There was nothing more to be done. The job was complete. And it was nearly perfect.

True, he would have loved to disappear in front of Regina, just to show her that he could use his magic when she couldn't, just as one final "fuck you," but with his magic still not completely restored to normal, he knew he had to save what he could for the summoning. The knowledge of what would happen to her by the end of tonight was enough. The fact that he knew when it happened he'd be with Belle…that was more than enough.

By the time he left the jail, he felt nearly drained. Appearing there, using the invisibility spell, then using his own magic to bind the mark to Regina's hand, they'd taken their toll. So as much as he wanted to get this over with quickly and return to Belle, he took his time. He walked back across town, feeling his power quiver as it gathered together and grew stronger with every step he took. By the time he stepped back into the same woods he'd freed magic in, a choice he'd made because he hoped he'd be strongest at the source, he felt he had enough. So far, his theories were proving to be correct. He took note that it was gathering faster to him each time he used up what he had. Perhaps by tomorrow morning, things would be more along the lines of "normal." But for now…

He found a nice patch of dirt in the woods that would allow him to do his work. Wraiths were creatures of the night, but they needed earth to be summoned. So once he was satisfied the place would do and he had the magic to make it work, he let the amulet drop to the forest floor. He pulled his dagger free from where it had been resting in his pocket. Magic pulsed through it into him, like it was the battery that powered him. The only problem was that he needed it to go the other way.

"The Dark One summons thee," he commanded. Then he pushed every ounce of magic he had into the dagger and stabbed the ground next to the medallion. He felt his magic, every bit of it he had at the moment flow from him, into the ground and back into the Wraith's amulet, activating it and, with any luck, a new burn on Regina's hand that would call the creature to it. He pushed and pushed and pushed, until-

It worked.

A black hole within the amulet opened wide, and from within its depths, the creature rose. Black and gruesome, with a stench like he'd never smelled before, covered only with a black veil, it rose higher and higher into the sky. It grabbed hold of the amulet, then swooped down over him, smelling, identifying him as the summoner and Dark One. It reached its magic out, what little it had, understood the claim he was making on Regina's life, and then it was gone. It flew off into the woods, no doubt to collect its power somewhere dark until the sun fell. March in Storybrooke…it wouldn't be long until nightfall.

As for him, he'd been away long enough. He'd left the shop just before noon, and by the time he returned, the sun would be setting soon. He wanted to spend every second of the rest of this day with the miraculous surprise that had appeared to him that morning.

The protection spell was still in place when he returned. With him back, there was no longer need for it. So he reached out his hand and let the remaining magic flow back into him but left the spell he'd placed on Belle, just in case anyone else who might know she existed got the idea to come after her. When he was finished, he went inside, used the little magic he'd taken from the shop to return the dagger to the safe, then walked through the empty front room directly to the back of the shop and tried to keep his jaw from falling onto the floor.

He loved magic.

He'd wanted the spell to give her what she needed, something that would work for this world that she could call her own, something that wasn't hand-me-down goods, and what he got…stunning.

A dress of this world, one made with only black and white. It fit perfectly around her waist with the use of a solid black belt, and thanks to the help of black shoes with a considerable heel to them, she had height to her. It was simple. If he'd seen it on a rack at a store, he probably wouldn't have paid it a second glance, but on her…he wasn't prepared for the end result. He hadn't prepared himself for what it would mean to see her in clothes from this world.

He'd seen a lot of her in the Enchanted Forest but never so much of her at one time. The neckline was modestly cut, for which he sent up a silent prayer of thanks, but the rest of it…it revealed everything. Every curve of her body accentuated, her waist, her breasts, her hips, all were shown in detail her old dresses hadn't permitted him. The shoulders he hadn't seen since she'd tossed away her yellow ball gown were out again, and her legs…why had he never thought about what her legs might look like. He'd never seen them before today. They'd always been hidden under skirts that practically reached the floor or conservatively fell to her ankles. But there they were; feet, ankles, calves, and even her knees. Gods, she had beautiful legs! He wondered if they were as soft as the rest of her.

That thought was what brought him back to reality, to the realization that though he'd muttered a "hey" when he first saw her, he was staring.

"Well, now don't you look lovely," he smiled. But then he took in her face. He'd been so busy looking at her body he hadn't focused on the features above her neck. She was shaking, her breath was heavy, and her heartbeat rapid. She smelled like fear.

"Belle? What's wrong?" Perhaps he'd made a mistake. Maybe the Charmings had been by. Maybe they'd scared her pounding on the door when they couldn't get in, or maybe they'd-

"I'm fine! Nothing. Thank you," she snapped her words, said them in such a way that he heard every syllable. She'd spoken too loud, with a tone that he hardly recognized on her. It scared him as he watched her shrink back and try to collect herself. What had Regina done to her?

But before he could figure it out, he watched as she closed her eyes and took one breath, then two; deep and cleansing. When she opened her eyes again, he saw her, just as he always knew her to be. She still smelled like fear, her heartbeat still raced, a residual shake still trembled in her fingers, but she no longer looked afraid, only calm.

"Thank you. Nothing is wrong. I'm perfectly fine."

She stated it in an even almost diplomatic tone. But he didn't buy that any more than he bought the lies other politicians told.

"What's wrong?" he asked again, this time moving around the table to grab her hand. Now he wasn't distracted by what she wore, only looked into her eyes. He didn't know what else to do.

"You just…you startled me," she explained with a shake of her head. "It's nothing. You're back now. Everything is fine. I'm fine."

He believed the first part; he didn't particularly believe the second. She might feel better seeing him, but no one who startled the way that she did was truly "fine." He'd startled her before when they were living in the castle; he'd seen what "startled" looked like on her then. This reaction was a lot more than that. He hadn't startled her; he'd scared her. He needed to know more about her, about what led to that reaction. Where had she been? What conditions had she been kept in? Who had she been? Who had freed her?

"Do you have something to drink?" she asked before he could figure out how to breach the subject. "Maybe…maybe something to eat?"

Or maybe she'd just answered the questions for him. She didn't want to talk about it. She'd always been forthcoming in the Enchanted Forest, always eager to share her thoughts. If she'd gone to a change of subject, then she was trying to distract him and in a very clever way. Food, drink…they'd been here nearly all day, and while he had given her clothing, he hadn't thought about food or drink. He had food at home, but not here.

"I have nothing to eat, not in the shop, and unfortunately, it seems that Granny's and most of the town is closed at the moment," he explained regretfully. It was fine. They could eat when they got home. For now, he did have something that would curb the hunger until he was certain the Wraith had done its job, and they could leave. It wasn't perfect, and he hadn't used the hot plate in a while, but it would do the trick. "But I can make us a cup of tea."

"That sounds wonderful." She smiled, and he noted that her heart rate was slowing a little bit more every second they were together. It was nice to know he had that effect. He would have preferred to have that effect on her in the front room, but she didn't follow him out of the back room. However, that might have been a good thing. He remembered just how difficult it could be to think when she was around, and right now, he certainly needed to think.

He thought about his next steps as he dug the hot plate and personal tea set he had out of storage. He didn't want to push her, especially because he himself hated being pushed and questioned. But he needed to know whatever it was she was avoiding telling him and the traumas that she'd endured since he'd last seen her, not to hurt her, only to help her. He wanted to be able to leave her somewhere and not have her fear for her life. If he'd known that she'd react to his return the way that she had, then he'd have thought of something else other than leaving her here alone for as long as he had. He'd have-

His thoughts were interrupted by a small thud and gasp in the back room that had him grabbing his cane and practically running back. She was across the room, backing slowly away from something on the ground.

"I…I didn't mean to break it!" she exclaimed, pointing at something on the floor as she continued to move away from it. Mr. Gold's stomach turned at the potential loss of income as he moved around her to see what had frightened her this time. He didn't know if what he saw was a relief or not.

"You didn't," he assured her. It was only the phone. She'd picked up the phone that he kept on his desk and dropped it. Nothing particularly valuable, and even if it was, it didn't matter. He held the receiver to his ear and heard the correct dial tone that told him it wasn't broken. But as he set it back down in its cradle and saw her shaking again, and grew even more worried and curious. She didn't know what it was. What kind of life had Regina given her so that she didn't know what a telephone was?

"It's a telephone," he explained delicately, trying to remember to smile at her despite his questions. He didn't want her to feel bad, and he didn't want her to be afraid. "It's quite a remarkable device, really. They help you communicate with people over long distances."

She nodded slowly and looked back over at it. "I-it uh…it looks like a uh…silly upside-down hat," she smiled. "With a curly tail."

He glanced over at it and tried to think of a personality in this world that would describe it that way. He couldn't think of anything, nothing except a person who had just come from their world where telephones didn't exist.

"Yes, I suppose it does," he conceded, even though he couldn't see it. "Everyone in town has a number of seven digits, simply pick up the receiver, tell the phone which number you want, place this part to your ear, the other to your mouth, and you can talk to anyone any time."

He watched her, hoping to find an ounce of prior knowledge in her gaze, even something that suggested she had false memories of hearing about such an object. There was nothing. Nothing at all. Who had she been?

The question reminded him that he'd run in from the outer room where he'd been trying to work through that very question before he'd heard the noise. Tea, he recalled. He'd gone to make tea.

"I'm afraid I need one more moment," he stated before moving around her and striding out of the room.

"Take your time!" she called after him, but he had no intention of doing that. She needed something to settle her stomach, but he wasn't entirely sure he liked leaving her alone in the back for too long. There was too much trouble she could get into. So instead, he allowed himself to use his magic. Instead of taking time to clean the pot and fetch water, he used his magic to make the silver tea set sparkle like new. Then he used it again to pull water out of the air, filter it, and place it in the smaller teapot for his hot plate. With that done, he plugged the machine in and returned to her while the water heated.

When he reappeared in the backroom, she was standing beside an old globe that he had, examining it with curiosity. He smiled when she looked up at him. He wished he saw recognition in her stare instead of confusion.

"Ah…where are we?" she asked, gesturing towards the globe. "On here, I mean."

Damn.

He tampered his anger down and crept slowly beside her. She was confused, but he noted that her heartbeat was steady, just as steady as her hands were. That was good. It was terrific. And she was…

Without giving himself permission, he placed a hand at her back. She didn't pull away. She was confused, but not about him, it seemed. That was better than good.

"We are in the town of Storybrooke," he answered, spinning the globe around to the appropriate angle and pointing to their location. "In the state of Maine, in the country of the United States of America, the continent of North America, on the planet Earth."

She nodded and continued to examine the landmasses on the globe. He wanted to kick himself for that answer. She'd asked a simple question. He'd given her an unnecessarily long and detailed answer. He shouldn't overwhelm her.

"Is it a big Kingdom?"

He swallowed, noting again her speech that suggested she did not know this world. If Regina wasn't already on her way to being dead…

"Country," he corrected, turning the globe back to where they were so he could show her.

"Country," she repeated. "Is it a big country?"

"Bigger than some, smaller than others. But this is a different world. Size does not decide power here."

"What does, then?" she asked.

But before he could answer her question, the kettle began to whistle in the other room. The water was warm enough for tea. Their conversation would have to continue later.

Yeah, sorry, these chapters divided out a little bit weird. I blame it on the summoning scene and the fact that it was only about thirty seconds long and wouldn't have made a good chapter on its own. So, I attached it to this conversation and called it a day.

Thank you to Grace5231973 and Alarda for your reviews on the last chapter! As always, much appreciated! This conversation, like so much of the Rumbelle you'll find in this fiction, is also original to me and my Moments Series. Just a little reminder on Belle, she's not dumb. I know that it doesn't really seem like it because of what she says right now and what she doesn't seem to understand, but when writing for her in these early chapters, it was tough because we never got any kind of explanation about what she knew vs. what she didn't. We know she spent time in the asylum, we know from 1x22 that she certainly didn't have her EF memories while she was there, and thanks to the letters that the producers gave to us before season 2 (which you'll get to soon), we know she doesn't have a lot of knowledge about this land. I base a lot of her character in these early chapters on that letter, on the fact that Rumple has to explain what a refrigerator and toaster, and telephones are to her. She's not dumb, and you'll see very soon that as soon as she starts learning about it all, she catches on quickly, but for now just don't take her ignorance as stupidity. My take on it is that she's just learning her way around a new world for the first time. Team Charming is next up to bat! Peace and Happy Reading!