A/N: Timelines in OUAT are always a bit tricky but I always assumed that some time had passed between the 'Curtains' scene and the 'Not a monster' scene.

Disclaimer: ABC/Disney, Kitsis and Horowitz own. I merely borrow.

A faint moonlight streamed into the hall, catching on various objects and casting shadows over the floor. Rumplestiltskin stood by the window, his eyes looking out but not really seeing. His mind was on the events of earlier that day.

Belle.

She confused him and he didn't think that possible anymore. He thought he knew human nature, built his dealings around that knowledge and then she came and turned everything he knew on its head. She had only really behaved in an expectable way those first few days with him.

A young woman ripped away from her home, cast into a dungeon... It was natural she would cry and fear him. Even her setting free his prisoner was understandable, a form of rebellion against him, reckless and dangerous but desperate people did desperate and not always logical things.

And then he had showed mercy for a thief and her fear had dissipated like a mist in a morning. One act of mercy, more for the sake of the unborn child - because no child deserved to grow up without a father - than the father himself and she was smiling at him and hugging him.

Then he had given her the library and she had smiled again.

She had smiled earlier, too, before she had taken that tumble and he had caught her. And she had looked at him all big eyes and soft words and she hadn't been in any hurry to get out of his arms and for a moment he hadn't wanted to let go either.

He had, of course, because letting himself enjoy it was too dangerous. She was too dangerous, for his state of mind and his work alike. Rumplestiltskin could too easily imagine spending time with her, making her laugh and smile and hoping for another crumble of affection, another innocent touch from her.

That wouldn't do. Bae had to come first, now and always. Rumplestiltskin had learned his lesson with Cora about the dangers of allowing himself to feel for someone other than his son and no matter how kind and nice Belle seemed, he wouldn't risk more pain by letting her close to him.

She would have to go before he got deeper than he already was. He would send her home, telling her... telling her... What would he tell her to justify his decision? If there was one thing he knew about Belle it was her desire to know things. She would want to know why he was sending her back.

"I thought this was forever."

"Well, dearie, you're just too much of a distraction to me and that won't do."

No, that wouldn't do at all. Besides, he was reluctant to break a deal of his, no matter his reasons. If only there was a way to keep her away from him without breaking their deal. Some way to keep her tied to him - forever had been agreed upon, after all - and yet out of the way. To keep her as his servant but also free her to do as she wished.

A flicker of movement beyond the window caught his attention and as he stared at the swooping snow owl, its wings glittering like silver in the moonlight, he suddenly knew what to do.

Rumplestiltskin turned away from the window, striding towards the library. He wasn't sure if she was asleep yet - she had a tendency of reading well past midnight - but he just needed to check on something.

Belle was sleeping on the pallet, a book lying in her lap. He paused to take her face in, the way a strand of hair fell across her cheek, a soft flutter of her eyelashes as her eyes moved under her lids while she dreamed, a content half-smile on her lips... It just affirmed his decision to send her away. She was too kind, too beautiful, too... too much of everything, in fact, for him to handle any longer.

He glanced at the book she must have been reading before sleep. Short History of Agrabah was lettered at the spine. There were other books, pulled out from their rightful places, set down carefully on a table and Rumplestiltskin skimmed through them. Tales of Kithai, Beneath the Waves: A Brief Retelling of the Atlantean Myth, Son of the Sun: The First Emperor of Nippon. Tales and histories of far away lands. They seemed to be Belle's favourites. She didn't say as much but it was clear she longed for an adventure, to see the world. And granting her that desire would free him from her presence.

It was a perfect solution. The best one, truly. And if he was going to miss her after she was gone, well, it wouldn't be the worst price he paid in his efforts to find Bae.

By the following morning, Rumplestiltskin had already spun two spools of gold after his sleepless night. He wondered how Belle would react to his request, if she would give a token protest or if she would seize the opportunity immediately. Most importantly, he wondered how the new clothes he had left for her would look on her, that was if she donned them at all.

When the door to the hall opened, he didn't turn his eyes away from the wheel. Her steps were muted, not the clip-clops of her heeled shoes but rather the soft thuds of well made boots. He smiled briefly but waited until she came to stand across from him and only then did he look at her and nearly choked on air.

She got dressed in those clothes, alright. Tight leggings tucked into knee-high boots, a soft tunic covered by a snug leather jerkin that copied the shape of her upper body wonderfully, a wide belt emphasizing her hips and a bright scarf wound around her neck, the ends trailing across her exposed collarbone since she didn't tie the tunic all the way up. And she pulled up her hair, too, the brown curls amassed at the top of her head with a few tendrils escaping down.

He realized he was staring and cleared his throat hastily.

"Like your new attire, dearie?" he asked. Belle smiled and twirled around.

"It's wonderful but why did you give it to me?"

"Well, I have a task for you and your usual dress just wouldn't do."

He stood up, scooping up the golden thread and gestured for her to follow him. He led her to his laboratory, a room he usually kept her out of because there were just too many potions and dangerous ingredients and she was prone to dropping and spilling things at the best of times. He picked up a metal box and a set of gloves and handed both to her.

"What do you know about the firebirds?" he asked and she tilted her head to the side, her lips pursing as she searched her memory.

"They are magical. They burst into flames upon their death and get reborn from the ashes," she said and he giggled, wiggling a finger.

"No, no, no. A common misconception but those are phoenices, not firebirds. They get confused a lot but the true firebirds are just a little bit different. They die just like everything else, for one, without bursting into flames. Unless you set them on fire beforehand, of course," he quipped, although Belle only rolled her eyes a bit at his words. "Well, their feathers have certain magical properties which make them more precious than those of a phoenix but they are also hard to find. You can't just catch a firebird and pluck it like a chicken but there is a way. True firebirds nest in one area only, in the Valley of Steps in the West Mountains and they shed feathers to line their nests before spring."

"The spring is coming soon," Belle murmured and then she realized. "You are sending me out for those feathers?"

"Exactly," he exclaimed, clapping. "Fetching me straw, fetching me magic feathers, what's the difference?"

"The Valley of Steps is on the other side of the mountains. It's at least a week long journey just to get there," Belle said slowly, trying to figure out the reasoning behind his request.

"That's why I'm sending you, dearie. My time is precious and I can't afford to waste it on obtaining every little thing I need."

"But couldn't you just... transport there? With magic?"

"Ah, ah, ah," he denied, somewhat truthfully. "Firebirds' feathers don't travel well magically. If I did go, I would lose more than half of them. You, on the other hand, can travel there and fetch them for me."

"So that's why you gave me the new clothes, for travelling," she said and looked at the gloves and the box. "These are for collecting the feathers, I presume."

"That's right. As I said, the feathers are magical and the gloves will protect from some nasty effects they can have," he explained. He then handed her a bag full of coins. "For travel expenses. You can take the carriage or a horse, that's up to you. Now, I know the weather's unpredictable at this time of the year so take your time coming back. I don't want anything happening to my firebird's feathers," he added hastily. She looked at the bag he had given her, the sum enough to last her a year if not more. He could see her thinking, formulating a careful question he hoped she wouldn't ask. So of course she did.

"What if I don't come back?"

He gave her a tight-lipped smile, turning away from her.

"Then I'll assume you met an unfortunate end while on the way back and mourn you accordingly."

He couldn't be more direct about his implicit permission of her leaving without telling her outright. She was smart, she would get it. And if she was really smart, she would get her fill of an adventure before going back to her father. He couldn't do more for her than that.

"I see," she whispered before adding in a stronger voice. "I'll just pack some food and go then. I'll see you in a couple of weeks?"

"Of course, dearie. I'll be waiting."

He wouldn't because to wait would be to hope but she pretended her intention of coming back well enough and so he did as well. And if the castle seemed emptier after she was gone, well, that was only to be expected. She had lived there for a short while after all and he sent her away just as he was getting used to her presence. He would grow used to her absence as well.

Two weeks and three days later he was still getting used to it when the main door opened to admit Belle in and she gave him the box full of feathers and then gone on to make dinner which they later shared as she told him all about what she had seen and experienced on the road. And he would be lying if he claimed a part of him wasn't glad for her return. And maybe there was still a way to salvage things.

"You enjoyed the travels, then?" he asked as she was stacking plates and she smiled and nodded.

"It was just like I dreamed," she admitted and he snapped his fingers and their contract was laid out on the table.

"Let's alter our deal, dearie," he spoke as he picked up a quill and crossed out a word, writing in another one, the list of her duties altering on its own, before pushing the parchment over. "Here, read and sign this."

She pulled it closer and she read over the alteration and her eyes got all big and bright.

"You mean it?" she asked and when he nodded, she signed the contract again and just like that, she was no longer Rumplestiltskin's caretaker. She became his messenger, her new duty to travel around the realms and collect things for him. It would keep her away for the large part and he could handle her presence during the short times in-between. It was not ideal but it would have to do.

A/N: Next chapter, Belle in a present-time. Also, I will do my best to stick to the update schedule of every three-to-four days.