Skin Deep

"Skin Deep" is the 12th episode of Once Upon a Time.

Summary
After Mr. Gold's house is robbed, Emma keeps a close eye on him when it looks like he wants to track down the criminal and dole out some vigilante justice as payback, and Valentine's Day finds Mary Margaret, Ruby and Ashley having a girls' night out. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Belle agrees to a fateful deal to give up her freedom in order to save her town from the horrors of the Ogre war.

Plot
ONCE UPON A TIME

Act I
The shot shows the exterior of a castle, and, inside it, King Maurice is staring at a map on the table as one of his men tells him of knews on the battlefield. He tells him that their soldiers have fallen, Maurice seems distraught, going on to say that orgres are no people, "We have to do something. We have to stop them." one of his men tells him. The king's daughter, Belle, makes her way over to him and assures her father that the person who has been supposudly fallen in battle, could be on his way at that moment. "It's too late my girl, it's just... too late." her father tells her, tearing up in his throne. They here someone entering the castle and Maurice and Belle get up and investigate, Maurice wonders how he could get past the walls. The two of them walk closer to the door and the king tells his guards to open it, they remove a blank which blocks the entrance, guards begin to draw their blades and the double doors swing open but no one is on the other side. They seem disappointed. "Well, that was a bit of a let-down." says Rumplestiltskin, sitting upon the throne, the people in the room turn around, shocked. "You sent me a message, something about, um... 'Help! Help! We're dying! Can you save us?!'" Rumple retorts as a guard walks towards him, sword in tow. "Now, the answer is, yes." Rumple tells them, standing up and pushing the sword of the guard down to point at the floor. He walks around the room and tells them that he can protect their little town, for a price. "We sent you a promise of gold." the king says, squaring up to Rumplestiltskin who explains that hemakes gold and wants something a bit more special. "My price... is her." Rumple says, poiting a finger towards Belle. "No." Maurice says, the guard from before puts his arm before her, "The young lady's engaged." he says, implying that he's her fiance. "I wasn't asking if she was engaged. I'm not looking for... love. I'm looking for a caretaker... for my raher large estate. Rumple says that it's her or nothing and so King Maurice tells him to leave, gesturing the door, Belle is pulled aside rather viciously by her fiance. Rumple obliges and makes his way towards the door, "No, wait!" Belle calls, Rumple turns around and Belle breaks free of her fiance's grip to walk towards him, "I will go with you." she says, Rumplestiltskin lets out a shrill sound of glee. Her fiance says he forbids it and her father tries to step in, "No one decides my fate but me!" Belle exclaims to them, Rumple reminds her that it'll be forever but Belle is merely concerned with whether or not her family and friends will live, "You have my word." Rumple says, "Then you have mine." Belle replies, saying that she will go with him forever. Rumple lets out another shrill, gleeful laugh, "Deal!" he exclaims, before the girl's father tells her that she cannot do this. "Please, don't go with this... beast." King Maurice begs, causing Rumple to give an insincere gesture of being insulted. "Father, Gaston, it's been decided." she tells them as Rumple walks up closer to her. "You know... she's right. The deal... is struck." Rumple reminds them before giving the congratulation on their war. Belle and Rumplestiltskin leave the castle together.

In Storybrooke, Moe French (King Marice's counterpart) setps out of his florist's van to deliver some flowers, however, he is greeted by Mr. Gold and his lackees, who have apparantly been looking all over for him. "I'll have your money next week." Mr. French says, but Mr. Gold says that his terms were fairly secific. "Take the van." Mr. Gold tells one of his emplyees who bows and obliges. "Wait! No! Tomorrow's Valentine's Day! The biggest day of-" Moe stops as the man gets into his van. Mr. french stands in front of the van and tells the man now inside it to stop, the4 engine starts, "You've gotta let me sell them!" Moe exclaqims to Gold who seems not to care in the slightest and begins to walk away, "This is not the way to do business, Gold!" Moe yells and Mr. Gold walks away, the van rems its engine and Moe tries to stop it, The van speeds away after Mr. French yells at Gold, telling him that people aren't going to put up with this. He is left standing on the street.

Regina watches the scene from afar as Mr. Gold struts his way up to her, she greets him and congratulates him on causing quite a show back there. Gold says that Mr. French is just having a bad day and that it happens to the best of us. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something-" Regina tries, but Gold tells her that when she has something he wants to discuss they'll have that little chat. "No, we're gonna do this now... It'll only take a moment." Regina states, stepping in the way of Mr. Gold who asks her if there's something she needs to get out in the open. "This is gonna have to wait." he tells her, "Please." he adds in a whisper. Mr. Gold walks straight past an overpowered Regina.

Over at Granny's Diner, Ruby takes a coffee pot from the machine and walks it past Granny and goes to serve a table. Elsewhere in the diner, Mary Margaret is watching David read on another table, "Oh, you got the book." she cheerily points out, "Yeah, I just started it, it's great. Can't wait to see how it ends" David tells her. Their view is blocked by Ruby who pours Mary Margaret some more coffee, "I can push the tables together if you guys..." Ruby offers, noticing that something is between the two, both refuse the offer, making clear that they're not together. Ruby leaves and Mary Margaret and David smile at each other, however, they are next interrupted by Emma, who enters the restaurant and greets David, before sitting down opposite Mary Margaret. "So, how's your day going?" Emma asks, "Henry's fine." Mary Margaret says immediately, Emma points out that that's not what she asked, "...you're sure?" she asks, Mary Margaret confirms it, saying that Regina won't keep them seperated forever. "If people are supposed to be together, they find a way." Mary Margaret says, shining a little wink to David. "So, he's his normal self, he's fine, he's happy?" Emma asks. "Yes." Mary Margaert says, suddenly realizing the effect this has on Emma, "No." she ammends herself, "He misses you... alot. Plus, I only spend six hours with him a day." Mary Margaret explains. "Six hours? Do you take new borns? Because I'd love six hours' help." says Ashley Boyd who's standing behind them handing her baby to Granny. Mary Maragret greets Ashley, who pulls up a chair, and mentions that she didn't even recognize her. Ashley sits down and Emma asks her how it's going, "It's, uh... it's, uh... I mean, the baby's great." she says, struggling to say a nice word about her child, saying that she has no time for herself anymore. She says it's been rough and Sean's been spending all of his time working. "Well, he's gotta work." Mary Margaret says, reassuringly, "On Valentine's Day?" Ashley points out. "I'm sorry, that sucks." Emma says, "Well, it doesn't have to." Ruby says, walking up to their table, "Not with me, let's have a girls' night!" Ruby exclaims, "We can all go, Mary Margaret, and Emma, if you promise to leave the badge at home." she suggests. Emma says that she's not really in a party modd but tells the others to go and have fun. Ruby smiles and speeds away, Mary Margaret seems unhappy that Emma declined. Emma's phone vibrates and she checks her cell, Mary Margaret asks her what it is and she says it's the station and that something's up. Ema gets up and leaves. Mary Margaret gives a worried look to David who reciprocates.

Over at Mr. Gold's mansion, he walks up his porch to discover that his door is already open, he pushes it fruther to realize that his house has been ransacked, Mr. Gold picks up his gun and cautious wonders into the adjacent room. Gold walks through his messed up living room and his suddenly startled and turns around to see Emma standing there, pointing a gun at him, he reciprocates on the gun front, "Sheriff Swan." he greets her, "The neighbors saw your front door was open, one of them called it in." she explains, Gold says that it appears he's been robbed, Emma points out that that keeps happening to him. "Well, I'm a difficult man to love." he says.

In the fairytale world, Rumplestiltskin and Belle walk into the former's palace, "Wh-where are you taking me?" Belle asks as they walk through the dining room, "Let's just call it... your room."

Rumplestiltskin and Belle walk down to a dungeon and Rumple swings open a cell door, "My room?!" Belle asks, shocked and apalled. Rumple tells her that it sounds nicer than dungeon, he then throws the reluctant girl into the cell and slams the door behind her, locking it in the process. Rumple giggles and walks away and Belle is heard calling out and banging on the cell door.

Act II
In Rumplestiltskin's palace, Belle is seen walking into the main room with a tea set which she places on the table, "You will serve me my meals, then you will clean the dark castle..." Rumple starts, Bell says that she understands, "You will dust my collection and laaunder my clothing..." he continues, Belle obliges as she pours him his tea, "You will fetch me fresh straw when I'm spinning at the wheel..." he adds, Belle nods, "Oh, and you will skin the children I hunt... for the belts!" Rumple exclaims, Belle drops a cup in shock, "That one was a quip." he assures her. Belle tries to laugh it off and picks up the cup, "Oh... my, I'm so sorry but... it's... it's chipped." Belle says, worried, she tries to say that you can hardly see it as she holds the chipped cup, "...it's just a cup." Rumpleassures her, Belle smiles and returns the cup to the tea set.

In Storybrooke, Mr. Gold tells Emma that she can leave now, saying that he's got it from here. Emma, diling on her cell, refuses to believe that, "This was a robbery, a public menace, and if you don't tell me what you know, I will have to arrest you for obstruction of justice... I have a feeling you don't wanna be behind bars." Emma explains. "Indeed not." he tells her, before going on to say that the man was Moe French who was late on a deal and who had a little disagreement with Gold a while ago over calateral. "Okay, I'll go get him, check it out." Emma says, beginning to leave. Mr. Gold says that he assumes she will and goes on to say that bad things tend to happen to bad people. "Is that a threat?" Emma asks, Gold denies it, Emma walks out the door and he wishes her good luck.

Back at Rumplestiltskin's palace, Belle is up on a ladder trying to open the very large curtains. On the other end of the room, Rumple is spinning at the wheel, turning straw to gold, Belle sees him, "Why do you spin so much?" she asks, he stops momentarily but continues, "I'm sorry, but, you've spun straw into more gold than you can ever spend." ahw says, "I like looking at the wheel, helps me forget." he tells her, "Forget what?" Belle asks, Rumple is silent, "...I guess it worked." he says, Belle giggles and then turns her attention back to the curtains. Rumple stands up and walks over to her, asking what she's doing, "Opening these, it's almost Spring, we should let some light in." Belle tells him, trying to draw the curtain but being unable to. She tugs but nothing happens, "What did you do, nail them down?" she asks, "Yes." he says, blatenety. Belle continues to pull on the curtains but ends up tearing them, cuasing them and her to fall down, she lands in Rumple's arms, safely. They stare at each other and the moment becomes awkward, "...thank you." she says, she stares at her and seems confused, he then puts her down quickly, worridly. Belle thanks him again but he tells her that it's no matter. He begins to wak away and Belle tells him that she'll put the curtains back up. "There's no need, I'll get used to it." Rumple says before returning to his wheel. Belle smiles his way as he departs.

In the sheriff's office, Emma pulls a sheet from all of the items of her desk before Mr. Gold, revealing that she recovered all of his stolen items. "You're welcome, you were right." she says, going onto eplain that Moe French ripped him off and it was al still at his place. "And the man himself?" Gold asks, "Closing in on him." Emma says, "So, job well half done then." he tells her, Emma is insulted, pointing out that she retrieved everything in under 24 hours, "Is something wrong?" she asks him, "You've recovered nothing." he tells her, viciously. He says there's something missing and storms away, leaving Emma confused, "I'll get it when I find it!" she exclaims, Gold stops, "Not if I find it first." he says before leaving.

Act III
TBA

Act IV
TBA

Act V
TBA

Act VI
TBA

Trivia

 * Although credited, Raphael Sbarge (Archie Hopper/Jiminy Cricket) is absent from this episode. However, he'd been featured in promotional pictures of the episode, so his scenes were probably cut.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.