A/N: Episode 12: Skin Deep: Mr. Gold (Rumpelstiltskin tee hee) mulls over his choice as Regina leaves his cell and Emma spends time with Henry. Also, sorry I did not write a oneshot for chapter 11, but the episode sucked so bad I didn't even want to bother. That episode Emma really let her Charming genes shine.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the epic characters (and David/Charming) in the television series Once Upon a Time, those belong to the creators, writers, and ABC. These characters were brought to life by the amazing actors that play them (and Josh Dallas; just kidding) :)

"We shall see," Regina said, a smirk filling her face as she walked out of the sheriff's office, leaving Gold alone with his thoughts.

He gazed down at the small cup, so insignificant to everyone but him. He stroked the small teacup, hands grazing across the edge.

Belle, Gold thought, his mind beginning to go elsewhere. Miss Swan wouldn't be back for another half hour, leaving Gold to mull over what had happened in the short minutes before.

Of all the things that he had expected Regina, to do, this was by far the worst.

Gold held onto the small chipped cup in a death grip, determined for it to never leave his side again. How could she have known about him? What had made her think that he was in on the big secret? Did she have that worthless Glass reporter study him, as she had with the Swan girl?

At the thought of the blonde officer, Mr. Gold smiled, stroking the cup absentmindedly.

At first, he let his mind travel back into it's old state of mind. It was a thing he rarely did, for fear of what Her Highness may do, but the jig was up, might as well enjoy the solitary time before the storm came.

Emma. Such a sweet name, so innocent, not at all like the woman who bore it.

'And she's going to change the world, little Emma,' a faint, slightly manic, voice seemed to say to him. He knew that voice too well.

In reflex, Gold clutched his cane so hard that his knuckle turned white.

"Get out," he muttered softly.

When that curse had came, it may have let Rumpelstiltskin change his power and abilities to a more suitable form, but it had left him nothing more than a simple man, a mere mortal same as everyone else.

He was now as vulnerable as he was before he was transformed into the monster he had become. And now she knew who he was, all for a silly cup.

Gold immediately shook that thought away, anger biting into him. This cup was a reminder, something he needed dearly. A reminder of what, even the great Rumpelstiltskin did not know.

Maybe of his foolishness? Perhaps a reminder not to trust anyone, to keep his heart as hard as his flesh had once been? Even at this thought, Gold knew in his gut that wasn't the true reason for the small token, but no matter the reasons, it was trivial, who it represented was all that mattered.

Belle, his Belle.

His mind began to wonder to the young princess. How he had enjoyed the expression of complete horror on Maurice's face as he named his price.

At the thought of Maurice, Gold gave a scowl. Gold clenched his hand around his cane as he recalled how he had kidnapped Moe and began to beat him, how much had changed over the course of one day.

How he had so wanted to kill him, left him to die in that godforsaken cabin to rot, as he had left his own daughter to her demise.

In hindsight though, he was glad Emma had stopped him, so Gold could watch him suffer. Death would be too great a fate for the monster.

And you thought me the beast? Gold thought. Yes, he would make Moe pay for what he had done to his daughter, even if he didn't remember. He would continue to make Moe French's life a living hell, even knowing that doing so would not bring her back, not change what had happened to her.

But if there was anything good about this world was that he had had the tools to continue to torture the man for the past twenty-eight years. But he had never snapped as he had that night.

He had always seemed civil, but his emotions had gotten the better of him, choosing to act on them rather than in his more cunning ways of getting what he wanted.

And now I'm locked up... again. Memories of that prison Cinderella had sent him into came flooding into his mind. A flash of something else came into Gold's mind, but it wasn't Mr. Gold's memory, no, it was Rumpelstiltskin's.

He remembered, he himself had locked Belle up. Ever since the day he had brought her to his castle, he had locked her up in that small cell, her own prison for many months. I know how you must have felt, Gold thought as he recalled his own time as a prisoner.

It almost made Gold laugh. He had imprisoned the one thing he now wished he could have protected, the thought ironically amusing to him.

His story reminded him of something that was part of this world, a humorless smile tugging his lips upward.

Earlier in this life, Gold had been familiarized with Disney, someone in this world that gave an excuse of these so called 'fairytales,' making the mere thought seem foolish and nothing but mere stories, turning the dark and twisted life of everyone here seem like a colorful, musical spectacle.

The biggest problem that these storied had was that there are no happy endings, even in Fairy Tale Land, or whatever the name of the place was called. Pain, murder, suffering, they were there just as much as here, but here, he wasn't a cursed man.

Being with Belle could be a possibility here, he could have his power and have the love of his life. There, he would be alone, shunned and hated by all of the kingdoms.

Gold had to keep hope that somehow, somewhere, his Belle had actually survived, and was somewhere in Storybrooke, waiting for her scaly knight in leather armor to come rescue her. It was precisely this small glimmer of hope, if imprudent, that Rumpelstiltskin had long abandoned, that bloomed in Mr. Gold's chest, kept him from saying anything to young Henry.

Oh the times, the chances he could have had to tell that child some stories. The book was an accident, and not on his part. After all, why would he leave a place where he was more powerful than ever before, having the power to play with the lives of others, but still be a man?

No, he never wanted to leave this world, not if he could help it, even if it would be quiet worth it to see the Queen's face when Emma did end up setting things right again. He knew that day was coming, it was simply inevitable, but, if he could change something, find the girl, maybe everything would be okay.

Gold knew that it was too late for him to turn back from the powers he was given, but maybe he had a chance of getting everything, and in that process, he would leave the queen with nothing.

It was here, in this dingy 21st century cell, that Rumpelstiltskin made the same vow he had made as the curse began.

"I will find you, Belle, no matter the price." He bent his face down to gently kiss the cup before he heard a door opening and Emma walking in.

Now, he thought, but with a strange maniacal tone, it begins.

A/N: Sorry it seemed like such a short oneshot for such a good episode. I rewrote this one so many times you wouldn't believe it, I just could never get it right, so I just stuck with this. Hope you like it. I particularly like the part about Disney. I got that idea from my little brother trying to understand my explanation of the episode Skin Deep and how it was like Beauty and the Beast. He was so confused that I just told him, "Disney is some sick trick brought by the Evil Queen, Once Upon a Time is real." My mom was in the room when I said that and she facepalmed, I am such a nerd. :)