The next morning Belle was awoken with a scream. Sitting up in her bed, she looked around to see Rumple was not in the room. She got out of bed and quickly got changed. She decided to try one of her new dresses today. She picked one of the blue ones. She could have worn her old one but it didn't have a lace flower design on it. It was an overall simple dress but still attractive enough to catch the eye.

Not a minute afterwards Rumple walked into the room and closed the door behind him, looking slightly pained.

"What was that?" Belle asked, trying to calm herself down not just from the fright she awoke to but the near embarrassing moment she would have had if Rumple walked in just a few moments earlier.

"Uh, the princess just woke up to some unexpected news."

"What did you do?" Belle asked. She ignored the sarcastic, dramatic expression of hurtfulness Rumple displayed.

"You remember when I mentioned last night that I gave a different solution to the ogre?"

"Yes." Belle said. Now she was curious.

"Well. Let's just say that you may not recognize them."

"Why?"

"They're human." Rumple quickly said, deciding to get it over with. He was certain that he was going to get a big lecture from his mousy maid about people's appearances and how you shouldn't make their decisions for them. Well he already had a defense for that last one.

He suddenly got worried when Belle didn't reply back or even move from her spot. He also realized that she was wearing one of her new dresses today. Blue with lace.

"Belle, are you okay?"

"Yes." She smiled and walked past him.

"Are you sure? I expected you to-"

"To what? Yell at you or lecture you on people's appearances?" She quipped. She smirked at the confused expression of her master's face.

"Obviously." He said deadpanned.

She giggled and said, "This will certainly be an interesting week."

Rumple followed and they left the room.

After a few hours, they managed to find the king and queen on a balcony and saw that they were talking to who Belle assumed were the princess and her husband. She had to admit that she was shocked and by the look of Rumple's expression, so was he. They didn't look anything like ogres now. And they weren't green. Although she would never say it, she thought perhaps now Rumple felt a little out of place now being the only green person.

If you didn't know who they already were, one would not recognize the new appearances of the young royals. Fiona was beautiful with red hair braided in a pony tail. She still wore the same green dress but it fit her every curve. Shrek was still rather large and it took a few seconds before Belle saw what was really odd about his new appearance. He had long brown wavy locks and a button nose.

"Fiona?" Belle asked.

"Belle. Can you believe it? We're human." Fiona smiled as she walked up to her new friend and castle guest.

"I don't understand?" Belle asked. "How did this happen?"

Since the Queen, her daughter, and their female guest was whispering to each other, only the King saw the glance between the former ogre and the powerful sorcerer.

"Well, despite this wonderful news, I do believe we still have much work for the ball." Harold smiled, letting the three women to go on their own way.

Feeling the tension of the awkward moment, Shrek excused himself to go anywhere really, leaving the king and sorcerer alone.

"What did you do?" Harold immediately asked the green skinned man as soon as they were alone.

"I don't understand your majesty." Rumple smugly smiled.

"I wanted you to get rid of him."

"On the contrary," Rumple gestured his trademark move. "You only asked to get rid of the ogre. I have done just that."

"I want what is best for my daughter."

"Yes and I'm sure now that the giant green beast is gone and has been replaced with a rather handsome man if I say so myself, than your daughter will have the best." Rumple than walked off leaving the king all alone.

"Shrek! Hey Shrek! Where are you?"

Shrek groaned. He hadn't seen the donkey almost all day yesterday and not at all today. He knew he wasn't lucky enough to keep it that way. He was walking in the castle halls and saw the ass near him, the former ogre called out to his friend.

"Okay, I hear you but I don't see you. If this is a game, I do not like it." Donkey said.

"Donkey! I'm right in front of you."

Seeing where the voice was coming from Donkey walked up to the man.

"Shrek?"

"Yes."

"You're human?"

"Yes."

"How did this happen? Does Fiona know? Yeah, have you shown the king yet? I'm sure he'll like that. You two might even get along nicer-"

"Donkey!" Shrek yelled. "Shut up. And yes. Fiona and the king both know."

"Well how did this happen?"

"It was the sorcerer. He gave me a potion to turn me and Fiona human."

"You mean the scaly green man that the king invited?"

"Yes Donkey. Him."

"Wait, Fiona's a human too?!"

"Yes Donkey." Shrek said getting very aggravated with the talking animal.

"Well you don't seem happy." Donkey said, worried for his friend.

"I don't know. I should be, but I have a feeling this is all wrong."

"Of course it is. You're an ogre. You're suppose to wallow in mud baths, slurp up slug juice, scratching your itchy butt."

"I know."

"And you're going to give all that up?"

"If it makes Fiona happy...yes." Shrek said, slight distraught.

Lilian left the two girls to take care of preparations for the ball while they searched for ball dresses.

"How do you feel?" Belle asked as Fiona searched through her wardrobe. "Being human?"

"Well, I use to be before I married Shrek."

"It was a curse? Wasn't it?"

"Yes. A witch placed a curse on me when I was a baby so every night I would turn into an ogre while during the day, I would be human. The curse would only end when True Love's Kiss took True Love's form."

"And Shrek is your True Love." Belle smiled.

"Yes." Fiona smiled. "And I love him very much but I will be honest and say that I miss being a human. I only hope he can cope with it okay."

"So what do you plan to wear to the ball?" Belle asked, glad that she had become friends with the princess since she hardly have any back home and down to none in the Dark Castle, except of course Rumple.

"My mother has a white sparkly dress made for me," She said as she showed Belle the dress. "I was looking for you a dress."

"Oh you don't have to." Belle quickly intervened. She would only be a week and despite that she was a guest here and they were already being treated well, she didn't want to take advantage and be a burden. "In fact, I already bought three new dresses just yesterday after we arrived."

"Just three?"

"Yes. I didn't want to bring too much back home. I was going to wear one of them to the ball."

"Belle, you are our guest. You weren't be treated like everyone else." Belle only smiled, not sure how to feel.

"Do you know what business Mr. Rumplestiltskin has with my father?" Fiona curiously asked.

"Um, not sure." Belle said. She didn't want to upset the princess a few days before the ball. After all, it's been a while since she had been to one and she didn't want to ruin the chance. This might be her last ball ever.

"I just don't understand how we are human. Do you think perhaps the sorcerer had something to do with this? Him and my father? Is this their business?" Fiona began frantically asking.

"Fiona, calm down. It's okay. Don't worry. Why don't you just focus on the ball. I'm sure things will work out." Belle said comforting her new friend.

"Right, of course. I'm sorry." They continued to search through the many dresses that the maids had given them to pick through.

"So?"

Belle only looked at the princess oddly. She wasn't sure what she was asking. Was it her opinion on the dress she was holding up or what the business was, even though she had already stated she didn't know.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what you are asking." Belle said.

"So how long have you liked Rumplestiltskin?"

Belle's breath was caught in her throat. She was most definitely not expecting that. She didn't know what to say. She knew that even if she tried, she couldn't lie to herself and say she felt nothing. There was definitely something there. But how long have she liked him? She wasn't sure.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Belle, please. I've seen the way you looked at him and when you talked about him saving you from your life? I've seen that look before. In myself when I looked in the mirror and thought about the first few days with Shrek before I was going to marry Faquad." Fiona said, grimacing at Faquad's name, not wanting to remember.

Before Belle could continue to reject the princess' accusation that was on the dot, the door to the bedroom flew open and they saw the queen.

"Mother. Is everything okay?"

"Well..."

Belle and Fiona remained silent as they waited for the Queen to continue. They had a feeling they weren't going to like what she had to say.

"It appears all the preparations for the ball are already finished and your father believes that, since given the circumstances," She motioned towards her daughter, obviously meaning the human form, "that the ball will be held tonight."

The two girls looked at each other wide eyed. Belle could only wonder, knowing her sorcerer, what Rumple was planning.

Yay! OUAT is back! Almost had a heart attack out of sheer excitement last night lol. Please review.