They fell into their new lives easily. It had been years since they went by their given names, but it felt good to finally be able to introduce herself as Belle. The blonde hair dye easily washed off in the shower. She was also finally able to put her college degree to good use. While Gold opened up a pawn shop (they'd stolen enough valuables over the years to keep the window display interesting) and started buying properties, she worked on reopening the Storybrooke Public Library.

Even though they settled in the coastal Maine town, he was still mentally a man on the run. The pink Victorian house they bought felt like a temporary living space at most times. It wasn't until she convinced him to put some of their finer antiques on display that the house began to feel more like a home. Little by little they were getting used to staying in one place, but it was hard.

Neither of them could shake the guilt of all they'd done over the years. When they decided they had to kill Zelena in order to be free of her, he hadn't let Belle kill her. He wanted to be the one to bear that burden. While Belle waited in the Cadillac late that night, he knocked Zelena out, letting her bleed to death on top of a garbage bag. It was him who cut up the body parts and stuffed them into separate garbage bags. He texted her when he was finished. While she cleaned the house of any evidence that they'd been there, he took most of the bags of body parts, disposing of them in different bodies of water. She only had one bag, which she dumped in a lake on her way home to put on a white dress for church.

He still felt the blood on his hands. He liked Zelena even less than Belle did, but she would find him in the middle of the night scrubbing at his hands. She suggested he talk to Dr. Hopper, but Gold insisted he would die with this burden.

He was a sinner, but she loved him. Belle never pictured herself growing up and falling in love with someone capable of murder, but she felt safe around him. Initially it was surprising that the first man to treat her with decency was capable of terrible things, but he'd always been careful around her. Even their first few times in bed he was scared of hurting her.

Everyday they feared being caught. If not for what they did to Zelena, then for the dozens of other crimes they committed while working for her. The town seemed friendly and welcoming at first, but Gold gained a bad reputation as he became everyone's landlord. The town alienated him, alienating her by extent. She could tell that everyday he held himself back from giving into the devil inside him and reverting to their old ways. He knew he wasn't a landlord, just as she knew she wasn't a librarian. They were criminals. It was who they always will be.

She thought that finding a home in Storybrooke would be easy. But they were out of their fucking elements. The burden of being a killer would haunt him no matter how comfortable their home felt. She wished she could take the burden from him. She wished she could go back in time and change something so that he didn't carry this immense guilt around.

When she met him she'd only been working for Zelena for a month doing small tasks on the computer. She'd been overcome with guilt after their first bank robbery in Chicago, but he'd told her that she had to tell herself that she was doing the right thing. The more she repeated it the more it felt true. If she wasn't working for Zelena she surely would be living on the streets. Zelena got to her at just the right time. Belle was desperate for work when she met Zelena. She knew that the crimes she committed were terrible, but she was able to use the money she stole to pay for online college. In a time of desperation, she could forgive herself for her shoddy self-preservation methods. It was her only option.

He did the dishes; he always insisted that he do the chores since his work hours weren't as long as hers. She suspected he liked to keep his hands busy. She sat on the counter, a glass of wine by her side and a book open in her lap. When he seemed preoccupied with the dishes she let her eyes wander over his slim form. He'd shed his jacket and waistcoat, working with his sleeves rolled up. Biting her lip, she watched the muscles in his back and forearms work. Her stomach clenching, she slid off the countertop. She considered going up to him but decided against it. When they moved here, she'd expected they would make the rings on their fingers actually stand for something. They'd been in love for years; it made sense. For some reason, though, he seemed reluctant to settle down with her like that. She'd never understand him. She left the room, deciding to take a bath.

Standing next to the clawfoot tub, she ran her fingers under the running water, testing it for its warmth. After plugging the drain she unsuccessfully attempted to drag the zipper of her blue dress down her back.

Just then she felt arms around her waist, grabbing her and pressing her against the wall. Her hands rested flat on the wall, her forehead just barely touching it. Behind her, Gold buried his face in her hair, peppering her neck with open-mouthed kisses. His large hands ghosted over her stomach for a moment, before whirling her around to face him. He got to work pulling down her stockings and underwear, as she leaned back into the wall, too stunned to know where to put her hands. His pants fell to the ground, and he didn't bother stepping out of them.

Finding each other's mouths, he bunched her dress up around her waist, sliding into her already wet heat with ease. As he set up a rhythm, she grabbed onto his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his body so he could go deeper. With each thrust, he grunted into her mouth. His hand snaked down between them to rub circles around her clit. As she could feel her climax building, she tore her lips away from his in favor of nipping at his neck. He pounded into her, her nails scraping against the back of his shirt. She came with a cry, him following right after.

"You know 'hello' works, too." She teased as he lowered her slowly to the floor. When she came to her senses she realized the water was still running in the tub. Her eyes darted towards the edge, and she sighed upon seeing that it wasn't yet spilling over. "Join me?" She asked, turning off the faucet.

He nodded, "Need help with your zipper?" She let him unzip her dress and waited for him to take his shirt off.

She helped him into the tub, knowing his ankle must be killing him by now. She was his strength. She convinced Gold that he did what he had to do back in Alabama. He had no other options. Without him, they would still be working for Zelena. He wasn't exactly Prince Charming, but he did save both of them. He was good and he was bad and he was all that she had. She couldn't lose him to the darkness. They sat in the tub until their fingers were wrinkled; until they'd talked about so many mindless things that they could forget who they were. At the end of the day, they weren't criminals, they were just Gold and Belle and they were in love.