Over the next month, Quasimodo had the best time of his life. He spent everyday playing and talking with Rose. He was able to learn more about her and she learned more about him. Quasi enjoyed not having to get up early in the morning to do shows for the fair or o sit through one of Frollo's lessons. Even though he was cruel to Quasi, he did teach him how to speak, read, and write. Quasi somewhat enjoyed learning, but he didn't like the punishments for if he were to answer a question wrong or didn't understand a subject. Aside from the bad, he was very eager to learn new things. Some nights, he would go over the day's lessons if he couldn't fall asleep. While he loved playing with Rose and spending time with her, he craved more of an education. He was still too afraid to talk to Rumpelstiltskin whether Rose was around or not. The only other person in the castle was Belle.

He had taken a liking to Belle. She was kind, smart, and beautiful. Quasi made sure to keep his distance when Rumple was around. He noticed that he was very protective and possessive of her. When he wasn't around, Quasi and Belle barely had any time to talk since Rose was always eager to do something every second of the day. When she would settle down for her naps, he was too exhausted to do anything but nap with her. He wondered if Belle would even consider becoming his new teacher. There was only one way to find out. When Rose was down for her afternoon nap, he went to find Belle. He found her in the Great Hall wiping the large table. Rumple was out, so he figured now was as good a time as any.

"Uh...Excuse me? Miss Belle?" She turned and smiled at him.

"Quasi. You know you can just call me Belle. You don't have to be so formal."

"Of course. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Is Rose taking her nap?"

"Yes. She's in the den."

"Thank you. It's nice to have someone else around to help with her. I love her, but she can be a handful sometimes."

"Yes, but she's wonderful."

"She is. Well, was there something you wanted?"

"Oh...uh...Yes. I wanted to...ask something of you." She put the rag on the table and gave him her full attention.

"What is it?" He lowered his head and nervously rubbed his knuckles.

"Well, I've noticed that...you're a very smart woman...and well educated...and...and..." She placed a hand gently on his shoulder. He looked up into her kind blue eyes.

"It's okay, Quasi. You don't have to be nervous. Just ask your question. I won't bite your head off." He gave a nervous chuckle. "What is it you want, Quasi?"

"I was wondering...if you would consider...becoming my new teacher." Belle's eyes widened in shock. He asked her become his teacher.

"I...uh...Why do you want me as your teacher?" He rubbed his knuckles again.

"Well, like I said, you're very smart and you seem to know a lot. And...and with your library I bet you learn new things everyday. I've always loved learning and since I left the fair, I haven't had any lessons. Not that I'm complaining! I love being here! It's wonderful here. I just..."

"You miss the learning." He smiled.

"Yes, I do." She gave him a warm smile.

"Well, I would be honored to teach you, Quasi. And hey, we can have our own little fun. Rumple is teaching Rose how to control her new powers, so I can teach you any and everything you want to know for the rest of your stay here."

"Oh thank you, Belle! I promise I will be a dedicated student and I will hang onto to every word of the lessons."

"Good. We can start tomorrow while Rose is having her lessons with Rumple." Quasi was happy Belle agreed to teach him. He imagined learning with her would be much better than with Frollo. While he was cruel and crude, she was kind and fair. He would only hope he didn't anger her the way he angered Frollo. Quasi had never seen Belle angry. He saw her when she was upset with Rumple, but never angry. That was something that puzzled Quasi. Belle was so kind and caring and beautiful. How did she become the Dark One's mistress?

"Thank you, Belle." He rubbed his knuckles again. "Belle? May I ask you a personal question?"

"I suppose so."

"And...of course, if I cross the line, you don't have to answer."

"What is your question, Quasi?"

"Well...I was wondering...you're a smart, kind, beautiful young woman. How did you..." He paused, not knowing how to phrase the rest of his question without crossing some kind of boundary. Belle didn't need to hear the rest of the question. She knew what he wanted to know.

"Become the Dark One's love interest?"

"I...uh..." She giggled.

"It's okay. You're the first to know, but you won't be the last to question it. I can see where you would get confused."

"So, how?" She pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. She gestured for him to take a seat next to her and he did.

"I'll tell you, it wasn't easy in the beginning. Before I met him, I heard the stories of him and his evil ways and deeds. I researched him in every book I could find and I found nothing but bad things about him. I honestly was afraid to summon him."

"You summoned him?"

"Yes. My village was under attack by ogres and our troops couldn't hold them off. I convinced my father that we needed his help to save our people. He agreed and we summoned him. When he showed up, he was nothing like I imagined him. The books and stories referred to his as a beast with scaly skin, sharp claws, and large reptilian eyes that could bare into your soul. When I saw him, I saw a man. He was just different."

"So, what happened when you summoned him?"

"He agreed to help us with the ogres for a price. And in this case, the price was me."

"And you agreed?"

"I had to. I made my sacrifice so my family and my village would survive. So I came here with him. He wanted me as a maid to tend to the castle and a caretaker for Rose. He always tried to be a monster around me, but I saw his softer side with Rose. He was gentle and kind with her. Over time, as I got closer with Rose, I got closer with him. He appreciated that I kept Rose happy when he wasn't around. After a while, Rose wanted me to become her mother and he was fine with it as long as it made Rose happy. He always claimed that Rose was the only reason he kept me around after some of the things I did."

"Like what?" She chuckled as she remembered the incident with Robin Hood.

"That's a story for another time. But like I said, it was really Rose that brought us together. She wanted so much for me to love him. Of course in the beginning, I didn't think it possible since he was being a bit of a beast with me. After a while, we got used to each other and were content. A few months ago, he gave me a chance to leave. He sent me to town to get a present for Rose's birthday. He gave me a way out. He left me with enough provisions so that I could make it back home."

"But you didn't go home. You came back."

"I did. I wasn't going to, but..."

"But what?"

"If I tell you, will you promise to keep it secret? I never told Rumple because I feared he would get angry."

"Of course. I won't say a word."

"Alright, well I met this woman on the road. She knew I was running away from someone. She guessed it was my master and lover. At the time, I felt that I could love Rumple, but the evil root inside of him was keeping us apart. She said it sounded like he was under a curse. Of course he is, the Dark One's curse. She said that a kiss of True Love could break any curse."

"She tried to get you to kiss him to break his curse?"

"That what I assumed, but I didn't trust the woman. I still don't, but she was telling the truth. When Rumple and I first kissed, his curse started breaking. He, of course, thought I was trying to break his curse so I could kill him."

"But if you wanted to get rid of him, you would've just left when he let you go."

"That's what I told him, but that wasn't the important part. The important part was that the kiss worked. We were meant to be each other's True Love. I saw the man behind the monster that he claims to be. He's made some wrong decisions in his life. His life before he was the Dark One wasn't great either. He has so much pain and grief in his heart. That's why he's the way he is with Rose. He doesn't want her to ever go through what he went through. He wants her to be loved and know that she is loved. She's lucky to have him as a father."

"Seems to me that he's the lucky one."

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? He has a sweet and caring daughter like Rose and a smart and beautiful woman like you. He's the Dark One and he has what others would kill for. Something that can't be bought or won. He has people in his life that love him. Others aren't that lucky." Belle felt sorry for Quasi. His whole life has been pain and misery. He didn't have anyone that loved him or cared about him. He was stuck with a man that treated him like he was nothing.

"Hey. You will have that too one day."

"I doubt it. Look at me. I'm a monster. No one would want me." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"That's not true. Everyone finds love in the most unlikely places. I mean look at Rumple. He's the most feared and dangerous wizard in all the realms and he has me. If someone like him can find love, so can you." Quasi smiled at her. She was so kind to him. If Rumpelstiltskin could find love with someone like her, why couldn't he find love? Of course, he would have to find a woman who was okay with how he looked. He had yet to meet a woman who didn't care about looks.

"Thanks, Belle. I hope you're right." She returned a smile. They rose from the table as Rose excitedly ran into the room with her stuffed unicorn in her arms.

"Mama! Quasi! Look!" She stopped in front of them.

"What is it, sweetheart?" She put the toy on the table.

"My unicorn is alive!" They saw the stuffed animals stand prance around the table. Belle and Quasi gasped. Since Rose acquired her new powers, she had been casting spells left and right. They ranged anywhere from lighting candles to moving things to bringing items to life. The unicorn wasn't the first. She brought furniture, dishes, utensils, and even fruits to life. Rumple had been trying to teach her to control her magic. Magic is connected to one's emotions, which meant mood could trigger her powers. Most incidents happened when she was asleep, which was when she was most vulnerable and was least in control. She would wake up to a talking nightstand and a singing candlestick. "Can I keep her like this? Please?"

"I don't know. I don't think Rumple would another live thing in the castle. After the incident with his spinning wheel, I think he's had about enough of it."

"I think she's right, Rose. We wouldn't want to upset him again."

"But it's so cute! Please, please, please, please, please, please..." As she continued with her pleases, a purple smoke cloud appeared behind her. Belle and Quasi saw this, but he gestured them to be quiet. While she continued to beg, he grabbed her from behind and lifted her into his arms. "Ahh! Papa!"

"Couldn't resist, flower. Now, what is it that you're begging for?"

"Can I keep my unicorn alive?" He looked at the table and saw the toy unicorn prancing around. He sighed.

"Rose, did you do that on purpose?"

"No. I woke up and she was alive. Can I please keep her like that? Please, Papa."

"I'm sorry, flower, but no. We can't have everything coming to life." He put her down and saw the sad look on her face. He hated saying no to her, but he had to put his foot down on the matter. He was still upset over the spinning wheel incident. The unicorn trotted over to her and she started to pet it's mane. She really wanted to keep her new toy alive. He couldn't stand to see her upset. "How about this, flower? I'm going to offer you a deal."

"What kinda deal?"

"If you can reverse the spell and make your unicorn a toy again, you can bring it back to life." Her eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes, but under one condition: you can only bring it to life when you are playing in your room. If I see it wandering around the castle or gardens, no more unicorn. Do we have a deal?" She didn't give it a second thought.

"Yes!"

"Okay. Undo the spell." She turned to the unicorn and tried to concentrate. Rumple told her that her magic draws from her emotions. Her heart knows what it wants. She just needs to lead her magic in the right direction. This was her first time reversing a spell and she was nervous. She was worried she would do something wrong. Quasi saw that she was struggling and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can do it, Rose. I know you can." She smiled at him and went back to the unicorn. She reached out and touched it's head. She closed her eyes and thought of and felt what she wanted. Her locket glowed and she could feel the magic through her arms to her fingers. A pink glow engulfed the animal and returned it to it's toy self. Rumple smiled at his daughter.

"You did it, flower." She opened her eyes and saw the unicorn was no longer alive. She smiled and looked up to Rumple.

"I did it!"

"And, per our agreement, you may bring it to life whenever you please as long as you remember the guidelines."

"Yes, Papa."

"Good. Now, why don't you run to the garden and pick some berries for your snack. I shall join you after I attend to some work in my tower."

"Okay." He vanished in a smoke cloud. "Quasi, do you want to come with me?"

"Oh, I probably shouldn't. I think I'm allergic to something around the berry bushes. I think I'll stay inside this time."

"Okay. More fun for me!" She ran to the kitchen and grabbed a basket. She then went out to the garden to the berry bushes and started to pick the biggest and brightest berries she could find. After a while, Rose felt someone's presence. Since had her powers, she was able to sense people's presence around her. Rumple was only able to surprise her because she wasn't paying attention. This time, she was. She looked around, but she didn't see anyone. She thought it was an animal until she heard a voice.

"So it is true." She looked up and found the source of the voice. She saw a small woman in blue with wings and a wand floating down to her. "The Dark One does have a child."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Rhuel Ghorm. Most know me as the Blue Fairy." Rose gasped and smiled.

"You're a fairy?" The fairy smiled as well.

"Yes, I am."

"You're very pretty." She giggled.

"Why thank you. And you are very sweet. I had heard rumors of you, child. There were whispers of the Dark One having a little girl. I didn't believe it until now." Rose suddenly grew worried.

"Are you one of the people that wanna hurt him?"

"Hurt him? I'm more worried about him hurting you. You're not safe with him. I've felt your magic and it's very strong. It's much stronger than his. He may know this and he may plan you destroy you for it."

"No. My papa won't hurt me!" The small fairy was surprised at this.

"You claim him as your father?"

"He is. He loves me and I love him. He found me and took care of me. He's my papa." Rhuel Ghorm noticed Rose's locket start to glow. She knew that had to be the source of her powers.

"Calm yourself, child. I mean you nor him no harm. I want to help."

"Help?"

"Yes. You possess light magic, the strongest I've ever felt. He can't teach you how to use it for good. His magic is dark and he would only corrupt you. I teach you how to use it and control it. I wish to help you like I helped his last child." Rose was confused by this. What last child?

"I'm his only child."

"He's never told you? He had a son many many years ago named Baelfire. He wanted my help to rid the Dark One of his powers." Rose shook her head.

"No! That's not true! Papa would tell me!"

"Of course he wouldn't. He drove him away because he chose his power over his own son. He will do the same to you, especially since you aren't his blood child. You are much more powerful than him and he will get rid of you so he can be the most powerful being. I only want to help you."

"No! Papa loves me! He does. He can't hurt me."

"You know what he's capable of. You've lived with him. You know the power he possesses and he knows the power you possess. When given the chance, he will hurt you. Let me help you." Rose was confused. Rumple had told her that he had made many enemies and a lot of them would do anything to hurt him. Maybe it was because he was hurting other people. What if the fairy was telling the truth? What reason would a fairy have to lie? If he chose his power of his son, who's to say it wouldn't happen to her? But he didn't act any different with her since she got her powers. If he wanted to get rid of her, he would've by now. "I know it's confusing, but I can help you more than he could."

"I...I don't know." The fairy held out her hand to her.

"Come with me. We can sort this out together." Rose thought about going with her, but that would mean leaving behind the only life she's ever known. She would leave her mama who has only been in a life for a few months. She would leave her new friend that she's only known for a month. Most of all, she would leave her papa who has loved her and cared for her since he found her in the woods that cool autumn night. She couldn't. She didn't think he would hurt her. She's known him her whole life. He would never hurt her.

"I can't. My papa won't hurt me. He can't hurt me. He loves me." Before the fairy could reply, she found herself inside of a red bubble. Rose looked behind her and saw Rumple standing there with his hand out.

"And I don't take kindly to having those I love taken from me." The fairy glared at him.

"You are not capable of love, Dark One. You chose power over your own son. And you will corrupt this child with your influence."

"Well, believe it or not, I have no intention of corrupting her nor am I letting you take her from me. And because I'm in a particularly good mood and I don't wish to traumatize my daughter, I'm going to let you live. If you come anywhere near her again, I won't be so merciful." He released her from the bubble. With one last look to Rose, she floated away. Rumple kneeled down to Rose. "Are you alright, flower? What did she say to you?"

"Papa, who's Baelfire?" Rumple's eyes widened. The fairy mentioned his long lost son to his daughter? He wished he had ripped her wings off and mounted them on his wall in his tower. He picked her up and headed inside.

"I think we need to have a talk, flower."