One evening found the spinner finishing a colourful length of dark yellow yarn, Belle sitting next to him using a niddy noddy to make a skein when Baelfire suddenly burst into the little cottage, Flint in tow. He looked panicked and, immediately, Rumplestiltskin's forgotten anxiety flared back to life, old fears coming back to plague him. Had the war started again? Was someone there to take Bae? Or Belle?

"We have to go. There are people in the village, scary-looking people. They are asking everyone about a chipped cup."

The genie paled instantaneously, dropping the wooden tool she'd been using and turning her frightened blue eyes to her master. For an instant all he felt was paralysing terror. But seeing Belle tremble snapped him out. She was always so brave she deserved someone to be so for her. As calmly as he could he asked his son to elaborate, trying not to react as Bae told the whole story. People in black, foreign uniform, asking about how the Ogre Wars had ended and if anyone had seen a chipped cup with a blue pattern or if anyone was behaving in a suspicious manner.

"They'll end up here. They'll know. They'll take me away."

Belle seemed anguished but somehow resigned. She'd never given him any indication she disliked having him as a master. Most of the time it seemed easy enough to forget. Belle wasn't a servant, she was, if anything, a miracle, and his superior in every possible way. She'd given them so much, had turned their lives upside down and brought hope and joy. He wouldn't give her up, not so easily.

"Bae's right, we're going."

She looked at him, confused, as if she hadn't expected them to fight for her. She watched them pack the bare necessities and put on sturdy boots and cloaks. It was only when Bae pressed her own cloak into her hands that she reacted at all.

"We'll head for the front lines. Most of the lands there are still deserted, and there are no reliable maps. We'll be safe."

Taking charge wasn't something Rumplestiltskin was familiar with but fear of losing Belle spurned him on, gave him the edge he needed. He shot down every attempt the genie made to protest, refusing to listen to her. Belle would try and be selfless and think about them and not herself and he didn't need that right then.

They found a rather unused path that would lead them where they wanted to go and they walked for as long as Bae was able to. Rumplestiltskin ended up half-carrying the lad at some point, Belle doing the same with Flint, whose missing leg made it difficult to endure long walks. They ended up stopping and setting camp on a cluster of trees near a stream, safe from view and as comfortable as possible. Belle conjured up a hot meal and they ate in silence before Bae practically fainted from exhaustion, his head and torso in Belle's lap and his feet atop his father's.

They made it to a nearby village the following day, spending an exorbitant amount of money for a small room and complete discretion. Though their situation was certainly more prosperous than it had ever been money was bound to become an issue soon. It was only two villages and two inns after that Rumple's grim prediction came true. Though they didn't need to purchase food the board alone had eaten at the spinner's meagre savings, most of the newfound wealth having found its way to the repair of their now abandoned home.

The bad weather made it impossible to sleep outside, not to mention dangerous, and having Belle conjure rooms for them seemed too risky. Surely such a thing would be noticed, not to mention costly magic. It was Bae the one to inspire Belle with a surprising comment that he wished straw was valuable, as it was everywhere, including the mattress he was lying on.

"You used to think it was gold when you were a wee lad. Under the light of a fire you'd sit and stare at piles of straw with your mouth wide open. I wish it were that simple, Bae, that I could just... turn straw into gold."

Belle smiled then, eyes alight with an idea. She took both of the spinner's hands in hers and closed her eyes, concentrating. Warm, blue magic ghosted over him, crawling up his and leaving his skin tingling. A second later she released him, almost falling off her chair when strength left her. Bae and Rumple barely caught her in time, the spinner cursing himself as he dragged her to one of the two beds in the room.

"What did you do? How bad will it be?"

She seemed to be in pain but it was nowhere near how bad it was months ago with the ogres, though she was restless and shaking. When she appeared to calm down, sometime around midnight, Rumplestiltskin sent his boy to bed, silencing any protest with a scolding look. Once he was sure the lad was sleeping he carefully roused Belle. As much as he hated to jolt her out of her uneasy sleep he had to know what she'd done to him.

"Belle... what did you do? You have to tell me."

She smiled hazily, as if she was still dreaming, and lifted a hand to pet his hair. She looked at him like no one ever had before and he had to fight the urge to crawl into bed with her and curl up beside her, sharing body heat.

"You can spin straw into gold. At night, though. It should be enough."

He let go of the wet cloth he was pressing gently against her forehead to stare at his hands, as rough and common as always. Ordinary hands, by any standard. They shook as he grabbed the spindle he'd packed, old and worn, and attempted to spin a bit of straw he took from the mattress. It was difficult to manipulate the straw so it'd bend but not break but after a few attempts he managed the gist to spin it. It came out as shimmery, solid gold, cool to the touch and very, very real. He stared at it for the longest time, unable to believe he'd actually turned straw into gold. It took a few more tries to convince him, but the process was draining and, soon enough, he felt too tired to stay up. Unwilling to leave Belle's side he settled down on the floor, leaning against the mattress, closing his eyes and letting himself drift off.

The magic Belle had performed allowed them the means to continue their journey. They stayed two more days at the inn to allow the genie to recover properly, and each night Rumplestiltskin took out his spindle and spun straw into gold. Bae had been fascinated by the bit of magic, testing the gold and watching avidly as his father worked. Bae had never before paid much attention to his father's craft, always with his head in other matters, so it was nice to bask in his child's admiration and approval.

They moved on, heading always in the direction of the former battle grounds, watching as towns and people became scarce. On the last stop before they reached their destination they bought enough supplies to comfortably sleep outside, but didn't linger too long, the gossip about the chipped cup having reached them even there.

Once they reached the lands formerly occupied by the ogres they allowed themselves to relax. Though the memory of the war itself made Rumplestiltskin uncomfortable he tried not to show it to Bae, who found the foreign land, ravaged by war, terribly exciting. They wondered around for a bit, looking for some form of shelter. The weather was taking a turn for the worse again and sleeping outside was no longer an option. The wind picked up as the skies darkened, warning of a terrible storm to come.

"I know of a safe place nearby, but we won't make it on foot. A transportation spell is no costly magic."

The spinner shook his head at the genie, remembering watching her curled up on the floor of his shack, trembling and in pain. It wasn't worth it to risk it, risk her. They would make it somehow. But eventually, when Bae started shaking really bad, his lips tinted with the barest hint of blue, he had to relent, allowing Belle's smoke to wrap around them. He felt weightless for a moment, as if suspended in mid-air, and a second later he was touching firm stone floor with his scuffed boots, safe and sound, albeit still wet and more than a bit chilly. He barely had time to glance around the room before Belle swayed precariously beside him, his free arm wrapping around her waist to support her. As gently as he could he lowered her to the floor, instructing Bae to remove his sodden cloak and help with Belle's. The room they were in was a bedroom of sorts, once belonging to nobility for sure, given its dimensions, the ornate tapestries on the walls and the expensive furnishings, but everything was coated in layers of dust, as if the room had been abandoned for ages.

He gently coaxed a woozy Belle into the bed after shaking out the covers. With more than a hint of a blush he helped her out of her gown and corset, thankful for the cover of the heavy blankets once the genie was down to her chemise. When he glanced around he noticed Bae was gone, but had little time to panic before his boy appeared again, hauling some wood that looked to be bits and pieces from chairs. Using flint and a small knife the spinner managed to build a small fire in the ornate fireplace. They slept on the bed, Bae curled up next to Belle and Rumple on the other side, and though the morning was as rainy and awful as the night had been they were all in better spirits. Rested and fed Baelfire wanted nothing more than to explore the place, which turned out to be a castle, and no amount of cajoling from his father would deter him, and him taking Flint contributed little to ease his father's mind. It was an old but lavish place, seemingly undisturbed by the Ogre Wars and completely deserted. The grounds needed tending, and it looked like the nearby lands were also deserted, cottages perfectly preserved but completely unoccupied. It was a strange place, the spinner quickly asserted.

An enchanted place.

The soil seemed fertile enough, as the blue-green grass and the voluminous plant-life testified. It was in stark contrast with the rest of the battle grounds, rendered barren and deserted by years of fighting. Something had protected these lands long after its people had fled or died. The spinner just hoped the magic wouldn't try to protect the castle from them.

It was Bae the one to crack the mystery that surrounded the place in the most unexpected way. They were in the room they had first appeared in, dining on conjured-up food. The rest of the castle was too big and too cold and dirty to deal with, but certain key areas, including the room, had been thoroughly cleaned and were kept constantly warm, the clear skies after the storm allowing the spinner and his son to look for firewood and stack up quite a reserve in the kitchens.

Bae was stuffing his face full of carrot cake- a new favourite- when suddenly asked Belle, mouth half-full still, an unintelligible question. After a scolding from his father and a hasty swallow he spoke again.

"What were you when you lived here, Belle? A princess? A duchess?"

The genie dropped her fork, the metal clattering against the porcelain of the dish where her half-eaten cake lay. Rumplestiltskin, at first ready to dismiss Bae's strange question as a child's flight of fancy, reconsidered when he saw the look in Belle's face, as if she'd been caught in a lie.

"This was your castle?" It sounded slightly accusatory, though it made no sense. The spinner had never asked her about her past life, sensing some deep sadness lurked there. He had, however, imagines she'd been a genie since birth, albeit a high-ranking one. He hadn't dared to imagine some other life. He'd been more than happy to concentrate on the present, on how Belle was now a part of their family, no matter what she'd been before.

"It was my home, once upon a time. I was Sir Maurice's only daughter, my papa's pride and joy. He was a merchant lord in charge of the village you see deserted nearby. Everyone liked my father, he was fair, jovial and merciful. And he loved me to perdition."

There was a melancholic note to her voice, and a part of him wanted nothing more than to change the subject, lead her away from painful memories. But Belle looked like she wanted to tell her story, and he was dying to know it.

"My mother died shortly after I was born so I became the centre of my father's existence, along with the town, of course. He was strict but caring and raised me to be independent, to decide my own fate. I was lucky to have all the freedom growing up to pursue things that interested me and, once I grew older, he didn't pressure me into marriage. He was determined that it be my choice, that I decide my own fate." Her smile was a tad sad but also very affectionate. It was clear Maurice had been an excellent father and was very much missed. "Once I reached eighteen the suitors began arriving, and though he'd receive them and offer them hospitality he'd never pressure me to entertain them or consider any of them. Over the years it became something of a challenge, the rumours of a stubborn lady that would refuse to get married reaching far-off kingdoms. My father would tease me, we'd joke about it. But then, one day, a man came to discuss trade with my father, perfumes from his native land of Agrabbah in exchange for furs.

"I disliked him from the start. Though handsome there was a slippery, oily quality to him, something in the way he smiled and how he... leered at me. He overstayed his welcome, concocting up all manner of ruses to be in my presence. It became uncomfortable and so when he finally proposed during a lavish dinner my father was throwing and I refused him rather forcefully. I told him what I thought of him: that he was power-hungry and cruel and that his heart was rotten to the core. In retrospective I was wrong to turn him down so publicly but he'd worn me down.

"He did not take it well. Suddenly all his smarmy charm and polite facade was gone and he revealed his true colours. He told me that I'd humiliated him and that for that I'd pay. Said all men were like him, power-hungry and vile and he'd show me. He took out a small red stone that glowed with magic and with it he summoned a creature unlike any I'd ever seen. The creature was a genie under his command, whom he tried to force into making me love him. The genie couldn't do that however... Magic doesn't work that way. Won't bring back the dead either. Even more bitter the man ordered the genie to turn me into the unhappiest creature on Earth... and he made me a genie."

At this point Bae frowned, clearly finding fault with the last part of her story.

"I don't get it. Genies are powerful! And you're a great genie, Belle! You've done amazing things. How is that bad?"

Belle's smile was sad, but she tried to conceal it from Baelfire.

"Genies don't have a lot of freedom. We live to serve our masters, our will is not our own. I'd usually be restricted to my cup, only allowed out to grant someone's wish. I was forced to make horrible things happen. I had all this power and couldn't use it for anything good. I was chained to whoever had the cup, never able to decide my fate at all."

She stopped when she noticed the child was on the verge of crying, a look of devastation on his face.

"So you haven't been happy with us? Because papa is your master and you can't do what you want?"

She was quick to gather the upset child in her arms, kissing his forehead and combing his unruly hair.

"Don't be silly, Bae. Your papa and you are the best things to happen to me since I was cursed. You made me a part of your family, treated me like a person from the start. You've shared your lives with me and given me as much freedom as I could ever possibly have as a genie. I haven't felt this happy in decades."

As she told him this she stroke his hair and back, but her eyes were fixed on the spinner, willing him to see the truth in her words. There were times where Belle could almost forget she was cursed and no longer human. Times where she'd dream of things she knew could never have, shy courtships and tentative intimacies her body had never and would never know. And though it was silly and a bit foolish on her part it was more than she'd ever had before as a genie.

It was enough.

"And there's no way to free you?"

Bae's voice was small and determined as he burrowed closer to Belle, seeking her warmth. She kissed the top of his head, wrapping her arms more tightly around the boy.

"None that I know of. Sometime after I was cursed I journeyed to the Orient, to Aggrabah, birth place of genies, and tried to look for a way out, meeting with several of my kind who were very informative. The genie who cursed me, sadly, was very powerful. There are few things out there that could rival him. But it's alright, Bae, I don't mind. I'm happy, I promise."

The small boy smiled then, yawning as his eyes drooped.

"I'm glad he turned you into a genie, then. We wouldn't have met you if he hadn't."

Rumplestiltskin thought about scolding his son, about telling him not to say such awful things, but he couldn't find it in himself to do so. Deep down, as ashamed as it made him, he agreed with Bae.

After a few weeks of hiding they decided to reinforce the castle, at first by themselves and then employing a few men from a nearby village using Rumplestiltskin's golden thread. The concocted up a story about the land belonging to a nobleman who spent his time at court and had sent Rumplestiltskin to oversee some maintenance work on the structure. When nothing bad came from letting a few men into their new home they dared contemplate the possibility of populating the deserted town. The cottages were in good condition, the soil was ideal for planting and it was easy to imagine the vast amount of refugees looking for a home that the war might have left on its wake.

Rumplestiltskin took to inspecting the town in the morning, sometimes with Belle and Bae and other times alone, making calculations as to the number of people that could comfortably live in the village and taking stock of the supplies inside, including farming equipment. There was quite enough to start over, with a little help from his night-time spinning, and the thought of helping those whose lives had been forever changed by the Ogre War set his remaining demons free. A slow, warm feeling crept slowly over him, contentment and fulfilment he hadn't felt since he'd first held Baelfire in his arms.

It helped that Belle and Bae seemed happy as well. Belle was slowly taking care of transforming the interior of the castle not with magic but with hard labour. She scrubbed, mopped and dusted every inch of it, a slow, arduous job she seemed to enjoy immensely. Bae was her faithful little helper, enjoying the stories she'd tell him about certain rooms and objects as they cleaned them. She'd teach him history, geography and arithmetic as they went about their chores, weaving a bit of education into the stories and games she played with the boy. Bae's mind was like a sponge eager to soak up knowledge, and he was quick and clever, a fine little student.

It was decided then that, as soon as the castle was fully repaired and conditioned, they'd start spreading the rumour of a nobleman with a depleted village in desperate need of people to populate it and work the nearby lands. It'd be nice, after months of isolation, to be near people again, and help those brought low by war without the need of magic.

They still slept in the same room, Belle's old room. Bae was not used to sleeping without his father so they moved an extra bed in for him and another for his father, both agreeing that Belle should have her old bed, the largest one in the room. Rumplestiltskin, wordlessly, had decided to command the bed closest to Belle's and still found himself watching her sleep on nights where rest eluded him. Sometimes, however, he'd go to his spinning wheel, which he'd allowed Belle to bring over and place on one of the castle's towers, and spin his thoughts away, more to have something to occupy his hands with than to produce more gold. If he was really lucky sometime around midnight Belle would join him, wordlessly making skeins with the newly-spun gold. It was a strange, intimate time for both of them, but neither commented on it.

They were almost ready to open their new home to people when, once more, the rumours of a chipped cup and an army of black-clad, frightening soldiers that sought it. The nearby town soon was ablaze with stories of their cruelty and violence, of the destruction they left in their wake. Though both father and son tacitly agreed at first to keep the news from the genie it was impossible to do so for long. It was Bae who dropped the ball and made an unfortunate comment while they had supper, quickly trying to backpedal when he realized what he'd done. He was close to tears as he apologized to his father, who tried to look reassuring as he calmed the boy down.

There was no confrontation right away, but the spinner knew better than to suspect nothing would come from Baelfire's accidental revelation. The genie found him later that night, spinning straw into gold with single-minded concentration. Though he sensed her enter the room he didn't acknowledged her at first, hoping that if he didn't do so he'd be able to avoid the inevitable confrontation. It was hopeless, however, and so when she spoke his name he turned around. She was back in one of her exotic attires, draped in luxurious blue silk with gold trimming and intricate beading.

"You need to let me go, Rumple."

The affectionate pet name she'd given him didn't produce the warm, slippery feeling it usually did. The only thing Rumplestiltskin could focus on was the fact that Belle was telling him they had to be parted.

"I need to do no such thing. Don't be silly, Belle, we're safe h-"

"No, we're not. There's no way whoever is after us could've followed us here except with magic. Genie vessels can be traced magically and sooner or later those black soldiers will be at our doors."

He stood up, leaning lightly on his staff. He was angry but he tried to push the emotion down, wanting to be rational and calm. He needed to convince Belle to stay, after all.

"We could run again, be on the move constantly. Bae would love exploring the land and, eventually, whoever is chasing us would just give up, I'm sure."

She shook her head emphatically and he noticed she'd woven some of his gold thread into her hair.

"No, you can't uproot Bae again. He's a small child, he needs stability. You can't drag him across kingdoms hoping that eventually people will stop coming after me. People with this kind of magic, Rumple... They don't give up. Wish the cup to be on the bottom of the farthest ocean, you'll be safe that way, and so will I."

He saw right through her, of course. She was trying to spin the facts so it would seem selfish not to let her go when it was the best for her but Rumplestiltskin knew it wasn't. Knew it in his bones. Belle belonged with Bae and him, they were a family. Not the most conventional, and not in the way he wished for more than anything, but a family nevertheless.

The best thing to ever happen to him.

"No. If I do that you'll be back in forced sleep, alone and trapped inside your cup, which you hate. It's not the best for you so stop lying." It came out more forceful than he meant and for a second he wanted to apologize but he held his ground. He had to be strong, to be firm. "The best alternative would be to stay and see if we can hide, somehow. Or fight."

It was the first time in his life he chose to confront something instead of running away and though his stomach felt queasy and his knees trembled he liked how he felt, empowered and... brave. Belle, however, didn't look quite ready to give up or back down at all.

"You can't place Bae in danger. Those men... they'll hurt him. And you. If they have magic powerful enough to track my cup down I doubt there's anything I could do to protect this castle for long. You're being stubborn and irrational and unfair to Bae, who deserves to know peace, to be safe. They'll storm the castle eventually, hurt you and Bae and take me."

"Not if they can't find you, they won't. If the alternative is to run, then we run. As long as it's necessary, as far as it takes."

His words seemed to frustrate the genie to no end. Belle looked as if she was contemplating striking him but she seemed to think better of it. She seemed to deflate, and suddenly looked tired, fragile. Rumplestiltskin took a few steps in her direction, stopping short of crashing into her. The need to touch her, to grasp her and make sure she wouldn't vanish, leaving him the same sudden way she came into his life, was almost overwhelming.

"I never told you my father was my first master." This shocked him enough to distract him from his unwelcomed urges, his whole attention now on Belle's words. "He took the cup to protect me, knowing people would come for me and my power. He tried for years to get the curse lifted, talked to the king who even asked the fairy godmother appointed to his family to look in on the case to no avail. He had me weave the protection spell that still surrounds the castle and the village so I'd be safe. I didn't know about the price of magic, I was ignorant of it and so my uncle died, quite suddenly. After that we were careful, and for years we were... happy. And then he started to age, while I stayed the same, stagnant. I watched him die, his last thoughts worried ones, wondering what'd become of me."

She'd turned her gaze away from him as she'd talked about her father but when she finished she turned her gaze back to him and he saw she was crying, tears silently making their way down her cheeks leaving faint wet trails. Rumplestiltskin instantly felt like some sort of monster for making her cry and he raised the hand not clutching his staff, ready to wipe her tears away. Seeing her shy away from his touch killed him.

"Even if we run away, even if we evade whoever is looking for me and manage to find save haven it doesn't change the fact that if I stay with you I'll eventually watch you die. And Bae too, and Bae's children and his children's children. And I can't. As wonderful as it's been to know you and be a part of your family I can't keep ignoring the fact that staying with you would hurt me more than parting with you now."

He felt the need to recoil from her and crush her to him at the same time. He hated her for telling him this, for making him feel guilty about his wish to keep her with him for the rest of his life. For showing him that he couldn't give her happiness no matter how much he tried. There was no ignoring this conversation or the fact that if he chose to fight to keep Belle with them he'd knowingly cause her pain.

"What am I supposed to do? Cast you out?"

He spat out the words like an accusation and Belle flinched before recovering.

"Things are good for you now, Rumple. You don't need me anymore."

"I'll always need you!"

She didn't understand. He couldn't imagine happiness without Belle to help him be the best version of himself, to be brave and warm and kind when he was doubting himself. And he was glad. He didn't want to stop needing her.

"I need you now."

He was clumsy in the way he snagged her by the waist, his hand shaking as it settled against the luxurious fabric draped around her form, his calloused hands rough on the beading as he pulled her close, bending his head down to catch her parted lips with his. It had been years since he'd kissed someone, and much longer since there had been any love involved, but he struggled to let instinct take over and lead him. She felt stiff against him but made no motion to pull away, not even when he tilted his head to the side and the new angle allowed him to kiss her more firmly. At first he kept the gesture chaste, allowing her to get used to the feeling of his mouth flush against hers, her bottom lip caught between both of his. It wasn't until she curled her hands around his neck and pulled him closer that he deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips till she opened up for him.

He had to clench his right hand tight around his staff to keep himself upright. Belle was... succulent. He eagerly explored her mouth, tasting vanilla and caramel and things he'd never tasted before. She made a small, whimpery sound caught between a moan and a sigh and he replied with a choked keen of his own, the hand at her back fisting on the fabric of her garment, wishing that instead of beaded silk he was touching smooth, soft skin. He kept his motions slow, languid, careful not to frighten or pressure her.

Her own tongue caught him by surprise, her shy explorations an incredible aphrodisiac. Her nails scratched the nape of his neck all the way to the beginning of his scalp, sending pleasant little jolts through him. He felt something else building, something burning in the vicinity of his heart, a sort of strange energy that travelled to his lips and then was released, almost knocking both of them down. He pulled back then, his eyes catching sight of her swollen mouth, eliciting a squeak-ish little sound from him. It took him a while to look past the evidence of their kiss but when he did he noticed that something was odd about Belle. Her skin had lost the golden tone that had always been there and she looked... smaller, almost. And more beautiful. Her eyes were closed so he felt it was safe to look her over, trying to process the change, find its origin.

"I feel strange."

She leaned against him, her forehead pressed against his chest and as he struggled to keep them both upright his mind connected the dots with tentative hope. Belle looked... human. He blurted it out without thinking and she startled, pushing him away slightly to be able to gaze at her arms and her collarbone, bared by her outfit. Then she glanced up at him, looking scared and excited at once.

"Wish for something. Anything."

He wished for the first thing that came to mind: a piece of strawberry tart, his favourite dessert as a child. Belle seemed to concentrate but, after a few moments, the expected sweet did not materialize anywhere in the room.

"I'm human."

At first she said it cautiously, as if afraid saying it would make it not be true. But as reality sunk in and she remained the same elation began to bloom in her face. She hugged Rumplestiltskin close, pressing her forehead against the side of his neck till he felts tears run down his throat. He pulled her close, hating to feel her trembling even though he knew it was from happiness and not sadness.

"How?"

The question slipped out of his lips before he could prevent it and he wished to take it back immediately, afraid he'd ruin the moment. Belle once more pulled back from him, the glimmer of an answer in her eyes.

"I think... I think I know. There's only one magic more powerful than my curse." She bit her lip, seemed to consider something and then come to a conclusion. "True love's kiss can break any curse."

For a moment he wished to deny it. After all True Love was royals and nobles, not for lame spinners unfit to even hold the attention of their spouses. But, then again, such spinners also didn't deserve beautiful genies ready to fix their lives, bond with their children and kiss their masters. Nothing about his situation made sense but it didn't make it any less real.

She kissed him again, sloppy in her eagerness and inexperience but exuberant and daring at the same time and he submitted fully to her, not pausing to separate himself from her even when they fell rather gracelessly to the floor. It was an hour spend kissing and touching and skirting the edge between chaste and something more and talked about what it meant. The cup was no longer a genie vessel so there was no danger coming for them. And as far as her spells went, the magic protection around the castle was still up, since Belle could hear it "humming". She theorized strong spells would hold while weaker ones would be undone which, all in all, seemed to be ideal.

They waited until morning to tell Bae, unwilling to wake him up in the middle of the night. The boy, to no one's surprise, understood the ramifications of Belle's human status immediately. A human Belle they could keep forever and be a family for real. Most of the day was spent with the former genie adapting to her human physiology, from hunger pains to dressing herself. Rumplestiltskin spent ten agonizing minutes carefully lacing her into her favourite blue dress, his hands shaking the entire time. Bae, however, commanded most of her attention, asking questions and making sure she didn't tire herself out.

For the first time in months food became a concern, and a trip to the nearest town was unavoidable. Without the fear of being hunted and the novelty of people being able to register Belle's presence the trip was rather remarkable. No matter the simplicity of the dress everyone treated Belle as if they recognized her as nobility, bowing and calling her "m'lady". Bae was happy to act as her small protector, as wary of her newfound mortality as he was happy for it.

They didn't discuss the issue of True Love's kiss at all, but during the following days Belle would sometimes sneak up on him and give him heart-stopping kisses, picking up the skill with ease and being bold for the both of them. They had enough spun gold to see them through the remaining reparations and the re-population of the village. They were discussing purchasing seeds to offer to new settlers when soldiers arrived on their doorstep, their uniforms silver instead of the dreaded black, with white cloaks and a white and red coat of arms emblazoned on their chests. Though Rumplestiltskin's first instinct was to take Bae and Belle and hide somewhere in the castle the fact that the soldier's had passed through the protective barrier without problems indicated that they couldn't be there with harmful intentions.

The moment Belle saw them her eyes lit up in recognition.

"I remember that crest! It was King Edward's when my father lived. They must have been sent here by his descendant."

Though it didn't necessarily mean they should welcome them Belle did so at once, the role of mistress of the castle coming naturally to her, to the point where the spinner had to fight not to behave like a servant even though Belle clearly didn't want him to. She insisted on making the tea and serving it, Bae helping her and silently gawking at the armed men. Finally, when they were fed and settled, she enquired after what brought them there. It was then that the leader of the men presented her with a rolled-up parchment, a proclamation reinstating Belle to the succession of her family's title, lost after her father's death and making her the rightful owner of the castle and the lands beyond. It seemed that good King Edward, distraught about his friend's plight at his inability to help, had decided to help the only way he could: by keeping Maurice's lands under control of the crown with the stipulation that, should Sir Maurice's daughter ever be uncursed, both title and lands would be restored to her as rightful heir.

"The Gold Fairy visited our liege King Charles to tell him of the good news days ago, and he sent us at once to tell you, Milady. He hopes you'll agree to visit him as soon as you're settled to introduce you to the court properly. The secret of your curse will not be made public to spare you the... attention, of course."

They stayed for the night and left at dawn to carry the news of Lady Belle's happiness to the King. The visit did much to lift the former genie's spirits but, unbeknown to her, it planted the seed of doubt in the spinner's heart. In the excitement of having Belle human it had completely slipped his mind the fact that she was nobility and, as such, so far above him he could hope for little more than they had now. Soon, he knew, people would come, and their home would be filled with servants, lords and merchants and Rumplestiltskin would have no excuse to remain at Belle's side.

He'd take a cottage, he decided. The closest one to the castle. He'd settle there and continue with his trade and Bae would be able to go to Belle's home for schooling and the like. He'd grow up something other than a spinner or a shepherd, something important. And he'd watch the two people he loved flourish and prosper. It'd be enough.

He knew it was better to do things quickly before people started to reach their land. He made sure Bae was occupied reading a book, an activity he took very seriously since Belle usually quizzed him in the evening, and found Belle carefully reviewing a ledger with their recent purchases. She greeted him with a smile and a deep, long kiss that he was powerless to stop. When she stepped away he tried not to dwell in the fact that, probably, that had been their last kiss. She sat in a nearby loveseat, beckoning him to join her there. When he sat down on a chair instead her smile vanished.

"What's wrong?"

He tried not to fidget, but making eye-contact was beyond him.

"N-n-nothing's wrong. I just thought... I thought this be a good time for Bae and I to move. I... I've found a wonderful cottage and of course I'd still help you with everything that remains to be done before I resume my craft, won't get sheep for while in any case..."

He rambled on and on, outlining his plan and repeating himself over and over. By the time he was done he was sure he had explained himself fully and that Belle would approve of his plan. When he finally gathered the courage to look her in the eye, however, he was surprised to notice she looked angry. Furious even, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glittering. She looked beautiful but also dangerous and he fought the urge to make himself small like he used to do when Milah got into one of her moods. No matter how angry Belle would never hurt him, he was sure.

"You're not leaving."

He didn't expect those to be her first words, nor for them to have such an air of finality. For a moment he was stumped, unable to process how to respond to her statement. Thankfully, however, Belle didn't seem to have that same problem.

"Why would even think about leaving? For the first time in months no one's chasing after us, the reparations are almost complete and I'm human. It's never going to get any better than this. Why would you go and leave me?"

He became irrationally angry himself at that. It wasn't nice or fair for Belle to ask him to spell it all out, to be the practical one and make the tough decision. The irony was, for one, completely lost on him. He began to shout each and every single one of his arguments, from her noble birth and recent re-entitlement to his own obscure origins and shady past. It hurt to openly acknowledge the many things that separated them but he did it anyway, throwing each fact on her face with relish. By the time he was done he felt a bit better but Belle wasn't looking terribly impressed.

"The genie who cursed me was so powerful other genies I met trembled at the mere sound of his name. I searched the world for decades looking for anything that might challenge that power. I met incredible beings and found the most powerful objects but none could ever even come close to matching the magic that had cursed me. And one kiss... one kiss from you turns out to be enough. More than enough. And you think it means nothing? That it doesn't proof you're not only my equal in every way but also my match?"

She sounded so confident that he wanted to immediately apologize for even thinking of moving but he still didn't understand what she propose they do and, timidly, voiced his doubt.

"Get married, of course. I'll keep the accounts and establish relations with the other nobles and merchants. I think it'd be wonderful to establish trade routes and agreements with the Far Orient, since no one's done that. And you can keep supervising the village. You're quite adept at anticipating the future tenant's needs and problems. You understand this people, understand what it takes to work the land, to make it prosper. And you seem to enjoy it so." She smiled, pride filling her eyes as she looked at him. Her hand cupped his cheek, stroking his light stubble. "We'll raise Bae here, let him choose his path. If he wants he can inherit the land, or be a merchant or an explorer. And... we can have other children. I'd like that very much, actually."

The picture she painted sounded like a dream come true and for the first time in his life Rumplestiltskin became aware that nothing was standing between him and that dream except for his own insecurities. Belle was offering him everything and all he had to do was take it. He managed to small, a tremulous gesture, and take both of his True Love's hands in his. Such a small gesture, yet so empowering. He was done cowering, done feeling sorry for himself and done running away from life. This, he realized, was the best version of himself.

Brave, at last. And content.

It was then that, ironically, Belle seemed to deflate, doubt creeping up on her. She bit her lip and looked at him with uncertainty, trying to gauge him out.

"I mean... if you wish it."

He nodded, gathering her close and bending his head so his mouth brushed hers.

"Fervently."