*~*~*Collaboration between YoshiSkittlez as Rumpelstiltskin and I as Evelyn Hyde and Belle*~*~*

After Rumpelstiltskin uttered his famous words 'The deal is struck', Hyde's grin seemed to widen. 

"Pleasure doing business with you, Imp," 

However, after Hyde said that, she said "Congratulations, Mr. Gold. You have now lost your humanity..." her blackened eyes darted behind Gold for a brief moment, and her grin widened,

"Oh I've lost that long ago dearie-"

"-And your girl..." 

Hyde walked past Gold casually and walked up the stairs, passing by a certain someone without laying a hand on her...and disappeared into the sunlight, leaving instead Heather Jekyll to walk on into Storybrooke. The person Hyde walked past was none other than Belle.

Mr. Gold turned his head towards where Evelyn had been looking past, finding Belle's angelic face looking into the basement from outside. His heart and stomach seemed to suddenly switch places in his chest, but his body otherwise remained vigil, ungiving to anything he might have been feeling right then. Technically, he had done nothing wrong.

Belle had seen the whole incident and her jaw had dropped and hurt was clear in her eyes.

Mr. Gold headed up the stone stairs and out the door, letting himself out into the lavish, green back yard of his home only stopping when he was about four or so feet from Belle, letting both of his hands rest on the top of his cane. He noted that she had put the clothes she had taken from his shop back on and silently swore, forgetting once again that she was in need of something much better. Though shopping in the middle of a town-wide panic didn't sound like the best of ideas, and he had all but exhausted his magic by getting them from the Sheriff's station to his home, so magically conjuring up some at least temporary clothes wasn't the answer either...perhaps he could convince her to put on one of his pajama suits - no -
no he couldn't even do that without feeling he would lose all primal control of himself...[i]shit[/i].

It was hard looking past the hurt she held in her blue eyes, but again he felt as if he hadn't done anything wrong. He twisted the cane underneath his hands a bit nervously and fashioned a soft smile.

"Hey."

Belle found her words once again, and she said to him, hurt lacing her words, "Rumpelstiltskin...you lied to me again...! You said you wouldn't kill Regina. How could you?" Her eyebrows knitted together as she spoke and she was doing her best to keep herself from shedding any tears. 

"What? Oh no, I kept my word." Mr. Gold assured her, braving a single step closer to Belle. "[i]I[/i]...will not kill her..."

Belle took a single step back when he braved a single step forwards. She pointed out "You toy with words...just as you toy with people. Are you even going to help the first woman at all?"

"The first wo- ah, that." He stopped himself after realizing just how much of their conversation she must have seen. "They're the same person. It's a bit...complicated...but yes, I am going to help her. I've yet to break any of my deals, and this one will be no different."

Belle shook her head and she stated in disappointment and hurt "Rumpel, you still lied to me. You're still making the wrong choices. I thought you [i]changed[/i]..."

Mr. Gold scoffed, unable to hold his tongue.

"Oh what, in the hour you've known me?" Immediately he winced, regretting the words coming out of his mouth before he was even able to finish.

Belle took another step back as though she had just been slapped by his scoff. She closed her mouth, and she turned around, walking away in complete silence.

"Belle...I'm sorry..." He called after her, feeling his heart and stomach switching places again.

Belle only stopped once and she looked at him briefly. Her hurt expression was covered with a stubborn and stern mask. 

"Belle I'm sorry..." He said again after meeting her eyes, the pleading clear in his voice. "I am."

Belle didn't answer, she instead turned and continued walking away until she was out of his sight. She headed off to go and find her father. 

Mr. Gold shook his head, his nostrils flaring as a moment of heated anger pulsed through him, causing his arm to raise his cane and brought the handle down on the pane of glass that served as a window into the basement. The glass shattered upon impact, the sound somehow helping in his fit of rage. He shouldn't feel bad about this, he [i]wouldn't[/i]. Every step closer to finding Baelfire was a step away from Belle, and even though the small, personal steps inbetween provided enough of a wedge between them to make him realize that he couldn't have both. He was stupid to think that he could, he didn't deserve her, not one bit. Perhaps...perhaps this was best. A single tear squeezed itself out of the corner of his eye, falling to the grass beneath his feet as he hobbled himself back into the house, shutting the sliding glass door with more force than necessary but surprisingly the glass remained intact.

[i]"Now where did I put that bottle?"[/i]