Beauty and the Hunstman

Summary: A deal is made between two of the Queen's most valuable prisoners. Belle vows to reunite the Huntsman with his heart; he in turn promises to reunite her with the beast who'd stolen hers.

Pairings: Rumplestiltskin/Belle, Emma/Graham, The Queen/Huntsman

Disclaimers:I do not own OUAT or any of it's characters.

A/N: In a world where Graham isn't dead but Regina and Dr Whale convince Storybroke that he is! I'm still very much in denial about the death of the hot Irish Sheriff :-( I haven't written anything in a long time, but I decided to try my hand at some OUAT fiction!

Chapter 1 – Cracks in the Wall

The last thing he sees before his world slips into darkness is Emma's face, her eyes full of panic and the lips he'd just kissed screaming for help. When he finally awakes from the darkness the first thing he sees is grey; the padded walls, the door, the cot – everything varying shades of grey. His confusion deepened as his Sheriff's uniform had been replaced by hospital scrubs, as he started to sit up he could feel an ache in his chest and gave a wince of pain.

"Hello?" Graham's strained Irish voice broke the silence in the cell. The ache throbbed in his chest and suddenly he remembered. One moment he was kissing Emma, feeling more alive than ever, and the next he was on the floor having what he felt like was a heart attack.

"From this moment forward you will do everything that I say, and if you ever disobey me, if you ever try to run away… All I have to do is squeeze."

Her voice invaded his head as he was attacked by a memory from his former life. Regina, the Evil Queen in all her dark finery clutching his heart in her hand and using it to control him. He'd tried to run away, right into Emma's arms. Of course the Queen had tried to kill him, it made sense – what did not make sense was why she hadn't finished the job.

Cautiously Graham stood from his cot, the pain somewhat easing off from his chest as he approached the padded door, "Hello?"

The Sheriff gave a bang on the door as he called out, "Regina!"

He was met with no answer.

He had been so close to his heart, to his freedom form the Queen's hold. He could hear it call out to him, but he hadn't moved swiftly enough. Now he had no idea where he was and how long he'd be stuck there.

"Somebody let me out of here!"

The Sheriff was left in silence for over an hour before he could hear someone fiddling with a key to his cell door. Finally it opened and in walked the very person the young Sheriff had expected was behind this. Regina's heels clicked along the floor before she closed the door behind her and made her way over to sit on the cot beside him.

"It's good to see you awake Sheriff, you gave us quite a scare," the Mayor's face was etched with what appeared to be concern. Having known her for as long as he had, Graham could tell it was a façade – the only moments he had ever seen her show concern for anyone but herself was whenever the matter would concern Henry.

Or was it?

A blinding pain over took his head, forcing him to momentarily close his eyes as his mind was attacked by more images. Memories…

"It's nothing my dear – just a cold," a sickly old man protested, "No more,"

The Evil Queen's eyes were softer than the Huntsman had ever seen them, filled with genuine worry as she noticed how pale the old man was and the warmth of his forehead.

"Daddy do not argue with me," The Queen ushered the old man into his chambers, standing at the door way as she ordered him to his bed. "Get some rest, I will send a maid to tend to you,"

The Huntsman watched his Queen close the old man's door before she marched down the hall, black skirts blowing behind her before she stopped in front of him and handed him what appeared to be a list of ingredients.

"I expect these to be collected before night fall,"

There was no room for argument in her voice, and despite what he thought of the Queen – he knew her father was a good man, and in his own way he was almost just as much of a prisoner of the Queen as he was.

"Yes your Majesty,"

"Graham?"

The Sheriff startled into present day as he felt Regina's hand upon his shoulder, her dark eyes searching his. He flinched out of her touch and stood up from the cot.

"What's going on Regina?" he asked. "Why am I in here?"

"You've had a breakdown," Regina began to explain to him. "You'd been behaving rather peculiarly for days, searching for wolves in the forest, memory loss; you were even convinced you'd tried to hurt Mary Margret. Worst of all you tried to break into my father's tomb because you were convinced it's where I'd hidden your heart."

Graham frowned, "The last thing I remember is being the police station with Emma – and then darkness,"

"Dr Whale believes you suffered a minor heart attack. It's rare in someone so young but you have been under an awful lot of stress lately," She stood up, eyeing him with insincere sympathy. "I can't help but feel responsible; I've put you under too much pressure. The doctors and I feel it's best for you to take some time out to recover properly in an environment which can offer you the best help available. Don't worry about the hospital bills, I'll take care of everything,"

"Cut the crap Regina," The Sheriff squared up to the Mayor, towering over her. "You're not tryin' to help me 'get better' you're tryin' to keep me out of the way!"

The dark haired woman didn't even flinch at the angry Irish tone, "Why on earth would I want to do that?"

"Because I remember!" he almost growled at her.

The Mayor's red lips turned up into a dangerous smirk, "Remember what exactly? A world full of goblins and fairies? Witches and Warlocks? Heroic Princes, pretty Princesses and happily ever afters? Sounds like the ravings of a mad man to me,"

Graham stepped back as he realised she was right, he did sound delusional, but it didn't mean it wasn't true. Ever since he'd met Emma something had stirred within him, as if there were a wall within his mind blocking him from accessing parts of his life and it was about to come tumbling down. It was their kiss that had finally taken a sledge hammer to the bricks of that wall and everything from his former life came flooding back. Henry was right about the curse but he was just a child, no one would ever listen to him. No, the Queen couldn't risk someone like the Sheriff running around trying to wake people up from the miserable existence she'd created for them.

"I am not mad," he looked at her defiantly.

"Oh?" She tilted her head mockingly, "Well unfortunately your file says different Sheriff. Don't worry Graham, Dr Whale and his staff will take good care of you,"

She walked past him and gave a bang on the padded door, suddenly she felt Graham's grip on her arm as he forcefully pulled her back.

"You are not getting away with this, you hear me?"

"Let go of me," She ordered with an underlying threat in her tone, "Nurse!"

He tightened his grip on her as she attempted to pull free, "People will notice I'm missing! Emma won't just accept I'm gone. She'll look for me,"

The Mayor bit back a laugh as if he amused her, "Why would she look for a dead man?"

Graham felt his stomach lurch as her words caused his eyes to widen in horror. As the door opened Graham was caught off guard by a large, almost ogre-like man slamming into him and pushing him against the wall. The force almost knocked the wind out of him, but as he saw Regina begin to retreat from the cell he saw his freedom leaving with her. The urge to fight rose within him. He swore and kicked as he struggled against the large man.

He yelled after the Mayor furiously, "You won't get away with this!"

All he remembers is the malicious grin on the Queen's face as he feels a needle prick his skin, and then -

Darkness.

The road was a bumpy one as the black horses pulled the dark carriage along behind them. Looking out of the carriage window he could see a tall grey tower peeking out of the mass of green trees.

"That's where we're going?"

The Huntsman turned to the Evil Queen who was more concerned with her bejewelled hand mirror than taking in the scenery outside of the carriage. She looked up briefly to acknowledge that he'd spoken to her before her attention was once again lost in the mirror.

"Yes dear. Inside the tower is a young woman being tortured by priests hoping to cleanse her soul of sin," she explained.

"Her sins?"

"Sir Maurice and his village were at war with the Ogre community, and of course they were loosing. Foolishly, they summoned Rumplestiltskin who offered victory against the Ogres in exchange for Maurice's daughter," The Queen explained nonchalantly.

The Huntsman chuckled incredulously, "Rumplestiltskin bargained for a wife?"

"Goodness no," The Queen laughed, "Well he claims he needed a house keeper but who knows what goes on behind closed doors? For whatever reason she developed feelings for that irritating little imp. The silly girl tried to kiss him to break his curse, so he threw her out. He couldn't bare the idea of being powerless,"

Astonishment crossed the Huntsman's features, "Rumplestiltskin broke a deal for this girl?"

The Queen nodded finally looking up from her mirror, "Which can only mean one thing,"

"He returns her feelings," He realised. "If she were to break his curse he would be left vulnerable against you,"

"Precisely," The Queen's red lips turned up into a scheming smirk, "When Maurice's daughter returned to him he was concerned the beast had tainted her purity and so called in the clerics. She's spent three days with little more than water and bread whilst having to endure periods of isolation and near drowning in icy waters. They're about to break out the scourges,"

The Queen handed the mirror over to the Huntsman. In it's reflection he saw not himself peering back but the image of a young brunette woman soaked and shivering on the ground in her white nightwear as two men in robes had a discussion about their next level of torture. The girl looked exhausted, but defiant despite what her captors had planned for her. There was something admirable about her.

"And our plan is to dispose of the priests, steal the girl and use her against Rumplestiltskin?"

"Well done," The Queen mock praised him as she snatched her mirror back from him. "Not just a pretty face after all,"

He couldn't help but scowl at the woman who had literally stolen his heart. The Huntsman was her puppet and if he wanted to stay alive he could not disobey her, but there were often days he wondered if a life lived this way was worth living. More often than not the Queen had him performing heinous acts against those who had wronged her, acts that threatened to contaminate his very soul with her evil. The Huntsman thought back to the terror filled eyes of the fairest woman he'd ever seen as he raised his dagger to strike her down, only to reconsider and create a safety whistle for her instead. His punishment for attempting to fool the Queen with a deer's heart was his own. It was never often the Queen would send him on a rescue mission, and as he pictured the poor girl locked in the tower with men he considered being no better than the Evil Queen herself, he hoped the rescue would bring him some redemption.

But in his soul he feared the Evil Queen had much worse plans for the girl.

The Sheriff wasn't sure how much time had passed since his visit from the Mayor and his outburst that caused the nurse to sedate him. All he knew was that it had been day light the last time he saw the small barred window of his cell and now the light that shone through was that of the moon. His limbs were stiff as he attempted to sit up in his cot while his head groggy from the drugs.

Beside his cot he noticed a rounded tray with a plastic cup filled with water, a ham sandwich with a tub of jelly for afters. They may have falsely imprisoned him but at least they wouldn't let him starve he thought bitterly.

Graham stood up, shaky on his legs at first before he gained full control of his balance. He wasn't hungry; he was angry, and perhaps even a little scared. His hopes for Emma to charge in and play the white knight were dashed as Regina let slip that there would be no reason for the Deputy to be searching for a dead man.

The Mayor played dirty, he knew that – but surely she wouldn't be as cruel as to lie to the entire town about his death?

Then he remembered who Regina really was. In another world she was the infamous Evil Queen; the woman who split up children from their fathers just to see if love really was enough for family to find one another again, who poisoned her step daughter and who cut out her own father's heart.

A little white lie about Graham's demise would hardly phase her.

He thought of his friends who would mourn him. Granny's face as Ruby would break the news to the old dear. Mary Margret's tears and her inevitable and irrational feeling of regret, insisting she should have realised he was unwell as soon as he visited her at school. Henry would no doubt blame himself for showing the Sheriff his book, believing that some how the curse had killed him for remembering and Emma -

There was an ache in the place his heart should be as he thought of the blonde whose kiss restored his true memories. She'd spent a life time being alone and shutting out the world but some how Graham had slipped through her doors that she'd kept so tightly locked, but only just for a moment before he was ripped away from her.

The thought renewed his anger and he began to beat on the padded door, taking out all his pains and frustrations on the blasted thing. He couldn't understand why Regina hadn't just finished him off? Clearly she wanted to torture him, punish her pet for disobeying her and choosing Emma's side over hers. After 28 years of Storybroke he'd almost forgotten just how vindictive the Queen could be.

Tiring himself out after his failed attempt to either beat down the door or draw the attention of a nurse or an orderly, the Sheriff groaned in defeat as he slid down to sit on the ground against the wall.

He sat there in the cold silence for a moment before he could faintly hear a noise, a noise that sounded like scratching. The Sheriff prayed that his prison wasn't infested with mice, or worse rats. He almost jumped as one of the padded cushions fell off his cell wall; he immediately got to his feet. A feminine accented voice spoke quietly through a small whole in the wall.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" Graham said back, peering through the hole in the dry wall that was no bigger than his fist. He couldn't see much as the next room appeared to be darker than his own, but he could make out the facial features of a young woman. Even in the darkness he could feel a familiar pull to her, the eyes and her voice struck a cord within his mind.

"Are you alright in there? You sound terribly upset," She asked, concern lulling in her voice. A genuine concern unlike what Regina had offered earlier in the day.

Graham only stared, somewhat opened mouthed as he tried to picture her face – remember her name.

The girl took this pause to mean offence and quickly tried to apologise, "I'm sorry for intruding! I didn't mean to pry… I just haven't had anyone to talk to in such a long time. A man named Mark Hare used to live in your cell, he spent a lot of time working on this hole – he couldn't stand the silence. I'm not quite sure what happened to him," She spoke sadly, "Now I only ever get visits from the Mayor and to be quite honest she scares me too much to enjoy her company,"

"How long have you been here?"

"I think I've been here about…" The girl tried to answer; he could hear the uncertainty in her voice, "I'm sorry I can't quite remember,"

She'd been stuck down in this cell since the beginning of the curse Graham realised. Just as Mary Margret couldn't remember when they had met this girl couldn't remember how long she'd been trapped in the psych ward.

"What's your name?"

"Graham," the Sheriff answered, "What's yours?"

"Isabelle," she replied with a smile in her voice.

Isabelle. The name struck him like a lightning bolt, his eyes closed and his mind was once again suddenly filled with memories from a past life. He could see the girl's crystal blue eyes staring at him with empathy, brown curls falling over her shoulders as she would reach out to comfort him. Her voice echoed in his head from days long gone.

"Just because you have no heart does not mean you have no soul,"

"Graham?" Isabelle's worried voice brought him back to the present. He'd been quiet for too long.

Rubbing at the ache in his forehead he turned back to the hole in the wall where the girl was looking at him expectantly. He could feel an agonising guilt crash over him as memories of her hit him like a tidal wave.

"Belle," he spoke, voice shaking in shame while the girl in the other cell looked confused. "I am so sorry,"

"For what?"

She didn't remember. The Sheriff opened his mouth to explain when the loud clanging of a door and two mumbled voices interrupted their silence. Isabelle looked startled and her face disappeared from sight for a second as she scrambled to find something.

"Quick," She whispered, "Fix your side of the wall – We'll speak when it's quieter!"

Hurriedly he did as he was told and was once again left alone in his cell. The trouble was now his thoughts were not only worried for the lies being spread to his friends in Storybroke but they were also plagued with guilt.

Guilt from forgetting; and allowing his friend to rot in this prison for twenty eight years.

A/N: Constructive Criticism Appreciated Lads!