Author's Note: I recently re-watched "Skin Deep" for the first time after all of the revelations about Rumple's family tree. Though I love the episode, I felt the need to do a slightly fluffy rewrite on the scene in which Belle returns from town. This is my first time writing an OUAT story set before the curse, so I hope I've done it justice! *hides*

"So, tell me about your son," Belle said, sitting down next to her employer.

"Are you sure you really want to hear this story?" Rumple asked. People never asked him personal questions. Most of the conversations he had were with people who wanted something from him; his life was of little concern to them.

"Yes," Belle replied without hesitation. "I can see that it's eating you up inside."

Rumple sighed, reliving the moment in his mind. "His name was Baelfire. He was all I had. His mother left me for a worthless pirate. People used to push me around all the time. Even right in front of Bae. But then I found out about magic, and all it could do. It gave me power. I loved that feeling of being in control, having people afraid of me."

Belle nodded. She well understood how a person could be afraid of Rumpelstiltskin, though she had seen another side of him since she'd been living here. "What happened?" She reached for his hand, and, to her surprise, the Dark One did not pull away. It seemed he was too lost in his memories to even notice.

"Bae didn't like who I was becoming. I only wanted to be able to protect him. That's what I told myself, that I was doing it all for him. But I wasn't. Bae begged me to change. He was so desperate to have his father back that he actually went to the Blue Fairy for help. She gave him a bean."

A deep sense of compassion hit Belle. She knew that the bean Baelfire had been given was no ordinary vegetable. It was magic, capable of opening a portal to another world. "He left," she stated simply.

Rumple nodded. "I've spent my whole life making deals, and I couldn't even keep a deal with my own son. He begged me to go through that portal with him, but I just couldn't do it." The image in his mind was as clear as if it had happened yesterday. Bae reaching up, asking his father to grab hold. But he'd refused. The last words Rumpelstiltskin ever heard his son speak were "Don't break our deal!" Then the portal closed.

"Well, your son is still alive, isn't he?" Belle asked. "Maybe you'll find him one day."

Rumpelstiltskin laughed sarcastically. "Oh, yes. All I need is a powerful curse to take me to that other world."

Belle gave him a glance. "You never know. The future isn't always what it seems. Thank you for telling me about your son." She gently kissed his cheek.

Rumple looked at her in silence for a moment. Showing vulnerability wasn't something he was used to. "Storytime's over now, dearie. You've got cleaning to do. This whole castle's a mess." He giggled.

The harshness of his tone shocked Belle. For a moment there, she actually thought she'd seen Rumpelstiltskin's heart. "Yes," she said, standing up and giving him a small curtsy. She started to walk out of the room. "You really aren't a monster, you know," she whispered as she left.

"Perhaps not," Rumple said to himself as he watched her leave. "But it is what I have become." He silently turned his attention to his spinning wheel, hoping to forget the conversation, yet knowing he never would.

The End