Thank you for an involved and interesting story, I’m glad I found the complete version here and hope you’ll write more about this ‘family’

Awesome job. I love it.

I know it's been years, and I don't know if you write on here anymore, but I just finished reading this and wanted to thank you. It's amazingly well done, and honestly how I'd have loved the show to go even without the need for Bae's time travel and will probably serve as my new head canon, with the addition of Henry/Wendy down the line.

When it first came out years ago, I loved the premise of OUaT and the first season or two. I enjoyed it less with each season as they not only made plot choices I strongly disagreed with (even teasing August/Emma seemed deplorable given all he'd done), but simply because they drug it out needlessly just because they could with ever more Disney material rather than focusing on developing the classic fairy tale characters and threads they already had to work with in an appropriate manner. I ended up giving up on it entirely after season 4 when the whole Author bit really jumped the shark. It should have been a three, maybe four, season show that they knew the end of, and mileposts for, the day the pilot aired. I felt validated in this opinion when I later learned the actress who played Emma wasn't even bothering to return for the final season except as a cameo. I despise Emma being with Hook as it rankles on SO MANY levels of wrong and I dislike her with most anyone other than Balefire (except maybe Regina if it's done really well). Unfortunately there is very little good SwanFire out here, even less so that's either complete or recently updated, and while there is a ton of SwanQueen, most of it ignores the real plot in favor of just the romance and has them in Storybrooke forever after, which is barely worth reading.

You probably harbor similar opinions based on your ANs but even if you don't, all that was (beyond just venting) to put into context just why I enjoyed what you wrote so much and to hopefully allow you to understand the degree of my appreciation for giving me a more palatable version of this show to remember with fondness.

Great story!

I love this story.

hi, I see that your fic is complete and I just started to read it. I LOVE IT SO MUCH ALREADY 3 I honestly can't wait to see Emma's reaction to see Neal again but I hope everything will work out.
Quick question, though: Right before Regina sent Neal to the past, she told Neal something that would convince her that he's from future. Is this going to be explored in the next chapters?
Also I LOVE "Days of Future Past" and I love this au 3

I just started to read your fic (after rewatching the rise of the Dark one on Sunday) and I am blown away by your style. I admire how easily you switch the point of view between Belle and Bae.
I am happy to have found your fic because after c1 I think it will be a great fix it for Bae's stupid death in canon.

All the best for you!
Littlelumpie

This is an absolutely wonderful story. I just binge read the whole thing and loved it!

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I love Rumple, and I love the father-son relationship he has with Baelfire. I love RumBelle, and overall I love their little family that has been through more hurt than joy. I LOVE THEM, and therefore I swear I could hear my heart break watching season 3. Then I found your story, and I felt like I was saved from drowning. You gave them everything I have ever wanted for these characters. You brought them understanding, kindness and a Happy Ending – all that they deserve but are always tossed aside.

I fall in love with your characterization, completely. I love how Rumple is all sharp words and biting remark but only to protect himself; he is hurt, broken, and insecure, and that is why Rumple needs his family to remind himself of how strong and brave he is – everything that is more than the curse makes him. I love how Bae trusts Rumple with all his life, and how he never harbors even a flicker of doubt even after Bae knows his father /knows/ about the prophecy; my heart melts every time there is a precious father-son bonding moment between them, and my heart aches every time I am reminded that they all have been through so much, yet have so little time for happiness in the series.

I love how Belle and Bae have always been there for Rumple, to support him, to chase away his insecurity by assuring him that they have and will always love him. I love how Rumple can snap, get angry or shun himself away because he cares for his little family so much, and he is terrified of losing them and that being with him will put them in danger. I love how Rumple loves; he can be sarcastic, bitter and extremely hurtful, not to forget he has this bad habit of self-preservation, but look at how that man loves! As soon as he loves someone, Rumple would pour all his heart and soul for them; he would be willing to sacrifice everything for them, including his own life. There are only a few persons Rumple ever loves, but once he does he loves /deeply/.

I love how Rumple and Regina have this mutual understanding between them, yet both are too prideful to admit. I love how they never see themselves as heroes because (to me) they really are NOT – they are just two human beings who makes wrong choices in the past and are willing to redeem themselves, not for the “greater good” – but for their family. Still, I love how they will never be /entirely/ good because being so is not /them/; they can still be ill-tempered and snarky, but their eyes will soften, their smile warm and kind, and they will reach out their hands for those whom they deem as loved ones. After all, being flawed is what makes them all so /human/.

I love how this story focuses more on family bonding than on romance because there are so few stories that can truly comprehend the precious meaning of family. I love this story with all my heart because the writing is lovely, the plot is more than compelling, and the characterization is simply flawless. I don’t know if any of your reader realize this, but I love how the title instantly reminded me of the song Saturn by Sleeping at last, and that I had laughed and cried altogether at chapter 42 because “how Rare and Beautiful it is to even Exist” indeed!

Yet, I hate how I love the ending so much because it is perfect and therefore I cannot ask for more. I hate how I did not find this lovely piece of writing any sooner and how it took me so long to write a proper review. I hate that I cannot list every heart-touching, heart-warming, and heart-breaking quote/moment that I love so deeply, and that it renders me completely helpless, lost of words to say.

In the end, I both love and hate how this agonizingly beautiful story brings me such intense emotions, such lovely pain and gracious delight that my heart would weep and break and heal for these oh-so /human/ characters.
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Also, I hate how I have to break your review number of 400 (please forgive me).

And I hate that I am sad because I have read all your OUAT stories and had nothing more to read (not your fault).

Sorry if I didn't review on the other chapters, but I was just in so much of a hurry to get to the next one. I LOVED this, way more than I should love any fic. The story was awesome, and the characters were in character, and add some Bae, Swanfire, and excellent witing, and it's easily one of my favorite fics on this site.

This was a very nice story. I enjoyed seeing a story that focused on the dynamics of Bae and Rumple's relationship, and I do like how you rewrote the timeline. You do seem to have left the string hanging of the price Bae paid for his trip back in time. That is my only complaint though.

Wow! I've NEVER seen this done before, it is brilliant! Sheer brilliance!

Henry owns Pan and then replaces Pan?! GENIUS.

First, I want to say that I LOVE all of your Once Upon a Time stories. They really help me remember what the show was like before it went off the rails in Season 4 (Don't get me wrong; I liked the Frozen arc, but so many of the characterization decisions just seem...off, recently. Here's hoping to season 5, though!).

This fic in particular I enjoy for the relationship between Rumple and Bae. Even with all of the trials and pain they go through in the later chapters, the fact that they got a chance to start without that painful encounter in New York and all of the miscommunications and mistrust that plagued them during the Neverland arc somehow makes the rest of it less painful...I suppose it's because they got a chance to be a family in Storybrooke, which they never really got on the show. Your handling of the characters and plot was very good and kept me reading all the way through!

Great story & good luck on your future writing!

I love love LOVE your story. I totally ship swanfire and I don't really like captain hook. I also like the rumbelle. Please right more swanfire fanfictions.