Chapter One

The Dark One's castle was probably as worse as she expected it to be. Belle, happy to be free of an arranged marriage she rather disliked and away from a kingdom falling apart, couldn't help but sigh as she awoke that morning.

Looking around, she had to figure out how to get all this done. It seemed so impossible! She began with dusting his collections and trophies of his past dealings, wondering how he came upon each one. The dolls scared her a little, for their eyes to be holding such a terrifying gaze...she only held them for as long as she had to. After shuddering, Belle moved on to the cabinet filled with special vases and dishes. She placed each item on the floor in the order of how she picked it from the cabinet. Then, just after placing them back, Rumpelstiltskin called her.

"Dearie, come here for a moment, will you?"

Belle didn't know what to expect, but nonetheless she followed his voice into...the kitchen?

"What do you call this?" he asked, gesturing to the state of the kitchen. He pointed out a rat on the floor eating a piece of meat.

"An awfully kept kitchen," Belle shot him a look, narrowing her eyes. There was something in Rumpel's gaze that made him look a little sheepish.

"These haven't been done in weeks. I suggest you get a move on," Rumpel said before walking away. She didn't even have the time to say anything.

"I've only been here a few days!" Belle called back, but he pretended not to hear her. She scowled at the mess, taking the broom and whacking the rat to its deathbed. She left it there for when she decided to sweep and wash the floors.

Belle took as many rags as she could find and then began to run the warm water, filling it with a special cleaning agent Rumpel prepared himself. She wondered why he didn't just use magic to do the dishes. Was he really that lazy he couldn't take the simple effort to flick his wrist? No, since he instead made something for her to wash the dishes with.

Sometimes, Rumpelstiltskin mystified Belle, but she liked that about him. At times he made no sense whatsoever, yet she followed his every word, every complaint, and every request. After spending the entire afternoon with the kitchen, she continued dusting the dining and spinning room.


Dusk settled in and she watched the clock carefully. Rumpel came out of his laboratory, for Belle couldn't help but hear the loud pounding of the double doors as he made his exit. She didn't hear his footsteps, so she assumed he had enough to think about and that he was heading upstairs to bed. Her eyes averted to the spinning wheel in the corner of the room.

This was where he spent most of his time, but just in case, Belle walked over to it, seeing a few patches of dust. She went to put the duster to its place, but...

"What are you doing?" Rumpelstiltskin's voice roared as he came right beside her.

Belle gasped, turning around and apologizing right away.

"It's just-well, there was some dust on it, so I was going to clean it up..." Belle stuttered.

"Don't. Touch. The wheel."

"I understand. I'm sorry," she said, going past him, brushing against his silk golden shirt. She just wanted to get away from him, he held such a fierce look upon his face. Belle didn't tell him she was retiring that night, she just did it on her own, hoping he wouldn't come into her room while she slept.

An eccentric dream awoke Belle from her deep slumber. Though she couldn't remember exactly what happened in the dream, she knew Rumpelstiltskin was involved. She lit a candlestick and opened the door from her room. Belle changed out her nightclothes and walked around for a little while, descending the large, spiral staircase that led to the spinning room just across the hallway. Though she knew Rumpelstiltskin was not spinning at this time of the night, a small part of her wished he was. It would be nice to have someone around for when she had moments like this. She felt alone and rather scared, for the castle still took some getting used to for her.

Taking a deep breath, Belle found herself outside Rumpel's laboratory. If he ever caught her in there alone, he'd freak, and she knew he could appear out of nowhere sometimes. Deciding she wasn't going to sleep another wink that night, Belle found the duster and some other cleaning supplies, and she began to dust the hallway, eyeing the laboratory practically the entire time.

She was going to do it. Belle opened the door quietly, not knowing what to expect. Shelves. Shelves upon shelves of books surrounded the entire area! Belle thought to dust them off, and seeing as it was one in the morning, she thought for sure she could get at least a few shelves done. There was a ladder built in so she could climb up easily. Some of the titles were a little much for her to handle. A book on religion and symbols, some on magic, others on herbs and medicines.

What did he create in here? she wondered. Perhaps he did it all.

The first shelf only took her an hour, and that was counting the dusting of all the books on the shelf. Would Rumpelstiltskin even notice she was in here cleaning? Belle figured that if he was going to scold her for being in there without him, she'd say that nothing was broken, nothing was lost, she just cleaned up the book shelves. She would not touch the potions, that was a silent vow she made to herself. A few more shelves had been dusted and she had to cross the room, past the potions and tables filled with them. She couldn't help but notice there was only one potion not on the large shelf. Stopping, Belle held the candlestick closer, seeing a heart engraved beneath the missing bottle as a label of some sorts.

A heart...true love? Belle thought to herself. No, no one can bottle true love...right?

Shaking her head and moving on, she came across an open book on a table and her curiosity bound her to take a small peek. It was a potion about bringing items to life. How fascinating would that be? To see a live candlestick...or a clock? Belle couldn't help but think of the possibilities.

Then an idea came to her as she moved on to the next shelf. What if all it took was a drop of that concoction? She could have all sorts of help around this castle! The duster could come to life and dust for her, and dishes could wash themselves...or just a rag would do the trick.

Rumpelstiltskin would never allow it, Belle knew that much. But it was such a splendid idea, she couldn't get it out of her head as she cleaned a few other shelves. About a few hours later, she heard Rumpelstiltskin stirring upstairs. Belle was cleaning the last shelf of books when he had come down the stairs.

"Where are you dearie?" Rumpelstiltskin called. "I'm waiting for my morning meal."

I have a name you know, Belle thought to herself, rolling her eyes. She finished the last book, not calling back to him, fearing what he'd say if he saw her emerge from the laboratory.

She heard him coming this way! His footsteps were quite ostentatious, and he kept calling her dearie. Biting her bottom lip nervously, Belle hid under a table in the corner of the room, the duster with her. Thankfully she left the rest in the kitchen when she past by. His magic opened the locks to the laboratory she'd redone when she entered.

"Surely you wouldn't find yourself in my potion room would you now?" he questioned in the room. "Oh no, you know better than to enter without me...yes..."

Belle bit her lip harder, almost smiling at the sound of his voice. He didn't sound mad at all. In fact, it sounded as if he were bantering with her. Seeing the backs of his heels near the next table, she took her chances and played the game with him. As he looked sharply under a table she was not under, she got up and shuffled behind the door, crossing her fingers he wouldn't look there. Tucking her skirt in her hands, she bit her lip harder, still smiling wide. The laugher was right on the tip of her tongue.

"Belle...dearie, I know you're in here," Rumpel said. "Just come on out, now. Tell me why you were in here without me like I told you not to be...all is forgiven...Belle?"

Belle peeked behind the door to see him on the way other side of the room, looking under another table. Either he really was waiting for her to come out or he was tricking her. She thought the latter of the matter. Still, the situation was extremely hilarious in her mind.

"Ah, you're behind the secret bookcase aren't you?" as he was occupied with himself and the bookshelf she never even knew had a secret place behind it, Belle shuffled out the door, still holding her breath. She stood in the spinning room by the table, and let a breath out.

Her laughter calmed, and she waited for him, dusting off the mantel above the fireplace. She'd ask him what he wanted for breakfast, that made things so much easier. When he didn't appear for another few minutes, Belle just waltzed into the kitchen herself and prepared pancakes from scratch. As they were simmering on the stove, she finally heard him again.

Rumpel stomped to the front door, passing the kitchen and opening the doors outside.

"Belle! I will find you, and when I do things aren't going to be-"

"Oh there you are," Belle chimed in, her mind storming of laughter in the back of her head, yet a smile was all the showed of it. "I was beginning to wonder if you had other business. Breakfast would have been for nothing."

She turned around and walked off to the kitchen, putting the pancakes on a plate, laughing to herself. When she returned, he was standing right by the now closed doors, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"What's the matter?" Belle asked, looking at the plate. "You don't like pancakes?"

Rumpelstiltskin blinked. "No, I do like them. I was just-it's nothing."

Belle served him his meal, eating her own plate as well, however she couldn't help but catch a few glimpses of him. He'd been staring at her almost the entire meal.

"You were in the potion room, why?" Rumpelstiltskin asked. Belle stared at him blankly.

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

"Oh don't play the peasant girl with me, I know you were in there. The bookshelves were dusted. Why were in there without me?" he asked. Belle sighed.

"You never showed me your potion room, Rumpelstiltskin. How am I supposed to know it when I see it? It was dark, I couldn't sleep, so I dusted a few shelves," Belle said.

"It's a potion room, you'd see the potions clear as day," Rumpel said. "You're not supposed to be in there."

"Well I don't have night vision," Belle replied. "I didn't see anything other than shelves. I just walked inside and knew the shelves needed dusting. They were right by the window so I could see them. There might have been other things, but I didn't touch anything else."

Rumpelstiltskin sighed, knowing he wouldn't win this argument. He let the circumstance go.