Chapter 1 Promises
Author's Note: I am so in love with Belle and Rumpel! They are my newest favorite couple. So I had to write a fanfic about them. I haven't felt this way since Charlie and Claire from Lost. Emilie de Ravin is an amazing actress! I hope you enjoy it because as soon as I post this, I'm gonna start working on chapter two. I don't own the characters or the song, Whatever it Takes by Lifehouse. Happy reading!
"Mr. Gold, you're free to go" Emma told her prisoner, opening his cell.
Mr. Gold doesn't acknowledge her at first. He was too busy staring at the tea cup in his hands.
Where did he get the cup, she wondered.
He didn't have that on him when she brought him in.
She watched him curiously as the man stared at the cup as if it was the Holy Grail. Mr. Gold tranced the rim ever so carefully, as if he was savoring the feeling on his fingertips. He stopped at the chip of the rim. That's when she noticed his eyes.
Wait a minute. Were those...tears?
Mr. Gold must have realized he had an audience because he quickly wiped his eyes and carefully pocketed the tea cup inside his coat pocket.
"Sheriff Swan, what are you still doing here? I thought you left for the night" he said with a force smile.
Emma gives him a confused look. "Mr. Gold, it's eight in the morning."
He looks a embarrassed but quickly brushes it off. "Oh, silly me."
"Well, I came to tell you that Mr. French isn't gonna press charges but you're not allowed within a hundred feet of him. Otherwise I'll have to arrest you again" she explained.
"You don't have to worry about that Sheriff. I'm done dealing with the likes of him" he hissed.
"Okay, well, before you go you're gonna have to sign a few papers" she said.
Mr. Gold rolled his eyes but decided to just get it over with. The sooner he can leave, the better. After signing the papers, he quickly took his leave.
As Emma watched Mr. Gold limp out of her office, she couldn't help but ask, "What did Mr. French do to piss you off so badly?"
Mr. Gold stopped in mid step at her words. He slowly turned to her.
"He broke into my house and stole from me" he pointing out the obvious.
"People don't beat the crap out of each other over broken tea cups. Who was she" she asked.
"Who?"
Emma was really not in the mood for one of Gold's little mind games.
"The woman. When you beating Mr. French to a bloody pulp you kept yelling 'she's gone forever', 'she's never coming back', 'it's your fault'. Who was she, anyway? And don't tell me she was nobody because I saw the look in your eyes. She meant something to you" she demanded.
Mr. Gold's first instinct was to act oblivious to her question but stopped himself when he saw the expression on her face. He remembered one time overhearing the boy, Henry, mention the sheriff's ability to tell when people are lying to her. Emma Swan wasn't the sharpest tool in the shred when it came to dealing with the real problems of this town but she wasn't a fool either.
"She was everything to me, only I didn't realize it, until I lost her. Now all I have left is an empty heart and chipped cup" he answered, sadly.
She was actually taken back by this. Emma wasn't sure what surprised her more, that he actually gave her a straight answer or that he was being one completely honest with her. She's never seen this side of Mr. Gold before. He looked so heartbroken over this woman he lost. I mean, just mentioning her was causing him great pain. Emma didn't think Gold was actually feeling... well, feelings.
"Well, good day, Sheriff" Mr. Gold said, taking his leave.
Mr. Gold made his way out the door and started walking down the street. As he was walking back to his shop, he found himself replaying the last 24 hours.
A strangled smile fell from your face
It kills me that I hurt you this way
The worst part is that I didn't even know
Now there's a million reasons for you to go
But if you can find a reason to stay
*Flashback*
He was back at the cabin with Moe French tied up on the floor and at his mercy. He struck the pathetic man with his cane when he refused to tell him where his cup, his most prized possession, was. Moe begged him to stop but it only made him angrier.
"It wasn't my fault" Moe cried out.
When he heard those words Gold's blood really started to boil.
"My fault? What are you talking about, my fault? You shut her out. You had her love and you shut her out!" Mr. Gold struck French with his cane.
French quivered in fear but he didn't care. He lost the only woman he ever truly loved and he needed someone to blame.
"She's gone! She's gone forever! She's not coming back. And it's your fault, not mine! You are her father!" he screamed, striking him over and over again.
All he saw was red and the images of his poor Belle being tortured.
"It's your fault! It's your fault!"
In the twenty-eight years he's been in this world, he has never lost his temper. He was always calm and calculating when it came to dealing with his enemies, but that pretty much went out the window when that fool French tried to take what was his, theirs.
Not for the first time, he thought about Belle.
Brave, beautiful Belle.
No matter how powerful he was, he always found himself completely defenseless when it came to her. The way she smiled, the way she would always have her nose in a book, the way she smelled like roses. He would give anything to see her again. But fate was a cruel thing. Because he knew there wasn't enough magic in the world, to bring back the woman he loved.
I'll do whatever it takes
To turn this around
I know what's at stake
I know that I've let you down
And if you give me a chance
Believe that I can change
I'll keep us together whatever it takes
It felt like he walked many miles but he finally reached his shop. He unlocked the door and quickly flipped the sign from CLOSED to OPEN. He looked around at all the little trinkets he's collected over the years. Musical instruments, wooden furniture, fine jewelry, knives of all shapes and sizes, a pair of shoes what looked like they were made of rubies, porcelain dolls.
Gold made his way toward the back room to start counting inventory when something caught his eye.
He gave a small sad smile at his old spinning wheel that sat in the far corner of the shop, alone and unwanted, much like himself.
Hello old friend, he thought.
He remembered the time when Belle asked him why he spins so much. He simply said he liked to watch the wheel for helps him forget, which was true. Hours spent spinning straw into gold helped him forget a lot of things like his old life, the lost of his son, the deals he made to people who wanted something from him. He would never admit it, but deep down he did feel some regret at other people's misfortunes because of the deal he made with them. But eventually they would have to learn that all magic comes at a price. He knew that better than anyone.
Yes, the spinning helped him forget many things, except her. No matter how much straw he spun into gold, he couldn't erase the memory of her. Belle was always a stubborn young woman, one of the many things he...
Damn it! He still couldn't say it. Even after all this time.
Belle was right. He was a coward and he did regret his decision of kicking her out.
He went into the back room but instead of counting inventory like he originally planned, he pulls out an old truck from under his little work station.
Inside were all of Belle's belongings from their other life. He didn't have the heart to throw them away so he kept them. These were his most precious treasures:
-There was the golden gown that Belle wore the first time they met. God, she looked gorgeous in that dress.
-Belle's little book collection. She loved to read. Back at the dark castle she would read anything that she could get her hands on, from stories about brave knights rescuing the princess to cook books. He admired her thirst for knowledge.
-He found a couple of withered old roses that was tucked away in the pages of one of her favorite books. It was the one that Belle had with her when she left with him after the deal with her father. Roses were Belle's favorite flower. He used to watch from the castle as she went outside to his garden to water them each day.
-The cloak she wore the day he sent her to town to get him straw.
-Letters from her father. After a three weeks, he allowed her to write to her father at least a couple of times a month to let him know that she was well.
Hair brush. Hand mirror. Ribbons and laces. Each item held a memory of his Belle.
But none like the chipped cup. It was a reminder of what a fool he was for letting something so perfect get away.
If he could, he would go back to the moment of their first and only kiss. Instead of shouting and pushing her away, he would hold her in his arms and keep kissing her until the end of time. And he would say the three words that he never had to courage to say to her before, until now.
Gold picked up the golden gown and inhaled her scent. It smelled like vanilla and roses.
"I love you, Belle" he whispered a loud.
And with a heavy heart, he put the dress back and closed the truck. There's no point on dwelling on the past. Belle was gone and nothing was gonna bring her back.
She said "If we're gonna make this work
You gotta let me inside even though it hurts
Don't hide the broken parts that I need to see"
She said "Like it or not it's the way it's gotta be
You gotta love yourself if you can ever love me
Meanwhile...
Annabelle French sat in her padded room, looking out her small window, her only source of light. She suddenly heard the sounds of heels echo through the empty hallway outside her cell.
It was her.
"Hello Annabelle" the Mayor, greeted her from outside.
She turned to see the Mayor staring at her through the small slot at the metal door. Just the sound of her voice could send shivers up your spine.
"That's not my name" she said bravely.
"We've been over this before. You're real name is Annabelle Cassandra French, not Belle. You are the daughter of a florist, not a lord. You live in a small town called Storybrooke, not a castle in some far off land. When are you going to realize that your fairy tale world isn't real" she said coldly.
Regina Mills, the Madam Mayor of Storybrooke, Maine. At least that's what she goes by in this world.
In the fairy tale world, their true home, she was the Evil Queen. She placed a curse on everyone to take away their happy endings. If she couldn't be happy, no one else would. And in that world she was Belle, the girl who fell in love a beast, better known as Rumpelstiltskin.
I'll do whatever it takes
To turn this around
I know what's at stake
I know that I've let you down
And if you give me a chance
And give me a break
I'll keep us together
I know you deserve much better
Rumpelstiltskin.
She missed him so much. Even though he kicked her out, telling her that his power was important to him than her, she knew he was lying. He was just afraid. Belle had planned on returning to him, when he had enough time to realize how wrong he was, but she was captured by the Queen. She locked her away, to use her as leverage against him.
For twenty-eight years, she has been trapped inside this cell, hidden away from the outside world. The doctors diagnosed her as insane because she would go on and on after a dark castle, roses, tea cups and a beast.
"You can't break me" Belle said, confidentially.
Regina gave her a sneer. She hated when Belle put on her brave face. Even after all this time, she wouldn't break. The girl had spirit, she'll give her that. Most women in her position would have be reduce to a pathetic, blubbering state. But even the mightiest of heroes reach their breaking point. All Regina had to do was push Belle a little harder until she finally cracks.
"I think it's time for a treatment" Regina said, with a cold smile.
At least she got some satisfaction as she watched the two orderlies drag Belle out of her room, kicking and screaming.
But remember the time I told you the way that I felt
That I'd be lost without you and never find myself
Let's hold onto each other above everything else
Start over, start over
Belle tried to fight as best as she could as the two orderlies strapped her to the chair.
"Hold still" Greg, one of the orderlies, ordered.
Belle responded by spiting in his face. Greg looks at her angry and grabs her chin roughly, forcing her to look at him.
"You're gonna regret that" he told her.
Just then Dr. Whale entered the room.
"What's going on here" Dr. Whale demanded.
Greg quickly lets go of Belle and looks at the doctor embarrassed that he got caught.
"Nothing, doctor. French was being difficult again" he answered lamely.
"Greg, I warned you about being rough with the patients" Dr. Whale.
"Dr. Whale..."
"Just go. I don't want to see you for the rest of the day" Dr. Whale answered.
"Let's go, man" Chuck, the other orderly, said.
Greg gave Belle one last dirty look before leaving the room. Greg Prince, aka Gaston, was one of the orderlies at the hospitals assigned to Belle. He's tried to make a move on her on more than one occasion when no one was looking, but she fought him every time. The last time Greg tried something funny, she stabbed his hand with a fork for trying to grab her ass.
Even in this life, Gaston was no prince.
"I must apologize for Greg. I hope he didn't hurt you" Dr. Whale said, concerned.
Belle didn't say anything.
"Annabelle."
"My name is Belle" she said strongly.
Dr. Whale let out a sigh. She always does this. No matter how hard he or any of the other staff members have tried to convince her, she couldn't tell the difference between what was real and what was fantasy. He pulls out a syringe from one of the drawers.
"This is gonna hurt a little bit" he warned her.
As Belle felt the doctor inject her with the needle, she made a decision.
When the time was right she was going to escape from here. She had been there for far too long. Years of drugs, electroshock therapy and other methods that was considered cruel. Belle wanted to escape so she can be reunite with Rumpelstiltskin and help end the curse.
She would do whatever it takes so she and Rumpel can have their happy ending.
I'll do whatever it takes
To turn this around
I know what's at stake
I know I've let you down
And if you give me a chance
And believe that I can change
I'll keep us together whatever it takes