Regina's POV

The forest captivated such beauty as the sun set. Especially during the fall. The weather hadn't quite cooled yet, so a walk amongst the trees was still pleasurable. It was nice to find peace amidst the chaos that now consumed her mind. She knew Robin believed she was pushing him away, and she was… but for his own good. Once she had defeated Zelena, Snow would have the kingdom back, and she would get to live her days wild and free alongside the love of her life. The image was enough to make her believe she might be able to defeat her sister, but there was still so much to go through. Their happily ever after wouldn't come quickly.

Unaware of her surroundings with her head in the clouds, she failed to see her old mentor appear in a puff of smoke a few yards ahead of her.

"Hello, dearie," he chuckled. Regina felt her body automatically fall into a defensive stance, but he waved her off. "Don't fret. I'm not here to harm. I'm merely here to supply a… warning."

"This isn't how you said we would we meet again," she hissed.

"Oh, dearie, that time is still to come. The knowledge I'm here to give will make the game a little more interesting for me," the reptile-skinned man smiled.

"I'm not a part of any game of yours, Rumple. I'm going to end this on my own." With that she turned to walk away, but his reply struck her.

"You'll never be strong enough, dearie," he called. "And when Zelena defeats you, she'll kill every one of your husband's "merry men", followed by the princess, and finally your husband." She turned around, feeling a new fury stirring through her blood.

"I'll take my own life if I have to! The thought isn't a new one to me! She'll have no reason to hurt them if I'm gone, and my life is the only one lost." Once again she tried to leave, hoping her argument will be enough.

"Your life will be the only one lost?" He snickered, and in that moment she felt something inside of her. Something real and alive. The tears came before she had a chance to think, and the joy she should have felt was shaken by the thought of having another life so tightly intertwined with hers that Zelena could bring harm to.

At the sight of her dismay, Rumple giggled and vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving Regina alone in the now dark forest. She fell against a tree for support because she can no longer keep her balance. The tears blurred her vision, so she didn't see her husband fast approaching, but she soon heard him.

"Regina!" he called. "Regina, what's happened?"

"Robin, I… I'm pregnant."

Robin's POV

I'm pregnant.

He didn't know what to say. Regina was pregnant. This was something he hadn't known he had wanted until the words left her mouth. A baby. With her eyes and his smile. But clearly by his wife's state, she wasn't nearly as overjoyed as he was.

Instead of asking why, Robin took his wife into his arms and just held her, letting her tears fall.

"I want this so bad, Robin," her voice his muffled into his shoulder. "I want this life with you, with our baby, but not now. Not until we're safe from her. Not until I'm strong enough to keep our child safe." In that instant, he understood. He understood why she had been keeping her distance. Regina was not only trying to do this all on her own, but she was trying to close herself off again, believing that if she could disconnect herself from the family they had created with Robin's band of misfits or even Snow, Red, and Granny, she could save them all from the agony they would face if whatever Zelena had planned worked. But with their child now stirring inside of her, Regina had realized that would no longer work. There was now one person she couldn't physically just run from.

"One of these days, you crazy woman," he laughed, lifting her chin so she would look at him. "I'll convince you that you don't have to run anymore, that you're not alone. What we have is stronger than you think, and this," his hands falls to her stomach. "will only give us something bigger to fight for." He assumed his words had calmed her at least a little because she relaxed into his embrace as if she was attempting to melt into him.

"I love you, Robin," she whispered.

"As I love you."

He just hoped their love would be enough.

oOoOo

Rumple's POV

The days passed blissfully now that he had Belle. Of course the words would never enter his forethought let alone exit his mouth, but the young maid had enchanted him with a new kind of magic. A strange, powerful magic. But it couldn't have been love.

No. Not love.

Bae's birthday comes as a day of mourning for the Dark One, but for the first time, he isn't alone. For the first time, someone cares enough to inquire about his son. And for the first time, when he speaks of Bae being lost to her, he feels hope that he may find him again.

But this isn't love.

He catches her when she falls (quite literally), and they bond over a chipped cup of all things, and he shows her the wonders of his library, and she sees past the scales and the green to see the man who he once was.

And, okay, maybe this is something close to love.

He finds her worth to be greater to him than the gauntlet when the time comes for him to chose. He can't lose her.

And, yes, he loves her, so he must give her the chance to be free.

Belle's POV

The sun peaked ever so slightly from the gray clouds, and the air smelt of yesterday's rain, and she was in love. And she believed he might actually love her in return, so while she enjoyed the feeling of being able to roam freely amongst the woods again, Belle moved briskly as to return to the Dark One's castle all the sooner.

As she approached a main road, the familiar sound of a horse's whine filled her ears followed by the creaking of a carriage. Belle came to a halt to allow what appeared to be a royal's carriage to pass, but instead of continuing along the path, it slowly came to a halt right before her. The door creaked open and the queen came into Belle's vision. Remembering her manners, she curtsied before the magnificently dressed woman.

"Hello, there," the queen smiled. "What's a beautiful young maiden such as yourself doing in the midst of the woods?"

"On my way to the market," Belle replied, still unsure of why the queen would stop her chariot just to converse with her.

"Well, the market is along the road to the palace, would you care to join me until then?" While there was something off-putting about the queen's friendly demeanor, the offer seemed sincere and harmless enough, and her feet were aching. With a polite nod, Belle stepped into the grand carriage and took the seat across from the queen.

They rode in an awkward silence (well awkward for Belle at least, the queen looked as if she were holding back a cheek aching smile) for the first few minutes until the queen finally spoke.

"Who is it that sent a beautiful maiden like you into the woods alone?" The queen (Zelena, Belle believed her name was) inquired.

"Just my... master." Belle feared telling the queen her connection to the powerful sorcerer.

"Nobody tends to flush like that when speaking of their master, my dear," she grinned. "Are there feelings you've been hiding from this "master"?" She wasn't exactly comfortable discussing her romantic feelings with the queen, but, gods knew, she needed to get this off her chest.

"I haven't been hiding them so much as not being able to reveal them," she explained, but the words hardly even made sense to her. "You see... well... he's... um... cursed is the best word for it, I suppose, and I feel I can't tell him even though I believe he feels the same way until the curse is fixed or I guess broken might be a better word." The carriage began to slow as they approached the market.

"You know," Zelena smiled as ride came to a stop. "True love's kiss breaks any curse." The words hit Belle like an arrow, but she said nothing as she exited the chariot. "It was pleasure to meet you, Belle." As the carriage pulled away, Belle tried to remember if she had even told the queen her name at any point in their short time together, but she brushed off the thought as the queen's words echoed in her mind.

True Love's kiss can break any curse.

Without retrieving a piece of straw, back to the castle Belle began to run.

A/N: I am alive! (and I hope to update again soon.)