The Rag Girl and Her Guardian

Author's note: I do not own OUAT. And this is my first fanfic in a long time, so please be kind, last time I wrote the CW was still the WB. I based real world Belle a bit on River from Firefly. Anyway this is the first part of my story, like many of you I just had to get it out on paper. I think "Skin Deep" was by far the best episode so far and once again I do not own it. It takes place about a month after SD and Rumple/Mr. Gold has been let out of jail.

In a corner room of a place hidden from many lived a forgotten girl. Her cell walls were littered with chalk words "and they lived happily ever after…" these jagged letters kept her dream alive. The brunette girl, knots in her hair and tattered clothes squatted on the ground in the corner. She closed her blue eyes wanting to go back to that place with the gold dress, the prince, the castle, the queen, and the beast. Her beast. She heard the guard's feet down the concrete hallway, twenty feet away… ten… five… He was at her door. She closed her eyes and swiftly grabbed a handful of the dirt and held it tight. Today was the day.

"ALL RIGHT PRINCESS LUNCH IS HERE" the guard opened the door and put the food tray on the ground and glanced at the girl. "Hey Sugar you ok?" He walked towards her and as he touched her shoulder she turned glancing up at him she threw the dust in his face and grabbed the key from his side. "AHH YOU …" Too late she was already gone.

Left, Right, twenty steps up, down the hall and out the yard threw the hole in the fence. She didn't know how, but some force leads her out the right direction. She didn't care that her feet were getting scratched up running through the woods towards Main Street she knew she had to find someplace to hide soon. Building after building time was running out. She was finally drawn to Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop by the HELP WANTED sign in the window.

The bell on the door chimed as she entered the dusty shop filled with knick knacks, jewelry, and old furniture. Mr. Gold looked up from his spot behind the counter. "Can I help you, Dearie?" He asked seeing her panicked manner as she came towards him. The girl was in tattered rags and old shoes. Homeless maybe? She didn't dare look him in the eye but instead she kept her eyes to the floor "your sign, I'd like to help, please?" Mr. Gold gave her a slight nod, please was his magic word, but he was usually the one using it. "There is a sink in the back" he pointed to the door "why don't you clean off and then we can talk. Is there someone I should call? Family, friends? The sheriff, maybe?" Her eyes finally met his"Please no, I just… please don't" He wasn't one for compassion but she looked so much like his Belle, but was she? "Ok Dearie, I'll let you have your say" Mr. Gold said watching her go into the other room.

Belle went to the sink and let the cold water rush over her face and hands. She used her fingers to separate the tangles in her hair and stared at her reflection in the dusty mirror. She stayed quite as she heard the bell chime and the door to the shop opened.

"Good day Ms. Swan, haven't seen you since you locked me away last month. How have you been?" Mr. Gold asked not really caring. "Good, Thanks" Emma cocked her eyebrow at him, something was up with him but she couldn't tell what. "The Mayor called me and said a young lady escaped the psychiatric ward and was spotted on Main Street. You haven't seen anyone have you, Sir?" Mr. Gold looked around "no one here but us, I would suggest the diner". Emma didn't think he was telling the truth, and with no warrant she could not legally search the place so she turned "call the station if you see anyone suspicious, thank you for your time" and then the door chimed and she was gone.

"Coast is clear, Dearie" Mr. Gold said opening the door to the back room. He walked with his cane over to lean against the wall near her "I take it the Mayor isn't a fan of you, care to tell me why?"

She thought about it a moment. "My father put me in Dr. Hopper's care, he told her what I said, and she locked me up." The girl ran the towel over the scratches on her feet and looked up at Mr. Gold with a slight smile "I was normal and one day something snapped in my mind. I couldn't get this silly fairytale story out. I was a princess and there was an evil witch, it all felt so real, you know? I was waiting for a prince and instead I got locked in the dungeon. Spinning wheel" her eyes glazed for a moment like she was somewhere else. Mr. Gold didn't reply he just watched her. "My father wouldn't even come see me in that place. So, I don't want to see him. He left me there. It was cold, dark…" she let out a familiar little crazy laugh that was his in the other world "I don't even know what day it is"

Mr. Gold walked over to the little stove and lit a fire under a tea pot. He wanted to tell her that everything will be ok now, that he would not let the same thing happen twice, but he felt if he said the wrong thing she would spook and run, so he simply replied "it's Sunday"

He poured the tea into two cups and waved for her to come over. He watched her make her way across the room; he thought she was very pretty under the layer of dirt. "My name's Isabel" she said putting the cup to her lips. "Welcome to my shop Ms. Isabel, I'm Mr. Gold" Isabel laughed again.

"Gold running a pawn shop? That's… what's the word?" She could not find some of the words she used to know.

"Ironic, yes, but I find value in the things here, you'll see if you stay. The job is to tidy up, dusting, things of that nature, watching the shop when I'm out" He explained to her. She thought it over a moment "I need clothes, all I have is this" she looked down at herself. He nodded; he had been watching her face and almost forgotten the rags she was still wearing.

"Under the table there are two boxes of clothes, people think they can just drop them off here like a Goodwill, you may have anything you find Ms. Isabel" Mr. Gold said kindly.

She put the cup down and pulled out the first box. "It's like Christmas" she said taking a medium blue shift, some tennis shoes, and a pair of cargo pants out the box.

Mr. Gold looked around the shop; everything from the old chandelier to the dresser in the corner reminded him of her. "You'll need a place to stay. I've called and reserved you a room at Grannie's B&B, they owe me a favor" he called out to her. Isabel made her way thru the door and gave him a peculiar look. "Why? Why do you look at me as if I am made of glass and why are you doing all of this for me? You heard what the sheriff said, I'm crazy! And I think I believe her" Isabel had tears coming down her face now.

"You aren't Be…Isabel" He paused a moment, the slip of the tongue was not like him. Mr. Gold sighed and explained it to her simply "You've made an unwanted enemy in Regina and that makes you an asset to me" Mr. Gold said taking out a handkerchief he handed it to her. "I see no reason to lie to you; in fact it makes me want to help you even more." Isabel wiped her tears away with the cloth and listened to him "and from me?"

"A favor one day, when you are ready" Mr. Gold said with a true genuine smile.

to be continued...