Chapter TWELVE: Courage

One evening, at Mr Gold's Pawn Shop, Mr Gold was putting a diamond necklace on Belle. "It's, um... it's very beautiful. So, what's the occasion?" Belle asked, her voice breaking.

"The occasion is us. We haven't really gotten out much since Storybrooke awakened, so I

thought we should see it together. Wow," Mr Gold said.

"Thank you."

Mr Gold chuckled. "Don't get your hopes up. The nightlife is extremely limited."

Belle laughed back. "No. That's not what I meant. Thank you for... for what you're doing, for how you're changing."

Suddenly, the door bells jinglez and Leroy barged in. "Okay, 'Stiltskin, I want my axe."

"I'm sorry, but we're closed," Mr Gold said.

"It's mine. Give it to me."

"And yet, still closed."

"Just 'cause you possess something don't mean it's yours. Nothing in this shop belongs to you. And you?" Leroy asked, turning his attention to Belle. "How can you be with such a monster? Or maybe you're just another possession, too."

"How dare you?! You want your axe? Fine!" Mr Gold said, enraged.

"Rumplestiltskin!" Belle called out, but it was no use.

"You can have it buried in your chest!" Mr Gold said, making Leroy's pick axe appear and burying it in his chest, just like what he said he would.

"Stop! Stop! This isn't you anymore!" Belle cried out again.

Mr Gold turned around, to show Belle that he had changed back to what he had looked like in the Enchanted Forest. "Rumplestiltskin: Oh, it's me, dearie. Always has been, always will be."

Belle then suddenly woke up from her nightmare, drenched in sweat. She looked beside her, and found that Mr Gold wasn't beside her. She got up and went to investigate. She went outside and looked in the basement window, to see Mr Gold practising some magic, with his spinning wheel. She also saw the Professor, making what looked like a potion.


The next morning, Mr Gold was in the kitchen, when Belle came in, followed by the Professor. "Hey," he said.

"Hey. What are you doing?" Belle asked.

"I was, uh, gonna make you breakfast."

"No. In... in the basement. I saw you two practicing magic."

"Want some breakfast?"

"No, we need to talk about this."

"It was just a couple of spells. Nothing to be concerned about."

"Rumple was just helping me make some more copies of Encyclopedia Gallifreya," the Professor said.

"Encyclopedia Gallifreya. Time Lord knowledge in liquid form."

"Well, okay, then be honest with me. Why did you bring magic here?" Belle asked Rumple.

"I've told you. Magic is power," Mr Gold said.

"Why do you need it? Tell me," Belle said, but Mr Gold stayed silent. "You don't need power, Rumple. You need courage... to let me in."