Belle French

"You are a hero, who helped your people. You’re a beautiful woman, who loved an ugly man. Really, really loved me. You find goodness in others. And when it’s not there, you create it. You make me want to go back. Back, to the best version of me. And that never happened before. So, when you look in the mirror and you don’t know who you are, that’s who you are."

- Mr. Gold to Belle French

Belle French, also known as Mrs. Gold and briefly known as Lacey, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the twelfth episode of the first season. She is portrayed by starring cast member Emilie de Ravin.

Belle is based on Beauty from the fairytale, "Beauty and the Beast"; and on the character of the same name from the Disney film, Beauty and the Beast.

Before First Curse
Belle is born to Colette and Sir Maurice. As a child, she quickly gains a love for books after her mother reads her a story. In childhood, Belle becomes friends with a boy named Samuel.

Years later, Belle and her mother are preparing to escape the castle as rampaging ogres breach their guard walls. However, the sound of ogre footsteps causes them to hide under a table. Eventually, the ogre rips away the table; unveiling mother and daughter. Colette sacrifices herself to the many approaching ogres as Belle is pulled to safety by guards. Soon after, Belle loses her memories of the event and awakens in bed. Unable to remember how Colette died, she discovers rock trolls can restore memories. She expresses interest in finding them, but her father doesn't want her to pay the price of magic. As Belle argues against him, he orders her to stay put. In defiance, she travels to Arendelle where a woman named Anna helps her find the head rock troll, Grand Pabbie. As they prepare to climb a mountain, Anna uses Belle's ice pick and drops an item. Belle returns it to Anna, who explains it's a hat capable of absorbing magic which she stole from a "twisted man". Upon meeting Grand Pabbie, Belle's memories are turned into a stone. He instructs her to return to where she lost her memories, brew a tea with the stone in a kettle and drink it to remember everything. Anna learns from Grand Pabbie that her relative, Ingrid, has been lying to her. As the two leave, a storm created by Ingrid traps them. Thrown aside by a wind, Belle drops the stone, which falls out of reach. Anna, clinging to a ledge, implores for help. Belle tries to reach the stone, but it shatters, so she rushes to Anna, who slips and falls unconscious. Ingrid then takes the hat from Anna and disappears with her in a puff of smoke. Returning home, Belle learns from her father of her mother's fate. Seeing the ogres reach the outside road, Belle suggests seeking help from a wizard, Rumplestiltskin, despite that there will be a price for magic, as she wants to be as brave as her mother was.

When Sir Maurice requests the assistance of the Dark One in a war he is losing against the ogres in his town of Avonlea, Rumplestiltskin offers protection in exchange for Belle's servitude. Defying her father and fiancé, she agrees to the terms of the deal. Once at his castle, he shows Belle to her "room", which is essentially a dungeon cell. Later, she tries to make him tea, but when startled, drops a cup and accidentally chips it.

Longing for her family, Belle spends the night crying. When Rumplestiltskin bursts in to shut her up, they hear a thud from the main room. There, a hooded thief is stealing a wand. Boasting about his bow and arrow that never misses, the thief shoots at Rumplestiltskin, who is hit by the shaft. However, since Rumplestiltskin is immortal, the arrow has no effect, and he imprisons the thief; subjecting him to physical torture. As the Dark One's servant, Belle is made to wash Rumplestiltskin's bloody aprons after the torture sessions. Pitying the man, she frees him, but doesn't realize he has stolen the wand during his escape. Once Rumplestiltskin discovers this, he forces Belle to accompany him as he tracks down and murders the thief. During their carriage ride, she reasons if he lets the thief go unharmed, people will stop seeing him as a beast. Believing there is good in his heart, Belle claims he loves something more than power. Rumplestiltskin agrees, but then giddily tells her that he loves his things more than power, much to her disappointment. In the woods, a sheriff stops them for trespassing on his land, though he recognizes the owner of the bow and arrow Rumplestiltskin has. Bargaining for information, the sheriff asks to spend a night with Belle, but an impatient Rumplestiltskin rips out the man's tongue. After returning it, the sheriff reveals the thief's name is Robin Hood and tells them where to find him. On foot, Belle and Rumplestiltskin spot Robin Hood using the wand on a sickly woman. Despite that Robin Hood stole the wand for good intentions, Rumplestiltskin entraps Belle in the ground as he readies his arrow shot on the thief. When the healed woman stands up, uncovering a pregnant belly, Belle implores Rumplestiltskin not to make the child fatherless by killing Robin Hood. Her words get through to him, and he purposely allows the arrow to miss his target. Heading back to the castle, Rumplestiltskin shows Belle an extensive library. Despite Rumplestiltskin's reluctance to admit his kind deed, she happily attests that he does have good in him, which catches him off guard.

Some time after this, Belle meets Robin Hood again and they have other adventures together. She also finds out about him being disguised when he invaded Rumplestiltskin's castle in search of the healing wand.

While Rumplestiltskin is in Camelot, Belle examines a sword in the castle cabinet. Catching her off guard, Rumplestiltskin accosts her for snooping, and though he did say that she could, this was to test how she would react. Engrossed in his castle collections, Belle reasons she was curious since he never talks about where the items came from. Furthermore, it's her dream to see the world, which is what he gets to do. When she inquiries about his journey to Camelot, he chucks her a "souvenir", a magic gauntlet used to locate one's greatest weakness. As he states, the weakness is usually a thing the person loves most. After serving him tea, Belle theorizes he collects things to fill a hole in his heart. Instead, Rumplestiltskin whisks her off to laundry duty. Spotting a lone puppy, she follows until losing sight of the animal and is kidnapped by Cruella De Vil. Taken to Demon's Bluff, Belle is coerced into speaking a ransom message into an enchanted sand dollar, in which she asks him to bring the gauntlet in exchange for her life. Rather than Cruella, Maleficent demands the gauntlet when Rumplestiltskin arrives. He quickly overpowers her before the sea witch, Ursula, tightens her tentacles around Belle. Completing the trio, Cruella steps out to pressure Rumplestiltskin into paying the ransom, but he only gives up the gauntlet once Belle's heart is almost crushed by Ursula. With the terms satisfied, Ursula pushes Belle, who falls into Rumplestiltskin's arms, as the sea witch and her allies disappear. Rumplestiltskin then consoles Belle by stating they won't be able to hurt her now. Surprised at his concern, she wonders why he cares about her. Stumped by the question, Rumplestiltskin shoves her away from him and remarks that, rather than someone else, only he is allowed to end her life by crushing her heart.

While Rumplestiltskin in a mournful mood, Belle accidentally walks in on him lighting a candle. Despite that he tells her to go away, she approaches to set down a basket of flowers on the table. When he warns her a second time, Belle notes a shawl nearby. Immediately, she realizes the candle is in remembrance of someone and gives her condolences. Rumplestiltskin remarks that this person is not dead, though, and simply just lost. He sadly admits it is the person's birthday, and regrets his past actions tore away their chance to be happy together. Belle proposes that it's not too late. Though Rumplestiltskin hopes for the same, he thinks his own ending won't be a happy one. Noticing Rumplestiltskin has returned to the castle, Belle walks in to greet him and ask if he needs anything. One of the Dark One's guests, a blonde woman, recognizes Belle. She claims Rumplestiltskin mentioned her, to which Belle is pleasantly surprised, though he says that never happened. As Rumplestiltskin shoos her from the room, Belle remarks that he could speak in a nicer tone. Nonetheless, she leaves as he requests. Over the course of a couple of months, Belle slowly gets to know Rumplestiltskin and they develop a friendship. One day, she goes to town to buy food, where the villagers gossip about her being the Dark One's maid. As a wounded soldier is carted towards camp, she recognizes him as Samuel, her childhood friend. Seeing his injury is from an enchanted weapon, Belle brings him home with her to cure him. Rumplestiltskin, although not pleased with a stranger in his castle, agrees not to kill him. When Samuel awakens, he relates a fabricated tale about how acquired his wound as she researches healing methods. At one point, she finds a notebook in his belongings, which reveal his actual plan is to steal the Dark One's dagger and control Rumplestiltskin into plundering the Enchanted Forest. Despite her doubts about Samuel's story, she keeps her find a secret. Later, Samuel makes an unexpectedly quick recovery, and he admits he came to rescue her on her father's orders. To free her, he wants to use Pandora's Box to trap Rumplestiltskin. Knowing his real plan with the dagger, Belle deliberately leads him out of the castle. From outside the door, Samuel continues an attempt to persuade her, until he seemingly disappears. Rumplestiltskin returns, with the box in hand, as Belle explains why she had to stop Samuel. When she questions where her friend is, Rumplestiltskin only states he kept his promise and didn't kill him, although he secretly condemned Samuel to a swamp.
 * -|Alternate Timeline=

On cleaning duty, Belle inquiries about his spinning, which Rumplestiltskin states helps him forget the things he lost. While altering the castle's decor, she pulls the curtains too hard and falls, though Rumplestiltkin catches her in time. Surprised, Belle thanks him, and he awkwardly puts her down. Later, in conversation, she learns the small clothing in one of the rooms belongs to Rumplestiltskin's son. On the topic of why she accepted his deal, Belle explains it was an opportunity to be brave. As for her left-behind fiancé, she rejects the idea that her idea of love would fit with someone as superficial as Gaston. When she further implores the Dark One about his past, Rumplestiltskin responds by sending her to fetch straw, and he'll tell her his tale when she returns. Belle questions if he trusts her enough to expect her return, but Rumplestiltskin admits he assumes she'll run away. Offered a choice to return home or stay as his servant, Belle contemplates this as she walks to town, where she meets the Queen, who tells her about true love's kiss that can break any curse; namely Rumplestiltskin's. She returns to the castle with a basket full of straw and asks Rumplestiltskin to tell her about how he lost his son. He makes it short and vague. She leans in to kiss Rumplestiltskin, intending to break his curse, and pulls away as the darkness lifts from him. Before the curse is completely gone, Belle mentions true love's kiss, causing him to accuse her of conspiring with the Queen to strip him of his powers. Desperately, Belle attests her love for him is true, but he refuses to listen, throwing her in the dungeon. Later, Rumplestiltskin kicks her out for good, claiming his power is more valuable than her, while Belle brands him a coward for not believing she loves him. Before leaving, she swears he will regret his decision, as there will be nothing left for him except an "empty heart and a chipped cup".

Belle spends her time at a local tavern when she overhears a dwarf, Dreamy, tell his fellow brethren about how strange he is feeling. Belle recognizes the symptom as being lovesick, to which Dreamy begins talking to her about a fairy named Nova who told him about going to Firefly Hill. Amused, Belle bluntly tells Dreamy that Nova is obviously inviting him to meet her there. When Dreamy asks her what love is like, she replies that it is the most wonderful and amazing thing in the world, but it does not always last forever. Additionally, she has already had her heart broken enough to know when someone is reaching out, referring to Nova's invitation to Dreamy. Belle presses him to seize the opportunity and be with Nova while he still has a chance.

The next day, she returns to the tavern and is greeted by Dreamy, who thanks her for the previous advice as he and Nova will soon be leaving together. Belle is estastic at the news. Suddenly, a group of men burst into the tavern to announce they will be heading to a far off land in search of a beast called the Yaoguai. Dreamy thinks it's the perfect opportunity for Belle to have a real adventure. Belle is more unsure since the only adventures she has experienced are the ones in books, which all have happy endings. At Dreamy's urging, she eventually gives in and is given a pouch of fairy dust by him. During the journey, she reads a book detailing the Yaoguai's whereabouts. Her travelling companions, particularly a man named Claude, give her a hard time about being a bookworm. She informs them the book will give them clues as to where to find the Yaoguai, and when pressed, lies and tells them the creature can be found by a lake. They kick her off the wagon to find the Yaoguai themselves, but Belle consults the book to track the beast to a mountainous cave. She approaches the den, but attracts the Yaoguai by stepping on a branch. Belle flees until a female clad warrior, Mulan, drives the Yaoguai off. Upset, Mulan berates Belle for startling the Yaoguai, which she spent months trying to find. Belle states she only wanted to help while the latter tells her to go away. Later, Belle stops by a village well to grab a sip of water and is accosted by Claude and his cronies for previously misleading them to the lake. They attempt to dump her down the well, but Mulan scares them away while sustaining a leg injury. Having a change of heart, Mulan proposes they hunt down the Yaoguai together. On the way there, Mulan can go no further as her wound is getting worse and entrusts Belle with the task of killing the Yaoguai. Armed with Mulan's sword, she heads into the valley and lures the Yaoguai into the village. After letting out a spray of water from a slashed pipe, the beast's bodily flames are doused out. To Belle's amazement, the Yaoguai collapses on the ground and scrawls the message "Save me". She opens her pouch of fairy dust, sprinkling it on the Yaoguai, who turns back into a human man, Prince Phillip. He is deeply grateful, to which Belle wishes for him to repay by taking Mulan to a doctor for treatment. She leaves them and begins making her way back to Rumplestiltskin. Instead, the Evil Queen captures Belle, after being tipped off by Claude, and imprisons her.

Kept as the Evil Queen's prisoner in a palace, Belle is shackled to a bed post and kept alive for an unknown period of time. Outside the room, Claude, employed by the Evil Queen, guards the cell. When a stranger approaches pretending to deliver food for Belle, a fight breaks out, in which Claude meets his demise at at the hand of Hook. He opens the door and claims to be rescuing Belle. When asked why, Hook explains she needs to help him kill Rumplestiltskin, who is holding her father captive. Belle does not believe him and states that she can talk and reason with Rumplestiltskin. When Hook does not budge, Belle admits she does not know how to kill him, and does not want to. Since she is not buying his lies and refuses to comply, Hook knocks Belle unconscious, and prepares to kill her when the Evil Queen walks in to stop him.

During First Curse
After the curse is cast, Belle becomes a patient in the town hospital's psychiatric ward. After remembering his life from the Enchanted Forest, Mr. Gold has memories of how he lost Belle, presumably at the hands of her father, who is now a flower delivery man named Moe. One day, he takes away Moe's truck because he is late with loan payments. Later, Mr. Gold's house is ransacked and several items, including his only memento of Belle, a chipped cup, goes missing, though Emma manages to get all the stolen belongings back, except for the cup. Suspecting Moe has it, Mr. Gold kidnaps Moe and tries to beat the truth out of the man, while expressing a great deal of rage, blaming him for Belle's death. Instead, Regina later proves she stole the cup, and uses it to goad Mr. Gold into admitting his real name, to prove he has regained his memories from before the curse. Satisfied, Regina gives the cup back and leaves to pay a visit to Belle at the hospital, while Mr. Gold remains unaware his lost love is alive.

Jefferson is jilted by Regina on her promise that if he helped her retrieve something from the Enchanted Forest to get rid of Emma, and then she'd bring his daughter back to him. To spite her, he decides to free the imprisoned girl in the psychiatric ward and bring her to Mr. Gold, who he knows won't be pleased at what Regina has done. He disguises himself as a hospital staff member and sneaks down to free Belle after drugging the nurse. He urges Belle to seek out Mr. Gold, and gives her instructions to tell him specifically that Regina locked her up. She goes into the pawn shop and informs Mr. Gold what happened. He is shocked to see her alive, and though Belle doesn't remember him, he promises to protect her. Whilst leading her out to the woods towards the wishing well, the Dark Curse breaks. Belle regains her Enchanted Forest memories, and reaffirms her love for Mr. Gold, who she still affectionately calls Rumplestiltskin. From the wishing well, she watches as Mr. Gold mixes the true love potion with the well water, which transforms it into a purple smoke and brings magic back to Storybrooke.

After First Curse
Following the aftermath of the restoration of magic in Storybrooke, Belle and Mr. Gold speak beside the wishing well. She tells him of her imprisonment and asks if the release of magic was to seek revenge for her capture. He states it wasn't his intention, but will use it as an advantage. She makes him promise not to use the magic and seek revenge against Regina, which he agrees to. However, Mr. Gold finds a way to harm his nemesis without himself being the actual person to do so by releasing a Wraith to suck out Regina's soul. Upset at his broken oath, she leaves the pawnshop in tears of anger and frustration. After the Wraith disappears through a vortex, leaving Regina unscathed, Belle returns and states she will remain with Mr. Gold because he is still a "monster".

On night, Belle has a nightmare in which Mr. Gold attacks Leroy, who has come looking for his axe. To her horror, he takes on his old appearance as the Dark One and proceeds to strangle Leroy to death. She wakes up in a cold sweat and goes looking for Mr. Gold; finding him in the basement secretly spinning gold thread and working on magic. The next day, she attempts to ask him about what he was doing in the prior night. When he tries to brush it off, she calls him a coward for not letting her into his life. Then, without informing Mr. Gold, Belle leaves for the diner, where Ruby helps her figure out a possible job at the currently closed down library as a librarian. She goes to peek at the inside of the building from the window, but is distracted and then kidnapped by William Smee, who brings her to Moe French. At first, Belle is overjoyed to see her father again, but balks when he insists that she leave Mr. Gold for good. Unable to convince her, Moe orders Smee to take his daughter outside the town line so that she will lose her memory. Belle is handcuffed to a mining cart underground as it sets off on the tracks. In an attempt to free herself, she grabs a key for the cuffs, but drops it. Belle is saved by Mr. Gold's magic, but makes it clear she doesn't want him in her life, since he is unable to be truthful with her, and is equally unhappy with Moe for making choices for her. While spending time getting acquainted with food at the diner, Ruby gives her a small box someone left on the front desk. The box contains is a key, which Belle uses to open the library. Inside the building, Mr. Gold admits bringing magic to Storybrooke because he doesn't know how to live without magic. However, the price of bringing magic to town is not being able to leave without losing his Enchanted Forest memories, and therefore, Mr. Gold is unable to search for his son, who was also his motivation for making the Dark Curse. He acknowledges experimenting with magic to figure out a way to break the price of magic. After telling her all this, he turns to leave, but Belle wants to start over with Mr. Gold, and invites him for a hamburger at Granny's.

At the diner, Belle celebrates with the miners after the discovery of diamonds in the Storybrooke Mines, which can be made into fairy dust and rescue Emma and Mary Margaret from the Enchanted Forest. While drinking, she sees Ruby being asked out by Billy. Noting her friend's obvious discomfort, she comes over to excuse Ruby for the night with the reason being they are having a girls' night out. Billy takes the rejection in stride and leaves. Belle remarks that he seems nice, though Ruby is distracted and heads to the back room of the diner. The next morning, Billy turns up dead, and Ruby is accused of murder, since she shape shifted into a wolf the night before, but can't remember anything. David and Granny believe in her innocence, as does Belle, who allows them to hide Ruby in the library from the angry townspeople. Ruby is chained up as a safety precaution, but Belle releases her when she asks for a restroom break. Instead, she is cuffed while Ruby, believing the townspeople's hatred towards her is justified, goes to face the mob. Much later, David presumably unchains Belle after discovering Albert is the actual culprit in Billy's death and Ruby's name is cleared.

Belle and Mr. Gold finally go on a date at Granny's with a serving of hamburgers. They are interrupted by the presence of Regina, who needs Mr. Gold's help in dealing with their nemesis, Cora. Belle asks who Cora is, though Mr. Gold replies she will never have to meet her. Mr. Gold argues he has defeated Cora before, but Regina reminds him that was during a time he "didn't have anything to lose". From this, she indirectly references that Belle will be in danger if Cora reaches her, which makes the librarian nervous.

In the pawnshop, Belle is getting ready for a picnic lunch with Mr. Gold when Emma, David and Mary Margaret arrive. They accuse Mr. Gold of causing Archie's death, to which Belle reacts in disbelief. Mr. Gold proves his innocence by giving Emma a dream catcher to look into the memories of Archie's dog Pongo, who witnessed his owner's death. She sees a recollection of Regina killing Archie in cold blood, though no one is aware it is actually Cora masquerading as the madam mayor.

She, along with the other townspeople, attend Archie's funeral where Mary Margaret gives a eulogy in remembrance of him. Afterwards, Belle meets up with Mr. Gold, who happily informs her about his success in making a potion to cross the border, which will work if poured on his son's shawl. She wishes to go with him, but he regretfully says the potion is only enough for one person. Later in the day, Belle goes to sort books in preparation for a future library opening. Once inside, she recognizes a stranger as Hook and runs away, but he blocks her. Belle pins him on the floor by toppling a bookshelf and scurries into the elevator. She calls Mr. Gold and tries to give more details about Hook, but he can't hear her through the bad reception. She stays in the elevator until Mr. Gold comes to the library. Reunited, they hurry back to the pawnshop as Mr. Gold hesitantly tells her how Hook stole his wife, Milah, from him years ago. When she asks what happened to his wife, Mr. Gold says that she died. He discovers the shawl is gone and furiously plans to go after Hook alone. He hands her a loaded gun to defend herself with. She returns to the library and finds a knot Hook left behind. From browsing through a book about knots, she determines it comes from a ship. At the dock, she sees a bird standing on something invisible. Belle uses a pinch of dust to outline the steps onto a ship, and follows them up through a barrier onto the deck. She ventures below deck to free a trapped Archie and urges him to go back to town, which he does. Belle looks for the shawl, and distractedly sets down the gun. Hook makes himself known to her with the shawl in hand. They both lunge for the gun, but he grabs it first and aims it at her forehead. He reveals Mr. Gold killed Milah by ripping out heart and crushing it. Even knowing this, Belle still believes Mr. Gold has changed for the better. She hits him with a rowing paddle and runs away to above deck with the shawl, but Hook gets there first. When Mr. Gold shows up to beat Hook bloody, Belle pleads for him to stop as proof he has changed from the past. They leave together, and later that night, she watches as he uses the potion and shawl to cross the border while his memory stays intact. From the opposite side of the town line, Belle promises to wait for him. Suddenly, a bullet ricochets into her shoulder from behind. She falls over the border into Mr. Gold's arms and loses her memories as Hook is revealed to be the shooter. In an amnesiac state, Belle doesn't recognize her own name when Mr. Gold calls her, and witnesses him conjuring a fireball just as a car crashes into town.

Frantic and confused, she doesn't understand what is going on. Mr. Gold is worried about Belle's injuries, so he magically heals them, which only frightens her. Emma arrives in her sheriff car with David and Mary Margaret. While an ambulance is called, Mary Margaret soothes a panicked Belle, and later hands her over to a nurse at the hospital. Taken in as a patient, Belle tries to get some rest, but is startled awake by Mr. Gold kissing her. She screams in horror until he leaves. However, Mr. Gold returns later with a chipped cup, which he says is enchanted with magic, and insists that she try looking at it so her memories might come back. She becomes afraid and unsure when he mentions magic. She gives the cup back, though he keeps pushing it back at her. Frustrated, she angrily throws the cup at the wall as it shatters into pieces. She demands for him to leave, which he finally does in tears.

During Belle's stay at the hospital, Ruby tries to cheer her up with some familiar things, such as her favorite book. Belle suspiciously questions her about the accident and the man who used magic to heal her. Worried about exposing magic, Ruby ignores the inquiry and tries to persuade Belle that the tranquilizers must be giving her hallucinations. Upset no one believes her, Belle acts out violently and has to be sedated by the nurse. Later that night, Greg, who was the driver in car crash, visits Belle in her room. She thinks he doesn't believe her about the fireball just like everyone else, though Greg admits he saw it too.

While still resting up in her hospital room, Belle meets Regina. Uneasy at the woman's presence, she asks if they were friends. Regina mentions they knew each other, and asks Belle about Mr. Gold and the dagger. She has no memories of anything, so Regina knocks the girl unconscious and uses magic to levitate the items in Belle's bag into the air to find clues on the dagger's location.

From her cellphone, she receives a call from Mr. Gold. Apologetically, Belle tries to tell Mr. Gold she doesn't remember him, which he knows, but wanted to give his last regards to her as he is dying. He describes the person he knew in her; a beautiful woman who loved an ugly man, and further explains that she creates goodness in those who don't have any. Belle begins to tear up at his words, but he hangs up before she can respond.

When Mr. Gold pays her a visit, Belle is happy and relieved to see he survived and didn't die. She is more trustworthy of him since their phone conversation and believes that he wants to help her regain memories. She tries to thank him for healing her, but he avoids the topic of magic, which disappoints her. While Mr. Gold is getting her discharged from the hospital, Belle packs up her belongings. Regina comes in to introduce herself as the mayor. When she hears from Belle that Mr. Gold is going to help restore her memories, Regina is displeased. Thinking quickly, Regina bends down to pick up an item, and instead conjures an enchantment on little red card of the town bar, The Rabbit Hole. Regina asks if it belongs to Belle. Though Belle says no, Regina suggests she should take a better look at it. Belle glances down at the card and is surprised at the flood of memories, exclaiming she remembers who she is. In fact, Regina has given her false memories to replace the ones she lost previously. Belle assumes the name Lacey and leaves the hospital to hit up the bar by playing pool and chatting with Mr. Clark. Mr. Gold approaches her, and she remembers him as the man who visited her at the hospital. A man, Keith, tries to flirt with her, but she shoots him down. Mr. Gold asks Lacey out on a date at Granny's, which she accepts out of pity for him. Despite turning down Keith earlier, she makes plans to meet with him behind the diner. During the date, Lacey is impressed by Mr. Gold's approachable personality since the stories about him say otherwise. She states that it's important to truly know someone by seeing what's in a person's heart. He accidentally spills wine on her dress, so she goes to clean up, but actually goes to make out with Keith outside. Mr. Gold witnesses them and shoves Keith off in the belief he is assaulting Lacey. Instead, she admits the real reason she agreed to the date. Lacey is simply not attracted to Mr. Gold's nice guy personality, and specifies they do not fit together because she isn't Belle. Later, in the bar's parking lot, she watches Mr. Gold beating up Keith. Intrigued, she realizes Mr. Gold is actually more than meets the eye, and finds herself drawn to his dark nature. She stands by with a mischievous smile as Mr. Gold continues to hit Keith.

Afterwards, she and Mr. Gold leave and walk down the street chatting happily, which is secretly witnessed by Hook through a telescope in the clock tower.

One morning, while on the streets, Mr. Gold accuses Dr. Whale of eyeing Lacey in a suggestive manner and intimidates him into a cowered state. With Lacey's approval, he is inches away from stamping his foot in Dr. Whale's face when Neal rushes out of the bed and breakfast to stop the dispute. Neal is disgusted at his father's actions and reminds him of the time he turned someone into a snail. Amused, Lacey laughs and asks to know more about it, but Mr. Gold senses tension from Neal, so he sends her off to wait for him elsewhere while he converses with his son. Lacey spends more time with his Mr. Gold at his shop as they drink. She is exasperated and annoyed when asked to step in the next room after Mary Margaret and David come to Mr. Gold for help in finding a missing Regina. She overhears them bargaining with him for magic. After they are gone, she asks about his magic use and is amazed when he procures an expensive looking necklace out of thin air and helps her to put it on. After learning more about Mr. Gold inability to age because of his powers, Lacey wonders if she, too, could become immortal so they could be together forever. He says it's possible, but mentions that it doesn't keep a person immune from dying. Mr. Gold goes on to tell her about the prophecy a seer gave him a long time ago that a certain someone will be his undoing, which he takes to mean his death will occur because of that person. Puzzled, Lacey questions why he doesn't just get rid of the obstacle in his way as he's the kind of man who won't let anything stand in his way.

When Leroy departs the pawnshop after urging Mr. Gold to restore Lacey's memories, Lacey pops out from the backroom, completely oblivious to the conversation that took place. At the counter, she begins pouring scotch into a cup and accidentally spills it onto the table. Lacey grabs a nearby cloth, not knowing it's Baelfire's shawl, to wipe the mess up, until Mr. Gold angrily snatches it away, shouting that it belonged to his son. The startled brunette apologizes for her mistake, while Mr. Gold grasps in this instance that he hasn't come to terms with Baelfire's death. Realizing he needs Belle and not Lacey, he magically reconstructs the chipped cup to its unbroken state. Lacey is confused over his fixation on the cup, but when he pours a substance into it, she consents to drinking it, restoring Belle to her old self. Mr Gold apologizes for bringing her back when they are going to die from the trigger's effects, but needed her support. She then comforts him as he cries over the loss of his son. With Emma and Regina's combined powers, the trigger is halted, however, Henry is taken by Greg and Tamara and taken to another world. At the docks, Belle is with Mr. Gold when they learn of Henry's kidnapping. Mr. Gold decides to go with the heroes to rescue his grandson, and though Belle wants to go too, he asks her to stay and keep the town safe with a cloaking spell. At their parting, Belle discovers he won't be able to return to her, but she voices hopes that the future is not set in stone. After sharing a goodbye kiss, she praises Mr. Gold for his efforts, as Neal would be very proud of him.

As the Jolly Roger heads into a portal bound for Neverland, Belle tearfully watches the ship disappear from her view. Suddenly, Archie, Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Happy, Leroy, Mr. Clark, Mother Superior and Walter run up to her, with all of them elated over the town being saved. Belle breaks out of her saddened stupor to inform the group about Henry's kidnapping and the cloaking spell they now must enact to keep outsiders from entering Storybrooke. Once they are in the mines, some of the dwarves quarry a large rock to obtain fairy dust, one of the spell's ingredients. With encouragement from Mother Superior, Belle dumps the vial's contents on the rock; causing a stream of magic to shoot out and begin covering a barrier over Storybrooke. Afterwards, in the diner, she tells Archie her fears that Mr. Gold will die on his mission. Belle wants to help save Henry, and while Archie thinks she did her part by protecting the town, she scoffs over the fact all she did was pour a potion over some rocks. She also thinks no one will invade the town, and believes Mr. Gold doesn't need her. Suddenly, a guest from Neverland, Ariel, brings Belle a sand dollar from Mr. Gold. Upon further examination of the sand dollar, Belle hears a message from Mr. Gold telling her to look for an item in the pawnshop that can defeat Pan. He states it can be found with "the strength of their love", leading her to find the chipped cup, which she places in the cupboard. This activates a hidden panel in the floor, where she finds Pandora's Box. The women are quickly taken hostage by Pan's associates, Michael and John, who steal the box and leave to destroy it. After getting free of their binds, Belle and Ariel rush to the mines, where Belle shoves a mine cart to stop the men from smashing the box. Only when Belle regains the box, John and Michael admit they are helping Pan because he has their sister Wendy, but she persuades them that the box is essential to freeing Wendy. She then sees Ariel off as the mermaid returns to Neverland with the box.

Following a safe journey out of Neverland to Storybrooke, Belle welcomes back Mr. Gold and Neal. To ensure Pan will never be a threat again, Mr. Gold seals Pandora's Box in the pawnshop. Later, Belle helps Mr. Gold get dressed and casually mentions the endless possibilities of his future now that everything is settled. Mr. Gold agrees, and states that the only future he wants is where they are together. The next day, as she and Mr. Gold are exiting the shop, David, Emma and Mary Margaret rush over to ask for the box as they believe Pan is controlling the escaped Shadow from inside it. Belle joins them at the town border, where she watches Emma steps over the town line, before Mr. Gold opens the box to release Pan on the same side, rendering the Lost Boy powerless. Pan claims to be Henry, as the two switched bodies, and proves it by telling Emma something only the boy himself would know. They all regroup with Hook, Neal and Tinker Bell at the vault, where Regina took "Henry" for protection, though the door is locked. After Mr. Gold opens the door with magic, the group find an unconscious Regina and discover Pan took the Dark Curse scroll.

For Regina to undo Pan's curse, Henry and Pan must return to their rightful bodies so she can regain the scroll and destroy it. As soon as Mr. Gold uses the Black Fairy's wand to do just that, everyone scrambles to look for Henry. While Mr. Gold chooses to stay behind to keep watch on a sleeping Pan, Belle joins the others in the search. Shortly after reuniting with Henry, the group are accosted by Pan's freezing spell. The Lost Boy begins narrowing down his choice of first kill from Belle to Neal just as Mr. Gold intervenes to save them. Belle listens as Mr. Gold declares his love for her, as well as Neal, but he regretfully states that he can't be together with them. In a heroic move, Mr. Gold summons the Dark One's dagger, stabbing Pan as well as himself with it, killing both of them. Once the freezing spell wears off, Belle collapses onto the ground, still reeling from seeing her lover die before her eyes. Regina reveals the price of stopping Pan's curse is for everyone to return to the Enchanted Forest. Before the curse spreads through the entire town, Belle gathers at the border with a handful of residents, where Archie comforts her over her loss. Regina sends Emma and Henry out of town to keep them from the curse's grasp, and when the curse cloud approaches, she stops Pan's curse by undoing her own curse, sending everyone inside the town back to the Enchanted Forest.

Before Second Curse
After Regina takes magical preventive measures to undo Pan's casting of the Dark Curse, all the inhabitants of Storybrooke pay the price by returning to the Enchanted Forest and reverting to their prior personas. In a group, they manifest in the land of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip. A plan quickly assembles for everyone to make their way to the Queen's old palace. Before they set out, Belle overhears Neal talking to Prince Charming and Snow White about going to his father's castle to find some way to Emma and Henry, but the couple insist crossing the realm is impossible as well as the fact neither will have any recollection of him. On the trek to the palace, Belle has hopes Neal will see his family again and also believes Rumplestiltskin is not truly gone since they did not see where his dagger went. Later, Friar Tuck, Little John, and Robin Hood of the Merry Men join their party. Belle has a cheerful reunion with Robin Hood as does Neal Cassidy. Upon arriving at the outskirts of the palace, Regina discovers a protection spell, cast by whoever is currently residing inside, is keeping them from going in. For the time being, Robin Hood suggests everyone can take shelter at Sherwood Forest.

As they depart for Sherwood Forest, a flying monkey attacks, sending Belle and various other members of the crowd scurrying back to witness the creature nearly knock into Neal, though Regina quickly dispenses of the being by turning it into a stuffed animal. In a group discussion, Belle shares knowledge about the flying monkey's origins in the land of Oz, so Regina determines the person in the palace is the Wicked Witch. A plan is set up to wait for Regina to bring the shield down and then mobilize the whole group into the palace. Once night falls, Grumpy gives the signal when he spots the dissipating barrier, meaning Regina was able to lower it, so everyone begins assembling towards their destination.

Setting hopes on resurrecting Rumplestiltskin, Belle and Neal go to the old castle looking for information. As they enter a room, she lights a candelabra and accidentally awakens a person residing inside the object. Calling himself Lumiere, he explains how Rumplestiltskin cursed him after a broken deal. Belle promises they can restore him to his original form if he helps them bring back Rumplestiltskin. Lumiere points her to a large book on a shelf where she takes out a hidden key, which he states is for opening a vault and reviving the Dark One. She and Neal make plans to go to the vault, and Lumiere agrees to lead them there. The following day, under Lumiere's instruction, they head to a forest clearing. Directed to the center of the ground as the vault's resting spot, Neal begins uncovering it from the snow. When he expresses uncertainty, Lumiere boldly claims to have lived in the Dark One's library for two-hundred years, which Belle knows is a lie since Rumplestiltskin specifically made that room for her barely thirty years ago. Caught, Lumiere admits he was cursed by the Wicked Witch, who wants the Dark One alive so she can control him with the dagger. Though Belle warns Neal about the consequences should this happen, he stubbornly pushes the key into the vault seal. As an unexpected price, Neal must forfeit his life while Rumplestiltskin is resurrected. On the brink of death, he is saved when Rumplestiltskin absorbs him into his own body. The Wicked Witch retrieves the dagger from Rumplestiltskin and then orders him to kill Belle. Before he can, Lumiere entraps the Wicked Witch with his flames. Torn, she flees, taking Lumiere with her, and leaving behind Rumplestiltskin.

Following her escape from the Wicked Witch, Zelena, Belle reports to Aurora, Prince Charming, Prince Phillip, Snow White and Regina about Neal's sacrifice to resurrect Rumplestiltskin. While everyone ponders what the witch wants from them, Aurora and Prince Phillip admit Zelena desires Snow White's unborn child and that they were forced to keep quiet or their own child would be harmed. After this revelation, Zelena arrives to turn the two into flying monkeys and then immobilizes Prince Charming, Snow White and Regina as a terrified Belle looks on. Zelena approaches to touch Snow White's belly; claiming the baby will be hers, and she departs soon after.

Some time later, while gathered inside the palace with Regina, Robin Hood, Snow White and many other residents, Belle witnesses a reunion between a long-lost Princess Rapunzel, who Prince Charming helped rescue, and her parents.

Months pass, and Belle, Grumpy, Prince Charming, Snow White, Regina, Granny and Robin Hood discuss counterattacking Zelena. They break into the Dark One's castle where Belle gains information from an imprisoned Rumplestiltskin about Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, who can help them. After a visit to Glinda and discovering only Emma can defeat Zelena, Snow White secretly casts another Dark Curse to return all to Storybrooke and seek out her daughter. Before the curse spreads, Zelena drops a forgetful potion to strip everyone of their memories from the year spent in the Enchanted Forest.

During Second Curse
A new curse is cast by none other than Snow White; returning Belle and the rest of the Enchanted Forest inhabitants to the town of Storybrooke. However, as a result of Wicked Witch of the West's interference, everyone's last recollection is the final day in Storybrooke when Regina stopped Pan's curse, but no one can recall anything further than that. Belle resumes life, albeit without Mr. Gold, and begins running his pawnshop. Emma returns and holds a town hall meeting to figure out who is behind the new curse. Leroy is quick to accuse Regina of wrongdoing, and Belle follows suit in agreement as do the other residents. Even Emma refuses to believe Regina, who causes a building tremor out of frustration, and then magically dissipates away. Unknown to everyone, aside from Leroy—who is also in on the scheme—this is a ploy Emma and Regina set up in order to make the townspeople believe the madam mayor is guilty while the two sleuth out the real criminal.

One day, a midwife named Zelena comes into the pawnshop, mistaking her for "Mrs. Gold", and then asking for Mr. Gold himself. Belle quietly states that he died, to which Zelena gives her deepest condolences. As a customer, Zelena seeks Belle's help to pick out a baby gift for an expecting Mary Margaret. Belle happily assists and turns to search for just the right gift when she is magically frozen in place by Zelena, who grabs a plant called night root from a compartment behind a wall painting. Presumably, Belle is unfrozen and has no idea anything is amiss.

Belle is alerted to the recent news about Mr. Gold's revival by Emma and is tasked with researching how he was resurrected. David and Emma go searching for Mr. Gold while Hook opts to stay behind in the pawnshop with Belle. She takes his decision warily, especially since he tried to kill her twice prior, though Hook states that he means to use this time to make it up to her. The two begin taking books off shelves when a noise erupts from pawnshop's front door. Believing Mr. Gold has come back, Belle sprints off; witnessing the door being rammed open, though the person is not her beloved, but a collapsed Neal. After taking him to the hospital, Emma snaps a photo of a triangle mark burned into Neal's palm, which Belle begins looking into it. Discovering the symbol's meaning in a book, she phones Emma to notify her that the mark originates from a key to the vault of the Dark One. Assuming Neal used it at some point, Mr. Gold was resurrected in this manner, but the catch is the Dark One will be revived while the key user will die. Emma discovers Neal is still alive in Mr. Gold's body. After she magically separates them, Neal perishes. Saddened by the news, a grieving Belle is comforted by Mary Margaret.

In mourning, Belle attends Neal's funeral to pay her respects. Afterwards, at the diner, Zelena publicly reveals herself as Regina's half-sister and forces her sibling into a showdown on Main Street after sundown. In preparation, lest Zelena is planning something wicked, Belle, David and Tinker Bell seal off the streets. Hoping to swaying Mr. Gold to their side despite that Zelena is controlling him with the dagger, she sneaks into the farmhouse cellar to coax him out of his prison while David, Emma and Tinker Bell stand guard outside. Belle nearly succeeds until he warns her it's a trap, to which she notices Zelena has been quietly watching from the shadows. Fleeing, she stumbles out just before Mr. Gold, on Zelena's command, tells them to stay out of the way or risk death. During the evening, on Main Street, Zelena approaches while trailed by a helpless Mr. Gold. Belle witnesses Regina being thrown into the clock tower by Zelena, who later flees on her broomstick.

When Ariel enters the pawnshop, Belle is relieved that she is all right after not seeing her since the new curse has been in effect. She helps Ariel and Hook to search the shop for one of Eric's old belongings in the hopes of finding him. After Hook discovers Eric's cloak, Belle pours a locator potion on it. The cloak becomes enchanted and floats towards the location of its owner, to which Ariel and Hook follow along.

After catching Regina sifting through items in the shop, Belle, still upset about being locked up for twenty-eight years, tells her to get lost. Regina offers an apology and asks Belle to think about Mr. Gold, who is still Zelena's hostage. Anger quelled, Belle calms down enough to admit she's been piecing together the ingredients Zelena has collected to find out what spell the witch is trying to cast. However, Belle is stumped over what is so special about Regina's heart that Zelena desperately needs it. Regina decides to find out what Zelena wants by talking to Cora, which is made possible once Belle gives her the now defunct candle to access the land of the dead. When Belle cracks Zelena's spell, she tells the others and they regroup at Regina's house where Mary Margaret was just possessed by Cora's spirit. Mary Margaret explains that her own mother, Queen Eva, caused Cora's marriage to Leopold to fall through, which resulted in Zelena being abandoned. Belle reveals the collected ingredients—David's courage, Regina's heart and Mr. Gold's brain—are items for a time spell to alter the past. Namely, Zelena desires to kill Eva so Cora would have never abandoned her first-born child.

Regina figures out the key to break the curse and getting everyone's memories back is to make Henry believe in magic. When Emma recalls believing in magic because of Henry's storybook, David, via a phone call, asks Belle to search for the item in pawnshop, but she does not find it. Once Regina bestows Henry with a kiss of true love, the curse breaks and everyone regains their memories from the lost year in the Enchanted Forest.

After Second Curse
Once the second curse is broken, Mary Margaret goes into labor at the hospital as Belle stumbles upon Zelena in the hallway. Zelena scoffs at Belle about not having learned her lesson the last time the dagger was utilized on Mr. Gold. Belligerently, Belle asserts her refusal to believe that, even though Mr. Gold desperately insists she must leave. Continuing to give Zelena a tongue-lashing over what she's put Mr. Gold through, Belle suddenly collapses, via the witch's magic, in his arms. Though Mr. Gold doesn't wish to leave his beloved, he is forced to by Zelena's will. In the aftermath, Zelena successfully makes off with the newborn as the last ingredient for her time spell, however, Regina herself defeats her sister with light magic. Regina, gaining the dagger, hands it over to Belle for safekeeping. She returns to the pawnshop where Mr. Gold is waiting for her. Once there, she relinquishes the dagger into his possession so he can be forever free of anyone's control. The only thing Belle asks of him is to not go after Zelena as she knows he is capable of being good. Because of Belle's immense trust in him, he affirms to do the same for her. As Mr. Gold hands back the dagger, he proposes to Belle, which she happily accepts by putting down the weapon and drawing him into an embrace. Without her notice, Mr. Gold switches the dagger; taking the real one while replacing a fake in the pawnshop. Unknown to Belle, he later kills Zelena; accidentally triggering magic in her pendant, which activates the time spell.

Belle, unable to keep what she believes is the real dagger, tries to give it back again. Mr. Gold insists he trusts her completely and then changes the topic to their upcoming wedding. She happily informs him that her father, Moe, has given his blessing to them. During the diner celebration welcoming David and Mary Margaret's newborn son, Belle and Mr. Gold walk in as Zelena's time spell is activated. They both follow David, Regina and Robin Hood to check up on Zelena, who is now missing from the jail cell. Regina suspiciously accuses Mr. Gold of wrongdoing but he attests Belle has the dagger and wouldn't order him to harm Zelena. To prove it, David runs the security tape, which Mr. Gold secretly manipulates to give the appearance that Zelena used magic to turn herself into a statue, which shatters and melts away into powder. As a group, they agree to leave the time portal untouched, however, Emma and Hook enter through it to the past where they recreate a first meeting between Prince Charming and Snow White and then return to the present. Later, Belle witnesses David and Mary Margaret announce they are naming their son after a true hero—Neal. During the marriage ceremony, Archie acts as pastor while Belle is walked by her father to her future husband. Beginning her vows, Belle recalls losing Mr. Gold to darkness, weakness and death, but has actually spent her life finding him. He talks about being unloved and unloving since love has always given him pain, but she was the one who brought light into his life. Mr. Gold promises to never forget what he once was and what he is now. Belle believes the monster in him is gone, even though as a man he is flawed, everyone is too, which only deepens her love for him.

Following the wedding, she encourages Mr. Gold into visiting Neal's grave site. Afterwards, Belle shows Mr. Gold a vacant mansion that she wants to use as their honeymoon suite. Inside, as she chatters on about the scenic ocean view, he magically freezes her in place and switches out the fake dagger in her purse with the real one. As he unfreezes her, Belle then leads him into a large dance hall. To have their first dance as husband and wife, Mr. Gold transforms their clothes and adds lighting and a playing gramophone as they waltz together. Later that night, an unassuming Belle is asleep when Mr. Gold takes the real dagger and uses it on a mysterious cylinder object in the house. At some point, he once again places the fake dagger into Belle's purse.

Returning to the shop, Belle and Mr. Gold discover it's been broken into. When the couple enter, Henry emerges and reveals he was hiding inside. As Belle walks into the back room, Henry greets her before he talks with his grandfather.

Later, whilst working together in the pawnshop, Mr. Gold and Belle's martial bliss is interrupted by the appearance of David and Hook, who inform them that an ice magic wielder, Elsa, entrapped Emma in a cave where she is freezing to death. David explains Elsa is looking for her sister, Anna, whose pendant she found in the pawnshop. Belle fishes out a photo of the necklace, which David recognizes as belonging to a woman he once knew as Joan, whose real name must be Anna.

Inside the pawnshop, Belle stands by as Emma and Hook question Mr. Gold about his knowledge of Elsa. As Emma recalls, he had the urn, which Elsa was trapped within, in his vault. Mr. Gold professes he doesn't know Elsa and that items, like the urn she was trapped in, naturally fall into his possession as a collector, but the histories behind them are unknown to him. Hook counters that Mr. Gold wouldn't unless he had something to gain out of it. Owning up to his past, Mr. Gold affirms that was true once, but since losing a son and gaining a wife, he's "turned over a new leaf", which impresses Belle. In order to satisfy their skepticism, he allows Belle to command him, using the dagger, into revealing the truth. After she orders him into doing so, Mr. Gold professes that he did not know Elsa was trapped in the urn and that he doesn't know her or Anna, though it is a lie, as the dagger is a fake. Nonetheless, this declaration whittles Emma's doubts.

One morning at the library, Belle discovers a drunken man sleeping on the floor near some book shelves. She phones Emma, who promptly arrives to apprehend the man into her custody at the sheriff's station.

Assigned as Neal's caretaker for the day, Belle heads to the apartment where she cradles the cooing infant while sitting on Mary Margaret's bed. Nearby, at the counter, David quietly soothes Mary Margaret's worries about leaving Neal; saying that Belle is a natural with the baby and she has their emergency numbers if anything goes wrong.

Receiving an urgent call from Emma, Belle tracks down Mr. Gold at the pawnshop and they go to the sheriff station where David, Elsa, Henry, Hook, Mary Margaret and Regina are also gathered. Emma plays a camera recording, filmed when she was in a foster home, which reveals her then foster mother was the Snow Queen. At Henry's revelation that the Snow Queen has an ice cream truck, everyone splits up to search. David suggests Belle utilize tracking skills, but she'd rather research at the library. With hidden nervousness, she allows Elsa to come with her. Unbeknownst to Elsa, Belle once met Anna in the past and let her down. Losing hope, Elsa wonders if Anna put her in the urn, just as the Snow Queen claimed, and that her sister doesn't want to be found. Guilt-ridden, Belle excuses herself to make things right. Armed with the dagger, she commands Mr. Gold to lead her to the Snow Queen. After he does, Belle orders him onto watch duty while she goes into the Snow Queen's lair. Inside, she hopes to retrieve a Sorcerer's Hat to force the Snow Queen into revealing Anna's location. Unveiling a mirror, Belle's reflection taunts her about being a coward by having once valued a stone over Anna's life. The doppelganger nitpicks Belle into believing the dagger is fake. While in a trance, she slashes Mr. Gold's neck. Mr. Gold grabs Belle and teleports them to the pawnshop where she snaps out of it. There, she admits Anna is missing because of her and apologizes for abusing the dagger and using him. When Mr. Gold forgives her, Belle expresses remorse for keeping a secret from him as she knows he would never keep something from her. Rushing to the sheriff station, she reveals to Elsa how Anna was captured by the Snow Queen in the past. Relating knowledge about Ingrid's mirror, Belle explains it's key for casting a spell of shattered sight, which will make everyone turn on each other.

Belle deciphers a spell to give Emma the opportunity to capture Ingrid. As the spell dictates, a candle must be lit with magic and then blown towards the target, which will form binds on the person's wrists. After Emma succeeds in doing so, she brings Ingrid to the station for questioning. Belle walks up to the clock tower where David, Elsa and Hook are studying a mirror previously placed by the Snow Queen. She hastily rushes over; warning the trio not to look in the reflection or it'll brainwash them. On closer examination, Belle notices it's not the same mirror she saw in the Snow Queen's lair. Realizing they have been duped, the group arrive too late to the station entrance, which has already been frozen shut by Ingrid. Storming into the pawnshop, they request Mr. Gold's assistance, and he only agrees after much imploring from Belle. Joined by Henry and Mary Margaret, everyone arrives to the station as an explosion tears open a hole in the building. A shaken Emma explains the Snow Queen got away, but she herself caused the combustion. With her powers spinning out of control, Emma then accidentally collapses a streetlight, which almost falls on Hook, but David takes the hit. Mary Margaret reprimands Emma, but upon seeing her daughter's hurt expression, she retracts her anger. However, a shaken Emma flees and drives off in her car.

While everyone spends the entire night searching for Emma, Belle babysits Neal. She tells Mr. Gold about what's happening, and he secretly decides to use the situation to his advantage by attempting to trick Emma into giving up her powers to the hat.

In a deal, Ingrid allows Mr. Gold to leave town with Belle and Henry once the curse is in effect. At the pawnshop, Belle reveals to Elsa and Emma that they can defeat Ingrid's curse with a hair strand from someone who has already been affected by the same spell and making a counter spell with it. Elsa suggests that she herself was sealed in the urn, by Anna, who was under Ingrid's spell, so her sister may fit the criteria. Under a magnifying glass, Belle sees mirror dust embedded in the pendant, which proves Elsa's theory. A plan is formed to gather the nuns for creation of the counter spell while Elsa and Emma use a locator spell to find Anna. With the nuns, Belle assists them at the diner when Mr. Gold arrives asking her to watch over the pawnshop. She insists on staying since the counter spell is very important, and he relents by deciding to keep her company until the business is finished. Elsa and Emma are led to a mine cave-in and are prepare to blast through to reach Anna until Belle phones David to let them know the nuns can make a counter spell with only the necklace. Elsa dupes them by handing over a pouch full of rocks and takes the real pendant to continue tracking her sister. After reaching the diner, everyone discovers the truth. Emma offers to retrieve the necklace, but Belle states that by the time she gets back, the counter spell will not be potent. Later, Belle receives word that Anna has been found and is on her way to the diner, so she leaves the remaining work to the nuns. She then departs with Mr. Gold; not knowing he is luring her away so Hook can help him absorb the nuns into the hat. They say their goodbyes outside the pawnshop, and Belle goes into the back room as he enacts a shield to protect her.

Once Ingrid's spell affects the town, Belle is put to sleep by Mr. Gold, and she remains in this state after Ingrid's spell comes to an end.

After Belle awakens, her husband suggests packing for a trip to New York so they can have a proper honeymoon. While closing a suitcase, she talks to Henry about going out of Storybrooke. Puzzled, the boy informs her that remnants of Ingrid's magic will keep those who leave town from reentering. Although Belle did not know this, she assumes Mr. Gold has found a loophole around the issue. Noticing Henry is unhappy, she learns he is disappointed over the fairytale storybook and all the bad things that happen to Regina in it. She points out that it won't always be so since his mother is changing for the better. This cheers up Henry, who thanks her and endearingly calls her "Grandma", which makes Belle laugh and suggest he just refer to her by name. As Henry helps her pull out another suitcase, some stacked items fall in the process. Within the pile, Belle is shocked to see the magic gauntlet, an item used to locate one's greatest weakness, which Mr. Gold once traded to save her life. Troubled by the find, she tests the gauntlet out and it leads her to the real dagger. Witnessing Mr. Gold crushing Hook's heart, Belle orders him via the dagger to stop. She then commands him to drop the heart and unfreeze Emma and Mary Margaret. Thirdly, Belle makes him teleport both of them to the town line. There, she recalls when he traded the gauntlet for her, and her perception that this proved he had love in him. Instead, Belle recognizes he has not and will never give up power for her. He insists having power is not a bad thing, and they can have both, though Belle states she only wanted his love. Mr. Gold pleads for another chance, but she refuses. Having once said she saw the man behind the beast in him, Belle angrily declares he's just a beast now. In tears, she banishes him out of Storybrooke.

During the six weeks after Mr. Gold's departure, Belle and Hook research a spell for freeing the nuns from the hat. One morning, she opens up the library as Hook meets her there after parting from Emma, who goes on sheriff duty. Once inside, Hook studies a board complied with information concerning the missing nuns, and in anger over the lack of progress, he knocks if off the wall. Belle tries assuring him that they do have a spell to release the nuns as well as the Apprentice, but it'll take some time since she is consulting with outside sources to translate it. When Hook expresses guilt for imprisoning the Apprentice and anger about Mr. Gold's trickery, she openly recognizes her own weakness in not seeing her husband for what he was because of love. She believes Hook dealt with the same, except his love for Emma was used against him by Mr. Gold. Despite all the bad things her husband did, Hook asserts Mr. Gold did truly love her. Teary-eyed, Belle remarks that she hopes he found what what he was looking for. Later in the day, she receives an email from an Oxford professor, not knowing it is actually Mr. Gold, who gives her the translation, to which Regina uses the dagger to perform a ceremony on the hat. The nuns return safely, and while everyone basks in the reunion, none of them see a Chernabog being released from the hat and flying off. While the diner is bustling with activity to welcome the nuns back, the Chernabog makes itself known to the townspeople. With Emma, Hook, Mary Margaret and Regina, Belle ducks for cover behind a building as the group come up with a solution. After Emma and Regina temporarily stun the beast with their combined magic, Belle goes to look up information about the Chernabog at the library. Eventually, with knowledge from Cruella De Vil and Ursula about the Chernabog, the creature is forced across the town line and fades out of existence.

Hearing of Cruella and Ursula's arrival to town, Belle prepares a transformation potion, in fear of retaliation from them. Once the female duo enter into the pawnshop, she warns them not to try anything or she'll use the potion to turn them into toads. Giving congratulations to her for banishing the Dark One, they drop hints about Mr. Gold's sad circumstances in New York. As they tease her about whether she is satisfied with his suffering, Belle asserts she would never be pleased about someone else's misery. Without the brunette's notice, Ursula uses her tentacles to reach into the backroom and grab a wooden box containing Maleficent's totem. Belle then questions whether the two of them actually came to buy anything, so Cruella asks her to find something fashionable to adorn her car hood. After the women leave, Belle receives a phone from Emma about Cruella and Ursula's suspicious behavior. Checking the backroom, she finds the wooden box missing, to which David forces Cruella to pull over her car so he can search the vehicle. In the evening, as Belle is fixing one of the window displays, Mr. Gold secretly watches her from across the street with a longing gaze. When Will walks up to her inside the shop, she smiles happily before kissing him; much to Mr. Gold's shock.

In the pawnshop, as Henry studies the storybook for clues on the Author, Belle walks over carrying a snack as she inquiries about his research. The boy explains finding a page with a door, which he believes will lead to the Author. She encourages him to continue investigating and then hands him the snack. While she is on a diner date with Will, Hook pulls Belle aside for a chat and tells her about Regina going undercover and finding out Cruella, Maleficent and Ursula are seeking the Author to change their stories. Since the trio want Regina to steal something, he speculates they need the dagger to lure the Dark One into town and control him for the mission. Convinced that the dagger must never fall into their enemies' hands, Belle meets up with Hook to hand the weapon to him so he can hide it. Before doing so, she ominously considers the possibility that Mr. Gold is already in town. To quell her worries, Hook encourages her to order the Dark One with the dagger to face her if he is present. When her command yields nothing, Belle is relieved, however, she remains unaware Mr. Gold is already in front of her, except he is disguised as Hook. Turning the dagger over to him, she then returns to the pawnshop, where Will left a rose for her outside the door. Placing the gift in a vase, she busily admires it as Hook returns and persuades her into reciting a pirate's oath, in which neither of them must ever speak about the dagger to each other or anyone else. When questioned about her romance with Will, Belle admits the relationship is new, and she's not completely over Mr. Gold, but he makes her happy. Curiously, she wonders why he and Will are on bad terms, to which Hook states the man took something he cares about. Once he's outside the shop, Mr. Gold reverts back to himself and sadly regards Belle before leaving.

Receiving news about Mr. Gold's return to town, a shocked Belle is asked by Emma to turn over the dagger so they can find out his plans. Instead, the bookish brunette pointedly states she gave it to Hook last night, although he has no recollection of ever receiving the dagger from her, revealing Mr. Gold must have disguised himself as him to get the cursed weapon. To this, Belle expressed dismay at the fact Mr. Gold once again tricked her for his selfish reasons. Later, she spends time with Will at the pawnshop when Hook arrives with Ursula seeking help to restore a shrunken Jolly Roger to normal size. Belle doesn't believe he's the real Hook until Ursula notes that if Mr. Gold was disguised him right now, he would have likely already killed Will. As Will has experience from his travels to Wonderland, he gives Hook and Ursula a concoction made from magic mushrooms to use on the ship.

After Maleficent puts the whole town to sleep, Belle falls unconscious behind the pawnshop counter. Slipping into the shop, Mr. Gold carries her onto a bed, where he begins talking about the many debts he has acquired from his questionable actions. Believing there is no way to repay the debts completely, Mr. Gold expresses a desire to change things quickly with the Author's help, and if it's possible, he'll come back for Belle.

Desiring a way to subdue Mr. Gold so he won't stop her from rescuing Robin Hood, Regina approaches Belle at the pawnshop, telling her about the trouble her ex-husband has caused her. Belle offers to help, which follows with Regina to taking out her heart. Sent to the well, she summons Mr. Gold and asks him for the truth about why he's in town. Mr. Gold pulls out his own heart, which is completely black except for a small bit, explaining that his dark deeds are poisoning him and only the Author can reverse it. Once the heart is completely blackened, rather than dying, he'll lose his ability to love anything or anyone. Belle, accepting his reasons, reconciles with him. As the pair break apart from a kiss, Regina controls Belle into deliberately saying hurtful things to Mr. Gold, such as Will being a better kisser or that his attempts to win her back are pathetic. Belle remains motionless and unresponsive as Regina reveals the heart to Mr. Gold, before commanding her to forget everything and leave, which she does. Regina then warns Mr. Gold against stopping her trip to New York or she'll hurt Belle.

Belle leaves the pawnshop to babysit Neal, and after being finished for the day, she picks up dinner for Will from Granny's. Will returns, with a box, which he reveals is her heart that Regina stole. When Mr. Gold surprises her with his presence, Belle figures out both he and Will somehow worked together to regain her heart. She rebuffs Mr. Gold from speaking to her, but he adamantly tells her about his regrets about lying to her through their marriage. Mr. Gold admits he doesn't expect forgiveness, but by giving back her heart, Will is now her protector, as he believes himself unworthy of the task. After returning her heart, Mr. Gold walks out. Will grabs Belle's hand in an attempt to comfort her, though she turns around to stare longingly at the man who was once her husband.

After Isaac Heller rewrites everyone's stories in the Heroes and Villains book, Belle and every former Enchanted Forest native is taken into an alternate reality. }}

During Alternate Reality
After Isaac Heller changes everyone's stories in the Heroes and Villains book, Belle remains somewhat the same, as loving and kind as ever, and has become a mother to a young son. Her husband, Rumplestiltskin, known as the Light One, is a knight that saves villagers from danger with his powerful light magic. One day, while Rumplestiltskin is away, Belle welcomes Isaac into her home for a sip of water. After her husband returns, she goes to fetch fresh water from the well. Isaac attempts to convince him that this life is fake, and while Rumplestiltskin is a hero in this one, he's a coward in reality. Isaac reveals knowing he's kept his first son, Baelfire, a secret from Belle, and threatens to tell the kingdom about his cowardice if he doesn't kill Henry. Later, over tea, Rumplestiltskin tells Belle about his dilemma, stating that the kingdom is in danger and if left unchecked, it will destroy the happiness they have. He worries about making a choice that may be the wrong one, but she is certain he'll do the right thing because he's a hero. At one point, she hands him a cup of tea, but he drops it, causing the cup to become chipped. Belle assures him that it can be fixed, though he is unsure the same could be said for his dilemma. Once Henry harnesses the quill, he undoes all of Isaac's stories and returns everyone to their lives in Storybrooke.

Before Third Curse
Harnessing the quill, Henry reverts Isaac's stories and returns everyone to Storybrooke. Remembering what happened in the alternate reality, in which Rumplestiltskin killed Regina, Belle storms into the pawnshop to confront Mr. Gold. Upon seeing him collapse, her attitude softens. Knowing his time is almost up, he reminisces about being happy with her in the alternate reality. She insists they were happy in Storybrooke, or they could have been if it was enough for him. Mr. Gold admits it wasn't enough since he didn't believe anyone could love him, to which Belle asserts she knew what she was getting into with him and wasn't going to back out. He wishes her happiness with Will, but she denies loving him. Belle wants to stay with Mr. Gold in his last moments, however, he pushes her away, deeming it dangerous since only the Dark One will remain after his death. When he passes out, she gains help from the Apprentice to trap the darkness in his heart into the hat. While still unconscious, Mr. Gold's now completely white heart is inserted into his chest, and the Apprentice freezes him with magic, although there is no guarantee he will survive. Seconds later, the darkness escapes, first into the Apprentice and then into town, as Emma later absorbs it and becomes the new Dark One.

In the aftermath, Belle joins everyone as the weakened Apprentice gives them instructions on how to find Emma with his wand. Later, she watches over a sleeping Mr. Gold. Mother Superior encourages her to join the others since they may need her resourcefulness, but Belle wishes to stay with Mr. Gold in case he passes away. To reassure her, Mother Superior uses her wand to link a rose in a bell jar to Mr. Gold, stating that as long as the petals on the flower remain, he is alive. Belle takes it with her as she leaves to find the others. In order to track down Emma, who has fled to another realm, someone with enough dark and light essence must use the Apprentice's wand to open a portal to reach her. After Hook frees Zelena to gain her help, she double crosses him, leaving him no choice but to tell Regina, Emma's parents and Belle about what transpired. They are too late to stop Zelena from kidnapping Robin and using him as leverage against Regina, who forfeits the wand to ensure his safety. As the group look on, Zelena uses the wand to create a cyclone, but she is weakened by a magic drain, giving Regina the chance to reclasp the bracelet on Zelena. Later, Belle and her allies seek cover in the diner, as Regina redirects the cyclone to Emma, causing the whole diner to be taken away to the Enchanted Forest.

After arriving to the Enchanted Forest, some of the group search for Emma and bring her back to the diner building, where Belle and the rest of the crew come out to greet her. Soon, they are approached by King Arthur and his knights, who believe they are prophesied to reunite them with Merlin. The whole group is then led to King Arthur's castle in Camelot.

At the castle, King Arthur introduces the group to his Queen, Guinevere, and he announces there will be a ball held in their honor. During the festivities, Belle keeps watch on her rose, which already has several fallen petals. Leroy believes it symbolizes hope because for each petal still on the rose, those are chances that Mr. Gold has of surviving. Belle thanks him for the advice and asks him to dance. After he accepts, she heads out onto the ballroom dance floor with him.

While Regina researches magical remedies for freeing Merlin, Mary Margaret prompts her about the fact Merlin could either be trapped inside the tree or be the tree itself. Belle suggests they could test it out by taking out of the tree's branches, but Regina declines, believing they'll have trouble if the branch ends up reverting to one of Merlin's fingers. When Arthur comes to check up on their progress, Belle mentions how great it is to work with Merlin's books as it's almost like working with the sorcerer himself. Inspired by this, Mary Margaret wonders if they could find a way to talk to Merlin. This leads Regina into finding information on a toadstool called the crimson crown, which can do just that. Arthur and David go to retrieve it, but the quest is a failure.

Once Emma reverts Merlin to human form, she and some of her allies regroup in the diner. As Belle and the others watch, the great sorcerer helps to undo the enchanted sand's effects on David and Mary Margaret. Merlin confirms he can remove Emma's darkness, but the darkness may have taken root inside of her where no one can see it, and for him to remove it, her heart must be ready to be free.

With Merlin's magic as well as David and Hook's fighting skills, they clear the dungeon of Arthur's guards, with Belle following them. At the cells, they find Lancelot, and unexpectedly, Merida, too. Because Merlin is unfamiliar with the magic on the prison bars, Belle helps him with a spell to break them. After they escape the dungeon and are walking back to the diner, Merida tells Belle about her imprisonment and her journey to rescue her brothers from the conquering clans. Once the others are out of sight, Merida distracts Belle and knocks her unconscious, taking her on a rowboat in the middle of the Ivory Sea. Upon waking up, Belle angrily confronts Merida for the attack, while the redhead is adamant she needs Belle's magical knowledge to find her brothers, and she couldn't risk her saying no if she simply asked for help. At a witch's house, they perform a spell in the cauldron that conjures up a vision of where the clan lords have captured Merida's brothers and sentenced them to execution. Desperate to change their fates, Merida asks her to brew a potion, the Spell of Mor'du, which can transform someone into a bear. After witnessing Merida's superb archery skills, Belle is doubtful she needs magic to gain the clans' respect when her physical strength is impressive enough. Before they ambush the clans, Merida admits she is depending on magic because the clans lost faith in her after her archery skills failed to save her father from an attacking enemy. Believing Merida can do without magic, Belle secretly switches the potion with water. When push comes to shove, with the clans shooting three arrows at her brothers, Merida relies on brute skill, using her one loosed arrow to cut off the three arrows. After her brothers are freed and the clans recognize her as their Queen, Merida sees Belle off in a boat.

After Arthur and Zelena's defeat, Belle is present in the diner as Emma uses the flame ember to reforge the sword and dagger into one weapon. Suddenly, Hook collapses from a cut he previously sustained from Excalibur, which no magic can heal. A desperate Emma, willing to do anything to save him, including creating more darkness, teleports away with Hook. As she tethers Hook's life to Excalibur, making him a Dark One like herself, Doc and the others remain in the diner, looking on in alarm as black tendrils of darkness evaporate from Merlin's body.

Despite Emma's efforts to turn Hook away from the darkness, he kills Merlin to enact another curse to return everyone to Storybrooke so he can fulfill his centuries old grudge against Mr. Gold. In the hopes of finding a way to return him to the man he used to be, Emma absorbs Hook's memories from the last six weeks into a dreamcatcher, and she does the same with Belle and everyone else, to ensure no one remembers Hook becoming a Dark One, before adding the dreamcatcher to the curse brew, creating a full memory wipe. Soon, the curse spreads and sends them all back to Storybrooke.

After Third Curse
Upon arrival to Storybrooke, Belle and the others crash to the floor from the impact of the diner dropping onto the ground, and as they get up, the group realize they are still in Camelot attire, and the last thing anyone recalls is entering King Arthur's castle. Emma, in order to keep Hook's secret under wraps, enters and professes that she will punish them for what they did to her.

The next day, Belle is working at the pawnshop when Hook comes in to ask her about why true love's kiss didn't work for her and Mr. Gold. She explains it did the first time, but because Mr. Gold was scared of a life without magic, he pulled away, causing the darkness to regain its grip on him. Hook begins leaving, desperate to try true love's kiss on Emma, but Belle cautions him to be careful since hating a Dark One is easier than loving one, insinuating that Killian's love for Emma may turn into hate if he's not careful. When a fury kidnaps Robin Hood, Belle gives Regina information about the fury, which is a demon of the underworld sent to extract the unpaid price of magic, and that she has until the full moon reaches its zenith to save him. After Robin is saved and most of the townspeople are having a night out at the diner, Belle approaches Hook at the counter as he is drinking. Putting down her rose's glass jar, she jokes about offering him a glass if he asked, and then inquiries about whether true love's kiss worked on Emma. Hook affirms it did nothing, but he resolves to not to give up on saving her. Later in the night, she and Hook share a glass at the counter.

Hoping to wake Mr. Gold from his coma, Belle puts together a healing spell, but she is unable to find the last ingredient, which has to be something that touched Mr. Gold when he was still just a man. David and Arthur interrupt her search to ask if someone came into the shop to pawn a magic bean, but she hasn't seen anyone like that today. To reveal the identity of the bean thief, David spots a chalice in the pawnshop and decides to utilize it. Belle affirms that the cup has no magic in it, as it's a souvenir from Doc's birthday party, but David takes it anyway, having a plan of his own. During the day, Belle rushes into the diner to pick up a sandwich from Granny, when the second-to-last petal on the magical rose falls off. Belle thinks it means Mr. Gold is close to dying, but a second later, all the fallen petals dissipate and regenerate on the rose. Realizing Mr. Gold is actually waking up, Belle takes off to the pawnshop, but she finds him gone from the cot.

Believing Emma is responsible for Mr. Gold's disappearance, Belle goes with Regina, Robin and Hook to break into Emma's house while she is away. At first, they are unable to get in because of a protection spell on the door, but on Belle's suggestion that Emma would allow Henry into her house, Regina conjures Henry's scarf, using it to bypass the spell. In the basement, they see Excalibur in its stone and notice the sword's markings are the same as the Dark One's dagger. Belle finds evidence that Mr. Gold was being kept in the basement, and just as Robin recommends searching the rest of the house, Regina receives a text from Henry, warning that Emma is on her way back. As they scramble to leave before she returns, a box catches Hook's eye, and he opens it to reveal a dreamcatcher, realizes Emma must have used them to take her and everyone else's memories. That night, during a town carnival, Belle joins Hook at a table, where he tells Arthur, Guinevere, David and Mary Margaret about Excalibur's location. After Hook probes him about the sword and dagger's connection, Arthur admits knowing the dagger is Excalibur's missing blade, and when combined together, it can extinguish the darkness, but in Emma's hands, she may use it to snuff out the light.

Belle, with her allies, decides to use the crimson crown to summon Merlin, however, only a person chosen by the great sorcerer can do that. The bookish brunette suggests getting help from Mr. Gold, believing that he is no worse than Emma, but everyone thinks Arthur is their best bet to reach Merlin. In defiance of them, she storms out, going to the library to figure out Mr. Gold's location with a map. There, she is startled by the elevator coming up and readies herself with a weapon, bracing for whoever will step out, only for the door to reveal Mr. Gold, who is hiding from Merida. During a brief respite, Mr. Gold thanks Belle for not giving up on him, as it was her voice that he heard during his coma, which gave him the strength to cling to life. Tears well up in Belle's eyes, especially when Mr. Gold considers how she stood by him even after everything he's done to her. She, putting the moment and her emotions aside, persuades him to go back to the pawnshop with her to find magic. After making it there, he tells her about his leg limp, which is a reminder of his cowardice during the Ogre Wars, and that his cowardly nature persisted even after he became the Dark One. Even with knowing how he got the limp, Belle believes he is heroic because he broke his own leg in order to be with Baelfire. When Merida shows up to kill Belle on Emma's orders, Belle and Mr. Gold barricade themselves in the back room. Merida breaks in, mistakenly shooting a mirror of the two, before cornering them. Prompted by Mr. Gold's inaction, Belle pulls a rug from under Merida, rendering her unconscious. On the way out, Mr. Gold grabs a potion and drives Belle to the townline, intent on escaping from Emma. Belle, believing it'd be better to face Emma together, forces him to stop the car. Mr. Gold, insisting he cannot be a hero, confesses to crippling himself then because he was scared of dying. He believes the only way he can protect her is if they leave town, but Belle, realizing he wants to protect himself, parts ways from him. Belle then runs into Merida, who drinks a potion that turns her into a bear and starts chasing Belle. After fleeing into the woods, Belle tries to convince Merida to listen, however, the bear is soon distracted by Mr. Gold's presence. While left to the bear's mercy, Mr. Gold makes a last ditch attempt to fight, throwing the potion on Merida, who reverts to human. The three return to Emma, with Mr. Gold agreeing to pull Excalibur in exchange for Merida's heart and finding out where her brothers are. When Belle asks what'll happens if he is unsuccessful, Emma snaps that she'll be the maid to clean up his remains. Mr. Gold, after pulling out Excalibur, leaves with Belle.

When Hook enters the pawnshop seeking Mr. Gold, Belle mistakes him for Emma in disguise and aims a crossbow at him, which she only drops after Mr. Gold assures her that it's actually Hook. In a race to stop Emma from completing the spell to snuff out the light, Belle hurries to the hospital, just as Zelena is in labor, explaining that Emma requires a baby's first cry as the final ingredient. Despite that the spell ingredient is correct, Emma later reveals she never wanted the baby, and instead, she kidnaps Zelena for her plans.

With Hook awakened as a Dark One, his desire for vengeance leads him to challenge Mr. Gold to a duel at noon on the Jolly Roger. Belle joins Mr. Gold and their allies at Regina's house to discuss Hook's plans. While Emma believes it makes sense Hook wants revenge on Mr. Gold, she suspects there is more to it than that, though she doesn't know what else because Hook stole some of her memories. Going by Merlin's final message to them about Nimue being their only hope of defeating the Dark One, Mr. Gold suggests researching The Dark One Chronicles to learn more about her. As everyone leaves for the library, Belle notices Mr. Gold is not going with them. He considers that he still needs to prove himself, even though he saved Belle from Merida, because one brave act doesn't erase years of cowardice. Wanting to be the man she deserves, he understands that her continued efforts in not giving up on him isn't the same as wanting to be with him. Mr. Gold vows, if he survives the battle, to love her in the way he never could before, and he asks her to meet him by the wishing well after the duel so he'll know she loves him and wants to be with him. After Mr. Gold's victory, he is ready to put the past behind and begin anew with her, but Belle rejects him because, although her love for him remains, she is unsure whether she wants to mend their relationship.

Receiving a call from Mr. Gold, Belle goes to the pawnshop to see him. Believing he wants to talk her into taking him back again, she begins reiterating what she told him last time, but he gives her a potion, telling her to use it to leave town and see the world as she's always wanted. Belle, surprised by his sudden proposition, questions if something is wrong. Mr. Gold hugs her, stating he just wants to fulfill her dream, and then hands her his car keys. As she exits, Belle tells him she always knew there was a hero in him. That night, Belle says goodbye to her father, before heading into the car, and driving away. Only later, when Henry calls her, she learns about the recent trouble the townspeople, including Mr. Gold, have had with the Dark Ones and the mark of Charon. Realizing this is why Mr. Gold sent her away, Belle returns to the pawnshop to confront him. At first, she berates him for lying to her again, but then, she kisses him, knowing this time he lied to protect her. For his selfless behavior, Belle professes that she doesn't need to travel the world to know she wants to be with him. After re-consummating the marriage, Belle is asleep in bed, while Mr. Gold leaves to meet with Emma, who claims she can hear the dagger calling. Mr. Gold reveals he is the Dark One again, after using magic to make the darkness return to him, rather than let it die out from Hook's sacrifice. Furious at his machinations, Emma threatens to tell Belle everything, unless Mr. Gold reopens the portal to the Underworld so she can save Hook.

Shortly before leaving for the Underworld, Mr. Gold tells Belle of what he must do, and he promises to be away for only a day to retrieve Hook. Belle accepts his reasons and asks him to come back to her after everything is over.

In Mr. Gold's absence, Belle continues with her life in Storybrooke. On one of these days, she has lunch with Leroy at the diner, where Granny brings her an order of pancakes. From the Underworld, Mr. Gold sees this event through a crystal ball, after creating a spell in an attempt to locate his deceased child, Neal. Yet, when the crystal ball shows him Belle, he takes a moment to realize why, eventually figuring out that she is pregnant with his child. Shocked at this revelation, he drops the ball, which shatters into pieces, as he recalls the deal he made with Fendrake years ago, in which he will owe the healer his second-born child.

Arriving to the nunnery's nursery room, Belle visits baby Neal and Baby Hood, both of whom she has brought formula bottles for. Belle senses something is off after Mother Superior mistakenly takes the wrong bottle for Baby Hood, with her intuition being proven right, after the real Mother Superior walks in. With her cover blown, the fake nun morphs back into Zelena, who has come to take her daughter away. Belle tries to stop her, and she is backed up by Mother Superior's wand, but suddenly, an earthquake occurs, with the ground opening a portal. Belle believes Zelena is responsible, but the redhead insists it wasn't her. Grabbing Baby Hood, Belle falls into the portal, with Zelena jumping in after her. Landing in the Underworld, Zelena theorizes Hades made the portal, and that he wants her baby for a time spell. Distrustful of Zelena, Belle runs away with the child, seeking refugee in Underbrooke's library. She hides behind a bookcase after hearing the elevator come up, but it turns out to be Mr. Gold. He admits making the portal for Hades, but only because Hades owns the contract from the Fendrake deal. Belle realizes she is pregnant and is briefly happy at the news, before getting upset he sold their child. When Mr. Gold promises to protect her and the child with his powers, she becomes even more disappointed, realizing he is the Dark One again. Mr. Gold rationalizes that while he loves the dagger, he also loves her, and that he's both a man and a beast, with both halves not being able to exist without the other. He states Belle that while he can be a better man, he won't ever be a different one. Mr. Gold believes, despite all this, they can have a future, but Belle refuses to make a choice at the moment and decides to wait until everyone returns to Storybrooke. After finding Robin and Regina, Belle gives the baby to them, although she is wary of Zelena's presence. Robin allows Zelena to feed the formula to her daughter, only because her powers aren't working, but as soon as Zelena's magic returns, she douses the trio with a blast and runs off with the baby. Zelena eventually relinquishes the baby to Robin, and Belle joins the heroes at the apartment.

Etymology

 * Belle's last name, French, is a nod to the French origin of the fairytale, Beauty and the Beast.

Character Notes

 * She is one of the few people in the Enchanted Forest who speak highly about Rumplestiltskin.
 * Like Disney's adaption of the same character, Belle is interested in books and is given access to a library by her love interest.
 * Belle is the only character who lost some of her memories in all of the seasons of the show.

Props Notes

 * When Rumplestiltskin arrives at Maurice's castle, Belle is holding a blue book, just like she does in the movie.
 * The book is called Her Handsome Hero. and was the first story her mother read to her.
 * The box that Belle opens in Hook's ship contains gold coins and a bell.

Costume Notes

 * While Belle is researching, she wears a dress with embroidered roses, a reference to the film Beauty and the Beast.
 * The necklace Mr. Gold procures out of thin air and gives to Lacey is the same necklace from Belle's nightmare in "The Crocodile".
 * During their honeymoon, Belle and Mr. Gold dress in similar clothes as their counterparts in the dance scene from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. They also dance to an instrumental version of the title song.
 * When Belle is searching for the Snow Queen, she is is wearing a dagger-printed scarf; a reference to the Dark One's Dagger.