Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

In her kingdom, hidden away underneath a veil of roses, she would become a hero. Ballads would be written of her great sacrifice to the people and she would later be christened the Martyr Princess. On the first day of her absence the proud king would stand with his head held high and declare that the kingdom was safe from the tyranny of the inhumane ogres and also that prosperity would return to their humble home, almost hidden away from the rest of the world.

She had always believed in the principle of bravery and when presented with the chance to protect those that meant so much to her she had taken it without much thought. Regardless, however, being barely a girl of eighteen it was hard to not shed even a single tear. The road up ahead was bleak and without guiding candlelight and as she rode behind her captor she allowed herself one last look over her shoulder of the one place that she had ever known as home.

The brunt of the journey back to Rumpelstiltskin's estate was made in silence with no passing comments between her and her new master. He was a shadow in front of her, an impish nightmares dream. Belle could not help but feel grateful that he at least offered her the courtesy of a horse to herself, allowing her one last ride before being condemned to the darkness of his abode.

Her mount was a beautiful butterscotch colored pony with white hooves, young and very strong. Underneath the cover of night it was the _clip clop _of it's hooves that kept Belle from becoming completely undone. "There, there," she mumbled to herself, stroking the mare's white mane. "There, there." She repeated those words several times throughout the next four days.

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><p>When the sun was raised high over head in the sky the next day her master stopped and urged her to do the same. There was a stream nearby and it was there that he took the horses to drink and replenish their spirits, Belle watching wordlessly from behind a large hemlock tree. He showed no cruelty to them but when he reached out to stroke one behind the ear it whinnied and backed away from him. With neither screech nor flick of a whip he simply shook his head and stepped back before calling for the beast with a voice sweet like honey.<p>

"A charming spell," Belle observed, watching as the horse approached him, this time allowing him a brief scratch behind the ears. It was then that he dropped his sugary pretenses and took the horses, tethering them to a tree for the time being.

He had removed his saddlebag from his mount and was sorting through the contents, a small grin at lips when he found them. As he produced a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese Belle felt her mouth water, remembering that she hadn't eaten anything since dinner the night before. It was as her stomach let out a small rumble that Rumpelstiltskin looked up and laughed, spotting out her hiding place with ease.

"Well, are you just going to stand there, Dearie?" he asked, hands at his hips.

"E-excuse me?" she asked, sheepishly stepping out from behind the tree.

"I said, are you just going to stand there? I've only just gotten you, Dearie, and what a shame it would be if my new caretaker dropped dead of starvation before she even lifted a feather duster to my bookcases?" he punctuated this statement with a coltish giggle.

Belle allowed a nervous laugh to pass her lips and nodded her head. "Yes, of course." she said, nodding her head and stepping forward.

He had laid out a handkerchief and was now tearing apart the loaf of bread, taking the bigger piece for himself. Belle said nothing about this, more grateful that he was allowing her any food at all than she was offended.

They remained in the small valley for several hours, until the sun went down and the sky faded into soft pink hues and then transformed into the monochrome night. Belle was curled up in her cloak, lying against a tree and it was just as her eyes were beginning to grow heavy with sleep that she felt his hand at her shoulder.

"It is time again for us to continue our journey." he said, his face shaded by his hood.

She questioned him not and was quick to untie her pony and mount her, once more falling into the monotony of following him into the night.

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><p>When they finally did reach his estate Belle felt her breath catch in surprise. Even after living for eighteen years in a palace had she could not say that she had ever seen a place of such splendor. It was not was exquisitely bejeweled or trimmed with gold, what left Belle speechless was how the very walls seemed to buzz with magic. Her adventurer's heart which had lain dormant inside of her swelled with excitement and she was surprised by how well she was able to restrain herself for giving a whoop of joy and going to explore.<p>

As they trotted to the stable Belle allowed herself to take in the landscape and found that despite the magical whispers in the air she was disappointed by the lack of flowers or by any life at all. The sweet scent of hay filled her nostrils as they entered the dark stable and she was quiet as she waited for him to dismount. She was about to do the same but was surprised when she found him waiting for her, offering her his hand.

"What use would it be if you became broken before you could even peel a single potato?" he asked, giggling once more as he brought her down from the mare. He walked the young beast into it's stall and patted it tenderly on the nose, though the horse only neighed and retreated further back away from him.

He shook his head as he did every time he was rejected by one of the magnificent beasts and then stepped away from the stalls. Belle was left alone in the dark and almost assumed that he had forgotten her when she heard a soft whistle and then, "Do try to keep up, Dearie!"

They had burned through most of the day and already the sky was turning a mellow orange. As they reached the main entrance Rumpelstiltskin stopped and with a smooth flourish of his arm the front doors opened. Belle followed behind him into the castle, curiously eyeing her surrounding.

She spotted a pointed wizard's hat in the background, as well as two hanging marionette puppets, a boy and a girl. The hardwood floor creaked beneath her feet and as she ran her finger along the surface of the great oak table she knew that it was safe to assume that nearly everything was coated in a fine layer of dust.

"You'll have your work cut out for you, won't you, Dearie?" the elfish man asked, giggling and then taking her wrist. "It's probably best that I lock you up now, seeing as you'll have such a long day before you!"

"Oh!" Belle cried, tearing her eyes away from a lovely glass slipper resting on a satin pillow. "Where are you taking me?"

The beastly man stopped for only the briefest of seconds in a mock state of thought before picking up the pace once more. "Let's call it… your room." he said, giving a flick of the wrist and throwing open the door of her cell.

"M-my room?" Belle asked, her body shivering from the unwelcoming darkness which lay behind the door.

"Well, it sounds a lot nicer than dungeon!" He giggled, grabbing her by the wrist and shoving her inside.

"W-wait!" Belle cried, her eyes unable to adjust to the dank blackness of the room. "You can't just leave me here!" All she could hear from the other side of the door was the menacing sound of his characteristic giggle and what she only could have assumed to have been the first few steps of a jig.

She lay flat against the door for a moment or so before sinking to her knees and burying her face in her hands. It was true that she had wanted adventure in her life but it was hard then to know what exactly adventure entailed.


	2. Chapter 2

Rumpelstiltskin stood before the roaring fire place, his hands clasped behind his back. The wind outside was howling like the silver fanged beasts of the mountains and for a moment he allowed himself to remember those terrible, awful times when he had been nothing but a man. Even now, regardless of who he had become, it was when he was alone that he could feel himself slipping away and becoming human again. At least, in the figurative sense.

Sinking into the overstuffed cushions of his arm chair he sighed and buried his face against his hand, a tired groan passing his lips. How long had it been since she had entered his castle? How long since she had become a part of his home? Realistically she couldn't have been there for more than half a day and yet he could already sense every fiber of her being.

He had left her in the dungeon over an hour ago and as he poised a hand to his ear he realized that her cries had calmed down. Looking back to the fireplace he allowed himself to be lost in the soft crackling of the fire for a moment or two. Just as his eyes were beginning to grow heavy and his head began to sag a soft whisper penetrated the air and met his ears.

"So, she's finally fallen asleep." he muttered to himself, opening his eyes. Within seconds the fire had already died down to a dull murmur, and as he got to his feet he silenced it completely with a snap of his fingers.

Silencing a yawn, he left the main hall and walked down the cold stone steps to the dungeon. This time he went through the effort of unlocking the door himself, reaching into his pocket for a single golden key, strung from a delicate satin string. Belle lay crumpled on the floor in a heap of golden chiffon. Moonlight streamed in through the bars on the window and in her sleep her face betrayed her. Gone was the serious expression that she had forced during their journey and now he saw her for the young girl that she truly was.

It was not like him to show remorse for his actions, especially when it came to him making sure that he received the proper payment for his services. Regardless, he found himself feeling guilty not for having taken what was so precious to the king but for plucking such a beautiful flower while it was still in it's prime. With a soft sign he leaned down and scooped her up into his arms, the door to the dungeon closing with a soft gust of magic.

He had been serious when he had told Belle's foolish young fiancé that he had no interest in finding love (although, his true motives weren't necessarily to find himself a caretaker, either.) As he carried her up the stairs he had no passing thought to take her to his bed chambers and do what was only depicted in terrible, horrifying stories about beautiful girls and devils such as himself. The halls were lit with the soft glow of candles and as he reached the end of the hallway he gingerly nudged open the door with his foot.

By most standards it was the most plain room in the entire castle. The walls were painted with cheap white wash which dusted off onto the fingers with ease. There was a moderately small sized bed in the corner with starchy white sheets and one overly large, patched up pillow. It's only treasure was one bay window with enough space for a seat. The window overlooked the forest and in the morning generously fed on the warm sun rays outside, filling the room with a glorious golden shine. Depositing her on the bed in the corner, Rumpelstiltskin brushed some hair from his eyes and sighed.

He was not tired from carrying her weight all the way up the stairs, having carried bales of straw much heavier than her. What had seemingly drained all of his energy was his mere contact with her. As he looked down at her he saw that her petite frame hardly covered half of the bed, causing him to shake his head and leave. It hurt him to be in the proximity of such purity for overly long periods of time. More than anything he was surprised that his fingertips had not left stains on her soft, snow white skin. Leaving her in the dungeon had been the only practical choice for him and now as he retreated back to his own chambers he knew that he would have kept her locked up in there forever had he not been foolish enough to look at her and allow himself to feel emotions of any kind for another being other than himself.

* * *

><p>The next morning Rumpelstiltskin woke Belle abruptly, giving her no time to question her waking up in a room that was not the cold dungeon that she had fallen asleep in the night before. As he entered the main hall he took a seat at the head of the oak wood table, prattling his fingers together as he waited for her to arrive with a tray of tea. Eventually his ear caught the sound of her small feet padding across the floor, and he leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head.<p>

He greeted her with a gruff description of her new chores as caretaker. "You will serve me my meals, and you will clean the dark castle."

"I, I understand." she said, giving a short courtesy and then pouring him a cup of tea. His eyebrow kinked upward, though he showed no other sign of annoyance towards her seeming indifference.

"You will dust my collection and launder my clothing," he continued, gesturing to the wall-to-wall shelves filled with dusty books and keepsakes from his previous deals.

"Yes," she said, giving a curt nod of her head and adding a lump of sugar to his tea.

"You will fetch me fresh straw when I am spinning at the wheel."

Another nod, "Got it."

His lips formed a thin line for a second though by the time she had looked up he seemed to be deep in thought. Noticing her eyes on his face he lips curled upwards at the side in an impish grin and he added, " Oh! And you will skin the children I hunt, for their pelts." This seemed to get a rise out of her and as she dropped the teacup his grin grew even larger, pleased that he had broken past her wall of indifference.

"That one was a quip," he reassured her, flashing her his jagged brown teeth. "not serious." He giggled and waggled his finger at her, amused even more when her noticed the faint stain of red on her cheeks.

"Right." she mumbled, offering only the slightest shake of her head as she kneeled down to retrieve the cup.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry. It's chipped." she raised the pearly white tea cup to her eye level, examining the small chip on the rim. "You can hardly see it." she stumbled, offering for him to take a look for himself.

Rumpelstiltskin wrinkled his nose, his eyes still shining a bit with amusement from before. "Well, it's just a cup." he laughed, dismissing it as easily as he would a tangle in his mass of unruly hair.

Belle seemed reassured by this and got back up to her feet, refilling the cup with warm tea. "Oh, I never did ask before," she said, looking up to his face. "How do you prefer to take your tea? With one lump or two?"

"Black." he answered, his lips twisted into another grin.

* * *

><p>Over the course of the next few days Rumpelstiltskin made a point of it to work Belle to near exhaustion each day. The soft glow which had once seemed to emit from her lovely golden gown had long since faded, replaced now with the dingy tint of dirt. Even her auburn brown locks hung in awkward strings and clumps on her head.<p>

One day, as she was serving him his usual morning tea, the devilish elf couldn't help but take pity on her when she spilled the tea on her dress, promptly staining it.

"Now, now." he said, catching her attention right away. "There will be enough of that."

Getting up from his seat and walking over to her, he pressed his hand to the small of her back, leading her out of the main hall. She seemed confused as he walked her up the creaking old stairs, looking over at him curiously when they stopped in front of a room. With a snap of his fingers the door swung open and Belle gasped as he gathered her into his arms and stepped forward.

"Oh, you wicked man! What are you doing?" she cried, looking around the room questioningly.

"You, Dearie, could use a bath." he said, dropping her into a large basin, filled nearly to the brim with warm water.

She lay completely submerged under water for a minute or two before breaking through the surface, gasping deeply.

"Wash up, Dearie. I'll be expecting you to be ready to continue the rest of your chores within an hour." Rumpelstiltskin said, not even waiting for her response as he left the room.

* * *

><p>Despite Rumpelstiltskin's order to be finished within an hour it was still difficult for Belle to tear herself away from the warm water. After stripping herself of her dingy gown which really had been reduced to rags at this point, Belle sank into the warm water, all the way up to her chin. This was her first real luxury since coming to stay as Rumpelstiltskin's caretaker.<p>

With a reluctant sign she stood up in the basin, water droplets falling from her pink flesh. A fluffy white towel hung from a golden bar and as she stepped out she was quick to wrap it around herself. Toweling off she then reached for a silk robe which hung from a rack, tying the sash tightly around her waist.

She opened the door and hesitantly checked the hallway before stepping out into the open. Back in her room she was surprised to see a crisp white shirt waiting for her, as well as a fashionable looking jumper, the color of a robin's egg.

Belle dressed in haste, cursing herself for overindulging in the bath. When she left her bed chambers ten minutes later she was tying her hair back with a blue ribbon which matched her dress. She caught sigh of Rumpelstiltskin watching her from the end of the hall out of the corner of her eye and gasped, pressing her hand to her beating heart.

"Oh! You scared me!" she said, breathing in shakily.

The elfish man did not seem sorry in the least and only offered her a brief once over before deciding that she was adequately dressed. "Now, back to your chores." he said, waving his hand dismissively as he retreated to one of the many rooms that she had hardly observed since her stay.

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><p>Belle soon fell back into step with her chores and by the late afternoon she was back in the main hall, tidying up the bookshelves with a feather duster. Every now and then she would look to the large windows which filled almost the entirety of one wall and couldn't help but feel that it was quite an injustice to have such a magnificent hall swathed in a state of constant darkness.<p>

Looking over to Rumpelstiltskin she saw that he was busy, spinning away at his wheel. Taking one of the ladders propped up against one of the bookshelves she wheeled it over to one of the large windows and began to climb it. It was just as she reached the top that she noticed that the spinning sound of the wheel had ceased and that she had caught Rumpelstiltskin's attention.

Shaking off the sudden icy daggers of apprehension she looked over at him and observed him thoughtfully, as if he were the one doing something that was completely out of place. "Why do you spin so much?" she asked, only discouraged in the slightest when she saw that she her question hadn't made much of an impact on his quiet stillness.

"I mean," she continued, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "you've spun more gold than you could ever spend."

This question seemed to hit and he even looked as if he were considering it before finally answering, with a slight shrug of his shoulder, "I like watching wheel, it helps me to forget."

"Forget what?" Belle pressed, suddenly finding herself more interested with the answer than she was with opening the drapes.

He was quiet for a much longer time before deciding, "I guess it worked." His shrill giggle ended his sentence, almost like an exclamation point and Belle allowed herself to laugh along with him, realizing that she had actually grown used to that outlandish characteristic of his.

As the laughter died down Belle brought her attention back to the drapes, examining them thoughtfully as she began to look for the opening where they split apart. Again she caught Rumpelstiltskin's attention without meaning to and as he approached her, stepping away from his wheel, she seemed once again off guard.

"What _are_ you doing?" he commented, hands poised at his hips.

Belle gave a wistful laugh, knowing that it was useless to ignore him and carry on as if nothing had been said.

"Opening these, it's almost spring! We should let some light in!" As he continued to watch her she tugged at the drapes, growing only the slightest bit frustrated.

"What did you do? Nail them down?" she asked, breathing deeply as she continued to determinedly tug at the velvety drapes.

"Yes." he answered, surprised by her sudden giggle before returning back to the task at hand.

Without much warning the drapes came apart from the wall in her hands and she found herself falling to the ground. Just as she was bracing herself for the impact on the hardwood floor she found herself enveloped in two arms. Taking a shaky breath she allowed herself to peek one eye open and was surprised to find herself in the embrace of Rumpelstiltskin.

He seemed even more surprised than she and as she quietly thanked him he was only able to nod his head and seemed very quick to place her down away from him.

"Thank you," she repeated, put off a bit when he thoughtlessly dismissed her.

"I'll, uh, put these curtains back up." she said, gesturing back to the drapes which had fallen in large heaps on the floor.

He shook his head before she was able to reach down for the drapes, clearing his throat before speaking. "There's no need. I'll, uh, I'll learn to get used to it." he said, referring to the sunlight. Before she was able to say anything in response he left her alone, just as he always seemed to do at the most inopportune moments where for a minute she could swear that she saw a glint of humanity in his eyes.

As she leaned down to pick the drapes up to bring to the laundry room it occurred to her that that was exactly what she had seen. In that brief minute when he had cradled her like a new born babe against his strong chest she had seen a man looking back into her startled eyes. Was her stay in this castle starting to play tricks on her? Belle wasn't quite sure of anything just yet, though she did know that at any point, whatever her adventure was meant to be, it was beginning to unfold right in front of her.


	3. Chapter 3

Belle was not one for staying inside all day. Usually she was one to jump at the chance to stretch her legs and bask in the warm glow of the sun, but on that particular day she would have preferred to do anything but. She had been awoken that morning by the sound of a brewing storm and as she inched her way out from beneath the covers she felt an immediate gust of cold that pierced her all the way down to the bone.

There had already been a basin of hot water prepared for her when she entered the bath and Belle felt almost as if she could have thrown open the door to Rumpelstiltskin's chambers and kissed him on his reptilian lips for what she considered to be a grand gesture of kindness. She did not take long washing up or getting dressed, though as she walked out of her bedchambers she found that Rumpelstiltskin was already waiting for her.

"You are late this morning," he said, arms crossed over his chest.

"Forgive me," Belle said, offering him a small curtsy. "I suppose it is the cold getting to me." Looking over at the grandfather clock she saw that it was only a few minutes passed six, though she choose not to press him on it.

"It couldn't be that my caretaker has become an old woman?" Rumpelstiltskin inquired, his giggle filling the hallway. He gestured for Belle to follow him and began his descent down the staircase.

"I am leaving today on business and there are a few things that I need for you to do for me." he explained. "You are to ready my horse, Thrasher, put together my saddlebags, and prepare a meal for my journey. You will do these things with haste and be ready for me within an hour."

"Yes, of course." Belle said, nodding her head to each of his requests.

"Very good, Dearie." he said, and then left her to her own devices.

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><p>This was how Belle found herself outside only half an hour later, cloak flapping wildly around her body and rain plastering her hair down over her eyes. The stable seemed to be miles away and her hot bath from before an even more distant dream as she trudged through the muddy grounds. Wind tore through her body, making her bones creak and tense and Belle feared that it must have been true that she was becoming an old woman, trapped in the body of an eighteen year old.<p>

When she finally did reach the stable she threw open the doors and was greeted with such an overwhelming stench of horse that it brought tears to her eyes, though she was quick to choose this over the numbing cold outside. The door was closed before she had even lit her lantern and she stumbled about in the dark for a minute or two before there was finally a spark of red flame.

The two horses, Thrasher and Marigold, seemed to back further into the recesses of their stalls, unfamiliar with the bedraggled sewer rat that stood before them.

Belle threw back the hood of her cloak and pushed back the hair from her eyes, stepping towards Thrasher's stall. "Please do not be fearful of me," she said, her teeth chattering. "I have come only to prepare to for the master, not for your maker."

Thrasher seemed hesitant at first, but did choose to approach her in the end, allowing her to stroke his silky black mane.

"Good beast, wonderful beast," Belle murmured, relieved that at least one thing was going as planned that morning.

* * *

><p>The preparations for Rumpelstiltskin's journey went on better than Belle would have expected, with only a bump or two in the road that couldn't really have been avoided. Regardless, she was still a few minutes late from when Rumpelstiltskin had demanded and he was sure to let her know about it.<p>

As he left his great estate, looking quite the vision of doom and despair in his masterfully tailored suit and matching black cloak, Belle felt her breath catch in her throat and realized something quite awful; this would be her first time alone at the castle since her arrival. Many people would have been more than happy to be rid of the imposing man for a few days, though for Belle it posed only as a sort of punishment.

The great stone walls which held many the sparkling treasure of kings and fairies alike also paid as home to the greatest loneliness in the world. Each sad, tired step that would reverberate off the walls would be hers alone and even the absence of his great, piercing laughter would burrow a hole deep into her heart.

Rumpelstiltskin seemed unaware of her despair as he mounted his great steed, though before he left he had one more thing to say to her.

"The doors to the outside will not open for you until I return," he said, staring down at her from above his mount. "It will only bring you great suffering to try to escape."

"The doors?" Belle said, her body tensing up. "But if I cannot leave… what of Marigold?" she asked.

"Fear not for Marigold. She will be taken care of." he said, pulling his hood over his head.

"Do you not trust me?" Belle asked, her breath ragged as she tried to fight back tears.

"You said it, Dearie, not I." And with that he was gone, Thrasher galloping strong and true into the distance.

Rumpelstiltskin was quite true to his word and Belle found that after she re-entered the estate she was not again able to leave. Even when the storm lessened and the faintest of golden sunlight was able to peek out from behind the clouds she could not go outside to feel its warmth on her skin.

* * *

><p>On the first day that he was away she stumbled upon the library. The shelves covered entire walls and reached to the very ceiling, filled with more books than Belle was sure could have possibly existed. She could have taken an armful of books each day for an entire year and she wouldn't have even begun to scrape the surface of all of the stories hidden away underneath each leather-bound cover.<p>

Without her master around to check up on her with his usual quips and add-ons to her chores list Belle was finished around midday and usually snuck away to the library where she would devour Shakespeare one day and Voltaire the next. Eventually, though, even books were not able to console the gnawing feeling inside of her and she had to find new ways to busy herself.

For a couple of days she took to baking but once her dress started to tighten she knew that this activity would have to be shelved. There was then the few hours that she favored water color until her paints smeared together and her flower garden somehow turned into a circus of elephants.

Each day as she tried to find new ways to entertain herself it became more evident that what she needed was a healthy dose of sunlight and fresh air. What started off as the occasional glance soon grew into hours a day of her staring outside, daydreaming about riding Marigold through the fields or of planting a garden to bring forth some life in the castle other than her own.

Her hands had become blistered and nicked over time not because of her chores but because of Rumpelstiltskin's promise. Each time that her fingertips even grazed the front door she felt a jolt of electricity make its way into her body. It was not long after that she learned that the windows also would not open for her. She was a captive of the castle and was beginning to grow sick from the artificial light and stale air that could never even begin to replace the beauties of the outside world.

When she would get up each day and see herself in the long wall mirror she had to look away, no longer sure who the sickly girl before her was. She had grown into such a weak, old thing and a growing fear of hers was that by the time Rumpelstiltskin would return she would have withered away into dust.

* * *

><p>Rumpelstiltskin had been gone for the past two weeks and in that time the castle had become the visual definition of immaculate. Belle had left not a single surface untouched and often went back to re-dust or re-scrub areas that she had been hard at work on only a couple of hours before.<p>

It was late into the evening before Belle even put down her trusty broomstick or feather duster which she had taken to wearing on a belt at her waist. She had to yet to go into the library for her usual break and hadn't had a proper meal since the afternoon before. As she lowered herself down into one of the cushy armchairs by the fireplace her entire body seemed to be convulsing for the need to find something else to do. In the great main hall of the large estate she threw her head back and wept, wept for herself and her insatiable loneliness.

It was a long time before she could even lift her head up from her grief and when she finally was able to it was because she heard someone call her name. Her skin turned whiter than a sheet and as she got up from the chair her legs were shaking. From the window she could see the full white moon, signifying the late hour. Who could it be calling for her? Was it Rumpelstiltskin? Who else could be there in that terrible, lonely place?

Again her name was called out and Belle knew not else what to do other than open the door and let in whomever was calling her. As she approached the door she feared the electricity that would sear her flesh thought as she closed her hand around the knob she found no pain. Throwing open the door she nearly sank to the ground and pressed her lips to the Earth out of pure jubilation. Before she was able to fully lose herself the voice called out for her again and she snapped back to attention.

The voice seemed to cry out from the direction of the forest and as she listened harder Belle felt in her heart that it could be no one other than Rumpelstiltskin. He sounded hurt and without even gathering her cloak she went off after the sound of his voice, desperate to rescue her only other companion in this lonely piece of the world.

Above her head the trees worked as a cover which hid from her even the white light of the moon. Each sound, even the slightest, kept her alert as she made her way deeper into the heart of the woods.

"Where are you? Where are you?" she cried out, cupping her hands over her mouth. "Rumpelstiltskin, where are you?" Just as she was beginning to reach a clearing where she could make out the light of the stars she tripped out a thick root that had been hidden along the forest floor.

As she struggled to get up she felt a coursing pain shoot through her each time she brought weight upon her one foot. There was a cut on her forehead and just as she began to dab at the blood with her fingertips did she felt the warm breath against the nape of her neck.

* * *

><p>After riding since very early in the morning to almost midnight even the greatest of mounts were capable of growing tired. Thrasher was beginning to sag from the weight of his master and though Rumpelstiltskin did pity the old Clydesdale he still would not break down and set up camp. All that kept him from his home was a single forest and he was determined to sleep in his own bed that night and be awoken the next day with the usual warm cup of tea from Belle.<p>

His keen yellow eyes made out the path before them and he urged Thrasher to continue onward. It was just as he was able to make out one of the towers of his estate that he heard a very feminine shriek pierce the air. He knew of no other woman who could have been around for miles and was quick to dismount Thrasher and send him in the direction of the castle. Where he was going, Rumpelstiltskin knew, was no place for a horse.

Without the burden of Thrasher Rumpelstiltskin was able to give into his more animal instincts and threw his nose up in the air, searching for the scent of the young woman. He tore blindly through the forest until his nose caught the stench of wolves and his head went back with a brilliant roar of anger. His eyes made out their tracks among the forest floor and as he followed them he was able to find their camp.

They were speaking in their broken wolf language of Belle and of how they would dispose of her. She was battered and bleeding and the stink of her blood was beginning to stir feelings of hunger from within the pack. A small silver wolf made mention of the price on the girls head that had been made by an outside force, one who had walked on two legs.

"What are we to do of _her_?" the wolf hissed, biting at the ankles of one who meant to take a bite from Belle's shoulder.

"She made no mention of wanting the girl in one piece!" barked another, earning the approving howls of his pack mates.

"Oh, please, no." Belle cried, her voice coming out as a croak. "I will do you no good. I am all skin and bone."

It was just as they began to advance on the girl that Rumpelstiltskin made himself known, launching himself out from the darkness at one of the larger wolves. He sunk his teeth into the wolf's flesh, earning a howl of pain which echoed through the entire forest. Other wolves were now beginning to set their sights on Rumpelstiltskin, coming to the conclusion that he would be unable to fight them all at once.

They came out at him in a wave of fangs and claws, aiming to kill and feast on the scaly man. Rumpelstiltskin growled back at them as if he were of their own kind and tore into their bodies with his bare hands. He was able to take at on at least two at once and while he took many hits from them he was able to eventually push them back into the darkness, their tails tucked between their legs.

When he finally approached Belle, blood dripping from his lips, she let out another hysterical cry, and flattened herself against the tree on which she laid against.

"Why did you try to leave?" he growled, crouching down so that he could face her.

"I, I…" Belle whimpered, crying out when he caught her jaw and forced her to face him. "I thought I had heard you…!"

"Do you think that I'm an idiot?" he snarled, his gaze boring holes into her eyes. "Do you think that you can lie to me? That you can lie to the man who holds your life in his hands?"

Belle was fortunate for the fog in her vision that her tears created, though she could still feel his tight grip on her which she was sure would leave bruises the next day.

"I thought you were hurt…" she whispered, her voice hushed as she took in shaky breaths of air. "I thought you needed me, but you weren't there. You weren't there for such a long time. Every sound was my own until it wasn't… I thought it was you…" She was hysterical and underneath the moonlight her eyes had bags and were bloodshot.

The great beast of a man took pity on her, allowing for his walls to came down. No longer did he his eyes resemble those at the wolves that had threatened her life only moments ago. Gathering her up in his arms Rumpelstiltskin murmured, "Hush," and started towards the estate.

Belle cried against the warmth of his chest, clinging to him as she had to her father when she had been a child.

When they finally did reach the estate Rumpelstiltskin looked over the open front door and saw that there were no signs of struggle; no shattered glass as well as no door hanging off its hinges. Walking inside he closed the door with the back of his foot and then began to scale the stairs. The candles in the hallway lit up as he passed them and when he finally reached Belle's chamber she tired herself out from crying so many tears and was now sleeping.

Even as he laid her down on the bed she held on to him and Rumpelstiltskin looked to the sky, cursing God for torturing him like this. "Let go, you silly girl. Let go." he whispered, prying her clenched hands from him. "You do not want me like this. You do not want me at all."

He did not go to sleep until hours later, finally entering his chamber after taking a long bath and having something warm to drink. As he lowered himself against the soft goose feather pillows and pulled his blanket to his chin he thought of Belle and how broken she had been. His lips curved into a wistful smile as he realized that he must have looked like that nearly everyday of his life.


	4. Chapter 4

Usually it was just after the sun had risen up from behind the soft pink clouds and the warm rays had spilled in through the windows that Rumpelstiltskin was greeted with his usual cup of tea. He was always the first to wake up but also the last to leave his chambers, preferring to listen to the outside sounds of the estate coming to life beneath the fingertips of his winsome caretaker. On that particular morning there were no such sounds.

Hardly an hour had passed after the day was supposed to have officially begun when Rumpelstiltskin left his bed chambers and knocked on her door. When there was no response the lizard man merely shrugged his shoulders and decided to execute his privileges as master of the estate and enter, regardless of Belle's consent. With a slight flicker of his left eyebrow the door swung open and he stepped inside the dark room.

The curtains which, up until now, had always been pulled back to let the sunlight in now served their true purpose by shielding away the glorious sunlight from outside. Looking over to the bed Rumpelstiltskin found that Belle was still asleep and showed no signs of waking up any time soon. Walking towards her he could just make out the sallow complexion of her skin and reached out a hand to check her temperature.

"Oh, what a silly thing you are, Dearie." he muttered, pulling his hand back. "You've gone and made yourself sick."

He left her room shortly thereafter, deciding that he would save up any quips for later, for when she would be healthy enough to properly react to them.

* * *

><p>Belle didn't leave her bed chamber that day, though at one point she did eventually wake up. It was already past afternoon when she finally perked her eyes open and found, without much explanation, a tray of food waiting for her. As she reached for a bread roll Belle noted that the cup of tea still had steam rising up from it and knew that it couldn't have been too long since it had been brought up to her.<p>

Even as a princess Belle had never had much of a chance to sleep in, always being carted away early in the morning either to a princess lesson or off to greet the people of her kingdom. As she lay in bed, munching on bread and cheese, she felt guilty that it was when she was no longer a royal and working to serve another that she had unwittingly become lazy and careless. Wiping crumbs away from her lips she promised herself that she would get up from bed once she had finished eating and get to work on dusting the staircase and mopping the floor. This notion, however, seemed to be pushed far from her mind as she finished the last of her tea. Indeed, just as her eyes began to grow heavy and her mind became undone from the rest of the world, the young princess forgot her promise.

The rest of the day carried on mostly in this manner. If Belle wasn't asleep then she was merely half awake, trapped between the two worlds of sleep and reality. Every now and then she would fancy that she could make out the shape of a man in a green suit - or was shining scales? - coming in to take away the tray, or to open the window to let in fresh air, or to perch on the window seat and watch her, believing her to still be asleep.

Over the course of the next few days Belle was forced into bed rest. Usually, though, regardless of how groggy her feverish delusions had left her, she would still try to get up early in the morning and prepare for her chores. It would be just as she would start to get changed into her daily attire that somehow or another she found herself being taken by the hand back to bed.

On the days when she was particularly rebellious and would manage to outsmart the illusive hand of her caretaker, her door would lock itself- presumably by magic- and refuse to open. These were the days that Belle considered to be the most dreadful. She would spend hours beating her clenched fists against the door, begging to be set free, usually wearing herself out and then collapsing in a fit of sleep. By the next day she would find herself to be in bed in a state much worse than the day before.

* * *

><p>After tending to Belle that morning Rumpelstiltskin finally allowed himself to retire to his spinning wheel. He had a basket full of fresh straw, though he had not made the slightest notice of it in the past hour. Instead he sat with his back up against the wall and his hands clasped together in thought.<p>

It had been nearly a week since he had put Belle on bed instruction and she showed no signs of getting better. What he found to be most worrisome, however, was that Belle seemed to have no true affliction other than that of stress. Her fever should have broken after the first day with perhaps a second day of recovery but it had only gotten worse and that within itself was because she hadn't allowed herself to heal. Instead of staying in bed and giving herself a break the ridiculous girl had forced herself up each morning at the crack of dawn, throwing on her clothes until he had needed to personally stop her and bring her back to bed.

He could see it in the stubborn way that she set her chin each time that he covered her up with the quilt, that she found her recuperation to be more bothersome than beneficial . After allowing herself to break down in front of him after he had rescued her from the wolves he could see in her eyes that she felt the need to prove herself in front of him.

As he absentmindedly spun the wheel, a rueful smile graced his lips. He had grown so used to living alone over the years, to the point where he had learned to live as the broken person that he was. It had been a long time ago since he had thrown away his heart and given up his humanity, so much to the point that he was beginning to see that the young girl believed that he had been born without any feelings at all.

It was shame that painted her cheeks whenever she was able to make out his form nursing her when she could manage to keep her eyes open. She was trying to grow into a woman before his eyes but it only reaffirmed to him the fact that she was still a girl. While it did make him curious as to what kind of adult she would grow into it also made him worry that she was giving up her youth too quickly.

* * *

><p>On one particular day nothing seemed to want to cooperate with Rumpelstiltskin and his attempts to take care of Belle. The kitchen was hot from his use of the stove and as he opened the window to let in some cool air he could only feel the blaze of mid spring and wondered mournfully what had become of April Showers.<p>

It was just as he was preparing the walk upstairs with her tray that there was a knock at the door. He had half a mind to ignore it, though the fact that he lived in the middle of nowhere made it apparent that whomever it was deliberately needed to see him. Placing down the tray on a nearby table he brushed his hands on his pants and went to the front door.

"Foul beast, I am Sir Gaston," thundered the man before him.

Rumpelstiltskin actually appeared to be confused for a moment or so before it occurred to him where he had seen the young man before. In the time between his taking of Belle and the young man's entrance at his estate he had aged considerably. There were fine lines on his forehead that were not meant for someone of his age and Rumpelstiltskin was certain that he could make out a gray hair or two on Gaston's fine head of hair.

"I have come to rescue the lovely Belle, my fiancée," Gaston continued, sounding less sure of himself as Rumpelstiltskin remained quiet.

"Oh?" Rumpelstilkin asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you? Have you come to rescue your loved one? Do you fancy to steal her away from this beast and shower her with your lovers kisses?"

"W-what? You dare to be so vulgar with me?" his hand grazed the hilt of his sword and Rumpelstiltskin could easily make out the restlessness in his eyes.

He did not stand before a man who was wished to rescue his beloved fiancée. Rumpelstiltskin could see clearly that he stood before a boy who was weary of the terrors of a war that he had not fought. His upper class lineage was apparent not only in his speech but on the crest that decorated both his shield and his breast plate. It became apparent to the impish man that a pretty boy such as Gaston, who was more muscle than brain was more prone to the criticisms of the king right then than any other man of the court.

"You're intentions to come here are not that of love, they are the very opposite!" Rumpelstiltskin cackled, beginning to approach the boisterous young man.

"Come no closer!" Gaston commanded, pulling out his sword.

Shaking his head, Rumpelstiltskin easily brought down the blade with his hand. "You have nothing to offer this world anymore. You are borne from a family of great wealth and because of that your freedom was bought from the war. Regardless, even now as you brandish your sword about like that of a tot I can tell that you are no warrior."

Before Gaston could say anything in his defense he was cut off by Rumpelstiltskin's golden stare and was forced to let the frightening man continue. "Without any skills as a warrior one could only hope that you might have the brains for strategizing, but that also you lack. I remember you quite well now, buzzing around the king like a fly might, as I talked business with him." he approached Gaston freely, unafraid of his sword, and regardless of their previous height difference, seemed to tower over him.

"What else is there to be offered of your manliness other than your ability to take a wife and breed? I fancy that those fine lines on your head are the effects of your enemies taunting. Who was the first to start it, the king or his knights? Who was the first to criticize you for being unable to keep your pretty little fiancée from the clutches of such a monster as I?" As Gaston opened his mouth to speak Rumpelstiltskin giggled, visibly shaking loose any sort of confidence that the man might have had left.

The young man dropped his sword and with that also fell to his knees. "You cannot possibly know what it is like!" he wept, burying his face in his hands. "To be mocked and called a coward! To hear only harsh whispers from the polite ones and rude comments to your face from the nasty ones!" His shoulders sagged as his cries tore from his body and even Rumpelstiltskin had the decency to pity the boy before him.

"Do you wish to be set free?" he asked, earning the attention of Gaston.

"W-what do you mean?" Gaston asked, his voice wavering. "Do you suggest to kill me?"

"I will not kill you, Gaston, but that is not to say that you will not die." Rumpelstiltskin said, his voice taking on a more serious edge."

"If I am to die than how is it that you will not kill me?"

"All magic comes at a price. Your death will not end you, it will free you of all that has caused you such grief. I will strip you of your problems, but only if you truly want it." Rumpelstiltskin never dropped his eyes from Gaston and he could see that the boy knew that the words he spoke were that of the truth.

"Yes," Gaston decided, his voice light. "I want to be taken away from this life and all of its mistakes."

"I hope you're happy." Rumpelstiltskin said, his voice stern. It took only the snap of his fingers to bring about one of the world's greatest magic tricks. In a matter of seconds the spot that had previously held Gaston was now occupied by a beautiful, plump red rose bud, not yet ready to bloom. Leaning down Rumpelstiltskin picked up the rose and nodded his head before walking back into the castle.

* * *

><p>By the time Rumpelstiltskin finally had brought up Belle's lunch the tea had cooled down to lukewarm temperature and the food was no longer as appealing now that it was cold. As Belle forced her eyes to stay open, however, the first thing that she caught sight of was the beautiful red rose, now placed in a modest brown vase. "What a beautiful flower," she commented, sitting a bit straighter in bed. "I hadn't even thought there were any buds around the castle."<p>

Rumpelstiltskin grinned as he placed the tray down on her lap, taking a seat in a chair by the bed. "Oh, you're right about that, Dearie. I was lucky enough that before I brought your meal up, there was an old woman who came to the door selling flowers."

Belle lowered her nose to the bud of the flower and breathed in, sighing contently. "When it finally blooms it will really be something to behold."

"I should think that it will only bloom once you allow yourself to get better, Dearie." Rumpelstiltskin scolded, wagging his finger.

"Now, now!" Belle gasped, looking up at him with a serious face. "I have been in bed all week! Surely I must be closer to getting be-"

"Hush," Rumpelstiltskin said, cutting her off. "You are no where close to getting better, especially since you aren't allowing yourself to."

"That isn't fair. What do you even mean?" Belle asked, her voice huffy.

"What I mean is how do you expect your body to get any better when you continue to overexert yourself? Instead of sleeping in and letting yourself get better you force yourself out of bed to the point where I have to lock you in so that you can find any peace at all."

"So that I can find any peace? Oh, then that was you who was horrible enough to make me prisoner of my own room!" Belle cried, her cheeks flushed. "Couldn't you hear my cries all the way from down the stairs as your sat at your accursed spinning wheel?"

"Aye, Dearie, I could. It only proved to me that you still weren't better." he looked at her thoughtfully and without the usual mirth in his eye. "What use do you think you'll be to me if you drop dead in the middle of dusting my bookshelves?"

"Drop dead? Now, I know that I am not _that_ sick!" Belle interjected, visibly annoyed by the man's dramatics.

"Ah, yes, you are not so sick that you will drop dead from going about the same chores that you have carried on since your stay here, but if you are not careful you soon will be. Dearie, I might have joked about it before but not it is starting to become truth; you're becoming an old lady before my very eyes." Rumpelstiltskin shook his head and could not even bring himself to add a wistful giggle to lighten the mood.

"I don't understand," Belle said, her voice soft as she was caught off guard by the uncharacteristic seriousness in Rumpelstiltskin's voice.

"Please, Belle," he said, his voice almost sounding desperate to her surprised ears. "I am not asking that you revert back to a child, but I am asking that you remember that you are human."

He left her alone to her lunch which, while cold and less appetizing than before was still quite eatable. Putting aside her tray on the night table Belle decided that for the sake of the man that she had seen hidden deep inside the golden recesses of Rumpelstiltskin's eyes she would give in and allow herself to get better. Yawning and laying back against her pillows, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Within a couple of days the pink had returned to Belle's cheeks and her eyes regained the sparkle that been missing for longer than Rumpelstiltskin had cared to recall. When he finally allowed her out of her room and to once again take back control of her chore list (which at this point had grown rather large,) she was so jubilant and filled with excitement that she actually leaned over and kissed the kind imp on his cheek.<p>

As Rumpelstiltskin stood there, hand on the spot where her lips had just been, it occurred to him that in her own way Belle had found out how to be happy there, even if it was with a monster like him. Wiping away the last of her kiss with his knuckles, Rumpelstiltskin was just about to return to his wheel when he heard a small shriek emanating from upstairs.

It was just as he had scaled the staircase and reached her bed chambers that her door swung open. Her eyes had grown to the size of marbles and she seemed wordless as she took him by the hand and pulled him inside.

"L-look!" she gasped, pointing to her nightstand. There, in the tall brown flower vase, stood the beautiful red rose that he had brought for her, finally in bloom. What was most peculiar, however, was that in the very base of the rose where all of the petals connected lay the sleeping form of a small boy no bigger than one's thumb.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Wow! My first note for this story. Unfortunately this is here only to bring you bad news. Admittedly, I wasn't very happy with this chapter. To me this was only a necessary evil to help flesh out my new character. Hopefully you'll be able to enjoy it regardless. PS: I really appreciate your comments and reviews! ~maybealittlehappiness**

* * *

><p>In the end Rumpelstiltskin was forced to wait nearly an entire hour until he heard even the slightest suggestion of someone making his morning cup of tea. Belle was rattling about in the kitchen, bringing to life the flames of the stove and then hastily putting the tea kettle down over it. From where he sat, Rumpelstiltskin could just make out her voice as she chattered on to the spritely boy borne from within the lovely red rose that still remained in the vase on her night table.<p>

After getting over her understandable excitement, Belle had made the decision to step forth and make herself acquainted with the rose-boy. It was just around the same time that the he began to awake, his eyes fluttering open. He could just make out the shape of Belle's face just and it did not take long for it to click in his mind that she was much bigger than him.

"A giant!" he gasped, tugging at a lush rose petal to shield himself. "Do you mean to eat me?"

Belle was surprised by the boy's accusation, and upon closer inspection it was possible to make out the slightest hint of hurt in her eyes. "I am not a giant, you are just very small! Also, I am not particularly fond of eating little boys."

"You- you aren't?" he asked, cautiously dropping the petal and peaking his head out to get a closer look at her.

Belle pursed her lips briefly before her lips broke apart into a small smile and her laughter filled the room. "No, I'm not. Actually, I am quite fond of cherry tart."

"Cherry tart?" he asked.

"Who are you, so small and borne from a rose, who does not know of cherry tarts?" Belle asked, leaning down to get a better look at him.

"Tom," he said, sticking his chin out. "Tom Thumb."

And it was from there that Tom was seated in the crook of Belle's shoulder, finding no more trouble conversing with her than he might find with breathing. Belle mostly prattled on about baking and cleaning, her topics varying from the perfect texture of a pie crust to how to keep silver cutlery from tarnishing. While Rumpelstiltskin listened on shamelessly from the dining room, he could felt his head beginning to sag as the dull conversation seemed to literally be bringing him to sleep. His eyelids were just beginning to drop when he heard the soft tinkling of porcelain cup against saucer.

He was met with his usual breakfast meal, though was puzzled by Belle's absence. From out of the corner of his eye he could just make out the swinging of the kitchen door and wondered what it was that had put so much extra pep in Belle's foot. Just as he was bringing his attention to his tea, he could see that the sugar bowl was making its way towards him. He could just make out Tom's sounds of effort over the scratching of metal on the wooden surface and reached out to bring the bowl closer.

Belle came out from the kitchen again, this time with her own meager breakfast. She had just a small cup of tea to herself as well as an orange half and a modest slice of toast which, as Rumpelstiltskin began to tear into his own breakfast, she began to break into small pieces. By now Tom had reached her side of the table and had taken a seat next to her plate, smiling as she offered him a shredded cube of crispy toast.

"Thank you," he chirped, his face quickly becoming quotes with crumbs as he ate.

Belle laughed contently and then without skipping a beat the two carried on with their conversation. As they talked, Rumpelstiltskin listened to them, deciding that whatever they had to say couldn't have been much of a secret if they were so willing to take the liberty of saying all of it right where he could hear them. After Belle had exhausted most of her information about cooking and cleaning (her few months of living as a caretaker did not trump an entire lifetime as a princess,) Tom surprised her by continuing on with his seemingly limitless arsenal of questions.

"Did you have a big white carriage with ponies?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, we kept many ponies. Though I've never seen one quite as strong as Marigold before." Belle answered, nibbling on a small piece of toast.

"Who's Marigold?"

"Marigold is perhaps the most beautiful pony I have ever laid eyes on. She lives in the stables out in the fields."

"Do you love Marigold?"

"She is one of my most favorite things here, though I don't get to see her very often." Belle admitted, her voice thoughtful.

"Are you happy here?"

Belle was quiet for a few minutes and as she mulled over the answer in her head she could feel Rumpelstiltskin's gaze upon her face. He dropped his eyes from her just as she looked up, though she could tell that he was still listening, perhaps harder than he had been before.

"I'm not… unhappy." Belle decided, her voice even. Before Tom could ask her anymore questions she was on her feet, clearing the table. Rumpelstiltskin was wordless as she took his plate away from him, though he made no effort to ask for it back, regardless of the unfinished pancake still in clear view.

* * *

><p>Over the course of the next few days Belle's usual chore list saw to a number of revisions. It was during the later afternoon, when she was usually meant to dust the upstairs rooms that she was suddenly given permission to go out to the stables. Rumpelstiltskin reasoned that whenever he went to groom the horses they shied away from his touch and that instead of enchanting them each time he came within a hundred yards it would be easier for her to look after them. This meant more to Belle than he would allow her to say, though she was sure to make it apparent in to him at least in her actions around the estate.<p>

Their meals became much more talkative and filled with laughter, him occasionally joining in on hers and Tom's discussions. Usually he would ask if she was enjoying her new chore, giggling on about how he could smell her from miles away and that she would need to start taking multiple baths a day. Belle would then counteract his statements, telling him that she would gladly sleep in the stables day and night and become a horse herself if it meant that she could be around creatures as magnificent as Thrasher and Marigold.

After this playful exchange of words conversation between the two of them tended to die down, though this did not mean that the mood became any less pleasant. While Tom continued on with any questions for her that might come to his mind, Belle could just make out Rumpelstiltskin's profile from the corner of her eye, patiently awaiting her answer.

On one such night their conversation veered once again into the direction of ponies. Tom was asking Belle about the ponies at her palace, though she had already described them to him in both name and appearance. Regardless, he insisted that she tell it to him again.

"… and they all have a set of wings sprouting from their backs, shining all of the colors of the rainbow," Belle mumbled, picking at her food with the prongs of her fork.

"No, no!" Tom protested, clearly not amused by her teasing.

Belle chuckled and continued, "Red, green, blue, pink…"

"Tell it like how it's supposed to be told," he grumbled, turning his back to her. "or else I'll ignore you until the end of my days."

"Oh?" Belle said, easily turning him around with one finger on his shoulder. "Do you really mean that, Tom?"

He didn't answer her, instead puffing out his lips and holding his breath until his cheeks turned purple. Belle made no comments on this, instead propping herself up on one elbow and watching him with a raised brow. Tom rocked back and forth on his heels, trying not to focus on the choking sensation in his threat, though eventually the inevitable happened and he needed to throw back his head and take in big gulps of air.

"Don't you get tired of hearing the same story again?" Belle asked, watching him as a took a seat on the table, still panting as he took large breaths.

"When you talk about the ponies there's this look on your face that isn't always there." Tom mumbled, not looking at her.

"What look is that?" Belle asked, her voice gentle.

"Your smile," Tom decided, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly. "Normally it doesn't always reach your eyes, but when you mention the ponies it's like your in a different place. It's like your in this place where you can only possibly exist as happy."

Belle was quiet for a while and when she spoke again there was pain in her voice. "I'm sorry," she said, getting up from her seat. "but I can't talk about the ponies anymore. It only brings me pain to talk of what I know I will never get to see again." excusing herself, she left the main hall, the soft clacking of her shoes filling the empty estate. The soft _thud_ of a door closing could be heard only moments later and Tom sighed, drooping back against Belle's drinking glass.

"Well down, Rose-boy." Rumpelstiltskin said, causing Tom to start. He had been there the entire time, quietly watching and not making comment until just then. Of course, Tom had been quick to forget about him once he had secured the majority of Belle's attention.

"W-what do you mean?" Tom asked, trying to make his voice sound gruff.

Rumpelstiltskin's shrill laughter filled the air around them, causing Tom to wince and feel considerably less confident than he had only seconds before. "What is it, that little display that you are trying to put on? Do you think that you, a mere bug that I could so easily crush beneath my foot, has any chance of rattling my cage?"

"I-" Tom began.

"Oh, silly you. Did you think I actually wanted to hear your answer?" Another giggle, this time at the helpless look on Tom's face. " Do you know what the real problem is? Bugs aren't nearly as bad as you. Oh, don't get me wrong, bugs are annoying and leave bites all our bodies, particularly bodies as nice as my winsome young caretaker's…"

"You will not talk about her like that in such a vulgar tongue!" Tom cried, this time his voice insistent.

Rumpelstiltskin was silent for a moment before his scaly face contorted in his amusement and another round of his ear splitting laughter filled the room.

"You choose too late to be chivalrous, boy." he said, rising up from his seat.

As he began his slow approach towards Tom, the boy began to shake with fear, several times calling out for the frightening man to stop and leave him alone. When he was plucked up from the table, his shirt pinched in between Rumpelstiltskin's forefinger and thumb, Tom let out a scream which was almost commendable for someone of his small stature. This did nothing to win Rumpelstiltskin's pity, however, and he began to make his ascension up the staircase.

Tom's protests to be down were ignored by Rumpelstiltskin and when he finally did stop it took Tom much longer than it would have taken most to realize where they were. They stood just outside the door of a room and as Tom listened carefully he could just make out the sound of Belle' muffled cries. Just as Tom was about to call out to her, Rumpelstiltskin placed his other hand over him and then walked away. When Tom was finally realized from Rumpelstiltskin's clutches he was flustered and beyond reason.

"How dare you keep me away from her! She's crying all by herself! She needs me!" he cried, his voice loud and passionate.

"What does she need you for, you pathetic gnat? Aren't you the one who made her that way?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, his voice harsh and yet also lacking it's usual flamboyant amusement.

"What? What do you mean?" Tom asked, more at unease now than he usually was around the impish man.

"What use are you to her if you can only be selfish? That's all that you are to her; selfish, selfish, selfish." Rumpelstiltskin shook his head. "I should have just chopped off the bud of that rose if I knew that you were only going to be such trouble."

"H-how, how dare you say such horrible things! Belle loves me! She's shared more with man than she ever will with you!" Tom croaked.

This seemed to have only the slightest effect on Rumpelstiltskin, though it was easy to miss within the blink of an eye. "I'd rather she never tell me a thing about herself if it meant that she wouldn't feel any pain. Each time you ask her about her old life she is only reminded of people that she will never see and of times that will never repeat themselves."

"She is only forced to live such a horrible life because of you! Any sadness that I bring her stems from the suffering that you have brought her!" Tom barked.

For another long period of time there was not talking and the only sound that could be heard was the faint chirping a cricket hidden somewhere within the walls. When Rumpelstiltskin did open his mouth to speak again he did not seem, like Tom would have assumed, angry but rather, pained.

"I've taken so much from her already. The least that a little runt like you could do is bring her a little happiness."

"I don't understand," Tom said, though his voice was shaking.

Rumpelstiltskin had already begun to walk away from him at this point. "All magic comes at a price, little whelp. Keep up your end of the bargain lest you want me to forget mine."


End file.
