A/N: I've got an extreme case of writer's block. If any of you can throw out ideas, I will credit you in the begining of the chapter. I hate to have left you guys for so long, but I'm really struggling. Hope you enjoy. Love, Joanne.

"Do you plan to see her again or call her back?" I asked as I stood in the kitchen, watching him wash and dry the tea cups. He fumbled with one of the cups, nearly dropping it.

"I have no plans to do either, dearie," said Mr. Gold as he placed the cups gently back into the cupboard. "When I have a signed submissive, I see no one, nor do they see anyone else. I have a feeling if we do have a run-in, she will hook me in like she did the last time… I barely escaped from that. If I hadn't found her a new submissive, I'd still be somewhere tied up in that crypt…"

I shuddered. "Is she part vampire too?"

"Dearie, there are no such things as vampires," chuckled Mr. Gold. "Although, she was just as heartless and evil… No, Cora is in fact human, no matter how many times anyone would like to deny it."

Crypt sex? Now that was beyond freaky and disgusting. I watched Gold's somber expression as he dried off his hands on the cranberry colored dish towel, and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

"For what?"

"For what she put you through. The things you told me, and the things you may have left out."

He chuckled gently as he tilted my chin up to look into my eyes. "Your apologizing for something you didn't even do? Dearie me, what an innocent little lamb you are. And here I am, taking my precious, beautiful little lamb as a sacrifice…"

"I'm not your sacrifice," I said boldly. "And I'm not that innocent…"

His mouth was on mine, his tongue ravishing my mouth and entangling with my tongue. One hand snaked around my waist, another was buried in my hair, pulling me closer. I mashed my body against his, urging him on. Suddenly, he pulled away breathlessly. "Perhaps another time…" I nodded, understanding his reasons. I was still sore, and in no way ready for more ravishing. "Why don't you go lie down for a bit?"

He kissed my forehead and I walked towards the bedroom. Before I stepped inside the doorway, I overheard Mr. Gold on the phone. "See here, Cora. You will not call this house again!" His voice was low, but lost none of its danger or poison. "You will not contact me again. You will suffer dire consequences if you disobey me."

There was a silence as I stood there, straining to hear the conversation. "If you show up on this doorstep, I will personally have you arrested. I can make it happen, Cora, don't push me… Yes, I know she's the mayor… I have more power in this town! Don't push me, Cora. It's over, you have your new man… Oh, how unfortunate… Well, I'm not going to fill the position. I am taken, and I am not about to- No, I will not tell you who is my new submissive… FUCK OFF!"

There was a loud crash that followed, and I closed the door, and threw myself on the bed thinking about Cora.

. . .

The next few days passed uneventfully. I obeyed his orders to stay home, and helped tidy up the place while he was gone. I also read and watched television when there was something good on. At night, he would kiss me good night, and then I would sleep in my bed alone. It felt so strange how we would only be intimate in his bed, but he refused to fall asleep with me.

Then, she came for a visit…

"Our baby girl…" whimpered Belle. "Please, Rumplestilzkin, there must be something you can do! Please!"

"I'm afraid magic can only do so much," the Dark One said somberly. "It cannot make people fall in love, and it cannot bring back the dead. I'm so sorry, Belle."

He held her in his arms, the both of them unleashing their grief and sorrow at the loss of their child. Belle felt like she couldn't breathe; her legs and lungs were giving way. She slipped to the floor, out of Rumplestilzkin's grasp, and buried her hands in her face. "How? How could she just kill our innocent child?"

"Cora…" said Rumplestilzkin through his tears. "She is a monster. She always has been."

Belle looked up through her tear strewn eyes. "You know this monstrous woman?" Her voice trembled with sadness and a slowly growing anger. "How do you know her?"

"I taught her magic years ago…"

Belle quietly stood up, now finding her breath, coming in deep inhales as rage boiled within her. "You taught her everything? You taught her to kill unborn babes too?"

"I never wanted this to happen!" he bellowed and sobbed. "I wanted our baby just as much as you did." He reached out for Belle, but she turned away from him. "Please don't turn away from me. I did not kill our child."

Belle silently walked away hurriedly. She entered their bedroom, and began to take out her dresses and undergarments. She began to pack for her journey, for her heart was broken, and she could no longer face him. "Please, Belle, what are you doing? Please don't leave me."

She continued to pack quietly, ignoring Rumplestilzkin's protestations. He grabbed her face, and pulled her lips to his, and to his surprise, she pulled away. "I'm not going to be won over by your magic and mysticism," said Belle sadly. "I don't think we were ever meant to be together, or to be happy…"

"Don't say that," said Rumplestilzkin. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she inhaled deeply. "Stay with me. Please?"

She let him kiss her tenderly, her eyes welling up with tears. She would stay for now, but come nightfall, she was going to run for it.