*~*~*Collaboration between YoshiSkittlez as Rumpelstiltskin and I as Belle and Dr. Faye Stevenson*~*~*

Belle walked through Storybrooke, realizing that she had no money on her person. How was she going to get a room at Granny's if she couldn't pay? She continued to walk on until she bumped into a figure wearing a white Doctor's jacket. The two stumbled a bit away from each other, and Belle started "Oh, I'm so sorry-"

"-No, no. I should apologize, I should've watched where I was go...ing..." The figure was none other than Faye, the woman Belle saw earlier. Faye seemed to pale a bit and she stated out loud, "It's you...! You saw the entire discussion..."

Belle nodded noticing how Faye seemed to get scared after seeing her. Belle nodded and said "Oh! Yes...I'm Belle. Who are you?"

"Here I'm known as Dr. Faye Stevenson...It's a pleasure to meet you, but I wish we met under better circumstances," 

Belle nodded in agreement. She asked "Rumpel mentioned that you were his apprentice...does that mean...that you're his new love now?"

Faye seemed to switch from pale to a slight shade of green as she answered with a repulsed look on her face, "No! No, of course not!" Faye shuddered at the thought, which seemed to make Belle chuckle a bit. 

Belle then noticed that Faye's clothes weren't covered in blood. She asked "Wait...are you going to...?"

Faye caught onto Belle's question and she answered "No. She already tried, but she's still alive...thankfully," Belle sighed and she said "Rumpel didn't get what he wanted..." She then realized what that meant and she looked to Faye in concern. The good doctor clearly noticed and she said "Don't worry, I can handle whatever is thrown at me," Belle sighed with relief and said "That's good to hear,"

Faye was silent as she nodded. After a few more moments of awkward silence, she said "He didn't do it out of bloodlust you know..."

Belle blinked and asked "What?"

Faye clarified, "Mr. Gold. He didn't send Hyde to kill Mayor Mills out of pure bloodlust. Hyde and I could tell what his intentions were...he did it to protect you," 

Belle blinked at the revelation, and she immediately decided to go see him. She said to Faye, "Thank you, Faye. I'll see you later," Faye nodded and said to her "Have a good night. And please...don't tell anyone about what you saw," 

Belle smiled at her and nodded saying, "Don't worry. I won't," Faye was surprised that Belle easily accepted, but she wasn't going to complain. Belle walked off, and Faye continued on her way back to her house.

*~*~*

Belle soon reached Mr. Gold's house. Not a single light was on in the Pawnbroker’s home, the darkness of the cloudy night seeming to envelop it into its open claws. It was a strange occurrence in Storybrooke; as the regulars would remember (if they ever had the misfortune) of walking by Mr. Gold’s home during the night and notice that at least the front room always had a light on; however dim a light none-the-less. But not tonight, tonight not even the light of the moon could illuminate the darkened house. Looking at it now, one would get the feeling of death.

There was, however, one light that had been lit on the entirety of Mr. Gold’s property. It was dim, and very easy to miss, but a soft light did come from the basement rather than the house itself. Light flickered out onto the gardens on the side of the house through the still shattered glass window the man had taken his cane to beforehand, having not bothered to clean it up.

Inside, a single candle had been lit, sitting promptly on a small circular end table in the corner of the basement having long been forgotten about. The flame flickered and hissed, threatening to go out as the flame had reached the bottom of the candle long ago, merely running on fumes anymore. The Pawnbroker didn’t seem to notice as he raised a metal flask to his lips once again and drained it dry of its contents.

Mr. Gold sat on the built-in seat of his spinning wheel, his free hand turning the wooden wheel in slow circles and filling the room with a dusty, creaking sound. There was no straw in the grinder; nothing to spin, but he kept going, his eyes lost in the trance of alcoholism combined with the lulling sound of the creaking spinning wheel. 

He didn’t [i]need[/i] the alcohol anymore, he had only turned to it to help dull the pain the lung cancer had impeded onto him; but just as magic had once been an addiction for the Imp back in The Enchanted Forest, he found that even now, as The Dark One once again, he simply couldn’t let go. He needed it, now more than ever. Belle was gone, left him for good this time he was sure, and not only that but he had just sent a monster on arguably his closest friend in Storybrooke.

Regina may have had her flaws, her many, many flaws, and the two fought with one another more than anyone else in the small town, but the two had come to a mutual understanding a long, long time ago as a realization came that they weren’t so entirely different from one another; that they needed one another despite their total detestation for the other. 

Love came in many ways, shapes and forms; it didn’t necessarily mean the emotion had to be romantic. It vexed the Pawnbroker when he had realized back at the station that he might have cared for Regina in some dark, twisted way, a time when it was too late to do anything about it. He would choose Belle’s safety over the friendship of the Evil Queen any day, that much was certain, but just knowing that didn’t help to dull the pain in his blackened heart where he felt a hole beginning to form, right in between the holes created by Belle and his daughter, Baelfire.

Belle noticed the light, and she headed for the basement. She knocked lightly, only to find that the door opened a little from her touch. She opened the door carefully, and she spoke softly, but hopefully loud enough to catch his attention, "Rumpel...?"

She entered the room slowly, as if he may lash out again.

The creaking of the spinning wheel had stopped and Rumpelstiltskin turned slowly to find the source of voice he heard through his ears, and felt in his heart. His appearance had become haggard. The suit jacket had been done away with long ago, leaving him in a simple blue collared shirt with a black vest over the top; however the buttons were either undone or missing. His suit pants fit him a lot more loosely now as his belt had been lost at some point and his once kempt hair splayed out in various directions, either sticking to the sweaty skin on his neck and forehead or sticking out in random directions. But perhaps the most noticeable change in the usually pristine-looking Pawnbroker were his eyes; blackened and glossed over, as if blind; dead.

Belle was startled at the sight of Rumpelstiltskin's blackened and almost dead eyes. The realization that her leaving had done this to him had sunk in completely, and Belle couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty. She didn't have any words to express her sadness or guilt at the sight of his condition. 

The Pawnbroker took in Belle's presence slowly, his face remaining completely placid until, moments later (due to the alcohol slowing his mind down) his thin lips twitched into a half smile, if for a brief moment.

"Hey."

Belle answered, her lips giving a slightly sad smile in return, "Hi," Her throat felt dry and she wasn't sure what to say to break the tension that was in the air. It took her a moment, before she stated, "I'm back..."

The words processed slowly, but he understood them clearly. However, instead of looking elated or even happy for the briefest of moments, he shook his head slightly.

"Why?"

"Because, I was worried about you," Belle answered with complete honesty. 

[i]I was worried about you[/i]. Words he hadn't heard directed towards him once in his life but what made it worse in his already aching heart was that he knew Belle meant it. Mr. Gold remained silent as he turned his attention back to the spinning wheel and watched it turn.

Belle sighed through her nose when he turned back to look at the spinning wheel. She remembered how it helped him forget...

She then stated out loud, her voice showing that she wasn't angry at all, "Regina's alive," There wasn't a single hint of malice in her voice. Just a statement that simply gave a reason as to why she wasn't angry with Rumpelstiltskin.

The creaking of the spinning wheel slowed, but did not stop, and the Pawnbroker kept his back to her.

"Then you got what you wanted." He said a bit coldly, before letting up a bit. "And I'm fine Belle, you can go."

Belle blinked at his words, and she asked, repeating his last word, confused and worried, "Go?" 

His shoulders fell as he stopped spinning the wheel once again and swiveled around on the seat and looked up at her thoughtfully.

"Because despite what you might think, I'm still a monster." He explained.

Belle kneeled so that she could look him in the eyes better, and she placed her hands gently on his shoulders. She said to him in response, "But don't you see? That's exactly the reason I have to stay," 

A ghost of a smile flickered at the corner of his mouth. He stooped down at the waist a bit to set the empty flask down by his feet before sitting up straight agian, putting a gentle hand on the side of her face and meeting her gaze.

"I will never understand you Belle..." He started, the flicker of a smile gradually returning to his lips. "...but I'll sure as hell try."

Belle simply smiled happily at his answer, and she lightly kissed him on the lips. Mr. Gold's arm reached out and took a hold of Belle's waist, pulling her back up onto her feet and then down onto his lap where he reciprocated her kiss, content to just hold her to him for the rest of the night.