Author's Note: Hello. This is my first attempt at a OUAT story though I'm no stranger to the fanfiction world. I hope to write many stories for this fandom and I truly hope you enjoy them. God Bless and Enjoy!

Takes place during 3x14 The Tower only it picks up after Zelena leaves the pawn shop and is A/U after that.

Belle had been shocked when she heard the bell above the shop door ring, the noise cutting through the cool silence the shop was normally entranced in. The woman whom had entered was one that she was sure she never met before but their whole conversation Belle had sensed that there was indeed something off with the stranger. There had been a gleam in her eye when she called Belle, Mrs. Gold. The gleam spoke volumes, telling Belle that she knew she was not married, but had said it anyways. When Belle explained her story, that Mr. Gold-Rumple, had died, the woman revelled in it.

The entire visit had set Belle's nerves off and after the woman purchased a baby gift for Mary Margaret she quickly turned the pawn shop sign from Open to Closed. She needed to gather her thoughts.

Returning to the ledger laying on the counter, Belle instinctively ran her fingers across the words and numbers written in his handwriting. It had been a year since Rumpelstiltskin had made his sacrifice and yet it felt like it had only happened just yesterday. This new curse had erased the last year of everyone's lives, but instead of chasing after the prime suspect, the Wicked Witch, Belle had come to the shop and picked up where Rumple had left off. It wasn't that Belle did not wish to figure out what had happened this past year. She just felt she would have a better chance at remembering by being surrounded by his things.

The pawn shop was the only place that Belle could go to that she felt like Rumple was still alive out there somewhere. There was still broken glass and broken shelves from what she could only imagine had been destroyed in a scuffle with Peter Pan. His discarded cain lay on the ground not to far from the mess and she had promptly picked it up and stored it away properly should its owner ever come back to reclaim it. Even the air still held a touch of his cologne when she would catch a breeze the right way. Yes, it was here amidst all of his things that she would remember best.

That woman though. She continued to cross Belle's mind. The gleam in her eye. Mrs. Gold. The way she had reached for Belle's hand meaning to express her sympathy but her cold hands illuminated anything but regret.

It was for this reason that Belle now found herself combing through the dense forest that surrounded Storybrooke. After the encounter she needed to get out of the shop and take a walk to clear her mind and hopefully settle her uneasiness. She knew that she shouldn't be out alone with those flying creatures attacking people and had Rumple been alive she was certain he would be furious, but this was her favorite way to relieve stress aside from delving into a good book. But she had been reading all week about curses, deaths and the history surrounding the lore of the Dark One. Searching and praying to find any loopholes. Alas, she had not yet and she knew she would only agitate herself more if she began reading now.

Belle wasn't sure how long she had actually been walking and chided herself for wandering too far from the path that was already beaten out. She had no idea where she was. Thick trees prevented her from viewing anything that could be considered a landmark.

Perhaps, I'll go just a little bit further, her mind told her. She was bound to find one of the many walking paths if she just took the chance.

Instead of a path however, she found herself in a clearing. In the middle of this clearing stood a solitary house. The inside was darkened, and she did not see anyone around. The forest continued on either side of the little home and Belle could not help but think how out of place the home was. Like it hadn't always been nestled so cozily in the Storybrooke forests. Ignoring her better judgement she approached the cabin as her curiosity got the better of her. With no visible lights inside there wasn't very much that she could distinguish inside. A bike leaned readily against the home, but aside from that it was as if the tiny cottage was abandoned. That's when Belle saw it.

It was hardly visible in the distance, blending in with the light snow on the ground, but she saw a door. Her heart began to pound though she did not know why. Her legs carried her towards the door of their own volition. Warning bells sounded off in her mind but her heart told her to carry on. She needed to find this door. She had to see what was inside.

"Locked," Belle said in barely a whisper, her breath coming out in a slight puff from the cold air.

Oh how she now wished she had learned how to pick a lock like she had read in many of her mystery novels. It was a skill that could have come in handy.

Glancing around she spied a large rock and hesitated as she retrieved it and held it over the lock.

What was she doing? This was somebody's property that she was about to break into, for no reason other than the pounding in her heart that propelled her to this place. Just do it, her heart whispered. And so she did. With all of her might, Belle threw the rock down on top of the offensive lock and the sound of metal against and rock clambering together reverberated in the quiet air. Belle nervously cast eyes back to the cottage, sure that someone would be running out at any moment to throw her off their property or worse. But no one ever came. The lock was damaged but not quite broken so Belle repeated her efforts several times over until it disconnected and slid to the ground with a thud.

Calming herself with a deep breath, Belle grabbed the handle and slowly opened the door, the hinges groaning at the motion. Darkness. She could barely make out the steps leading into the underground but she put on her best brave front and slowly began her way down the stairs.

The air in the cellar was thick and damp. Belle lightly coughed into her sleeve as she breathed in the musk.

Something shifted in the darkness when she coughed and it gave her pause. Something was down there. Despite the danger she called out as she reached the final step.

"Hello?" Came the tentative voice. More shifting. "Is there someone there? I'm not going to hurt you," she called again.

This was stupid. Anything could be in this cellar. An animal. One of those flying creatures. Whatever it was someone wanted it locked away. They didn't want it to be found. It was probably dangerous. But Belle still continued on. She was the dangling of what looked to be a chain and cautiously pulled it.

Light filled the dank room and for a moment it hurt Belle's eyes to look. When her eyes adjusted she gasped at the cage that filled half the room. What really concerned her was the human figure huddled in the furthermost corner. How long had this poor soul been held captive here? She had to do something.

"Hello? My name is Belle," she spoke, slowly moving closer to the cage. The figure did not move. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to get you out of here. Can you tell me who did this to you? Who locked you up?" A brief flash of her mind told her that maybe this person was locked up for a reason, that they were dangerous. Or perhaps, they were a wolf like her friend Ruby was, and they were kept locked away so they wouldn't hurt anyone. But it was afternoon and the full moon had already passed. Whoever it was, looked like they had been rotting away down here for a long time.

"Are you oka-" Belle began as her fingers touched the door of the cage. As soon as her fingers hit the cool metal the stranger that had been huddled so quietly in the corner had suddenly sprang from their place on the floor and slammed into the cage door. Belle gasped and her heart did backflips. Could it be? No! Her voice eluded her but she no longer felt fear, her hands rising to cover her mouth.

"STOP! Stop it! You are NOT her!" the raspy voice called out, one hand suddenly grabbing her and pulling her against the door. "It's not going to work. Leave me alone!"

It was him. She knew it when he pulled her close and saw those eyes. They carried more weight now. More pain and a deep sadness but she knew those brown orbs. She remembered how they shone only for her, lighting up his entire being. He was different. His hair was matted and crazy as if he hadn't had a shower in a very long time. The normally crisp, clean suit was dirty and torn. Buttons were missing, as was the accustomed tie and jacket. He was thinner. He had never been a large man but his clothes hung looser off his body, no longer perfectly tailored. And his face, oh god, his face. The one she never thought that she would see again despite all the efforts she put into finding him, looking for ways to save him. That face looked defeated and tired. Dark circles hung beneath the eyes she loved so much. Bearded hair covered his once clean shaven face but it was him. He was alive.

She found her voice.

"Rumplestiltskin," she gasped out, tears making their way to her eyes. The grip around her shirt lessened.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Rumple spoke, coming out in a cracked whisper. "Haven't you done enough?"

"Rumplestiltskin!" Belle repeated more forcefully. "It's me, Belle. I'm real."

"Belle?" he whispered hopefully, releasing his grip.

"Yes, it's me, I promise," she reassured.

Rumple still looked at her distrustfully and he reached his hand out again, this time holding on to her shoulder, seeing that she was real, as he had done what seemed like a lifetime ago when she wandered in his shop looking for protection. She was solid. This was not like his other visions of her. He could smell her perfume gently filling his nostrils, so out of place with the musky cellar that he had been trapped in for a long time. Still doubt filled his addled mind.

"This is a trick. She sent you to trick me," his voice was steadily rising and Belle was unsure how to proceed.

"Who is she?"

"Don't play games with me! You know who! She wants to break me. I won't let you do it. I won't!" he shouted drawing back his hand slowly, one foot stepping bag, trying to retreat from the blue eyes that haunted his dreams and gave him strength at the same time.

"Why the Wicked Witch of the West, of course!" he spoke with the flourish of his transformed self in the enchanted forest and did a sweeping bow with his arms spread wide open.

Of course! Belle thought. She was holding him captive. She had found a way to get to Rumple or to bring him back. How long had she had him? A year? Was he under their noses this whole time and she had walked around in mourning for nothing?

The tears began to roll down her cheeks. A mixture of happiness and sadness that she could no longer contain. Her knees felt weak and she slowly slid down to the floor not caring that she was ruining her dress.

This was not right. Rumple's hallucinations had never cried before. They laughed at him. Taunted him. Told him that she could never love a beast as hideous as he. Yet there she was. Tears cascading down her cheeks. And he wanted to take them away. Cautiously, he moved back to the front of the cage and allowed his body to slide to the floor. His bad leg screamed in agony. It had been a long time since he'd had use of his cain and his limp seemed to get worse everyday. None of that mattered now. All that mattered was the blue eyed woman before him, her hair flowed over her shoulders and and she inhaled a shaky breath, face slightly pink from crying. Without another thought he stretched his arm out and used his thumb to wipe the tears from her face.

Belle reacted immediately and held his hand to her face, relishing in its warmth. Rumple was alive. He was confused and dare she say even a bit frightened? But he was here in her grasp. Without another thought she brought her lips up to meet his. A sweet, gentle kiss followed by a more passionate one, or as passionate as could be shared between the cage wires.

Rumplestiltskin sighed shakily as they broke apart, unable to believe this was happening. "Belle," it was a statement not a question as he nearly melted against his prison. "How did you find me?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I was walking through the woods to clear my head, I got lost. Something just drew me to this place."

"Why were you alone in the woods?" he asked concerned. Didn't she know what wickedness was lurking around?

"Oh, it's nothing, just...well this woman came into the shop…"

"You kept the shop open?" he marvelled.

"Of course. After you...it's where I felt closest to you." He nodded in understanding, a smirk trying to creep its way onto his face. It was the closest he'd come to a smile in such a very long time.

"But this woman…she asked me if I was Mrs Gold. And when I told her I wasn't she asked for you...she tried to seem sympathetic but it was empty. It was like she was mocking me…But Rumple we have time for all of this later, we need to get you out of here," she said snapping back to reality. She broke contact with Rumplestiltskin and rose back to her feet.

The warning bells were rattling in the forefront of Rumplestiltskin's mind along with the voices he had been battling with daily. Voices telling him to not believe the woman before him. This was all a dream. And others chimed in, trying to tell him what to do. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to push them to the back of his mind. He had to warn Belle.

"No, no, Belle wait!" he cried springing to his feet, fighting for balance as his leg threatened to give out beneath him. "Stop! You can't free me. You must leave. Now. Before she comes back."

"I'm not going to leave you locked away like an animal!" Belle protested.

"It was her in the shop today. The Wicked Witch. She wanted you to come here. She wanted you to do this. You have to get out of here quickly," he almost begged, voice rough and raspy, desperately needing a drink of water to ease it.

It all made sense to Belle. A strange new woman whom showed up in Storybrooke that no one could quite recall, memories erased or not. The taunting. Mrs. Gold. She knew. She knew he lived. She had him. Belle couldn't believe she had been so stupid.

"Even more reason that we need to get you out of here as soon as we can," she said and before Rumple could protest she dashed up the stairs and grabbed the heavy rock from earlier, bringing it back into the cellar with her.

"Belle, you can't do this. I'm a danger. You need to leave me here," he begged.

"I'm not leaving you!" she cried and stone connected with metal. The pent up fury Belle didn't know she had released with the blow and the lock fell from the door easily. She moved to open it but Rumplestiltskin held it firmly in his grip, not allowing the door to budge.

"It's not safe." Belle opened her mouth to protest but she caught the look in his eyes. Fear. He was afraid and suddenly Belle felt uncomfortable. She had never seen Rumple truly afraid before. She stared into his eyes imploring him to continue. "She has the dagger," he said with a defeated sigh. "I don't know how she got it but she does. It's not safe for me to be out there Belle. I don't have any control."

That was a truly terrifying thought.

"I can't leave you," she said voice just above a whisper. "I don't care, I don't care about the dagger, I just need you. Your son needs you."

"Don't you get it Belle? Don't you understand? If she were to tell me to kill you I would do it without a question. I don't have any control. Something else comes over me and I'm powerless to stop it. I couldn't live knowing that I could hurt you," he rasped. The tears filled his eyes but he refused to let them fall, not in front of his Belle.

"So, what are you going to do in here? Have me leave and then wait until she decides to come back and tell you to kill me?" she challenged. "If you come with me now we can figure this out. We will help you get the dagger back no matter the cost."

She had a point.

"Belle," he whispered laying his head against the cage.

"We can do this," Belle encouraged.

"But what if-"

"You would never hurt me," she cut him off.

"I don't have control!" the exasperated voice called back. Even now in this moment he could feel the tug on his heart, the controlling tug. His magic was no longer his own and he was capable of anything, subjected to the whims and desires of the Wicked Witch.

"I trust you," Belle said reaching her hand through the cage and gently stroking his rough cheek. Weary eyes looked up into hers. She stopped stroking his cheek and slowly tugged at his prison, feeling his hands drop from the cage and allow it to be opened.

"The shop," he whispered. "If you can get me to the shop perhaps...perhaps we could find a way to lessen her hold on me."

Without anything to hold her back any longer Belle launched herself at her true love. Her mouth was on his in an instant, arms wrapping around his neck. The initial surprise fading, Rumple brought his own hands down to caress her hips. Oh he had dreamed about this moment for so long, he couldn't believe it was actually happening. He didn't expect that fate would give a monster like him yet another chance with this beautiful creature. His kisses grew desperate, speaking volumes of the pain he'd gone through, the hope he had lost. The sorrow within.

His eyes closed and their foreheads touching he closed his eyes.

"I love you," came the murmured voice.

Belle smiled brightly unable to tear her hands away from him, fingers running through his hair. She knew what Rumplestiltskin had spoke earlier was true. If the Wicked Witch truly did have the dagger then they were all in trouble should she release her fury out upon the town. However, that didn't matter. She wouldn't let him become that. She would find a way to save him, as he had unknowingly saved her so many years ago.

"I love you, too," she whispered reverently. "Now, let's get out of here," she said taking his warm hand in hers leading him towards the staircase. Towards freedom.

It's a little wordy, I know, but as my first go and I'm trying to learn the voices and reactions. I really have enjoyed this and I hope you did as well. Please review!