AN: I've been kicking this idea of a Rumbelle story around for about a week. I've been actively reading other Rumbelle stories and have yet to come across something similar. I hope you enjoy it.

+Regina+

She knew that this twit would have to be played at the right time. Looking at the figure hunched in the corner of the room put a smile on her face. Even through the small window and the distance she could see that this girl was near catatonic. The girl's head slowly turns towards her and Regina just lets the flap close over the window. With a new sense of power she strode out of the hospital and stopping only briefly to pick up a black rose Regina went to her next destination.

Henry Mills

Beloved Father

Regina places the rose on top of the stone casket and slowly putting her weight against it begins sliding revealing the staircase underneath.

"I love you Daddy." She spoke without the emotion though and was already walking down the stairs before she'd finished her statement. The beating used to be deafening to her but now it was like a rain on a hot summer day, soothing and lulling her into a calmness that was rare now that she was in town. Just the mere thought of the woman made Regina's blood boil. The willingness that Henry had to completely trust this outsider made Regina even angrier. Slowly she wandered past the thumping boxes decoratively placed in the wall until she was standing in front of the one she desired.

It always amazed Regina how small the heart actually is, barely larger than a person's palm. Gently taking the box Regina turns and strides back out of her crypt and returns her father's casket back over the stairs. Her crimson smile was not one of happiness but one of knowing she had the upper hand. Looking at her watch and realizing that Henry would be arriving at her office soon for their Thursday dinners before she took him to see the cricket. Her stride quickens ever so slightly.

"Regina," Henry's voice shook her from her planning and with a smile that never made it to her eyes Regina sighed and turned towards her son.

"Henry, I'm your mom. Call me that." Henry just shrugged at her and Regina bit her tongue to keep from yelling at him that he was hers and would never be that woman's. Instead she just roughly grabbed his shoulder and turned him around to walk towards her car.

"So, do you want to eat at Granny's Diner, or do you want me to cook for you?" Henry was silent and just shrugged again at her.

"So, has my son taken to being a mime? What's with all the shrugging? I believe I asked you a question that was worth more than a mere shrug. I could make you one of my delicious apple pies." Usually any mention of dessert would bring Henry out of whatever stupor he was in, usually.

"I don't want any of your poisoned apples." He was too smart for his own good and with a tightening grip of the steering wheel Regina slowly made her way to the curb and parked the car. She turns to her son and looks at him. She takes his chin in her hands so he is forced to look at her.

"Henry, how many times do I have to tell you that I am not the Evil Queen in that book that Miss Blanchard gave you? Do you know how much that hurts my feelings when you keep insisting that? I have done everything for you, would an Evil Queen do that?" Instead of answering her Henry just opened the door and left. Regina was out of the car immediately and went towards Henry but he just looked at her with an amount of hatred she'd never seen before.

"You got Emma arrested when she didn't do anything. You are constantly forcing people to bend to your will and I am not going to let you do that to me!" Henry turned and ran from her. Regina almost went after him but she thought better of it and just got back into her car. She knew where he would be running to and Regina would use it to her advantage to get that woman out of her town. Returning to her office Regina unlocked the hidden wall safe and carefully removed the thumping box. Making sure her door was locked Regina sat at her desk and opened the lid on the box. The red glowing heart was steadily thumping. The smile returns to her face as Regina's plan begins to fall into place. She'd always been his one weakness, well that and his son. Baelfire is, however, frustratingly unreachable for the moment.

At that moment her cell phone rang, Regina knew it would be one of two people and she dearly hoped it wouldn't be her, or else this poor heart would be dust by the end of the conversation. Looking at the caller ID she saw that it was Sydney calling.

"Yes." The poor man was always reduced to near stuttering whenever she was near him and Regina had once used that to her advantage to kill the King but she had no real use of him for the moment.

"I just saw your boy go into Hopper's office." Regina did have to admit that he was a damn good set of eyes for her. Instead of saying anything Regina just hung up the phone and turned to look out the window. Taking the heart into her hands she puts it a mere breath away from her mouth.

"Listen closely." The smile was again on her lips and Regina began to talk. The heart just beat away. That night with Henry in bed Regina lay down with a slight excitement for the next day and the beginning of her plan. She knew that Gold would be by to see her soon and then he would get the shock of a lifetime.

Queen's Castle

Belle stood defiantly before her. Usually people cowered in her presence.

"I will find a way out of here and I will find him again. You can't keep me from him." Instead of responding Regina just had her Dark Knight make the girl kneel pulling her head back so that she is forced to look at Regina.

"Oh, dear stupid girl, I am planning on that exact thing." Regina then placed her hand on the girls' chest. At this point most people's heart would be pounding so hard that she would have some difficulty in keeping it in her hand. This idiot was however calm and was not even squirming. She just kept looking up at the woman with those blue eyes. Regina plunged her hand into her chest and yanked the heart out. It can be done gently, but Regina loved the shuttering cry that happened, and this time was no different; except, except the girl didn't even make a noise, just kept looking at her with those damn blue eyes.

Regina squeezed the heart a little waiting for the appropriate response but was just met with a gasp and a tightened jaw on the girl.

"Take her to the dungeon." With that the Dark Knight picked up the girl by the back of the neck and led her out of the room. Regina walks past a mirror and could see in her periphery the stupid Genie staring back at her. It did feed her ego to have someone so desperately hung up on her that they would curse themselves to never be apart from her.

Regina is impatiently looking out the window in her office for the cripple. She loves that he got the easy life he wanted but she made sure that he would be hampered in some way. She can see the brown hair gracefully walking towards the town hall. It's been a week since she's put everything into place for this one moment.

"Oh, Mrs. Knighton, could you please come in here?" Her new secretary was working out so well on many levels. The auburn haired woman walked into her office silently holding a pad of paper and a pen.

"Yes, ma'am Mayor Mills, what can I do for you?" Her voice was quiet with a whisper of fear.

"I just saw my two o'clock walk in could you get some tea for us?" The secretary nodded and quickly turned on her heel and left to do Regina's bidding. The smile was difficult to hide as she heard the tap of Gold's cane on her marble floors.

"Right on time, Gold, sit I have someone getting us some tea."

+Mr. Gold+

He knew that she was planning something, why else would she so readily call and arrange a meeting about the assault case he still had pending. Well, if Gold was being honest with himself he knew that he never knew that Regina would do anything without a plan in place. Gold was simultaneously glad to get the French thing over and done with while curious about what little nugget she was going to drop on him.

"I'd rather stand, Regina. I doubt I'll be here long." He could hear the click clack of heels but instead of turning to the approaching sound he just kept staring at Regina. There was a smile that was growing on her face; before he could make a comment though he heard the accented voice come from behind him.

"Excuse me, sir, I didn't know what kind of tea you would want so I just made some peppermint tea." It is a voice that he would recognize readily before he could turn around however she was setting the two cups down on the desk.

"You may go, Mrs. Knighton." She slipped out of the office and it was a few seconds before Gold remembered to breath.

"Cat got your tongue Gold?" His eyes landed sharply on Regina and with a single stride he was at the edge of the desk.

"Our business is done now." Gold turned and walked out of the office pausing only slightly at her desk and saw those blue eyes look at him with such a blank look in them. He could barely contain the mixture of emotions that were flowing through his veins. His mind wanders back to the one day that his world darkened.

Dark Castle

He stood at the spinning wheel when she entered, although he knew she was arriving long before she walked in. His wards he'd put up to warn against an intrusion had sparked a few minutes prior.

"Flimsy locks," a mirthless giggle escapes her lips, "I have a deal to discuss, it's about a certain mermaid."

"I am not dealing today." He says quietly still spinning his wheel trying to forget about what happened.

"Is this about that girl I met on the road? What was her name, Margie, Verna?"

"Belle." He said her name almost in a whisper; it still made his heart ache whenever her name crossed his mind much less saying it.

"Oh, well you can rest assured I had nothing to do with that tragedy." He knew he was being baited but he had to know what was wrong. Maybe he could fix it and win her back.

"What tragedy?"

"You don't know? Wow. After she got home, her fiance had gone missing. And after her stay here, her association with you, no one would want her of course. Her father shunned her, cut her off, shut her out."

The hope rose in his heart that he might be able to make things right with her.

"So she needs a h-home?" His hopes were dashed with the chuckle that emanated from the Evil Queen.

"He was cruel to her. He locked her in a tower and sent clerics in to cleanse her soul with scourges and flaying. After a while she threw herself off the tower. She died." To say that his heart was truly broken was like saying the sun can be a little bright.

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

"We're done." He could see that she was loving the hurt he was feeling.

"Fine, I have other calls to make. The place is looking dusty Rumple; you should get a new girl." The Evil Queen left and Rumple was compelled towards his most special treasures. Next to Bae's scarf lies the cup, her cup. With great reverence Rumplestiltskin takes the Holy Grail off the podium and gently places the tea cup there. It is with this act that he finally loses it and begins to cry. It was a several months before Rumple could venture past the tea cup without shedding a few tears. It only reminded him of his cowardice, he should have gone after her. He should have explained the reason for the curse and why he didn't want to lose his power yet. He'd been so damn terrified of the feelings that he'd been feeling. Rumple would find himself wandering down to her room. He would pick up the pillow he'd magically made for her. He claimed it was to stifle the crying but he knew, but wasn't ready to admit it, that she was starting to grow on him.

A slight cough and a nervous tucking of hair behind her ear brought him out of his memories. It is then that he notices the sizeable engagement and accompanying wedding rings that sat on her finger. With a slight smile Gold quickly leaves the mayor's offices. His anger was mixed with a bubble of happiness. She wasn't dead. His Belle, she wasn't dead. Without realizing it Gold made his way back to his house where it finally hit him what had happened. He'd seen his Belle and she was alive, but, but there was something….off and he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

There is a knock on his front door; Gold dutifully ignoring it until he heard her voice.

"Mr. Gold, sir. I've got some paperwork that Mayor Mills realized she needed you to sign." Gold practically ripped the door off its hinges to see her, even if it is just for a second. She stepped back at the sudden motion.

"B- Um, Miss..."

"Knighton"

"Miss Knighton, please come in. It feels a bit chilly out there and I wouldn't want you to catch something on my account." He could hardly breathe as she walked into the foyer and waited for him to lead her to the sitting room. Gold could smell a pungent perfume that didn't fit her as she sat down on the couch. She handed him the folder of paperwork and quietly looked at his collection. Gold could smell Regina's influence all over her being here.

"I was about to make some tea, would you like a cup, Miss Knighton?" His hope was barely able to be contained from spilling out as he spoke.

"Thank you, no, I am meeting my husband at Granny's Diner so I can't stay long. Please call me Rose." Yep, that had Regina all over it. She sent her here to tease and taunt him with what he doesn't have. He quickly signed the papers and handed them back to her, his hand lingering in the air after she takes the folder. He saw her out the door and watches from the window as she gets in her car and drives away. For the life of him Gold can't figure out what feels so off about his interactions with Rose. Gold sat up the rest of the night trying to figure it out. The rising of the sun brought no answers and only more anger and frustration.