Gift drabbles!
About to go on vacation again, but I have a couple drabbles to post before that happens. First is a Doctor Who drabble here for a tumblr buddy, and an OUAT drabble for Faye.
This is an AU drabble, the AU starting from the last 10 minutes of "Going Home" in Season 3A.
And when the world is too much,
And the hurt's got me down on my knees to pray,
I'll hear your voice,
And you won't be so far away
--Scott Leonard, "I'll Hear Your Voice"
In the days following Rumpelstiltskin’s sacrifice during the final, furious struggle against Pan, Belle found herself alone a lot. Stopping Pan had succeeded in stopping Pan’s curse from destroying the town, but it was at a cost that had been unbearable for Belle.
And yet, life was expected to continue. Someone had to run the pawn shop, even if no one seemed to drop by anymore. And though Neal volunteered to help her whenever he could, it was upon Belle’s insistence that Neal spend time with Henry.
“I think Henry might be blaming himself for what happened,” she said. “This all started because of Pan’s interest in him. You have to let Henry know that it’s not his fault and that no one blames him. And besides that… he needs his father in his life. I’m sure Emma would agree.”
“She does,” Neal said. “But, ah… It’s difficult with him around.”
Belle nodded in sympathy, having heard of the triangle forming between him, Emma, and Hook. She was still wary of the pirate after he had wounded her just for the sake of spiting Rumpel.
The memories of how Rumpel had looked after her during her amnesia returned to her, unbidden. Despite however fruitless it had seemed, Rumpel hadn’t given up on her.
Her eyes fell upon the chipped cup. Gently, she held it in her hands as she watched the citizens of Storybrooke shuffle past the pawn shop. No one paused to stop inside-not even to ask how Belle was doing.
A life without Rumpelstiltskin was one that they could accept.
Belle tried not to be upset about it, but, despite her best efforts, it was impossible not to be. If the Charmings thought that a few words of condolence would be enough, they were mistaken.
She placed the cup back on its place in the back shelf and stepped outside. Dusk was falling upon the now-peaceful town, with no indication of the tragedy that had occurred merely a week before.
A few tears slipped from her eyes as she glanced up at the darkening sky; as someone approached, she hurriedly dried her eyes.
“Belle?”
“Hello, Dr. Hopper,” Belle answered, putting on a smile. “How are you?”
“Well, I’m fine. I was just wondering how you were holding up.”
“I’m holding up fine,” she said. “I’ve… I’ve just been…” She waved her hand towards the shop. “Looking… after things.”
“Ah. That’s… that’s good,” Dr. Hopper said. “But, I just wanted you to know, Belle, that my office is always open for you if you ever need to talk about anything. For Neal, too; is he around right now?”
“No; he’s with Henry,” Belle said. “I think spending time with Henry is the best thing right now; it’ll help with… the loss. Having someone who needs him, I mean. I’m going to be visiting my father soon; I’ll close the shop up for Christmas and…” She trailed off, her voice threatening to break.
Dr. Hopper was no fool, but he didn’t want to goad her into talking if she didn’t want to. He moved on to another topic.
“You know, Mr. Gold stopped into see me a couple times over the last couple of years,” he said. “Once was when he wanted to come to grips with what happened between him and Neal. The other time was when you were in the hospital with amnesia.”
“He saw you?” Belle asked, unaware of this. “He never mentioned it…”
“Well, I expect he didn’t want you to know how worried he was,” Mr. Gold said. “I can’t discuss our sessions in-depth, of course…”
“Yes, I know,” Belle said. “…But I wonder…”
“Wonder… what?”
Belle looked to the sky again with a sigh.
“When I was in the hospital, and he was spending time with me-when I didn’t know who he was still-he’d tell me stories. Did you tell him to do that?”
“Well, I can’t really say…” Dr. Hopper said, apologetically.
“I know you can’t,” Belle admitted. “Even though I didn’t know who he was at the time, I always did like to hear those stories-and he said that they were all true, that they were all people he’d met. There was one about a boy who found a genie and won the heart of a princess… One about a pig-keeper who became a king… One about a man from the stars who had two hearts and a magic box that he could travel the universe in…”
“He knew you liked stories,” Dr. Hopper said.
“I know,” she said, quietly. “I just wish that ours could have had a happy ending.”
A single point of light appeared in the night sky.
“The first star of the evening,” the psychiatrist said.
“Sorry?” Belle asked.
“Gepetto always said that the first star that appeared in the evening was the Wishing Star,” Dr. Hopper mused.
“Do you believe that?” Belle asked.
“Gepetto got the son he had always wanted,” Dr. Hopper admitted. “If a puppet can come to life and become a real boy, then maybe the man who saved this town can get a second chance.”
For a moment-a fraction of a moment, Belle wondered if she should dare to hope that it could be so. It seemed so impossible after seeing Rumpel vanish into nothingness before her eyes. And yet… Rumpel had never given up hope that she might have her memories restored-a hope that eventually pulled through.
“I hope so,” she said, at last.
Dr. Hopper nodded.
“I need to get going; Pongo’s waiting for his dinner. But you give me a call if you need to talk, okay?”
“Yes. Yes, I will. Thank you,” Belle said, sincerely.
After he had left, Belle returned to the interior of the shop, switching the sign from “open” to “closed.” Given the lack of customers, it was a force of habit, and Belle was considering that it would soon be time to close up the shop for good, unless Neal really wanted to take it over-and she doubted he would.
Already, she was starting to gather up some of the knickknacks, gathering them in small boxes. She intended to clear out another one of the drawers that evening, but as she opened it, she found herself staring at the sand dollar that Rumpel had sent with Aerial back when he had still been on Neverland-the sand dollar that had allowed the two of them to communicate across all that distance.
Slowly, she picked it up, sighing. Rumpel had resigned himself to believing that he would meet his end battling Pan. After he had returned, they had both believed he had been wrong. Alas, it seemed that he had been right all along.
“If there was ever a time I wish you had been wrong…” she said, quietly. “It would’ve been that moment I lost you.”
And then, the sand dollar began to glow-faintly. And the slightest sound, almost like an echo in a departing wind, touched her ears.
“…Belle…?”
Her breath caught in her throat; it had to be wishful thinking-a figment of her imagination…
“Belle, is that you?”
No, there was no mistaking it that time.
“Rumpel!?” she gasped in disbelief. “Rumpel, where are you!?”
There was a pause.
“I’m not sure. It’s dark. Very dark…” His voice seemed so shaky. “Where are you, Belle?”
“I’m… I’m in the shop. In Storybrooke.”
“Are you alright, Belle? Is Bae alright?”
“Yes. …When you stopped Pan, you stopped his curse… We’re all safe now. Do you have any idea where you are?”
“…Possibly. There’s a light in the other direction. Pan went that way soon after we arrived. I didn’t want to go until I was sure that you and Bae and everyone were alright. Now that I know….”
“Do you have to go!?” Belle cried. “Isn’t there any way you can come back?”
“…I don’t know…”
“You’re the most powerful sorcerer in the world; if anyone could find a way back, it would be you!” Belle exclaimed. “You can hear my voice, and that’s a start, isn’t it? You’ve still got a link to here… to the living world!”
The situation was clear to her now; only days after his sacrifice, he was still in some sort of limbo, but the doorway to the next world was there-inviting him. But, surely, there was a doorway back?
“Yes, I can hear you. I can even tell what direction your voice is coming from.”
“Then, follow it home!”
There was no reply for a moment.
“It hurts, Belle…”
“What do you mean?”
“The more I travel in the direction of your voice, the more it hurts. The other way, towards the light… it doesn’t hurt.”
Belle was torn. There possibly was a way back, but how could she force Rumpel to come back through such pain when it would be easier for him to reach the other side painlessly? She couldn’t put him through something he didn’t want to do-not after he had saved her and everyone else.
“I won’t tell you what to do,” she said. “But I want to return the favor you did for me when I had amnesia. I want you to listen to a story. …You know it well, but I think I ought to tell you, anyway.”
“…I’m listening.”
“Once upon a time, there was a man-a man who loved his son very much. This man wanted nothing but the very best for his son, and he thought that power would help him get it. But this power caused him to make some mistakes, and his son went away, to a land without magic.
“The man was deeply saddened by this, and he worked tirelessly to find a way to see his son again. He traversed his way through the land, hardening his heart and using his powers. And after many years, he met a girl. And though he did his best to keep up that wall around his heart, it was to no avail. The wall came tumbling down. But it turned out alright because… she loved him, too, very, very much.
“But then, they were separated, for a very long time. But, somehow, they found each other again. Something or other always tried to separate them, but they did their best to stay together. And things got better. The man found his son after so many years, and then he found his courage.” Her voice broke, but she kept on talking. “He faced his deepest fears to rescue his grandson, and then he saved an entire town of people-at the cost of his own life. He became a hero…”
She trailed off as something started moving in front of her-the very space itself started to ripple. The ripple grew larger, as though something was coming between two different dimensions.
And then, a hand extended from the ripple, shaking and tense with obvious pain. Without a second thought, Belle reached forward and took the hand in her own. Immediately, the fingers clasped around her own hand, and after hesitating for a moment, she pulled, revealing an arm, and then, the man attached to it.
With a last gasp of pain, Rumpelstiltskin emerged from the rift, which closed up behind him; he was still holding her hand, which, a moment ago, had literally been his lifeline.
“…And then what happened?” he asked, asked he caught his breath.
She shook her head with a teary smile.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I suppose that’s for us to decide…”
They stared at each other for a moment before he took her in his arms and kissed her. Another ripple-this time, one of golden light, filled the room and spread beyond the walls of the shop.
Rumpelstiltskin pulled away from the kiss for a moment.
“What is it?” Belle asked.
“I feel… different…” he murmured. “My magic feels different.”
He held his hand out, but instead of the dark wisps that usually accompanied his magic, bright sparks danced around his fingertips.
“…It’s not dark magic anymore,” Belle said, thinking out loud. “It looks like the light magic that Emma has.”
Whatever reply Rumpelstiltskin had to that observation was preempted by the shop door opening.
“Hey, Belle,” Neal said, carrying a takeout bag from Granny’s. “I just dropped Henry off at Regina’s and wanted to check on-” The takeout bag fell from his hand. “…Papa…?”
“Bae…!”
Rumpelstiltskin, still keeping one arm around Belle, now extended his other arm to his son. For an instant, Neal seemed like a child again as he ran to his father’s side, hugging him tightly.
“…How…?” he asked, hardly daring to believe that this was real.
“It was Belle,” Rumpel said. “She guided me back from limbo.”
Belle and Neal now extended a hand to each other in this tiny group hug.
“Belle… I can’t even begin…” Neal stammered. “I owe you…”
“No,” she said, still crying tears of joy. “You don’t owe me anything; I wanted him back as much as you did. And I know you’d have been able to bring him back to if you had been holding that sand dollar.”
Neal was still at a loss for words; Rumpel seemed to be the same way. But there didn’t need to be words to convey what they were feeling. It was only after a while that Rumpel finally spoke.
“There is something that you both need to know,” he said, letting go again to attempt to summon his magic and once again ending up with bright sparks. Neal arched an eyebrow at this display, never seeing it before with his father. “This light magic confirms what I suspected-though I came back, the dagger didn’t.”
“Then, you’re no longer the Dark One?” Belle asked.
“It would seem so,” the sorcerer said. “But it also means that my powers have been affected, and that I am no longer immortal.”
There was a pause as Belle and Neal regarded this.
“We’re both going to get to spend some more time with you,” Neal said, at last. “However long it lasts this time, I’m just glad we’ve got it.”
“I agree,” Belle whispered.
Rumpelstiltskin glanced at the two of them. Switching from dark magic to light magic would no doubt cause a significant change and likely reduction of his powers.
“I agree, too,” he said, holding them close again.
Whatever it was he had been forced to give up, he had received far more in return.
This is an AU drabble, the AU starting from the last 10 minutes of "Going Home" in Season 3A.
And when the world is too much,
And the hurt's got me down on my knees to pray,
I'll hear your voice,
And you won't be so far away
--Scott Leonard, "I'll Hear Your Voice"
In the days following Rumpelstiltskin’s sacrifice during the final, furious struggle against Pan, Belle found herself alone a lot. Stopping Pan had succeeded in stopping Pan’s curse from destroying the town, but it was at a cost that had been unbearable for Belle.
And yet, life was expected to continue. Someone had to run the pawn shop, even if no one seemed to drop by anymore. And though Neal volunteered to help her whenever he could, it was upon Belle’s insistence that Neal spend time with Henry.
“I think Henry might be blaming himself for what happened,” she said. “This all started because of Pan’s interest in him. You have to let Henry know that it’s not his fault and that no one blames him. And besides that… he needs his father in his life. I’m sure Emma would agree.”
“She does,” Neal said. “But, ah… It’s difficult with him around.”
Belle nodded in sympathy, having heard of the triangle forming between him, Emma, and Hook. She was still wary of the pirate after he had wounded her just for the sake of spiting Rumpel.
The memories of how Rumpel had looked after her during her amnesia returned to her, unbidden. Despite however fruitless it had seemed, Rumpel hadn’t given up on her.
Her eyes fell upon the chipped cup. Gently, she held it in her hands as she watched the citizens of Storybrooke shuffle past the pawn shop. No one paused to stop inside-not even to ask how Belle was doing.
A life without Rumpelstiltskin was one that they could accept.
Belle tried not to be upset about it, but, despite her best efforts, it was impossible not to be. If the Charmings thought that a few words of condolence would be enough, they were mistaken.
She placed the cup back on its place in the back shelf and stepped outside. Dusk was falling upon the now-peaceful town, with no indication of the tragedy that had occurred merely a week before.
A few tears slipped from her eyes as she glanced up at the darkening sky; as someone approached, she hurriedly dried her eyes.
“Belle?”
“Hello, Dr. Hopper,” Belle answered, putting on a smile. “How are you?”
“Well, I’m fine. I was just wondering how you were holding up.”
“I’m holding up fine,” she said. “I’ve… I’ve just been…” She waved her hand towards the shop. “Looking… after things.”
“Ah. That’s… that’s good,” Dr. Hopper said. “But, I just wanted you to know, Belle, that my office is always open for you if you ever need to talk about anything. For Neal, too; is he around right now?”
“No; he’s with Henry,” Belle said. “I think spending time with Henry is the best thing right now; it’ll help with… the loss. Having someone who needs him, I mean. I’m going to be visiting my father soon; I’ll close the shop up for Christmas and…” She trailed off, her voice threatening to break.
Dr. Hopper was no fool, but he didn’t want to goad her into talking if she didn’t want to. He moved on to another topic.
“You know, Mr. Gold stopped into see me a couple times over the last couple of years,” he said. “Once was when he wanted to come to grips with what happened between him and Neal. The other time was when you were in the hospital with amnesia.”
“He saw you?” Belle asked, unaware of this. “He never mentioned it…”
“Well, I expect he didn’t want you to know how worried he was,” Mr. Gold said. “I can’t discuss our sessions in-depth, of course…”
“Yes, I know,” Belle said. “…But I wonder…”
“Wonder… what?”
Belle looked to the sky again with a sigh.
“When I was in the hospital, and he was spending time with me-when I didn’t know who he was still-he’d tell me stories. Did you tell him to do that?”
“Well, I can’t really say…” Dr. Hopper said, apologetically.
“I know you can’t,” Belle admitted. “Even though I didn’t know who he was at the time, I always did like to hear those stories-and he said that they were all true, that they were all people he’d met. There was one about a boy who found a genie and won the heart of a princess… One about a pig-keeper who became a king… One about a man from the stars who had two hearts and a magic box that he could travel the universe in…”
“He knew you liked stories,” Dr. Hopper said.
“I know,” she said, quietly. “I just wish that ours could have had a happy ending.”
A single point of light appeared in the night sky.
“The first star of the evening,” the psychiatrist said.
“Sorry?” Belle asked.
“Gepetto always said that the first star that appeared in the evening was the Wishing Star,” Dr. Hopper mused.
“Do you believe that?” Belle asked.
“Gepetto got the son he had always wanted,” Dr. Hopper admitted. “If a puppet can come to life and become a real boy, then maybe the man who saved this town can get a second chance.”
For a moment-a fraction of a moment, Belle wondered if she should dare to hope that it could be so. It seemed so impossible after seeing Rumpel vanish into nothingness before her eyes. And yet… Rumpel had never given up hope that she might have her memories restored-a hope that eventually pulled through.
“I hope so,” she said, at last.
Dr. Hopper nodded.
“I need to get going; Pongo’s waiting for his dinner. But you give me a call if you need to talk, okay?”
“Yes. Yes, I will. Thank you,” Belle said, sincerely.
After he had left, Belle returned to the interior of the shop, switching the sign from “open” to “closed.” Given the lack of customers, it was a force of habit, and Belle was considering that it would soon be time to close up the shop for good, unless Neal really wanted to take it over-and she doubted he would.
Already, she was starting to gather up some of the knickknacks, gathering them in small boxes. She intended to clear out another one of the drawers that evening, but as she opened it, she found herself staring at the sand dollar that Rumpel had sent with Aerial back when he had still been on Neverland-the sand dollar that had allowed the two of them to communicate across all that distance.
Slowly, she picked it up, sighing. Rumpel had resigned himself to believing that he would meet his end battling Pan. After he had returned, they had both believed he had been wrong. Alas, it seemed that he had been right all along.
“If there was ever a time I wish you had been wrong…” she said, quietly. “It would’ve been that moment I lost you.”
And then, the sand dollar began to glow-faintly. And the slightest sound, almost like an echo in a departing wind, touched her ears.
“…Belle…?”
Her breath caught in her throat; it had to be wishful thinking-a figment of her imagination…
“Belle, is that you?”
No, there was no mistaking it that time.
“Rumpel!?” she gasped in disbelief. “Rumpel, where are you!?”
There was a pause.
“I’m not sure. It’s dark. Very dark…” His voice seemed so shaky. “Where are you, Belle?”
“I’m… I’m in the shop. In Storybrooke.”
“Are you alright, Belle? Is Bae alright?”
“Yes. …When you stopped Pan, you stopped his curse… We’re all safe now. Do you have any idea where you are?”
“…Possibly. There’s a light in the other direction. Pan went that way soon after we arrived. I didn’t want to go until I was sure that you and Bae and everyone were alright. Now that I know….”
“Do you have to go!?” Belle cried. “Isn’t there any way you can come back?”
“…I don’t know…”
“You’re the most powerful sorcerer in the world; if anyone could find a way back, it would be you!” Belle exclaimed. “You can hear my voice, and that’s a start, isn’t it? You’ve still got a link to here… to the living world!”
The situation was clear to her now; only days after his sacrifice, he was still in some sort of limbo, but the doorway to the next world was there-inviting him. But, surely, there was a doorway back?
“Yes, I can hear you. I can even tell what direction your voice is coming from.”
“Then, follow it home!”
There was no reply for a moment.
“It hurts, Belle…”
“What do you mean?”
“The more I travel in the direction of your voice, the more it hurts. The other way, towards the light… it doesn’t hurt.”
Belle was torn. There possibly was a way back, but how could she force Rumpel to come back through such pain when it would be easier for him to reach the other side painlessly? She couldn’t put him through something he didn’t want to do-not after he had saved her and everyone else.
“I won’t tell you what to do,” she said. “But I want to return the favor you did for me when I had amnesia. I want you to listen to a story. …You know it well, but I think I ought to tell you, anyway.”
“…I’m listening.”
“Once upon a time, there was a man-a man who loved his son very much. This man wanted nothing but the very best for his son, and he thought that power would help him get it. But this power caused him to make some mistakes, and his son went away, to a land without magic.
“The man was deeply saddened by this, and he worked tirelessly to find a way to see his son again. He traversed his way through the land, hardening his heart and using his powers. And after many years, he met a girl. And though he did his best to keep up that wall around his heart, it was to no avail. The wall came tumbling down. But it turned out alright because… she loved him, too, very, very much.
“But then, they were separated, for a very long time. But, somehow, they found each other again. Something or other always tried to separate them, but they did their best to stay together. And things got better. The man found his son after so many years, and then he found his courage.” Her voice broke, but she kept on talking. “He faced his deepest fears to rescue his grandson, and then he saved an entire town of people-at the cost of his own life. He became a hero…”
She trailed off as something started moving in front of her-the very space itself started to ripple. The ripple grew larger, as though something was coming between two different dimensions.
And then, a hand extended from the ripple, shaking and tense with obvious pain. Without a second thought, Belle reached forward and took the hand in her own. Immediately, the fingers clasped around her own hand, and after hesitating for a moment, she pulled, revealing an arm, and then, the man attached to it.
With a last gasp of pain, Rumpelstiltskin emerged from the rift, which closed up behind him; he was still holding her hand, which, a moment ago, had literally been his lifeline.
“…And then what happened?” he asked, asked he caught his breath.
She shook her head with a teary smile.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I suppose that’s for us to decide…”
They stared at each other for a moment before he took her in his arms and kissed her. Another ripple-this time, one of golden light, filled the room and spread beyond the walls of the shop.
Rumpelstiltskin pulled away from the kiss for a moment.
“What is it?” Belle asked.
“I feel… different…” he murmured. “My magic feels different.”
He held his hand out, but instead of the dark wisps that usually accompanied his magic, bright sparks danced around his fingertips.
“…It’s not dark magic anymore,” Belle said, thinking out loud. “It looks like the light magic that Emma has.”
Whatever reply Rumpelstiltskin had to that observation was preempted by the shop door opening.
“Hey, Belle,” Neal said, carrying a takeout bag from Granny’s. “I just dropped Henry off at Regina’s and wanted to check on-” The takeout bag fell from his hand. “…Papa…?”
“Bae…!”
Rumpelstiltskin, still keeping one arm around Belle, now extended his other arm to his son. For an instant, Neal seemed like a child again as he ran to his father’s side, hugging him tightly.
“…How…?” he asked, hardly daring to believe that this was real.
“It was Belle,” Rumpel said. “She guided me back from limbo.”
Belle and Neal now extended a hand to each other in this tiny group hug.
“Belle… I can’t even begin…” Neal stammered. “I owe you…”
“No,” she said, still crying tears of joy. “You don’t owe me anything; I wanted him back as much as you did. And I know you’d have been able to bring him back to if you had been holding that sand dollar.”
Neal was still at a loss for words; Rumpel seemed to be the same way. But there didn’t need to be words to convey what they were feeling. It was only after a while that Rumpel finally spoke.
“There is something that you both need to know,” he said, letting go again to attempt to summon his magic and once again ending up with bright sparks. Neal arched an eyebrow at this display, never seeing it before with his father. “This light magic confirms what I suspected-though I came back, the dagger didn’t.”
“Then, you’re no longer the Dark One?” Belle asked.
“It would seem so,” the sorcerer said. “But it also means that my powers have been affected, and that I am no longer immortal.”
There was a pause as Belle and Neal regarded this.
“We’re both going to get to spend some more time with you,” Neal said, at last. “However long it lasts this time, I’m just glad we’ve got it.”
“I agree,” Belle whispered.
Rumpelstiltskin glanced at the two of them. Switching from dark magic to light magic would no doubt cause a significant change and likely reduction of his powers.
“I agree, too,” he said, holding them close again.
Whatever it was he had been forced to give up, he had received far more in return.