A Tangled Web
Chapter Four: Past Meets Present
A/N: There is a small amount of Rumbelle in this chapter.
Gold felt his stomach crawling with anticipation, fear, and a small amount of excitement as Emma led him into the Sheriff's office where she was keeping Belle. It had been so long since he had seen her, and while his heart belonged to Ruby, and always would, there was still a small part of him that had never fully stopped loving Belle. He only hoped that she would be at least willing to forgive him for sending her away all those years ago.
He stopped dead in the door as he beheld her for the first time in so long. She was sitting on the couch, her knees drawn up under her and her dark hair obscuring her face. Emma had found her a tee shirt and pair of dark pants to wear, and Gold couldn't help but notice how scrawny she was, and how she seemed to start at every sound that she could hear. The contrast to the bright, vibrant young woman that he had known and loved was heartbreaking, and he found himself hating Regina even more. She deserved worse than death.
Emma smiled. "I'll leave you alone. Good luck, Gold." Gold stared after her in wide eyed shock as she left him alone. After a few moments of terror, he slowly walked into the office.
Belle had heard the Sheriff-she thought her name was Emma, but she couldn't be sure-conversing with another person. The other person had a strange accent, and she could almost swear she had heard the voice before, but she couldn't quite remember where. It was very annoying. She was trying to make her traumatized brain remember, when she heard a soft voice. "Hello, dearie." She looked up, and into the face of the one being she had never expected to see ever again.
"Rumplestiltskin? !" Belle blinked rapidly, and then rubbed her eyes, but he remained as solid as before. She reached out for him, and Rumple took her hand in his. It felt the same-smooth, yet with an underlying roughness to it, and the gold sheen to his skin was further proof that she wasn't dreaming. She beamed, and leapt from the couch, eager for a kiss-and he held his hands up.
"No, Belle." Belle was about to demand why, after all the years of being without him, he would deny her one simple kiss when she noticed something glinting on his left ring finger. Something that certainly hadn't been there before.
"You're married." Belle observed, her voice carefully neutral, and Gold nodded. Belle chuckled and sank onto the couch, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Gold sat next to her.
"After Regina told me that you had been killed by the clerics, I was devastated. I locked myself in my castle for years, refusing to see anyone. But, I finally started to accept that you were gone. I never, ever stopped missing you, but I realized I wouldn't be able to keep the world away from me for too long. Too many people wanting to make deals, and willing to do anything to achieve their goals. So, I began making deals again, and watching as the idiots I made deals with mucked them up." He gave Belle an affectionate smile. "If there's one thing you mortals are good at, it's mucking things up. But to continue, one day I made a deal with a girl in a red hood. In exchange for her parents' and grandmother's respect, I asked for a single kiss from her. She obliged, and after that, I found myself running into her more and more often as the years went by. At first, I told myself that it was simply because I knew she could keep her end of the deals I made with her, but I finally figured out that I was falling for her. Eventually, we became lovers."
Belle frowned in thought. "Red hood…girl…Red Riding Hood?" Gold nodded, and Belle smiled. "Does she make you happy?" Gold nodded again, and Belle grinned, and then kissed him on the cheek. "Then I am happy as well. Rumple, I will always care for you, but the last thing I want is to wreck anyone's happiness. I cannot and will not hate you for moving on, since you had every reason to believe I was dead. But I am extremely confused as to what exactly is going on. Where are we? This place isn't home. Who is Emma? Why is Regina so scared of her, and of you?"
Gold chuckled humorlessly. "That, my dear, is a very long story. Why don't we go get some food, and I'll try to fill you in on everything you've missed. You can even meet my wife, if you'd like." Belle nodded eagerly, and Gold sighed in relief. "Excellent. Come along."
Ruby was serving Emma when Gold walked in, accompanied by a woman that looked vaguely familiar. The woman, who looked as though she had missed more than her share of good meals, looked around the Diner as though she had never seen one before, and Gold gently steered her over to a table, motioning for Ruby. "One sec, Tomas." She set Emma's sandwich down and came over, sliding into the seat next to her husband, and gave the young woman a friendly smile. "Hi. I'm Ruby. What's your name, hon?"
Belle gave her a shy smile. "Belle." Ruby's reaction made her grin. She gawped at her, and then turned to…Tomas? 'That must be the name Rumplestiltskin chose for himself in this world', Belle thought.
"Tomas, is she *the* Belle?" Gold nodded, and Ruby's mouth got wider before she suddenly grinned. "I can't believe it!" Gold frowned, noting that the grin did not quite reach her eyes, which were sad and a bit scared. Belle noticed it too, but wisely stayed silent. "It's nice to meet you, Belle. I...I should be getting back to work. Feel free to order anything you like. I won't make you pay." She stood from the table and staggered off to the laundry room, her posture stiff. Belle sighed, and then stood.
"I'll go talk to her."
Ruby leaned against the dryer, trying not to cry. She knew that she was being ridiculous, but she couldn't help the fierce surge of jealousy that had welled up inside her when Tomas introduced his old love. Maybe it was the wolf coming out. "Ruby?"
Ruby looked up at Belle. "What?"
Belle walked over to her. "Ruby, I do not have any intention of trying to steal Rump…Tomas from you. I loved him once, but my time is done. I will not deny that I still care for him, but I am not going to break up what I can tell is a very happy marriage. I saw the way he looks at you." She smiled in remembrance. "He never looked at me like that. Oh, there was love and affection in his gaze, but when he looks at you, it's as if he's drowning in you. I loved him, just as you do now, and we both know that loving the monster can be hard. He rejected me, but accepted you, and while a part of me is jealous, I can accept that as well."
Ruby gave Belle a sad smile. "I'm a monster too, Belle. I'm a werewolf, and Rumplestiltskin knew it, and loved me in spite of it. He even made the red cloak that kept me human during the full moon, and when I would stay with him, his magic kept me human as long as I stayed in his Castle." She laughed. "I can't believe I'm telling you all this. Has anyone ever told you that you have a very calming and comforting presence?"
Belle giggled and leaned against the washing machine. "I've been told now and again." She sighed. "Everything's changed so much, and I'm not sure if I can adjust. I've been locked away from the world for so long."
Ruby felt a surge of affection for her, and she pulled Belle into a hug. "We'll help you. Won't we, Tomas?" She smiled at her husband, who had come into the room. Gold nodded.
"Of course. Belle, we'll keep you safe from Regina. There's a fight coming, and I think you could be a very good asset for our side. In the meantime, Ruby and I could use…."
"A caretaker?" Belle asked, laughing, and Gold nodded.
"Yes, that, and a babysitter for our daughters on occasion. You'd have free room and board, and I'd pay you well. Plus, Regina wouldn't be able to come near you. One word from me, and she won't ever bother you again. What do you say, Belle? Do we have a deal?"
Belle drew herself up, and grinned at him. "We do, Rumplestiltskin."
His gleeful laugh echoed through the Diner.
