TEEN: In the Face of Adversity [Once Upon a Time]

[Felly]

Author’s Note: Finally getting to work on a new project! I’m hoping this story reignites my spark for writing, but if not, I’ll just have to try, try again. The idea for this story came to me while watching Once Upon a Time season 6, episode 8. It’s been a while since I watched the episodes, but I’m not intending to stick completely to what happened in the show. I love Belle and Rumple’s relationship though, and I just really wanted to write something with them at the center, so here we are! Rated for some violence in later chapters and probably a little profanity too; I'll drop reminders in the chapters when that stuff actually happens. There’s some mentions of sex in this chapter, but it doesn’t go into detail. Feel free to leave your comments and critiques! This is the first time I’ve really written anything in a while, so I’m a little rusty but looking forward to getting back into the groove!

In the Face of Adversity
Chapter 1 - The Big News

Two pink lines. No faintness. Just two very distinct pink lines.

Belle was surprised, but she really shouldn’t have been. Everything added up correctly. She and Rumple had done the deed, so to speak, and it just happened to be at the right time. Her monthly friend was late, and the test was positive. She made an appointment to see Dr. Whale soon after she’d done the home test, and he just confirmed what she already knew.

She was pregnant.

It was Rumple’s baby, that much was true. She’d been seeing other guys off and on, when she and Rumple weren’t on good terms, but she never had sex with them. The only person she dared do that with was Rumplestiltskin.

‘How is everyone going to react?’ she asked herself. ‘How am I even going to tell Rumple about this?’

Telling everyone else would’ve been an easy task. Her friends always met up at Granny’s, and so did the majority of Storybrooke’s residents. It was hard for her to imagine their reactions, but Belle could only hope they would be happy for her and support her through this time in her life.

It was Rumple that she was worried about telling. Their relationship had been off and on for years. She loved him, but then he would mess up and she would question it all. Was it even worth marrying him in the first place if she was questioning their relationship so much? Probably not, but Belle loved him. No matter what bad deed Rumplestiltskin did, Belle always found herself back in his arms. She always saw the beauty beyond the beast.

And now she would be bringing their child into this world in about nine months.

Would Rumple even be a good father? He was barely a father to Bae, and he was barely a good husband. To put it simply, he didn’t exactly have the best track record for being a good person. There was no doubt in her mind that Belle could raise this child on her own, but she didn’t want to do that. She wanted her child to have both of their parents in their life.

There was so much to think about. Her relationship with Rumple, what would happen if they ended up fighting for the millionth time, who would keep the baby safe if something happened (because something always happened in Storybrooke)... And none of that even included anything that had to be done before the baby came.

Belle sighed. ‘I guess I should start by telling everyone else,’ she thought. ‘I have time to figure out all of the details.’

She put on her red coat and walked outside of the library, where she’d made a little home for herself when she and Rumple weren’t on the best of terms. It wasn’t her ideal place to live, but it was better than keeping herself in a toxic situation.

As she walked down the street towards Granny’s, she wondered if her child would ever get to go to the Enchanted Forest. Would the child even want to go to the Enchanted Forest? If it grew up in Storybrooke, then this little town in Maine would be its home. The Enchanted Forest wouldn’t be its home, like it was for her and many of the other residents here in town. She couldn’t force the child to go away from its home, though perhaps if she went back when it was a baby, it would know the Enchanted Forest as home. For that, she’d have to get back to the Enchanted Forest, and that was a feat in and of itself. She decided that she would stay wherever the baby was happy, whether that was here in Storybrooke or in the Enchanted Forest; if it was Storybrooke that the child wanted to call home, then she would only hope that it would at least want to see the Enchanted Forest.

She stepped into Granny’s, and for the most part, people ignored the bell’s chime when she walked in. Granny gave her a little wave but went back to drying glasses and chatting with the customers at the counter. Emma, Henry, and Hook were seated at one table, and they waved her over. She went to join them.

“Hey, Belle,” Emma said, sliding over so Belle could join them. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m good,” she replied. Red brought over a couple mugs of coffee, one for Emma and one for Hook, and a third mug of hot chocolate for Henry.

“You want anything, Belle?” Red asked.

“Um, no, I’m fine, thank you,” she replied. Just the smell of fresh coffee and hot chocolate was starting to make her feel queasy. Mary Margaret and David walked in just after Red delivered the first round of drinks.

“Hey, guys,” David said as he squeezed in with Henry and Hook. Belle got up to allow Mary Margaret to sit next to her daughter, and also so she could easily get away in case she had to make a quick trip to the bathroom. Red brought a couple more mugs of coffee to the table for Mary Margaret and David and left a container full of the coffee and a small bowl of creamers on the table for them. The cafe was getting busier as more and more residents came in, so it was just easier for them to refill their own drinks.

“You sure you don’t want anything, Belle?” Red asked.

“N-no, I’m fine,” Belle said. Perhaps it was a mistake to come here. All the smells were really starting to make her feel sick.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Belle?” Mary Margaret asked after Red walked away. Belle just nodded.

“You look a little pale,” David added.

“I’m fine,” Belle said. Her stomach didn’t quite agree with that, but at least it cooperated. “I, uh… I do have something to share with you guys though.”

There was silence as they all looked at her. She could feel her stomach cooperating with her less and less. All the smells in the cafe combined with her nerves didn’t quite add up to a good combination.

“I’m, uh… I’m pregnant.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth, she had to go. She was sure she’d heard Mary Margaret congratulate her and she could’ve sworn she heard Rumple’s name, but she was too focused on not vomiting in the middle of Granny’s diner. She would’ve cleaned it up if she did, of course, but she would have never been able to clean up the embarrassment she’d feel after the fact.

She wasn’t quite sure how much time exactly had passed since she’d left the table. Her stomach was starting to settle down now though, and she appreciated that. Hopefully it would stay that way.

“Belle?” Mary Margaret said as she lightly tapped on the door. Belle unlocked it and nudged it open a little bit. Her friend took the hint and came in, locking it back up behind her. “Probably not the best place to make your announcement, huh?”

“No,” Belle replied with a weak chuckle. Though her stomach felt better, all the vomiting took a lot out of her. Mary Margaret wet a few paper towels with some cool water and dabbed them on Belle’s face.

“All better,” Mary Margaret said, tossing the paper towels in the trash. “Come on, let’s get back out to everyone else. We got some bread and ginger ale for you at the table. That should help put something in your belly.”

Mary Margaret helped Belle up, and they washed their hands before they rejoined their friends at the table.

“I can’t believe the crocodile’s going to be a father,” Hook said as the girls rejoined the table.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Emma said. “Neal was his kid too.”

She’d forgotten about Neal. Now that Emma brought him up, Belle felt a little sliver of hope. Maybe Rumple would be a good father. He always felt like he wasn’t a good father to Baelfire, so perhaps he’d want to make that up to this new child. Perhaps he’d want to do everything he didn’t do with Baelfire with this new child. It wouldn’t replace Baelfire, but at least he’d be able to prove to his late son that he was capable of being a good father, even if it wasn’t to him.

But still, hearing her friends, specifically Emma and Hook, talk about Rumple and his questionable ability to be a father didn’t make her feel better about it all. Sure, the sliver of hope was there, but knowing that two of her friends didn’t really support the idea of Rumple being a father again didn’t help reassure her that maybe things really would work out between them.

“Perhaps we should wait until after the baby’s born to judge Rumplestilskin as a father,” David said. “It’s easy to judge him based on his past actions, but we don’t know how he’ll be now.”

“Probably the same,” Hook mumbled. “Ow!” he said after Emma kicked him under the table.

“Dad’s right,” Emma said. “Let’s wait and see how Gold is.”

“And besides, Belle needs our support!” Mary Margaret chimed in.

Belle smiled. “Thank you.”

“Does the crocodile even know yet?” Hook asked.

“No, not yet,” Belle replied. “I thought it might be easier to tell you guys first.”

And for the most part, it was. Besides the judgement from Emma and Hook, she felt a little better about things. She still felt very nervous about telling Rumple, but she could sort that all out later.

“Well, you gotta tell him some time!” Mary Margaret said. “Why don’t you eat a little something and then go find him and tell him?”

Belle shifted a little in her seat. David and Emma seemed to agree with Mary Margaret, and Hook looked indifferent, though he and Rumple had a rocky history, so she didn’t really expect him to fully agree with everything that was happening right now. But Mary Margaret had a point. Nervous as she was, she did have to tell Rumple at some point. It was probably better to do it now than to wait until later when he possibly heard it from someone else. Word traveled fast around Storybrooke, and Rumple was sure to be angry if he heard it from anyone else besides Belle.

“Okay,” Belle finally said. She pulled the bread and ginger ale a little closer to her, and Red came back around with plates for everyone else at the table. Though the smells of food bothered her still, she was at least able to eat something.

She was able to enjoy a meal, and thanks to her friends, she was able to get her mind off things for just a little while.

 

[Felly]

In the Face of Adversity
Chapter 2 - A Second Chance

As soon as Belle left Granny’s, she immediately felt that nervousness that plagued her earlier coming back. She was glad to have something in her stomach, but now she was worried not only about telling Rumple about the baby but also throwing up everything she’d just managed to eat.

She was on the other side of the street from Gold’s Pawn Shop now. She took a deep breath and released slowly. She was able to tell her friends just fine for the most part, and other than a quick trip to the bathroom right after telling them, everything was okay.

But telling Rumple felt almost worse than telling her friends.

Their relationship was always rocky, but this was one of those periods where they weren’t really communicating much. They actually hadn’t spoken to each other since they’d done the deed that resulted in Belle getting pregnant. Still, regardless of how rocky their relationship was and the state of it now, she still felt that Rumple had the right to know that she was now carrying his child, and it was that reasoning that brought her to cross the street and enter the store.

The bell rang as she entered, and she heard Rumple call out “we’re closed” as the door shut behind her. She ignored that though. She wasn’t here to buy anything after all. Instead, she just slowly walked forward, observing her surroundings. Perhaps the child wouldn’t visit the shop too much. Some of the things here didn’t exactly feel safe for a child, and she didn’t want anything to happen to it.

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me,” she heard Rumple say as he came into the room. “We’re-- oh. Hello, Belle.”

“Hello, Rumple,” she replied. She managed to muster up a smile.

“What brings you here today?” he asked. She approached him slowly, cautiously. He didn’t reach a hand out to her, and she didn’t get close enough to touch him, even though she very much desired to do so. This wasn’t quite how she’d imagined telling the father of her child the news that she was pregnant, but then again, she’d anticipated that she and Rumple would be on good terms when they had a child and their relationship wouldn’t be going from okay one minute to a disaster the next.

“I have something to tell you,” she said, speaking slowly. “I, um… I’m pregnant.”

There was silence. Neither of them moved. Belle didn’t dare look into those beautiful hazel eyes that Rumplestiltskin had. She hoped that the child had them, but she couldn’t look into them. Not now.

She gasped. When she looked up, she looked right into Rumple’s eyes. His hands were holding hers.

“Is it mine?” he asked softly. Belle nodded. He pulled her into a hug. For a moment, she felt comfort in him caring, but then she remembered who he was and pulled away.

“Belle, I--” he started, but she held up a hand to silence him.

“No,” she said. “I came here to tell you. I don’t want to hear any lies.”

“Belle, I’m not going to lie to you,” Rumplestiltskin said.

“I don’t believe you,” she replied. “You’ve lied to me in the past, and you’ve done nothing to prove that you’ve changed to me. I just came here to tell you.”

“So you’re going to keep me from my child?” he asked, stepping away from her.

“I didn’t say that,” Belle said. “I just want you to prove that you’re capable of being trustworthy. I want you to stop lying to me. I want you to actually change.”

“I can do that, Belle, I promise,” Rumple said, quickly moving to step closer to her and grab her hand. She stepped away.

“Then prove it. Stop saying it and actually do it, Rumple,” Belle said. “Prove to me that you’re capable of changing.”

She heard his voice, but she couldn’t understand what he said over the sound of the bell when she left the shop. Belle genuinely wanted him to change. She didn’t want to keep him from his child, and even if she hadn’t seen the change in him that she wanted to see, she still wouldn’t keep the child from him. It was her child, sure, but it was also Rumple’s, and he had every right to see it and spend time with it when it was born.

But she wouldn’t say all of that to him.

She didn’t want him to believe that she’d just let him walk back into her life so easily. Belle had enough of a support group in her friends to get through this pregnancy without him. She just wanted him there because that was what she’d always imagined when she had a child, but she wasn’t going to allow him to continue being an awful person around her either. She deserved better than that, and their child certainly deserved better than that too.

The only thing that would make Belle keep their child away from its father is if Rumple actually did something to harm the child. She doubted that he would ever do such a thing, but it was a fear that she held deep inside her heart, a fear she hoped would never come true.

 

[Felly]

Author’s Note: Coming up with chapter titles is a pain in the butt. At the time of me writing this author’s note, I don’t have a chapter title, and I don’t really have one for any of the other chapters either, to be honest. Fingers crossed I can come up with something for this chapter sooner or later, and fingers crossed I can maybe come up with something for the other chapters ahead of time too. I actually just came up with one for chapter 4, but that’s not terribly helpful right now since I still don’t have one for this chapter, at least not at the time of writing this author’s note.

In the Face of Adversity
Chapter 3 - Never Changing, Never Wavering

If she was going to be completely honest, Belle wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of Storybrooke General Hospital. Though, to be fair, she didn’t really know anyone who was, except perhaps those that worked there, and even then, she wasn’t sure if they were even fans of the hospital.

Belle shifted in her seat in the waiting room of the hospital. She was here alone, but she found herself wondering if she should’ve brought someone with her, like Emma or Mary Margaret or maybe even Rumple. Of the three, Mary Margaret probably would’ve been the best option; she at least understood what she was going through, a little bit anyways. She didn’t have to keep secrets from her husband, but she at least understood pregnancy struggles. Rumple would’ve been nice, given that he was the child’s father, but he didn’t answer when she called in the morning.

“Belle?” Dr. Whale said, poking his head out from behind a door. “Come on back.”

She got up and made her way into the exam room. She’d just take a copy of the photos to Rumple after the appointment. Maybe he was busy and couldn’t make the appointment. It was kind of short notice, after all, but she wished he would’ve at least answered or made some sort of attempt to respond to her.

She laid on the table and pulled her shirt up slightly, exposing her belly that was starting to show. Dr. Whale squeezed a bit of a cool jelly on her belly that caused her to shiver a little bit. The hospital was cold, but this was colder. She kept her eyes focused on the screen as her growing child came into view.

“There he is,” Dr. Whale said, pointing to the screen. His eyes widened. “Oh! I’m sorry! I just told you the baby’s gender!”

Belle smiled. “That’s alright. I wanted to know.”

Dr. Whale breathed a sigh of relief. He wrapped up his exam and pressed a few buttons on the computer.

“Could I have two copies of the photos?” she asked. Dr. Whale nodded and printed two copies of the photos, putting each set into their own envelope.

“Thank you,” she said as he handed her the envelopes. She got up and pulled her shirt back down.

She walked out of the hospital after speaking briefly to the receptionist to set the date for her next appointment and made her way to Gold’s Pawn Shop. If there was anywhere in town that Rumple was likely to be right now, it was probably going to be his shop. If he wasn’t, then she’d just drop the envelope off and he could contact her later. She was trying, he wasn’t, though there was a part of her that still wanted to believe that maybe he was just really busy today and just couldn’t get back to her.

The familiar bell rang as she stepped into the shop, and to her surprise, she did indeed see Rumple there, at the counter, tinkering with an object she didn’t quite recognize.

“What brings you here today, Belle?” Rumple asked as she approached the counter; he’d pushed the object he was working with aside.

“I called you this morning, but I never heard back from you. I thought I’d just come and drop this off,” she said. She placed the envelope on the counter.

Rumple opened it and looked at the photos inside of his child, his son. There was a wave of happiness and joy that flowed through him, but he also felt anger and frustration.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, setting the photos down on the counter.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“About the appointment,” Rumple replied.

“I told you, I called. You didn’t answer. I couldn’t just wait around for you,” Belle replied. “I’m sorry that you couldn’t come, but I tried.”

Rumple looked at his phone. There was indeed a call from Belle on there. He set the phone down. “You could’ve told me sooner though.”

Belle rolled her eyes. “I forgot. Look, I said I was sorry. I’ll tell you sooner next time.”

Rumple stepped around the counter and grabbed Belle’s wrists. She tried to pull away, but he had a firm grip on her. She winced at the pain from his grip.

“Or maybe, I’ll just have to keep a closer eye on you myself,” he said. “Why don’t we go home and talk things out there? I don’t want there to be any interruptions while we’re talking.”

She managed to pull away once she saw that familiar look in his eyes. That evil look that she knew so well. Her worst fears were coming true. He wasn’t changing. He wasn’t going to be a father to this child, just like he wasn’t much of a father to Baelfire. She was going to be all alone in raising this child. Sure, she had her friends, but they could only help so much; they had families of their own, after all.

“No,” she managed to get out. Her voice was weak and shaky; she could feel the tears welling up inside her eyes. “No!” Her voice was stronger this time, and she was able to break free of Rumple’s grip; there was redness around her wrists from where he’d grasped them. “I’m not going to let you lock me up like some prisoner. If you want to be a father, you can do it the right way, not like this. You can change like I told you you needed to do the other day.”

And with that said, she turned around and left the shop.

 

[Felly]

In the Face of Adversity
Chapter 4 - The Tapes

After she left Gold’s Pawn Shop, Belle went straight to Granny’s. It was a common meeting place for her friends. She had no idea if they were actually there, but that was the first place she planned to look. If they weren’t, then she’d just stay there until they showed up.

The only thing she didn’t want to do was walk around Storybrooke alone. Not after what Rumplestiltskin just did.

Belle wanted to believe he could change so badly, and yet, he didn’t. He wouldn’t. It would be the same thing over and over again. Perhaps a divorce would be a good idea at this point. He could still see their son, Belle wouldn’t keep that from him unless he put the child in danger, but she wouldn’t leave him alone with the child. Someone would be there with him, whether it was her or someone else she trusted; probably her though.

She stepped into Granny’s and looked around. Emma and Hook were there at one of the tables! And so was David! Mary Margaret and Henry were probably at the school.

“I need your help,” Belle said after approaching the table. She spoke in hushed tones so that hopefully no one around them would hear. She didn’t need word getting around that she was asking others for help in keeping her safe because she didn’t want it getting back to her husband. He would likely find out, of course, because he was good at putting two and two together, but the longer it took him to figure out where she was, the better.

“I think Snow’s the best one to talk to for pregnancy advice,” David said. “But we can try to help. What do you need?”

“I don’t need pregnancy advice,” Belle said, sliding into the seat next to Emma. “Not now anyways. I need help finding somewhere to go. Rumple’s trying to trap me. I need somewhere to hide.”

“But why would the crocodile want to trap you?” Hook asked.

“I don’t know. I went to go give him a copy of the ultrasound pictures at his shop since he couldn’t come this morning, and he grabbed my wrists and said he wanted to take me home and talk to me,” Belle replied.

“Well, that doesn’t sound too out of place,” Emma said. “You guys haven’t exactly had the best relationship.”

“Yeah, it just sounded like he wanted to talk about stuff in private, somewhere where you guys couldn’t be interrupted,” David said.

“No, it’s not like that!” Belle said. “He had that same evil look in his eyes. He’s up to something, I know it! He wants this child!”

“I dunno, Gold’s not the greatest guy, but he’s already lost one kid,” Emma said. “I can’t see him wanting to hurt another when he has a chance to fix all the mistakes he made with the first one.”

“You didn’t see his eyes though, Emma. He’s planning something. He doesn’t want the child for good, he’s going to do something evil, I feel it,” Belle said. “Please, you have to hear me out and listen to me.”

Emma and David looked at each other and shook their heads. Belle, sensing that she wouldn’t be getting any help from either of them, looked to Captain Hook. He was her last hope right now. She knew of his and Rumple’s history, and she hoped that it would play a factor in his decision.

“Hook?” Belle asked. “What do you think about all of this?”

He was silent for a moment, but he kept his gaze focused on Belle. “I think you’re right,” he finally said.

“Killian, you--” Emma started, but she stopped when she saw Hook raise his hand.

“I know what you’re going to say, I’m blinded by hate because of my past with him,” he said, looking away from Belle to Emma. “And maybe you’re right, but that’s not a discussion for here.” He went back to Belle. “I think you might be right. The crocodile’s up to something. What it is I don’t know, and I don’t think you fully know either. What I do know is we should keep you and your child safe.” He saw Emma and David open their mouths to protest, but he continued before they could speak. “And even if she’s wrong and I’m wrong, it won’t hurt to keep her safe. She’s scared, and she’s coming to us for help. We should help her.”

“Thank you,” Belle said.

“Meet me at my ship in an hour,” Hook said as he got up from the table. “And bring whatever you think you’ll need.”

*

An hour later, Belle arrived at the Jolly Roger with two suitcases full of items she wanted to have with her. Hook was waiting for her on the docks.

“Are you sure you want to board the ship?” he asked. “Once you get on, you won’t really be able to leave.”

“Will Rumple know I’m here?” she asked.

“Not unless me, Emma, or the Charmings tell him,” he replied. “Or you. If you get off the ship, he could follow.”

The color drained from Belle’s face. “He could’ve followed me here.”

Hook shook his head. “I sent David to keep him busy at his shop for a little while.”

Belle breathed a sigh of relief. She was grateful that Captain Hook had all of the bases covered.

“The crocodile won’t be able to board the ship. Emma put protections on it just for that reason,” he added.

Literally all of the bases. And he’d managed to get the others in on the plan too.

“Okay, I’ll get on,” Belle said.

“Great,” Hook said. “I’ll grab these.”

He picked up both suitcases, one in his normal hand and one with the hooked hand, and he boarded the ship; Belle followed. He led the way to a small room, furnished with a bed, a small desk, and a nightstand. There was a small window for her to look out at the sea, but for the most part, it was empty. He set both suitcases on the ground.

“It’s not much, but it’s something,” he said. Belle nodded. It was smaller than she’d expected, but it was better than being out in Storybrooke unprotected. Here, she was at least safe.

“One of us will check on you every day, make sure you’re alright and you’ve got food and all,” Hook continued. “Bring you things you might want or whatever.”

Belle nodded. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

*

Hook left shortly after bringing Belle to her new home for at least the next eight months. She took a few things out of her suitcases, in an attempt to make it more like her home in the town, but with the lack of space, she decided to keep a lot in the suitcases. There just wasn’t enough space for it all; she was expecting something a little bigger.

A knock on the door made her jump. “Come in,” she called out after she’d calmed her nerves. David opened the door, peeked inside, and then walked in.

“Hey,” he said. He was holding a small brown package in his hands. “Looks like you’re settling in alright.”

“Yeah,” she said with a small shrug. “I was expecting something a little bigger, so I think I’ll be living out of my suitcases for a little while, but I’ll make it work.” She nodded to the package in his hands. “What’s that?”

He held it out to her. “Something from Gold. He insisted I give it to you. I guess he thought you wouldn’t let him see you after what happened earlier today.”

He wasn’t wrong about that; Belle didn’t want him near her right now after their interaction earlier in the day. She did take the box, however, and sat down on her bed, placing the box on her lap.

“Do you know what it is?” she asked.

“He didn’t say,” David replied. “He just said to give it to you and leave it at that. Sounded like it was something personal, but I figured I’d at least stick around long enough for you to open it to make sure nothing happens.”

Belle nodded. Rumple not wanting anyone else around when she opened a package didn’t sound too out of the ordinary, especially if it was something personal. Just right now, with everything that happened over the course of the past several hours, she was glad David was disobeying Rumple’s orders to leave after giving her the package in case it was a trap.

She poked a hole in the tape with her nail and managed to get the box pried open. She opened it just enough for her to see what was inside, and then she set the box aside.

“It’s just tapes,” she said. “I guess he recorded something for me.”

“Do you have any way of listening to them?” he asked.

Belle shook her head, but she looked in the box. It was possible Rumple had thought of that and given her something. She had to move a couple of tapes around, but at the bottom of the box, there was a tape player a little smaller than the box itself inside. “Yeah, he packed something I can use.”

David nodded. He shifted for a moment, hesitant to leave. He’d expected something to happen with the box. “I, uh… I guess I’ll go,” he said.

Belle waited a moment, and then she walked up to the deck long enough to see if David had indeed left the ship. To her knowledge, he was gone, unless there was some sort of secret hiding place that she didn’t know about. She returned to her room.

She sat on the bed and looked at the box. Was there really any point in listening to these tapes? It was probably just a half-hearted apology that would mean nothing to her. She needed to see action, not hear the same words she’d been hearing for years. His apologies meant nothing to her if he wasn’t going to actually change.

But still, she took out the tape player and the tape labeled #1. Maybe she was wrong and it wasn’t an apology. She was jumping to conclusions here; perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to actually listen to the tapes. It helped that she didn’t really have much to do on the boat; she’d only brought so much with her, and rummaging through her suitcases was a little bit of a tedious task. She put the tape in the player and pressed play.

“I’m sorry.” It was indeed Rumple’s voice recorded on the tape. Belle rolled her eyes. She was right, it was going to be an apology. “I have a confession to make. Years ago, before I considered a relationship with you, let alone marrying you and having a child with you, I made a deal with Hades. It involved giving up my child, the unborn child you’re carrying now.”

Belle stopped the tape. She threw the tape recorder back into the box and tossed the box off the bed. She didn’t want to listen anymore. She didn’t need to. Rumplestiltskin wasn’t going to change, ever, and now he was bringing an innocent life into his deals. Belle was disgusted.

But most importantly, she needed to keep her unborn child safe and out of Rumplestiltskin’s hands. Whatever he had planned with the child, it wasn’t going to happen. Belle was going to do everything in her power to keep him away from this child.

 

[Felly]

In the Face of Adversity
Chapter 5 - An Unexpected Arrival

Since listening to the tapes Rumplestiltskin sent her, Belle’s desire to protect her child was strengthened. She shared them with her friends, and Hook gave Emma and David an “I told you so” look. At any rate, Belle was glad that she now had the support of all of her friends; her child, her son as she’d found out a couple weeks ago, was going to be safe, and he had a great group of people he could call family, even if they weren’t related by blood.

Sometimes, it was the people that you called your friends that were better family members than your actual blood relatives.

Still, as the months passed, Belle had to get off the ship. It was a great hiding spot, and Rumple hadn’t been able to bother or threaten her. She just couldn’t stand sitting around and waiting on the ship. She had to get out.

And she did. She went to Granny’s, and she was enjoying a nice cup of tea when Regina arrived.

“Hey, Regina,” Belle said, patting the seat next to her. “How are you doing today?”

Regina cleared her throat as she sat down. “I’m doing great, thanks for asking. How are you?”

“I’m alright,” Belle said. She gave her belly a small rub; she was actually showing now. “It’s a little weird being pregnant and all, but it’s all gonna be worth it in the end when my son’s born.”

“Yeah, it really will,” Regina said. “Emma and Hook are looking for you. They said you were gone when they went to check the ship for you this morning, and they’ve been searching all over.”

Belle frowned. It made sense that they would be looking for her, but she just wanted to get out for a little while. Was that really so wrong?

“I’ll head back once I’ve finished my tea, I guess,” Belle said.

“I can just let them know you’re here, and maybe they’ll come spend the day with you. You’ve been away for so long, I can understand how frustrating it must be to be there by yourself,” Regina said.

Belle brightened up at her suggestion. “That’d be great! Thanks, Regina!”

“Of course,” she said. She pulled a small bottle out of her purse. “Before I go though, I have this little thing you can add to your tea. It’s supposed to help perk you up. I’ve heard pregnancy can be exhausting.”


“It really is,” Belle replied. She took the bottle and poured the contents of it into her tea. Regina took the bottle and put it back into her purse as Belle swished her tea around a bit to mix it all together.

“Well, I’ll see you later,” Regina said.

It wasn’t long after Regina left that Belle felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She rubbed her belly, hoping that would ease her pain, but it didn’t. In fact, it just got worse. Her friends walked in, and she stood up to greet them and have them take her back to the ship. Perhaps she just needed to rest.

But as soon as she stood up, she noticed how much her belly grew in the minutes since she drank the tea with the liquid Regina gave her. There was a splash, and the color drained from Belle’s face. The baby was coming. Now.

*

Her friends rushed her to the hospital. Emma called ahead to let Dr. Whale and his staff know to be ready, though she wasn’t sure he heard her over Belle’s cries of pain.

It wasn’t long after they arrived that the baby came, and thankfully, Dr. Whale and his staff were ready. She was surrounded by her friends and the Blue Fairy, who met them at the hospital to offer the child some protection. It was agreed that the child would be safest with her, at least to start.

“Have you decided on a name?” the Blue Fairy asked after the baby was born and mother and son were resting in bed.

Belle nodded. “Gideon, after the hero from one of my favorite books that my mom used to read to me when I was a kid, Her Handsome Hero. The Gideon in the book was a strong and brave person, and I think my son will be the same way one day, so it’s only appropriate that he gets a fitting name.”

“It’s a beautiful name,” the Blue Fairy replied. The baby in Belle’s arms seemed to agree, as he smiled and cooed at the sound of his new given name.

The lights suddenly went out. A wave of panic rushed over the room. By the time it occurred to the Blue Fairy and Emma to use their magic to bring some sort of light into the room, it was too late.

Belle screamed, but a woman clad in black snatched Gideon from her arms just as Emma and the Blue Fairy got some light in the room. Rumplestiltskin was at the door, his face pale at the sight before him.

“No!” Rumplestiltskin shouted, a fireball ready in his hand. “You won’t take him!”

The Blue Fairy and Emma were ready to repel his attack, but they didn’t stop him once they realized he launched his fireball at the Black Fairy. She sprinkled a dust over the room, and she was gone before it took its effect. Rumplestiltskin’s fireball missed. Belle’s cries for Gideon were the last thing everyone heard before they fell asleep.

 

[Felly]

Author’s Note: I’m struggling to find a desire to really stick with this story, so unfortunately, I’m going to have to call it quits with this one. However, I didn’t want to just drop it completely and leave it unfinished, so I figured I’d do one final chapter to tie up loose ends and wrap it all up. It’s gonna be short, but hopefully it doesn’t leave any unanswered questions. I’ll still be writing, but I’m going to move onto other projects that I’m hopefully feeling a lot more passionate about.

In the Face of Adversity
Chapter 6 - Tying Up Loose Ends

After Belle gave birth to Gideon and the Black Fairy snatched the newborn from his mother’s hands, the Blue Fairy lost her magic, as they’d discovered after they woke up from the Black Fairy’s spell. It was a heartbreaking moment, and all eyes were on Rumplestiltskin when they woke up.

“No,” Belle told them. “It wasn’t him. He had nothing to do with this.”

“How do you know?” they asked.

“I can tell. Just trust me,” Belle told them.

And they did trust her. Turns out she was right to be trusted. With the loss of their child, it was clear that Rumplestiltskin changed. He did everything he could to rescue Gideon, his precious son, the one that he hoped he could raise correctly.

Turns out the Black Fairy did all of the raising for Belle and Rumple, but they would make up for lost time. They just had to get their son back first.

And they did. The heroes fought valiantly, and the Black Fairy was defeated. Gideon returned to Belle and Rumple, and they lived happily ever after.

But the events of the last few months did more than reunite Gideon with his parents. It brought Belle and Rumplestiltskin together, and it strengthened their bond. It turned Rumplestiltskin into a better man, a drastic change from his typical nature as the Dark One. The parents united in arms to save their son, and after everything was resolved, they stuck together. Nothing, not even the Black Fairy, could tear them apart.

Families were reunited, and the residents of Storybrooke could finally live happily ever after once and for all.