To Breathe Again

Fairytale Land: Past

-x-

Belle stumbled out of the castle, tears lining along her lashes but she refused to let them fall.

She couldn't believe how quickly that had spiraled out of her control. How quickly everything was ruined. Everything was going great with Rumplestiltskin. He was finally opening up to her, letting her in. All she had wanted was for him to have a normal life, for him to be an ordinary man. She had only wanted to break his curse, and maybe live happily after, maybe even with her. But that was foolish, and she had been wrong. So horribly and absolutely wrong. Everything was shattered now, and it all lay in ruins around her.

She pulled her cloak closer around her. She had been able to grab a few of her things before swiftly leaving. She knew she couldn't look at him and that he probably didn't want lay his eyes on her ever again. She felt a sob clog her throat and she tried to swallow it.

Her feet fell upon the road she had taken just this morning. It's funny, she thought, how quickly everything changes. Everything had been so wonderful just a few hours ago and now look at it. She lifted her hood, lest someone sees her. She didn't want anyone to look upon her, she felt so wretched. Like her heart had been ripped out and torn to shreds. And she had a feeling it showed plainly on her face.

She continued walking down the path, not caring where her feet lead her. Her senses were dulled to everything around her, something that she knew was stupid of her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. The Queen from earlier could ride up next to her and she wouldn't have noticed.

The darkness from the sky had claimed the entirety of the forest, and it was difficult to navigate the track. She kept moving as well as she could, hoping she could reach somewhere safe before the night sky blinded her completely. Despite her heartbreak, she still had the urge to live, to survive. She refused to let this completely tear her down.

She reached a point where her feet wouldn't move anymore. She couldn't see anything up ahead, nothing but forest and trees for miles. She let out a breath, another sob building up. She looked around her, and let out a sigh of relief at large tree with a little hidey-hole underneath the roots. She went to it, seeing that it was large enough for her to crawl into and sleep for the night. Slowly she lowered herself to the ground and got underneath it, feeling a little bit safer out of the way of prying eyes. She wrapped her cloak around her in a cocoon and settled into a fitful sleep, filled with brown eyes and chipped cups and broken screaming.

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She awoke to the sounds of the creatures of the woods rising with the sun. She glanced around, disoriented at first and confused as to where she was. Then she remembered. Her whole body seemed to want to crumple in on itself. But she pulled herself together and crawled out of her little space under the tree. Standing up she brushed off her dress and cloak, little bits of leaves and mulch sticking to her outfit and hair. When she was finally presentable and looking a little like the princess she was, she began walking along the path again, the bright sunshine warming her bones.

She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind, to try and forget what had happened the previous evening. She didn't want to cry over it, she didn't want to waste her tears. She was stronger than that.

Still, her mind wandered and her heart began to throb with pain. Before she could even think of crying though, a noise caught her attention.

Footsteps.

Someone was running her way. And by the sounds of it they were almost to her, they were running so fast. She tensed, freezing, wondering what she should do. When she heard them stop she felt herself turning around, seeking out who was following her.

No one was there. Belle's eyes searched wildly through the trees, looking for the person who seemed to have disappeared. A crunching sound startled her, it came behind a tree. It seemed like whoever's foot had found a branch, giving their location away. Belle immediately located the tree the noise seemed to come from.

She was afraid to move, knowing the dangers of this forest. Who knows what's behind it. It could be dangerous.

But her curiosity was too great and she found herself moving slowly towards the particular tree.

Without making much noise she circled the tree cautiously, edging around to see who it was. A flash of brown hair caught her eye when she was barely near it but it quickly spun back around when it saw her. Belle froze at the sight.

Then she took another deep breath and spoke softly, "Hello?" she kept moving slowly, "Who is there?" they didn't heed her, "Show yourself!"

A chuckling came from the mysterious person. The brown hair came back into view and Belle had finally gotten to a point where she was around the tree enough to barely see them, though she still stood a ways away.

It was a 'he'. Turning her way, the man's dark eyes connected with hers, his wild hair about his face. He didn't look dangerous, but he didn't look welcoming either. Belle studied him but came no further.

He was out of breath from all the running he had just done, but was still able to keep his composure. His lips pulled back into a smirk. Belle thought to herself that she preferred him with a smile. It softened his face, despite the fact that there was no mirth in it.

"Who are you?" she asked keeping her voice soft, trying to show that she meant no harm and as to not run him off.

He turned his head back forwards, and kept leaning his back against the tree. He seemed to ponder whether to answer her for a few moments. Then he let out a sigh and shrugged off the surface, rotating on his feet to look at her.

He was uphill from her, but she could already tell that he was taller than her. Probably taller than Rumplestiltskin by a good few inches. The thought brought a pang to her heart but she pushed it down, focusing on the strange man that was in front of her now.

"Me? I'm just someone taking a stroll through the woods, like I always do. I've never seen you before, so I think the real question is: Who are you?" he pointed at her.

Belle looked affronted, "I'm not telling a stranger who I am. I don't know who you are!"

He chuckled and began slowly treading down the small hill he was on to the path where she stood. "Ah! I don't know who you are, either. So technically, you are the stranger." he finally reached her, but Belle backed away slowly.

"It's quite a situation we've gotten ourselves into, huh?" his smirk widened. "Are you going to tell me who you are?"

Belle shook her head, "I've read stories about situations like this. How do I know that you won't kidnap me or hurt me when I tell you? I don't trust people I don't know. Last time I did things didn't turn out so well for me."

"Then tell me your name, and I'll tell you mine."

Belle shook her head, her eyes closing for a second in exasperation, "N-no! Didn't you hear what I just said?"

He shrugged, "If you tell me and then I tell you, then I won't be a stranger anymore. But if you don't then I'll never tell you and you'll never know. And then we'll always be going in circles until one of us gives in." he smiled at her.

She huffed, "You're not making any sense! I just told you that I won't give my name away to strangers. Why do you insist that I do?"

He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head, "Well, you were insisting I tell you my name, isn't it fair that I ask you the same?" he raised his eyebrows at her expectantly.

Belle felt her cheeks flush and she began to stutter, something she's never done before. If only her father could see her now, what would he think of his strong daughter?

He smiled at her reaction, his expression softening. It seemed that he decided to take pity on her when he held out his hand, "Okay then, I'll make the first move. My name is Jefferson. What's yours, stranger?" his smile curled in the corner, his eyes sparkling.

Belle bit her cheek, hesitating. He seriously didn't look bad, and she didn't get a weird vibe from him, not like that dark-haired woman from yesterday. She decided to take a risk. What more did she have to lose?

She put her hand in his, shaking it, "My name is Belle."

His smile grew. 'His hand is warm', she thought.

"See?" he said, "Now we're not strangers." he slowly took his hand back and her hand felt cold again. "So what brings you out here to these woods, Belle?" he grinned when saying her name.

She felt a little smile tug on her own face, but it faded when she recalled her reasons for being there. "I-I'm...running away, I suppose." he didn't need the full story.

He nodded, as if he understood, but Belle could tell that he knew she wasn't saying the full truth. She was glad that he didn't pry.

"I can appreciate that." He turned his dark eyes on her, studying her for a moment. "So, I'm assuming you have no place to go?"

Belle returned his stare, watching him in return, wary of his intentions even after knowing his name. "You assume correctly, Jefferson."

They had a small staring match, each putting the other under scrutiny. Suddenly Jefferson spun around and began walking in the direction they were both heading earlier. Belle stared after him, dumbfounded.

He stopped after a few feet, seeming to realize that he was alone. He turned to look back at her where she was still standing.

"Well," he said, waving his arm for her to follow, "Let's get a move on! We have a lot of ground to cover."

She could only gape at him, completely unsure of what was happening. What he actually wanting her to follow him? Was he really trying to help her?

He kept his gaze on her steadily. It was as if he knew the turmoil in her heart, and was waiting for her to sort it out.

And because of that, Belle made her decision.

She took a step forward. He saw this and turned back around, and began walking down the path. She hurried after him to reach his side.

What did she have to lose?

-x-

New little multichapter. This is in my Quote timeline. This is right after canon when Rumplestiltskin kicks Belle out after her kiss stunt and she tells him off. It will continue. It shouldn't be too long, but we'll see. Hopefully I don't have to tell you what the end couple will be. I've already decided to add these two to my fic, if you hadn't gotten the hint in the last chapter.

EDIT: I'm rewriting some things and rearranging the format. I'll be adding both past and present day of this fic, kinda like how it is in the show. Next chapter will be the present, and then the one after will be past and so on and so forth.