𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑳𝒀 - Rumplestiltskin [2]

sixty two

62|REUNITED

Celeste sat happily in her apartment, a baby in her arms. She hummed lightly, stroking his soft cheek while rocking him to sleep.

She loved babysitting Neal, the small baby always happy to see his aunt. A shiver went down her spine, her ears burning as she felt her name being spoken.

"A fake heart." His voice called out from the living room. "Did you mean what you said?"

"So you found out about our little plan." Celeste placed the baby in his crib before walking into the main room, finding him sat casually on the couch.

"Answer me!" Rumpel yelled at her, sending daggers at her relaxed form as she stood in front of him.

"Sadly I am a great actress." She leaned down and cupped his cheek, her breath on his ear, sending shivers down his spine. "We both know you didn't fall for me just over my looks. You love how I know exactly how to find someone's weakness and use it to get what I want. I don't need powers to have you wrapped around my finger."

"You are the worst type of villain." He smirked, pulling her on to his lap. "That is why I love you."

Celeste connected their lips, her hands in his hair as he stroked her hips. His hands traveled under her blouse, pulling it off her body before walking her into her bedroom.

Her back hit the soft mattress, soft gasps escaping her lips as his mouth travelled down her body. Her hands fisted his hair, voice loud as she begged him over and over again, careful not to wake Neal.

She lay on his chest, stroking circles over his heart as they both breathed heavily. He stroked her bare hip, happy to have his wife back in his arms.

"Your baby has been kicking." Celeste chuckled, looking up at him lovingly. "Been giving me a hard time."

"Definitely takes after his mother." Rumpel kissed her forehead, his hand on her stomach.

"You need to leave. Before the Charmings come home." She sighed, sitting up as she realised the time. "Wow, I feel like a teenage girl sneaking boys into her room."

"I'll come check on you soon." He kissed her head one more time before disappearing with a cloud of purple smoke.

~•~

Celeste stood back as everyone greeted Emma returning, a strange sense of guilt washing over her as she knew she needed to protect Emma even if it would kill her husband.

She sent a fake smile to Emma and Regina, nodding to them before sneaking away and picking up tea from Granny's.

Her heart stopped as she stepped into the store, the tea dropping to the ground before she dived forwards. Her fingers went to his neck, checking for a pulse.

"Rumpel?" Her voice broke as she shook his shoulders, turning him over so he was laying on his back. "Please, wake up."

Celeste sat him up against the counter, cupping his cheeks as she looked over his body, checking for wounds. A man appeared beside her in a cloud of smoke, raising a brow at her.

"Who are you?" She demanded, standing protectively in front of her husband.

"I'm the Author. Isaac." He introduced himself, crouching beside her as Rumpels eyes began to flutter open. He held out a vial of ink for Rumpel to see.

"How?" Rumpel groaned, holding Celeste's hand as she sat down with a large sigh. "No. I don't care how, and I don't want to waste time."

"That's what I thought." The Author nodded along in agreement. "Are you okay here?"

"I soon will be." He breathed out, trying to stand up. "Let go of me. Go, write."

"Write on what?" Rumpel snapped his fingers, a book appearing on the counter in front of the Author.

"Rumpel?" Celeste finally spoke, shuffling closer to check on him. "Please, what's happening?"

"Just wait." He reassured her before glancing at Isaac. "Now then, it's time villains finally win."

"Is this safe?" She squeezed his hand, finally becoming scared of her own husband as for once she did not know what he had planned for their future. "Actually, I don't want to know."

"Are you, uh, close?" Rumpel finally asked after a long silent pause.

"Hang in there, Dark One." The Author answered, still scribbling in the book. "Don't let that heart turn to coal just yet. You'll be fine. Better than ever."

"Why help me?" He questioned aloud, snapping Celeste's attention to look at him. She had grown used to sitting beside him quietly, cuddling as she kept an eye on his heart. "You have the quill now. You don't need me anymore."

"We're a lot alike." Both looked up at his answer, wondering what he meant. "We've both struggled mightily for happiness all our lives. You got power, became the Dark One, but you've never been the content one. I know what that's like. To always have dissatisfaction gnawing at you. Watching other people's happiness bloom. It's time for a world where up is down, where villains can have happy endings."

"And what does your ending look like?" Celeste asked warily, not trusting the man at all. "Treasure? Castle? Power?"

"In the Enchanted Forest?" The Author chuckled at her question. "Do you think I like dysentery and a forty year life expectancy? No, no, that's your world. I like room service and indoor plumbing. You're welcome to a happy ending in your land, I'll take one in mine."

"Rumpel?" She quickly placed a hand on his forehead, worried about his health as he started coughing.

"Continue with the writing, if you please." Rumpel waved off their worry.

"Of course. I just need one last detail." Isaac smiled at the pair. "Your son, Baelfire."

"Don't toy with me, scribe." He warned the man with a sigh. "Magic can't bring back the dead."

"No, it can't." The Author continued. "This quill and ink can only change a past it has created. Which is why I have to write your new story from this moment forward and into the future. But, in your new life, I can make you forget him."

"That is a horrible thing to say." Celeste snapped at him.

"No, never." Rumpel agreed with his wife. "I want my memories of him. But maybe with a slight adjustment. I would like a world where I remember doing right by my boy. Where he may be gone, but I can live with that loss. Where Bae sees me as a hero right at the end."

"He did see you as a hero." She whispered to her husband, squeezing his hand.

"I think I can do that." Isaac smiled down at the pair. "And, with that last piece, it's time to finish. The end."

The ground began to rumble, a light shooting out the book and blinding them all. Her head pounded, eyes going blurry before her mind went blank and she felt her body collapse.