Skin Deep - go

Rumpelstiltskin pranced angrily off to his chamber he had to compose himself he had to get his head right, he felt so upset and wondered whether the beautiful girl had ever cared for him at all, the was a part of him that felt like maybe she did seeing as the curse was lifting and that true love did really make anything possible, however if she cared for him why would she have talked to the queen?

Rumpelstiltskin had so many questions and thoughts going around in his head he let out a deafening scream that made the whole castle shake, Meanwhile Belle was in the dungeon she had tears in her eyes she was laying on the cold wall once more and just going through every detail in her mind, she couldn't believe what had just happened between them.

"It was true love, it is true love" She thought to herself, but she also felt extremely sad after all Rumpelstiltskin was so outraged Belle wondered what was going to happen to her now, now that Rumpelstiltskin was upset and obviously hurt by what Belle had tried to do, Belle thought that she was doing the right thing, Belle had honestly wanted to kiss Rumpelstiltskin for a while now.

She had wanted to be with him, to show him how much she cared for him, it wasn't all about the curse it was about her emotion's however since talking to the queen she realized the curse would lift if she just kissed him, however thing's just became worse between them. Belle put her hands to her head and continued to sob.

A few hours had past and it was pitch black now, Belle knew that eventually he would have to come in there to her, that something would happen she didn't know what would happen but she did feel terrified however she never liked to have her weaknesses shown so she had stopped crying and just waited, waited and waited for him to emerge.

Rumpelstiltskin finally decided to come out from his chamber he had walked back and forth as if he were in some sort of a trance he needed to know what to say or what to do with Belle he loved her but he also felt upset for how he treated her in that situation and also he felt betrayed by her and the queen, and so he had come to the conclusion that he would have to let her go.

He opened the Dungeon door to find Belle lying upon the cold wall he stared at her for a few minutes before Belle spoke up "So, what are you going to do to me?" asked Belle with a stern voice. He felt his stomach lurch just as he did when he asked Belle to go to town to get his straw but this was different he knew that she would defiantly not come back again.

"Go." He said loudly and shakily as he looked through the door way and pointed with his finger outside the door, he couldn't brace himself to look at Belle he just couldn't handle it all. Belle was stunned she couldn't believe what she just heard. "Go?" she replied glancing at him weirdly. "I don't want you anymore dearie." He said in an unsympathetic tone.

Belle got up from where she were laying looked at Rumpelstiltskin and then walked past him slowly, she stopped half way outside the door and decided that she had to say something, she had to say what was on her mind. She walked in fastly and angrily and walked straight up to him her eyes fixated on his "You were freeing yourself, you could have had happiness if you just believed that someone could want you!" She said loudly "But you couldn't take the chance." She added sadly and in a quieter tone "That's a lie." Rumpelstiltskin replied his voice a little shaky he was angry and hurt at that statement but also known it to be true, Belle was absolutely correct and he just couldn't admit to it, he had to keep his emotions to himself he refused to let anyone see his true emotions, his real side.

"You're a coward Rumpelstiltskin! And no matter how thick you make your skin that doesn't change." Belle said angrily and forcefully, that hurt Rumpelstiltskin all his life he had been called a coward. "I'm not a coward dearie, its simple really my power means more to me. Than you." He replied with a scrunch up of his nose, he was lying of course the power didn't mean more than her he just couldn't and would not let Belle see his vulnerability.

"No. No it doesn't you just don't think i can love you!" Belle said loudly as she stared into his eyes they both seemed to look at each other with a lot of intensity because they both knew that was true and Belle desperately wished she could change his mind to believe her to believe in them. "And now you've made your choice, and you're going to regret it." Her voice became shaky as if she were about to cry "Forever, all you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup." She stared at Rumpelstiltskin with tears in her eyes and swiftly moved and walked away from him.

He heard her footsteps leave the room and hung his head down to the floor in sadness what had he done? He kept thinking to himself he had just lost one of the best thing's that had ever happened to him and now she had gone, and she was never going to return. He went into the dining room and picked up the precious cup in which Belle had chipped he looked at it for several minutes rehashing old memories through his mind.

Eventually he went over and put the cup into the cabinet, where it sat amongst his other ornaments.

Belle walked out from the castle her cape draped around her and her dress blowing in the wind she started to cry, and allowed herself to. She ran through the forest and sat down near a small lake and splashed her face with cold water she looked into the lake as if she were looking into her mind, her soul. She recalled all the time she had spent with Rumpelstiltskin she could still feel his lip's upon hers the amazing moment they shared.

Belle quickly got to her feet and went once more to walk down the lonely path she was on before, just as she arrived in her town a woman in black came up behind her and gagged her mouth with a piece of cloth. Belle was terrified she had no idea of what was going on, what she had done or why this was happening to her she felt a prick in her neck and the next thing she knew she was waking up in a dark cold room, at first she thought she was back in Rumpelstiltskin's dungeon but she was mistaken.

Just then the door creaked open and there stood Regina, the queen in black Belle looked up at her with a confused look upon her face "What am i doing here?" She asked Regina. Regina came over and sat next to Belle as she magiced the doors shut. "Belle, you are here because you my dear are leverage you see i know exactly what happened, you got into a terribly big fight with Rumpelstiltskin because you tried to end his curse by doing what I suggested kissing him. And then he told you to leave however..." Regina paused.

She grabbed Belle's arm and looked upon her beautiful face "He didn't want you to leave, he loves you Belle and my dear that is his undoing because very soon a powerful storm will come, a storm which will divide good and evil and i shall get my happy ending, I shall be the queen of all thing's evil and I shall be the one with all the power." She said loudly as she stared intensely into Belle's eyes.

Belle was still so confused "Then why do you need me? Why can't I go back to my village?" she asked in a pleading kind of tone. Regina smiled showing all of her teeth "Because Belle you are the love of Rumpelstiltskin's life and that my dear makes you leverage you see I am trying to steal his power and once he realizes that I have you here he will try and bargain to get you back and that is how I shall get his powers and finally become ruler of them all!" She screeched, she opened the door and left Belle to sit there with tears in her eyes.

Several month's had past and something evil hung upon the village, upon the whole world Belle could feel it, suddenly there was a loud noise Belle was being dragged outside the castle into Regina's carriage "Come on" She squealed "Its time, the storm has come and we are going to take you to somewhere where no one can ever find you." Said Regina.

Belle was shoved into another cold dark room, it appeared even darker than the other dungeons she had stayed in before, Several years had past years full of hurt and pain, he would regularly get doctors and Regina's special men brought into her to torture her and sedate her, to do unthinkable and cruel things to her when suddenly the door sprang open a thin man in weird clothes stood upon the door way and he grabbed his hand out to help Belle up. "Who, who are you? Why are you doing this?" She asked the stranger.

(The next chapter will continue on – Skin Deep – The reunion.)