Disclaimer: Only the plot belongs to me!

As the sun rose over the Dark Castle, Rumplestiltskin rose with it, pulling a red velvet robe on. It wasn't hard for him to get out of bed. He hadn't slept well, not for years. In fact, he often spent more time roaming around than sleeping in his room, and that was fine. Anything that would keep him out of his own head...keep the bad thoughts at bay.

One thing that his nightly wanderings had told him was that it was much messier than he liked. It was truly hideous how bad he'd allowed it to get. Horrifying. But what to do? He supposed he could take up a wand and wander around from room to room cleaning, but he didn't feel like it. The Dark One had better things to do.

He'd have to find someone to do it for him. But who? No one was foolish enough to come here. Or were they? Those who were desperate, who were in need of a deal, were landing on his doorstep or calling him out and about much more than he would like. All he had to do was wait for the right moment to name his price.

As he went from village to village in search of the desperate, he failed to find just the perfect person for the job. After a week, he was once again alone in a dirty house. It really was getting on his nerves.

But one night he was awakened by a loud, insistent knocking on the castle door. Cursing under his breath, he actually got up to see who it was. He could turn them into toads when he opened the door and then be back to his own bed in seconds. It wouldn't be any trouble at all.

When Rumple opened the door, he found a few wet sailors looking bedraggled and exhausted standing on his doorstep. "Go away," he said. "It's the middle of the night. I don't take kindly to visitors."

"But...but our ship has crashed," one of them pleaded, actually putting his foot in the door to prevent Rumple from closing it. "We just need shelter until we can get it repaired."

"You do realize where you are and to whom you are speaking, don't you?" Rumple asked, using his magic to get himself into clothes before stepping into the light. "What is it that you will give me in return for such largesse?"

"You know we wouldn't ask unless we were certain we had something that you would take," another sailor, stockier and more imposing than the first, answered. "Normally we wouldn't even give it up, but we're desperate, so...come with us and see what we have for you."

"All right, fine," Rumple sighed. "Show me your little trinkets and baubles, even though I won't have much use for them."

But much to his surprise, what they showed him was not a trinket or a bauble. It was a mermaid, captured from the sea and surviving in very little water below deck. She had long dark hair and big blue eyes. She seemed...sweet, although members of her kind usually weren't.

"So?" The stocky sailor asked Rumple again. "Will you take her in exchange for a few night's lodging?"

"I'll do even better," Rumple grinned. He did his magic and giggled. "I've fixed your ship. You can go now."

"Don't you want us to help you get her inside?" A third sailor with red hair questioned.

"Fine, help me get her inside," Rumple huffed. "Then you go, and don't darken my doorway again."

So they did (of course, Rumple could have brought her in with magic, had he wanted to, but since the sailors had intruded on his peace and quiet, he was making them work.

They tucked her into a bed and then went on their way, leaving Rumple in the castle alone with her, and thinking about what to say when she woke up.

It was as he came to check on her the next morning that the mermaid woke up, saw him, and screamed loud enough to break the windows.

"Damn," he swore. "Do you know how expensive those are? It's going to take me time to get more!"

"Who are you?" The mermaid asked, pulling a blanket around herself. "What's happened to me? Where am I?"

"I am the Dark One," he told her. "And you are at my castle. I sneaked in here this morning and put a spell on you that will keep you from getting away. Try and run to the water now and you won't last very long."

"Well, that answers that question, but why am I here?" The mermaid asked.

"What do you remember last?" Rumple wanted to know.

"I was captured by some sailors," she replied. "They wanted to use as a trading tool or something."

"And that they did," Rumple assured her. "They got shipwrecked here last evening and you were given to me in exchange for my help fixing their boat and getting them on their way."

She nodded. "It would make sense that they would want to get rid of me after their boat was wrecked," she said. "You do know what my kind does when one of us is harmed."

"Oh, yes, I do," Rumple nodded. "But I don't fear anything. Especially not a mermaid." He paused. "Speaking of, what did they call you?"

"Belle," she got out. "My name is Belle. Tell me, Dark One: what is it that you want from me? Are you going to sell me off too? Obviously you have no plans for my fins or scales because I don't seem to have my tail anymore."

"No," Rumple sighed. "I just...need a housekeeper. As you can see, it's filthy around here."

"Why don't you clean it up?" She asked.

"Cause I have better things to do," he said through his teeth. "Not that it's any of your business at all why I do the things I do."

Belle bit her lip and rolled her eyes. "All right. That's not a good conversation path to go down. I understand." She reached toward him. "Help me sit up."

"Oh, all right," Rumple huffed. "I've been meaning to get rid of those fins of yours. You can't really do housework if you can't walk around, can you?"

"You...you're going to do magic on me?" Belle asked once he helped her sit up. "You're going to change me?"

"Yes," Rumple nodded. "Of course. I already have. Do you think you'd be able to last so long without water if I hadn't?"

"Turn me back, please," Belle demanded. "I don't want to lose who I am just because some selfish sailors took me away from my home."

"Well, how will you clean if you don't have legs?" Rumple questioned.

"As a mermaid, I can make myself have legs," Belle informed him. "Probably for not as long as the spell you've put on me would give me, but I think it's a good compromise. During the time I have legs, I'll do my best to accomplish what you want of me, and when I don't...I'll just be in the water."

"All right," Rumple nodded. "If it's the only way to get you to do your work."

"Really?" Belle questioned. "You'll really let me go out to swim at night and trust that I'll return to do my duties in the morning?"

"I expect that the second you leave, you won't come back," Rumple sighed. "I wouldn't expect you to." He sat next to her on the bed and Belle reached out to touch his hair. "You poor man," she said. "Of course I'll stay. You can trust me."

"All right," he said, waving his hand and reverting her back to her original form. "There you go. You're back to normal." He paused. "Get dressed and then I would like you to start in the kitchen, then go to the library. You won't get the library done today, but don't worry, you can take your time with that."

"All right," Belle nodded and started to get out of bed. "I don't have any clothes. What should I do about that?"

"I'm sure we can find you something," Rumple assured her and zapped her into a blue dress. "There you go. That shall suit your purpose quite nicely."

"Thank you," Belle smiled at him. "Thank you very much." She got out of bed and asked, "Now, where did you want me to start?"

"Well, it's been quite an interesting evening and I'm a big hungry," he replied. "Do you know how to cook?"

"I could figure it out," Belle nodded as he led her to the stove. "But I won't make you seafood. I won't have you eating my friends."

"Oh, fine," Rumple sighed. "I never cared much for fish anyway." He paused. "Then, after I eat, I'll leave this place to do my work. I expect it to be clean when I return. Or at least clean enough that it's apparent you've made an effort."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Belle looked around at the filthy kitchen. "If the rest of the house is as bad as this, no wonder you want it cleaned. I'll get right on that." She paused and crossed her arms, leaning on the stove. "How can you live like this?" She asked. "It couldn't be pleasant."

"Well, to be honest, I'm not so sure I deserve pleasant," he told her, avoiding her gaze. "I've been living how I deserve to live."

There was an awkward silence between them and then he turned to face her and grinned fiendishly. "Oh, and I hope you're not squeamish. Because you'll have to skin and prepare the children I hunt for their pelts."

Belle's jaw dropped and then he said, "That was a quip. Do mermaids not have senses of humor?"

"Oh," She gave a weak chuckle. "Hilarious."

"Well, I'll get on my way, then," he told her. "Nothing more that I can do here, since you know what you're going to be filling your day with."

"And what if I happen to finish cleaning before you come back?" Belle asked. "What will I do then?"

"If, by some miracle, you finish all the cleaning by the time I return, I suppose you could begin sorting the library," Rumple shrugged. "I've been meaning to myself, but like with so many other things...I haven't gotten around to it."

"All right," Belle nodded, taking a few steps and nearly falling down. He caught her and asked, "What in the world is the matter with you?"

"Sorry," she apologized and gave him a beautiful smile. "I guess I'm still getting used to my legs. I've not used them much before now."

"Right." He let her go, made sure she was steady, and then said, "I'll be on my way now. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Rumplestiltskin," she replied. "Have a good day."

"I'll try my best to have a successful one," he assured her. "Thank you."

When he returned, he was pleased to see that the house was much cleaner than it had been when he'd left that morning, but when he called out for Belle, he heard nothing. This puzzled him for a moment because it wasn't yet dark, so she would not have left to go out into the , he realized where she'd probably gone: the library. He made his way there and saw her curled up in a chair with a book in her lap. "Enjoying that?" He asked. "You must be because you didn't respond when I called."

"Oh, I apologize," Belle told him. "I know I haven't completely cleaned the castle yet and I was only supposed to come in here when that had been done, but...the books. I was so curious about the books!"

"Now tell me," Rumple urged, leaning against the side of her chair and straightening a bit of her skirt that had hiked up. "How is it that one knows about books when one lives in the ocean?"

Belle giggled. "You're going to think I'm incredibly foolhardy, but...sometimes I like to explore old shipwrecks and I've come across a couple that have had books in them. I've tried to read them but that's very hard to do under water. The ink always gets ruined so I can only read so many words. I never know what any one book is really about, so it's nice to be able to read whole sentences and pages without interruption."

Rumple just stared at her with a smile on his face once she went back to her book. "You just keep reading," he told her in a quiet voice. "You can finish cleaning the house later."

It was that evening, as he peered out the window, thinking about Baelfire and wondering just where his son had gone, or even if he still lived, that his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," he called back, hurriedly standing up and clearing his throat as he focused on keeping the majority of emotion out of his countenance.

Belle opened the door and stuck her head in the room, but didn't come in any further. "I've made you your dinner," she informed him. "And I'm...I just wanted to let you know that I'm going out for the night now. All right?"

"Yes, all right," Rumple nodded. "Thank you. You may go now."

"Thank you," Belle told him. "Have a good night. Have pleasant dreams."

"I haven't for years," he told her and gave her a small smile. "But I'll try. For you." Then he was surprised when she pushed the door open, strode into the room, and gave him a tight hug, holding him close to her body.

"I'm going to come back," she whispered. "I promise. I want you to know that."

"I do," he nodded. "I do."

She took his hand. "Come out with me. If you can't come out into the water, watch me. That would make you feel better, wouldn't it?"

"No," Rumple pulled back. "I-I don't like going out. But there...there's a window where I can look out and see the ocean. I'll watch from there. I'll see you return."

"I hope you do," Belle replied. She then ran out of the room and Rumple strode over to the window that he'd mentioned, watching her kick off her slippers and run down to the water, her silhouette illuminated by the moonlight overhead. Then he heard a splash and saw a tail poke up out of the water before submerging again.

Rumple spent what seemed like many hours watching the water, but finally, his body felt heavy and he yawned. For the first time in a long time, he was actually tired. Although he really didn't want to leave the window until he saw Belle return to the castle with his own eyes, it was just impossible to stand there any longer. He made his way to bed, tucked himself in, and closed his eyes, grateful for the ability to sleep, and wondering, if just maybe, it was the mermaid's presence that had made it possible.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw that she was standing at his bedside with a tray and grinning. "Good morning!" She trilled. "I'm so glad you seemed to have slept well last night. I thought I would wake you up when I came in with your breakfast, but you didn't stir at all." Then she paused. "And I'm sorry of I startled you. I didn't mean to."

"You didn't startle me," he said, his voice gruff to cover the fact that she had startled him and he was embarrassed about it. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," she said and put the tray in his lap. "Enjoy your eggs and fruit and I'm going to go and do the cleaning that I didn't get around to yesterday because I was distracted by all the lovely books."

"Good," Rumple said and then noticed a small pearl on his tray next to his egg plate. "What's this?" He asked, holding it up. "Did you get it?"

"I found it last night when I was out swimming," she shrugged. "I know you have the ability to have all the riches in the world if you would like them, but I wanted to bring you back a gift."

"I...I like it," Rumple moved the pearl around in his grip. "I can make gold at will, but not pearls. This is new for me. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Belle smiled and then left, shutting the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Rumple ate his breakfast and then put the pearl she'd given him on his bedside table. He'd have to tell Bae about her. He'd like hearing a story about his father meeting a mermaid.

After he ate and dressed, he heard Belle calling him. He went to her and found her standing in a much cleaner kitchen. "I like it here," he said. "Good work."

"Thanks," Belle grinned. "Would you like me to take you to see the rest?"

"I would," Rumple nodded. "I have to say, I'm very pleased. Can I ask how you got it all done so quickly?"

"Oh, I'm not entirely done," Belle said. "I just...I wanted to show you that I was making progress."

"Well you certainly are," Rumple nodded, making a rose appear with a wave of his hand. "For you."

"Well, thank you," Belle smiled. "I've never been given one of these before." She paused. "You're really not as bad as you pretend, are you?"

"Even if I wasn't, no one can know," Rumple told her. "I'm the Dark One. I have a reputation to protect, which will suffer if everyone thinks they can just stomp all over me."

"Oh, of course," Belle nodded. "It won't leave these walls, I promise."

They then walked to the library where Belle opened the dusty curtains with her powers, and he winced as light flooded into the room.

"Are you all right?" She asked, grabbing his hand as, blinded by the light, he nearly toppled over. "I can close the curtains if you'd rather. I just thought it would be nice to get a little light in here. It's dark where I come from. Or at least darker than I would like."

"You don't need to close the curtains," he told her. "I'll get used to it."

"Good," Belle smiled. "Thank you." She paused. "I'm about to start a new chapter of a book and I wonder...will you read it to me?"

"You can't read?" Rumple asked.

"Oh, I can, but I figure that's one way to keep you here a little longer," Belle answered.

Rumple gave her a grin and after she got him the book and turned it to the right page, she settled into the chair next to his, shut her eyes, and listened to him read.

This went on until dark. Rumple was close to losing his voice as he put the book down after finishing it.

"That was lovely," Belle told him. "Thank you for reading it to me. You have such a wonderful voice."

"You're too kind," Rumple croaked. "I assume you're going to go to the water now?"

"Yes," Belle nodded. "But first...would you like some tea? It could be good for your throat and after asking you to do all that readind, I feel I should at least help with the consequences."

"I suppose I could do with some tea," Rumple got out.

So Belle went and got him a cup, bringing it to his room. "Enjoy this," she said. "Anything else you need before I go?"

"No, you go and have your swim and I'll see you in the morning," Rumple waved her away.

Belle gave him a wave and headed out to the water, telling herself as she stepped into it and submerged herself while her fins returned, that she'd have to bring him out tomorrow. The air would do him some good. And so would the water.

"Just to make this clear, I'm only coming out with you because I can't sleep and I have nothing better to do," Rumple told Belle the next night as they walked down to the water. "It's kind of cold. Does it feel cold to you?"

"No, but I can see how you would think so," Belle said, setting down a blanket on the ground and not telling him what it was for. They both went into the water and Belle held him. Despite his heavy, soggy clothes, he felt very light. She was surrounded by a glow as she changed to the mermaid she was, tail and all. "Are you feeling better?" She asked.

"Yes," Rumple nodded. "Surprisingly. Warmer, anyway. I still don't know how I'll be able to sleep, though."

"Just listen," she said and pulled him further out into the water before opening her mouth and singing the most beautiful song he'd ever heard. He knew it was in her mermaid language, and he could feel it begin to soothe him as she held him close, his eyes closing, his body relaxing. Once he was asleep, she got him onto the beach and put the blanket over him, gently kissing his cheek and telling him to sleep well before running back to the water and taking what time she could before she resurfaced and saw him again when the sun came up.

When Rumple woke next, she saw him leaning over him, her body and face illuminated by the rising sun. He looked around and realized that he'd been sleeping by the water all night, not so much as touched by the cold.

"Good morning," she greeted him. "So glad you're up. Would you like to go home now?"

"Yes," he told her as they both got him to his feet. "I would if you would."

"Yes," Belle nodded as they made their way back toward the castle. "I would too."

The End