A/N Dear Rumbellers who have finished reading this story on ao3 - please desist from leaving spoiler reviews. As much as I adore feedback, I will not moderate and publish those as I believe them to be unfair to other innocent souls. I tagged this fic properly and you have nothing to warn people against.

In case you desire to take your anger out, feel free to leave me a private hate message, I'm known to respond to them all. Do we have a deal?

After Belle fell asleep, Rumpelstiltskin began thinking about their escape. The wooden bars were made of aspen, a tree often believed to give protection against evil forces. While in most cases it was merely superstition, this particular aspen must have been centuries old, for it vibrated with primal magic. There were several spells woven into the wood too. The cage didn't restrain his magic, apparently, but he could not damage, bend or transform the bars. In fact, anything he tried to do to them proved fruitless. They had to be opened from outside by someone else.

Opening Belle's cell door was easier – he'd seen the guards carrying the key. All he needed was to lure them close enough to grasp it or summon it with a spell. In the end, the task proved to be even simpler than he expected.

Belle stirred in her sleep, turning onto her back. It was almost time for their morning meal and Rumpelstiltskin decided today would be the day to act. There was no need to wait, he wanted to move on. Suddenly it all became clear, he knew exactly what he had to do.

"Hey," he called out to Belle softly. She opened her eyes, still dreamy from sleep and smiled at him. She always smiled at him like that – gentle instead of mocking, as if she was really happy to see him. Such a strange creature that girl was.

"Did you tell them what they wanted to know? Tell them who hired you to assassinate Snow White?"

Belle's smile faded at that and she shook her head in a silent no. That was exactly the answer he wanted to hear.

When the prison duty boy brought them the portion of slop no one would dare to call food and pushed the tray closer to the cell, Rumpelstiltskin slowly moved to the front of his cell. He was careful not to startle the guy and pressed his face between the bars.

"Boy, sweet boy," he cooed, "Would you do me a favor?"

Judging by the look on the boy's face, he'd much rather run away from the Dark One and never return than do him any kind of favor. Rumpelstiltskin decided the fellow needed a little incentive. He made a gold coin appear in his hand, stretching his palm out towards the boy, rolling the coin over in his fingers and making it walk along his knuckles. The gold glittered, reflecting the light of the torch and the lad's eyes were fixed on it. He seemed mesmerized by it and moved slightly closer to the cell to hear the sorcerer out.

"That's better," Rumpelstiltskin went on. "You can have it if you call the guard for me. Tell him I've got something important to say to him."

The boy nodded, indicating he understood. Rumpelstiltskin flicked the coin up with his thumb, sending it flying towards the boy, who caught it in mid-air. The lad bit down on it, trying to verify whether the gold was genuine. Rumpelstiltskin smirked, the boy had probably never held any gold in his hands before, besides, if he wanted to fool him, testing the metal with teeth would prove as useful as tits on a bull. But he seemed satisfied with how the coin tasted and hopped away without saying a word.

Belle watched the scene quietly. She didn't ask any questions or try to interfere, for which he was grateful. A few moments later Rumpelstiltskin heard heavier steps approaching their cell. Even from a distance he could see the heavy key ring at the man's side. Luck was apparently on his side today.

When the guard stepped into the circle of lights thrown by the torch on the wall, Rumpelstiltskin narrowed his eyes. It was the same bearded man who brought unconscious Belle back. Rumpelstiltskin gritted his teeth, feeling bile and anger rise up his throat.

"What do you want, imp?" the guard said roughly, stopping several meters away from the cells.

"The little bird here confessed who her employer was," Rumpelstiltskin said with fake amusement, his unquenchable rage growing stronger each second.

"So?" The guard barked. He was big but his nature clearly did not give him enough brains to process even that little of information.

"So," Rumpelstiltskin snarled, "I thought you could take the name to Prince Charming and collect the reward."

"Well, what is it?"

"It's a secret," the Dark One giggled. "Come closer, I'll whisper it to you. We don't want anyone to overhear and outgo you, do we?"

The simpleton did just that, following his beckoning finger and stepping closer to lean over to the bars. The moment the guard was within his reach, Rumpelstiltskin's hand darted out with lightning speed, seizing the man by his throat and lifting him up effortlessly despite his victim being a head taller than the sorcerer and likely twice his weight. The guard made a gurgling noise, his body jerking but Rumpelstiltskin's hand held him tight. Belle shrieked to his left.

"No, no, let go of him!" she shouted, as the man's body began to convulse from lack of air. He clawed against the hand clasping his throat but there was no chance of him getting free.

"Rumpelstiltskin! No, please!" Belle was crying at that point. "Don't do it".

The Dark One did not care. Her voice sounded distant, coming through the noise of blood pounding in his ears. He grinned, bearing his teeth in a beastly snarl. It felt good - being in control, feeling so powerful. He closed his fingers around the guard's windpipe, the long fingernails piercing the skin and drawing blood. It trickled along the Dark One's fingers and down the man's neck, gluing the hairs of his beard together and staining the top of his shirt.

Rumpelstiltskin let his hatred take control, the hot rage running through his veins, filling him with strange, dark glee. He enjoyed causing pain. He liked deciding who was to live and who – to die. This thick-skulled guard made him worried. He hurt Belle and he had to pay for it.

The sorcerer held on until the pulse in the man's heart grew fainter under his fingers and he could no longer feel his heartbeat. Only when the light left the guard's eyes did Rumpelstiltskin unclench his grip around his neck, letting the guard's limp body drop to the floor with a sickening thud, the man's arms and legs bent at odd angles.

He turned to Belle who was sobbing uncontrollably. All his fury was gone, drained out of him as suddenly as it appeared, when Rumpelstiltskin saw the streaks of tears on her face and the red marks from her own fingernails on her cheeks. She was shaking and had her eyes closed.

He bent down, reaching for the key on the guard's belt and having released it from the ring, threw the thing into her cell. Belle's eyes flew open when the key landed next to her right foot, but she made no move it pick it up. She could probably barely see with all the tears pooling in her eyes.

"Pick it up and get out of the cell," Rumpelstiltskin commanded through his gritted teeth. "Then pull that trigger on the wall and we shall get the hell out of here."

Belle bent down, grabbed the key and tried pushing it into the lock from the front of her cell door. Her hands were shaking so badly it took her several attempts before she succeeded, the lock giving up with a soft click. She pushed the door open and stepped out. She whimpered when her eyes caught the dead body on the floor, sprawled like a quaint puppet and she turned away. Taking a few steps she approached the lever on the wall but she hesitated. Rumpelstiltskin knew what she was thinking. She was shocked and frightened and she wanted to flee, leaving him captured here.

"We made a deal," he hissed. "You promised to come with me. Now open - my - cell."

He was bluffing of course. The deal was more of a show, binding her to nothing. She promised to become his apprentice if he helped her escape, but their contract did not specify the terms or time limits. Technically, if she left him in the dungeon, the deal would still be effective, but Belle did not know it.

She lowered the lever and the bars to his cell opened like an ugly mouth of some beast. Stepping briskly over the discarded body of the guard, Rumpelstiltskin grabbed Belle around her waist, pulling her against him and both of them disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.