Second Chance

Chapter Eight Monster Like Me

Belles POV

I stared at him. My heart hammering in my chest.

"Who did you sacrifice?" I repeated, my voice clear but shaky. 

He blinked at me, his lips quivered, trying to spill out the words i could hear trying to be formed together in his head. 

"Rumple?" I pushed him. 

I need to know. 

He cast a dark curse. He must have taken a life.

Who's? Who's would he take? 

"Regina! That's why you don't want her here - because she can't get here! You sick-" 

"No! no of course not Regina!" Rumple yelled over Snow's insults, shutting her up. 

Snow's cheeks were pink, her mouth sucked in, her fists tightened into little balls, ready to go to blows any second. 

I stand up, feeling extremely light-headed.

"Rumple," i turned to face him. 

"You have to tell me, right now," I said, feeling anything but brave but my voice making me seem so. 

"Uh- w - i -" Sounds that could formulate into words started to choke out of his mouth, only to be cut off as his he kept changing his mind with what to say.

I closed my eyes and breath out.

Why does he always do this? 

I thought everything was going to be fine...

But why would he cast a dark curse - all for me! I'm hardly worth it - hardly worth someone else life.

I felt hands reaching for mine and i don't have the strength to pull back, i simply opened my eyes to see Rumples madly looking into them. 

"Belle, please, i have done nothing that we can't, we can't do again, whoever it was, they can come back, there are ways, you have to see thats why i chose them," he pleaded, squeezing my hands, pain etched all over his beautiful face whilst mine remained expressionless and vacant. 

Please god just tell me Rumple, just tell me! Just tell me! 

But once he has, what am i supposed to do? Am i expected to just hug him again and tell him everything will be ok? That we can sort this out? But that would be selfish, id only be doing so that i don't lose him. But what if i can't deal with who it is? It's obviously someone I know, someone close, as he would just say if it was someone random. Am i supposed to leave him? As surely there is nothing more I can do for him? He has taken a life and other peoples happiness for his own, but also my life? So what do I do? It was selfless, but so selfish? Can i brand him a monster like everyone else will? Could I really do it to him? To myself? I made a vow to stay with him, till death do us part, but it did? I died. So what does that mean for us now? 

Whoever it is, there will be surely hell to pay... People storming into the castle, as they are separate from their loved ones, as I'm sure its not just Emma, Neal and Henry who have been left behind. 

Oh god. 

They are going to come for him.

Pretty soon people will figure out who did this, and will come for them. 

Yes Rumple is the dark one, but i'm pretty sure if a whole kingdom came together... 

I swallowed. I feel sick.

If that happens, do i protect him? Do I stand by him, for he did all of this for me?

This is all my fault.