9/25 Note: I haven't forgotten this story, guys! I have just been so busy with school and work that by the time I go to type up chapter three (which I'd foolishly written in a notebook), I tend to just want to sleep. I should have it up within a few days, though. :)


The shop bell tinkled to announce her arrival. Belle's eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden darkness as she peered around the shop with mild curiosity before noticing the man behind the counter. He faced her for but a moment and then his back was turned to her; she took a moment to absorb his tailored suit and shoulder length brown hair as he put something away out of her line of vision.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Gold?"

"Yes I am, but I'm afraid the shop's closed-" He froze, staring at Belle as if seeing a ghost. She walked towards him, steeling herself against the sudden rush of cowardliness attempting to throttle her.

"I was told to find you and tell you that Regina locked me up," she said, realizing as she spoke how ridiculous she must sound. All the while he merely stared at her, his face frozen in some powerful emotion that Belle couldn't distinguish. "Does that mean anything to you?"

The man called Mr. Gold seemed to pull himself out of a deep reverie and reached a hand out towards her. Slightly alarmed but even more confused, she allowed him to grasp onto her shoulder. His grip was gentle but cautious, as if he doubted his senses, and it was with trembling fingers that he squeezed her flesh. "You're real," he whispered. "You're alive," he finished, but with sincere question in his tone. "She did this to you?"

Nonplussed, Belle plowed ahead with her message. "I was told you'd protect me," she said with uncertainty, thinking of how she would feel if she was forced to return to that cell. Then the man was moving towards her and she was lost in his embrace as he clutched her to his chest.

"Oh yes," he said, nearly in tears. "Yes, I'll protect you."

Still bewildered, Belle felt something tugging at her memories. When they broke apart she couldn't shake the feeling that she should have known who he was but was unable to place how she could. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

She realized immediately that the question struck him like a blow. His eyes watered and his lips trembled but he smiled with what could only have been satisfaction. "No, he said, his voice barely audible, "but you will."

Belle's mouth opened in silent surprise. This man knew her? He certainly seemed to care deeply that she was alive and there in his shop, but she could not remember a time before the hospital room. How could she have known this man and not known such a thing? Then again, how could she remember nothing of herself? She didn't even know her own name.

"Do you know who I am?" she finally asked, wary.

"You remember nothing?" strength returned to him as he stood there, drinking in her features with his damp eyes.

"I don't even know my name," she admitted. The drugs were making it hard for her to concentrate and she hid her eyes with a trembling hand for a brief moment. "Only that dark room and the blonde nurse."

"You are Belle," he murmured, reaching out to touch a strand of her matted hair. "And you will come to stay with me."

Stunned at the vehemence in his voice, Belle tried to focus on the man's face but it was shifting. His irises were widening and shifting color at the same time his hair was filling out and gaining a curl, but it was when his skin suddenly changed tone to a scaly green with gold flecks and his teeth darkened that she backed away in fear. He walked towards her, his smile icy and not quite reaching his eyes as he reached out black-tipped fingers to grip her shoulders tightly. "You belong to me now."


Belle jolted upright mid-scream, tangled amongst her sheets and her heart pounding in terror. Her skin was slick with sweat and the silken sheets were wrapped so tightly around her legs that she could not shift one way or another. She spent a few moments in a blind panic as she struggled to extricate herself from the linens before she finally gathered her bearings and remembered where she was. Breathing steadily, still trying to gain focus, she slid herself out of the mass of fabric and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She gripped onto the edge of the mattress and let her shoulders sag, breathing deeply to calm herself.

A bad dream, no more, she thought to herself in desperation. She was in a state of shock from her escape and she knew it. The drugs had still been in her system when she found Mr. Gold yesterday and the fact that he knew her though she didn't know him frightened her. That would unnerve anyone. She didn't know if she could entirely trust him either, other than from the overwhelmed reaction of when he first saw her. That had seemed too sincere to be an act, so of course her dreams would torment her with her own anxieties. Even if the sight of that shimmering skin and overlarge, dark irises felt somehow to be the realest part of her dream it was obviously still just that—Mr. Gold was a man, not a monster. Besides, now that she was awake the details were slipping from her consciousness.

Restless, Belle slid off the bed and stood up to stretch her limbs. The pajamas Mr. Gold had lent her were damp with her sweat and she was just thinking she might take another shower when she felt a rumble in her stomach. She'd not eaten in over a day—Belle had completely forgotten about food in the excitement of the previous day's events. Plucking the shirt from her skin uncomfortably, she went to the bedroom door and placed her hand on the doorknob; she hesitated on it for a fraction of a second as she calmed the butterflies fluttering lightly in her belly. She opened it as quietly as she could and peered both ways down the hallway.

There was no sound from the rest of house. Belle's eyes glanced unconsciously to the door she knew belonged to Mr. Gold before she tiptoed down the stairs, hoping not to wake him if he was home. When she reached the bottom of the stairs and was facing the kitchen area, she saw on the clock that it read 11:23. Had she really slept so long? Slightly ashamed of herself, Belle approached the kitchen, wondering what all of the devices did until she noticed a folded letter propped up on the bar.

"Belle—

Forgive me. I had to depart early this morning. You were sleeping so soundly that I couldn't bring myself to wake you.

I am out on business, but I should be back just after noon to join you for lunch. I would prefer you not go out alone, as the town is much bigger than one might anticipate, but of course you are free to do so, should you wish. It is simply an advisement, neither a command nor a request."

Belle paused to dwell on his words for a few moments. Her first, excited thought was that Mr. Gold would be coming home to visit her and that gave her a thrill she did not expect. Her next thoughts drifted to the warning he had given her. They were in fact not a direct command, but she remembered how the man who had freed her had told her to hurry to Mr. Gold, that he would protect her. For the first time Belle found herself wondering in earnest why she would need protection. Not wanting to dwell on worries, Belle read the rest of his letter which bore directions on how to go about preparing breakfast.

She smiled and gently replaced the letter to the counter. She followed his directions for making toast, startled when the pieces of bread snapped back up with a loud pop but delighted when she felt how crisp and hot they were. She buttered the slices generously and lay them on the waiting plate, then set about making tea with the bag of herbs Mr. Gold had left near the kettle. While it was boiling Belle turned her attention to the tallest, metallic object in the room and pulled the door towards herself. A cold rush of air swept past her and gave her the briefest of pauses before, as had been promised in the note, she found a platter of sliced plums on the topmost shelf. At the sight of the juicy, purple morsels her taste buds began salivating, and it was with great joy that she gathered the toast, tea and plums and sat herself in one of the barstools overlooking the kitchen. She allowed her eyes to take in the general layout of her new home as she chewed blissfully.

The kitchen was giant and pristine, though that seemed more from lack of use than from regular cleanings. The kitchen opened up to the living area where her book still sat on the leather sofa, waiting for her. That particular room was the largest on the floor, she noticed, and the focal points were the sofa, bookshelves lining the walls, and a strange, glassy piece of art mounted to the wall across from the sofa. Her gaze fell upon the open area to the left of where she sat and could tell that the intended purpose of the section was as a dining room, but he had set himself up an office instead. From the lack of any real mess or disorder to the house, Belle gathered that Mr. Gold must be a very organized man.

After she had finished with her breakfast, Belle carried her plate and bowl to the sink (the only device in the room she had instantly recognized) and washed them. She opened the cabinets one by one until she found the stack of matching china and set the clean ones on top. Once she had finished she turned and looked all around herself, hands on hips. What would she do today? Mr. Gold had said she didn't have to clean but she could think of nothing else to do besides reading and she didn't want to lounge just then. Belle wanted desperately to move around and expend all of the energy she could. With that thought she began searching his house for the cleaning supplies she knew must be around somewhere. She got lucky and the first place she checked—the cabinets under the sink—held chemicals that promised to clean the various places of a home. Some of the object names were unfamiliar to her and it was only thanks to the pictures on the labels that she was able to deduce which items they were for.

His house isn't that dirty, she thought as she finished cleaning the sink with a bottle labeled as bleach, which she found very useful as it claimed to clean nearly everything. She wondered if he had someone come in and clean for him, like a maid. That thought gave Belle a jolt and she let her hand go still for a moment, clutching the paper towel as she considered this. For some reason the idea of Mr. Gold with a maid stirred another, unfamiliar emotion in her and she dwelled on it a bit, trying to figure out what it could be. When it struck her, Belle laughed for the second time in two days, which brought about a ceaseless bout of more, harder laughter pouring out of her. She ended up clutching her sides as she slid to the ground, her laughter slowly fading away but the smile remaining on her face.

What reason would a person have to be jealous of someone's maid? Mr. Gold can have a pretty little maid if he wishes, she thought to herself. Shaking her head and with her mood considerably lightened, Belle pulled herself to her feet and spent the rest of the morning cleaning every surface she could reach, save for his displayed items. With those she only dared to dust them, which seemed the safest action considering she had no idea the proper method of cleaning antiques. She was in the middle of swatting dust from the curtains in the living room when there was a knock on the door.

Belle froze mid-swing, staring at the door in surprise. Mr. Gold hadn't mentioned anyone coming by in his note. Then again, the three women from before had come by solely to ask her if she wanted to go out with them. Her nervousness lessening at the memory, Belle approached the door, still clutching the broom in her hands. "Yes, who is it?"

"Hey Belle, it's Emma. Emma Swan. We met yesterday."

Belle unlocked the door and opened it, surprised even further. There stood the blonde woman who had seemed the least interested in her of the three, and Belle saw that her expression was indeed rather stoic. Still she smiled somewhat awkwardly at Belle, who greeted her with a shy "Hello again, Emma."

"May I come in?" Belle's fingernails subconsciously began to tap on the doorframe, unsure of how to answer. On the one hand she so badly desired the company, but on the other she didn't know how Mr. Gold would feel about someone coming inside, and it was his house, after all. "I promise I won't shoot you or steal anything," the woman added with a grin after a few moments of Belle's inner dilemma.

"Of course," Belle finally replied, opening the door wider. She noticed Emma carried a large, navy blue bag in her hands as she crossed the threshold, waiting for Belle to close and lock the door. "How are you today?" she asked, deciding polite small talk was as good an option as any to begin a conversation.

"Good, thanks," Emma laughed. "I was on patrol and decided I would swing by and see how you were faring." Belle noticed Emma had said this far too cheerfully and was pleased at the suspicion that she had not merely just been in the neighborhood. "Yesterday would have been overwhelming for anyone. Oh, and we thought you might be in need of some clothes so we pooled our closets for extras." Emma held out the bag.

Belle stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, stunned, before she reached out and took the bag. She set it down on the sofa and unzipped it with shaking fingers before beginning to pull out the clothes: a few shirts, a couple pairs of blue jeans, and even a pretty yellow sundress, then a pair of sandals and a pair of sneakers. Touched, Belle looked up at Emma and found herself smiling like a fool and her eyes wet with gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Emma. I appreciate it, I really do."

"Yeah well, it's not much but we couldn't have you walking around in Mr. Gold's pajamas everyday could we?" Emma laughed in a tone that made it quite clear she was not used such emotional moments. Belle noticed that the awkwardness didn't reach Emma's eyes, however; she seemed at least a little pleased that Belle was so happy. "Speaking of, how is he treating you?" Emma leaned against the back of the sofa, watching Belle closely.

"He's been very kind to me," Belle responded sincerely. She could see the badge glinting on Emma's belt and remembered that she was speaking to the town sheriff.

"He is, is he?" Belle caught the merest trace of disbelief in Emma's tone. "He didn't… make you come here or force you to stay with him, did he?"

Belle felt her mouth fall open at the open accusation in Emma's tone. She quickly regained her composure and forced herself to speak gently, trying to remember that her appearance in the town must have been accompanied by rumors that would certainly have reached the town sherriff's ears. "Of course he didn't make me. I was told to go to him because he would protect me, and that is exactly what he did. He remembers who I am."

"He does?" A frown not so much of disbelief but of deep thought pulled at the corner of Emma's lips. "Interesting, considering no one else seems to."

"I believe him, if you're trying to say that he's lying," Belle said rather coolly.

Emma's eyes snapped back to Belle's and a genuinely apologetic grin softened her features. "I wasn't thinking he was lying, I am just impressed that he's taken you in. No one has ever gotten under Mr. Gold's skin before, at least according to the townsfolk."

Belle considered this for a moment. She had yet to meet anyone else in the area but she couldn't see how they could be so surprised at his gesture of hospitality. Mr. Gold had been exceedingly kind to Belle herself, and she was sure Emma must be exaggerating to some extent. Then Belle wondered why she was being so defensive of what people thought of Mr. Gold to begin with.

"Say, would you like to go out for lunch? Granny's has great burgers." Emma's smile was infectious and Belle found herself so enjoying being in her company that she almost immediately nodded. Then she remembered Mr. Gold's note and hesitated. He had said that he would be back for lunch and not to go to town anyway, though had made a point of clarifying that he was just making a suggestion. However he had specifically said this in reference to going into town alone, and if she was in the sheriff's company surely she would be safe? This Regina woman couldn't harm her when she was with the town law, could she? Belle wasn't even sure the woman did want to harm her.

Catching Belle's apprehension, Emma grinned conspiratorially. "Don't worry, if Regina tries to kidnap you I will punch her right in the ovaries."

Belle laughed at that, and it was such a wonderful relief that she couldn't imagine how she had gone so long without it in her life. "Alright, can I take a quick shower first? I've been cleaning all morning."

"Sure, I'll just sit here and watch some TV." Emma flopped down on the sofa and grabbed a small, rectangular black object from the small table at the end. She pressed on it and the glassy, black object mounted on the wall Belle had taken for an odd mirror or strange piece of art suddenly burst into life. She saw people inside of it, heard them a clearly as if they were standing right beside her. "Have you never seen a TV before?" Emma asked her after a moment, watching her incredulously.

Belle shook her head, both fascinated and slightly alarmed by the device. "I'll—I'll go take my shower." She hurried off, wondering what else she had missed out on in the world while locked in her cage.


Twenty minutes later Belle had written a note explaining where she was going and inviting Mr. Gold to join them before joining Emma in the latter's bright yellow, rather odd looking car. She watched from the passenger side seat as the town passed them by much faster than she could have thought possible. Emma said nothing the whole way, but instead hit a button on the dash and loud music blared from all around them. The music was unlike Belle had ever known—though in truth when Belle reflected on this, she couldn't remember any particular music at all, only that it was, in fact, music. Still she found herself bouncing her head along to the rhythm. When Emma notice this she smiled over at her. Belle returned one shyly and was glad to find that their silence was an amiable one.

In what felt like only a few minutes Emma was parking alongside the street in the middle of the town square, directly alongside a place that read "Granny's Diner." Belle exited the car and self-consciously tugged at the dress she wore as they walked towards the entrance. The weather was rather chilly and her arms and legs erupted in goose bumps, but she had felt more comfortable wearing a dress than the constricting jeans. Emma opened the door and walked in, followed closely by a clearly nervous Belle.

Immediately all conversation in the diner ceased. Every eye had turned to stare at Emma and then at Belle, who found herself flushing underneath the scrutiny. She was immensely grateful to Emma when she spoke loudly, ignoring the stares. "Hey Ruby, is it your lunch time yet?"

Belle started, realizing that behind the counter stood the girl with the long, brown and red hair she had met the day before. Ruby looked over at the older woman behind the register, who shrugged, and pulled off her apron so that she could come around and join them at the table Emma had sat down at. Belle followed suit and smiled shyly at Ruby, who positively beamed at her as she sat down. The conversation level had crept back up in the diner again, though Belle noticed eyes kept darting over to where they all sat.

"Belle, hi! I didn't expect to see you out on the town already."

"Emma stopped by and invited me out," Belle responded politely. The stares were unnerving her.

"Don't mind them," Ruby murmured. "This town is so small that any gossip is blown way out of proportion. You're the current big news."

"Me?" Belle repeated in surprise. "Why?" She noticed that Emma was staring around at the people as if to challenge them, and all of them looked away again when they found themselves under her gaze.

"Because everyone knows you escaped Regina's little prison she'd set you up in, and Regina herself is sort of the town villain now for doing so. Everyone is curious about you." Emma nodded in thanks to the elderly woman, who had approached with three mugs of hot chocolate.

Belle took hers gratefully and smiled up at the woman. "Thank you."

"No problem, dear. And don't you mind these people staring, they're all just busybodies. Would you like something to eat?"

"Oh no thank you, I already ate breakfast."

Granny took the other two's orders (Emma requested a cheeseburger and fries, Ruby a hot ham and cheese sandwich with a pickle on the side) and left. Ruby watched Belle, unabashed curiosity lighting up her face in such an innocent way that Belle couldn't bring herself to be bothered by it.

"So is the girl's night this Saturday still on?" Emma inquired abruptly, her tone too casual to be entirely believable.

"Hell yes," said Ruby, grinning maliciously. "And you've already agreed so don't you try backing out. That includes trying to say that you got called in on an emergency; Mary Margaret already made sure you had coverage that night."

"Of course she did." Emma's face darkened but she didn't argue, instead using her cinnamon stick to absent-mindedly stir the ice water Granny had just dropped off for them all. "I'm never any good with girl nights."

"Well it's not like it's hard work," Ruby laughed. "Go shopping with us, get a cute dress and heels, and then we'll all get drunk."

"I hate wearing heels," Emma muttered, more to herself than either Belle or Ruby.

"Mr. Gold said that drinking can be dangerous," Belle volunteered, both out of the desire to be part of the conversation and because she wondered if he had been joking. To her surprise Emma and Ruby grinned at each other. Belle's eyes darted between the two of them and when they'd said nothing, she leaned forward. "Is it?"

"If you drink too much alcohol, it can be." Emma set down her glass. "I mean it's not like we're going to let you drive or anything, that's the biggest danger. As long as you don't drink too much and drink plenty of water as well, you should be fine."

"And as long as you don't hook up with anyone," Ruby added with a grin. Emma threw a nasty look at her but Belle merely watched them both, still confused.

"Hook up?"

"You know… have a one-night stand." Ruby leaned forward, obviously enjoying the track their conversation had gone down. Belle gazed at her blankly, truly lost.

"Have sex," Emma interrupted, causing Ruby to throw her a look of one being deprived a treat and Belle to feel a flush creep into her face.

"Oh," was all she could think to say.

Ruby laughed, not unkindly, and leaned back in her chair to sip her cocoa. Belle pulled the mug of her own into her hands, enjoying the warmth against her chilled fingers before Ruby blurted out, "So what's Mr. Gold like in bed?"

Belle choked on her cocoa, sputtering as the hot liquid scalded her throat and burnt paths up her sinus cavities and down her esophagus. Immediately Emma was behind her, patting her hard on the back until Belle pulled in a shuddering breath, her eyes watering from pain. The coughing continued to rack her body until finally her airway was cleared and she could accept the ice water that Ruby held out towards her. Assured that Belle was alright, Emma sat back down in her seat and shot a look at Ruby, who looked equally concerned but supremely unabashed as Granny came bustling up, carrying a tray laden with the two meals.

"I wouldn't know," Belle finally choked out, her face burning from more than just the hot cocoa.

"Really? We thought—" Ruby quickly changed track at a look from Emma. "We thought that you might have an idea," she finished somewhat lamely.

"I… I don't know even know how he knows me. I honestly don't remember anything from before the hospital. He knew my name, though."

Emma and Ruby exchanged looks but said nothing as they began to eat their lunches. Belle took a long draft of the ice water to soothe her aching throat and then set it back down, letting herself look around the diner again. Every person she looked at seemed to immediately become interested in something else and hurriedly turned their eyes away. Suddenly feeling quite alone, Belle began to wish she were elsewhere. Things were only made worse when, unbidden, the images of Mr. Gold and herself Ruby had hinted at flashed through her mind. Struggling to maintain her calm expression, she only faintly heard the door to the diner open. She was still struggling to purge her mind of what Ruby had implanted in it when a soft, accented voice spoke behind her.

"Good afternoon, ladies."

Belle jumped and turned around to see Mr. Gold standing behind her, leaning on his cane and smiling benignly at them. Emma met his gaze resolutely and Belle thought there might have been a hint of defiance in her eyes before it was gone again, and she smiled politely at him. Ruby on the other hand was gazing rather oddly at Mr. Gold: her mouth was slightly open and she looked unable to speak to him, but unable to look away either. Belle's heart leapt from her chest and up into her throat when his gaze returned to smile down at her.

"Hello, Mr. Gold," Belle replied faintly. Emma gave an odd little motion of recognition with her index and middle finger to him while Ruby merely continued to stare. Rather breathlessly, Belle added "I'm glad you got my note, Emma invited me out to lunch. Would you like to join us?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to intrude on girl talk." The smile Mr. Gold gave the other two was as polite as ever but Belle noticed a perceptible change in the atmosphere at the table after the words were said. "I'd merely come here to see if you'd do me the honor of joining me for the rest of lunch."

Belle detected no chastisement in his tone, but felt her pulse quicken anyway. Had she upset him by leaving the house when he'd wanted to come home to join her for lunch? Perhaps because she'd left for town when he'd recommended she didn't? Emma stood up suddenly and stretched, patting her belly appreciatively. "Well I have to get back to the station, Belle. Thanks for coming to lunch. See you later, Ruby. Thanks for the food, Granny!" she called out as she dropped her money on the table and walked out of the diner.

Ruby was on her feet in an instant, mumbling something about getting back to work as she gathered the plates and hurried away from the table. Belle noticed that where everyone had been glancing over at them for the past half an hour, everyone in the diner now seemed to be trying very hard to pretend that they didn't exist. Belle stood up and smiled at Mr. Gold warmly. "Thank you for the breakfast instructions, they were very helpful."

Mr. Gold laughed softly and dropped some cash on the table before offering her the arm not leaning against his cane. Belle accepted it and allowed him to lead her out of the diner. Now that the sedatives and shock of the day prior had worn off Belle found herself acutely aware of the small things she had not noticed before, such as how strong and steady his arm was as she clutched lightly to it, despite his uneven gait.

"Are you taking me home?" she asked sadly. She couldn't imagine being cooped up in the house all day when she had now seen the streets lined with little shops and places to explore. Belle couldn't help but notice his expression flitted for a moment to surprise at her last word, but then he was smiling again.

"Not if you don't want to. If you'd like I could close the shop for the day and show you around the town."

Belle's joy was instantaneous. She felt a smile light up her face and immediately clung more tightly to his arm, leaning in as close to him as she could without feeling she was being too forward. "That would be wonderful!"

Mr. Gold smiled somewhat uncertainly at Belle's enthusiasm. Hoping she hadn't made him uncomfortable, she willed herself to loosen her grip and walk alongside him in cheery silence as they strolled down the street. They turned two more corners before Belle recognized the sign she had seen the day before, advertising Mr. Gold's antique shop. There was a woman standing underneath the sign, her body turned so that Belle could only make out short, dark hair and a long, elegant cream coat overtop black, loose-legged trousers.

Instantly Mr. Gold held out his arm in front of Belle, who was forced to stop abruptly so that she didn't walk into his outstretched arm. She glanced up at his face, curious, and immediately felt a thrill of foreboding at the cold fury contorting his features. Bewildered, Belle turned back to see the woman under his sign had turned to face them.

Belle took three hasty steps backwards, her heart racing in terror as recognition dawned on her. The corner of the woman's red lips lifted in a cold grin as she took in the sight of them both. Mr. Gold remained standing protectively in front of Belle and did not move as the three of them remained rooted to the spot, frozen momentarily into silence. Then the woman spoke in a sultry voice that sent a shiver down Belle's spine.

"Hello, Mr. Gold. Belle," she added with a subtle hint of mockery when her eyes focused on Belle's form half-hidden behind him.

Mr. Gold approached her slowly, keeping Belle firmly under his grip as they got closer. The woman Belle realized must be Regina did not move, remaining standing directly in front of the door to the antique shop until Mr. Gold finally motioned for Belle to stop a good ten feet away. He then closed the distance between himself and Regina, so close to her that Belle knew a moment of fear; for which person she couldn't say.

"What do you want?" he finally said, every syllable icy with loathing.

"Just to see how you and your long lost… friend are faring," she purred. The smile she fixed on Belle chilled her. "Also to remind you that it would be unwise to turn against me."

Mr. Gold's knuckles turned white as he gripped his cane, and Belle wondered if he was not suppressing the urge to beat the woman with it. When he spoke, his voice was carefully measured. "You chose your allies long ago, your majesty. Now leave us."

Belle remained rooted to her place some ten feet away from them, barely registering the oddness of their conversation because she could feel the rage and hate emanating from both sides. After a few very long, tense moments, Regina took a final step towards Mr. Gold; they were so close they appeared almost to be kissing. When she spoke Belle could only just hear her.

"Remember what happens to the people who side against me, Spinner."

"I said leave. Please."

The woman's cheek twitched. She threw him a look of pure menace before turning it upon Belle, who recoiled at the sheer intensity of it. "I suspect we'll be meeting again very soon, my dear."

With that the woman turned the corner and was gone, leaving Mr. Gold standing where he was with his back still to Belle. She noticed he trembled slightly and approached him cautiously, placing a hand upon his shoulder. He started and did a turnaround, then relaxed when he saw Belle's face. He cupped her cheek with his hand as his eyes roamed over her face, as if storing it to memory.

"I'm guessing that was the woman who held me captive. Not very nice, is she?" Belle's attempt to lighten the mood was painfully transparent, but it nonetheless brought a tremulous smile to Mr. Gold's thinned lips. "Why did she call you Spinner?" Belle asked wildly, the first burning question to escape her lips. His face tightened and he let his hand drop from her face.

"How about we go shopping for your new things? Perhaps items to make you comfortable in your new room, and I daresay you could use some more clothes," he added, eyeing the donated sundress with a lingering gaze that suddenly made it feel invisible. An odd swooping sensation to the pit of her stomach created a domino effect and suddenly Belle felt quite warm even in the chilly air.

Belle wanted more than anything to keep asking questions but the expression on Mr. Gold's face made perfectly clear that he would not discuss the exchange any further. Nodding, she watched him unlock the shop, reach inside and flip the sign from "Gone to Lunch" to "Closed" before offering his arm again. Belle took the proffered forearm with her hands and allowed him to lead her down the road towards the heart of town again, lost once again in her own thoughts.

She could remember through the haze of sedation the occasional snapping sound from her hospital room door that signaled the appearance of a stranger's face in the viewing area. Only now could she place a person to the face, and she remembered with a pang of fear the smugness apparent on that same face every time it came to watch her, and the anguish on Mr. Gold's face when he saw Belle for the first time.

Belle shuddered, clutching rather closer to Mr. Gold than before and so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the shadow of a grin her sudden grip brought to his lips.