Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time (but totally wish). Thanks for reading. Enjoy :)

Meeting the Beast

Belle felt nervous as she rushed into her costume for performance. Her best friend Ruby pulled on her corset and tied the knots as quickly as possibly. There were only 30 seconds until performance. Belle wiped the sweat off of her forehead. Her heart was pounding twice as usual. It wasn't everyday that she got a solo part on the stage.

"Belle, darling, you're going to do so well! Your father is very proud," Ruby told her quickly.

"Thank you! Is this costume supposed to be this hot?" Belle asked seriously.

Ruby shook her head and just laughed. Once Belle was into her costume, Ruby marveled at the final piece. She looked stunning in her opinion. Belle wore a blue dress, fit for the part of a middle class woman. It was very modest, too modest for Ruby. The dress fell to the middle of Belle's legs. If she twirled, it wouldn't restrain itself. To match the light blue color, she wore plain blue heels.

"I know you can do it. This has been your dream, right?" Ruby smiled.

"Yes. Finally, I convinced the director. And I thought the only word that comes out of his mouth is 'no'" she rolled her eyes.

"Mademoiselle French, it's time." someone rushed to tell her.

Ruby quickly gripped Belle's hands and smiled. She pushed Belle towards the stage. The beautiful girl pranced onto the stage, bowing at first. She took her place and, once the music started, danced elegantly around the stage. Her father, Maurice French, watched from the closest box seat to her. He sat with another man, Gaston, eyeing his every reaction to his daughter.

"This is my daughter Isabelle French. Beautiful, isn't she?" he asked impolitely.

"Quite the petite thing, isn't she? She would make a fine wife, Maurice!" Gaston was almost yelling.

Maurice greedily nodded and kept his eyes on Gaston the whole time. The audience clapped once Belle was at a fixed point. Roses were thrown onto the stage, for such a lovely performance.

"I watched every moment. You did fantastic!" Ruby beamed.

"I was so nervous. Oh goodness, I should probably rest" Belle made her way to her vanity chair backstage. It was the same as everyone else's except only one. This one had the biggest mirror, desk, and chair. The lights beamed brighter than the others. The desk was full of makeup, perfume, and powders. No other desk could compare to it. The chair was embroidered with the name "Regina" on the front. Belle sat down and reached her hand to her foot. She massaged it soothingly, easing the pain out.

"Where's my puppy?!" an angry voice barked.

"I'm sorry Regina. It ran away from me! I'll have them bring you another one!" a scared voice mumbled.

"You're fired! Now get me a new assistant!" the female voice screamed.

Regina turned the corner and stomped towards her vanity. She sprinkled more sparkles across her neck and onto her shoulders. She spotted Belle and Ruby staring at her. She slowly stood back up and walked over to Belle.

"I'm sorry about your dog, Regina" Belle said cowardly.

"Your performance was a bit weak, Belle. I suggest pointing your toe more on that last leap. You could learn a lot from watching others who are more professional" she put Belle down.

"Belle doesn't have to learn anything from you. I heard a little wolf tell me she's going to marry Gaston" Ruby smirked.

"Ruby, your wolf references don't make one bit of sense. Should I call in Dr. Hopper from the institution to give you some help?" she smiled.

Ruby shook her head menacingly and maybe even growled a bit. She turned towards Belle and quickly smiled. In an instant, she left Belle alone with her. Belle wasn't sure what to do with Regina, especially when she was alone with her.

"Shoo," Regina finally said something.

That was Belle's cue to leave the moist air and go back to her dorm. She arrived to a very small but clean room. Books were piled everywhere, mostly on the small cot in the corner. Everything ranged from the sweetest of romances, to the wittiest of political theories. Belle was proud of her knowledge she had from every book she read. Yet, she felt that she couldn't write a book because she couldn't tell a good story. She sat down in a comfy chair and let out a huge puff of air. What a day, she thought. I haven't even see my papa yet. When she looked over, a tea set was sitting upon a desk. This definitely isn't mine. Belle gently lifted one of the cups from the rectangular plate.

"What a beautiful cup," Belle said aloud. It was white porcelain, one of the very rich kinds of pottery. A blue tree branch was painted on one side. The base was a beautiful dark blue. This definitely wasn't anyone's teacup that she recognized. Perhaps Ruby left it for her, or her papa, or maybe Gaston. Belle stood up to set it back down, when a sudden voice stopped her.

"Shall we have a little tea, dearie?" a childlike voice asked her.

Belle turned around to face her full length mirror. Someone, a creature perhaps, stood behind it. This was impossible for Belle to understand. In an instant, the cup slipped from her hand and onto the carpet. She gasped for a moment and bent down to pick it up. She knew she was in trouble when there was a small chip in the cup.

"I'm most terribly sorry. Was this your cup, monsieur? It has a chip in it but you can hardly see it," she tried to cover up the emptiness with a certain angle.

The man behind the mirror, Rumplestiltskin, looked at her with a silly expression. Why would this girl care about the cup? He stared at her for a few moments and then decided to say something.

"It's just a cup," he shook his head.

She nodded her head and decided to say no more. If she made more clumsy mistakes, he could use some of his magic on her. He was the Dark One of the Night, after all. This monster, creature, reptile, was magical and powerful. With a whisk of the wrist, he could change anyone into a mouse. From the stories she heard, he lived in the darkest realm of the world. No one could come in and no one dared to visit. She heard that he took children and skinned them. Belle shuddered at the sudden thought. She also heard he could spin straw into gold. Now that was something she'd love to see in her lifetime. Maybe this could be her chance to have a peek.

"Why are you here, if I may ask," Belle approached him kindly.

"I came to congratulate you on your solo performance," he held up his finger. "I can also sense a desperate soul. Your father wants you to marry someone, correct?" he grinned at her.

"Yes, he does. Gaston isn't an awful soul. It's just that it's not true love," Belle's voice became hollow.

What was she even talking about? Gaston was the meanest of men she ever met. Her papa had forced her to talk to him. She really tried to get to know him but it was impossible. The man could talk about himself all day and not know Belle just left. He looked down upon Belle and called her an idiot. Reading was not something common between the two. He disliked that Belle had her own opinions other than his. Perhaps he could sneak in a beating or two when Maurice wasn't looking.

"Ah, I see your predicament. Fear not, dearie, I can relieve you of your fears. I have a proposition for you, if you shall listen," he pointed his finger at her.

"Are you making a deal with me?" she asked.

"Yes, yes, yes. I can take you away from all of this marriage nonsense. In return, you must come with me to my rather lovely estate," he emphasized "estate".

"What do you want with me? I have nothing to give you," she shook her head.

"I need a caretaker. It gets a little dusty in there," he smiled larger.

"If I make this deal, I will have gone missing. My friends and family, what will they do?" she was worried.

"I forgot one important little detail, dearie. You won't be able to see your family ever again," he giggled.

"Ever again? No, no, I couldn't. I'm sorry," Belle suddenly woke herself from the convincing.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just remember that there's no one else but me who can solve your problem. I'm the one with the magic," his childlike voice grew a little menacing.

"If I make this deal, promise me my papa's happiness. If you can give me that, we have a deal," Belle said sincerely.

Belle meant what she said, in all honesty. If she was going to escape this arranged marriage, her papa didn't have to accept it. If she should never see him again, he should be joyous every day. It weakened Belle to see her papa depressed. If she couldn't please him by marrying Gaston, she should please him in another way.

"Deal!" the Dark One jumped a little and giggled continuously.

Belle sighed and nodded in agreement. She started to bring up the suitcase and pack. She tried to stuff as many books as she could in the small compartment. In a blink of an eye, her suitcase and books disappeared. The air couldn't catch her fall but the cot did. She looked around her room in awe and decided it was magic's fault. He giggled out loud while she tried to hide her smile. She was ready to face her side of the deal. She took a huge breath in and stopped in front of the mirror.

"I don't mean to be rude but how will I ever get on your side?" she asked politely.

"Ne'er fear, dearie, the power of magic will assist you," he grinned.

The little man reached out to her, breaking all the possible scientific reasons behind this. She wasn't even sure if this was real anymore. Slowly and surely, she reached her petite hand out to his. He gripped it tightly and yanked it towards him. In a flash, she was standing right next to the dark figure. She assumed that his hand was slimy and rough. It was surprisingly warm and soft like any man's hand. He let go of her hand and cleared his throat.

"It's mostly dark in here," she noticed.

"I can't expose myself as a monster," he started to lead the way.

"You're not a monster," Belle said without thinking.

The man turned around and just glared at her. She wasn't sure if she should be frightened, lucky, or quiet. They resumed their walk into the darkness. Belle couldn't even see her shining room behind her anymore.