I don’t really see this on TV so much for obvious reasons because the universe has to be established, before someone can go back in time and want to change stuff. Zelena wanted to go for this but it never happened.
Last night I was wondering how people create angst because I don’t think I’m any good at it. I just want to bang people’s heads together and make them communicate and of course if they actually talk, then that usually fixes most things.
Then I couldn’t sleep and I started wondering about Rumbelle and True Loves Kiss in season 6, and how what if the consequences of that aren’t what we hope, but what could happen (worst case scenario I guess) based on their treatment on the show.
This could be a fic idea but it’s too sad I don’t want to write it. Major character death is something I usually don’t read because dead is dead, once it happens then there’s no fixing it and I like my happy endings.
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Step one, obviously the true loves kiss and this breaks the sleeping curse and the curse of the dark one. This would be an excellent starting point for their reconciliation, he would have proved beyond doubt that he loved Belle more than his power. However, it would render Rumple powerless and vulnerable.
Imagine then they come back to Storybrooke. They have a lot of reasons to do that, it’s their home. Neal’s grave is there, they both have family in town (though not family that cares about them) and well the show revolves around Storybrooke. Whenever they are out of town they fast-forward until they are back, and then do flashbacks to wherever they were. Except when they were in the underworld which was Underbrooke, so a little different.
Hook then finds out what Rumple did to Milah, throwing her in the river of lost souls. He could find out lots of different ways, maybe Henry writes the tale with the authors pen. Anyway, Hook’s default is revenge and it’s not exactly a great stretch to imagine him going after Rumple and now Rumple doesn’t have magic, Hook could finally kill him quite easily.
Emma and the Charmings would excuse it because it was Rumplestiltskin, he had done horrible things, he would likely do horrible things. What does it matter that the man was just crossing the street at the time? What did it matter that he was powerless? He was Rumplestiltskin, he was the dark one for centuries, he was the darkness and he wasn’t worthy of anymore chances etc. etc.
Belle is then pregnant and alone. I don’t imagine that they would care about her anymore now, than they ever did. However, as much as we would like Belle to yell and point out all the so-called heroes hypocritical failings, I don’t think she would. Mostly because I think she would realize that it wouldn’t change anything. They wouldn’t listen, they wouldn’t understand, they would just think she was being emotional and grieving. They would never believe that they were wrong, no matter what she said.
However, to ramp up the angst even more. I don’t think Belle would be able to stop helping the ‘heroes’ because she doesn’t do it for them. I think she does it because she genuinely believes it’s the right thing to do. That saving Storybrooke isn’t about the ‘heroes’, it’s about everyone else. The true qualities of a hero, forgiveness and compassion etc.
Belle would be all that baby had. If she went off to save Storybrooke and got herself killed ‘playing the hero’ then what would happen? She did what she believed was right and paid the ultimate price for it. Parents should be selfish, and leave the heroics to others but this show doesn’t do that. The Charmings are always abandoning baby Neal, Robin left Roland etc. It’s not a massive stretch to imagine it could happen.
What then? Belle would likely believe that no matter what the Charmings (and extended clan) thought of Rumple, that they would take care of a baby. However, they don’t exactly have the best track record with villains children – Maleficent and Lily anyone? I reckon that they would take the child, the ‘spawn of the dark one’, and dump it over the town line. They would take it far enough that it was found, it would be cared for and they just forget about it. Not their problem.
I wish that I believed that this was all ridiculous and it could never actually happen. Maybe I’m just a little cynical but I don’t think it’s all that out of character for anyone.
Right so when does the time travel come in? Well, it’s no fun spinning a plot like this, that has major character death because if they are dead, then they aren’t going to be reacting to what happened.
If Zelena raises baby Robyn, I could see that ending badly and turning her into wicked witch 2.0 who despises her mother, but who isn’t above taking a leaf out of her playbook – time travel.
I could also see Henry tracking down the Rumbelle child when he/she was 18 because they should know where they came from. To Wicked Witch 2.0 the Rumbelle child would be a good bargaining chip in the past. After all, time travel aside, he/she would be Rumple’s second born child and a convenient ‘extra’ to get rid of the contract still hanging over them in the past. Plus nobody knows more than Zelena what lengths Rumple would go to for his child, do you really think he would do much less for one torn out of time?
Cue a time portal opening back in Storybrooke (pick your season/moment) and 2.0 and a very pissed off Rumbelle child falling out. Bonus points if they drag some other grown up kids along, to yell at their parents for screwing them over so badly – hence why it’s a fanfic trope.
Could have this plot without the time travel at the end. That was just be majorly sad because there would be no fixing it. Rumple and Belle would be dead, their child abandoned to the welfare system, before getting a biased account of their parents and likely nothing else. For all Rumple’s apparent wealth in Storybrooke, I doubt that they would let the kid see any of it. Just misery all round, except for the Charming extended clan, who would lose nothing and everything would be alright in their world.
I’m a sucker for a happy ending and the “going back in time to scream at people” kinda makes for a happy ending. With communication could eventually become understanding, forgiveness and acceptance. Who knows, maybe seeing how their actions play out could even give the ‘heroes’ an outside perspective and make them change their careless ways.
