It was quiet. Too quiet.

Perhaps he would have noticed earlier if it weren't for the fact that he'd spent most of his day screaming and shouting. He'd captured the thief that morning, then taken him down into his dungeon to get some answers out of him. He wanted to know his name, why he wanted the wand, who had told him there was one in his castle, who had told him how to break in, where to find the wand, how he'd managed to get so close without being detected, who had given him that bow?

They'd been at it for hours. For hours he'd questioned the prisoner. For hours the prisoner had remained quiet. Mostly. They spoke, of course, he gave answers to his questions, they just weren't the answers that he wanted. "I'll never tell." "You'll never know." "My sources are my own." "I'm a skilled thief, I need no help." "It was lying out for all the world to see." "From another realm." Those were his answers. Or at least some variation on those answers all day long. What had started as a gentle and prodding conversation had soon escalated. When he'd left for dinner, after warning the man to consider his loyalties carefully, his throat had felt raw.

He hadn't a clue what the maid had fixed for dinner. He didn't taste it, didn't even look at it. Just took a long drink of water to soothe his throat and shoveled food into his mouth. He didn't intend to return to the man, not tonight, not when he was as angry as he was. If he went down there again tonight, he would likely kill the man. One answer. All he needed was one answer, and he would have something that he could use against him then he was certain he could get the man to break. That wand was a centerpiece in his collection. He couldn't just ignore an attempt to steal it.

That was the last thought he'd had before he realized how quiet it was.

It probably was no different than an ordinary night. Despite his new live-in maid, it was an expansive castle, it was hard for two people to make noise no matter how annoying one of them was. But that was just the problem. Tonight wasn't an ordinary night. He should hear something. He should have heard her shrieking her disgust at him for keeping the prisoner by now. He should have heard irritated sighs and felt the glare of her eyes upon him. But he didn't. Just like it was a normal night, she'd given him his food and gone.

Gone where?

He knew where.

He wanted to roar, to yell, and to scream at her. She had a soft heart, a weak one, and he felt certain that he'd left the door to the damn cell vulnerable to the outside world. He had to do something about that, but first, he had the feeling he was going to have to do something about her!

He was nearly to the cell when the silence stopped. His suspicions were confirmed. Muttering. He could hear it between two people, the first was the familiar voice of the thief, the second was the gentle voice of his all too gullible servant. If she thought that she was going to go in there and-

"Don't call him that!" he heard her roar out. It wasn't her words that made him feel like he'd been slapped in the face. It was her tone. He'd heard her sound powerful before, but this was stronger than that. She'd spoken in her father's war room with authority, but this was angry. It was an anger that was red and hot and so different from the chilly cold anger she used when she was with him. "He's not my master," he heard her insist. "And he doesn't control my fate any more than you do. I'm here because of me, because of my own choices!"

"See," he heard the prisoner comment. "I knew there was more to you."

"And what about more to you?"

He heard the words, but only just barely. While she'd shouted at him, he'd only made a simple calm comment. She hadn't just brought him food or intended to set him free. The pair were having a conversation. And up until she'd asked her question, no matter what it was, he'd intended to go in and break it up, but now he wondered. She was a welcoming, non-intimidating soul. Could she get the answers that he craved? Could she at least get him anything he could use?! He crept closer, keeping his footsteps light as he listened to them talk. It sounded like the foolish girl had left the door wide open. Bless the ignorant.

"Good thief or not, why would anyone try to break in here? Why would anyone steal a wand?!" he heard her ask him. He stopped and held his breath, waiting for the answer.

"For good reason."

"And what exactly might that be?"

He smiled and held back a small chuckle. There she went again, impressing him when he least expected it. A proper young woman would have taken the cues he'd left her with and not come back to the question. But she was persistent.

"That's my concern."

And so was he.

"And the reason that you didn't simply make a deal with him like everyone else on the planet-"

"Because I'll be in debt to no man! Much less a monster like that!" he snapped quickly at her. Finally! Information he hadn't heard from the man. And that information led to pride! Oh, how quickly it could be someone's downfall. "Much like you, I am my own person, and I don't wish to pay an over-inflated price for something I can do on my own or something that should be done for free for the greater good."

And look where that decision had gotten him. Stuck in a jail cell, being questioned by a girl and a monster. Pride never did lead to smart choices.

Inside the cell, he heard Belle sigh with something like disappointment. Frustration, perhaps? That she hadn't gotten any farther than he had? Or had she? They were talking, which was more than he could say for all the hours he'd spent with him. And they had been talking before he'd arrived to listen. Suddenly he yearned to hear what he'd missed.

"Where are you from?" she asked simply, with obvious genuine curiosity.

"All over. I go where I'm needed."

"Have you been to Avonlea recently?" she asked.

Now that caught his attention. Had he been to Avonlea "recently" she wanted to know. Not last year or ever in his life, but "recently". Was she trying to use her influence? Send a message to her family? Did she know him?

"That Kingdom has never needed my particular brand of services, and up until recently they were involved in a terrible war, destruction of the entire Kingdom. It was unsafe territory to trod."

"Until recently?" she prodded with a strained voice.

"The ogres were removed not long ago. The Kingdom is rebuilding, but still well off without the threat. Why is it so important to you?" he questioned after a pause. "Do you have family there?"

He dug up his magic, prepared to extract her should she attempt to reveal something he didn't want her to. Instead, after a few seconds, when she finally spoke, all she muttered were the words "something like that."

"Something like that." Heavy with emotion, perhaps even a little sniff. Something like that…she hadn't been asking because she was trying to send for help, or get a message, or even tell the thief who she was. She'd asked because she didn't know what had happened there. Because she didn't trust him. He couldn't blame her, but for some reason that realization ripped through him. How had he not thought of that before? Why hadn't it dawned on him to give her some assurance her home was well?

"You are a woman of many mysteries then, aren't you?" the thief observed. Many mysteries indeed. And none that he would need to discover in his time here. It was clear their conversation was going nowhere. Perhaps it was time to break it up. But how to do it?

"And now, you need to leave and not return!"

For a moment, he thought that the words had been a vision, something he'd concocted in his own head. It wasn't until she responded with a shocked "what?!" of her own that he realized the prisoner had spoken the words aloud for him.

"Servant, or something more, I won't bear knowing that you are risking your life just to bring a thief food. You are kind, and no matter who you are, your life is valuable. Don't come back here and put yourself in danger again. Please."

A thief with a code of honor. Now he really had seen it all. And yet the very idea of such a thing was familiar to him, and he still couldn't figure out why. Where had he seen all this before?

He needed to leave. He needed to go before the pair caught him eavesdropping on their conversation. As much as it pained him to admit it, she had gotten farther with him than he had. And she was a naïve kind of person. He was issuing his warning and request, but he could easily see her disobeying it in the future. But not if she knew he was listening. He had to go before she-

"Belle!"

He stopped when the prisoner cried out for her. He knew her name…did she know his?

"I am grateful, for everything you've done and are doing for me, and for the meal. Don't underestimate yourself, it was quite delicious."

"Thank you," he heard her mutter before her footsteps quickened and grew closer.

He rolled his eyes and let himself disappear before being discovered.

Unless you have been keeping up with Moments you might have forgotten this scene exists. There is a reason I have him listen to it here, but I'm going to keep that as a mystery for just a bit longer. Of course, if you really want to know, you can head over to Moments and find out why I had to have him hear it. That being said, this chapter, Rumple overhearing Belle, it is a good example of why this section is so long. Up until this section, everything with Rumple has sort of gone along in a very rigid manner. It's been one event after another and nothing in between. It's because he's alone. He has nothing else to do with his time except spin and plot. So until he gets Belle everything is orderly and "work-focused". But the appearance of Belle (even Jefferson and Cora to a certain extent but more Belle), it gives him a personal life. It gives him something to do in his time off, someone to talk to, to study, to listen for. He hasn't had that since Baelfire. So, yes, this section is long, because for the first time in a long time, since Baelfire, he has someone to share life with even if he doesn't want to. And trust me, when she's gone, and things go back to the way they were, I think the true meaning of this is going to become even more clear!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Miss Amande, Jennifer Baratta, and Grace5231973 for your comments on the previous chapters. Short chapter. It's not from the show but taken word for word from Belle's chapter in Moments. These chapters always make me a bit nervous because I have to remember that I can only edit them to a certain point otherwise I have to go change the chapter in Moments too. Peace and Happy Reading!