Chapter One

Belle stood over the sink, washing the dishes. It'd been a few weeks since she'd found him like Jefferson asked. Mr. Gold had rewarded the hatter with a favor, and let's just say Jefferson got his daughter back and rather easily. It was a small price for Rumpelstiltskin to pay, especially since his Belle was returned to him alive and fairly well for the most part. The girl still found herself dusting his still rather large collection, but she didn't mind. Anything was better than being trapped in the psyche ward..

Mr. Gold was however, very protective, and he wouldn't let her outside, fear of Regina of course. She didn't know Belle was missing...yet. But when she found out, things were going to get dicy.

So for today, she wandered the large house, nothing to clean for once, and she found herself in his study. It was towards the back of the house, and for a reason. Magic was back, and Rumpel had to be around when even she was cleaning that room. Still, he was not here, and Belle's curiosity got the best of her.

"His fault for not leaving the door locked," she told herself.

It seemed as though things had never changed. The room felt just as large since she was in the castle. His potions were all sprawled out on the shelves, each in their own place. Last night, Rumpel added a changing spell to them. Some were the same as ever, some were vastly altered. Belle didn't know what the difference of magic was, probably because she never had any...except true love for Rumpelstiltskin. However, she couldn't control that.

Not paying attention as usual, Belle knocked into the table's corner, where one vial had just been sitting on the edge. Her eyes widened as she dove to the ground, catching the potion in her hands. Sighing in relief, Belle looked a little closer at the object she held.

All it said was "Memories" on a label taped across it. She took the cork that had flown off when it hit the table and almost put it back on. Almost. For a moment, she bent her head forward to smell the potion, for sometimes some of them smelt very pleasant. This one, however, was the sour apple.

"Aw, Rumpel!"

She didn't even wanna know what he put in there. A cough escaped her lips, the stench was so awful. After setting the vial back on the table as though she had never touched it, and hastily opened a window, where the fresh dampness and musk of the after showers cured her of the smell.

Suddenly, she felt extremely tired. It was merely the afternoon, Belle didn't understand her need for sleep after only a few hours of being awake at all. For a moment, she thought the potion had given this to her, but she hadn't even taken a drink of it! How could it possibly affect her? She laid herself down on the couch, shutting her eyes within moments...

Everything felt like a dream, just some story she'd made up, yet it all felt so real. There was boy playing by a river. Being curious as to why and where she was, Belle tried calling out to him. But, it didn't seem like he could hear her. Even when she'd come right up next to him and tried talking, he acted as though she wasn't even around. Perhaps, he's deaf? she thought to herself.

"Bae! Where are you boy?" a voice called, one that seemed all too familiar to her.

"Coming Papa!" the boy called back.

Well, he obviously wasn't deaf. The child raced back to village Belle saw in the distance, and she followed him, trying to keep up. When she saw the boy's father, she became startled, for the father was none other than Rumpelstiltskin!

"Come on, we have to sell," Rumpel urged the boy. "What were you doing?"

"I was just down by the river, waiting for you," Bae replied.

The next things she saw was a flash and then that same village again. Only now, it wasn't the same. People were in chaos as a horse rode right past her. Instinctively, she moved her body aside, thinking the knight would have hit her if she hadn't, which forced her to turn around. There they were again, the same two: Rumpel and his child.

As she looked beyond them, she could see a darker figure mounted on a horse, holding two other people down. When Belle watched the girl be taken by the men on the horses, she thought she knew what was going on. They were recruiting children for the ogre wars. A similar act was passed under her father's jurisdiction for the kingdom. Any child, boy or girl, had to serve at the age of 13.

The man in black galloped away after the knights. She came closer to Rumpelstiltskin and Bae, trying to speak up still, however in vein. No one could hear her! Were Rumpel and his child peasants? That sure was what it looked like to her.

"They'll come for me in the three days," Bae was sobbing and Rumpelstiltskin, that long stick in his left had, hugged the boy close.

"We'll find a way, Son. We'll find a way," he told the boy. Belle couldn't help but sense the sorrow. It was a strange thing, to be able to feel but not touch, and rather frustrating because all she wanted to do was hug Rumpelstiltskin and feel herself pressed against him.

Another flash, and it was darker outside. Rumpel had awakened his child, and they were going to leave. She followed them on their walk as they tried to run by the light of Rumpel's lantern. Well, Rumpel couldn't run, for his leg made him incapable of such things. Bae talked about how running away from this was wrong, but his father wouldn't have any of that kind of reasoning. Bae was all he had. Belle tried to remember that any action she took was useless, but she waved at them, yelling at them to watch out. She could see the guard was on their way and pursuing them.

Her eyes compelled her to watch the outcome of the encounter. The knights tormented Rumpel about how he ran from war and was teaching his son the very same. For once, Belle was seeing Rumpelstiltskin when he was weak. This was when he possessed no magic. Just as she was ready to cry and sink to the ground, she saw the knights didn't take the boy. There was a beggar whom they had helped earlier and he helped them return home.

Following, she heard the beggar telling of a fine tale about the Dark One, and Belle knew where this was going. This was how Rumpelstiltskin became the Dark One! Now she had to know what was going on. For now, she watched Bae sleeping soundly and she sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the sheets beneath her as some sort of surface. What a strange realm.

"All I got is my boy," she heard him say, but as she turned to listen further, there was another flash.

Belle was now up against a tree, her back leaning all her weight against it. Rumpel had just told Bae that he'd "be along shortly" and then told the boy to go home. Still compelled to know what would happen, she saw Bae walking home, clearly concerned for his father. As much as she wanted to follow him, Belle thought it best to stay where Rumpel was.

When he'd summoned the Dark One and stabbed him, Belle knew that he thought what he'd just done was the best thing for him and Bae. That all their problems would be over, until Rumpel began to realize something.

"You're that beggar!" he exclaimed and Belle ran to have a look. Sure enough, it was the same man who had told Rumpel about the Dark One. He was the Dark One! Rumpel was tricked into this. Into a deal he "didn't fully understand" as the beggar told him.

She watched his skin change color into that glistening gold-dusted greenish color. Rumpelstiltskin begged the beggar to come back to life and tell him what he had to do to be the Dark One. But the beggar, the beggar was dead, long gone, and seemingly happier that Rumpel had killed him.

A tear escaped her eyes as he pulled the dagger and engraved was his name. He buried the beggar and tried to get used to his new form. The magic came in small tricks to him for now, but he would have to learn, and Belle already knew of the power he would become capable of.

However, he did not choose the magic, it was tricked upon him, and all in the name to save his son. Belle couldn't help but feel his pain, for she took it upon herself. Everyone else was terrified of him, and this was why. Rumpelstiltskin was just like anyone else.