Once Upon a Time belongs to Adam, Eddy, and ABC, of course: I'm just giving my favourite characters some happiness.

Lessons Learned

He wakes on the cot in the back room. He sleeps a lot these days, still weak after having his heart cleansed. He gets a little stronger every day, but it's only been a few weeks since Belle's kiss woke him up and it's going to take a long time for his heart to be back to the way it was before the Darkness.

He smiles at the thought of Belle. She's been with him every day, always close when he needs her. He seems to need her a lot now. He feels stronger with her close, and that's probably because she's his True Love and her kiss brought him out of the darkness he'd been wandering in. Every time she kisses him, he feels stronger, feels the love in his heart grow. It's like he's been born again and he's clinging to her to figure out how to live and love again.

His memory of his past life troubles him. It's as if it's another person's life, or as if he's looking at things he did from the outside and wondering why on earth he's doing them. The only things he feels are him are the love for Belle and his beloved boy: that's all he recognises of himself. He knows he's done terrible things, though: he dreams of them sometimes and wakes feeling sick and sad and sorry. Belle holds him then, soothing him and telling him it's going to be alright. When he looks into her eyes, he believes her. She talks to him and forgives him and holds him when he cries. It's going to take time to get to grips with everything and to figure out where he goes from here, but Belle is here, and that's good: that's very good, because she sees the good in him, and she helps him see it in himself. She helps him see that he is not the Darkness.

He knows that Belle is just beyond the curtain, taking care of the shop as he sleeps, but when he sits up, intending to go to her, he hears the bell over the front door jingle and someone come into the shop.

'Will,' Belle says, surprised.

He frowns and then scowls. Scrappy: what does he want?

'Hiya, Belle,' he greets.

'Hello,' she returns.

He smiles a little, detecting the strained atmosphere. He's not sorry he's pleased. Scrappy tried to take her from him and he's not above feeling a little smug that she came back to him in the end.

'Came to see how you were doing,' Scrappy says, coming further into the shop.

'That was nice of you,' she says. 'I'm very well: how are you?'

He stands with the aid of his old cane and moves closer to the curtains. He doesn't like that man here, sniffing around Belle. He feels a burning in his chest and he knows what it is: jealousy.

'I'm alright,' Scrappy says, 'no complaints.'

'That's good,' Belle says. 'Is there anything you need?'

He doesn't like this. He doesn't want her talking to him, but he knows he can't tell her to stop, and he never would. Belle likes her freedom, and he knows she wouldn't appreciate him telling her who she can and can't talk to. Still, it's hard to control the urge to go out there and take her hand and pull her close. Suddenly, he just needs her desperately.

'Nah,' Scrappy says: 'just came to check up on ya.'

'Check up on me?' Belle asks, and he can hear her wary tone even if Scrappy can't.

'Yeah. Can't be easy dealing with him.'

'I'm dealing with him just fine, Will,' she says assuredly. 'He's not dangerous,' she continues.

'Sure about that, are ya?' he asks.

'Of course,' Belle says, defending him again, which makes him smile.

'I'm just worried about you, is all,' Scrappy explains. 'I can't help but think you'd be better off if he hadn't come back.' He takes a few steps. 'You and I had a good thing going, didn't we?'

He knows that the other man is standing close to Belle now and he holds his breath, waiting for her response. Does she miss him? Does she want to be with him instead? He doesn't know how he'll deal with it if that's the case. He needs her.

'I'm in love with Rumple, Will,' she says quietly, but assertively. 'I've always been in love with Rumple.'

'He broke your heart,' he reminds her.

'Yes, but he had the Darkness influencing him, and I've forgiven him for deceiving me, and he's forgiven me for hurting him, and we're moving past it together. Look, you were a friend to me when I needed one: you made me smile, and when I thought I'd never see Rumple again, and when I thought my love wasn't enough for him, your friendship and understanding were a comfort, but I know now that only Rumple can make me truly happy. You helped dull the pain a little, and for that I'll be forever grateful, but my heart is Rumple's: it always has been. I'm sorry if that hurts you, but when Rumple and I were apart, I felt like a traitor to my own heart: I can't go through that again, I won't. I'm not better off without him: I know that now, and I'll be with him forever.'

He takes a breath as relief floods him. His heart yearns for her even more and he can't stop himself from stepping out past the curtain into the front of the shop.

It's as he suspected: Scrappy is standing too close to Belle, but she turns when she hears him coming and smiles warmly.

'You're awake,' she says, coming to join him.

He nods and smiles at her.

'Did you sleep well?' she asks.

He nods and looks at their visitor.

'Do you remember Will?' she asks.

'Yes,' he says, but he doesn't say anything else, only looks intently at the other man, who backs away, obviously still unnerved by him even though he's not the Dark One any more. He doesn't mind seeing the other man intimidated by him. He probably should feel guilty, but he doesn't: he only cares that Belle is close. He wraps his arm around her and she smiles at him.

'Right, well, I'll see ya round, Belle, yeah?' Scrappy says, heading for the door.

'Bye, Will,' Belle says, but the other man is already gone. She laughs a little. 'I think you frightened him off,' she says.

'Good,' he growls, turning his head to bury his face against her neck.

She rubs his shoulder, humming. 'Don't tell me you're jealous,' she says softly.

He squeezes her a little, pulling her closer.

She looks up at him, stroking his cheek. 'Hey, there's no need,' she tells him, 'my heart's yours: it was never anyone else's. You know that, right?'

He drops his forehead against hers and she smiles at him.

'I love you,' she whispers, 'I've only ever loved you, and you know what I realised?' she asks, stroking his cheek gently.

'What?' he asks.

'I realised that, no matter what, I would never feel for anyone else what I feel for you. I learned so much about myself while we were apart. As painful as that time was, I see now that I needed to go through it. I needed that entire experience.'

'Even Scrappy?' he asks.

She smiles a little. 'I didn't know you called him that.' She doesn't scold him, though, so he figures she's not mad. 'Even him,' she says. 'It's ok,' she says, when he growls and pulls her close again. 'It's really ok,' she tells him, stroking his hair. 'Every moment I spent with him, my heart was longing for you. Every time he touched me, I just wanted you. I didn't let myself fully accept that until the night you returned my heart. After you left, I told him that I couldn't see him any more.'

He's still holding her close, his face buried against her neck now. He needs to know something.

'Belle, I need to know…did you and he…did you…?'

'No,' she tells him, realising what he's asking. 'No: we were never intimate. I could never give myself to anyone who doesn't have my love, and that was always yours, Rumple. Really, all he was was a distraction from my pain. He was nice to me. Everyone sort of left me to my own devices after I made you leave, but he came to me and said he understood what I was going through. He said if I wanted to talk, he was there. I think he did understand how I felt: that's how we became friends, and my heart hurt so much that I didn't want to feel it, I didn't want the pain. I told myself to move on: I tried to, but my heart wasn't in it. Every moment I was with him, I knew that, but I kept trying to fool myself. I never cared for him very deeply: he was just a distraction from my pain over losing you. I never loved him, Rumple: I could never love anyone but you.

'You have to believe me, Rumple,' she whispers, kissing the side of his neck. 'You have nothing to fear. All I want is you. You're all I need. I know that now more than ever. Our time apart was good in one way because it showed me that: it showed me that I never want to be anywhere but at your side. I'll never wonder if there's anything better, because I know there never could be, not for me. I love you more now than before. You have to believe me, love,' she whispers.

He nods. He believes her: of course he believes her. Belle doesn't lie to him: that's not who she is. And she's right: if that time apart taught her the value of their love, it was good, even though it hurt like hell. And he can even grudgingly thank Scrappy for being a friend to her, even though he tried to steal her from him.

'I love you,' he whispers.

'I love you too,' she tells him earnestly.

He smiles and kisses her. She kisses him back, but she feels his urgency and pulls away before it can get too heated.

'Easy,' she murmurs, 'you're still getting your strength back.'

'I'm strong enough to make love to my wife,' he tells her. It's been a very long time since they've been intimate like that and he craves it now. He feels like if he can be close to her in that way, he'll recover even faster.

'Rumple,' she whispers, trembling, and he feels that she wants it too.

He kisses her, feeling another little drop of love enter his heart.

She lets him kiss her a little more, but then she turns away, her hands on the counter, holding herself up as she tries to breathe.

'We should wait a little longer, Rumple,' she says: 'I don't want you to get hurt.'

He wraps his arms around her waist. 'It won't hurt,' he tells her: 'it'll help me get stronger. Belle,' he whispers, kissing her neck, 'beautiful Belle, I need you.'

'Rumple,' she whimpers, turning her head and finding his lips for a kiss. 'I've missed you, love.'

'Me too,' he whispers.

She turns back to him and they kiss again urgently.

'Promise you'll tell me if it's too much,' she entreats.

'I promise, but it won't be,' he insists.

He knows she's worried, but he can make her forget that. He's missed seeing her like this, face flushed, her eyes full of love and desire. He's missed how she looks when they make love. He needs to see that now more than he needs to breathe.

He kisses her, keeps kissing her. Every kiss pours love back into his heart and he needs that now, because the love chases away all the doubts and fears.

'I love you,' he whispers, running his hands all over her.

'I love you too,' she returns, starting to unbutton his shirt. 'I've missed you, my love: I've missed you so much. When we kissed at the well, I never wanted to stop. I have to tell you I meant that kiss and everything I said before she made me pull away: you know that, don't you?'

He nods and kisses her neck. He does now, having had time to think. At the time, he wondered if Regina made her say and do everything, but Regina didn't know their vows, or what the chipped cup meant to them. All of that had to have been Belle.

'I wanted you so much,' she whispers. 'Even without my heart, I wanted you. I want you now.'

He surges against her, kissing her fiercely, and she tries to keep up with him, panting for breath at his hungry kisses and the way he moves against her. He needs her so badly: he feels like he'll die if he can't be with her, but he can see her struggling to breathe and he knows it's too much too fast.

'I'm sorry,' he breathes, starting to pull away, but she pulls him back.

'No: don't stop,' she entreats. 'I don't want to stop.'

'I don't want to hurt you,' he says, 'and I feel like I might. I just… I need you desperately.'

She runs her fingers through his hair soothingly.

'I understand,' she says. 'It's been a long time since we made love and we need to be together like that, maybe more than other couples. I need you too: I felt like part of me's been missing since the night I banished you,' she confesses.

He nods. Of course she understands. She's his wife, his True Love, his soulmate: she understands the need to be with each other.

'Tell me if I hurt you,' he entreats.

She kisses him quickly. 'You won't.'

He kisses her, groaning as she seems to melt into him. He wraps his arms around her as she wraps hers around his waist, and they're hip to hip now, pressed against each other.

'Want you,' he gasps.

'Back room,' she pants: 'cot.'

He understands, beginning to manoeuvre them in that direction. He abandons his cane, trusting Belle to keep him on his feet. They bump into a few things, but they reach their destination and collapse onto the narrow cot.

She smiles up at him as she quickly finishes unbuttoning his shirt and pushes it off his shoulders. Her soft hands on his skin feel like heaven and he watches her as she places her hand over his heart.

'Strong and steady,' she says.

'You make it that way,' he tells her.

She smiles and kisses him, and they don't say anything, now, as they undress each other. She gasps and shivers under his touch, and her eyes have that heavy-lidded look that he loves.

After everything, it's a miracle that she still loves and wants him, and he doesn't intend to mess it up again.

'My darling Belle,' he whispers, staring down at her as she breathes deeply, her skin flushed and glowing. It's so beautiful to see her face like that: lit with pleasure and wonder. He's so lucky, so, so lucky to have yet another chance with her.

She strokes his cheek and rises up to kiss him, her legs bent at the knee, cradling him between her thighs now. He can feel the heat of her so close and he longs to be buried deep inside her.

She smiles radiantly at him now and then bites her lip. Gods, he knows what that means: she's excited. He leans down and kisses her and she smiles against his lips. He smiles too.

'Are you ready?' he asks softly.

'Yes,' she says, smiling.

He stares at her as he sinks into her and she stares right back. He can feel his heart filling with love, getting stronger, and he can hardly comprehend how love can be that powerful. It's incredible.

'I love you,' Belle breathes, moving with him, staring up at him.

'I know,' he says, awed: 'I-I can feel it, Belle.'

'Here?' she asks, putting her hand over his heart, awe in her eyes.

'Yes,' he says. 'True Love,' he murmurs, smiling.

Belle's lips tremble and a tear trickles down her cheek, but she's happy: he can see it in her eyes. He knows that she knows he believes it now, believes that someone could love him. It's taken three hundred years, but he finally believes he is loved. How could he not? He can feel his heart literally filling with love, and, as they come together, he closes his eyes and smiles as she whispers I love you over and over.

'Yes,' he says, 'and I love you too.'

The End

So, that's genuinely what I think of the Belle/Will thing, that it helped her realise that Rumple was all she wanted, that it reaffirmed Rumple as her True Love. I think that whole experience taught her the value of what she had, much like Rumple's experience post-"Skin Deep" taught him the same. Thanks for reading :)