Authors note: I would just like to say, I love Mr. Gold/Rumple and Bell together but I had this story cooking up in my mind before the that episode of Once Upon a Time. I hope everyone can forgive me! This story will have flash backs to the Enchanted Forest/Fairyland. I promise I will try to keep everyone in character. Also, this story was inspired by the story The Twelve Dancing Princesses bythe Brothers Grimm. Anyways! Here we go :3

PS! I have also posted links to photos of each of the characters as I imagine them if that will help you get all Twelve princesses straight. They're on my profile page!

-Storybrooke-

Once upon a time, there was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters. They slept in twelve beds all in one room and when they went to bed, the doors were shut and locked up. However, every morning their shoes were found to be quite worn through as if they had been danced in all night. Nobody could find out how it happened, or where the princesses had been.

A bell sounded as Kenzi walked into Mr. Gold's pawn shop. She studied a few knick-knacks on the shelves, a cute doll in a pink dress caught her eye and made her sigh a little, she had pawned it off a few months ago to help pay her rent and unfortunately she was running late again this month. She hoped Mr. Gold wouldn't be too angry with her and kick her out of her apartment. She didn't want to have to go crawling back home, that would be undignified at the age twenty-seven.

She was observing some beautiful fans as Mr. Gold emerged from his office a few minutes after she arrived, she wouldn't have even heard him approach her if it wasn't for soft thud of his cane. "Good afternoon Miss Collins, what brings you in?" he asked with his Scottish accent creeping up into his voice.

The small, short haired blonde turned around to face Mr. Gold. He looked dapper as always, he was in a black suit today with royal blue accents. Kenzi opened her purse and removed an envelope and handed it to the well dressed man in front of her. "I know its a little late this month. I'm really sorry." She could barely look at him, she was embarrassed. Kenzi was a Collins, a member of one of the most wealthy families in all of Storybrooke. Even with having twelve children her father had managed to keep them one of the wealthy and now here she was, barely making rent for her apartment. It was pathetic what she'd become.

Mr. Gold tucked the envelope into some secret pocketed within the jacket of his suit. "Well, better late than never. Thank you Miss Collins." He studied Miss Collins for a moment, this was one of the few rare occasions he saw her in this lifetime, she, like most people, avoided him at all costs. She wore pink, just like she had during their first encounter in Fairyland. She looked different in this world though, her hair was shorter and was a deeper shade of blonde. He did notice one other similarity in her appearance from the last world besides the pink attire she sported, the fact that she still put silly things into her hair like feathers or beads. Some things never changed.

"You know you can call me Kenzi, Mr. Gold." she said smiling, happy he wasn't angry or going to charge her interest on the late payment. Mr. Gold couldn't help but smile his crocked smile back at her. Her smile almost always brought out a reciprocating one from him.

"Well then, Kenzi," it was so odd calling her by that name, it was so very foreign to him. "Perhaps we should renegotiate the terms of our agreement." Kenzi tensed at this, Mr. Gold smiled reassuringly at her though as he went behind the counter and searched for her contract. Kenzi felt nauseous and light headed as she walked towards the counter and gripped it for support. She'd heard horror stories of people who renegotiated their contracts with him, they ended up under his influence forever.

"Mr. Gold, I hardly think that's necessary, I'm taking on some students for private voice lessons this month. I'll be able to pay you on time."

"Didn't you once want to be an professional singer?" he asked almost randomly as he continued to search despite her plea.

"Yes actually, either something to do with Opera or Broadway." It had been so long ago, she was surprised he remembered. She used to do small shows around town, during carnivals and fairs but nowadays, she didn't sing unless she was showing a student how to sing the song properly.

Mr. Gold suddenly stopped looking for Kenzi's contract as an idea to become close to her once again slithered its way into his mind. "Miss Collins, how about I cut the cost of your rent in half if you come in once or twice a month and sing for me?"

Kenzi's mouth hung agape for a few seconds, actually causing Mr. Gold to chuckle a little. "Do we have a deal then, dearie?" He extended his hand for a handshake.

"Yes! Oh most certainty yes, we have a deal! Thank you so much Mr. Gold!" She shook his hand vigorously, she'd probably have hugged him had there not been the counter dividing them. Her being uncomfortable for a few hours a month was much better than dipping into her grocery money to pay rent. With a new contract in place, Kenzi left the pawnshop to go see her second eldest sister, Jessie. The promise of her return though, made him smile smugly as he watched her leave.

-Fairyland Flashback-

So the king made it known to all the land that if any person could discover the secret and find out where it was that the princesses danced in the night, he would have the one he liked best to take as his wife, and would be king after his death. But whoever tried and did not succeed, after three days and nights, they would be put to death.

The Evil Queen entered the estate of none other than Rumpelstiltskin without warning, he was sitting at his spinning wheel ,turning straw into gold. The gold and gray skinned man didn't even look up as she entered, he'd been in a sorry state since that girl had left...Bethany? Bellatrix? Belle, that was it. It had several months since she'd told Rumpelstiltskin about the girls supposed suicide. In reality, she was locked in the deepest, darkest part of Regina's dungeon. Still, even though the queen enjoyed seeing him within this weakened state, she needed the imps magic to complete her plans and she very well couldn't make deals with him while he sat at the damn spinning wheel all day.

"Oh Rumple, I really think its time you get yourself away from the spinning wheel of yours and find yourself a new girl. At least get a maid, the place is looking dreadful."

"I don't want a new girl," he said still focused on his spinning.

The queen walked across the room so she stood in front of the spinning wheel. "Well, then I guess this wont interested you." she said holding up a flyer of some sort. Rumpelstiltskin looked up from his wheel, intrigued and took the paper swiftly from the queen.

"I have no interest in becoming king or marrying a princesses, why would you even think this would interest me?" he hissed at her majesty who merely smiled.

"Because the king is just dying to figure out where his little princesses are running off to at night." Queen Regina leaned forward and lowered her voice and octave. "He's already beheaded seven princes, a duke, five peasant boys, ten sailors, two merchants, and even six of his own soldiers. He's getting very desperate and if I recall," the queen smiled deviously. "There's a certain Piper who lives in that kingdom whose whereabouts you'd like revealed."

The wheels in Rumpelstiltskin's head were now turning, he could strike a deal with the king to give him the location of the Piper and the he could take his magical pipe in exchange for giving up the location of the princesses. Perhaps her would also take one of the spoiled brats to be his new maid, the king would need to give up something precious for the great Rumpelstiltskin's help.

The familiar greedy look the queen saw in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes made Regina smirk, soon the imp would be back to his old tricks, striking deals, stealing magic and being cruel. That's the way she liked him. Feeling satisfied, she left the Dark Castle, hoping to be returning soon to make deals.