Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Once Upon a Time. They belong to the show's creators and ABC.

A/N: I apologize that it has taken me so long to update the story. It has been a crazy time with work and the holidays. Hopefully I can update more often now that things seemed to have calmed down a bit, but alas I can't make promises. I will keep updating though, so don't worry.

Fractured Memories

Reunions

"You kept it."

He looked at the woman standing before him and at her hands where she held the chipped cup. He wanted to say something. He needed to say something. He should say something, but the words couldn't come to mind because he had so much to apologize for. He wanted to cross the room and pull her into his arms never wanting to let go, but he couldn't. The fear of her pushing him away crossed his mind. He wouldn't blame her if she did, not after the way he had treated her. When Nora had told him earlier that she knew how to get into the basement, he didn't realize that things would happen so quickly. Perhaps he was in shock.

Belle stormed over to him and stuck the cup in his face, anger and confusion flooding her eyes. "You kept it." Her voice came out louder, unwavering and accusing.

"Y-yes." He sighed.

She lowered it and stepped back, looking at him for a moment. "For wanting your power more than me it seems a little strange."

Her words stung, but they both knew they were right. Gold didn't say anything, he just watched as she walked back to the curio cabinet and set the cup down on its pillow. He noted that she wore one of his trench coats. No doubt Nora had "borrowed" it. He made a mental note to make sure his keys were securely placed somewhere the pickpocketing Sleeping Beauty couldn't find them.

Belle turned back around to face him, her blue hospital gown clashing against the tan of the coat. She bit her lip and hit the side of the cabinet with her fist. She looked as though she were thinking about something as her eyes stared down at the floor. After a moment she looked back up at the man she had spent so long trying to decide whether she hated him or loved him.

"You're either in too much shock to see me, or you're still the coward that watched me leave."

Gold sighed and ran a hand across his face. "I'm not going to deny that I was, am, a coward. I have regretted most of my decisions for a long time." He rested both hands on his cane and looked at her with a solemn stare. "But we have some time to talk about that. It has been a bit of an exciting day and I think rest would be good for the both of us."

Belle let out a wry laugh. "Let me guess, I'm going to the dungeon?" She looked about the parlor and towards the hallway. "Although I doubt you even have one."

There was a basement to the Victorian styled house, one that could easily be used as a dungeon, but he made a promise to himself long ago that there would be no more dungeons, for either of them. "No, no more dungeons."

She folded her arms in front of her and looked at him with a bit of amusement in her eyes. "So the great Rumpelstiltskin has finally learned to be a man."

He let out a wry laugh. "I suppose you could say that, but I'm not a very kind man." She raised an eyebrow. "People fear me here. I'm a person you wouldn't want to cross."

Belle stared at him with an amused look. "You make that sound like it's something new." She walked over to him. "Perhaps you haven't quite learned to be a man, but you are a bit closer."

Gold nodded with a heavy sigh. She was right. He hadn't changed much from who he was in the Enchanted Forest. The only difference here was the lack of magic and golden, scaly skin. With a bit of a heavy heart he offered her an arm, which she took after a moment's hesitation. He led them out of the parlor and to the stairs.

Upon meeting the staircase that rounded like a ribbon to the second floor, Belle began to wonder how he could stand to walk up them with his bad leg. The thought soon left her mind as they started a slow climb to the second floor. Gold led her down the hall towards a room on the left.

He stood aside, allowing her to open the door herself. Turning the glass knob, Belle opened the door to a room bathed in the same colors she had seen in the stained glass window downstairs. In the center of the room stood a bed that looked comfortable even from where she stood at the door. Looking around she noted a vanity, a desk, and a cushy window seat that looked out over the town. Stepping into the room, she moved to a large oak wardrobe, full of clothes. She turned to look at Gold, curious as to how he acquired them.

Without a doubt in his mind, Gold knew had provided the clothes. "Nora."

"I'm not going to be used to calling her that." Belle sighed.

Gold nodded. "That's probably something we'll have to work on. People have different names here. I'm called Mr. Gold."

Belle laughed as she looked at him. "Mr. Gold? No first name?"

He shook his head. "None that I'm aware of. You can call me Gold if you like." He watched as she mulled over the idea. "Here you're called Isabelle French." She crinkled her nose a bit at that but stopped when she let out a yawn. "We can save all of that for tomorrow." He watched her sit on the bed before retreating towards the door.

"Ru-Gold." Belle sighed, staring at him as he turned to face her. "Did you mean it…when you said that you regretted?"

Mr. Gold looked her carefully in the eye, noting the pained and pleading expression that lay within her blue orbs. "Every minute of every day. Good night, Belle."

"Good night."

She watched him close the door before slumping back into the bed, a real bed. The cushiony mattress welcomed her like a warm hug.

~O~

"Tell me how you did this." Emma spoke as she stopped her car in front of the Dawson residence.

It was a large house, not nearly as large as the mayor's house, but in a close running. Nora stared at the blonde with a bit of frustration. Why could no one trust her?

"I have my ways, Emma." Nora sighed. "It's one of the perks of being part of one of the richest families in town."

Emma stared at her, narrowing her eyes trying to see if she was lying. "You're not telling me something."

Nora let out a small laugh and looked at her. "There are so many things that I'm not telling you, that a few people aren't telling you, but those are not for me to unveil." She opened the car door. "Patience is a virtue Sheriff Swan."

Before Emma could say anything more, Nora got out of the car and bounded up the steps to the house. The blonde drove back to the sheriff's station, not nearly finished with her day, which had been a long one. Wanting nothing more than to finished a small amount of paperwork and head home, Emma grimaced when she entered the station to find Regina sitting on her desk, arms folded and a snarl etched on her face.

"Madam Mayor." The blonde said sarcastically.

"Do you mind explaining to me why a patient of the psych ward was released into your custody, Ms. Swan? Or perhaps why I was served with papers?" Regina asked coldly. "And might I add it was a patient that has been under restricted lockdown for years, because she is not only a danger to herself, but others?"

Emma matched the mayor's brutal glare. "A patient that has been determined by legal documents drawn up by lawyers to be within perfect condition, and was not being treated but instead held captive within the basement of a hospital." She leaned up against another desk and folded her arms. "Believe me, I'm sure you should be asking the question of whether you're about to get sued, Madam Mayor."

Regina smirked. "I don't understand why I have to remind you of this Sheriff Swan, but this is my town, no one is going to deliver a lawsuit to me and remain in employment."

"Really, well I should have to take that as a threat." The two women turned to stare at a man in a pinstriped suit standing in the door way. "Sorry I'm late for the festivities, Emma, this town is a little difficult to find." He walked towards Regina and held out a hand. "Lucas Jenkins, nice to meet you." Regina stared at his hand, refusing to shake it. He retracted it and stared at her with a raised brow. "I'm the person that will be suing you for the mistreatment of patient 2315, aka Isabelle French. My office will be drawing up some legal papers for your lawyers later this week."

Regina looked at this Lucas Jenkins trying to decide whether or not he had the balls to attempt to sue her. He didn't look familiar from town or the Enchanted Forest. "Where are you from?"

"Boston, ma'am." He replied, turning towards Emma. "I worked closely with Emma on quite a few cases, and I haven't lost yet."

Regina smiled and stood up. She walked towards the door, pausing before she passed Emma. "Well played, Sheriff Swan. If you two will excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

They watched her leave in a huff. Emma turned to look at Lucas, a man whom she really hadn't spoken to in three years or so. "How did you?"

"Your friend Nora gave me a call." He replied. "Told me all about the ordeal and I agreed to do it pro-bono. Nothing the public loves more than hearing about a scandalous mistreatment of patients." He looked around the station. "You've done well for yourself."

Emma nodded, "I guess so."

"Well, we've got a long stretch ahead of us." Lucas said. "I'm going to go check into my room and I'll catch up with you in the morning."

~O~

Isabelle. The name sounded foreign, like some sort of spell. At least she could still go by Belle and no one would be none the wiser. Looking at herself in the mirror, she tried to imagine herself liking the clothes she wore. Choosing from the closet full that Nora had picked out she found a pair of jeans and a lacey blue top with a gray camisole to where underneath. She felt odd in this clothing but strangely freed from the confines of corsets and petticoats. She had no doubt that it would take a while for these new clothes to become routine, much like everything else in this strange new world.

Belle ventured out of her room and down the stairs, barefoot, and went in search of the kitchen. It didn't take very long to find it, the doorway stood across from the stairway. She walked in to find Gold sitting at the table reading a newspaper, her face appeared on the front page. She ignored the image and the strange chill that ran down her spine as she went about finding a cup to pour herself some tea.

"Did you sleep well?" Gold asked, not looking up from the paper.

Belle leaned up against the counter, holding a warm mug in her hands and thinking that the newspaper seemed to be a mask he was hiding behind. "Yes, very much, thank you." She took a sip and eyed him for a moment. "So, what am I to do with my day? Clean the house, cook meals?"

He looked up at her with a thoughtful and slightly pained look. "You can do whatever you please. I'm not holding you prisoner here." He folded the newspaper and let out a strained sigh. "I thought I might stay home today, my leg is acting up a bit. The strange weather we keep having isn't helping."

Setting down her tea, Belle walked over to him. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" He looked up at her confused, only hours ago she had been mad at him. "Really, rest would be good. I'll help you up the stairs."

"I'm quite fine, you don't need to worry about me." Gold protested. "I can manage. You should go out and get acquainted with the town."

Belle put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. "Now you can act like a small child, Rumpelstiltskin-,"

"Mr. Gold," he reminded her.

She tried not to let the interruption phase her. "Whatever you wish to be called. Anyways you can stop acting like a child and let me help you."

She had that stubborn look in her eye, the one that she got whenever she wanted to pry something out of him or get him to let his guard down. It was a look that he had admittedly missed for the past twenty-nine years. Nodding in a defeated manner, he gingerly stood up and let her lead him to the stairway. He wanted to laugh at the whole thing, see the irony in the situation, but years of separation and cruel goodbyes didn't seem to apply at the moment. This was two people helping each other, although he wasn't sure how he was helping Belle, perhaps giving her something to care for.

They slowly climbed the stairs and made the short trek to his room. After leading him to the bed and helping him to sit down, Belle fluffed up the pillows so he could sit up and put one under his bad leg. She stood back to admire her work and smiled proudly.

"Now you rest. If you get out of that bed, I will beat you with your cane." The threat came out a joke, but Gold took it seriously nonetheless.

She turned to leave to give him some peace and quiet, but stopped in the door way when he called out her name. "Belle." She looked at him, seeing a hopeful glint in his eyes. "Perhaps you could read a story, like you used to?" She smiled and nodded. "There's a book just there." He pointed towards a desk where a single book lay.

Walking over, she glanced down at the book, recognizing the cover, A Princess of Vascovy. It had been one of the last books she read before she left his castle. The spine still held the marks of having been opened for hours on the floor while she read by the fire. Looking closely, the small ribbon she had placed inside still rested on the page where she had left off. A small smile played on her lips before she turned and walked back towards the bed. She surprised him by sitting down next to him, to which he didn't argue. He would do anything to be close to her. Belle opened the book to the first page and began to read aloud. Gold closed his eyes and listened to her voice, like a soft lullaby. After a while she leaned her head on his shoulder and he felt that the world had somehow righted itself.

~O~

Regina fumed as she stared at the legal documents sitting on her desk. There had to be something about Nora Dawson in order for her to be able to swindle this deal out of Lucas Jenkins. If this were a game of chess, there would be no doubt that Nora would be one step away from a check mate. There had to be a way to fix this, to put the pecking order of the town back in her hands. But how?

"You wanted to see me Madam Mayor?"

Regina looked up to see Albert Spencer, the District Attorney of Storybrooke. Her mouth spread into a warm smile as she motioned for him to take a seat in front of her. "Yes, I have recently come into a bit of a legal situation and am in need of representation."

"Might I remind you that as a DA, I prosecute?" He sighed.

"So you've heard about the situation." Regina stated, he pointed to a newspaper on her desk. "I would like for you to make an exception, as an old friend. I don't take the idea of being sued lightly, or the slander that has been deemed news by the paper."

Albert let out a chuckle. "I thought you had Sidney Glass in your pocket?"

"Even he has to report the truth, but he does have a way of bending it."

Albert thought for a moment before looking her in the eye. "Seeing as how you were trying to do what was best for Ms. French, I'll help you out. It won't cost you a thing."

Regina smiled widely. "Thank you, Mr. Spencer."

~O~

Mr. Gold awoke sometime in the afternoon when the sun, at its highest, streamed through the window and hit his face. Feeling a weight at his side, he glanced down to find Belle still leaning against him, sound asleep. Scoot down to a more comfortable angle, he pulled her closer, content with just lying there and watching her. She had a small smile on her face, probably from a good dream. After a while she opened her eyes and stretched a little. Looking around she turned her gaze to him and frowned.

"What?" He asked, watching her sit up and instantly missing the warmth. "What is it?"

"It's the afternoon," she murmured looking out the window. She scooted towards the side of the bed. "I should go make some lunch." She stood and turned to him, remembering his leg. "I'll bring up a tray."

Before he could say anything she walked out the door. His mind drifted toward the contentment he had felt when she had been curled up next to his side. Little did he know, he wasn't the only one thinking of that. Belle scrounged through the kitchen looking for something to make to eat. With a little sigh and a laugh, and perhaps maybe the mention of a 'stubborn fool' she found some bread to make sandwiches. It didn't surprise her to discover that the kitchen was bare, it had taken a week to get him to stock the one in his castle. She supposed that he had forgotten his lack of magic in this world. Placing the dishes on a tray she made her way back up to his room, where she sat it down in front of him.

"It might not be very good." She sighed, crawling back to her spot. "You didn't really have much to make anything with."

Gold looked down at the tray of sandwiches and glasses of milk. "We shall have to go shopping then."

He took a bit of his sandwich and smiled. Ham with Swiss cheese on wheat bread. It tasted good, but then again anything Belle made tasted good, even if she didn't think so. They sat side by side and ate quietly for a moment, both pensive and unsure of what to say to the other. When they were done, Belle cleaned up the plates and set the tray on the desk. She could take it downstairs later. Returning to the bed, she picked up the book and began where she had left off. After reading for a while a though crossed her mind, causing her to set the book down and look at him.

"Since we're here in this world due to the Evil Queen's curse, and you look like a normal man, does that mean if I were to kiss you it wouldn't change anything?" She paused and bit her lip. "Given that you don't freak out…again."

Gold contemplated this for a moment. "I don't really know, I suppose it could break my curse, but we won't know for a while, now would we?" He had a hint of his old grin as he spoke. "May I ask what brought this on?"

"I don't know." Belle admitted staring at him. "It could be the cup and the book, I suppose. A real bedroom, as well." She looked down at her hands for a moment and let out a deep sigh. "I think somewhere, deep down, I never really gave up on you."

She looked up at him and he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's all in the past now, love."

She smiled warmly at him, liking the sound of that word. She timidly pressed her lips against his. As though they had traveled back through time and space she found herself in that moment when she had first kissed him. The tiny jump her heart had made the moment their lips touched, and the happy sigh of relief she felt when she saw that it had begun to break his curse. Sitting back she looked at him, still the same man he had been last night and that morning.

"Oh, no, it didn't work." She joked.

He smiled and raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"You're still Rumpelstiltskin, Mr. Gold." She kissed him again, this time lingering a bit longer. "But I think that's the way I like it." They shared a smile before kissing again.

A/N: And that is chapter four! Whew. I will try and get chapter five up tomorrow. I have a few days off from work so that give me more time to think of a story and not about, well, work. As always please review, because I love hearing from you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Angelbabie13190 ^_^