As I’m rewatching “Skin Deep” for the twentieth time or so, I’m thinking about the issue of which side Gold would see as more advantageous, Regina’s or Emma’s. He knows the wrong that’s been done, the families that were torn apart by the enactment of the curse; he respects and seems to like Emma; he knows she can put things right. On the other hand, if putting things right means that everyone returns to their original identity, that’s probably not a desirable prospect for him. MM gets to be Snow White again, David gets to be Prince Charming, but Gold has to be Rumple again. Once he learns that Belle is alive, perhaps his decision will be made for him: if, to help her, he has to go back to being the monster, I think he’d willingly pay that price, and consider it a bargain.