The Story Of Rumbelle

A Bloody Thought

-In the past, in the Dark Castle, not many months after their deal-

   Belle was in the dining room, wiping the table with a cloth, until Rumplestiltskin entered the room.

Rumple: Are you done here?
Belle: Uh, yeah, I think so...
Rumple: I'll go to the village to get some food and you come with me.
Belle: I do?  Oh, yeah, I do...  Now?
Rumple: Yes, now.
Belle: Okay.

-In the carriage-

Belle: So...  How come you took me with you? You almost never do.
Rumple: I thought you needed some air so you wouldn't rot there. You'd better thank me.
Belle: Well, thank you.  I'm glad you decided to do this...
Rumple: Don't get used to it.

   The carriage stops, he gets off and then helps Belle to do the same. After a while of shopping together, he stops and looks in the basket, when she goes a little further to look at the apple stall.

Belle: *smiles*  They look delicious.
Saleswoman: And they are.  Let me tell you that they are freshly picked from my garden. You can taste one if you want. You can make wonderful pies out of these.
Belle: *takes a bite* Hm, it is delicious. I'm going to tell my master, I'll be right back.
Saleswoman: Of course, there's no rush.

   And when she turns her back, a man bumps into her by accident, then he gets nervous.

Roan: Don't you see where you're going, miss?!?
Belle: Uh, I'm so sorry...
Roan: *aggresively takes her arm* Are you?!!

   And as he yelled at her, Rumple saw and appeared behind him.

Rumple: Leave her.
Roan: Oh, yes?  And who are you—  *turns around*
Rumple: *takes off the hood of his cloak*
I won't say it twice.

   Everyone surrounded them and that stranger panicked the hell out of him when he recognized The Dark One.

Roan: *lets go of her arm* I really, really apologize for what I did, I didn't think too well.
Rumple: Oh, are you sure about it?
Roan: No, I mean, yes. 
Rumple: And you know what?  I'm not the one you need to apologize to.
Roan: *turns to Belle* I'm sorry, I really am.
Belle: It-It's okay.
Roan: *turns to Rumple*  See? It's okay. I would do anything, but please, spare my life.
Rumple: We'll see about that.

   He magically pushes him towards a tree, staying on the ground, and then also magically vines appear that tie his hands to the tree.

Rumple: Belle, go to the carriage, I'll come in a few minutes.
Belle: But—
Rumple: I SAID GO!

   Not wanting to upset him even worse, she goes to the carriage and waits there for a quarter of an hour, feeling guilty for leaving the poor man with him, without her doing anything.  Unable to wait any longer, Belle returns to them.  She couldn't see anything because of the people gathered there, so she pushed through the crowd and finally saw Rumplestiltskin hitting that man with a thick stick. The man was covered in blood, and Dark One was laughing and hitting him even harder, enjoying doing it.  Everyone looked scared, but still they didn't do anything about it.  Belle knew she had to do something to stop this, so she rushed towards them and threw herself in front of the man, Rumplestiltskin staying with his stick in the air, stopping in time not to hit her.

Belle: Stop, please!
Rumple: *nervous* What did I tell you to wait for me at the carriage?!?
Belle: I did, but I will no longer bear the fact that you hurt an innocent man!
Rumple: Innocent?!
Belle: What he did can't be compared to what you did to him!
Rumple: Belle, go, so I can finish my job with him!
Belle: I won't!  I will not tolerate what you're doing anymore, I am tired of it!
Rumple: Belle, what did I just tell you?!!
Belle: If you want to kill him, you have to go through me first!

   He looks at her, then aggressively throws his stick down and takes a few steps back, the vines detached by magic and falling to the ground. She is proud of what she just did, as were all the people, then she takes out a handkerchief and cleans the blood from his face.

Belle: Hey, you're alright?
Roan: I-I think so... Wh-Why did you do that?
Belle: This was the right thing to do.
Roan: I-I'm sorry for—
Belle: It's okay, really. *grabs his bloody hands and helps him up*
Rumple: Come on!
Belle: *talks to the people* Can you help him?  *they approve*  Thank you.
Roan: I will be forever grateful to you!
*she smiles and leaves*

   There was a great silence in the carriage, and they didn't even look at each other.  At one point, she gathers courage.

Belle: I can't believe what you did...
Rumple: I like the fact that you have no idea what gratitude means.  He wanted to hurt you and you can't even thank me for helping you.
Belle: I cannot thank you for what you did and besides, he did me no harm.
Rumple: Yeah, you know why?  Because I was there.  If I hadn't told him, who knows what he would've done to you.
Belle: And what do you care anyway?
Rumple: I don't. *after a silence he takes out a handkerchief and throws it at her*  Clean those hands!
Belle: *takes it and starts cleaning them* No, don't look at me with that face.  I will not be sorry that I did the right thing.
Rumple: You foolish girl...
Belle: Maybe I'm a fool sometimes, but that doesn't stop you from being a vicious, merciless psychopath!
Rumple: Oh, say it once more and—
Belle: And what?  You're gonna kill me? Do it.
Rumple: Oh, no dearie.  Killing you means escaping hell and that's a fate too good for you.
Belle: *silence* Maybe you shouldn't have taken me with you.
Rumple: Maybe you're right.  I will stop having good intentions because it doesn't work with you.
Belle: Look, I appreciate that you thought of taking me and that you defended me, but you have to learn to control your temper. Sometimes enough is enough.
Rumple: I could if I wanted to. *silence* Why would you risk your life for a stranger?
Belle: I saw the good in him, and besides, that's what a hero would do.
Rumple: Ah, so now that you stopped me it makes you a hero?
Belle: No. But I would like to walk in my mother's shoes. Maybe one day I will succeed.
Rumple: How emotional...
Belle: Who made you so careless?
Rumple: I don't know.
Belle: How did your mother raise you?
*his face seemed to darken*
Rumple: She didn't. She left. I never met her.
Belle: Oh... I'm so sorry...

And then she realized that this could be a reason why he behaves like that. A reason why he was so evil. She thought that maybe he suffered a lot in his childhood, and the pain entered him and affected him a lot, something like a poison. She seemed to regret the fact that she made him careless and that she judged the book by its cover.

Rumple: It's okay. Maybe it's better that way. I find comfort in knowing that I've lost only those who didn't deserve to stay...
Belle: Yeah... You're right...

There was a deep silence in the carriage and they didn't make a sound until they reached the castle. She kept thinking about what happened and what they talked about, unable to get it out of her head.