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.