A/N: Thanks to all who followed and favourited, and for the lovely comments. Over 500 reviews! I'm speechless! But luckily still able to write.

Now, one or two of you told Gold off in the last chapter for being a hypocrite over Belle's previous relationship. All I will say in his defence is a) he's suffered through many lifetimes of not finding her and, by his own admission, that along with the way he was woken sent him a little crazy, b) he turned his back on everything when he told Doc to shove it, and tried to forget about the pain of losing Belle in any way he could, c) having found her, he had to watch her with Gary knowing that they were sleeping together, with no clue whether he'd ever win her back and d) he can be a right possessive hypocritical knobhead at times (okay, that's not a defence). Hopefully this chapter will make you less cross with him. No one told Belle off for whacking him, although I guess that was understandable; I've wanted to give him a good slap myself in the course of writing this.

Spacecats, RaFire, karolprado, Killer Kueen, Wondermorena, rumbeller25, AngelOfMusic44, narcisicia, Kiri Huo Ziv, Erik'sTrueAngel, orthankg1, deweymay, JustBFree, morgananne16, jewel415, ecinspired, crazykat77, The Auburn Girl, paulawer. Twyla Mercedes: thank you so much for all your feedback – here's the next chapter! Be aware – there is some violence and hints at non-con.


Belle awoke screaming in the night, flailing at him with her fists in the grip of a nightmare, and Gold held her close and kissed her, whispering comforting words as she calmed down. He had a feeling there would be a lot of this in the weeks to come; at least she was not sleepwalking outside and punching random people in the street, as he had done. He hoped that if it ever came to that, Storybrooke's law enforcement officers would be more sympathetic than some of the Glasgow police who had given him a thrashing before taking him back to the children's home. He wondered if she would want to sleep away from him, or if she would stay in his home, where it was safe. She wept against his chest for a long time, her arms so tight around him he could barely breathe, but eventually she drifted off again.

As he watched her sleep, he wondered how she would want to approach their new relationship. They had always married and started living together straight away, except for the previous time, when they had had to keep their marriage a secret. But now she had her own place, and her own life. Friends. Family, although they seemed less dear to her than her friends. He worried that she wouldn't want to be with him after all, and wasn't sure if he could cope with years of dating and alternating sleepovers. Perhaps she wouldn't even want to get married. Lots of women didn't these days.

Not for the first time, he cursed the fact that losing her out of her time had made everything so bloody difficult. By rights she should already have been his in her heart from her middle teens, fully his at the age of eighteen, although no doubt that would have raised some eyebrows in this day and age. He knew he was being a selfish bastard, but he hardly cared. He wanted her safe. Eyes sliding shut, he fell into slumber with her.

The ringing of the telephone awoke them, morning sunlight streaming through the small windows in the back of the shop. Disorientated, Belle rubbed the sleep from her eyes as he clambered over her, struggled to his feet and walked naked to the phone in the main shop. She could hear one half of the conversation, his voice clipped and impatient.

"Yes, she's awake…A little distressed, but I expected that…About six o'clock…No, yesterday evening…Because we had some catching up to do, that's why…Well, you asked…Yes, I'll bring her over today, but I'm taking her for breakfast first, and I don't want her doing anything too taxing. She's exhausted, and so am I…No, it wasn't because of that…Alright, we'll see you later."

Belle blinked sleepily as she saw him pad back into the room, and watched hungrily as he started making tea, her eyes running over his lean frame. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, his expression concerned. She hoped that he wasn't going to be giving her that look for too long, as though she was a crazy person, or about to scream at him, or throw something. She just might if he didn't stop treating her as though she was made of spun glass.

"How are you?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Been better," she admitted, as he spooned tea into the pot. "I'm starving, do you have anything to eat here?"

He smiled then. "No, but drink this and we'll go to Granny's for the biggest breakfast you can eat."

Belle pouted. "Does that involve getting up?"

His grin widened. "It does if you want pancakes."

Belle perked up at that, slipping from the bed, pulling on his shirt and walking through to the tiny bathroom. She splashed water on her face, scowling at the look of hollow-eyed weariness staring back at her. She wanted a shower, and she needed some clean clothes. Perhaps they could stop off at hers before Granny's. She debated whether her stomach could last another twenty minutes or so.

"I need to shower and change," she announced, as she went back into the shop, momentarily distracted by his appearance. She immediately fell into his arms and ran her fingers up and down his bare back, stretching up on her toes to kiss him.

"You should make the tea like that every morning," she murmured, and he chuckled. "On a cold winter's morning in Maine, I doubt it's the most impressive sight," he said, eyebrows twitching at her.

She looked down momentarily, then back up at him with a sly grin.

"Well, I'm sure we can fix that." She pulled his head down on hers, pressing her mouth to his, and he put down the cups and pulled her close, his tongue sliding into her mouth to touch hers. Eventually he pulled back and she leant her head against his chest with a sigh, grinning impishly as she felt him move against her.

"See?" she said. "Not that cold after all. I could wake it up fully..."

He looked amused. "I thought you were hungry."

"I am," she admitted, and wrinkled her nose. "But I feel all icky. I need a shower."

"Breakfast first," he said firmly. "I'll take you home after that."

Part of her knew that he wanted everyone to see that they were wearing the same clothes as they had been the last time they were in public, that he needed to shave, in other words, that they had been together all night. She wouldn't have been surprised if he'd hung some sort of banner outside the shop. She rolled her eyes at his possessiveness, but found herself grinning over it all the same. Besides, she was hungry.

"Okay," she agreed, moving away from him so that he could pour the tea.

Once she had her cup, he pulled on his pants, which was fortunate, as it meant that she was far less distracted, and was able to drink her tea and get changed without jumping him. She tugged on her boots, wishing she had thought to pack some clean underwear, and straightened up with a smile as he held out her coat. He was looking somewhat dishevelled, his shirt and jacket wrinkled and his two-day stubble darkening his cheeks. He was smiling when he looked at her though.

"You look beautiful," he said, and she grinned at him.

"So do you." She pulled him in for a kiss as he chuckled disbelievingly, and grabbed his hand before they left the shop.


Emma pulled up on the street outside Granny's, yawning. It was just after seven, she had worked the late shift with Mei-Ling, and both of them needed coffee. She glanced to the side as she got out of the car, and saw Belle and Gold walking towards the diner. Emma gazed at them curiously. They were holding hands, fingers linked, moving in step with one another, their bodies leaning in slightly so their shoulders were almost touching. Both of them glanced up at Emma, and her eyebrows twitched in surprise. Belle's eyes were the same clear blue they had always been, but there was something more within them, something dark and knowing. Gold was decidedly rumpled, looking as though he'd slept in his suit, if indeed he'd slept at all, but that wasn't the most curious thing about him. Gold looked – different. His eyes were their usual deep brown, but for once they were not narrowed in suspicion or glinting with mischief. He looked calm, content, despite the shadows beneath his eyes.

"Hey, guys," said Emma uncertainly. "You okay?"

They shared a glance, then turned back to her with identical, slight smiles. "Fine," they said in unison, making Emma frown. They were acting as though they were one person, and it was starting to creep her out a little.

"Hungry," added Belle, sounding more like her old self. "Are you here for breakfast? He's buying." She jerked her head at Gold, who gave her an amused look, then nodded to Emma.

"Just two coffees to go, thanks," said Emma, wondering what the hell was going on. They'd made up, that was pretty obvious. And by the look of the pair of them, the make-up session had gone on for some time. She supposed that was the reason for his contentment. Realising that she was in danger of imagining Gold having rampant sex with one of her best friends, she felt like bashing herself over the head with something blunt and heavy. He was watching her with a slight smile, as though he knew what she was thinking, the gleam back in his eyes.

"Miss Swan, are you quite well?" His voice was a familiar taunting purr, and – yes, there it was! She glared at him, turning on her heel and stomping into the diner. Goddamn stupid mental images!

"What's up with her?" asked Belle, confused, and he chuckled.

"No doubt she'll tell you later when I'm safely out of the way," he said, deeply amused. "Now, my sweet, let's get you fed."

Emma got her coffees, hugging Belle and avoiding looking at Gold as she left. Belle ordered the works: bacon and eggs, pancakes and maple syrup, and coffee. He stuck with bacon, eggs and toast, and grinned as she poured maple syrup over her plate.

"Slow down, dearest," he said gently, as she shovelled another forkful in her mouth. "No one will take it away from you."

Belle made a disbelieving sound, washing down the pancakes with a mouthful of coffee. "God, that's good," she said eventually, sitting back. "I was ready to eat the napkin holder."

He chuckled at that, and Belle held out her mug for Granny to fill again. The caffeine and sugar had sped to her brain, making her surprisingly energetic.

"What are we going to do today?" she asked chirpily. "I feel so much better after a night's sleep. Are we going to see Doc?"

He eyed her knowingly. "I realise that three mugs of coffee and half a gallon of maple syrup has probably made you feel invincible, but trust me, you'll need to take care of yourself over the next few weeks. No tiring yourself out, understand?"

Belle stuck out her tongue, and blushed as Leroy gave her an amused look from across the diner.

"Who says I'd be tiring myself out?" she demanded. "I just – I can't wait to get started again! All that research I was doing for you, now I know it was for a purpose."

"Part of the purpose was to get you to remember," he pointed out, and she smiled.

"But not all of it," she countered. He sighed, putting his knife and fork down and pushing his plate away.

"We'll go and see Doc," he agreed. "But don't be surprised if he tells you what I've just told you."

"I have class until three," she said. "Why don't you come to uni after that?" She leant on the table, her face pushed towards him, suddenly playful. "Are we having dinner together tonight?"

"It is Monday," he said, amused. She made her eyes wider, biting her lip and rubbing her foot up and down his leg, making him twitch.

"I could – bring something to your place," she said, batting her eyelashes. "Show you exactly how much I remember…" She moved her foot further up his leg, making him chuckle.

"Seeking to distract me so that no work gets done, hmm?" he asked, and she pouted.

"You're no fun when you run to a schedule."

His hand dipped below the table. "Oh, I'll show you exactly how much fun I am," he said softly, his eyes darkening and making her belly tighten as his fingers stroked up her inner thigh. She chewed her lip again, flushing.

"Okay, you two, save it for the bedroom," said Granny, unnecessarily loudly as she passed with Leroy's breakfast, making everyone in the diner turn and look at them. Belle's blush deepened, and Gold straightened up with a smirk.

"Dinner at mine it is," he agreed, and Belle returned his smile. She looked at her watch and saw that it was nearing seven-forty.

"Are you taking me home?" she asked. "I don't have class until eleven, but I really need a shower and a change of clothes before I can be amongst normal people." She grinned at him suddenly. "I have to say, the levels of bodily hygiene in this day and age are a vast improvement on what we had to put up with last time."

He laughed again, but the smile fell from his face almost immediately. He pushed a quarter around on the table top with his fingertip a little anxiously. She waited for him to speak, sensing his sudden change in mood.

"I'll take you home," he said hesitantly. "But first, I want to show you something."


Belle's brow crinkled when they pulled up in the cemetery.

"We met here before," she said quietly, and he nodded, getting out of the car and opening the door for her. He looked as though he wanted to say something, thought better of it, and held out his arm to her instead. She linked her arm through his, following him to the grave where she had found him standing, what seemed an age ago. He looked as though he was struggling with what to say, so she waited patiently.

"You must have questions," he said eventually.

She hesitated, her stomach seeming to shrink within her. She had not wanted to face this, not now. He was watching her, as though he expected her to slap him again, and this made her speak.

"Yes," she admitted. "I tried not to think about it at first, but I did wonder how you could…. You had a kid." She fidgeted, her mouth twisting awkwardly. "I mean, I know it had been a long time, but…" She shrugged helplessly. He grimaced and hesitated, looking at her nervously out of the corner of his eyes.

"I wanted to forget," he said softly. "I was a coward, Belle. I turned my back on everything. I tried to blank it out, what I felt, what I'd lost. I couldn't face another lifetime without you, so I tried to pretend I didn't know who you were." He looked at the floor, pressing the toe of his shoe against the fresh snow. "I betrayed you, Belle."

She bit her lip, feeling his anguish. "I don't think it's that simple."

He sighed. "Is anything ever that simple? I'm trying to put complex emotions into words, and it isn't easy, my love."

She moved a little closer to him. "You were brave in the end," she said, and he gave a wry smile.

"When I lost Bae, I finally faced up to what I'd done in turning my back on my search for you," he said. "The grief almost drove me mad, but it wasn't just the grief of losing him. I'd tried to bury the memories of you for twenty years, and when he died, when I stopped protecting myself, I let myself fully remember you. I let myself remember them all."

There was a sudden lump in her throat. Belle took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly, and he took a deep breath, looking at the ground, as though he were ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Belle," he whispered, and she sighed.

"Look, don't get me wrong, I'm not happy that another woman shared your bed," she said flatly. "But I remember what I felt when I was Elizabeth. I've been thinking about it since I woke up." She put a hand on his arm. "And it was only Elizabeth, none of my other selves remembered." He seemed to let out a breath, and she continued, watching him carefully. "I know I went almost mad from the grief and loss. For that to happen to you time and time again…" She shrugged. "I guess it's only natural you'd throw up some sort of defence mechanism. A part of me is – glad you found some love in your life." She felt a momentary cringe. It was true; she did want him to be happy, but a part of her wondered whether he could ever have been happy without her. She waited to see whether he would confess to happiness in her absence.

"Love?" He barked a laugh. "Hardly. We were young and foolish, that was all. I clung to the first person to show me affection, and when that was gone…" He shuffled his feet, not looking at her.

"Do you regret it?" she asked quietly. He hesitated.

"I regret what I did. I regret losing faith in us, in turning from you. I regret giving in to my cowardice. Again." He sighed, turning slightly towards her. "I don't regret Bae. I could never regret a child."

There was silence for a moment. She couldn't work out whether she was pleased or not that he had been miserable without her. She would not have wished her own misery, as Elizabeth, on anyone. The wind picked up the ends of his hair and blew them around his face, brown and silver. She wanted to brush it back, to kiss him gently and whisper that she loved him.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked softly, her large blue eyes searching. He hesitated again as he threaded his fingers through hers, squeezing gently before he spoke.

"I wanted this place, this grave, to stand for all of our children." He swallowed hard, looking at the floor, and she bit her lip. "I knew that, even if I could find the places they were buried, their graves would already have been dug up by archaeologists or turned into parking lots. I wanted a place where I could think of all of them."

"I understand," she said honestly. "I think that's a nice idea."

He was blinking rapidly, as though there was something in his eye, as though he was trying to keep tears from falling. It made her own eyes sting in response.

"I couldn't bring you here before," he whispered. "That day you found me here, a part of me wanted to cry on your shoulder, have you cry with me. After finding you again, the pain was just as raw as it was all those centuries ago. You must have thought me very strange."

Belle smiled at the memory. She tried not to think of what she was feeling, in case she started crying and couldn't stop. "I thought you were in a lot of pain," she said. "I guess I had no idea how much."

They stood in silence. Snow was beginning to fall, dusting the shoulders of his coat, landing in their hair and on their eyelashes. Belle glanced at the grave.

"You called him Bae," she said softly, turning to look at him. He wouldn't meet her eyes, sucking in his cheeks and looking at the floor.

"Yes," he said quietly. "God, I'm pathetic, aren't I? No wonder it could never have worked. How could I make a life with someone when deep down I was still mourning you, and all of our little ones? Still mourning the lives we had together. A part of me always held on to that, no matter how much I tried to forget. I felt - cursed, Belle. For so long, without you, I felt as though I'd been cursed."

Belle touched his face, making him look up. "You're not pathetic," she said gently. "And you're not cursed."

"Selfish, then," he said. "Letting my pain rule me and dictate my life."

"It isn't pathetic to try to recreate the past again, to name your child after a child you loved and lost," she said, stroking his cheek, tears welling in her eyes. "Yes, you were selfish, but you don't deserve to suffer forever because of it." She eyed the grave again. "It was Bailey, anyway. Not exactly the same."

He snorted. "Yes, well, Baelfire was a step too far. I tried."

Belle chuckled a little tearfully. "I've seen some of the names movie stars use for their kids these days. Trust me, if we want to name our son Baelfire again, no one will care."

He sighed, pulling her close and pushing his face into the hollow between her neck and shoulder.

"I don't deserve you," he murmured.

"Shame, because it looks as though you're stuck with me," she said lightly.

They talked for a while longer, remembering their children, gone for eleven hundred years or more but no less loved, laughing and sobbing in turn. They didn't talk about Isabelle; both seemed to think, without saying it, that it was too soon after Belle's return. He wanted to ask her if she wanted children now, but wasn't sure what her response would be, and was too fragile at that moment to cope with her saying that she wanted things to stay as they were. When they finally decided to leave, he drove her back to her place so that she could shower and change before heading to the university. She kissed him goodbye, making a thorough job of it, so that he was tempted to follow her into the house and bugger the shop, her job and everyone in Storybrooke to hell. He drove off instead, his heart light for what felt like the first time in centuries and his head full of Belle. She watched him go, turning to trot up to her front door and let herself in, smiling to herself and already looking forward to seeing him that afternoon. Neither of them noticed that they were being watched.

Belle was disappointed to find that Ruby had already left, but reminded herself that they were meeting for lunch. She dried her hair and dressed quickly in a black skirt and fitted black shirt with tiny, dark red flowers on it, open at the neck. She dashed on some makeup and tried to brush her curls into some semblance of order before pulling on her coat. Grabbing her bag and picking up a folder of materials for the day's lessons, she left the house, locking the door after her.

She was walking up the street when she heard a pitiful meowing from over to her left. Curious, she walked forwards, hearing the sounds coming from a nondescript Toyota parked at the side of the road. Hefting her folder in her arms, she bent to look underneath the car, but saw nothing. The meowing sounded again, near her head, and Belle straightened up, looking in the car window.

"Malvolio!" she exclaimed, as the cat put his paws against the glass at the sight of his primary feeder and ear-scratcher. "How did you get in there?"

The window was open a crack, but certainly not enough for him to crawl through. She tried the door, and was surprised to find it open. She opened it wide, and the cat shot out as Belle felt herself grabbed from behind, the folder falling to the floor and spilling her papers in the gutter. Her purse was pulled from her shoulder, her arms were twisted painfully behind her back and there was a click of cold metal at her wrists, binding them together. She opened her mouth to scream and a wad of material was shoved in it as she was dragged to the trunk of the car and forced in. The trunk slammed shut, and Belle was plunged into darkness.


Belle squinted as the trunk was thrown open and the orange winter sun streamed in. She had been bounced around in the trunk of the car; her hair was all over her face, her shoulders hurt because she couldn't move her arms and the dust had gotten into her eyes and made them stream. She had managed to spit out the gag while the car was in motion, and her voice was hoarse from yelling. She glared up at her captor, a man around ten or twelve years older than her with dark hair and a goatee beard. He was handsome, she supposed, in a sleazy kind of way. Perhaps Ruby might have given him the time of day if he'd bought her a drink. And she was already drunk at the time.

"Let me go!" she demanded, cringing at the obviousness of her statement. He smirked at her, looking her over with an expression that made her blood run cold.

"Nah, I don't think so," he chuckled. "Not just yet, anyway, honey." He reached into the trunk and pulled her out, hauling her to her feet. Belle kicked backwards but he jumped easily out of her way.

"You just be a good girl and you can go home today," he said soothingly.

"Gee, I wonder why I don't believe you?" she said sarcastically. She grimaced as he forced her arms up so that she had to walk in front of him. She cast her eyes quickly from left to right as she went. She could smell the sea, so she guessed that she was near the docks. They were outside some sort of warehouse, and her heart shrank a little. It was unlikely that anyone knew where the hell she was or would think to look for her here. She wasn't sure how much time had passed since she had been locked in the trunk, but it couldn't have been more than half an hour. She knew that she would be missed when she didn't show up for class, and certainly Ruby would come looking for her when she didn't show for lunch. That left a worryingly long time until someone did something about her being missing. At the thought, she baulked as she was pushed through a doorway, and he shoved her from behind, making her gasp and stumble.

The light within was dim, and she blinked, trying to adjust to the darkness. He marched her on, steering her to the right and into what looked like the main room of the warehouse. From the smell that hung in the air and seemed to permeate the walls, Belle suspected that it had been used for preparing fish. A cannery, perhaps. She hoped that Ruby would go to Gold immediately, if only to accuse him of something. She hoped he would find her. Her purse was gone – she had no way of calling him even if she could get free of the cuffs on her wrists. She pulled free of her captor, spinning to face him with a furious expression on her face.

"What the hell do you want with me?" she demanded. He folded his arms, leather jacket creaking, looking her over and smiling slightly. He began walking slowly around her, making her swivel her head. A tactic to unnerve her, she recognised. Unfortunately it was working.

"We had some business to finish up in town," he said pleasantly. "You're just a little sweetener at the close of the deal."

Belle blinked. "Meaning?" She noticed that two of his fingers were taped together, and he seemed to be limping slightly as he circled her.

"Meaning that I had a score to settle, and you're my ammo."

"I've done nothing to you," she said steadily, meeting his eyes, and he looked away.

"Didn't say that, I said you're my ammo. My target's another guy."

Her eyes widened. "You're going after Gold? Are you serious? What did he do to you?"

"Oh, apart from snap my finger and almost break my knee? Not a damn thing!" he spat.

"Right. No doubt this was an entirely random attack," she said sarcastically.

"It's business," he snapped. "He has no clue who he's messing with."

"I can guarantee he does," she said, with a sneer. "And if this is the way you do business, you won't live long."

His gaze travelled over her, making her blood run cold. "I'll be gone long before he can catch me, sweet thing." He grinned at her. "Not like he can run me down, is it? I can't see him finding you before I've finished with you. How long do you think we have before you're missed?"

A tiny part of Belle froze as she considered his words, but she shook her head, hoping to distract him. "Less than an hour!" she spat. "So you'd better leave me alone!"

"No, I don't think so, honey," he drawled. He drew a finger down her smooth cheek, and Belle jerked, throwing him off in disgust. So much for distracting him. His smile widened into a leer. "I've been looking for a way to get back at that asshole, and now it looks as though I've found it. Like a present just waiting to be unwrapped."

Her heart started to thump as she realised he meant what he was saying. She licked her lips nervously. This was by no means the worst situation she had ever been in, so she just needed to keep her head and she'd come through it. She needed to escape, and she needed to find a way to contact Gold. Not necessarily in that order.

"You – you really need to think this through," she said quickly. "If you touch me, he'll kill you, you know that, right?"

"I think I can handle one old guy with a limp, thanks," he said sarcastically, and she let out a humourless laugh.

"Didn't you just tell me he beat you up?"

"That was a fluke!" he snapped. "The bastard jumped me in the dark. Face to face I could take him with one hand tied behind me."

"I'll be sure to suggest that when he comes for me, then," she remarked.

"He's not coming for you, girly." His voice was taunting. "You're all alone, with me. Be nice to me, and I might go easy on you."

Belle curled her lip in disdain. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?" she said coldly, and he grinned lasciviously.

"I know he's been out of the game for twenty years. Gone soft, the boss says."

"Not even close!" said Belle witheringly. "He'll find you, and you'll be lucky if there's anything left for your buddies to bury by the time he's finished with you."

The man shrugged. "I can run, sweet thing. And once the damage is done, he can't undo it." He grabbed at her suddenly, ripping open her coat and shirt, buttons flying, and Belle cried out, twisting away from him, her heart pounding with fear. He lashed out quickly, backhanding her across the face with his fist and making her see stars. As her vision returned, she could feel a cold, hard surface against her cheek, and realised that she was lying on the floor. Her mouth was blazing with agony, filling with blood, her lip already starting to swell, her cheekbone a mass of pain. Dimly, she was aware of him near her, and rolled onto her back, sitting up and pushing herself back from him on her heels as he reached for her.

"Stay still," he hissed, grabbing her knees, and Belle gathered as much blood and saliva as she could and spat in his eyes, feeling satisfaction as he cried out and reached up to wipe the crimson fluid from his vision. She took the opportunity to kick him in the groin, and as he dropped his hands with a breathless groan she drew back her leg and struck him in the face with her foot as hard as she could. She felt as well as heard the sickening crunch of bone as his nose broke, and he fell to the side with a cry of agony, eyes squeezed shut, hands covering his spurting nose. She spied what she suspected was the key to her handcuffs, fallen from his pocket, and turned herself around, scrabbling on the floor with her hands until she scooped it up. She then scuttled further back from him as he pushed himself to his knees.

"Bitch!" he roared, and Belle got to her feet with difficulty, running for the door. It opened just as she reached it, and she gasped and leapt back as another man walked through.

"Easy, love," he drawled. "No escape for you, I'm afraid."

Cursing her luck, Belle backed away from him, tucking the key into her hand, out of sight. He was tall, dark-haired and handsome, perhaps a few years older than herself. He looked at his companion curiously.

"What the hell happened to you, mate?" he asked, not bothering to hide his amusement.

"That fucking bitch broke my nose!" spat the other, having managed to get up on his knees, still clutching his ruined face.

"Hmm, I don't think she likes you," remarked his comrade, with a toothy grin.

"Hold her down!" shouted the other, wiping blood from his nose, his eyes furious. Belle quailed, wondering how she would get away, poised on the balls of her feet to run as she looked desperately around the room for a means of escape.

"Sorry, mate, but I don't go in for that sort of thing," said the taller man, with a touch of what Belle recognised as disgust. "Why don't I just take her off your hands for now?" He reached for Belle, who tried to pull away, kicking out at him, but he dodged her easily, slipping behind her and grasping her bound wrists, lifting them up behind her. Belle cried out at the sudden pain in her shoulders.

"That's right," he said soothingly. "Now come with me, lass."

He pushed her in front of him, out of the room and down a corridor to what appeared to be a small office. Belle looked around curiously as he motioned her to a chair.

"Have a seat," he offered. She eyed him suspiciously, fully aware that her shirt was ruined and her bra was on full display, and he held up his hands. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. I like my women willing. Not that you aren't very lovely." He chuckled. "You certainly did a number on Nottingham. I imagine he'll think twice the next time he wants to take a woman against her will."

"No, he won't," said Belle bitterly. "He's a bloody coward. And you're no better!" she added fiercely, earning a raised eyebrow.

"I just saved you from his attentions, love," he said, unconcerned by her hostility.

She sighed, slumping backwards. It made her shoulders ache. "Why don't you let me go, then?"

He looked her over, as though he were pondering something, and got to his feet.

"I don't need to worry about you rushing me when I open this door, do I?" he asked sternly. She glared at him, but shook her head. It wouldn't do any good, anyway.

"Good girl," he said soothingly, making her flush with anger. "Now, I'm going to lock you in this room, alright?"

"Just don't let that animal near me," she said bitterly, and he chuckled on his way out.


A/N: Hmm, who thinks Nottingham will live to regret messing with Belle, if he doesn't already?

Next time: Belle tries to escape, Ruby confronts Gold, and Dr Whale makes himself useful.