"I love you."

He'd wanted to find a way to tell her for so long. He'd dreamed after she'd "died" of all the times in his life that he could have gone back and told her the truth, tried to think of a way to react to her that day she'd first kissed him that wouldn't scare her or force her to back away from him. In his cell, he'd imagined how he might have changed things and shown her his adoration of her.

But, at the end of the day, nothing compared to just saying the words over and over, to whispering that into her ear as he held her for real and simply telling her in the present, so he didn't have to change anything about this in the future. No matter what happened, when he looked back on this moment, he didn't want to regret a second of it.

However, as the breeze shifted around him, he felt her body give a slight shudder, a shiver. Everything was almost perfect here between the two of them, alone. But it was early March, and in Maine, that meant it was cold in the shade, and she wore nothing but a hospital gown and some ratty old jacket that smelled of mothballs. Baelfire was still out there somewhere and needed to be found. The town would be waking up just as she had. Inevitably fights would break out in the confusion; people would be angry, perhaps even riot, and he wanted her to be somewhere safe before the worst of it started. And then, of course, there was Regina…

Things were almost perfect. But perfect was coming, he just had to keep working for it, and that meant surrendering himself to the fact that they had to leave this place and take their first steps together into this new world...together, just as she'd wanted.

"I love you," he finally whispered one last time. "But we can't stay here. We need to go back. You'll catch cold here."

He felt her sigh before she nodded and pulled slightly away from him. She was still smiling when she took hold of his arm to let him escort her to wherever they needed to go. And that was when he realized that he was smiling too. In fact, he did nothing but smile as they made their way down the hill they'd just climbed and out of the woods, nothing as he carefully maneuvered her through streets and roads that she couldn't identify and back to the safety of the shop. She looked around at it all in wonder, but he couldn't help but notice the way her hands tightened over his arm frequently as if she were scared.

They hardly passed anyone in their journey, but already he could hear people screaming a few blocks away. He could hear crying, the wail of a siren. He smelled smoke. And despite all that, it was still too quiet and far too still. It was happening. The curse had broken rather early that morning, and it was only just barely ten by the time they made their way back. He was prepared for the fact that some would be waking up and realizing they had memories and lives they hadn't gone to bed with. Meanwhile, it was a school day, and there were no buses on the street, no cars on the road, hardly any sign of life. It was as if Storybrooke had just ceased. Perhaps it had. It had ceased to be what it was and was entering a new stage. What it would look like on the other side of this metamorphosis was still unclear, but he knew his own path. He'd had time to think on his way back to the shop, and now he had ideas galore on his own next steps. And those ideas all started here, unlocking the shop's front door, ushering Belle safely inside, and locking the door again.

"You, uh…you wait here, Belle," he smiled. "I'm going to find you something to wear. You've spent enough time in these rags."

Her smile broadened, and she gave him an eager nod that sent him into the back room. He heard her holler out a "Thank you!" but didn't stop until he reached the back curtain. He spotted a rack in the back with some clothes on it that he'd meant to give away, but he paid them no heed. He had eyes for one thing and one thing only, the cabinet across the room. He'd had the entire hike back to his shop to think about what he wanted to do with Regina, about how to address the situation he found himself in. And he'd come upon one plan that he liked far more than anything else that he'd thought of. It wasn't just something that would kill her for him, but something that would also allow her to feel his wrath. It would make Regina sorry that she'd ever thought to take Belle, sorry she'd ever held her captive, sorry she'd ever underestimated him.

He unlocked the cabinet and located the golden box easily enough. He grabbed for a pair of thick black gloves that were inside and slipped them on snugly before he lifted the box out of the cabinet and set it on his table. He flipped open the lid and carefully, with every delicacy he'd used the first time he'd seen it after Jefferson retrieved it, picked it up out of the box.

The Wraith's amulet.

Retrieved by Jefferson decades ago, long before Belle ever came into his life. Capable of recalling the creature from one magical realm to another and seeking out whoever bore "the mark," it would hunt them down and leave them soulless before it left them for dead. That soul would go on to live in eternal torment with the creature, and that was just fine with him. Normally the Wraith hunted on its own, marking its own victims only once it was free. But with no assurance the creature would pick the right "mark" he had a plan to get around that little detail. Yes, this plan would do nicely.

"What is this place?"

He inhaled at the sound of Belle's voice calling to him from the front of the shop. She wouldn't like this. He knew that. But there was no reason he needed to tell her right away. He just needed to get this done. He needed to get her someplace safe. And after Regina was dealt with, then he'd tell her what had happened with some very carefully chosen words, and he fully expected that she would sleep better at night when she heard. She was too kind to ever say that she wanted someone dead, to request that he ever kill for her, but that didn't mean she couldn't take comfort in the wake of death.

He pocketed the medallion, thoughtfully choosing the side that he used to hold his cane so he wouldn't accidentally slip his own hand inside. In theory, the amulet was useless until the creature was summoned, but he wasn't going to take any chances on that. He'd just finished slipping his gloves off and into his other pocket when he reappeared on the other side of the curtain and found her looking around the shop with curiosity.

"What is this place?" she'd asked.

"It's a pawn shop," he smiled at her, holding the curtain to the back room open for her now that he'd retrieved what he needed.

"Pawnshop," she muttered, shaking her head as she walked past him. "What is that, exactly?"

It was like the word was foreign to her, like she was only testing it out for the first time. For all he knew, she was. Regina had kept her captive in an asylum for twenty-eight years. He didn't know what her Cursed story was, who her persona had been. The Curse had given him a familiarity with this world, but he didn't know what she knew about it or didn't. For all he knew, they were starting from scratch.

Looking up at the clothes on the rack, he swallowed nervously. He hoped she had some familiarity with…certain things, where this world was concerned. Otherwise…

"I deal in antiques," he explained before he could follow too far after that thought. Though, the more he looked at the clothes, the less and less he doubted they'd fit her. He hated the idea of giving her someone else's hand-me-downs after what she'd been through. She deserved something that belonged to her, something for her. And then he'd remembered how he'd left items around the castle for her, how he'd let her pull forth things she needed. Now that he thought about it, there was a spell he could use that might work, and ever since the well, he could feel his powers itching to be free, to do something. Maybe just a simple test…

Around the table he'd just been at, there was a drawer that he kept or less empty, mostly for polishing cloths; it would do nicely. A spell of need, a spell to produce perfectly whatever an individual needed, not wanted. With a bit of a twist to gear it toward clothing…

"I deal in trading objects for money, loans, and other forms of collateral, that sort of thing," he explained before turning back to her and gathering the magic he wanted into his hands. Was it him, or did it take more energy than he remembered?

When he turned back, she was right there behind him, in front of him. The corner of Belle's mouth turned upward in a proud smirk that made him want to puff out his chest. She was impressed. She might not have known what it all meant, but she was impressed by him. And that made him feel…he didn't have words.

"Still making deals, Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Yes, well…" He sighed and looked over his beloved sanctuary. Shame on him for questioning whether or not she understood it. She was right. Being a pawnbroker was not all that different from being the Dark One. It was a far cry from his tower, but he could see how the shop and his tower were eerily similar to him. And yet, one smile from her and suddenly it felt more like home than it ever had. "Some things never change."

Her smile grew as she took another step forward. He felt power of another kind surge through him as she grabbed his hand again, just as she had at the well. "Some things do."

Oh, indeed they did. She'd touched him before, years ago in his castle. Then he would have sought out any excuse to pull away, to keep his distance. But now?

He returned her smile and then stepped forward to wrap an arm around her again. He would have liked to kiss her again too. He would have liked to hold her with both arms and spend the rest of the day learning her all over again. But he knew if he dared to deepen anything between them, then he just might forget about his plan. His words on the hill were correct, there would be plenty of time for all of that, but first, he had things to do. So instead, he hugged her quick, then let his hand linger on her neck as he kissed her forehead instead.

They were both going to have a lot of learning to do in the weeks to come, about the town, about magic, about each other, but perhaps before he left, a small gem?

"It's been a long time since I've had anyone close to me," he whispered, gently rubbing his thumb over her cheek. "But those that have been close have called me 'Rumple.'"

She blushed. It wasn't a strange name for her, he knew that. She'd said the name a few times when they'd been in his castle, but he knew those times had mostly been out of instinct. He'd never actually invited anyone before to use it like that, not to his memory. And the charm didn't seem to be lost on her.

"Rumple," she muttered in that same slow tone that she'd used when she'd said 'pawnshop.'

He nodded happily. He liked when she used it. Even if it did make him feel like he was fifteen all over again. But with that, he finally managed to pull away from her. With the air around him free from her scent and the magic in his palms finally collected, he moved over to the drawer he'd identified earlier. The sooner he did this, the sooner he could get back to her.

"Everything you'll need will be in here," he said confidently. And then, channeling the magic in his body through his cane, he tapped it twice and felt the spell settle. Just like old times, except…

The magic didn't renew. Not like it used to. Before, he'd always been an endless pit of magic. Now, the second he felt some of his power go out of him, he was shocked to find nothing new bubbled to the surface to replace it. That was…odd.

"I'll leave you to change in private-"

"Leave!"

"-I'm sorry to have to say, but with the Curse broken, there is an errand that I must run."

"I'll come with you," she insisted. Her eyes widened with fear as she stepped close to him again.

"No, Belle," he held out his hand, happy it stopped her in her tracks. Some things changed, but others never did. He remembered how easily he'd given into her in the Enchanted Forest. He couldn't blame her for her fear after what she'd been through, but that was exactly why this had to be non-negotiable. She was better off here alone while he did this.

"Stay here. Change. I promise you are perfectly safe in this shop and I won't be long. Besides, you'll be more comfortable after you've changed."

"The Queen?" she asked.

He shook his head. "She probably doesn't even know you're gone." It was the truth. With the Curse breaking, Belle would probably be the least of her concerns. But she would know she was gone soon enough. And then there was no doubt in his mind that she was safer here than out there. "You'll be safer here," he explained. "The town has their memory back, magic has returned, and chaos will ensure. But in here…I'll protect you, I won't let anything happen to you ever again. You'll be safer here alone than out there with me. Trust me."

He'd tried to be as reassuring as he could, but he could still see the fear in her eyes as she looked around. After a castle in the mountains, the wooden shop must have looked flimsy and delicate. But he'd be sure it was safe before he left. He didn't like doing this so soon after he'd gotten her back either, but it was for her, for that very look of fear in her eyes now that he was going to do this. He could get rid of that fear altogether.

He took a step closer to her and let his hand touch her shoulder, making her gaze back up at him. "It is safer for you to keep to the shadows," he whispered, "at least until things settle down."

Finally, she nodded in agreement. "You'll stay safe?" she asked, her eyes brows raised in expectation. "You'll be as fast as you can?"

He swallowed hard. She was worried about him. Her eyes said that she was afraid, and he'd interpreted that as fear for herself, maybe it was, but the way she looked at him. She was nervous for him. Worried for him. He couldn't remember the last time someone had worried about him.

He nodded in response, the lump in his throat keeping him from answering her. Immediately she sighed and then closed the distance between them, putting her arms around his waist and holding on tight. Unsure of how to respond, he held her back. And when he heard her mutter "I love you" against him he squeezed harder, this time certain that the right response was "I love you too."

Oh, she was intoxicating. And tempting. And he could have stayed here all day…

The sooner it was over, the sooner he could be right back here in her arms again.

So, he pulled away quickly before he could think too much about it. "I will return soon," he promised before leaving her alone so he could face a devil.

As if it hasn't already been said or dawned on you, but...yeah...welcome to season two. Where Belle is sprung and pretty damn ignorant of anything around her. These chapters are special to me because many of them were the first original chapters I ever wrote for Moments. I was pleased over the years of OUAT how well they held up, and now that I'm looking at them from Rumple's perspective, I'm even more relieved at how well they've stood the test of time. In truth, not a lot of editing has taken place in these chapters (I say "these" not only referring to the chapters in this fiction but also in MS&U). Every now and then, I had a moment of realization thinking, "Rumple wouldn't say that word," and I've edited it to something a little more "Rumple," but for the most part...it's held up. I'm really rather proud of that if you'll forgive a momentary lack of humility.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to MerlockVonBaron, TheCureforSnakeBite, and my unnamed Guest for your reviews of the last chapter! This may seem like a simple chapter, but there is really a lot going on in it. Obviously, Belle, we've never really gotten a solid answer about what she knew while she was in the asylum, so I've always just stuck with the answer "very little". I think that's why some of these chapters in Moments bother me a bit because she's really a very smart woman. Still, in this world, she's fairly naive and ignorant of what's around her, not to mention in these early days, she tends to see their relationship through very optimistic rose-colored glasses. Excuse her for that. She'll get over it soon enough. Second, the magic issues, we'll get into those a little bit more in the next chapter, but for now, just know that it's in this very episode that Rumple says, "Magic works differently here," and so I took that to heart. There are a few hints of it in this chapter, but it'll really become obvious in the next, and there are reasons for doing what I did that I look forward to sharing with you. Peace and Happy Reading!