Real Inside

by Dekujin

Belle French is forced to move back to Storybrooke when her ill father grows even worse for wear. Determined to help him, she ends up taking a night time shift as a security guard for Storybrooke's 'Fantasy Family Fun Center-Avonlea'. However, the quiet empty building holds more secrets than she could ever imagine as a mechanical monster lurks in it's darkened hallways…

6. Chapter 6

Belle could already hear the upcoming disappointment crackling from the end of the phone.

"Awww, this sucks. You really can't just ask for one extra night off a week? One measly tiny little night is all I'm asking for, I'm sure Avonlea can handle not having you around for six hours."

"Sorry Ruby, that's part of the job. I signed up for a five day-night a week gig, and I do need to make what I can to help dad out. He's doing okay, but the extra I make helps keep him up on time with his recent medical bills."

Belle heard a heavy sigh issue from her cellphone while she maneuvered her spare hand on her car's steering wheel, managing a sharp turn down another dimly lit road. Currently for Belle it was late at night in the sleepy town of Storybrooke, a Friday night to be exact. That meant the security guard was working the night shift, and a rather disgruntled diner waitress was not pleased about it, leaving Belle to feel bad about missing out on another opportunity to hang with said friend.

Despite having her apartment finally settled in Belle had little time to actually get together with Ruby and have a much needed girls night out. Belle wanted to believe it was between working at Boston still, her nights like this one, and a busy sick father with a flower shop, but the young woman wasn't so sure. Though Ruby was a good friend and they had very fond memories together the beauty was not too fond of partying it up or indulging in the same desires. Then again perhaps, as it had been for years, it was just Belle who was out the loop and needed to get herself out of the house and her books more often.

"The Rabbit Hole is having half priced drinks for ladies tonight, and I've got no one to enjoy said drinks. Nor to help me snag a cutie from the bar." Ruby whined, but Belle could only shake her head in response as she took turned down another empty road towards the edge of town. Avonlea was not too far from where she was already, even in the distance the lone street lamps illuminated enough of the massive castle like building that she could see it from a few blocks away.

"Are you sure Mary Margaret can't join you for the night? She doesn't have to work tomorrow-well... That is if she still works at the elementary school, which I'm not sure. She does doesn't she?" Belle inquired the last part, having seen the older woman (only older by just about five years) once since she returned to town.

Belle and Mary Margaret had spoken for a short while when they met at the grocery store, but just about the simple things, the normal friendly chatter. Ms. Blanchard had always been more of Ruby's friend, even though the short dark haired woman with a pretty smile was rather more soft spoken and inclined to Belle's interests than Ruby's.

"She's already got plans." Ruby grumbled and the sound reminded Belle of a heart broken pup. "David Nolan and her are going out for the weekend. They've got a whole romantic trip planned to make googly eyes at each other the entire time. Mean while I'm stuck listening to the guests in the room above me here at bed and breakfast quarrel over late night reruns of Family Feud."

"I quite enjoy that show." Belle chuckled, but she knew her reaction would set the waitress off in a second-even the kind security guard enjoyed doing a bit of teasing herself.

"Bells! At least show a little sympathy why don't you? Then again maybe you're the one who needs every ounce of sympathy. After all you're stuck being at that creepy kid place for over six hours straight. Tell me have you seen the ghost of a kid who died there? The one who is missing parts of his skull from falling off the play equipment and cracking himself open like an egg..." Ruby began to whisper in a teasing manner as if it what she was saying was a conspiracy, but now she was setting off the security guard.

Belle gaped a moment as she stared out the front window of her car. "What? No! No! Oh, what kind of rumors is Avonlea getting now?" She carefully turned down another street with phone in hand while realizing she was almost to her destination. Already she could see the shut down establishment with its large neon sign entirely turned off and spooky darkened windows. Pleasantly enough Belle also noticed that she was not feeling an ounce of the fear she had felt just one week ago just at the sight of it.

"Ruby, no kids have ever died at Avonlea, Marco-I mean Mr. Getto said so when I asked him about it myself. Everyone here in town is just superstitious and they like to make rumors up."

"You don't know if he told you the truth Belle. He could be lyingggg... Mr. Getto's covering up the murdeeeerss to protect his businesses good name. After all they say if anyone dies there they hide the bodies and they are never seen again. Forcing the trapped spirits to haunt the building in the dead of night... Better watch out..."

An eerie 'oooh' echoes through the crackle of the phone and Belle snorts at the typical and terrible rendition of a 'frightening' ghost. Ruby quickly joined in as they started to giggle, slipping out of the playful theatrics, and together the two of them just laughed at the absurdity of the stories, ghosts, and all. At one point, before she knew the true reason why Avonlea was some what disturbing at night, Belle might have thought these rumors were actual possibilities.

"Well, I'm at work now to fight off these ghosts you mentioned, so I'm going to have to let you go. I am sorry I can't hang out with you tonight, but I'll try to make it up to you soon." Belle apologized.

Ruby gave one last sigh, finally seeming to accept her loss of a possible chaotic and outgoing night on the streets, as much chaotic fun as one could have in such a quiet town as Storybrooke. "Good, I'll be looking forward to you keeping your word. Take care though, and watch out for ghost of the woman who supposedly hung herself from the stage. According to a friend of mine she tries to break people's legs when they walk across it in the dark."

"Oh god! Ruby!"

Belle hung up after a short goodbye, but not before hearing in the background of the call what had to be faint yelling from upstairs that made Ruby groan in protest.

At the back of Avonlea Belle pulled her car into its usual spot, parking it under the lone street lamp spilling down its yellow light. The dim glow kept some of the thick darkness at bay but was attracting an array of summer bugs that buzzed in awe around it.

As she sat in her car a moment longer to gather her few things the beauty thought more on the terrible 'incorrect' rumors that Ruby had shared tonight. She didn't remember horror stories of Avonlea being so popular as a kid during her summer spent there fourteen years ago. The family fantasy fun center had always been a cute charming place that brought her comfort and a bit of respite to her own dim world-well, till recently anyways. Perhaps all the years she'd been away from Storybrooke had been enough that she missed the entire eruption of the superstitious hullabaloo.

When the security guard finally emerged from her car with her bag in tow she was left to just shake her head in dismay. She didn't know where on earth these supposed 'ghost' stories were coming from but they needed to stop before they went to far and got someone hurt... Then again, she was the one person who probably knew where the superstition met reality first hand.

"They're way off base thinking it's ghosts." The blue eyed beauty smiled a bit sadly to herself before perking up when she looked at the back door looming ominously feet away. "But then again, a crazy animatronic man hiding about doesn't sound much more reasonable either."

—

"Hello. Hello? I'm back again." Belle felt silly announcing her return as she locked the back door, set the alarm, and made her way to her snug little office. Though she knew it would have felt even more awkward for her if she hadn't announced her appearance, but it wasn't like it-he didn't know it was her or that he didn't know she was going to be showing up. Then again with how quiet the place had been it sure seemed as if the machine wasn't even lurking in Avonlea anymore despite the beauty knowing fully well he was.

Like she expected for the past three nights the mechanical imp hadn't responded to any of her midnight greetings. Belle would wait a spare few seconds before continuing on her usual routine, but no 'hello' or even a screech echoing down the hallway had resounded back to her. In fact, the security guard had seen next to nothing of the animatronic that called itself Rumplestiltskin, and Belle for one hadn't been expecting him to take it upon himself to keep to their verbal agreement so literally. It seemed the animatronic intended to stay out of her sight and out of her way as best as he could-which was pretty damn good to her building frustration.

During her Tuesday shift not once did Belle hear him strolling through the building the entire six hours, not even after getting up from her chair and walking a good portion of the building did she catch a soft 'clack' of his parts. Wednesday night, yet again, she saw no sign but finally managed to hear him, as faint as it was, from another room. The young woman recalled how she had darted into that dark party room hoping to catch him-for her own reassurance she believed. In the end she had found no trace of him or where he'd disappeared to.

It wasn't till Thursday that she'd even seen a single strand of his wiry grayish hair covered head.

The animatronic had been in the arcade area when she was doing a primitive security check, though it was actually done more so to keep her from getting a sore backside because of sitting too long in her chair than keeping a tight perimeter. As she had walked and curiously glanced around she had noticed not far off a peculiar lovely lilt rising in the air. The singing, she could not place to any known music, turned out to be Rumplestiltskin humming an odd little tune to himself as he simply strolled about.

The mechanical imp was still too illusive despite her attempt to catch him, and before Belle even reached the spot she'd seen him between two game cabinets he was already long gone.

'Well he's only doing what you asked of him. You're the one who made the deal about staying out of each others way in the first place.' Belle's mind informed her as she made home in her office, and unfortunately her conscious was right, causing her growing frustration to physically appear as a red blossom across her fair features. The young woman had made it seem like she wanted no part in anything to do with Rumplestiltskin upon their deal. After the terror he'd put her through she shouldn't want any part in dealing with him, and yet… Belle did.

Belle squirmed in her swivel chair, trying to channel her thoughts anywhere elsewhere than upon the enigmatic machine. A machine who was no doubt making sure to keep far away from her office yet again this night.

Meanwhile, during the last few shifts this week Belle had done quite a bit of exploring on her own as the animatronic kept his set boundaries from her. Nothing of real interest came up with her prodding and snooping around though, honestly she was just searching for more information on the machine and any on his hideaway. There had to be a place he hid himself throughout the day that would explain why he had never have been found for as long as it appeared he'd been living in Avonlea. Belle's curiosity was becoming more insatiable over these deepening mysteries, which meant she was growing overwhelmed by its might each day she went without any answers.

The most peculiar thing she had noticed while investigating was that the mug she chipped was never returned to the break room's cabinet. Actually, she had some what expected that too. She recollected how the animatronic had looked at the broken item with such fondness and snatched it away from her when she offered it to him. What he had done with it was just another mystery to add to her collection, but Belle had a good hunch that Rumplestiltskin had decided to keep the mug for whatever reason.

Growing more and more intrigued over mugs and machines every night was not helping keep Belle in that small office. Already just ten minutes in tonight the security guard was heading out of the room and ambling down the dark hall, yet her current destination was nothing grand, just the employees bathroom not far from her bosses office.

The beam of her flashlight shone steadily down the corridor ahead of herself, though she knew looking for Rumplestiltskin was pointless. He was clearly not near her as she could already tell, and there was no sound cues she could pick up on, no 'clacking' steps, nor small whirring mechanical parts disrupting the silence. Belle was becoming more positive with the steady silence that the animatronic was not planning on approaching if he didn't have to.

Belle brushed her bubbling aggravation's aside once she reached her goal, the unisex restroom door opened without a squeak of its hinges as Belle reached out to flick the light switch on. The light lit up the small room a second before Belle heard a 'flicker' and then a 'pop' of the bulb going out. Darkness, thick and foreboding, washed over the entire room, leaving an eerie feeling to prickle at the hairs at the nape of Belle's neck.

"Oh just great." The disappointed beauty mumbled to the open air before throwing up one hand in thanks to the forces surrounding her and granting her such bad luck. "I guess I'll just have to go use the bathrooms toward the front. Marco's crew can take care of this later today..."

After walking all the way to the front end of the building, past her office, the private party rooms, and laser-tag room, Belle stood outside the customer restrooms... Only to end up more frustrated then before.

No matter how hard she tugged and pulled at the handles of either restroom they didn't budge. It made complete sense that the doors to the bathrooms up here got locked during closing, but it wasn't helping her situation at all-she didn't want to have to use the back hall bathroom in the dark with just her flash light (which was ridiculous-she was a grown up for gods sake). It was so silly, there was nothing to be afraid of (that something she once was terrified by hardly seemed rash enough to frighten a woman on the pot).

Yet she still couldn't make herself do it.

'Now that I think about it I could ask Rumplestiltskin if he knows where a key is…' Belle pondered a split moment, believing the machine would know where such a thing might be. As soon as the idea came though she dismissed it altogether with a small puckered frown. 'I better not, he doesn't want anything to do me, and I promised I him I would leave him alone. Besides, I can handle this situation all by myself."

Instead Belle ended up standing in place and thinking hard till an ingenious idea arose in her brain. The speedy night guard made her way towards the employee supply closet in the back of the building and began rummaging through items inside, and it took reaching up with all her little form could muster towards a shelf and teetering on her tippy toes to find a box full of packaged light bulbs. With that vital part of her plan out of the way all that remained was obtaining a ladder. With that she'd be able to change the burnt out light and solve her growing issue all on her own.

Finding the second part of her plan turned out to be a lot more elusive than she thought. There was no ladder found in that small closet, nor in the supply closet near the kitchen where she was currently moving boxes around in hopes to find it hidden behind the mountain like stacks of toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Nothing at all that she was looking for turned up after she cleared the whole tiny space though. Belle was left to stand there with nothing to show for, and she gave a frustrated sigh before taking off her vizor and waving it near her as a makeshift fan.

"Where on earth would they keep a ladder at? With these high ceilings they have to have one for cleaning." The security guard spoke out loud due to her growing desperation and growing frustrations all accumulating together.

While she turned to clean up the mess she made the beauty missed the shape of a figure appearing in the open service window leading into the kitchen. Bright yellow eyes owlishly observed the scene before they flickered off as the woman turned around. Belle looked about the empty room with confusion filling her face, wondering why she felt as if someone had been watching her all of a sudden. But as quick as the feeling came it left, leaving the security guard to shrug, close the closet door, and begin her desperate search elsewhere.

"There has to be one somewhere! Perhaps it's just in another room that I haven't seen yet." Belle concluded, before striding out of the entertainment room and leaving the hidden figure alone in the dark. The security guard was too caught up in not allowing herself to give up till she had just what she wanted to notice any trailing foot steps.

A good thirty minutes later found the night guard splayed out in her office chair and far too sweaty for her liking thanks to the August heat. Not to mention she was completely ladder-less.

'I'm going to bother Mr. Getto about where he keeps the ladders or step ladders at first thing tomorrow… Also I should get a set of the public bathroom keys just incase.' Belle thinks to herself as she swirls in her office chair anxiously with a single light bulb in hand. As she swivels about another idea comes to mind, and she mumbles the thought out to the open air. "I guess if I'm desperate enough I could just try and stand on my chair to reach the fixture, it's better than nothing."

Moments later that one random thought led to the sound of clattering wheels streaking down the winding hall as Ms. French pushed her swivel chair through the dark.

This was quite possibly one of her most unintelligent ideas yet, but there was little else she could do. A table wouldn't fit through the door and the step-stool from the break room was just too short to do the job. So here Belle was now, stretching out with all she could on the top of her swivel chair in the dark bathroom. The only means of light to see by was being held in her mouth since her hands were too occupied for the flashlight. Yes, this was not one of her better thought out plans.

Belle was positive her arm would be sore after all this was over with how hard she was straining to take the old light out. A muffled cry of joy gushed from her throat when she finally got the broken bulb removed from is fixture after trying for what felt like forever. All that she needed to do now was get the new one in and no one would know of this embarrassing predicament.

The young woman set the burnt out bulb down on the ground, minding where she placed it before trying again. It was worse trying to get the new one back in for she was barely able to align its track to that of the light socket's.

'Just-a-bit-mooore.' Her mind pushed the thought further as she herself pushed with all she could, minding not to slip on the unstable chair while she was at it. 'A-little-further-' The light bulb was finally getting into the track of socket, with a careful twist she should be able to get it-

"What are you doing?"

Belle jerked hard at the sudden voice who had disturbed the lingering silence she had grown used to, but it was far too late when she realized her mistake. The chair swiveled along with her erratic movement, and her quick flailing arms didn't help prevent the inevitable outcome. In an instant the bulb was flying from the beauty's hands as the chair beneath her feet rolled straight out from under her.

For a moment she expected that she was going to crash straight into the ground head first. More than likely it was going be the blow that finally costed her everything, spilling her vibrant red essence all across its surface. It was rather surprising when Belle felt no immediate horrible collision with the black and white checkered tile and her skull. There was the sound of a bulb shattering near her in her muffled hearing but no sounds of any of her bones cracking.

Instead, Belle felt her whole back collide with something extremely firm, and though she still fell to the ground with it the force had kept her from completely toppling over.

"Ms. French are you alright!" The voice that had startled her, Rumplestiltskin's voice to be exact, blurted close by in her ear. Belle felt her mind whirl at the sound of it as she was still trying to catch up with her world having been torn from under her feet. Carefully the woman tilted her head to look down and found herself being held up by two arms, one around her waist under her arm and one beneath her knees.

It all snapped into place. The imp who was now sitting on his backend with his leather clad knees buckled upwards on the floor had saved her from a nasty fall. And despite his cold metal hands, whose icy touch she could feel nip at her through her clothes, her back pinned against his chest felt that he was somehow… warm.

'How is he so warm when the rest of him is cold... And why... Does it feel so familiar?' The blue eyed beauty thought in wonder, for this sensation of being held within this grasp felt so normal despite being anything but ordinary. Belle felt heat swell into her cheeks when she realized she was more focused on the imp beneath her than the current rate of her heart slamming into her chest from her plummet.

"Ms. French, you're not hurt are you? I-I shouldn't have snuck up on you, but I didn't know..." Rumplestiltskin spoke, sounding worried as his crackling voice trembled near her ear. The way he spoke sounded so human and less of the eerie trickster he paraded around in most other occasions.

Quickly the security guard brushed away the strange dream like sensation she felt before returning to the reality around her. "I'm fine since you were kind enough to break my fall, but you startled me. Before I knew it the chair was rolling out from my feet-"

A sharp clack rung right next to her head in an instant, what she knew had to be a snap of his jaw. "What you just did was abs-absolue-olutely reckless! Were you trying to get your-our-self killed! If you would have hit your head who knows what would have happened-"

"It's not like I was trying to! I was just trying to change the light bulb till you showed up!" Belle swiftly defended, turning her head full of wayward locks of hair so she could better see the mechanical man.

His illuminated face was much closer to hers than what she had expected when she had moved to face him. Even their noses, his welded slab of metal and her dainty human pink, almost brushed due to their proximity. The stern look Rumplestiltskin was casting at her melted away into what she believed was confusion with how his split brows shot up on their tracks and his snarling mouth softened. It was a mimc of the look she was wearing too. Everything else she had been feeling previously was becoming numb thanks to this strange situation.

"Thank you…" Belle managed to form some audible words despite her throat feeling dry all a sudden-surely not because of the firm arms still draped about her. She meant to stop staring at him, but she was finding it hard to look at anything else than him, especially when his eyes were producing the only close light at the moment. They were spilling their golden amber color over his glittering scales, silicone cheeks, and upon her soft flesh, casting everything in the small space between them a range of warm colors.

More so it was letting Belle see up close to this animatronic man like never before. In a trance like state she watched his face flicker and twitch with 'life' so much like any living human's.

"You have such pretty eyes." The whisper ghosted out from her semi parted lips before she realized it had escaped.

Rumplestiltskin's eyes widened and a choked sound of metal and air came forth from him, alarming her of what she had done. Belle gasped like a fish for a split second, trying to recollect her scrambled thoughts on what to say as her embarrassment grew ten fold. Immediately the imp turned his intense stare from her to the floor with a swift flick of his head while Belle's eyes followed the glow as it trailed the bathroom.

"Oh dear..." Rumplestiltskin murmured when his false eyes illuminated a spot on the tiles that was covered in the shattered remains of what once was a new lightbulb.

Belle winced at the sight, though she was far more glad that it was the lightbulb there split into pieces then herself. "I'm sorry, I can pay for that-"

"W-what kind of knight are you if you're consta-sta-ntly breaking things!" Rumplestiltskin stammered out of the blue with his glitchy high pitched voice. Belle attempted to speak but ended up squeaking out in shock when the imp suddenly rose to to his feet in one great push. All the security guard could do was clutch one arm around his shoulder instinctively as he continued to hold her within his arms and against his body.

They kept like that another few seconds, and it made her stomach flutter at the intimacy shared between their caught gazes.

Without warning Belle was set hastily down before she could react. His viper like arms snaked from her as quick as they could, and Belle had to brace herself against the wall because of her still wobbly feet. A slight frown formed on her face when she turned to look back at Rumplestiltskin who was already lurking halfway out the shadowed doorway.

"Knights aren't renowned for grace if I recall the fairy tales correctly." Belle hummed with a quirk of a brow, trying to fight off the heat that was flooding into her cheeks. It was a pointless endeavor, no doubt he could see so much better in the dark than her, and the red was a dead giveaway. "You really saved me there though, who knows what would have happened if I had gotten hurt."

"You should have came and got me if you were so determined to do something so foolish, dearie." Rumplestiltskin snorted from his corner of the door way, seeming to ignore her thanks on purpose. "At least if I were to have copied your actions I would have survived."

Belle frowned further, and then turned away from him to find her flashlight sprawled on the ground near the sink. As she was bending down to pick up the poor object Belle grumbled loud enough so the animatronic could hear."I have a name you know." The impersonal 'dearies' were getting pretty old, and she was sure even without looking that the machine was keeping up that scolding look towards her.

"Also, I didn't want to bother you. I thought I could take care of the light myself, and for your information I did look for a ladder... I just never found one." She whirled back around, preparing for his unblinking glare, but was surprised again to find him looking at her with a contemplative look. "What?"

"I.. Can show you where all the ladders are kept-t-t... If you want to-I didn't realize you didn't know..." He spoke softly and appeared once again rather shy with his downturned eyes and dark clawed digits curled over the wooden frame.

"Would you please?" An excited Belle asked before even thinking the offer completely through. The security guard knew her eagerness for him to show her around was more than about just wanting to know where the damn ladder happened to be. Her swift reaction seemed to startle him as he had her, but even though his jagged toothy smile looked rather weary, he also looked... Almost happy.

"Very well, but I'm only doing this so I don't have to worry about Marco needing a new security guard so soon. We have a deal after all, and I can't have you getting hurt to get out of it…"

"Yes of course-our deal." Belle smiled back, hoping her sole companion could see it, and sure enough he did, causing him to slink further behind the shadowed doorway.

—

Belle hadn't been expecting getting an inclusive tour, but she was glad for the change of pace and the fact the mysterious animatronic seemed willing to put up with her-for now.

Rumplestiltskin took the lead and walked with the security guard to the front of Avonlea, tending to keep a few feet between them. As they past the laser tag room and play area he muttered, as if to the open air more than her, speaking of hidden parts not usually noticed within Avonlea. Some of them were important things such as extra electrical ports and positions were the cameras fixed up above could not catch. He even shared with her things that Belle knew wouldn't matter to anyone who didn't care for Avonlea the way he did. They were simple facts about switches not quite working right or old game cabinets that had been here since the beginning.

It impressed her just how much he knew about the world he lived in, which was understandable since he'd been here longer than she'd even been alive. Try as he might to contain himself in that impish manner of his even Belle could see the subdued enthusiasm sparking in his alien eyes and flittering hands. Though she noticed he kept fending off her own shy smiles by releasing that alarming laugh of his at random.

When they reached the entertainment area the graceful imp darted up onto the large empty stage, leaving the small human a few paces behind. His clacking joints came to a stop when he was up over the steps, and he looked back at her with an almost mischievous grin, bearing his dagger like teeth.

"Careful now." Rumplestiltskin called out to her, whether being playful or actually concerned she wasn't sure. He shouldn't be able to comprehend either of those emotions with his unnatural composition, but then again he was far more than just unnatural for a machine. "These stairs are quite tricky if you let your guard down. I might have spared you from be-com-coming a splatter once, but who is to say I will do so again?"

"I have a good feeling you would, else you'd have to clean up the mess after such a terrible scene and hide my body." Belle dared to joke in response, and it encouraged another glitch filled giggle of the mechanical man's to slip past his closed grey lips.

"Ah, so that is the rumor people are spreading around about Avonlea now."

Belle approached the steps while keeping his words in mind, and her flashlight helped her over them till she was beside the animatronic. The imp then lead her over to the large red curtains concealing the rest of the stage. Once again he was acting out in rather good manners by holding back the slip of heavy fabric for her when they both were passing behind it.

"Why thank you, Rumplestiltskin." Belle smirked, for her guide couldn't hide the fact he was pleased with her appreciation. Even as he turned into the darkness the light of his eyes revealed the twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips.

"Both of the ladders are in this storage room back here. It's not a commonly used room so I guess Mr. Getto doesn't mention it to the new guards." He informed her as he stepped further into the pitch black till Belle's flash light following him illuminated the walls around him. Sure enough there was a large door behind the hanging backdrops that she hadn't seen before, more than likely she hadn't been shown it because she had no need to see it during Marco's tour.

Rumplestiltskin held the door open for her, and Belle tilted her head as she shot him another thankful grin. The beam of her flashlight tore away the darkness when she entered, revealing all that lurked in the dusty quiet room stretching onwards.

Just as Rumplestiltskin said there was a small ladder perfect for what she was needing tucked against the wall beside her, and she happily wandered over to it. The night guard also found the much larger ladder that she assumed was used for cleaning the high ceilings, but that was not the only thing that caught her attention. There was various other pieces of equipment for the stage shows lying around alongside discarded older props-light fixtures, boxes of decorations, and even older signage from years ago. As Belle wandered, minding where she stepped, she noticed a rack of whimsical and medieval styled clothing sitting back in a corner. She approached and admired at the gowns hanging there, especially at what was once a puffy golden dress that time and age had worn down.

There were also some more masculine shirts too, like the yellowish one that Rumplestiltskin wore himself. Sadly these ones were riddled with moth holes and needed some patching up to ever be wearable again. The clothes made Belle stop and think a moment, wondering about the world that had once been when Avonlea opened with the first animatronics. Slowly the security guard glanced back to see the imp that had silently wandered into the room and realized he was the only surviving functional piece of that long lost era.

"Well, has your curiosity been sated?" The scaly animatronic trilled after she had her fill of inspecting through the copious amount of things lingering back there. Belle let go of a black silk sleeve she was admiring, one that she thought would have looked well on Rumplestiltskin if it didn't have so many rips.

"I had no idea this room was even here. I never made it far back onto the stage during my shifts, so I might have never known about it till now. Are there more hidden rooms and things around here that I don't know about?" The ever so curious Belle asked, however, thanks to the old outfits she was more interested in knowing if her mechanical companion even had anything more to wear himself.

'I suppose he wouldn't-it's not like he's living... But he still can get what he has dirty and tore up too. What would he do then?'

Belle let herself have another cautious look over the animatronic, and she noticed even in the dark that his state of dress was not the best. Rumplestiltskin's orange ribbed vest he always donned was a bit frayed and missing a button right in the middle, but that wasn't all. The leathery scaled coat he wore had a few holes peppered here and there, his leather pants were wearing thin, and his boots were noticeably scuffed beyond repair.

Belle felt more than a twinge of sadness at the fact that all that he owned was more than likely the clothes on his back.

"Such a curious one you are, far more curious than any of the other secur-cur-ity guards." Rumplestiltskin didn't seem to notice her lingering gaze on his form as he tapped his chin with a clawed finger in thought. "Hidden things, hidden things... Besides me dearie, there really isn't anything else here anyone could call a 'hidden thing'."

Belle crossed her arms as she withdrew from her thoughts, for she could tell the animatronic man pretending to be at a loss wasn't quite being truthful.

"There must be somewhere else I don't know about. This building is so large now after all the remodeling." Belle was trying to speak in the best uninterested tone she could muster. "Maybe there are other unknown room's you forgot to mention. Say... Like where you hide during the day."

Rumplestiltskin tilted his head and peered at her again with those lidded metal eyes, seeming to catch onto her game much to her dismay. "I don't think it's in my best interest to share that with you, unless of course... You have something of value to trade for such information. If so then a deal can always be made." The mechanical man put on a rather maniacal face as he took a step closer towards her, but it wasn't near intimidating enough to push the security guard away.

"You really seem to enjoy keeping up with that deal maker persona." Belle squinted back at him in the dim glow of her flashlight but the playful smile on her lips could not be kept at bay. "Okay, I'll humor you a bit. What would you want for such a trade?"

Without fair warning the imp took another step towards her on those laced high boots, drawing his artificially aged face closer to her own. In the quiet his ticking parts could be heard, but Belle was too stuck staring at his nearing jaw and mouth to focus on how loud his gears were clattering on the inside. He was a few measly inches from her once again in a single night, and it was making Belle's heart leap through her ribs. And while there was no breath touching her skin as his lips parted Belle's own lodged itself in her throat.

"Bring me innocents that I may hunt and kill for my pleasure!"

His loud quip caught her off guard for only a moment, but Belle was quick to bounce back and frown at his unnecessary humor. The smirking imp leaned back immediately after startling her, putting space back between them with his flighty steps. Though slightly amused Belle put a hand on her hip, studying his mischievous silicone face gloating back in fun while his fingers tented before his chest and kneaded against one another.

'Yeah, I'm sure he enjoys going in for the kill. It shows after how he saved my skull from being bashed open tonight and on instinct performed first aid at the sight of blood.'

"That sounds pretty reasonable for a trade. If you're interested I've got an ex boyfriend or two that would be excellent for hunting." Belle rolled her eyes as Rumplestiltskin blinked at her before giving a silly smile and another round of those odd unusual giggles.

Except this giggle was not 'his' usual.

It startled Belle enough to jump in the air when his laugh broke halfway through, reaching a range of shrill crackling that pierced the air. Belle's blue eyes widened as she watched him visibly recoil into himself as if he was in a sudden bout of pain. Worst of all his eyes were starting to physically clatter around in his metal skull, alarming Belle who instinctively moved to reach for him but stopped a few inches short. Even if he was nothing to wholly fear the small human was still worried about spooking him with a sudden touch since he seemed so frightened by them.

"A-are you okay?" But Belle's question seemed to go over him with how his head lolled upon its pivot like neck. "Rumplestiltskin? Rumplestiltskin!"

The animatronic stepped back from her on wobbly clumsy steps and she followed him on wary ones. Nothing he said was making any sense thanks to the crackling and clipping spilling from his throat, but there was obvious panic spread through out his facial features.

"I hA-ck-b-in-CkKkK-lon-ckKKK-ime-ime-meeeeeckkkk."

He turned from her then and wobbled out the dusty room and through the door as if in a drunken stupor. Belle was right on his heels though, watching the machine with growing worry as he stumbled into a stone wall, but at least he seemed to know what he was doing despite his arms and legs jerking at random intervals. As he fell to his knees Rumplestiltskin slumped next to an outlet and began to reach his jittery hands up behind his head, but before he could that metal skull of his smacked back into the concrete several times.

Belle stood in place with one hand holding her flashlight and another hand next to her mouth to hide her terror. She felt awful that all she could do was watch as the animatronic's eyes twitched and his mossy teeth clacked together. It was horrible! These movements and gaping jaw were making his body look more like a writhing snake than any human.

In a few seconds of his odd state the machine produced a set of grey wires from behind the collar of his jacket. Belle watched with baited breath as his wobbly hands grasped the wires and with a gentle thrust pushed the exposed ends into the outlet. A spark shot out of the plugin that very moment, and it made Rumplestiltskin jump straight up from his rear end upon the floor. Immediately Belle was about to call out to him in a frantic flurry but was cut short when the bulbs hanging above suddenly hummed to life in a shower of light around them, filtering the backstage in their fluorescent glow.

'Wait-How on earth did he do that?' Belle thought as she stared up in utter awe. The array of lights, from standing fixtures to the ones in the ceiling, were mashing themselves in a chaotic mess of colorful waves right over them while Rumplestiltskin squirmed beneath their touch.

After settling down somewhat the scaly animatronic reached back behind his wiry mop of brown hair with both hands again. Doing so he closed his eyelids shut with a 'click' and looked to be concentrating on the task at hand. Seconds went on like this, with Belle waiting and watching without saying a word, before his strange voice started to clip back in.

"I-CKkKK-re-KKkck-all m-km-there... It should be better now..." Rumplestiltskin spoke as he began to open his eyes, and Belle observed that the horrid twitching that had overtaken him was dissipating. It seemed this machine was okay now, but the instinct she tried to deny had her dashing over to his side and falling to her knees right next to him in seconds. Cautiously she reached out for him, touching his plated portion of shoulder with a natural gentleness as she fumbled for words to address the situation.

"Wha-A-Are you okay now? What just happened? Are you hurt?" The security guard blurted out before she knew what she was saying, but she noticed his alien gaze flicked to her as if in shock.

'Hurt?' Belle froze in place when she realized the mistake in her logic. 'It's a machine. It can't be hurt like a human can be... It has no concept of real pain… Right?' Yet with this odd mechanical man Belle honestly didn't know if those fundamental facts were true anymore-there was nothing logical or explainable about his existence.

"Fi-Fine. I'm fine." Rumplestiltskin huffed on a gush of forced air.

He pulled back his shoulder from her touch and raised his arms up, showing them both his hands as he began testing his digits to see if they all moved properly. The imps notched and segmented joints flexed as his fingers bent, leaving Belle in further awe of him for they were more human like in movement than the simple machines on stage or any mechanical imitation Belle had ever seen. Those fearsome hands coiled back to his chest to knead their fingers together as he spoke once more. "I've still got all functional movement-that's good, and my voice came back at least. I guess nothing is as seve-ver-rely damaged as I had thought."

Belle let out her own sigh of relief with the apparent return of his 'normalcy', but she was still worried about Rumplestiltskin overall. A fit like that seemed to incite the suspicion that there was something far worse going on beneath his plating. "What just happened to you Rumplestiltskin? You looked like you were in pain-when was the last time anyone has checked up on you or repaired you?"

He blinked owlishly for a moment before he looked away from her, yet she could see a fragile smile on his shadowed face. "Oh, I haven't been repaired by anyone in years, decades even, but it's no issue. I can handle most of my problems or faults by myself-I don't need you humans coddling me." He attempted another giggle, but it too broke just the same, leaving him clamping his mouth shut and staring ahead with a grim expression.

Belle had a terrible feeling that what she was seeing and hearing was proof of more than just a 'faulty' laugh.

"Make up excuses all you want, but you're obviously not fine, and you need help. What if 'this' gets worse-what if you loose the whole ability to talk, move, or even function?"

"I sup-pos-pose it'd just be my own issue then! It's always been that way, and I'm not expecting it to change now." He growled back at her in a lower tone as if a warning, but it was displaying the unease she knew was in him though he was trying to hide it.

Belle felt her cheeks heating a bit as the irritation she felt inside began to boil over and loosen her tongue. This was something really important that they should talk about for his sake, and not to mention she didn't want to leave him like this. "You are absolutely frustrating! If you would just let yourself get some help I'm sure you could be fixed. I could even get someone who would help you so Marco wouldn't-"

"It doesn't matter! So just drop it dearie!" He practically snapped with a clatter of his jaw while his hands were now on his knees clenched into fists. It didn't stop her from seeing the emotion burning within his amber eyes or the slight tremble that was starting to rattle again through his frame.

She lost all control holding herself back any longer, which made her reach out and grab hold of his shoulder once more. He refused to meet her gaze when she tried to get him to look at her by pulling herself closer to his quivering body.

"What are you talking about of course it matters, and I for one don't want to see you suffer like that!"

"Don't pretend like you actually care!" In a whirlwind Rumplestiltskin was suddenly moving right at her while he spat his hoarse and cruel words right in her face.

His reaction was so fast-his arm shot out before she could even tell what he was doing, and she let out a slight gasp when his hand moved to coil around her neck. Belle thought for a single second that the animatronic almost pinning her to the wall was going to dig his claws straight through her flesh and puncture her throat in his fury. Yet, he didn't. Those large segmented fingers trembled just an inch from her skin, and she knew despite how coiled he was that he didn't want to touch her or hurt her. For a breathless minute that felt like eternity the beauty was pinned beneath Rumplestiltskin's body, and he stared straight at her with a crinkled face radiating pain.

"It... Does-Does-Doesn't... Matter... I don't... Ma-Ma-Matter..." Rumplestiltskin brokenly whispered, but Belle's eyes were stuck on the alarming sight flickering before her.

Those beautiful false eyes that she couldn't deny she found pretty were now just tiny pinpricks of yellow light in the hollows of his eye sockets.

"N-No one cares-no one ever has-Ughh!" His teeth clacked together several times right near her face, and it looked like he was about to dig them into her throat from the angle he sat. "ER-n-able-to-est-get-away-get-away-I-can't-ki-ki!Forty four-forty four-forty four-forty four-FORTY FOUR-FORTY FOUR-FORTY FOUR!"

Rumplestiltskin's voice began booming all around them as nonsense spilled from his lips and clattering jaw. The sheer volume of his bellowing alongside those pinprick eyes spiraling in his skull sent chills down Belle's spine.

"Rumplestiltskin! Rumplestiltskin!" Belle gasped before she reached for him again and shook his shoulders that were twitching beneath her touch. She was hoping calling out to him would snap him out of whatever 'fritz' he must be going through, but he was still jerking his head and speaking gibberish. "Rumplestiltskin! Come back! Please-you're scaring me!"

In an instant those eyes flashed back to their unusually large but normal size at her pleading, making him appear as if his fit of fury had shorted itself out. She watched in anticipation as his scaled face softened and as his body stopped trembling under her touch with such ferocity. But before she could ask if he was okay he withdrew himself and his hovering hand from her person to press himself back against the wall and hang his head in shame.

Belle found she could breathe again when he pulled away, and though she knew he hadn't touched her in the slightest she still trailed her nervous fingers over her throat.

He hadn't harmed a single hair on her head, and yet a burning sensation welled up in her eyes as she looked at the dejected animatronic sitting away from her. She wanted to cry from all that she had seen spark across his artificial features, but she refused to shed any of her tears. It wasn't that she didn't want to-her empathy for this creature was becoming vast and great, but she knew he would think she was pitying him if she did. Still, she felt her heart ache and pound with sorrow for Rumplestiltskin as if it was taking the place of the heart he did not have...

Perhaps she knew nothing of being trapped somewhere for decades, or what the complete loss of social contact felt like, nor did she have the slightest idea of how it was to be a conscious being in a metal body... But she knew loneliness when she saw it.

As she kept her gentle gaze on him she spoke, tending to her words as if speaking to a startled animal. "But I do care about you..."

Rumplestiltskin didn't respond to her. With a bent head he just kept looking down at the ground behind his locks of scraggily hair, but the security guard knew he heard her. A hand of his had twitched by his side against the floorboards and had not gone unnoticed.

"You believe I don't care, and I think I understand why, but if what you said was true then would I have not gone and told Mr. Getto about you? Would I have protected you and kept your secret if I didn't care for you at all?" Belle asked as she scooted closer to the imp despite knowing she shouldn't in case another fit had him screaming and lashing out from a sudden fault.

"Perhaps, I'm just an am-usem-usement to you... That was my original 'purpose' after all. Whomever created me made me to entertain you humans and endure your gawking and laughing at me with a big smile on my face." He 'clatters' a bit as his legs move and bend inwards, letting him tuck himself into a more contained shape with his arms around his knees. "There's no need to lie about it dearie, even I know I am 'unnatural' for a machine..."

The beauty sighed sadly as he turned away again, but she made up her mind and scooted herself even closer to the machine, gaining his complete attention when her side bumped into his. Those wide alien eyes of his looked to about bug out of their sockets from disbelief at them sitting hip to hip, and she could hear the parts inside him 'click' and 'tick' in a faster rhythm.

Belle couldn't deny she felt her heart start to pound at them touching too, but she pushed the feelings aside as she spoke. "I will admit that you do fascinate me, but it's not because I find you 'amusing' or something to gawk at. I've never met or have seen a machine in my life with your capability of thought, reasoning, movement, or choice, and I still don't even know how you being this way is possible! But more than that... I like you, and I can tell you are a very unique being Rumplestiltskin."

"You like me? And you think I'm... U-Unique?" He repeated like a chirping bird, and he tilts his head to study her as if she's the odd specimen instead. "Don't you mean to say that I'm 'horrifying' or 'terrifying'? That I'm an 'abomin-min-ation'? I remember many people liked using that one."

"No! I don't think of any of those at all when I look at you. If anything you're just a bit 'exasperating'." Belle pouted, crinkling her forehead a bit with how her brows furrowed. Yet, the young woman was glad to see a bit of that former playfulness coming back into Rumplestiltskin's lightening features at her unamused and flustered reaction. As they sat together in quiet contemplation she found out that she quite liked his small but fleeting few smiles, just like the one he wore now.

"I think after having a chance to actually get to know you a bit more, though there is still so much I don't know about you, that some how and some way you've most definitely got a soul. You can't be just a simple machine."

"Me? Have a soul? What an absolute ridic-dic-ulous notion!" The baffled old animatronic exclaimed, and he peered at her again like the normal human was the crazy one between the two. Perhaps she was in this case. "Y-You're... A very odd one yourself Ms. French, for a human..."

"You're not the first person to say that-minus the 'human' part, and I doubt you'll be the last either. Perhaps, that's what makes me such a good fit for odd jobs like this in the first place." The beauty shrugged in reply, and though she watched Rumplestiltskin hunch back towards himself those bright eyes of his remained focused on her person.

"If I may, can I ask you something personal?" He paused a moment as if growing shy, and the security guard looked at the green gold imp curled about himself as she awaited his question. "Why did you come to work here at Avonlea in the first place?"

It didn't take long at all for Belle to respond to his unexpected inquiry since a lot of people had already asked her that same question so many times now out of concern or lack of belief that she had a preset answer programed in response. "I needed a part time job here in Storybrooke or nearby since I just moved back into town, and when I saw the ad in the paper I just went for it. I've also worked security guard positions before in Boston so it was only natural I'd apply."

Rumplestiltskin hummed a moment before he quirked his head towards her and blinked those fake eyelids together despite having no need to do so.

"So you lived here once before in Storybrooke, eh? Though that makes me curious as to why someone like you would come back... I've overheard this town is not all that inter-est-esting from a lot of employees who've come and gone over the years. Supposedly all there is around here is Avonlea, some diner, and a giant fish cannery which doesn't sound fascin-cin-ating at all."

Belle gave a small laugh at that, finding it rather charming how curious he was and how interested in her he actually seemed to be. Maybe in-spite of their deal he didn't mind her presence at all, and maybe wanted to know more about her as she did him.

"The only reason I came back here was because of my dad, he has a condition that has gotten worse in the last few months... Though I have to admit working at Avonlea was kind of a heat of the moment decision on my part since I could have looked else where for a job. But I couldn't help myself with the soft spot I have for this place, so I just trusted my gut and became the night guard." Belle informed her strange companion before she mimicked his position, tucking her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.

And there they sat side by side in an array of illuminated colors with tiny smiles at the corners of their lips, tucked away behind stage in a closed Avonlea. They were a very odd and unique pair indeed.

"You said you have a soft spot for this place... So that means you've been to Avonlea in the past, probably quite a few years ago." Rumplestiltskin spoke up again as it seemed he was growing curiouser and curiouser by the second.

"When I was younger, during my middle school years, I moved to Storybrooke with my dad from where I grew up in Australia. That first summer here away from everything I'd ever known was hard for me to handle at that age though. I didn't have anyone to talk to about how I felt at the time nor anything to do besides watch my father's flowers grow or stay inside and read all day. Instead of sulking about the house as I could have done I found Avonlea one afternoon, and from then on that summer I came here almost every single day."

Belle's smile widened behind her knees as she recalled most of those sunny days fourteen years ago. A lot of it had been spent trekking from her fathers flower shop on foot over to Avonlea with a book or two in tow. She'd also collect spare change overtime for tokens to play the arcade games there, and within a short while she became a master of Ms. Pacman. There had been late evenings too, right before the sun began to set and Avonlea closing for the day, with her stuck at a table reading through her books without a care for the changing world outside those walls.

Life then had been simple, adventurous, fun, but it had also been undeniably lonely.

"You were the one who sat and read at the back table fourteen years ago."

Belle was startled out of her past memories from those words when Rumplestiltskin had abruptly spoke-so much so she about cracked her neck when she twisted it to look back at him. Of course he noticed her wide eyed stare at him right away, and the beauty watched as he fumbled with his hands while his faux lips trembled as if what he was wanting to say had escaped him.

"I-I have an impec-pec-cable memory thanks to my photographic data banks. I never forget anything, which can be quite bothersome by the way, but-I... I remember a small brown haired girl that looked just like you who came to visit Avonlea consta-stan-ntly fourteen years ago." He said while moving his flightily hands about in wide arcs, but he was still wearing that strange perplexing expression she couldn't decipher. "You also played Ms. Pacman almost every time you stopped by."

"Ms. Pac man was-is my favorite game! You remember seeing a book worm venture here just one silly summer... After all these years?" Belle trailed off in a whisper before her thoughts clicked and the pieces fell into place. He said he'd been here longer than she'd been alive so of course back then he'd been lurking about this building, and she hadn't the slightest clue. Day after day she sat alone in a corner with only her books to keep company while he sat in the darkness as a forgotten stowaway, peering and observing till he could be free at night.

Both of them had been alone and yet not alone within the same world at the same time.

Without warning the mechanical man was hurrying to his feet, attempting to stand in a sudden haste that reminded Belle just how fast he was. Before he managed to get far he froze and emitted an odd sound, a mixture of a cry and a gasp, that made Belle scramble to her knees out of fear he was having another 'fault'. Something caught her eyes though-his wires. He had cried out because the wires from his body and beneath his coat were still intertwined in the outlet.

Rumplestiltskin looked rather embarrassed about it when he realized it too. If his giant flickering eyes and parted jaw weren't a sign then his whole shy stance betrayed him even if his scaly cheeks could not darken or blush.

"Oh! Hold on, I'll help get them out for you." Belle knew very well that her own cheeks could blush with how they burned when she reached over and tugged his wires free from the outlets maw. As soon as they were free the bits of machinery squirmed straight out from her fingers, making the night guard emit a warbled yelp, and whirled right over the machines back. In just two seconds notice they had disappeared beneath the collar of his hide like coat, leaving Belle to raise a confused brow at this unique man shaped contraption.

"I seemed to have forgot about our deal there a moment. You'll have to forgive me little knight, my mind tends to wander off some-ome-times." Rumplestiltskin tittered in his trickster like persona before twirling on his feet to face her with another grin distorted by his hinged jaw. "Now that you know where the ladders are I'm sure you'll be fine to finish your task, and I'll leave you alone as agreed! You won't have to see anymore of me."

'That's it? After all we've shared and bared with each other tonight? He's going to leave and make things go back to the way they've been...' Belle thought to herself as she rose up from the dusty floor in a hurried motion to catch up with him.

It was clear now, after their heart to metal parts, that he was trying to flee from her so he couldn't 'bother' her or 'frighten her further' as he so believed he would. It was more so that than him wanting her to leave him alone since he never once asked that of her. The tiny slivers of happiness and eagerness he'd worn as they talked and walked hadn't been masked well enough either. Belle had seen each one bloom to life in a lifeless creature and had treasured them all.

Maybe he'd come to regret making their deal the same as she was growing to with each passing second.

"Rumplestiltskin!" Belle called out at his retreating form-the young woman couldn't help herself. She didn't want the mechanical man to stroll away after finally connecting with him and seeing the loneliness hidden inside that reflected her own she'd denied for too long.

Rumplestiltskin stilled in his scuffed boots for a few seconds before he finally turned back to face her. With the stage lights streaming from above his entire metal form and leathery clothing was splashed in a palette of colors. Hues of green, blue, red, and magenta danced across his golden skin, causing the bumps and scales that spread across his body to glisten and sparkle brilliantly. In that moment... The animatronic looked magical-like a true sorcerer thrusted into the normalcy of her world, and it left the stunned human lost for words.

He was awaiting her to say something as his vibrant gaze locked onto her own, and yet all her previous elegance was lost to this enchanting sight before her. "You don't have to go..."

The imp just looked at her with that same look again, nothing but confusion and befuddlement dappling his aged features. "B-But what about our deal? You said you wanted to stay out of my way and asked that I would yours... Isn't that what you want?"

"I know what I said at the time sounded like that, but that's not what I meant-not anymore at least." She admitted before biting her lip a moment in further thought. "Can't we modify this deal someway if we're both unhappy with it? I don't want you to have to hide or try to avoid me when I'm working my shift."

"But-But... Surely you do not..." He mumbled with his head bent over, flittering his plated hands slowly in front of himself as if to draw back attention to his 'unnatural' form. Yes, he was quite 'unique' in every single regard, between his body and his apparent consciousness, but Belle was not repelled by it-only drawn to it, though by what she did not know.

Belle just shook her head and gave a reassuring smile as the floorboards creaked under her approaching footsteps. "I-I don't mind your company at all if that's what you're worried about. It's pretty quiet here and your presence nearby is honestly soothing to me. Of course this offer is only if you would like to."

"I guess a little so-social in-tera-teraction wouldn't be harmful, and it has been quite sometime." Rumplestiltskin giggled brokenly in that loud silly manner of his. Yet, there was that grin quivering on his faux lips that told her that maybe he was truly 'happy' with this simple offer of companionship. "Only if having me being… Near, truly doesn't bother you. After all I can't have you fainting from fright and not doing your job!"

"You don't have to worry about that." The beauty laughed herself, and once again she was standing before the mechanical man without a care or fear lurking in her heart. "I promise this so long as you don't sneak up on me or play a nasty trick. Besides, I could use some help carrying that big ladder back to the bathroom."

"Now I see how it is! Using the beast to do all the hard work, very well then." Rumplestiltskin sighed playfully on another gush of air from the parts in his throat. "The knight and the sorcerer will have a new truce at this time."

—

Belle thought Rumplestiltskin might have been joking around when she asked him to help her out and he had readily agreed, but the animatronic, as he claimed to always do, kept to his word.

With inhuman ease he'd carried the collapsable ladder out of storage and back with them to the employees bathroom as if it weighed nothing at all. Belle, on the other hand, could only follow after him and watch in awe, marveling at how a machine so thin and small could have such strength. The surprises continued when he had swiftly offered to help her replace the light bulb when they returned. The kind open gesture, a means for him to keep by perhaps, was something she couldn't refuse.

This go around there were no accidents or falling into anyone's arms, though the embarrassment from earlier still lingered each time they caught the other's gaze. Even when the task had been completed, with the new lightbulb burning brightly down upon them both, Rumplestiltskin stayed with the security guard to help her clean up the remaining mess. Allowing Belle to proudly show him she knew where the broom and dust pan were kept without his assistance.

It didn't take the two of them long to finish up with all these things, and they soon found themselves walking towards her office side by side before they knew it. There was an awkward silence that settled in between them after they left the backstage, but it wasn't uncomfortable in Belle's opinion. In fact, the quiet space and small glances felt natural with how little she knew of her acquaintance and he of her. Maybe that too would change like so much else was changing already tonight, and the young woman couldn't stop herself from smiling in delight at that thought.

However, her curiosity was overflowing with a flood of questions to ask her strange 'companion' at this point too.

"That thing you did with the stage lights earlier was pretty cool... How exactly did you do all that by the way?" Belle asked out of the blue, and the words echoed along with their 'clacking' and 'pattering' footsteps down the hall. Despite the fact that Rumplestiltskin was staring on straight ahead, looking near the soulless animatronic he first appeared to be, she knew the creaking and whirring animatronic beside her was listening.

"Why that's another secret of mine." He impishly replied as he continued to stare and knead a set of fingers near his chest. "And a good magician never reveals their secrets."

"You're no fun... If you're the only person I get to talk with during these six hours can't I at least know you? " Belle inquired in mild disappointment, and though she hoped he would change his mind the quiet lingered as he choose to remain elusive.

"I suppose I could tell you all my secrets, but... Perhaps you just want to know the monster's weaknesses!" Rumplestiltskin abruptly taunted when he tilted his head towards her to smirk and flaunt a clawed finger near her face repeatedly. Belle just brushed his finger aside to arch another brow at him when they both came to a stop right outside her office door. The 'monster' didn't seem so disappointed at her refusal to play along as he continued to chirp in that high pitched voice of his. "You know I can answer all those insistent questions of yours if you desire, but only for a price of course!"

Belle pouted further at that while Rumplestiltskin just looked amused with his own antics.

Well, two could play that game.

"If that is the way you're going to be then this noble knight will just have to outwit the clever sorcerer and get the answers all by herself! I can't imagine it will be all that difficult." Belle mused out loud in a thin veil of showy heroism before she brushed against his coat and past him into her cozy office. With determination brimming in her heart the security guard sat herself down in her chair and then swiveled to properly face her opponent. Maybe with a bit more of coaxing and talking she could unravel the layers about Rumplestiltskin with time, but deep down that wasn't all that Belle was after as she soon found out.

He was hidden in the darkness of the doorway again, refusing to cross that threshold into the light to join her. Belle's previous smile faltered at her flush lips when she realized that the fidgeting machine still had no intention of entering her office.

"I-I…" Rumplestiltskin stuttered as he curled a segmented hand around the door frame which was the only bit of him exposed besides his glowing eyes. "I will be awaiting for your feeble attempts then ungraceful knight, so try all you like..."

"You can stay if you want to Rumplestiltskin." Belle gently reminded him to push aside any of his doubts. Yet, the constant flickering of his eyes gave away the anxiety that his shadowed sudden form couldn't. "And you don't need to stay out in the hallway, there's plenty of room in here for you too."

"Ah, I'd love stay and pester you further, but... I-I haven't finished my run of the build-uild-ing-so I've much to do tonight."

This 'run' is left quite unexplained and could possibly be just an excuse, but the security guards decides against pushing further about it. They're both still quite foreign to one another, and she has no intentions of making him feel uncomfortable nor disregarding his boundaries. Yet, she's surprised at how easy going they have been tonight compared to their unpleasant first meeting and the slightly better one after. It prides her that she's no longer fretful or fearful of the mechanical man, except for the fits he had earlier, and for that he seems more keen to approaching her and opening up in return.

"If you try to do anything dangerous again while I'm gone now is the time to warn me beforehand. That way I won't have to accidentally stumble upon your corpse if the worse were to occur, dearie." Rumplestiltskin snorted, like the mere idea was completely bothersome, and Belle could only roll her eyes at him.

"Of course, I have enough manners to do that, though I'm quite done indulging my dangerous side tonight. But if you're leaving then... Have a good rest of your night, Rumplestiltskin. Just incase I don't see you before I leave."

His lips twitched at that, as if he wanted to say more, but he leaned away from the door instead. With an eerie clatter his golden-green clawed fingers slid into the darkness from the edge of the doorframe and disappeared as his loud foot steps began.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Belle sat back in her cushioned seat, grinning a moment when she could still hear his faint movements, before turning to her desk and eyeing the tablet. Her innate curiosity was bubbling back at the sight of it, making her reach over and snatch it up to test her growing theories. Just as she had suspected the security guard couldn't find any trace of the animatronic wandering down the hall where a set camera should have caught him on the video feed buzzing beneath the screen. It was just another illusion he somehow crafted to trick everyone, especially the night guard, but it was one that made the all the theories and rumors of ghosts Ruby mentioned before more understandable to the young woman.

'I'll figure out your 'magic tricks' you sneaky sorcerer.' Belle challenged to herself when she set the tablet back down and adjusted her visor. For the rest of the night she would simply wait and go about her shift as normal, but tomorrow she would begin her plans to discover what she could about her one of a kind companion.

Though before then, as the beauty reached into her bag and pulled out the novel she was currently reading, she would uncover the mystery that lay right between her fingers and its printed pages.

—

Eventually time moved forward, as slow as it might be in such conditions, and six in the morning neared on the hanging clock's steadfast hands.

Yet, what surprised Belle was not the time that had past with her head literally spent buried in a book but finding Rumplestiltskin headed back down the hall towards her door. It was his clacking boots against the shiny tiled floor that aroused her from her semi sleepy state and informed her of his return, giving her ample time to quickly sit upright and comb back her frazzled hair. There was no way she was going to suffer the humiliation of being caught 'asleep' again after she had promised him she wouldn't.

Not that she really was this time-she had been merely resting her... Face just a moment.

Several seconds of this went by before the hallway suddenly grew silent right by her door, but a certain someone refused to appear, causing the beauty to quietly sigh to herself. "Did your run of the building go well out there?" Belle inquired out to the doorway as she picked up and closed her recently finished book with a satisfactory 'thump'. "I'm also very much alive and unharmed if you were curious."

Rumplestiltskin's face emerged from around the corner then and into the beauty's range of vision, peering at her with his wide alien eyes and distorted features. This same sight of him had once made her curl up into her chair and nearly scream out-loud in fright not too long ago. Now Belle could only feel a smile forming at the warm amber gaze directed towards her clear blue and the urge to draw him within the space she called hers.

"Yes, I didn't find any issues or trouble-ble-some pests trying to barge in, but it pleases me to know you've not met a grim fate, dearie." The animatronic hummed with pride as the young woman chuckled a bit before she began putting away her few things and grabbing her jacket. Though she had to stop and immediately whirl back to Rumplestiltskin when he made an odd crackled sound as if startled. "Oh-it's six already? I suppose I lost track of the time there…"

Rumplestiltskin frowned at the ticking clock with half lidded eyes almost as if he was trying to will it to turn its hands backwards.

Belle noticed all of this and allowed her worry to fade and the lingering curiosity to take over as she spoke. "This place is empty after I leave but then Marco says he's usually here right at seven... So you only have about an hour left to enjoy yourself, but what do you normally do when you've finished with your 'runs' about Avonlea?"

"There's really not much for something like me to do around here. Mostly I just protect this place from intruders and make sure the building is neat and ready for the daytime crew..." As the soft words spilled out he immediately seemed to be shocked that he's said anything at all, and he swiftly returns to being the snarly beast. "Don't worry about me though! I keep myself plenty entertained with torment-ment-ing you humans from afar! Hee hee!" A wicked laugh, still incomplete, rattled from his plated throat as if to keep her at bay.

It only made the beauty curl her fingers tighter around the book clutched in her hands.

"Do you read?"

"What?" The scaly machine blinked at her question while the tiny human continued to discretely observe him. Just as she was hoping it would her question was luring him into the dim light and away from his protective hold of shadows. In a few small steps he was no longer behind the door frame but moving into the space of her office alongside her, clearly becoming curious of her sudden interest with him. "Of course I know how to read. I run on coding and programing which requires it for me to even operate."

"What I actually meant to ask you was do you like to read? I just finished reading this excellent story a while ago and thought you might like to borrow it." Belle explained and extended the hard back novel out towards him without hesitation. Anyone else watching this scene, even if they had never met this unique being before, would have been able to see the pure surprise radiating from every scrap of him as his artificial eyelids retreated into his head and the glowing orbs below pinned onto the book.

"You would let me borr-row-ow this?" Rumplestiltskin asked, hunching towards the binding of papers with almost a form of reverence.

"Of course I would-I know that I can trust you to take good care of it." Belle informed him as the imp grabbed the proffered book gently and held it in his grasp as if it was going to fall to pieces at any given moment. "It's a mystery thriller by the way, you'll have to tell me if you enjoy it or not when you're done. I read all sorts of genre's so if you don't like it I'm sure I can find you something else to fit your tastes. As you probably already know reading is one of my favorite things to do."

"Oh, I can believe that since you were once such a tiny b-book worm, but... Uh… T-T-hank you, I'll start on it right away." He stuttered with a shy smile tugged at one corner of his mouth, peering back up at her with his large eyes that looked to nearly be shining with emotion.

"It's no problem, take your time." She's practically beaming when she replied, and it's because of the way the book seemed to have him stand there at a complete loss. No normal person had ever given such a response to Belle's literary offers or gifts, but hopefully this will do its job and he'll be entertained when he's stuck in his hideaway while Avonlea opens up. Deep down she hoped it will help him for she couldn't imagine how to cope with being trapped somewhere alone with nothing to do for hours on end, day after day... She'd have long gone crazy if that were the case.

The thought makes her a bit sad in what is supposed to be such a lighthearted moment, because what sounded like such a terrible reality that seemed unlikely to ever be was far more likely than one would think.

She was brought back to the present though when the ticking clock loudly chimed that it was six in the morning and that the night guard was falling behind on getting herself up and out of Avonlea.

"Dang, I've got to get going! I've got to work today at my other job as well some errands to run, and before all that I've got to get myself some shut e-eyeee..." Belle was attempting to explain all that just when a yawn decided to escape her at that very moment. The strangled sound made her do a combination of laughing and yawning all at once even though she attempted to cover her mouth.

"I was about to say you defin-fin-itely could use some rest, but I think that you said it far better than I could." The animatronic standing before her teased, and his silly pitched voice made her smile crinkle all the way to her eyes.

So as Belle continued on getting ready to leave, throwing on her jacket and grabbing her bag, she failed to notice how her odd companion remained by her side. It wasn't until she was flicking off the office's light switch and stepping out into the hall that she realized Rumplestiltskin lingered. Her face lit up with surprise again at the undeniable fact he didn't want to run or hide from her presence but wanted to stay with her even now. It pleased her more than she could properly describe for the the glow of his mechanical eyes was comforting in the bleak darkness surrounding them.

Together they ambled towards the back door, chatting a tiny bit more about the building and the book in the imps hands before they reached their destination around the corner. When they could no longer stand side by side, as Belle had neared the back door and the mechanical man remained a few steps behind, she turned around to him one last time. Yet, the awkward silence had returned, causing them both to fumble for words till Belle managed to form something to say.

"I'm off till next shift, but have a good night-or morning... I'm not sure what it's supposed to be anymore." Belle laughed again, feeling a bit too tired and whimsical to make sense of her upside down thoughts.

"I'll be in sleep mode myself very soon and since you are going to bed as well, I guess it's… Simply good night?" The machine sounded unsure of his own answer before he tilted his head full of wiry hair in amusement.

"Good night then Rumplestiltskin." Belle nodded in reply and upon a whim gave a small playful bow in the imaginary gown she wore in place of her simple uniform.

"Good night, dearie." The imp returned the favor, but this bow was more elegant than his previous mocking one and rather charming in Belle's opinion.

They were forced to part ways when she stepped outside and he slunk back into the dark belly of Avonlea. Then after closing the door, turning a knob, and twisting a key, the two worlds were completely separated once more, leaving both human and machine on opposite sides.

Even though making sure the back door was locked up tight was a normal part of her routine Belle couldn't help but wonder then why her hand had remained on the door knob just a bit longer than she meant it to be. Regardless, the beauty let go and beamed to herself just as the sun's beams were creeping across the trees and grass, lighting up the world around her and biting back the nights cold hold.

Her heart was fluttering with joy and couldn't be contained for there had been some major progress made between her mechanical acquaintance and herself. Just like the nights before she was looking forward to her next week working at Avonlea. But more than that she couldn't wait for her next week to get to know Rumplestiltskin even better. Though her life was not the exciting adventure she had hoped it would be never had she predicted herself becoming acquainted or maybe even becoming friends with a conscious animatronic man with thoughts, desires, and feelings like her own.

'Friends? Would Rumplestiltskin ever want to be friends with me? He seems pretty lonely, like he needs one, but I don't know...'

Whatever might happen in the future Belle wished the two of them could be just that. For now she was determined more than ever to peel back the layers of wires and plates that made up Rumplestiltskin and uncover the deepening mysteries of his past along with Avonlea's.

And to add to her growing surprise that dawning morning Belle found Rumplestiltskin standing at the break room window once again when she glanced back to Avonlea from her car.

Together they waved to each other as she left and unknowingly sparked another bit of hope between them both.