What if there had been another way to find Bae? What if a portal to him could have been opened by the blood of a sibling? (Just a drop or two, nothing harmful of course.) Between his innate decency and the fact that he would want another child of his to have a mother who wanted them, I can’t see Rumpel forcing just any woman to bear the child of the Dark One. I think he would have first considered that an option with Cora, but then that fell through. But what if Belle were the one to summon him to save her people from the ogres, and Rumpel can see that she’s not afraid of him, not too off-put by his appearance. What if the deal he offered was that she go with him and bear his child, and stay to help raise it to adulthood – say twenty years.? After that she would be free to leave if she so chose.
And of course there must be plenty of baby-making smut.Yes please. I’ve wanted a fic like this for years.
Angst it up by having kid Gideon wonder if he was actually wanted, seeing as he was only born to enable his papa to find/save his big brother.
Throw in some miscommunication between Rumple and Belle. Belle might have agreed to the deal but Rumple thinks that was all there was, and so the moment she’s pregnant he backs off because he would never force himself on her. Belle for her part then thinks that he has no interest in her. So they continue as platonic parents until something pushes them together.