After watching so much OUAT lately and reading a lot of the Rumbelle fics, I decided to finally write a story of my own. Hope you enjoy it.

Rumpelstiltskin, known as The Dark One to everyone in the Enchanted Forest, was on his way home from another deal. A king called him for help. The fields were dying, they were running low on food and his people were starving. He helped them in exchange for the kingdom to stop all trade with King George. He needed him bankrupt for future reasons. Instead of just transporting himself home, he decided to walk. It was a clear and cool night and he wanted to enjoy it. He also used that time to think. He was once again thinking about his son, Baelfire. He couldn't stop thinking about that night he let him fall through that portal. He still regretted the decision. It had been 300 years since that night and not a day went by when he didn't think about his son. He would see him again one day. Each day, he was getting that much closer.

A sound brought him out of his thoughts. It sounded like crying. He searched for the source of the sound. Next to a tree, he saw a small basket and whatever was in it seemed to be moving. He slowly approached it, ready to attack if necessary. When he looked inside, he was surprised by what he saw. It was a tiny baby girl. She couldn't have been older than a month or two. She wore a white dress and was covered by a thin blanket. Rumplestiltskin was puzzled by this. Who would leave their child in the middle of the woods? She could have been found and eaten by wolves or starved or froze to death. The small child continued to cry. He knelt and lifted the child into his arms. He ran a hand softly against her rosy cheek and flinched at her chilled skin. She was on the verge of death. Who knows how long she had been there, how long since she's eaten, how long since she had been taken care of?

He could have easily just left her there to die. The Dark One in him would have, but Rumpelstiltskin couldn't abandon her like her parents had. He knew both sides of abandonment. His father abandoned him to be Peter Pan and he abandoned his son to keep his powers. He didn't know why her parents abandoned her, but he didn't care. He couldn't allow himself to just leave her there. No child, especially a baby, deserved that fate. He gently rocked her in his arms as she continued to cry.

"Shhh. There, there, sweet babe. It's okay. Everything will be okay." He took her and transported them both to his castle. She was still crying and she was still cold. He needed to warm her up. He decided to kill two birds with one stone by giving her a bath. He took her to one of his many washrooms and conjured up a bath for her. Not to hot and not to cold for her delicate and sensitive skin. He also made a small seat to hold her in the shallow water. He stripped her of her soiled clothes and placed her in the small seat. He allowed her a moment to adjust to the warmth. She had calmed down and stopped crying. She looked up at him with bright emerald eyes. He expected her to start crying again. He expected her to be afraid of him, but she wasn't. There was no fear in her eyes, only curiosity. He noticed this and smirked. "Curious, aren't we, dearie?"

She then turned her attention to the water below her and splashed it, smiling and giggling. Rumple couldn't help but chuckle at the giggling child. It warmed his heart to see the child who was alone and crying just ten minutes ago smiling and laughing and playing in the water. The child was sweet and innocent. She didn't deserve to be abandoned. She deserved to be happy with parents that loved her. If he ever found whoever left her there to die, he would inflict a punishment on them worse that death. Pushing his homicidal thoughts aside, he grabbed a small cloth and washed the child. When he was done, she was clean and smelled of vanilla. He took her out of the tub and wrapped her in a fluffy white towel.

He summoned a clean white nightgown and diaper cloth on her. She was now warmed and cleaned. He figured now that she was hungry. He took her to the kitchen to fix her a bottle. He summoned up a baby bottle and filled it with milk. He placed the bottle in a pot of boiling water to warm up. While he waited, he sat at the table and gently rocked the baby girl in his arms. She continued to look upon him with curiosity and admiration. He stared back at her with tenderness and affection. He already felt a love for the tiny child. She had awoken a part of him that he thought had died a long time ago. She awakened the loving and caring father inside of him.

"Well, if I'm going to keep you as my own, you should have a name. What should it be, dearie?" He thought and thought of what her name should be. Years before, he thought of names for a girl if he and Milah were ever to have another child. Since she ran of with a pirate before they could, those names were long forgotten. He noticed the rosy tent in her cheeks that were there when he found her. He figured they were from the cold, but they stuck around. "Rosy cheeks. How about Rose? Little Rose."

She reached up and placed a tiny hand on his nose. He almost cried, remembering that Baelfire did the same when he was first born. After a few moments of marveling the child, he got the bottle from the pot and checked the temperature. It was perfect. He took out a jar from the cabinet and placed it on the countertop. He poured a spoonful of the golden sticky substance into the bottle. It was something he did when Bae was a baby and couldn't sleep. Warm milk and honey. He placed the top on the bottle and headed upstairs to his bedroom. He produced a rocking chair by the window and sat down. He opened the curtain and let the moonlight fill the room. He slowly rocked as he fed Rose. She drank greedily from the bottle. It has been a long time since she's had anything to eat, Rumple thought.

Rose drained the bottle in minutes. He put the bottle on the floor and lifted her to his shoulder. He gently patted her on her back. After a few more pats, she burped. He chuckled at the small sound. He brought her back down into his arms and continued to rock back and forth in the chair. She drifted off to sleep after a few minutes. He held her close as she slept. He savored the moment. He was a father again. He had a second chance to do better. A small part of him thought it was all a dream. He would wake up the next morning and she would be gone, just a figment of his imagination. His guilty conscience playing tricks on him. He wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. He held for another hour or two when he felt himself growing tired. He conjured up a crib for her under the window in the moonlight. He kissed her forehead, gently placed her in the soft cushioned crib and covered her with a blanket.

"Goodnight, my little Rose. Sweet dreams." He changed into his sleep attire and climbed into bed. He laid on his side and looked over at the crib until he drifted off to sleep, hoping she would still be there when he woke up, praying she wasn't just a cruel trick his mind was playing on him.

The Next Morning

Rumple awoke to a small noise. It was a soft cooing sound. He opened his eyes and they focused on a crib by the window. He quickly got up and went over to it. He looked inside and sighed in relief. He saw the child from the previous night. She was real. His little Rose was real and staring up at him with those big emerald eyes. She smiled and cooed when she saw him. She kicked her legs and put her hands in her mouth. He laughed at the small child and reached down to pick her up.

"Good morning, my Rose. I see you slept well." He lifted her and held her up. He looked up at her like an angel. He marveled at her. She was real. She was really there with him. She continued to giggle and kick her legs. He brought her down into his arms. He used his magic to change their clothes. He wore his leather pants, boots, a light brown long sleeve shirt, and dragon hide vest. She wore a red floral dress and matching bonnet and booties. "Let's get some breakfast, shall we?"

What do you guys think so far? Please R&R and NO FLAMES! Ain't nobody got time for that.