Summary: Having rested after the previous day's nightmare, Rumple is able to think of an escape plan.

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When Rumplestiltskin stirred from his slumber, he fuzzily realized his head was pinned down on something soft and warm. Were the last several days a nightmare, simply a bad dream? Was he really just in his bed, dreaming it all up? With a pang of hope he opened his eyes and raised his head, only to be hit by the harsh reality. He was in a dark dungeon. His back hurt. He was lying on a cold ground, with his head on Belle's lap. Nothing of the past horrible days was a dream. Feeling annoyed beyond all measure, he dragged himself up to a sitting position, hissing in pain when the movement irritated his open cuts.

He looked at the sleeping Belle, her head perched at her folded hands. Despite the horrible setting they were in and the horrors she indulged yesterday, she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Even he slept rather well and without nightmares, his mind probably too tired to even conjure them up. Or maybe it was because he spent the night snuggled against her warm inviting lap? He shook his head. No time or place for such thoughts. Especially not now, when he was almost naked, wearing nothing more than a pair of cotton pants. Normally, such state of undress would have made him extremely embarrassed, but since his arrival, he had dropped the thoughts of modesty, his mind and body too exhausted to worry about that little fact. Besides, there was nothing he could do about it even if he wanted to, he reasoned.

Still looking at Belle's sleeping face, with all the tenderness he could muster he ran a single finger across her lovely cheek. It was marked by dust that has gathered in the cell, and there were visible lighter streaks, where her tears had run the previous day. His heart cried at the sight of his innocent Belle, lying there in the dirty dungeon after how she had been forced to torture him. Regina was crueler than he had ever thought… He just hoped he could get his darling Belle out of here, safe and sound.

He didn't notice that he started to stroke her face with a full hand and lean down closer to her, and he was startled when suddenly bleary blue eyes, bluer than the sky itself, looked up at him. By miracle, the sun came through the clouds outside in that very moment, casting a beam of light at her face, and it was truly a surreal sight. One that took his breath away.

His mouth dropped a little as he behold her, and he quickly took his hand away, as she stretched lazily and looked up at him dreamily. It seemed that the gruesome reality had yet to reach her mind, and he gave her a faint smile, knowing she would soon realize.

Sure enough, he watched with a breaking heart as the smile disappeared from her face, her eyes turning big and scared, and she sprung herself up to a sitting position, casting a worried glance at the door and sighing with relief upon seeing it being closed and no one besides them in the cell.

"Belle…" He started, trying to draw her attention back at him. As she moved her eyes to his face and tried to send him a reassuring smile, his heart clenched. Oh, his brave Belle…

"How are you feeling?" He asked, trying to keep his voice impassive despite the big concern welling up inside him, and she gave him this little smirk and knowing look, ones she gave him each time he expressed care towards her and then tried to mask it.

"Physically, I'm a bit sore and numb, but alright otherwise. How about you, Rumple?" She looked at him with worried eyes, trying to get a glimpse of his back, but he moved it out of the range of her eyes.

"Don't worry about me, sweetheart. I will be fine." He ensured her, the endearment slipping past his lips before he could stop it. In truth he didn't feel good at all; his back hurt and stung, his head still pounded, and he barely could feel his arms, his muscles still painfully strained. He told her none of that though, not wanting to worry her more than she already was.

Belle smiled sadly upon him, running her hands over his face, stroking his cheeks with such a tender manner, he wished they were someplace else, at his castle or maybe on the beach, somewhere where he could truly enjoy her touches and closeness, no threat hanging above them. But if not for this dire situation, would she even dare to bestow such touches upon him? No, it was not the time to wonder about such things, he reminded himself.

His stomach suddenly gave a loud rumble, and he looked at Belle embarrassed.

"Is she even feeding you?" Her face was full of worry and concealed anger as she looked at him, and he considered if he should lie.

"At the beginning, yes… But she hasn't in the past days, since she, uh… chained me…" He admitted truthfully, casting his eyes at the floor beside them, suddenly feeling ashamed. "But don't worry, I'm sure she will bring some food for you, Belle. She doesn't seem intent on killing you, so I doubt she would let you starve to death." He tried to reassure her, not wanting her to worry.

"I'm not worried about myself, Rumple. I'm worried about you. You've been here for who knows how long…" For a moment he looked at her blankly, until finally his sluggish brain understood that she was worried about him, and with that startling realization he rushed to put her at ease.

"Oh! Don't worry about me, Belle. I am still the Dark One, so the hunger can't kill me. And Regina knows that." Her face lightened a bit, and he tentatively pressed his hands against her warm cheeks. "It is quite an uncomfortable feeling, but it's really not any worse torture than…-" He didn't finish, suddenly realizing that what he intended to say to lift up her spirits, was indeed not the right thing to say. Belle's face fell down in a second, her eyes growing big and wet at the reminiscent of the previous day, and he was sure her tears would fall any second now.

He felt horrible, sick at stomach. What Regina did, it was a discomfort for him and it was painful, but it wasn't anything he couldn't bear. He was not anywhere as weak as Regina thought he was. But Belle… She was a delicate flower. She didn't deserve any of this. But just now when she needed his help, he was powerless. He could do nothing to get her out of Regina's clutches, to return her to home safely…

Feeling hopeless and angry at the same time, he looked down, the sight of her teary eyes too much for him to bear at the moment. And just as he slid his gaze lower, his eyes somewhat fell upon her chest, and with a start he noticed the little pendant that hung there.

"You still wear that pendant..." He said in amazement. He thought she cast the gift away after he had throw her out from the castle…

"Of course I do, Rumple. You gave it to me, I couldn't just throw it away." She said, looking at him in confusion about his sudden change of subject, but feeling grateful at the same time.

He looked at her face with anew revelation, suddenly feeling the flicker of hope igniting. A chance to escape has just presented itself to them, and he felt ecstatic about the prospect. The plan started to form in his mind, and so focused on his thoughts he was, that he didn't notice Belle's confused expression upon seeing his face suddenly lit up like that.

"Rumple?"

"Hm? Oh. Yes. I have a plan!"

"You do?" Belle felt happy hearing that, and seeing how he nodded his head with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, she squeezed his shoulders in excitement. "Come on, tell me!"

He grinned at her and moved a finger to her pendant, twirling the little golden strand around his finger and raising it up so she could look at it.

"It's not an ordinary pendant. I made it myself from my own golden strands, and enchanted it. It's a very special pendant Belle, and… that's the real reason why I have given it to you…" He suddenly felt guilty, and turned his head at the side to avoid her eyes. She didn't notice that though, too curious about all this to wonder over his motives for the gift.

"What does it do?"

"I uh… I put some spells around the castle's grounds, once you came there… You couldn't run away, the barrier would have stopped you." He admitted and gulped as her eyes momentarily narrowed at him. "I simply couldn't risk having you run away, dearie." He said in a sing-sang voice, waggling a playful finger before her nose, but Belle simply shook her head with a soft smile.

"Of course. So, what about that pendant?"

He breathed in relief, seeing that she wasn't angry with him.

"As you remember, I gave it to you before I let you go to the village. It's enchanted, so that you can cross with it through any protection spells I cast around the castle. Which also comes in handy right now. After Regina told me… that you died-" he swallowed a lump in his throat, the words still hard for him to say. Belle resumed stroking his face, and he send her a small brave smile. "When I was away investigating, I cast a powerful protection spells around the castle. I thought that Regina may be up to something, so I didn't want her to have a free access while I was away for so long. I never returned to take down those spells. But with this pendant - you would be able to enter." He explained, and Belle opened her mouth in shock. Then she realized something and looked around in fear.

"What if the Queen overhears us? What if she takes the pendant?"

"Worry not. It's enchanted to only work for you. Even if she takes it, it will be completely useless in her hands." He assured her, and Belle nodded with relief.

"Alright, so… Let's assume I enter the castle. What then?"

"Do you remember that one time when you startled me in my workshop and I spilled the potion over a book?"

Of course she remembered that. It was funny when to think of it from the perspective of time, but back then it was rather unpleasant; she had thought she ruined his book and the potion, and that he would be angry. He had indeed yelled at her and told her to get out because she was a walking disaster, but she had ignored his tantrum and insult, and instead insisted that she would help him. He had eventually relented, and they cleaned the mess together. She had apologized countless times, until he had told her to finally stop doing it, and send her off to fetch a fresh tea. She could see that he wasn't angry anymore though, and they never spoke of the mishap again. Belle smiled at the memory for a moment, but then narrowed her eyes at Rumple in confusion.

"I do remember that, but what…"

"Do you remember how that book looked like?"

"Umm… yes, I think so. It was…"

"No, don't tell me." He hushed her and looked around, half expecting to find Regina in the shadows. Glad that they were still alone, he turned his eyes back at Belle. "You need to find it. There is a spell in there. You will know what spell I mean, once you find it. You need to cast it, the book will tell you how."

Belle looked at him even more confused now. He was talking vaguely, and though she somewhat understood why, she wished he could be more precise. Knowing that he wouldn't be, she nodded in agreement.

"Okay, find a book, got it. But I still don't understand what I'm actually looking for, what will get you out of here."

He sighed deeply and moved to sit more comfortably, running his hand through his hair, while other tentatively encircled her waist. Belle followed suit, sitting by his side, and waiting patiently for him to speak. He finally sighed again and looked at her, his eyes scanning hers closely.

"You see, there is a thing Regina wants. And ironically, it is the same thing that would be able to cut through this cuff. It's uh… it's a dagger." He admitted, but Belle still didn't understand.

"A dagger? Why would Regina want a knife?"

"Not just a knife, Belle. It's uh… It's a special dagger. It… holds power over me. But it also can cut through any magic, like the one Regina cast over the bracelet."

Belle's brow narrowed as she mulled over his words. "Holds power over me…"

"Do you mean that… this dagger… you're bound to it, or something like that?" Rumple licked his lips, and Belle noted how hard he was breathing. Eventually he nodded in confirmation, and looked away from her. It was obviously hard for him to talk about it, and Belle decided not to pressure him. She didn't need to know the details, especially if he wasn't willing to reveal them on his own.

She reached for his hand, squeezing it in a reassuring manner. He trust her with getting this dagger and not letting Regina take it, and that was really big, and made her heart swell with only more affection for him.

"I don't know where it is though."

"You do. Remember the locked room? The only one you had absolutely no access to?" Belle nodded. Hard to forget such room, really. One time when she had tried to open it, when she didn't yet know she wasn't allowed to, Rumplestiltskin had found her and berated her for good five minutes for trying to open the door. She had never approached that room again after that.

Rumplestiltskin looked at her pointedly, and she understood why he brought that up. His dagger was there; that's why he never let her in, and why the door seemed to be sealed by magic.

"But how I would get in?"

A strange expression came over Rumplestiltskin's face, but it quickly passed, leaving him looking only tired and somewhat defeated. Belle was concerned about him, but before she could say something, he answered her.

"The same way you will walk into the castle."

Belle opened her mouth in surprise. Did it mean that she had access to that room since when he had given her the necklace? Did he trust her enough to know she wouldn't use the dagger against him if she had found it and discovered what it did, or did he know that she wasn't foolish enough to get anywhere near that room after his reaction the last time she had tried that?

"There's a protection spell over it, and there's only one way you would be able to touch the dagger. Now, listen carefully." He leaned in a bit closer to her, taking a deep breath and lowering his voice. "In my workshop you will find a small ebony wooden box, that's hidden in a drawer of my desk. The key to the box is… Is hidden where our first memory is hidden too. Use the key, open the box, and inside it's a vial. Use it on the dagger and you will be able to take it. Do you understand?"

He was talking in a rushed whisper, and Belle tried hard to indeed understand him. She could make out the words, but she barely got their meaning. What did he mean by where our first memory is hidden? She nodded to indicate that she understood, even if she had no idea what he meant and prayed she would be able to figure it out once she's in there.

"I'm sorry I can't be more precise Belle… But I need to take into account that Regina may be spying on us. There are powerful protection spells around my castle, but Regina still may find a way to break them… I can't risk just handing over to her the exact instructions as to where my dagger is and how to get it."

"I understand that Rumple, I do."

He nodded with relief crossing his features and moved his hands up, running his fingers through her hair. Belle closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying his soft touch, but not before noticing his wistful expression.

"Oh, Belle… I hope you will succeed." He whispered, and her eyes opened, looking upon him with affection.

"I won't let you down, Rumple." She promised, her voice solemn, and when he nodded, his features calming and a tiny smile sprouting out as he kept looking at her, she put her hands around his neck and drew him into a hug. She planted a light kiss just under his chin, and feeling him snuggling closer to her, she kissed him again. Her hands ran along the back of his neck, down to his shoulders and to the collarbone, where she stroked his bare chest, enjoying its hairless smoothness, all the while gently gliding her mouth over the pebbled skin at the side of his neck.

"My sweet Belle…" His voice cracked at her name, and she felt him sniff her hair and plant a sweet kiss at the top of her head. She had loved him for so long, and because a stupid misunderstanding they were separated. Numerous times, she had run scenarios through her head, trying to think of every possible reaction her return could cause in him, but being in this situation would have never crossed her mind. She dreamed of having him in her arms, of kissing him, of having him kiss her too, but not while they were planning an escape from a dungeon of a cruel witch. She regretted now more than ever that she had left the castle, that she didn't try to convince him of the genuineness of her feelings. Maybe if she did, maybe then none of this would have happened… No, she couldn't be doing that now. It was not the time nor place, to think of the past and what could have been if they had made a different decisions.

Reluctantly she moved away from him, knowing that the Queen could come in any moment, and he looked at her with soft eyes, his amber orbs flicking down to her lips for a moment.

"But how do I even get out of here, Rumple? Would you be able to convince the Queen to release me?"

He looked back up at her, his face taking on a serious look.

"Yes, I will. Trust me, Belle. That's not the tricky part. The tricky part is, that she may follow you and try to take the dagger from you. That's why you need to remember of that book Belle." She nodded solemnly, understanding the stakes. If their plan was to fail, she would die and Rumple would forever be the Queen's prisoner. She couldn't make a mistake here, not when so much was in the play.

"There is one more thing Belle." He looked at her with such a deep sadness, that it actually scared her. "We need to convince the Queen about my defeat… So, you can't be holding back this time Belle. She needs to see that I can't take it anymore, that we are both too devastated to keep up the resistance."

Belle shook her head at him in disbelief.

"Rumple…"

"Belle, please. It will hurt, like hell, but none of those wounds wouldn't be able to kill me. She let you go on me a bit soft yesterday, but she won't do that again now."

Belle felt tears well up in her eyes, and he was quick to wipe them away. She knew he was right. The Queen will demand hard strikes again, and this time, she could really lose her patience if Belle tried to refuse. And they couldn't anger her, not now, when they needed the Queen to release her.

She kissed the tip of Rumplestiltskin's nose and rested her forehead against his, cradling his head in her hands.

"I will do it…"