𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑳𝒀 - Rumplestiltskin [2]

final

FINAL|IN THE END DARKNESS NEVER DISAPPEARS

Celeste ran into the pawnshop, one hand holding her pregnant stomach with relief as her other held her heart.

"Rumpel?" She called out, smile dropping as she found Rumpel standing on shaky legs.

"Cel, you came back for me." Rumpel smiled widely at his wife.

"Well obviously." She snapped, helping him lean against the counter. "But I also need to make sure you don't hurt anyone else."

He stumbled over his words before collapsing on the ground, going unconscious as Celeste called out his name.

"Rumpel?" Celeste waved her hand over him, casting a simple spell to ease his pain. She slowly helped him sit up as he gained consciousness. "What's happening?"

"It's my heart." He grumbled, leaning against her for support. "The last human fleck of red is disappearing."

"Your ability to love?" She realised that she was not safe from him.

"At least, in the end, I get one last taste." Rumpel whispered to her. "We were happy in there. We were in love."

"I am already in love with you." Celeste chuckled, cupping his cheek and staring into his eyes. "I never stopped loving you. Everything we had in that book we can have here. Except I refuse to be a house wife. You could have been a good man, we could have had a good marriage. Why wasn't that good enough?"

"Because I didn't believe it back then." He teared up, holding her desperately. "Who could ever love me?"

"Me." She leaning into his touch. "I knew what I was getting into, Rumpel. I loved you when you were a lizard. I loved you when you were a beast. I loved you and I will always love you. I was never going to pull back."

"But I made you do just that." He whispered. "There's a whole world out there, Cel, for you."

"I am not letting you die alone." Celeste kissed his lips delicately, her tears soaking her cheeks.

"Go far away." Rumpel warned her, lifting his dagger. "When the man is gone, only the Dark One remains. And that is more dangerous than you can ever..."

"Rumpel!" The man collapsed into her arms, her fingers stroking his hair off his face as she begged him to come back to her.

~•~

Celeste burst into Granny's, running straight to Emma as she tried to catch her breath.

"Rumpel, his heart, he said it's almost gone." She breathed out, realising all eyes were on her. "And, uh, he said we're in danger. Please, help me."

Celeste led them to the store, the apprentice joining them with the hat. They stood around the unconscious man. The apprentice placed the box beside him as Celeste kneeled beside her husband.

"He tried to use the hat to free himself from the dagger." Hook stated as he remembered the last time Rumpel used the hat and almost killed him.

"This is not unlike that." The apprentice explained to the group. "We're pulling the darkness from him and containing it."

"Doesn't that mean that his heart will be healed?" Celeste asked the man curiously.

"Perhaps, if the strength is there." He warned her. "This is more dark power than the hats ever been asked to contain."

"Do what you need to do."

The apprentice began to cast the spell to open the hat, the darkness leaving Rumpel's heart. The heart in his hand glowed white before it entered his body once more.

"He's barely breathing." Celeste checked over her husband with worry.

"Rumpelstiltskin was the Dark One for centuries." The apprentice explained to her. "His return to the man he used to be will not be easy." He cast a spell over the unconscious man, preserving him. "This will preserve him until we discern if we can help him."

"If?" She questioned before waving off her concern. "Nevermind, thank you for your help."

The hat glowed black, shaking as a black cloud escaped, attacking the apprentice. Emma quickly protected him, casting light magic against the darkness. It flew out the door and into the streets, the small group chasing after it.

Emma helped the apprentice with Hooks help as Celeste leaned back against against a glass counter, placing Rumpel's head on her lap as the world around them became consumed with darkness.

She did not need to be with the heroes to understand what had happened. She did not need to be with them as her husband became her main concern. Celeste stroked his hair, humming to herself as a single tear fell down her cheek.

Life could have been easier if she was braver. If she had better control of her powers, she could have saved her husband long before his heart turned fully black.

Celeste closed her eyes as she prepared for the next difficult chapter of their story.