Sorry that I'm a couple days late! I have been scrambling to find time to sit down and write this, and now I think I should be able to do so. Thanks so much for your patience.

Disclaimer: I own jack-squat of "Once Upon A Time" and of Rumbelle. But I love them!

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Uncertainty. Doubt. Bravery. Fear.

….Clashing...clashing...ever clashing inside her pretty head.

She closed her eyes and sighed, breathing in the fresh air of the beautiful world before her. She was in the woods now, surrounded by the elms and the oaks. Birds trilled sweetly overhead.

Belle turned her head to look over her shoulder. Only seconds ago she had taken her first steps outside of the Dark One's realm...all on her own. He wasn't there to watch over her. To ensure that she was kept safe and protected. Belle was on her own. She was free once again, a liberated slave with the power to choose.

For a split second she had thought that she would undoubtedly need to return to the Castle. After all, if she didn't, then her deal with the Dark One would be null and he would destroy her kingdom and people. But, then, she remembered. He had let her go, knowing that she was more than likely to never return. He had broken the deal, and he would not bring destruction to her homeland. Belle was truly free to return to her papa with no repercussions. But there would certainly be repercussions of another kind...

She began to walk through the woods, the light basket held securely in the crook of one arm, the other hand holding up her skirts. Belle found it ironic. Here she was. She was free and in the beauty of nature. She should be celebrating! Rejoicing and lifting her hands to the sky in thanks! And yet, all she could think of was that poor little imp locked away in his castle, foolishly hoping that she would come back to him. And for that reason she was truly torn. Not just because she felt sorry for her previous slaver, but because she found that she did not really want to leave him after all. If she left now and returned to Avonlea, it would be a decision for good. She would be unable to return and visit the fiend in his Castle. Perhaps, when she had hastily said goodbye not an hour ago, it had been a real goodbye. Unless, of course, she was to return.

Belle bit her lip in anxious thought and let out a frustrated moan. Why couldn't this be easy? Only a few months ago she would have fled from the castle as fast as her feet could carry her, never to return. But now? She didn't know. All she could ever hope to know was that this impossible thinking was giving her a terrible headache.

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Rumpelstiltskin just stood there, unmoving, for two straight hours. He had gone to her library to find comfort. Instead, he had been met with painful reminders of Belle every which way he turned. The books she had read only the day before were left in small stacks all about the room. The fireplace was cold and empty, filled with ash from the cold brisk nights she had come up to seek solace. Even the very air smelled of her simple, yet irresistible fragrance. How many times had he found himself wishing that he could hold her close just so that he could drink in her scent of honeysuckle and lavender?

The memories were too much as they assaulted him, but he found the smell in the air to be soothing, and so he walked across the room. As he did so, his mind replayed the day he had first given her the library. He still remembered the way her face had lit up in a shining beam, and the way she had grasped his hand in a sweet gesture of thanks. That seemed like ages ago.

His feet carried him across the beautifully woven carpet and he passed a large tome which he recognized all too well. The very first book he and Belle had read together. The book of the beauty and the beast. And yet, so caught up in her excitement, she had never finished the tale, and he still had no idea how it ended. Picking up the book to throw it in his ire, Rumpelstiltskin found that he could not do so. Belle's face flashed in front of his eyes, displeasure at his mistreatment of her precious tomes. And so, he set it back down upon the table and sighed.

That book had been Belle's. Sure it had belonged to him, but the library had been her sanctuary. Everything in it was more hers than it had ever been his. Rumpelstiltskin came to the small window in the stone wall and grasped the sill in his sharp fingernails. His bleak eyes stared upon the mid afternoon sky. She had been gone for nearly two hours and had not come back. But there was still time. He would not give up. He would never give up on his Belle...

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Belle found the village after about an hour's trek through the forest and along a thin path that wound its way, cutting through the large expanse of trees and brush. Oh, to see people again! The experience was so surreal to her. She had seen Robin Hood, of course, and a couple other...humans...but she had not seen such a large number congregated in one area in nearly a year.

A whole year since she had come with Rumpelstiltskin as a fulfillment of their deal. Well, it would be a whole year tomorrow. Strange how time had flown by for the two of them.

She found the miller easy enough who then pointed to a vender who would sell her the needed straw. Belle walked briskly over to the old man with a greasy salt-and-pepper beard and asked him for the wares. The man smiled a near toothless grin and then paraded a hand to his large stack of hay and straw.

Once her basket was filled to overflowing and she had paid the man his required wage, Belle once again set off down the road. She refused to stay and dawdle at the benches where women were selling fine yarns and shawls and jewelry. She denied her stomach the joys of going over to the bakery and smelling all of the delicious pies and pastries. No. She would leave now before she was tempted to remain there for forever.

She was on the path again, heading back to the Dark Castle. But then again, was she really returning? To anyone else it would seem the only reasonable thing to assume that she had decided to return. After all she had left shelter, food, and warmth behind in the village. She would either have to make it back to the Castle by nightfall, or her first night of escape and freedom would be spent in the cold, dark, and frightening woods. And yet, Belle's usually determined mind was far from that. She was still waging an inward battle. Would she return? Or would she run?

Just then, she heard the jingle of bells and and the clomping of horses' hooves and she turned around in time to see an ebony black carriage approaching her. She politely stepped off of the road to let it pass, but to her surprise, it stopped. The door swung open to reveal an elaborately dressed woman, with an all to fake smile that was covered in deep red gloss. Everything about the woman was black, from her hair to her shoes. Her pale complexion contrasted greatly with the ominous color.

"I'm sorry. Did my carriage splash you?" The woman inquired pleasantly.

Belle tilted her head at the strange woman and gave her a small smile. "Umm...no."

"I am tired of riding," the stranger answered, "Do you mind if I stretch my legs and walk a ways with you?"

The beauty shook her head, being more polite than anything, as the woman stepped out of the carriage and walked entirely too close for Belle's own personal comfort. She wrapped her silken cloak closer around her and held her straw-laden basket tighter.

Belle could not explain the chill that crawled up her spine when the woman placed a friendly arm around her shoulders, or why she grew incredibly uncomfortable as the lady continued to chatter.

But perhaps if she had know who the stranger really was, the beauty would have tried to flee. Because nothing good could come of this meeting. Belle had just come face to face with her highness Regina, better known as the Evil Queen.

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He was growing more and more anxious as the sun set and fell behind the mountains. Not even the beauty of the spring, nor the golden hue of the sky could make his mind at ease. All he could think of was his maid whom he had let go, and whom would not be returning.

As the sun set and the starless night spread itself across the sky, Rumpelstiltskin cursed under his breath. How had he been so foolish to let her go? Already, only four hours after she had left, he was feeling a greater sense of loneliness than he had ever felt before. It was a sword that was piercing through his heart. And to think he would have to endure all the remainder of his eternal life bearing his true curse: the curse of loneliness and unrequited love.

Yet, Rumpelstiltskin stayed there at the window in her library until it was nearing seven o'clock. He did not eat, he did not sleep, he did not sit to rest his legs. He stood there, ever on watch for any sign of her. He stayed in watch long after he had convinced himself that she would not return.

But then...

Then, he saw the gates of the west end of his estate opening and he saw a small figure striding through the dark. A figure that he knew he could recognize anywhere. Somehow, even after he had freed her, allowed her to leave and return home, fate had brought her back to him.

Elation filled his soul and lightened his step. He turned away as fast as he could from the window and raced down the stairs. She was here. She was home. Belle was home at last. And she was here to stay...forever.

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I know it's a bit short, but I wanted to stop it before the finale', which I'm sure is going to be packed full and loaded with wonderful action, romance, and pure goodness.

So, trust me, the next chapter is going to be well-worth the lateness and short length of this one. Pinky swear.