Xxx

Anger.

Fear.

Sorrow.

Cold.

That was all Belle could feel. She couldn't bring herself to go near the child. Rumplestiltskin begged her, pleaded with her, but she couldn't. When she saw Ezra, all she could see was him. His cries drove her insane.

But the worst was the look in Rumplestiltskin's eyes.

Eyes filled with fear and pain and even worse- disappointment.

But she couldn't do it. It was too painful. It was too hard. It was only a matter of time till she broke.

And break she did.

Rumplestiltskin was away that day. Something about a king and a shepherd's son. The child was asleep at first, but soon began to scream. It went on for hours. It would die down at times, only to begin again. It was driving her insane. She covered her ears and shook trying to block it out. Finally, she stood and stormed up the stairs. She ran into the room screaming.

"SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!"

She didn't even know what she was doing. Everything was blur. She didn't have her next coherent thought until after Rumplestiltskin had pulled her hands from the child's neck. Rumplestiltskin picked the child up and put his hand over his face. Magic wrapped around the child and Rumplestiltskin cried over him.

Pleasenopleasenopleaseno."

Belle stared in horror, her mind finally clicking. She had just tried to kill her own child. She killed her own child.

She ran out of the room, barely aware of the screams coming from the room. She ran to the kitchen in desperation, digging through the drawers, until she found what she was looking for. Without even thinking, she brought the blade to her throat, but as she began to cut through, the blade vanished. Rumplestiltskin spun her around and did something he had never, ever, done before.

He slapped her.

Belle's eyes widened in shock. Rumplestiltskin had never even attempted to harm her, not even I his darkest moments. Belle was almost scared to look at him, but was compelled to.

Rumplestiltskin's eyes were wild with so many emotions, she couldn't name them all. Tears fell down his cheeks like a flood. He tried to say something, but it was all garbled between his sobs. Finally, he fell to the ground and hid his face in his knees, wrapping his arms around his head.

All Belle could do was stand there, too numb to do anything else.