Rumple still maintained his tight grip on her arm as they appeared in the main hall with a wosh! Belle let out a gasp as he released her and she fell to the chair below her with a plop. Her legs felt like noodles and her heart beat wildly in her chest as Rumplestiltskin dropped the crumpled ad into her lap. With tears washing down her cheeks she unwodded the paper and read it. She didn't look up at him, she didn't think she could stand to see the hurt that must surely be etched on his face. She crumpled the paper back up and held it in her hands with her eyes closed, waiting for him to speak.

Rumple just stood there in frount of her chair, watching her reaction to the paper in her hands, when she refused to look at him, he reached down and gently lifted her chin to him, her eyes remained downcast. "Look at me now", Belle's eyes locked with his, they were full of questions and hurt. "So, this IS you then, why did you lie to me?"

Belle gathered her courage, she pushed herself up by the arms of the chair to stand before him, this took an enormous amount of strength on her part, her husband would have punished her severly for such a bold action. "I had no choice, I am sorry for hurting you though, I see now that it was a mistake." Her woeful eyes pleaded for his understanding.

Rumple wasn't letting her get off so easily, he couldn't bear to look at her face so he took to his usual pacing the floor in frount of the fire place.

"I should have foreseen this, I mean the signs were right there in frount of me, now weren't they dearie." He turned and approached her, Belle withdrew a few paces from him out of fear. He continued, "what peasant girl never layed eyes on a spinning wheel, or knows how to read for that matter. His hands reached out for her grabbing her wrists in a vice grip. He held up her delicate, soft hands, "These are not the callosed hands of a peasant, they are the soft fingers of a well born lady." He flung her arms away as if they had burned him some how, she hugged her self with her rejected arms, all the while backing up towards the doors.

Rumple abruptly turned his back on her and walked back to the fireplace and with a small wave of his hand a roaring fire crackled to life. He rested his hands on the mantle, his face was solem as he stared down into the flames and continued to speak.

"Gale." he stopped for a moment and sighed at his mistake, "I mean Belle, this is one of the many reasons I don't get involved with people, they are all decievers, liers. I make deals, thats what I do, I control the most powerful magic this realm has to offer, If you let a person get close, they will take everything from you, It's happened before. It was careless of me to have just taken you at your word, I can see that now." His voice took on a low tone with finality laced in it, "Our deal is done, tommrow you go, I will see that you have provisions for where ever it is you are going, goodnight to you."

Belle pressed her lips together in an attempt not to make a sound, she nodded her head as she turned and headed for her room, closing the doors as she exited the hall. The sound of the doors shutting seemed to resinate through the entire castle. With heavy steps Belle accended the stairs that led to her room, well his room.

When she reached her santuiary she collapsed on the bed weeping. He had told her to go, she didn't blame him, she should have trusted him more. She sat up and begin to undress, as she slipped on his honey colored shirt out of his wardobe, she pulled the collar of it up around her nose, breathing in his scent, It smelled like spice and wood, his scent, she would have to remember it. finally she got up and retrevied a cold rag from the washing room and washed off her haggard looking face. Tears continued to leak out of her swollen eyes as she pulled back the covers and climbed in, she gazed around the room as if trying to commit everything to memory, she had been cleaning the room at night after she was done with her regular chores and she watched the trinkets and jewelry sparkle against the light from the fireplace. If only she had confided in him, she had grown to care for him a great deal in the time that she had came here, she hadn't told him that either, perhaps she was the deciever he had accused her of being she told her self. Gaston had called her that many times when he accused her of foiling his plans for an heir, telling her it was something she had done. Perhaps it had been. She hugged his shirt around her body wishing it could have been different, wishing she could be different, anything but the monster she was.

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Rumple drew back and struck the mantle with his fist as the sound of the doors being shut echoed through the hall. The day drew on past midnight as he stared into the flames from his chair by the fire. She had said she had no choice, of course she dam well had a choice and she had made hers just as he had made his. His foot continusally tapped the floor as all the pent up anger built up inside of him. Why hadn't he just kicked her out when he caught her sleeping in the hall that day. oh yes, her leg had been injured, he had felt pity for her beaten body, she had been badly hurt. He remembered wondering what had hapened, then those scars on her back, she had told him it was from being puinshed for stealing. He closed his eyes, thinking about the horrible things she had endured. that had not been a punishment from stealing, then the realization began to dawn on him, that night in the stable when he had startled her from her sleep and she had screamed this Gaston's name, it had been in stark fear. Suddenly the tea tray episode made perfect sence. this person, he was her husband. The thought that she belonged to someone else made him feel sick at his stomach. This man had inflicted those wounds upon her body, she had been fleeing him, she knew he would try to seek her out, thats why she hadn't said anything. He stood up, "You fool" he said out loud, as he started for her bedroom.

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the next chapter should be juicy! thank you all for the nice reviews.