Hello, everyone. I'm BabySealLover, here with a little one-shot I wrote this evening. I was inspired to write it because of last week's episode of Once Upon a Time, Changelings. I'm gonna be honest. I haven't been a fan of the direction of Rumple's character, or his relationship with Belle, for a while now. But I thought I'd write this little scene between them, which takes place after Rumple summons the Black Fairy and we find out that not only his father dropped him like a hot potato, so did his mother. Geez. Poor Rumple had a the lamest parents ever.

Anyway, hope you like it. It's just a little thing I wrote in like two hours while watching a boring video for my English Class.

Disclaimer: I have zero rights to Once Upon a Time. Believe me, if I did, the Rumpelle ship would totally be sailing right now.

Light

Rumpelstiltskin was nowhere to be found, and so Belle had to make the long trek back to the Dark Castle all by herself. She imagined this had to be part one of her punishment for disobeying his orders today and trying to rescue the baby he stole. Damn him and his ability to magically transport himself wherever he liked.

"Well, this is just fine," she huffed to herself, rubbing her arms under her cloak to soothe the bite of the night breeze. "Sulk all you like, Rumpelstiltskin. I can handle whatever you throw at me."

He needed a good kick in the shins, but she understood why he was angry. She could even understand why he wanted the child in the first place. No matter Belle's gift of empathy, even she couldn't fully comprehend the harsh reality of being abandoned by one's own mother. To spend your entire life wondering why—why someone who was supposed to love you no matter what, could leave you behind as if you didn't even matter. It had to be devastating for a child to experience such a betrayal.

But she still could not bring herself to condone his willingness to sacrifice a baby in order to get his answer. There was no justice in that. It was just wrong. Despicable. And whatever he decided to do to her when she returned, she would never regret trying her best to save an innocent child's life.

Unless she never returned.

Belle shook her head quickly. No. That was not an option. No matter the circumstances, she would never be so selfish as to break a deal that her family depended on so heavily. And besides, she hardly doubted that Rumple was watching her even now and would easily track her down if she attempted to escape. All she could do was have faith and believe in the good she saw in him.

He did, after all, let her return the baby to his parents, right? And he could have easily murdered that thief a few weeks ago for stealing, but he let him go, didn't he? If he was capable of that sort of kindness, Belle knew there was no way evil was all he could be. She'd brought the good out in him before; she could do it again.

Finally, Belle nodded in determination and continued up the road, clutching her cloak to her body and quickening her step. She only wished she'd taken the time to put on shoes more suitable for the mountain path. There were too many rocks and roots, fallen branches and bumps in the road for her comfort.

Unfortunately the Dark Castle was so far out of the way that almost an hour passed before Belle finally made it back. She felt relieved that at least he was considerate enough to leave the doors unlocked for her. The candles in the great hall were lit, and the soft flames in the fire place cast shadows on the walls, sending shivers down her spine as her footsteps echoed throughout the room. Rumpelstiltskin sat far on the other side of the room, spinning quietly at his wheel as he often did in his free time. It was still a mystery to her what possessed him to spin so much gold every day, but thus far she'd been too nervous to ask.

She half expected him to get up when she walked in—scold her, condemn her, something. But it came as a surprise when he didn't even move or acknowledge her existence. By now, she'd spent enough time with him to know that his silence generally meant he wanted to be left alone, and normally she didn't dare deny his wishes. But tonight, she wasn't about to let him scare her away.

Unbuttoning her cloak, she laid it down on the center table and straightened her shoulders. "Rumpelstiltskin," she said boldly.

"What do you want?" he asked in a disinterested tone. Having lived with him for a while now, she found herself often picking up on each of tones of voice and all his little mannerisms. If his voice was high pitched, she noticed that he tended to be in high spirits, or at least enjoying himself to some extent. While he was capable of just about anything no matter the mood he was in, he was even more dangerous when his voice sank into the lower range. It usually meant he was angry, and an angry Rumpelstiltskin was truly to be feared. He'd never laid a hand on her in anger once in all the time she'd lived in the Dark Castle. But that didn't mean she wasn't wary, given his capabilities.

He didn't turn in her direction, and made no move to do so. She watched his hand for a few seconds as he slowly spun his wheel counterclockwise. Soft, deliberate gestures, as if he were caressing it. Pressing her lips together, she took a few more steps toward him. "Rumpelstiltskin, were you truly planning on sacrificing that child tonight?"

"My interest in the child's fate was null the moment I got what I wanted," he said.

She glared at him. "And did you, really? Get what you wanted?"

He continued to spin as if he really wasn't listening to her, but the tension in his slim shoulders gave away his annoyance. "Well, it really doesn't matter now, does it," he clipped, still watching his wheel.

Folding her arms across her chest, Belle continued, "Well, maybe it does matter, because you kidnapped a child! If you ever have a mind to do anything like that again, Rumpelstiltskin, I—"

"You'll what—exactly?" He threw a hand up and shot out of his seat, startling her. For the first time tonight, he met her with his dark, otherworldly eyes. He let out a short, high-pitched laugh, but it was hardly good-natured. His teeth were bared like a wild animal snapping at its prey. "Run away? Kill the beast? Your sense of heroism is quite admirable, dearie, but you have nothing to threaten me with." He walked past her casually, and as she turned to offer a clever retort, Rumpelstiltskin turned around as well and pointed his finger at her. "Now, you've had a long walk. Perhaps it'd be in your best interest to wash up and go to bed."

It almost sounded like a warning, the way he spoke to her. A warning to shut up and leave before he lost his patience with her. Although she found her heart racing under his expectant gaze, she came to a realization. The realization that Rumpelstiltskin never meant for the baby to get hurt at all. He clearly had a habit of making selfish choices at times, but that didn't mean he didn't care. He could pretend he didn't all he wanted. She knew better, if only by the way he tried so haplessly to avoid the subject when she asked questions about his motives. It wasn't simply a matter of him being a private person. He genuinely didn't want anyone to know he cared.

She knew because he only spared the thief that day in the forest when he came to realize his wife was with child. If she connected the dots, it meant Rumpelstiltskin had a place in his heart for children. Why else would he have taken the time to let Belle return that baby to his parents?

More confident in her resolve now, she lifted her chin and said clearly, "I was only going to say—if you ever have a mind to do anything like that again, I want you to tell me the truth."

The second of silence that fell between them did not go unnoticed by her as Rumpelstiltskin fished for a decent response. He scoffed. "Oh, you think? Why? The Dark One doesn't have to explain himself to anyone!"

"No—he doesn't," Belle said quietly. "I was just—thinking maybe if you'd told me we could have worked together—found another way."

He laughed. "Again, your effort is truly admirable, but pointless."

This time, Belle let out a small sigh and moved closer to him, hopping up on the center table to sit. "Listen, I know you may not care to hear this now, but I wanted to say I'm sorry. For calling you a beast earlier today. I shouldn't have judged you without knowing what was in your heart. I don't agree with what you did, but I understand why you did it."

Once again, Belle could see Rumpelstiltskin wasn't entirely sure how to respond. All at once, she saw a mixture of emotions dancing in his eyes that she'd never seen before. It was brief, but it was there. "It doesn't make a difference what you think of it," he murmured, turning away and taking a few steps so he was parallel to the end of the table. "And I am a beast—there's no doubt about that. If you thought I was offended, you can put your mind at ease. I embrace it."

"I think there's more to you than you want people to see," Belle said. "I can tell—you think you have to carry the weight of the world alone, but it doesn't have to be that way. Whatever scars you have—can be healed."

"Well, perhaps that's not what I'm after," Rumpelstiltskin replied.

Belle shook her head in confusion. There were certain things about him that she truly didn't understand yet. "Then—what is it you're after?"

Rumpelstiltskin fell silent. She waited for him expectantly to grant her an answer, but instead he approached the place she sat on the table. Directly in front of her, he leaned in until their faces were not more than a few inches apart, and she could see the details of his face—his golden skin and the way it shimmered under the light of the fireplace. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she wanted to lean back and escape, but something held her in place. She couldn't move a muscle.

Then the Dark One smiled. Belle held her breath for several counts, her mind going completely blank, both from the fear and… something else, she was feeling as a result of his unexpected closeness.

"That's my business, isn't it, dearie?"

In that moment, Belle actually pictured a moment shattering in her brain, and she had the overwhelming urge to smack him. But even if she'd had the gall to go through with such an act, Rumpelstiltskin pulled away far too quickly for her to get the chance.

By now her face was probably as red as a tomato and Rumpelstiltskin was walking away, giggling as if making her uncomfortable actually brought him some sort of pleasure. Well, don't be ridiculous. Of course it did.

In a huff, Belle hopped off the table and glared at his back. "So I try to be nice and you tease me for it?"

"Not teasing, dearie," he called back as he threw the door open to the next room. "I'd simply rather you stop meddling in my affairs. This "good side" you're so desperate to find in me? Doesn't exist. So I'd suggest you start getting comfortable sharing the home of a beast."

And with that, Rumpelstiltskin disappeared down the hall and left Belle alone in the dimly lit room. It was quiet. The sort of quiet that frightened Belle when she first arrived in the castle. Shadows used to make her jump. The tiniest creak in the hallway made her cringe. But tonight, for some reason being alone didn't bother her.

She let out a wistful sigh and drifted over to the fireplace, where the small flames danced before her weary eyes. They reminded her of Rumpelstiltskin's eyes, which burned, at least for a moment, with an intensity she couldn't seem to erase from her mind. She hadn't won today. But she knew there was a regular human being in there somewhere. Someone capable of friendship and love. She just had to dig a little deeper to find it—because she wanted to know it. Belle wanted to know the man behind the beast.

And to find him, all she had to do was bring a little bit of light into this place.