"You have such flimsy locks, Rumple," Regina smirked as she walked in. Rumplestiltskin said nothing as he turned back to his spinning wheel.

"I have a deal to discuss," Regina continued as she began to serve herself tea. "a certain...mermaid..."

"I'm not dealing today," rumple said softly. He wasnt in the mood for making deals. Not without Belle around...

"Are you angry with me?" Regina asked. Rumple glanced over his shoulder and then back to his work. "What is is this time?"

"Your little deception failed," Rumple stopped the wheel to look at her. "You'll never be more powerful than me. You can keep trying, dearie. You're never gonna beat me."

"Ooh," Regina said patronizingly, "Is this about that girl I met on the road?"

Rumple went back to the wheel. Regina smirked.

"What was her name? Margie? Verna..."

"...Belle..."

Regina looked at him, a little surprised. "Right..." she said. Finished making her tea, she began to wander around the room. "Well, you can rest assured I'm not the one toruring her: that's her father."

The wheel stopped instantly. Rumple spun around, the confusion, anger, and worry quite plain on his face.

"What?" he asked, going up to her. "What torture?"

"Haven't you heard?" Regina said cooly. "After she got home, her fiance had gone missing. And after her stay here, with her... 'association' with you, no one would want her, ofcourse."

I would want her... Rumple's heart whispered.

"Her father is so cruel to her," Regina continued. "He locked her in a tower, and has clerics trying to clense her soul of you. I don't totally know what's going on, but something about scourges and flaying... burning and knives... I'm surprised she's still alive. But I doubt she will be for much longer."

Rumple was perfectly still on the outside, but on the inside his heart was racing, his head spinning and pounding, his stomach twisting into a thousand little knots and everything was screaming one thing.

Belle is in danger.

Another crack of the whip.

"22," the cleric said.

Another lash. Belle barely had the strength to grimace at the pain coursing through her body.

"23... 24...25."

She could hear the cleric put the whip down and step over to her.

"Have we had enough little princess?" he asked, his breath reeking of strong wines and rotten leaves. "This can all be over if you just let the demons in your body out. This love you have for the Dark One is not real, but a dark curse in your soul. You need to release it from you and you will be free."

With tears sliding down her face, Belle whispered,

"No... I love him."

The cleric seemed to growl and grow more irritated at her resistance.

"Perhaps we should come back with a stonger method. Whipping isn't doing anything," the second cleric said.

"Agreed," said the third. "Let her rest. We shall come back in a few hours."

"Very well," said the first, and he grabbed a fistfull of her hair, jerking her head up to look him in the eyes. His eyes were dark against his pale skin, all the more menacing.

"We'll be back. We must clense her of this monster." and he threw her back down before they exited the tower room, the door locking behind them.

Belle lay there on the ground, tears seeping from her eyes. She was not cursed. There was no monster inside her heart. It was real, she knew it. She knew that she loved Rumplestiltskin. But they... they didn't understand. She didn't need to be clensed, she needed healing, both in her body and her heart. He had broken her heart, but she still loved him. There was good in him, there had to be. If only he could see.

She lifted and turned her head as much as she was able to the lone window on her left. They had left it open just a crack, but it was open. Belle realised now that she had a choice: to stay here in the tower and continue to be tortured, or... jump to her death. Oh, death was better than this, better than the pain, and the fires, and cruel words, and suffering. But to die... Belle had never wished for death. She was not afraid of it, for it happened to all eventually, but to kill herself... There was no other choice. She had tried calling for Rumplestitskin, but he was not comeing. He didn't want her anymore. Her father did not want her, it had been he that told the clerics to torture her. Gaston would not save her, he was missing. There was only one choice. Death.

Belle pulled herself across the stone floors very slowly, for her numerous injuries pained and slowed her every move. But she reached the window and forced it open enough so she could fit. Pushing herself up onto the sill she looked down. It was so high up, she had trouble making out where the ground was. She knew it was all but barren down there, the land still healing from the oger attacks, even though it had been months since then. She just hoped it wouldn't hurt as much as she thought it could.

Then she raised her oeacn eyes to the skies. Stars. There were beautiful stars up there, shining and twinkling at her, the moon bright and full. She had seen the stars before, but never had they looked so...beautiful, so peaceful. They were welcoming her to join them when she died. New tears seeped from her eyes and for the first time since she left rumple's castle...

She smiled. She really smiled. She would be free soon. She wouldn't have to live with the pain of lashings and hurtful words whispered in her ears by the clerics. She closed her eyes. She felt like she should say something, one last thing. She thought of saying goodbye to her father, her nurse, her maids, Gaston (wherever he may be). But instead she only whispered one thing.

"Rumplestiltskin... I love you."

And she pushed herself off the ledge.