A/N: All right, dearies. Here I go, trying my hand at a Once Upon A Time fic. First off, I must say that I am vehemently anti-Rumbelle. Maybe it's just in my nature to be a bit of a villain myself. I have a tendency to dislike the ships that are terribly popular.
I must also admit that I have not watched the show in quite some time. I loved the first season, greatly enjoyed the second, but left about the time they went to Neverland. (I just felt like they were trying to do too much, you know?) I started watching again when they announced the Wicked Witch would be joining the cast of characters, but I quit watching again when they showed that preview with Dorothy Gale. And I haven't watched since.
I did, however, catch this one scene where Belle banished Rumpelstiltskin from Storybrooke, and this gave me an idea for a story. It was an accident that I saw it as my mum was catching up on a couple of episodes she'd missed. (She's still an ardent fan of the show, in general.)
I always knew I didn't like Belle. Well, maybe she wouldn't be so bad if she would stop trying to force Rumpelstiltskin/Mr Gold/The Dark One to be what she wants him to be. Seriously, girl, that's not what love's about.
*shoulders slump* See, this is exactly why I didn't want to write a OUAT fic. I was just going to write my own version of a modernised fairy tale and publish it rather than risk bashing Belle. (And I like the actress just fine; she plays the character beautifully. It's the actual character I'm not keen on.)
Enough of that, eh? Let's get to the story. The first couple of chapters start off a bit slowly, setting things up, but it'll get less confusing as it goes on. This takes place moments after Belle banished Rumpelstiltskin from Storybrooke. This is my own take on things and disregards much of canon events after the first two seasons. Consider this an AU or an AT, whichever you prefer.
Belle stumbled back from the town border. She had done it. She had actually done it. She had banished the man she loved from Storybrooke.
Her hand fluttered up to her heart. Yes, it was still there, still beating. He was there, just beyond the veil between the town and the rest of the world, screaming her name. She still had the dagger clutched in her hand. Could she still -
No. She had to be strong. There was a way to save everyone, and she would help in any way she could.
Belle wasn't watching where she was going. She had slept fitfully, and she still felt as though she were walking through a fog.
"Belle?" She was vaguely aware of someone calling her name. "Belle, are you all right?"
'Would you be all right if you'd done what I did last night?' she silently asked.
It was the hand on her shoulder that brought her out of her stupor. "Oh! Sorry, Zilarha! I'm - I've got a lot on my mind right now."
Zilarha nodded. "Of course. With everything happening, we're all . . . Anyway, I was coming to see you about a potion."
"Um, y-yeah." She forced a smile. "Sure. Something good, I hope."
"Well, it's something new." She pushed her auburn hair away from her face. "And I wanted to talk to you about . . . but I'll understand if you don't - That is . . . Let's wait until we're inside, eh?"
Belle remained silent for the few minutes it to took to reach the shop's door. A whimper escaped her when she surveyed the things that were hers now. Could she really handle all of this on her own?
Yes, she told herself. She had to. She had done it before, however briefly. But that was back when he had trusted her. Things were different now.
"All right, then. What is it you'll be needing?" Belle asked with false cheer.
"A small vial of tincture of starlight, petals of the moonbeam, dust of the twinkleberry, and some Earl Grey."
"Earl Grey?"
Zilarha grinned. "I did say I wanted to talk, remember?"
Belle pursed her lips. "Right. I'll just put the kettle on, then."
While she busied herself in the small kitchen, Zilarha glanced around at the trinkets and artifacts. With the master gone, these would be unprotected. So much magick, just waiting to be used . . .
"Cream and sugar, yes?" Belle called through the archway.
"Yes, please." Perusing the tools would have to wait for another time. But she'd soon have exactly what she needed.
The two women sat at a table nestled in a small alcove.
"There's so much here. How do you keep track of it all?" Zilarha asked before sipping her tea.
"Oh, Mr G- Rumpelstiltskin has a method for record-keeping that . . ." She looked down at her cup.
"Belle? What's happened?" she asked softly.
"He's gone." And it all came spilling out of her. The promise he'd made to save her, his declaration of love, his admission that he craved the power that came from being the Dark One, right up to the moment she'd banished him. "He's gone. I don't know where he'll go or what he'll do now. I still have the dagger," she admitted huskily.
Zilarha reached her hand out to pat Belle's. "There, there. Everything will be fine."
'I've heard that before, but where?'
"Besides, isn't it better this way? With us here, working on saving everyone, and him, out there, working for the same thing?"
"H-how c-can y- How can you say that?! I loved him!"
"Did you? Did you, really?"
Belle nodded emphatically. "Yes! I loved the man behind the beast!"
"Beh-" She chuckled mirthlessly. "You never knew the man he was. All you ever knew was the beast. The Dark One. Had you known who he was before, you . . . Well, there's really only one way to know for sure." She shook her head as though she pitied the other woman. "You don't have the courage to do it."
"Courage to do what?"
"To see who he was before the Ogre War changed him. Or revealed his true character. If you saw that," she tilted her head and regarded her curiously. "Would you still claim to love the man behind the beast?"