She sat in the dark basement, and the world was outside. As someone who had no idea who she was or why she was there, Belle felt an odd sense of comfort in the darkness. The truth was that the only comfort she had came from the numbness she felt inside, from knowing that whatever was out there would be shielded from her forever. She knew how cruel the world could be, and she bitterly opposed it. Belle was unhappy, and yet she felt better being completely in the dark.

Being drugged up helped, she supposed. She wasn't sure that she was crazy, but wallowing up in numbness was better than feeling anything. Belle shrank into the haziness for hours. The mist coated her senses, dulled the pain into a simple ache. It was dreaming for hours of a time she could not place, a person that no longer mattered. The only thing that reopened the wound was the dark eyes, staring at her week after week. Although she had other forms of human contact every day, feeding her food, deadening and hardening her senses, there was something in those eyes that shocked her back to reality. And Belle hated facing reality.

Whatever security Belle had was immediately terminated the moment that the door to her safe haven was opened by a tall, sinister looking woman one day. A matching set of eyes to the ones that had been peering in at her week after week sat on the woman's face. The woman turned to the man beside her, a person Belle could not place. "I believe it's time. This one shall be coming into use very soon."

-RBRB-

Mr. Gold had felt pain before, and he had decided long ago that he simply did not care for it. Instead, he would avoid the whole shebang completely. He had it planned out perfectly. He had felt pain from losing his son. He had felt pain from losing her. He had loved his son. He had loved her. Therefore the only way to shut out pain was to shut love completely forever. The two lived side by side, hand in hand. It was all just a hoax that simple-minded people used to occupy their time. Rumpelstiltskin was not simple minded; he was not a fool.

"Good morning, Mr. Gold. Willing to talk today?" It was the police chief, Emma. She knew the answer before she asked, considering it had been two weeks and counting since Rumpelstiltskin had been arrested.

"Actually, that hardly shall be necessary. His name has been cleared," This time Emma actually looked up from her morning paper in surprise.

"Ms. Mayor, you do not have the power to release my criminals," Emma said, repeating a different version of the same argument held nearly daily.

"It's not me clearing him," Regina replied coolly, "although, Ms. Swan, I am tiring of this useless argument."

All eyes turned towards the door, where a nervous-looking man sat in a wheelchair, wringing his hands. "This would be my fault, ma'am," He refused to look at Emma.

"Moe?" This time the police chief could not hide her shock. "This man nearly beat you to death! Why would it be your fault?"

Rumpelstiltskin himself had a vague idea, involving magic, blackmail, or something similar. The mayor looked too pleased with herself for this not to be according to her own master plan.

"I attacked him, ma'am. He knew it would be either me or him," despite Moe's less-than-convincing excuse, Regina looked pleased anyway.

"I believe that we are done here," the door to Mr. Gold's cell opened, seemingly by itself, "come along, Mr. Gold," her eyes flashed to his for a moment, commanding obedience.

"You can't just—" Emma's cry of indignation was cut off with the mayor's own. "Henry!" The small boy entered the room, grinning toothily. "You can stay with the police chief today," obviously whatever Regina had planning was big enough to sacrifice her grudge against Emma. Rumpelstiltskin didn't have the energy or the courage to resist her.

Leaving the room briskly, Mr. Gold had to set a fast pace to follow. "If you don't mind—" He grit his teeth—"ma'am, what is so important that I've the pleasure of your full attention for the day?"

"You'll see."

-RBRB-

Their destination—the mayor's own home. Stepping into the mayor's home made Rumpelstiltskin's palms sweat. Never in a million years would he ever willingly step into that place—and yet he was doing so right now. If it wasn't for that little voice in the back in his head that was telling him something wasn't right, he would've run off the moment he was released from jail, laughing at the old woman's stupidity.

"We're almost there. Are you excited?" Rumpelstiltskin was almost surprised to hear Regina talk, breaking their silence for the first time since they had departed. He looked at her face, trying to read into what she was saying. Was he excited? No. Nothing that Regina had planned could make him anything but frightened.

They entered a modern kitchen, everything too shiny and sharp-angled. "You brought me all the way here to show me your kitchen?" Mr. Gold asked, trying to keep his voice level.

"Hardly." Regina turned sharply so that she was staring into a shallow pantry. Pinching her thumb and forefinger together, she reached out and turned a small gold handle, nearly hidden from view by a box of cereal. A door opened, revealing a dark stone stairway, destroying the modern look of the kitchen. She turned and smirked at him. "Age before beauty," she gestured.

Swallowing, Rumpelstiltskin descended slowly, choosing his steps carefully. He wouldn't put it against the mayor to try to kill him by a long fall. Now that she knew who he really was, anything was possible.

They finally reached the bottom, and the mayor took the lead again. They stepped down a long stone hallway silently, and Mr. Gold could hear the blood rushing through his ears.

"Here we are at last," Regina stopped at a tall iron door, with a small window cut into the metal, revealing an unconscious body. Rumpelstiltskin's breath caught in his throat, and he stared at the figure wordlessly.

It was the girl that had haunted him endlessly, whose voice tortured his dreams, whose eyes were forever imprinted in his memory.

The chest of the girl rose and fell, slowly, shakily. She was alive.

A voice whispered in his ear: "Now, let's make a deal."