Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This one was inspired by "I'd Come for You" by Nickleback.

"W-wha...Town? Y-you trust me to came back?"She was confused. He never let her go past the gates before.

He was as calm as ever when he spoke."Oh, Belle. I expect I'll never see you again."

Belle stood up slowly, never taking her eyes off of Rumpelstiltskin. He was letting her go? That would break their agreement, and he never went back on his deals. She finally tore away from his gaze and headed upstairs to grab her cloak and a basket. Something had changed his mind. That, or maybe he never cared for her at all.

Just as he'd suspected, Belle wasn't back when the sun began to set. That, however, did not stop him from pacing in his tower. Rumpelstiltskin kept pacing and did not notice Draco come up the stairs. In his haste, he nearly stepped on the dragon's tail. Draco's screech broke him from his revere, and Rumpelstiltskin looked down at him. Finally exhausted, he flopped down in his chair and let Draco climb onto his lap.

"She's not coming back, boy,"he said almost pitifully as he petted the dragon. Draco seemed to understand and whined."I know, but I'll let you her one last time."

Rumpelstiltskin grabbed the magic mirror off of the table and held it before Draco."Show me Belle."

His own reflection in the mirror began to swirl until they no longer saw him. Instead, they now saw Belle. She clutched her cloak tightly with one hand and clutched the basket of straw in the other. She looked cold and tired, but she kept going. So, she was coming back. Draco realized this as well and began to bounce in his lap.

Just as he was about to put the mirror away, Rumpelstiltskin saw her stop. Two men, obviously bandits, stood in her path, and another three came up behind her. The mirror would not allow him to hear what they said, but Rumpel didn't need to see anymore. Leaving a growling Draco behind, he sent himself to Belle as fast his magic could take him. The spell landed him in the woods a few feet away behind the bandits who had now backed Belle near a tree.

"Now what's a pretty girl like you doing in these woods alone?"asked the one in the middle.

"I'm simply fetching some straw for my friend. He really needs it and will be worried if I'm any later."

"And just who is this friend of yours?"asked another one.

He could tell she was scared but saw her hand drift to touch her thigh. She still had his dagger with her and whispered his name. It was so low that her attackers didn't hear it, but it echoed throughout Rumpelstiltskin's head. The group advanced on her like a pack of wolves forcing her to take a step back. She didn't notice the slight change in the ground's level and lost her footing. She hit the ground with a sharp cry, and the men began to laugh at her.

This filled Rumpelstiltskin with a rage he hadn't felt since he killed the duke and his men. How dare they laugh at the pain of such a kind woman. He was behind the biggest one and had him face first on the ground with his hand around his throat before he could blink. He sat on the brute's back and held him there. His original plan was to get Belle out, but now they were going to pay.

"I think she means me."

One of them was smart and realized his identity."R-R-Rumpelstiltskin!"

The Dark One gave them all a demented smile."That's my name."He easily flipped off of the large man's back and landed next to Belle."The question is why are you troubling my caretaker in my woods?"

The brute got up, rubbing the dirt from his face with a glare."These aren't your woods. They're ours. We don't have to answer to a freak like you."

This one obviously wasn't too bright, but the one who'd recognized him took a step back."Give me the dagger, Belle,"he whispered.

"Rump...What are you-?"

"Hush now, dearie. Everything will be alright just give me the dagger. I'm not going to waste my magic on these punks."

She slid it from the scabbard and passed it to the waiting hand he held behind his back. He squeezed the hilt tightly and began to smile at the men before him."Freak you say? If I'm just a freak then even a imbecile like you should have no problem handling me."

Still on the ground, Belle had to keep from choking. Was he insane? It was five against one. There was no way he could take them all without magic, and if he was distracting them for her, there was no point. Her ankle wasn't going to allow her to move without help. Now enraged, the largest one charged with a large fist aimed right at Rumpelstiltskin's face with the others behind him. Belle closed her eyes and plugged her ears. She didn't want to see or hear him get killed because of her.

After what seemed like an eternity, she felt a hand touch her cheek, but she refused to open her eyes. The figure easily removed her hands from her ears, and she could feel his breath against her neck.

"It's safe, dearie. You can look now."

Her eyes snapped open at the sound, and she saw Rumpelstiltskin grinning at her. He was completely unharmed. The wasn't a scratch or a drop of blood on him. Belle shot forward and wrapped her arms around him. He was shocked at first but soon returned the hug.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, you crazy man. I thought you'd been slaughtered.

"I make no promises, but I'll try as long as you learn to have a bit more faith in me. It was only five men. Four really since one was smart enough to run, but he didn't get far. It's nice to see that you care though."

"Of course I care. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

A lump formed in his throat at her words. She was lying. She had to be."You'd be free. You could go back to your father."

"And do what? Marry Gaston and become a trophy wife to that arrogant fool? No. I rather stay where I'm happy with you and Draco in our home."

Home. He'd never used that word to describe the Dark Castle. Before Belle, it had just been a place to store his gold, potions, and the things he'd acquired through his deals. He rarely even stayed in it before she came into his life. Now, he was happy to get back there as fast as possible, and it looked a bit brighter and less gloomy thanks to her. Home described it perfectly now. Rumpelstiltskin pulled away from her with a smile.

"Then lets go home."

Belle smiled back at him and blushed a bit."I'm going to need some help getting up."

He placed the dagger back in its scabbard quickly, but she still saw the small flecks of blood that he'd missed. After rising to full height, he slung the basket over his shoulder and gathered her up into his arms as if she were a doll.

"Rum-"

"Just let me take care of you for once, dearie. Your ankle is twisted, and you're obviously cold."

He had figured her out that fast and was completely right. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder."This doesn't change anything. We made a deal, and I still want my story."

Rumpelstiltskin simply laughed."I remember, and I will uphold our deal. After, I get you warm and bandage that ankle of yours, that is."

"Yes, Rum."She wrapped her arms around his neck as he began to walk since they were so close to home."Thank you for saving me. If you hadn't come-"

He cut her off there. He didn't even want to imagine losing her."It's no problem, dearie. Dagger or no dagger, I'd alway come for you if you needed me."

She smiled at this and closed her eyes."What happened to letting me go?"

"Seeing as how you get into trouble the minute I let you out of my sight, I figure you are safer with me."

Safe. That was exactly what she felt with him. In the arms of monster who had just killed five men and maybe more before this, she felt completely safe and protected. For the life of her, Belle couldn't find a single problem with it.

TBC