I do think they have to reconcile. If we’re routing for Neal to reconcile with his father, I think we need to give similar consideration to Belle and Maurice. Both fathers did what they did for their children out of love and suffered the consequences of their horrible decisions. I think for them to reunite, Maurice has to be repentant and realize the mistakes he’s made in pushing his daughter away. Deep down he does love her and rationalized that he was doing what he thought was best for her. It was wrong, it was horrible, but he loved her and was desperate.
I always got the feeling that the queen probably went to Maurice’s castle and spewed all kinds of lies about Belle dying at Rumple’s hands after she captured her just like she did to Rumple about Maurice shunning her and causing death. She stirs up chaos, meanwhile Belle is sitting in her cell in her own castle. Each man thinking a girl he loves (in different ways) has been destroyed by the other. Maurice probably believed this monster raped and tortured his daughter and when finds out she’s really alive and in love with him he did whatever he could think of to rescue her. I don’t think he really thought out the ramifications of Belle without her memory. He was just trying to save his daughter.
Ultimately, Maurice has to accept the fact the Belle loves Rumple and always will. After all they’ve been through I don’t think that’s going to stop. Maurice doesn’t have to love Rumple, but he does have to accept that this is the choice his daughter made, to spend her life with this man.
My hope is that Maurice encountered Lacey and realized the horrible thing he could have done to his daughter and that’s what wakes him and drives him to apologize once he realizes that Belle has returned, not just because Rumple has left.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.