I don't own any characters from Once Upon a Time.

Thank you so much to everyone who read/favorited/followed my story. Reviews are very much appreciated!

Chapter 6

"Yes, Ms. French. What can I do for you today?" Gold greeted Belle without a trace of anger from his previous conversation with Renik.

"Hello, Mr. Gold. I wanted to discuss the loan payment that's due on the flower shop tomorrow."

"I am afraid I have an urgent matter to attend to but if you wouldn't mind taking a drive with me, we can discuss it on the way."

A few minutes later, Gold stopped the car and walked toward the well in the woods with Isabelle at his side. A pulse of energy ripped through the air signifying the breaking of the curse. A while later, a cloud of purple smoke enveloped the town before it too dissipated into the ether. When they drove back into town a very shell shocked Belle walked with Rumplestiltskin into his shop. Immediately, Rumplestiltskin dialed Leena's phone again as he kept doing on the drive back, but there was still no answer. He decided to make Belle tea, let her stay in the shop until she was ready to go find her father, and go home to look for Lee. The tremendous sense of relief that flooded his body when he saw her walking into the shop almost made him drop the kettle he was holding. Unfortunately, the only thing Lee saw were two the cups on a tray. The look of sadness that Rumplestiltskin saw in her eyes but didn't quite understand shocked him to the core.

"Leena, please, it's all right." He started walking out from behind the counter to reach her.

But in those few seconds he saw her straighten and noticed her posture become more rigid. When she met his eyes again all that remained was the even tempered, unemotional look of a fighter-for-hire.

"Ah, so you were reunited with someone from our old world," She greeted Rumplestiltskin with a smile.

"Leena, I was just going to look for you. I tried to call but there was no answer."

"No, I was talking to…someone else."

"I see Renik didn't waste any time becoming a font of information, did he?"

"I guess he figured that I should be prepared for whatever happened. Anyway, the reason I came by was to let you know that I'll be staying at Granny's for a while. It will be easier that way for both of us."

"Lee, you don't have to leave our home."

"If you remember, in the old world I was a fighter-for-hire. Taking care of myself was the one thing I knew how to do. Now, I should remember how to do that well enough to get a room at Granny's." She seemed in a hurry to get the words out. "You don't owe me anything Rumplestiltskin, our marriage was something the curse forced to happen." Once again a look of sadness flickered but immediately disappeared from her eyes.

"Lee, please." He tried to stop her once again.

"We can talk more about this later…if you want. I will just be at Granny's."

As Belle stood by the curtain listening to their conversation she realized that this was the first time she heard a note of pleading in Rumplestiltskin's voice. After Lee left and Rumplestiltskin placed the tea tray on the table in the back of the shop, she got up and held his hand in her own.

"For the duration of the curse, Regina gave me a life in which I was married" Rumplestiltskin knew he couldn't keep Belle in the dark any longer. Belle nodded and looked down at the floor.

"To the woman who was just here?" She asked. Her blue eyes, when she glanced back at Rumplestiltskin offered kindness and understanding.

"Yes."

"She still means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"Yes. I am sorry Belle." As the words escaped from his lips, the idea of hurting her pierced his soul.

"That's OK, Rumple. We just need to be honest with each other. I still love you."

"And I love you, Belle but…not in the way you deserve to be loved."

"Rumple, there is something I have to tell you too. The Evil Queen didn't imprison me immediately after I left you. The first person I met on the road was King Robert of the Western Realm."

"I know who that is Belle. That's Cinderella's father in law, Prince Thomas' father."

"When he found out that I needed a place to stay, he offered me a room in his castle. I had nowhere else to go so I accepted. I told him, briefly, about my past, and he told me that I was the bravest person he ever met. Afterwards, he not only gave me a room, he let me learn how to restore books with the expert he had working in his library. I stayed with him for a year before the Evil Queen caught me. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

"And you started to have feelings for him, didn't you," Belle looked away and nodded.

"That's OK, Belle. I am not angry with you. I am glad you had someone who looked after you." When she looked back up at him again, there was relief in her eyes.

"All I am saying Rumple is…maybe we shouldn't make any decisions right now. Maybe we should just see where our feelings for each other take us."

He reached out and stroked the hair on the side of her face but before he could say anything else both of them jumped at the sound of the bell above the door. They heard quick footsteps coming toward the back and a musical voice that could only belong to one person calling,

"Grandfather, are you in here?"

The curtain to the back room was torn open and Renik's wife, a beautiful dark haired woman in high heels and grey dress made of the softest mohair, almost bowled him over as she flung herself into his arms.

"Marina." He leaned back against a desk for support, whispered her name, and simply held her in his arms. She finally pulled back with tears in her eyes and continued to hold on to his hands. It took a few moments for her to notice Belle but when she did, Marina opened her arms, and the two women hugged each other like old friends.