A/N I went back and changed her last name to French, but if you catch a spot I missed it, let me know and I'll fix it! Enjoy! Also, sorry about the Gaston/Gustav mix up. I was clearly having a moment, but that is also cleared up.

Spring hit Storybrooke, and Belle was taking advantage. She walked out into the sunshine in a pretty blue and white sundress and some white flats, her brown hair curling down around her shoulders. She was in a good mood if for no other reason that it was a perfect day. She skipped a step, a huge smile on her face. Part of her wanted to break out into song, but people were already staring, so she kept it to herself.

She reached the library and settled in. No one was there, like usual, so she sat in her swivel chair and began reading the book she had started the night before. She made it halfway through, totally oblivious to the world outside, when she realized she should probably sweep up a little before she left for the day. Marking her spot, she grabbed a broom and started sweeping, her thoughts on her book. The sunlight was shining in through the window, which made her smile again. She wanted to be out in the sunlight, sitting in her swing, preferably talking to Mr. Gold. She looked around, making sure she was still alone, and then broke out into the happiest dance she'd ever done, while sweeping.

"Having fun?"

Belle stopped immediately and turned to see Emma Swan watching her, an amused smile on her lips.

"Oh...I thought I was alone," Belle admitted to her. Henry was standing next to Emma, his head cocked a little bit as he watched her. "What can I help you with?"

"I need a book," Henry told her. "On fairy tales."

"Oh?" Belle smiled. "Which one were you looking for?"

"All of them."

She looked at Emma, who offered a shrug, as if to say 'kids'.

"Okay, well I have a lot of books about fairy tales. Maybe something like Grimm's fairy tales, that has multiple stories in at once?"

He smiled, "Okay." Emma and Henry followed her as she made her way to the correct section. She climbed up the ladder and began searching for the right book. "You like to read?" He asked her as she pulled three books off the shelf.

"I do," she agreed, handing Emma the books. Henry was still staring at her, as if trying to figure something out. "Is there anything else you want me to find for you?"

"This is more than enough," Emma said. Belle smiled and began walking to the front counter to check them out.

"Why do you like Mr. Gold?" Henry suddenly asked. Belle looked at him, surprise on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Well...he's..."

"Henry, that's enough," Emma looked at her apologetically. "He's just..."

"No, it's okay," Belle smiled, typing Henry's name into her computer. "To answer your question, Henry, there is a lot to Mr. Gold that most people don't see."

Henry and Emma exchanged a skeptical look. "Like what?" He asked her.

She thought about it, as she scanned the books. "He is kind...and funny...there is a sadness to him not a lot of people know about. "

"So, on the inside he is a good person?" Henry said, brightening.

"You could say that," Belle smiled at him, putting cards into the sleeves, telling the return date. She wondered what he would say if he knew she was telling people he was a good person.

"He seems like a mean person," Henry said.

"People aren't always what they seem," Belle told him.

"I guess so."

"You guys have a good day," she smiled, watching them walk out.

"What was that all about?" Emma asked as they walked out into the sunshine.

"Duh. She's Belle...and Mr. Gold is the Beast. I had been wondering who he was!"

"A Beast?" Emma asked. "I can kind of see that...but what makes you think she is Belle?"

"Hello...pretty girl, who loves to read, in love with scariest person in town. Belle!"

"How do you know she's in love with him?"

"Well she lives with him," Henry told her.

"What? How do you know that?"

"You really need to pay attention. Everyone knows it. She's Belle!"

While Emma and Henry talked more about operation Cobra, Belle was clocking out for the day. She still had daylight left, and knew exactly what she was going to do with her time. She practically ran to the park, and was surprised to find Mary Margaret sitting on a bench there, looking anxious. When she saw Belle she stood up.

"Isabelle! I didn't know you came here."

"Yeah...I like to read here," Belle told her, wondering why she seemed so nervous.

"Oh, of course! I just...usually it's empty."

"Hence it's appeal," Belle indicating to the book in her hand. At that moment David Nolan appeared, smiling when he saw Mary Margaret.

"Hi," he sounded breathless. Belle suppressed a smile, which was a good thing because when he caught sight of her his smile fell. "Isabelle..."

"I...I'm gonna read somewhere else today," she said, turning to leave.

"You don't have to go!" Mary Margaret offered, but her eyes clearly said she should leave.

"No, it's fine. Besides, I think I need...to get something from...somewhere." Belle was not always the best at thinking on her feet. Deciding to see what Rumpel was up to, she headed to his shop, which was, like always, empty.

"I should start paying you, for all the time you spend in here," He was smiling.

"Nah, then I'd never want to be here."

"Well we wouldn't want that, would we?"

She shook her head, her curls bouncing as she bounded up to him.

"My, aren't we in a good mood today," he said softly. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"It's spring," she smiled, not realizing she had caused him to have a flashback of pulling down his curtains once upon a time.

"Ah...so it is." She gave him another huge smile.

"Mary Margaret and David Nolan were meeting in the park," she told him, hoping up onto the counter.

"Were they?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yep! And Emma Swan came by the library with Henry. Henry was asking me about you."

"Was he now? What did he want to know?"

"What you were really like. Don't tell anyone, but I told him Mr. Gold was really a nice person," she whispered conspiratorially.

"Now don't go around telling people that, they'll think you're crazy," he whispered back.

She couldn't stop smiling. "Close up today, come out with me."

"And do what?"

"I don't know...anything! No one is coming in today, so might as well enjoy the day with me."

"I supposed I could step away for a little while," he told her, enjoying how her whole face lit up when he agreed. She jumped off the counter and was at the door in four steps. "I must say I am enjoying your enthusiasm dearie."

She just grinned and looped her arm through his. "Lets go...unless you're afraid you'll melt."

"Not today."

Rumpel sometimes wasn't sure if Belle was aware of how people were staring, or if she just didn't care. He was aware, although anytime someone made eye contact with him they quickly looked away.

"Isn't it perfect out?" She asked, tilting her face upward and basking in the glow.

"Indeed," he was looking at her, wondering how it was possible that here, in this god forsaken place, he would get a chance with her again.

"Hey!" She chided. "You're not even looking."

"The sun has always been here. You have not."

She just smiled, shuffling her feet. This is what she had been telling Henry about earlier in the library.

"It's just...weird. And kind of creepy," Emma told Henry as she watched Isabelle and Mr. Gold pass, walking arm and arm. Isabelle wore the biggest smile on her face, and even Mr. Gold looked happy.

"He's her prince," Henry told her, as if that explained everything.

"Whatever. It's still weird."

Regina was also watching, a scowl darkening her features. She didn't like how close Gold kept Isabelle, especially from her. She couldn't get within ten feet of Isabelle without Gold stepping in, and she didn't like it. Isabelle knew something, and Regina wanted to know what. She didn't trust Gold at all, especially now that he knew she had been the one keeping Isabelle from him. He was planning something, she could feel it. She wasn't afraid of him, just wary.

"Don't look now, but Regina is looking at you," Belle told him, shooting Rumpel a sideways look.

"I don't doubt it. She's most likely livid I am out with you," he told her, his tone amused.

"I wonder if she has heard we are living together."

"I'm sure she has."

Rumpel ended up having to go back in to work, and since it was starting to get dark, Belle decided to go home for the night. She bade him farewell, unsure if she'd see him again before she fell asleep. Some nights he wasn't home until very late, and left very early. She only knew he came home at all because of a lonely cup sitting in the sink that he drank out of every morning.

The house was dark, and she unlocked the door quickly, shutting the door behind her. She usually locked the door, but for some reason tonight she didn't. She groped around on the wall until she found a light, and flipped it on, only to find herself staring down the barrel of a gun.

She dropped everything she had been holding in her hands, shocked. "What are you doing?"

"Sit down!" The voice was male and rough, his face covered by a ski mask. He led Belle to a chair in the sitting room, flipping on another light as he went. She had clearly surprised him, and his friend who was rifling through things.

"What are you looking for?" She asked, fearful of what was going to happen.

"Stop talking!" The first man, who had a gun pointed at her, instructed.

"It's just-" Something hard came across her face, and she felt something warm trickling down her face. Her vision went out of focus for a minute, and she realized he had hit her with the gun. More afraid than before, she fell silent, hoping that a neighbor had seen or heard something and called the police.

"I can't find it!" The second man appeared. "Who is this?"

"She came in!" The first man.

"What do we do with her?"

"Don't worry about it, just find it!"

"Maybe she knows where it is!" Belle began shaking her head furiously.

"I don't know anything," she told them desperately. The first man struck her again, and Belle hung her head, feeling limp and dizzy. Her vision was focusing in and out, and she couldn't see for the blood running down.

"We're looking for a spindle. It is here somewhere, tell me where!" The first man told her.

"I don't know..." she told him softly, tasting blood in her mouth. Her head throbbed again, having been struck a third time. Her hair formed a curtain around her, and her eyes were shut again.

"Tell us!"

Belle lifted her head up and looked at him. "I don't know."

"We should get out of here, I knew he wouldn't keep it in his house," the second man moved towards the door.

"One minute," the first said, pulling the hammer back on the gun. She heard the clicking and shut her eyes again, bracing herself for the blast. She heard the bang and jumped a little. It took her a moment before she realized that she was either dead, or he had missed. She heard shouting, and opened her eye to see the masked man lying on the floor, his leg bleeding. There was another shot from behind her, going into his other knee, and he screamed again. She didn't want to turn around, too afraid of what she would see.

She heard the cane before she actually saw him. Rumpel was wearing a scary look, as he pushed his cane into the bleeding masked man's throat.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" He asked in the scariest voice she had ever heard. He spoke quietly, and calmly, and he sounded deadly. She looked up at him, her hair parting slightly so she could see. The masked man just moaned, curled up on the floor. Rumpel pushed harder, and repeated his question. When it became clear that he wasn't going to get anything answered, he turned to Belle. She was hanging her head again, wishing desperately to close her eyes and fall asleep.

She felt a hand push the hair gently out of her face, and she looked up at him. "They're looking for your spindle," she whispered. Rumpel shushed her as he pulled out a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped away some of the blood. She focused on his eyes, which looked angry and sad all at once.

In no time at all the flashing of blue and red lights illuminated through the window. "You called the police?" She asked, knowing his love of vigilante justice.

"You need to see a doctor, dear."

"What happened in here?" Emma swan took in the scene with slight horror. One man was passed out in the hallway, another man bleeding from both kneecaps in the sitting room, and Isabelle French bleeding in a chair.

"It appears I was almost robbed," Rumpel stood up. "I interrupted them as they were about to take Isabelle's life."

"Wow...what were they looking for?"

Isabelle looked up at him as medics came in. "I couldn't say," he lied smoothly.

"Looks like you had good timing," Emma commented, worried about Isabelle.

"It would seem so."

Isabelle let a medic fuss over her, and she ended up in the hospital alone, needing several stitches. Gold headed down to the station to fill out a statement. She waited for him to come pick her up, opting out of spending the night, and they drove to his home in silence. She didn't know what to say, and he still looked too angry to speak to her.

When they arrived home, the only evidence anything out of the ordinary had happened was the large stain of blood on the carpet. She tried to ignore it as she headed towards the stairs, Rumpel to the kitchen. She shut her door quietly behind her, changed into a pair of pajama pants and a white tank top, and climbed into bed. She lied awake for a long time, unable to sleep. She heard Rumpel pass her at some point, much later, his cane making it's familiar noise on the hardwood. She heard his door click, and then more silence.

At some point Belle couldn't stand the silence, or being alone anymore. She climbed out of bed and padded slowly down the hall. She turned his door handle, expecting it to be locked, but it was open. The room was pitch black, and when she closed the door quietly behind her. She slowly made her way across the room until she bumped into the bed.

"Rumpel...stiltskin?" She felt like she needed to be formal as she climbed into bed. He didn't say anything to her, just moved over and pulled her up against him. "I'm scared," she whispered, resting her head on his chest.

"There is no need to be afraid," he told her, smoothing her hair down.

Belle couldn't help it, she started to cry a little, and he let her, every so often repeating that she had no reason to be afraid, but he hadn't been there until the end, she had thought she was really going to die. She stayed like that until she fell asleep.

That morning she woke up with a pounding headache and alone in the bed. Rumpel had already left for the day, which she saw when she got to the kitchen. His cup was sitting in the sink. She sighed and dialed the phone to work, letting them know she wasn't coming in today. News had already spread like wildfire, her shift had already been covered by the time she called, even though it didn't start for six hours.

Belle wandered around the house, avoiding the sitting room, looking for his spindle. She had never seen it in the pawnshop, though she had also never been in the back. She saw a door, and when she turned the handle it opened, revealing stairs leading into a basement. The door was hidden off to the side of the kitchen, not something she had ever noticed before. She definitely wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't been looking for it, especially in the dark.

She pulled a string attached to a light, and there was his spindle. She ran her hand over it, and was turning to leave when something else caught her eye. Hanging on a metal wrack was a golden dress. It was the only thing hanging on it, and upon closer inspection she realized it was the dress she had come to his estate in the first day. She touched it, feeling the soft fabric, and almost wished she could have put it on.

"Looking for something?" She turned around quickly, taking her hands off the dress as she turned to face Rumpel. His expression was unreadable.

"I...you have my dress?" She was confused. He looked thoughtful as he stepped towards her.

"I told you...everything eventually ends up in my possession."

She nodded. "Right. It's just...unnerving you have all my things."

"Someone has to."

He led her back upstairs, locking the basement door behind her.

"Can I ask you something?" She faced him, unable to stay silent any longer.

"I imagine you could," he told her seriously.

"When it comes down to choose, who will you pick?"

"Whatever do you mean, dearie?"

"Me, or your power?" She squared her shoulders. He stepped towards her until they were inches apart, put his hand on the nape of her neck, and pulled her face against his, kissing her with an intensity she didn't know he was capable of. She kissed him back, wrapping her hands on his neck. She immediately forgot her question, assuming this was his way of answering it. For all her thoughts of thinking she had learned her lesson the first time, she was entirely too trusting. He knew she would drop it, he was counting on it. He was not entirely sure he wouldn't pick the power over her again, given the chance to possess it. He would have been lying if he said he didn't miss it. Though life without her was painful, he knew it was possible.

Here he was just an ordinary man, something he hadn't been in many, many years, and he almost forgot what it was like, but standing here kissing her brought it back in full force. In a quick move he scooped her up and took her into the living room, setting her onto a sofa. She looked up at him with her bright blue eyes, so full of trust, and he forgot himself and continued kissing her.

Belle felt breathless, and elated all at once. Her mind had completely shut down and her senses took over as his hair fell into her face. The way he smelled, tasted, felt, she reveled in it, running her hands into his hair, down his back, on his face. She couldn't get enough, her earlier worry that he'd pick his old power and old life over this, and her.

Later that evening Belle found herself lying alone, again, on the sofa. He was adept at sneaking out, or she was just a very heavy sleeper. She gathered her clothing, which was scattered on and around the sofa, and redressed herself. She was restless, so she decided to head into town for something to drink at Granny's. She smoothed out her hair one last time before she went in, and ordered coffee and a piece of pie from Ruby, and settled in. A paper was sitting on the table, and she unfurled it to see she had made the front page.

"Exciting stuff," Emma came and sat across from her.

"Everyday is something different," Belle agreed.

"Tell me about it. How are you feeling?"

"Good," Belle confessed, looking back down at her pie, which had just arrived.

"That looks good," Emma said, and ordered a piece for herself. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. No real harm was done."

"I wonder what they were looking for," Emma mused.

"No idea," Belle lied. Emma narrowed her eyes a little at Belle, but didn't say anything. They ate their pie in silence for a moment before Belle decided to speak again.

"How are the fairy take books working out?"

"Oh good. Henry is trying to figure out who everyone is," Emma told her.

"I'm sorry?" Belle asked, confused.

"Oh. He thinks everyone in Storybrooke is a character from a fairy tale."

Belle looked at her, mouth slightly opened. "Does he?"

"Yeah, everyone here is trapped by a curse the evil queen put on them."

Belle's eyebrows shot into her hairline. She wondered if Rumpel was aware that Henry had figured things out. "Who does he think you are?"

Emma's brow furrowed. "I'm not in his book."

"Book?" Belle asked.

"Mary Margaret gave him a book of fairy tales, it's what gave him this idea."

"Huh...well, who does he think I am?" She asked, wondering if Henry had it completely right. Emma laughed, looking a little embarrassed.

"He thinks you're Belle, from Beauty and the Beast." Belle's breath caught in her chest.

"Oh really?"

"Because of your...friendship...with Mr. Gold."

"Who is, clearly, the Beast," she said, smiling.

"Yeah...I know it's crazy." Emma's eyes were narrowing again.

"Crazy...I guess so," Belle said, not realizing Emma could tell she wasn't being honest about something. "I should...probably go." She tossed money onto the table. "See you around Emma."

"You too, Isabelle. Be safe."

"How could I not be, living with the Beast?" She flashed Emma a grin. Emma smiled back, and Belle headed out into the cool spring air, started the car, and headed home. When she got there she saw the house lit up, indicating Rumpel was already in there. She came in, locking the door behind her, and went room to room looking for him. She found him in his bedroom, in bed, reading a book.

"There you are," she frowned, and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You left me," she told him.

"I had something I needed to take care of," he told her, setting his book down.

"I didn't hear you leave."

"You are quite the sound sleeper."

"I guess so..." she paused for a moment. "I'll be right back."

She changed back into her pajama's, and then came in and climbed under the blankets. He got up and flipped off the light and shut the door.

"Did you know that Henry thinks we are all characters from a fairy tale?" She asked him after several moments of silence.

"Does he? And who does he think you are?"

"Belle...from Beauty and The Beast."

"So he has it right. Did he tell you this?"

"No, Emma Swan did."

"Miss Swan...does she believe it?"

"No...not yet, anyway."

"In time," he said, yawning. She curled up next to him, feeling his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm, until she also fell asleep. Her last thoughts were about the final battle, and how Emma would fare against Regina.

She wanted to go home and live out her happily ever after.