He "saw" her once, long ago. She lurked back in his memories, the ones that did not belong to him, not really. The memories that belonged to Mr. Gold, not him, Rumplestiltskin.
She use to work at his shop, every weekend and in the afternoons, when she did not have class. She would clean and organize the shelves, put out new items, and things like that. He used to enjoy having her around.
He knew she was depressed, she had told him once. Before she started working for him. That was why he offered Miss. "Isabelle French" a job, to give her something to look do, something to fill her time with. So she felt a little less useless.
Gold never had expected to fall for the quite bookworm.
He had never told the girl what he felt. After all, he was just his grouch of a boss. He was a monster, a beast that had the town cowering in fear. She was a pure and gentle soul, that he would only taint if he told her.
Then, Isabelle "killed" herself.
Drowned herself under the toll bridge.
All she left was a note, with just a few words.
He could never love me.
Isabelle had once mentioned that she had fancied a person. Gold thought that meant she was getting better, less depressed. She was moving out of the self-pitying rut and fell for someone. She mentioned that he was older then she was, but Gold had thought it was only by a few years.
But, when the note was found, with the ring that Gold had given her, it was all thrown into proportion.
It was all his fault. If only he had admitted what he felt, if he risked spreading his taint. She was better tainted and in his grasp then dead and forever out of his reach.
Then he woke from the daze and realized those memories where never real, Belle had been dead for a very, very long time.
And now, that too, had been proven false as she stood infront of him, telling of how Regina had trapped her in the basement of the hospital. Telling him how she had no memories of the past, of either their old land or of Storybrooke.
Ok, she did not mention their old land, but that much was clear.
"Sorry, do I know you?" She asked as she pulled back.
"No," He told her as he tried so hard not to cry. The feared Rumplestiltskin did not cry, not even in front of Belle. "But you will."