He never seemed to find it strange that he didn't know her name – no one did, though. At least not here. Regina usually called her "you there" or some variation on that, but Henry called her Delilah. Mr. Gold didn't find it strange that nobody knew his name, though. But Belle knew it. He was Rumpelstiltskin, and she was Lady Belle of Avonlea and they were cursed here. Sometimes, she saw Jefferson the Hatter. He knew her, at least, but he was the only one. He never said her name but she could tell from his face that he knew what was wrong. She liked seeing Jefferson, just because it reminded her that she wasn't the insane one. It was everyone else who was wrong, not Belle.
Regina helped with that, too, in her own way. She would taunt Belle sometimes with her situation — mute, no family, and entirely dependent on a woman who held her captive. Still, hearing Regina admit it made it all real somehow. The taunts had been less severe these last few years, though. Regina didn't want to admit anything in front of Henry, but then Henry had gotten the book from Princess Snow White (but here she was Mary Margaret) and Belle could tell that he knew, too. Henry was the one good thing in Belle's life, and taking care of him gave her a purpose. She was glad Regina had gotten him.
Rumple still didn't know, though. He still hadn't come for her, and he still barely looked at her.
She would seek him out sometimes if she had a free afternoon. She would visit his shop to look at jewelry and knickknacks and he always looked right through her even as she fought the urge to run to him. She had kissed him, once. It was New Years and she had found him walking out late. Feigning drunkenness, Belle had lunged for him, pressing her lips to his in a kiss. His only reaction was to push her away with a shocked expression on his face. True Love's Kiss was supposed to break any curse, but it hadn't worked for Belle this time. She'd found him the next day and signed an apology. Well, it was something between signing and charades, but he seemed to have understood after awhile and told her not to worry about it. He never let her that close to him again, though.
Maybe someday he would remember. Until then, though, Belle would have to content herself with watching him. She couldn't believe Rumplestiltskin had nothing to do with all this, or that he didn't have a contingency plan in place for this curse. Belle would wait and have faith. Henry was growing bigger every day, this couldn't last forever.
Regina hadn't even bothered to give her a name, as far as Belle could tell. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. When Henry was four or five he'd asked Regina why Belle couldn't talk. Regina had balked, insisting that the nanny's name was most certainly not Belle.
"Then what is her name?" he'd said, looking back and forth between his mother and nanny.
Regina gave Belle a long look, her jaw clenched and Belle could see the gears turning in her head.
"Delilah," Regina finally said with a smug grin on her face. "Her name is Delilah."
Belle looked away, she understood the reference as Regina had hoped she would. There weren't many books to be had in Storybrook (and most of the ones that Belle had access to were children's books for Henry) but Bibles were easy to come by. Delilah, the woman who caused Samson's downfall.
Still, Henry didn't understand and Belle had been happy at least to have something to tell people to call her. Well, something that Henry could tell people to call her. Regina had at least given her a knowledge of sign language, but then no one else in town could understand her when she spoke. Henry could, though. Belle had raised Henry from the time he was a baby – he had signed before he spoke, which had frustrated Regina to absolutely no end but had finally given Belle an outlet with the rest of the world. She could sign to Henry, and Henry could speak for her.
It was a brilliant system, except when it wasn't. There were some things she couldn't confide in a child, and there was no way to burden Henry with the truth of her past. After he got that book, though, Belle could tell that things were changing.
"I know who you are," Henry said to her one day after school as she helped him with homework.
I would hope so, she teased.
"No," he replied. "I know who you really are."
That brought her up short.
Who am I, then?
"You're Belle," he said smugly. "From Beauty & the Beast."
How do you know that?
"It's in my book," he explained, flipping it open and turning to the relevant pages. Sure enough, there she was in watercolor.
What does the book say about me?
"It says that you made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to save your village from ogres, and that you went away to be his maid."
Is that all?
She could feel tears stinging her eyes as she signed, but even as she'd hoped Henry might mean the end of the curse she'd never quite believed it before now.
"Was he the beast?"
Belle had a choice, now. She'd never discussed her real identity with Henry – at least not since his mother had proclaimed her Delilah – but she knew that he'd find no other ally in this town. She couldn't lie to him.
He wasn't a beast, she said finally. It felt so good to be able to discuss this openly with someone. There were parts of him that were beastly, but he was just a man. He still is.
"He's here?" Henry seemed shocked. "I think I figured out who almost everyone is except him."
He is, she confirmed. But he doesn't remember.
"How come you remember?"
I don't know, she confessed. Your mom left one of Rumple's other friends with his memories, too. I think she meant to punish us.
"Who's that?"
Jefferson, the Mad Hatter.
"I don't know him."
He keeps to himself, and we almost never have time to see each other. I know he knows, though.
Henry took a moment to digest this new information, and also possibly an adult who wasn't telling him he was crazy, before continuing.
"So if Rumpelstiltskin is here, then who is he?"
Belle blinked and felt warm tears rolling down her cheeks. She hadn't even realized she was crying, and she wasn't sure if it was grief for the lost years or relief at someone who she could really talk to.
He's Mr. Gold.
"The pawn shop owner?!" Henry nearly shrieked, and Belle had to shush him. It wouldn't do to summon Regina with his noise, after all.
That's him, she confirmed. I tried to kiss him once to see if it would break the curse. It didn't work.
She suppressed a giggle at the memory now, and Henry smiled at her as well.
"That's great, though!" he was so ecstatic. "I'm still trying to figure out how to get to the savior so she can break the curse, but now we know who made it!"
School first, she tried to scold him but he was going a mile a minute about the savior now and there was no way to interrupt him. You need to finish your math homework.
"I'm going to help you, Belle," he said finally. "While I try to find the savior, I'm going to help you get him back."
He meant it, too. Henry was a sweet child, and it wasn't his nature to lie. She wasn't going to get a moment's peace about Rumpelstiltskin until Henry had them married off happily now, she knew it.
She couldn't think of what to say, so instead she ruffled his hair and then pointed his face back to his homework. He accepted her redirection with good grace, occasionally shooting her little looks that she knew meant he thought he knew more than he was letting on.