Yes, seeing how Hades just used Belle and their unborn baby as leverage over Rumple, it isn’t all that surprising from our perspective. We have more knowledge than Rumple did at that point. However, the only things Rumple knew when the portal opened were (a) Hades had already been defeated thanks to Zelena, and (b) Henry and his mommies all wanted that Olympian crystal back. He likely thought the portal was some form of magic created either by Henry’s power as the author or by Henry’s mothers’ combined magic. Rumple didn’t yet know the Charmings were stuck in A Land of Untold Stories, so he had no reason to suspect Mr. Hyde was the one targeting him. Moreover, as much as we collectively give the Charmings a hard time for throwing Belle under the bus (which they did), Rumple had no reason yet to think anyone else besides them knew of Belle being in that box.
Well sure but maybe the portal was just a portal. Why does it have to equate to someone wanting to steal something. At the end of the day, a portal was opening up, and my first instinct would be not to get uscked up into it, and if I did, I would want what matters most to me. So Rumple knew a portal was coming, but certainly didn’t know someone was trying to steal anything. Hypothetically, if I knew a portal was opening up, I would grab what was dear to me, not necessarily what I thought had the greater potential of being stolen.
While I don’t think he really has learned anything (seeing how he keeps choosing power over Belle), I think he really does justify it by telling himself (and Belle in the box) that everything he’s done, he’s done to help her and the baby. However, I think there will come a time when Rumple will finally choose Belle and the baby over the power and that is when TLK will work. I don’t think he’ll get to experience a happy ending, but he’ll probably die a hero or something (again).
See I kinda of want Rumple to just be evil now because I’m sick of the flip floppiness. But I think for that truly to happen, he would have to go overboard, and the only way I see that happening is if Belle dies. So that’s what I want. But if that doesn’t happen, I suppose I’ll settle for Rumple dying a hero yet again or giving up his darkness finally for her.