Sat at his workbench in the backroom of his shop, Rumald carefully tightened a small screw, locating a small cover plate onto the back of a clock, he had just finished repairing. Using the magnetic head of the screwdriver, he picked up the other small screw from his workbench, and positioned it in the small hole, before he watchfully began to screw it into the hole. Screwed all the way in, Rumald checked the tightness of the previous screw. Happy, he put the small clock onto his workbench, and spun it round to face him, satisfied with his work as the second hand ticked off the seconds.

Getting up from his stool, he crossed the room to large cabinet, sat against the back wall of the backroom, and returned the tools he had been using to their various draws. Rumald closed the cabinet doors, and went over to the kitchenette to make himself a well-deserved drink. While he waited for the kettle to boil, he put his teaspoon of coffee and two of sugar into his mug, along with a dash of milk, and swivelled round, leaning back against the counter. It had been hard to get the confrontation with Belle's father off his mind. Hearing the things, Maurice had said about Rumald, was fine. Rumald had no problems with what Belle's father had said about him, because they were true. Anyone else, he would have been using them for his selfish reasons, but Belle… It was different. The way he felt about her, was totally different to the way he had felt about Milah and Cora. Which was probably why, Rumald was having a hard time, letting go of what Maurice had said about Belle.

The kettle boiled behind him, the loud click of the kettle brought him out of his thoughts. Rumald pivoted round and poured the boiling water from the kettle into his mug, stirring the contents together. As he returned the kettle to its stand, Rumald picked up his mug, and took a hesitant sip from his coffee as he walked back to his workbench. He perched himself onto his stool, putting his mug onto the workbench, and moved the clock, he had just repaired, to one side. Reaching for the next clock, he had to repair, Rumald looked to the curtained doorway, hearing the bell over the front door ring.

"Gold?" called a voice.

His shoulders slumped at hearing someone call his name. "Coming."

Rumald stood up from the stool to walk through into the front, taking his mug of coffee with him. Parting the curtain, he ducked his head through first, confronted by Sheriff Nolan and Emma. He carried on through the curtain and halted on the other side of it, while the curtain flapped close behind him.

Emma held up a folded piece of paper, walking towards him, offering it to him. "Here you go, Mr Gold."

"What's this?" Rumald inquired, taking the piece of paper from her.

"It's the incident report for the break in." Emma explained to him.

Giving the folded piece of paper a brief look, Rumald tucked it into his back pocket of his pants, asking them. "Do you know, who did it?"

"No, not yet." Sheriff Nolan told him with his hands on his gun belt, slightly parting his jacket.

Rumald edged to the sideboard on his right, perching himself against it, as he said to them. "Can I even ask, if you've questioned Gaston?"

"We did." Sheriff Nolan answered. "He's got an alibi."

Emma gave her father a sly look and then looked at Rumald, mumbling to him from the side of her mouth. "He was with a woman."

"Course he was." Rumald commented and drank from his coffee.

"We've had no matches, apart from yours and Dove's." Emma informed him.

"I did say." He said to them flippantly.

The Sheriff waved his hands into the air, allowing his leather jacket to close, saying to Rumald, while Rumald drank from his coffee. "You know, we have to go through the motions, Rumald."

"Yes, of course you do, David." Rumald emphasised saying the Sheriff's first name.

Sheriff Nolan gave Rumald a pointed look, while Emma said. "If there had been security cameras pointed in this direction, it would've been more helpful to our investigation. But, we're still interviewing everyone, so hopefully someone might have seen something."

"I doubt it." Rumald said to them, lifting his mug to his lips, to drink from it.

"It's still early days in our investigation." Emma tried to offer him some reassurance, but received a flat look from Rumald as he lowered his mug.

"We also came by to see, if maybe you found something was missing." The Sheriff asked, scanning his gaze around the half empty of room. "Maybe a small trinket? Jewellery? Maybe, a statue?"

"Nothing is missing. Things have been broken, but nothing is missing." Rumald shared with them, clasping his mug in both of his hands.

The Sheriff's brow hunched over his eyes. "Damn."

"Dad, we've discussed this." Emma gave her father a pointed look.

"I just can't believe it would be someone in our town." Sheriff Nolan confessed.

Refraining from rolling his eyes, Rumald directed his gaze down to the toes of his shoes, as Emma said. "Yes, I know. Everyone in town feels like they're part of our family, but that doesn't mean, they're all innocent."

"Emma, I've known all of them all of my life, all of yours as well." The Sheriff defended himself.

While Sheriff Nolan and Emma deliberated their extended family tree, Rumald gazed down at the contents of his mug, pondering what they had just been discussing. A lot of the residents of Storybrooke, were literally in each other's pockets. They either worked together, lived next door, socialised together, or knew someone, who knew someone. The ones, who had moved to Storybrooke, were welcomed into the fold, but stuck out like a sore thumb. Rumald had lived there for nearly twenty-five years. The next outside was Maurice, who had lived there for about two years. Then, it would be Belle and Gaston, who moved there nearly ten months ago.

Thinking of Gaston and his convenient alibi, lines formed across his forehead, as his thoughts began to shift to Maurice. Rumald glimpsed at the father and daughter, now bickering, while he felt stupid for not thinking of Maurice before, when he had suggested to Sheriff Nolan, who had broken into his shop. It made total sense, for it to have been Maurice, especially with what happened the night previous in the library.

"Yes, but what about those that have moved here?" Rumald asked as he brought his gaze up to meet the Sheriff's.

"Well… You know, it's a small town." Sheriff Nolan explained, gesturing with his hands. "Everyone knows everyone."

Rumald had a sly smile on his face, as he said. "Which is going to be your problem."

"Why?" Emma asked with the ends of her eyebrows crooked up.

Gradually, as he spoke, Rumald moved his gaze from the Sheriff to Emma. "Because everyone is going to be united against me."

"That's not true." The Sheriff rejected Rumald's remark.

"Dad," Emma lopped her head in her father's direction, giving him a look. "He's right."

Rumald's ears pricked at the sound of the back door closing, and stepped to the curtained doorway, to pull back the curtain, viewing Dove dragging one of the new counters into the back of the shop. He took his arm away from the curtain, and turned to the Sheriff and Emma. They were facing each other, sharing a look of disagreement, while Rumald finished off the remains of his coffee.

Giving his daughter a sideways look, Sheriff Nolan said to Rumald. "We better get going, Gold."

"Course." Rumald clasped his hands in front of himself, the handle of his mug hooked on his finger.

"If you think of anything," Emma pivoted to face Rumald, extending her hand to him, as she said. "Give us a call or pop by the station."

"I will." He told her.

The Sheriff and Emma looked at each other, and then turned their backs to him, to wander away to the front door of the shop. Slowly, Rumald let out a long breath, silently growling to himself at the audacity of Maurice. The urge to kill him was back in full force, and if it had not been for the beautiful woman, working across the street at the library, Rumald would have been plotting Maurice's demise. The Sheriff and Emma opened the door and left, accompanied by the ring of the bell above the door, whilst Rumald ducked his head down, striving to stay calm. Clutching his mug tightly, Rumald looked at the poor mug in his hands, picturing the helpless object flying across the room and smashing into pieces against the wall.

"Any news?" Dove inquired, protruding his head through the curtain doorway.

Scratching at his beard, Rumald glanced at Dove and then to the front of the shop, seeing the Sheriff and Emma walking by the window. "No."

"Is it time to visit Mr Phipps?" Dove asked as he parted the curtain and stepped through.

"No." Rumald answered, angling his head to see Dove over his shoulder. "Seems I was wrong. Gaston has an alibi."

"Who was it?" Dove posed the question, coming closer to Rumald, to stand beside him.

"Belle's father." Rumald was honest with Dove, knowing he could trust him.

Out of the corner of Rumald's eye, he caught the look, Dove threw at Rumald, and quickly looked away, thinking Rumald had not seen it. Dove knew. He knew what Rumald wanted to do. Probably already had a clear idea in his head, of what Rumald would have wanted him to do Maurice, strategically tormenting Maurice until he was near breaking point. Rumald looked down at his mug again, taunted by his thoughts, well aware he could not act on them. Needing to get away from the conversation, preventing himself from making a wrong choice, Rumald strolled through into the backroom, and went to his workbench, throwing himself back into work.

For the afternoon, Rumald tinkered and fiddled with as many of the projects, he had lying the shelves of his backroom. Time had not been at the forefront of his mind, while he had worked. It was not until Dove had said, he was going home, that Rumald had awoken from his daze. His first thought was to see Belle, so he followed suit with Dove, collected his things together, and they had closed the shop for the night. They parted outside the front door of the shop, with Dove heading north along Main Street, and Rumald trekked south, casually walking to the dance studio to meet with Belle.

Nearing the end of Main Street, Rumald's gaze went to the florist shop, situated safely on the other side of the street, blazingly daring him to come over to it. His paced slowed as he took in the shop front, noticing the lights in the apartment above were lit, indicating Maurice was upstairs. He stopped on the corner and glared at the lit windows. Tempting fate, Rumald wanted someone, or anything, to give him a plausible reason to go over there, and excuse him from beating the living daylights out of Maurice. The screams of the voice inside of his head, declaring he could not touch Maurice, was the only thing standing between Rumald and his revenge. How he wished, Maurice was not Belle's father, and had been someone else's poor excuse for a father. Rumald would have no qualm, and would settle situation like he had done, so many times before. However, being Belle's only family, and the fact she probably would never forgive him, he held back and restarted on his path to the dance studio. For now, he would stick to his vow to be a good man.

Rumald pulled open the glass door the studio, and was hit with the music and endless chatter, as he stepped into the reception area. The place was alive with people dancing in both studios, on either side of the reception. He inspected every face, of the couples dancing, hoping to spot Belle. Ambling to the reception desk, where Mal was sat as usual, Rumald switched his gaze to the other studio, checking each face, but did not see Belle.

"I didn't think you'd be gracing us with your presence so soon." Mal spoke to him, sitting back on her stool.

Rumald flipped his attention to the other studio again, rechecking the faces, as he said. "I'm meeting Belle."

"She's upstairs with Regina's group." She indicated, which studio, with her finger pointing to Mal's left.

Rumald nodded his head at her and went to walk around the reception desk, when Mal held up a magazine, offering it to him. "You and Belle were mentioned in the Ballroom Extra."

"What?" Rumald looked flabbergasted at the magazine.

"Page thirty-two." She waved the magazine at him. "There's a little snippet about you and Belle."

Partly closing his eyes, he split his gaze from the magazine to Mal's face, as he took the magazine from her. She lifted a curious eyebrow at him. With the magazine in his hands, Rumald flicked to the page, Mal had told him, and searched the two pages, finding a small paragraph about them and picture to accompany it. The paragraph said, 'It was a delight, for those attending the competition, to see Rumald Gold compete, after so many years away from the ballroom circuit. At one time, Rumald and Cora Mills dominated circuit, but after the couple split, Rumald has not competed. His partner, a novice, was Belle French, who shows a lot of promise. According to our source, Belle had only started taking lessons, from Rumald, two months prior to the competition. Being their first competition, dancing together, they easily danced their way into third place. With more practise, we can't wait to see them next year'.

Rumald scrunched his brow at the paragraph, and moved his eyes, to look at the picture of him and Belle. They photographer had caught the moment, after Belle had launched herself at him, and Rumald had caught her in his arms, hugging her close, while she had wrapped her arms around his neck, her smile had beamed how much it had meant to her. He could not help himself, as he smiled at their picture, and stroked his thumb across Belle's cheek in the picture. She looked amazing in the picture, and it left him feeling breathless again, just like it had on that fateful day, not knowing anything more beautiful.

"Belle's taken a copy for herself." Mal shared with him, spying at him, from the corner of her eye, while she typed at her computer.

Rumald shut the magazine and placed it down on the counter, asking. "Are they going to be much longer?"

"No, I shouldn't think so." Mal squinted her gaze at her computer screen, checking the time in the bottom corner of the screen. "They should be done any minute."

For a second, Rumald glanced up to the glass wall of the studio D, and then set off to walk by the reception desk, to climb the stairs to studio. Unusually, the door to the studio was closed, muffling the music being played inside. Stepping onto the top step of the stairs, he gradually placed his hand onto the door, ready to push it open, while he watched Belle and her new partner waltz along the wall covered with a mirror. They went passed in front of him, gliding round the corner to dance along the wall of glass, that looked down onto reception area. He scrutinised them, noting the misstep Belle took, because her partner was taking longer strides than she was, and also noted how low, her partner, had placed his hand on her back, encroaching onto her lower back.

He pushed open the glass door, increasing the volume of the music, and stepped into the room, gently guiding the door close behind him, as Regina said in a loud voice. "Let's try a few twirls!"

Belle's partner twirled her, whilst Rumald stood by the glass door, clasping his hands in front of him, secretly playing with his ring. His head lopped to the side, and he smiled, noting she did not smile, like she would have done, if she had been dancing with Rumald. He twirled her again, as they passed by in front of Regina, which led Regina to see Rumald across the room. She smiled at him, even though, she had a confused look on her face. Turning her attention to Belle and her partner, whilst they followed the edge of the room, Regina walked over to Rumald, beating the dancing couple to him.

"Trying a new look?" Regina asked, her eyes clearly on his beard.

"Something like that." Rumald said as his answer, his gaze on Belle and her partner, as they danced by them, performing a twirl in front of them.

It was at this moment, while her partner twirled her, Belle's eyes met with Rumald's. For those few seconds, the music faded, and Regina and Belle's dance partner disappeared. The corners of Belle's lips curled up into a smile, then her top lip lifted, revealing her trademark smile. His heart thudded in his chest, anxious to feel her touch again, needing the calmness she shared with Rumald. All too soon, Belle was gone. Eager to keep the contact, Rumald pivoted to face Regina, masking his intentions, appearing as though he was talking to Regina, while his gaze was fixed on Belle over Regina's shoulder.

"I'm not sure, whether I prefer you with or without a beard." Regina said thoughtfully, studying his beard.

Rumald looked at Regina and changed the subject of their conversation, by questioning her. "Isn't it about time your practise ended?"

Regina's eyes darted to the clock. "Just about." She returned her gaze to him. "Need me for something?"

"No." Rumald quickly answered her.

Her lips spread wide, smiling mischievously at him, as she playfully suggested. "Possibly Belle?"

He refused to give her the satisfaction of receiving a pointed look from him. Leaning to her side, Regina tried to invade his line of sight, pushing him for an answer to her question. Rumald glimpsed at her, meeting her gaze, but kept his face neutral. It did not matter though. Regina's smile was full of glee, as she grabbed hold of Rumald's arm, hooked her arm around his, and leant into him to kiss his cheek.

As she pulled away from him, Regina whispered into his ear. "I'm so glad, it all worked out."

Rumald met Regina's gaze, after she had pulled away from him, and could see in her eyes, what she said was genuine. Sometimes, it was hard to believe, that the young woman with her arm hooked around his, would want him to be happy. Regina had every reason to despise him. First, he had taken her mother away from her father. Then, because of the hours they had spent practising, had taken her mother away from her. Not only had he ruined Neal's childhood, he had ruined Regina's as well, taking the chance to have a normal childhood from both of them. Rumald breathed in, completely filling his lungs, and breathed steadily out of his nose, while he looked at Regina beside him. Even though, Regina had limited contact with her father, and even less with her mother, she had grown up to be a successful woman, dancer and businesswoman. Whether Rumald's influence had helped, was not clear to him, but for his penitence, Rumald had always watched out for her from a distance. He could not have been prouder of her, and of Neal, for achieving so much on their own.

"That'll do for tonight, guys." Regina announced.

Dipping his face away from her, when Regina turned her gaze to look at him, Rumald did not want her, to see the regret that haunted him. She tugged at his arm, giving him time to mask his emotions before he turned his head to look at her. Her brow twitched, registering there was something in his eyes, but Rumald diverted his gaze away from her.

"I didn't think you were going to come." Belle said to Rumald, coming towards him.

Rumald frowned at her. "Why wouldn't I?"

Regina slipped her arm from Rumald's, and went to Belle's partner, who was collecting his things, while Belle placed her hands on the front of Rumald's overcoat, saying to him. "Because you've been so busy at the shop today."

"How do you know that?" He asked, with the lines deepening on his forehead.

"You haven't answered my messages." She was her reply to his question.

Baffled, Rumald parting his overcoat, and slipped his hand into his pants pocket, pulling out his phone to look at it. He touched the button on the side of his phone, waking up the display, to show him he had received eight messages from Belle, missed a phone call and three messages from Jefferson, and several other messages and missed calls.

"I'm so sorry, Belle." Rumald apologised to her, while he turned his phone on its side in his hand, and saw his phone was in silent mode.

"It's okay." She laid her hand on his cheek. "They were only random messages. I was bored."

He shook his head, returning his phone to his inside pocket. "I would've answered. Honestly."

"Hey." Belle cupped his face in her hands, staring deep into his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Hearing her ask, what was wrong, nearly was his undoing. Rumald took hold of her wrists, and lowered her hands down from his face, bracing a smile for her, hiding whatever she had seen in his face. He held her hands close to his chest, as he licked his lips, pondering what they could do with what was left of their evening.

"Do fancy doing anything this evening?" Rumald posed the question to her, letting her decide.

The look she gave him, showed she was not happy with him ignoring her question, but she did not push it, and answered his question. "Dinner would be nice."

"Where would you like to go?" He asked, while rubbing his thumbs over the back of her hands.

"I don't want too much fuss." Belle told him, shaking her head, and said. "Grannies?"

"Whatever you want, sweetheart." He smiled at her, even though he did not feel it.

The thoughts of ruining his son's and Regina's childhoods, were still very much on his mind. Of course, if he shared his thoughts with Belle, she would protest to him, that he had done no such thing, pointing out how well both of them had turned out. And they had. They were both successful in their own right, and they had accomplished it all on their own. But that was it, it would always be a thorn in Rumald's side, a reminder every day of his life, that he could have done more for them, could have been a better a man. Which was why, Rumald was trying so hard, to be that man for Belle. Trying with all his might, to keep himself from falling back onto old habits. However, with this situation with Maurice, Rumald felt so tired with it already, and wanted so badly, to end Maurice's pathetic excuse for an existence.

She smiled at him, before she tiptoed up the short distance between them and kissed Rumald, saying as she lowered down off her tiptoes. "I'll just get my things."

Her wrists slipped easily from his hold, and he remained where he stood, watching her, while she walked away to her things. Rumald had been hoping, by being with Belle, she would take his mind off her father. He had been wrong. As he watched her, stoop down to collect her things, Rumald was feeling the muscles in his back stiffen, while he thought of all the wrongs, Maurice had done to Belle.

"Thank you again, Will." Regina said, escorting Will to the door, a hand on the small of his back. "And try not to breath a word of this to my mother."

Hearing her mention her mother, Rumald looked from Belle to Regina, as she held the door open for Will, her gaze on him, while he descended the stairs. After a couple of seconds, Regina stepped away from the door, and her gaze round and met with Rumald's. She glanced back down the stairs, walking by the doorway, and came to stand beside Rumald.

"I've kidnapped him from my mother." She explained to him.

Rumald simply nodded his head at her. "She'll love you even more, when she finds out."

"She won't find out." Regina dismissed his comment by waving her hand at him.

"Really, dearie?" Rumald said, giving her a hard look.

"She won't find out." Regina repeated herself, reaffirming what she had already said.

He clasped his hands in front of him, as he imparted to her. "You know, as well as I do, your mother will know, that you've 'borrowed' one of her dancers. She'll have her claws into everyone."

She shook her head at him. "Will's not going to say anything."

"Yes, dearie." Rumald had a sly smile on his face.

Regina screwed up her face at him, telling him. "I've known Will a long time. He wouldn't tell my mother. He detests her as much as we do."

"Then why is he still associated with her studio?" Rumald asked.

"Who?" Belle questioned, as she ambled over to them, flicking her hand out from the collar of her coat.

Rolling her eyes, Regina answered both of their questions. "Will's girlfriend works for my mother at her studio. They don't have much choice."

"Why don't you give her a job?" Belle inquired, causing Rumald's smile to widen.

"I can't afford to and I don't need anyone else at the moment." Regina shrugged her shoulders at her, and held her hands up into the air.

Rumald hooked his arm around Belle's back, and gently began pushing her towards the doorway, putting her between Rumald and Regina, as Rumald said to Regina. "I guarantee, your mother knows, that you're borrowing Will from her."

Following Belle through the doorway, Rumald heard Regina say behind him. "She never found out about you teaching me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Rumald commented over his shoulder.

"Why?" Regina asked, following them down the stairs.

On the small landing, Rumald stopped, turned and faced Regina as she came down the stairs, saying to her. "The Cora I knew," Rumald laid his hand on his chest, and then gestured to Regina with his finger. "Would have known exactly what you were doing, every minute, of every day."

"She never knew what I was doing." Regina dismissed his comment and said.

"Really?" Rumald put to her.

"Yeah, course she didn't." Regina looked unsure as she said it, and then asked. "Why do you think otherwise?"

Rumald breathed in, remembering back all those years, to when he was with a Cora, and told Regina. "Because she always knew what I was doing. So, if she knew what I was doing, she'd know what you were doing."

Regina scowled at him. "Why would she need to keep tabs on you? You were devoted to her."

"Your mother likes to control all the pieces on the board." Rumald paused with several memories coming to mind, and shook his head at Regina. "Just don't be so naïve, Regina. She'll know."

"Okay." Regina scowl turned into a deep frown, as she placed her hand on Rumald's shoulder, and said to him. "Thank you."

Looking down the stairs to Belle, Rumald pursed his lips together before turning his attention back to Regina. "I'm only telling you this, for your own good."

"I know." She smiled softly at him, as Regina gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"If you want some advice," Rumald started down the next set of stairs to Belle. "Get a replacement."

"You could…" Regina let her words trail off.

He halted near the bottom step, and twisted to see Regina on the small landing, cheekily smiling at him. Carrying on down the stairs, Rumald shook his head at her, from side to side. There was a temptation to say yes, as he joined Belle at the bottom of the stairs, her face was lit with her eagerness for him to do it. Dancing with her, was the most thrilling thing, he had ever done. In all his years of dancing, and the partners he had had over the years, Belle was the one, who was most Intune with him. However, if he started going back on his word now, to never dance again, Maurice's chance of survival looked slim.

As Rumald walked by Belle, he put his arm around her, guiding her to the entrance, with a glance back at Regina, who was descending the stairs. Turning his head back, he found Belle gazing at him, a hopeful glint in her eye. He could have laughed at the situation. Nobody ever wanted Rumald to be involved in anything. Normally, the only pleading looks he got, were from tenants, or people owing him money, begging him for more time. Now he had two women, both of whom he had a soft spot for, pleading with him to dance with Belle.

At the entrance, Rumald scooped to the side and opened the door for Belle, looking back to see Regina stood with Mal, discussing something on the reception desk. He trailed Belle through the doorway, turning up the collar of his overcoat, when he was outside, feeling the night chill in the air. Belle stood a couple of feet away from the door, waiting for him, and hooked her arm around his, when he was close enough.

"It's only one dance, Rumald." Belle tried to reason with him.

Rumald scoffed at her. "Then another one, and another one."

She angled her head to look at him, as they walked to the kerb. "Are never going to dance with me again?"

"No, course I'll dance with you." He answered her, while they stepped off the kerb together, placing his hand on top of hers, hooked around his arm. "I just don't want to get caught up in it all again."

"Rumald," She eyed him, like a mother would eye their child, who was doing something wrong. "It's one dance."

"Yes, but this is what you don't understand. Ballroom…" Rumald choose his words wisely, whilst they stepped onto the other sidewalk, after walking across the street. "I know, it sounds stupid, but… It's addictive to me."

Belle's eyebrow lifted curiously at him. "Addictive?"

Pulling her to a stop, he slipped his arm from her hold, capturing her hand as he did it, and held her hand, while he explained his meaning. "The rush I get, from I dance and from when I compete, there's nothing like it. I needed that so much, when I was younger, so I could feel… better about myself." What he was about to share with her, made him stop and think for a second, as being open about his past was never easy for Rumald. "I was abandoned by my father."

The look on Belle's face, made him cast his gaze down at the ground. "Feeling good about myself, is not something that comes easy to me. But… When I dance and when I win," As he looked up from a ground to Belle, a ghost of a smile spread his lips. "There's no better feeling."

"You're scared, you're what? Going to relapse?" She questioned him.

"It took me losing everything, to realise I was letting dance control my life. I don't want it happening again." Rumald raised his hand to brush his thumb over her cheek. "I don't want to lose everything again."

She grabbed his hand from her face, and held both his hands together, insisting to him. "You're not going to lose anything, Rumald. You're a different man now."

"No, I'm not." He threw his gaze away from her.

Quickly taking a hold of his face, with both of her hands, Belle brought his gaze back to her and said to him. "All I've ever seen, is good in you, Rumald."

Rumald laughed. "I think everyone in Storybrooke, especially your father, would disagree with you."

"I don't care what they think." She tightened her hold on his face, as she told him. "They don't know you, like I do."

He smiled at her, loving that she ignored the populace opinion about him. Latching onto the front of her coat, Rumald eased her closer to him, as he leaned into her and kissed her. Belle smiled against his lips, while she kissed him back. He let go of her coat, and wrapped his arms around her, liking the fact he was able to do this. Kissing her wherever, whenever, he wanted. Rumald thought to himself, that life could not get any better for him.