping you from feeling the brunt of the pain you should surely be in. Here.” He helped her to stand and then knelt before her. “Squat and push on my back so gravity can help as I guide him out.” Belle did as he asked. No sooner was she in position she felt an overwhelming urge to push.
“Rumple, I feel like I need to push.”
The baby’s head had just emerged and Rumple was positioning his hand so that he cradled his son’s head and the other so that he could guide out the body. “Alright Belle, push!”
Belle pushed, pushing down hard on Rumple’s back as she did so. She grunted in pain and then felt overwhelming relief as she heard the babe cry. His son… her son… their son.
Belle sat back upon the couch while Rumple finished what needed doing and used his magic to clean them all up. He gently placed their son in Belle’s welcoming arms and marveled at how she seemed to glow with happiness.
He took a seat next to them and put his arm protectively around them. Belle turned to look at him with loved filled eyes and he felt his heart might burst in happiness as she announced, “Rumple, we have a son.”
Take a peek at what just arrived (in absurdly cute packaging, at that)!!
❤ I am in love ❤
This absolutely beautiful bracelet was made by the exceptionally talented @rumpledspinster.
The travel book charm is unreasonably adorable and the level of detail on the Her Handsome Hero novel is incredible. These pictures truly don’t do them justice. (and don’t get me started on that wee spinning wheel)
It’s almost too pretty to wear, but I’ll be damned if I’m taking it off any time soon.
Yes to all of this! There were some great things about this arc, but the pacing… I was glad when the Neverland stuff was over. Have fun watching! 😊🍿
Glad you liked it : D
I actually like this arc a lot, but I think the writers looked at the problem of “how do we keep them from finding Henry on this not-very-large island after getting a map to the place” and couldn’t come up with anything except “they don’t know how to get away again", which is in itself a good reason, but also makes the protagonists feel very indecisive and slows the pacing wayyyy down.
I’m not sure how much it would have helped, but at least half of this planning could have happened while battling some terror of the island or other. Dig out the mermaids again. Invent some new low-budget monsters. Let them get lost in a part of the jungle where their personal fears dictate the environment. I don’t care, just have them do something, rather than talk about doing something.
As it is, this reads like one of my early NaNo drafts, where all the characters gather, talk about what they’ll do next, then go and do it. And the talking substitutes for any real obstacles on the way to doing the thing.
