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takadasaiko · 4 months ago

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Burn the Worlds Chapter Twenty-Four

Story Summary: Rumplestiltskin had everything set up just as it needed to be for his curse and to find Bae, but when an enemy bent on destroying him makes his way through to Storybrooke as well, he may find that his cursed persona isn't a match for the cleric. Pre-S1. AU. Rumbelle. Swanfire. Eventual OutlawQueen.

Chapter Summary: Magnus makes a dangerous discovery, Regina finds herself saddled with the Charmings, and Emma and Bae have a talk.

FFN II AO3

---

Bae had lived through more terrible experiences than he liked to look back on. Falling through the portal, starving on the streets of London, Neverland, his father becoming the Dark One… The strange thing about it was that almost every terrifyingly terrible event in his life had followed on the shirttails of some kind of happiness, or at least hope for happiness. His childhood had been happy despite the poverty and the fear, and it had certainly been a bright light he could look back on after his fourteenth birthday. He'd thought he'd get his papa back before the portal and he thought he'd found a new family that loved him before Neverland. Now, despite everything life had taught him, he'd let his guard down. He'd fallen in love and he'd let his father back into his life. Much like his childhood, danger was lurking in every shadow, but they could fight it. They could fight everything except for the darkness that his papa let in.

And with magic came the Curse. Papa hadn't said it, but Bae knew. With magic came the end of all the bright lights in his life.

Rumplestiltskin had always liked to keep his hands busy, and that was even more true when he was uncomfortable. Bae had watched him tame that after taking on the Dark One's curse, but he'd seen hints of it around Mr Gold. Now, as his father explained that magic had come to Storybrooke, he moved around the little cabin, rummaging and looking for who knew what as he spoke.

Yes, he'd felt it as soon as they crossed the town line.

No, he was not responsible for bringing it.

No, he wasn't sure how Magnus had managed it, but if there was one thing he knew about the old cleric, it was that he was equal parts resourceful and determined.

Baelfire pushed down his own creeping fears for just a moment to risk a look over at his father's True Love. Belle had taken a seat on a sofa, her clear blue eyes watching as he moved, and she was very, very quiet for her curious nature. Her silent observation only seemed to make Rumplestiltskin more nervous. His dark eyes darted between Belle and Bae, finally taking a breath.

It was Emma who piped up though. "Okay, so isn't magic just magic? You can use it, right?"

He pursed his lips together thoughtfully before taking a careful knee next to a low set of drawers to work his way through them. "There's light magic and dark magic," he began, his tone surprisingly patient on the subject. "This is… something else."

"Grey?" she offered, looking at Bae for confirmation. He shrugged and his father opened another drawer.

"There's certainly magic that doesn't lend to either extreme, but this is not that."

There was an inflection at the end of the sentence that caught both Bae's and apparently Belle's attention, but if Rumplestiltskin realised it, he didn't acknowledge it.

"Light magic has many more rules to follow for its use, and while the clerics claim to only use light magic, Magnus has been known to bend those rules to the point of breaking."

"How?" Emma asked, moving to plop down into the chair that Bae had propped himself up against.

"Like using light magic for torture," Belle murmured softly, drawing all eyes - even Rumplestiltskin's - to her.

Brown eyes flickered immediately back to the drawer. "Indeed."

"I'm gonna guess you have a theory on how he dragged magic into a world that's known for not having any?" Bae asked quietly. He was certain he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Likely that he attempted to manipulate the curse."

"Wouldn't he need something to do that? Whatever scroll or…." Person that cast it. Oh. That's what his father wasn't saying. What he was avoiding.

"Or what?" Emma pressed.

"How he did it doesn't matter nearly as much as how to use it myself. That's goin' take time."

Bae quirked an eyebrow at his papa. "You opened the door just fine."

"That's small. Something I could do in my sleep. Simple movements, teleportation… that's nothing, but if I'm going up against Mangus, we better be sure that I know the threads to pull together for the spell."

"And there's no way to defeat him without magic?" Belle asked softly, even if she sounded like she knew the answer. Someone had to ask, though.

"No."

Bae shifted his weight, trying to find the best way to ask the question that he knew he needed an answer to, but didn't want. His father closed the drawer he'd been looking through. "I need some items from the shop." He turned, meeting his son's gaze as if he were waiting for him to ask. "So if you've got a question, now's the time."

Baelfire swallowed hard. "Can you hear it?"

Whatever his papa was expecting, that hadn't been it. He started and stopped a couple of times, fidgeting and looking away. "Of course I can hear it, son."

"Can you fight it?"

"It - it's not so much fightin' it," he answered softly, the discomfort rolling off him in waves. He had hated discussing anything regarding the curse in front of anyone else when Bae had been young. Apparently that quirk still stood. "It's about striking a deal with it. The Dark One's curse, as the name would imply, feeds off darkness. That comes in many a form. When this is over, it'll come in Magnus' destruction and that… well, that's something I imagine you and I can agree on needin' to happen."

"And everyone else?"

"Are safe from me as long as they don't get in my way."

"What about that dagger?" Emma asked. "You said that someone holding onto it could control you. Is it -?"

"Safe. Soon as I felt magic, I put it away where only I can reach it."

Bae's eyes narrowed a little as he could practically see the wheels turning in Emma's head. That was the look that had produced the very best and the very worst ideas she came up with. There didn't seem to be any middle ground there.

"So what if Neal holds onto it?"

Rumplestiltskin turned sharply to look at her. "And why would he need to do that?"

"Well he seems kinda freaked out by whatever you get your power from and just because you believe you can control it doesn't mean you can." She held up her hands, palms outward almost immediately. "Doesn't mean you can't. I'm the last person to know that, but I do know your son. He's a good guy and he loves you. Seems like the best person to trust with it."

And apparently those rare moments when it was both the best and the worst idea at the exact same moment. Bae felt like he couldn't breathe as he watched his papa turn the idea over in his mind, Belle sitting quietly just out of reach. She didn't move, didn't try to sway him, but watched and waited. When he glanced her way, she offered him a reassuring smile.

Rumplestiltskin loosed a breath in the form of a sigh, flicked his fingers, and the Kris Dagger appeared in his hand. Bae did his best not to recoil at the sight of the evil thing that had done its damndest to destroy his father. It hadn't won, though, at least not yet, and his papa flipped the dagger over to hand it to him hilt-first.

"Are you sure?" Bae found himself asking.

"I chose it once," he answered, his voice trembling ever so slightly. "Now I choose you. I trust you, Bae. I love you."

Baelfire reached out and his fingers skimmed along the handle and, as they closed around the hilt, his eyes met his papa's. Without warning he reached his free hand up and around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug that the older man readily returned, burying his face in the crook of Bae's neck. "I love you too, Papa. I'll guard it with my life."

"Don't you dare. Any sign of trouble, you call. You call me and I'm right here to protect you." He reached up to make sure Bae met his eyes. "Not it. You."

He shook his head, not willing to trust his own voice and Belle cleared her throat from where she'd stood. "Well then. We should get over to the shop, Rumple."

"We?"

She tipped up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his scruffy cheek. "We. Let's give the kids some time alone while it's still something like quiet."

His father nodded and Bae felt a small smile tug into place as he adjusted his grip on the Dark One's dagger. Belle had been good for him, that much was clear. And maybe, when this was all said and done, they could find a way to free his father from the curse for good. Until then, they'd make the Dark One's curse work for them.

----

There was a shift in the air, and for a moment Magnus mistook it for Reul Ghorm's death. The fairy lay dead at his feet, her dark eyes wide and hollow, her sacrifice in vain even as her precious Snow White grabbed her cursed prince by the wrist and ran. There was no escape, not from Storybrooke. He was even willing to give them a head start - to play the game fairly, of course - but a fraction of a moment later his mind registered that it had not been the death of an Original Power in the Land Without Magic that had rattled the fabric of the curse. No, she had nothing to do with its casting or even bringing magic to this place. Her death - tragic as its necessity had been - made little difference to the fabric of this world. The author of the Dark Curse had returned, and not just that. He had already begun experimenting with the magic he found here. Magnus could feel the power radiate out, and if given just a moment, he could pinpoint where…

And then he was floating, disengaged from his own physical form with a view few would ever know. Rumplestiltskin had not stolen every form of sight from him. He could see the woods, the dirt, and tracks through it where a vehicle had driven. He moved through the space in search for the epicentre of the magic used until he came across a cabin. There. That's where he was, at least for now.

"... going?" a voice cut through, ripping Magnus from the vision and he blinked sightless eyes, sweeping magic over the physical landscape to find Snow and her prince still trying to make their escape. The second flush of power froze everything in place. The birds silenced mid-air and the fish in the pond stilled as they swam. On the banks, desperate to get around and away, were the savior's parents.

Magnus moved unhurriedly towards them, his footsteps powerful and his sightless gaze fixed on them. He could feel Snow squirm against his spell that had locked her in place. "I won't let you touch her!" she growled, every inch the fighter that he'd heard of from the edge of his battle with the Dark One.

"I have no wish to hurt her," Magnus said and the emotion flooding through the strings of magic he had in place gave him a visual of her wide, green eyes and jaw that had gone a little slack in surprise.

Then, all at once, surprise was replaced with fortified determination. "You killed Blue for standing in the way of getting to Emma. Why do you think I'd believe a word that comes out of your mouth?"

"Mary Margaret," her prince managed, "I can't move."

"You are not alone," Magnus said as he stepped aside, pulling his phone from his pocket, the only number that he kept on speed dial ringing as he set it up against his ear. "He has returned to Storybrooke. Gather the twins and the thief up. We will not leave this to chance." Caiden confirmed from his end and Magnus ended the call, turning back towards the royal couple.

"I have no wish to hurt Emma," he repeated. "I also have no choice. Once the Dark One is dead, she is our only way home. I know it comes as no condolence for a mother whose child was stolen away from her by a madman with only his own endeavours in mind, but her sacrifice is her destiny. I will save us from this evil and she will take us home."

"Rumplestiltskin isn't the one threatening my daughter," Snow snarled. "I won't let you touch one hair on her head!"

"The decision is not yours to make." And with that, magic swirled around them as Magnus transported them to the only place deep enough below ground that the curious and cursed townspeople steered clear of.

-----

Her ears were ringing and somehow she found herself on the floor. She didn't know how she'd gotten there or even where there was. The ground was hard under her and when she finally managed to curl her fingers under her she could feel the rocky flooring. Slowly, painfully, she pried her dark eyes open to find the space washed in green light and a pair of small boots appeared, running directly at her. Their owner dropped and one little hand shook and shook her. "Gina. Gina!"

Regina groaned and shifted. Her head was killing her. What the hell was this kid - "Roland?" she managed, finally putting a name with the little voice that hadn't called her by name until that very moment. Or maybe a handful of moments before. She wasn't sure. Something told her she wouldn't have known if he had.

"Well isn't that interesting?" a familiar voice hummed as heeled boots sounded against the hard ground. That's right. Maleficent. She'd thrown a curse at her hard enough to pick her fully up off the ground and slam her against the wall. If Regina had had her magic, it would have been easy enough to deflect, but as it stood…

The Mistress of Evil squatted down, her jacket's long train that was much more suited to the Enchanted Forest pooling on the ground as she got a closer look at the downed, powerless Evil Queen. "Laugh it up," Regina growled, forcing herself to her knees. Everything screamed at her to stay down in painful jabs and sharp pricks of pain, but she ignored them. At the very least she could start healing her pride by getting to her feet and taking a physical swing at the sorceress.

"What did he do to you?"

Dark eyes blinked rapidly, trying to clear the blurriness that her movement was causing, and she looked up to find a strangely concerned look on Maleficent's features. Would wonders never cease?

A small hand took hold of her sleeve and she looked over to see a very worried little boy next to her. For some reason, her irritation and embarrassment took a backseat and she tried for a smile. "I'm alright."

Roland's dark brows drew together and he turned a glare on Maleficent as he moved between the former fairy and the downed queen. There was a beat of silence as the little boy thought he was protecting Regina from the powerful sorceress that had attacked her, but it didn't take long for both women to crack and their laughter echoed through the tunnels. Regina could feel it through her bruised ribs and in every strained muscle, but she couldn't stop herself, and as the laughter continued - the little boy getting more and more frustrated by the second - it was the first truly familiar thing that she had known in nearly two decades.

"What did you do to garner such loyalty?" Maleficent chuckled as she sidestepped the child to reach a hand down to her old friend.

In the moment, despite what had just unfolded, Regina took it, her quip drowned out by the child in question. "She's my friend. Don't hurt her."

"No, I think you've protected her quite well," Maleficent murmured, real amusement finally in her voice. She turned her pale gaze back to Regina. "It's clear what happened, but I do confess to being curious as to how."

"Magnus. The Blind Cleric."

"I presumed as much. His little acolytes have been scurrying these mines like rats for years now. There wasn't much to do about it other than give them reason to avoid me…. Until magic came."

"As brief as that was for me."

"Might have saved your life. I was very put out with you."

"Why?" Roland asked and Maleficent smiled toothily at him.

"Aren't you precious? See, Regina? I told you pets are comforting." She turned that curious expression she wore back on Roland. "Because your friend Gina locked me away. And not just that, she locked me away as a dragon."

Roland's dark eyes went wide. "Why?"

"Because I dared to tell her no. She doesn't like that very much."

"Like you're any better," Regina groused as she finished her personal inventory. She was relatively sure nothing was broken. She turned back to her - former? - friend. "But magic's back, even if Magnus has cut me off from it. Why haven't you left?"

"He had everything set up for the day he'd bring it here, I suppose. All the right wards in place that activated the moment magic came sweeping through. Imagine it. The best I get is this form, but if I try to leave? I'm thrown right back to where I started. He was ready for this, not that anyone would expect any less from him. The man does know how to plan."

"Not like Rumple."

"Ooh. Now there's the battle of the millenia. How long's it been since those two actually went head-to-head? Was it before your time?"

"I don't know. Rumple didn't like to talk about him."

"Rumplestiltskin playing things close to the vest? Shocking."

The corner of Regina's lip tugged up at that, only broadening as an idea stuck her. "You could piggy back out of here. The moment you feel that shift, you can use the brief rupture in the containment spell to teleport out."

"Only if I took the person coming in with me. No. I have no interest in landing on the Blind Cleric's map."

"How're you gonna get out then?" Roland asked sincerely.

"Oh, sweet child. When you've been alive as long as I have you understand that curses don't last forever. Not even ones Regina here casts. Sooner or later it'll be broken and we'll all go catapulting back to our own world… or what's left of it. This isn't forever."

The jab struck deeper than Regina cared to admit. Her curse was as airtight as any curse could be. "Isn't it?"

"I'm in no rush, dear. I don't have a cleric breathing down my neck."

"So send us out. You don't want to fight him, fine. Rumple and I will wage our war, and when we win -"

"Bold assumption."

"- I'll free you."

That dangerous smile returned. "You'll still owe me that fight."

Regina matched it. "I wouldn't miss it for either world."

The smile faded and Maleficent tilted her head. She felt something moving. Something Regina could only hope she'd feel again someday. "He's coming?"

"Maybe. They don't always join."

"Send us."

"Both of you?"

"I promised the kid I'd help him find his father if he helped me get out. He led me to you who may just get us out."

"Look at you becoming a woman of your word." The mirth washed away. "It may not be Magnus coming, but it may well be. I have no way to know for sure."

"I understand." Regina looked down at Roland. "If I tell you to run, you run. Don't look back. Don't stop. Do you hear me?"

"But -"

"Do you hear me?"

He nodded and Regina turned to Maleficent. The older sorceress gave her a crooked smile. "Tell Rumple I said good luck. He's going to need every ounce of it."

"We all will."

Without warning, they were pulled away, Maleficent's magic shoving them through the crack in the containment spell and hurtling towards the unknown.

----

He had thought the world he had woken up to was crazy enough. He couldn't remember his name or his life or what had happened that had put him into a coma for… no one seemed to be able to tell him how long. Storybrooke was a strange place, but he'd done his best to convince himself that it was because he was limited to the hospital grounds. The few people that he saw regularly from the outside seemed normal enough.

Mary Margaret had seemed normal enough. At least until that morning. Now he didn't know what the hell was happening. Some towering blind man had killed a woman - a nun - by ripping her heart out of her chest and was talking about hurting someone else. Mary Margaret's daughter? None of it made sense. Not the shift in the woman he was beginning to fall for or the unexplainable events that looked like something out of one of the movies he'd watched while passing the time in the hospital. Part of him knew he didn't remember enough to know it wasn't real, but another part of his mind screamed at him that it couldn't be. This was a dream. Maybe he was still asleep and none of this had really happened.

He was jolted out of his desperate attempt to piece something that made sense together as they were ripped from where they were standing. He thought he saw some sort of smoke swirl around them and his grip tightened on Mary Margaret's hand as he felt like he was being dragged through the air. His feet were under him when he landed though, catching only the briefest of glimpses of what looked like a cave before the smoke turned green and he was right back where he'd started: standing by the lake with Mary Margaret's hand clutched tightly in his and the dead nun a few yards away.

He blinked hard, feeling like he'd gotten whiplash from the sudden movements, and found that they weren't alone. A woman stood with them, dressed in a torn pantsuit with short dark hair, and at her side was a little boy that couldn't have been older than four. His face was set in a determined sort of way like he was desperate to hide just how scared he was and he looked up at the woman whose dark gaze swept the terrain to settle on Mary Margaret. Her mouth dropped open as if she were looking for something to say, but Mary Margaret beat her to it, loosening her grip on his hand to step in front of him. "Regina. Of course you're behind all of this!"

Somehow the woman - Regina - managed to look even more startled than before. "Snow?"

"This doesn't make any sense. Why would you be aligned with Magnus? I thought you and Rumplestiltskin were -"

Regina's expression darkened immediately. "I would never align with that cleric." She paused, glancing down at the boy who was watching with wide, dark eyes, and she let her hand drop so that he could take hold of it. He did without hesitation. "Magnus had us trapped in the mines."

"The lady with the green smoke got us out," the boy piped up.

Mary Margaret's dark brows drew together. "Who?"

Regina bristled irritably. "Doesn't matter. Hello there, David. You look… confused."

The man that finally realized she was referring to as David blinked. "I don't…. What the hell is going on?" He looked to Mary Margaret. "Who's David?"

Mary Margaret turned back to him. "You are. It's okay. It'll make sense. We just have to find a way to help you remember." Slowly, an idea seemed to dawn on her and her pretty green gaze slid back to the other woman. "And Regina can help with that."

Regina snorted. "Oh. And why would I do that? This -" she motioned between them - "is better than I could have dreamt. You remember everything and he remembers nothing. Your prince is gone, Snow, and you have to look at the empty shell wearing his face every day." A smile broadened, but it was anything but pleasant. "I won. And now you'll live through the hell that you put me through for so long."

Frustration bubbled up at her vicious expression and the way her words seemed to slice through Mary Margaret. David took a step around the petite woman. He wasn't sure what to say or what to do, but he felt the sudden urge to do something. To protect her. Somehow.

Mary Margaret reached a hand out and it touched David's arm gently, but when he glanced back she was looking at Regina. There was something in her eyes that said she had a plan. She knew exactly what she needed to do. "You're going to help us because our goals are aligned. Because we can help you take down Magnus."

Regina snorted. "How did that work out for you just now?"

The little boy gave a tug on her hand. "Papa says we help friends."

"They are not our friends," she countered.

"But they wanna help!"

"We do," Mary Margaret pressed, turning her one-hundred watt smile on the little boy. "And we can. If Regina will let us."

He turned those big brown eyes up to the woman whose hand he was still clutching and David could have sworn he saw her hardened expression ease a little bit. "Please, Gina! Please can the nice lady help?"

Regina bristled at that and shot Mary Margaret a look that was one part distrust and the other loathing. "We don't have time for this. If you just can't stop yourself from tagging along, I won't stop you, but we can't just keep standing here in the open," she grumbled after a long moment.

"Are we gonna go find Papa?"

This time David was sure it was the little boy that softened her. "We're going to go find a way to find him."

He lit up at that and David looked over to Mary Margaret. There was a strange, distant look in her eyes, like she was caught up in an old memory. So caught up that she didn't start moving even as Regina and the boy did. "C'mon," he coaxed, taking her hand. "Otherwise I'm pretty sure she'll leave us behind."

She nodded and offered him a smile as she tightened her grip on him. "Don't worry. We'll get your memories back. I promise."

There was something in her tone that made him think only a fool would bet against her.

-----

Emma wasn't sure how long Belle and Gold had been gone, but the deafening silence that had settled in as Neal turned the weirdly shaped knife that was somehow linked to his father's magic powers - okay, that was all still so weird, even after she'd seen him toss around small flickers of magic as casually as he breathed - was about to drive her insane. There was so much at stake right now with so many unknowns. Not just the people she'd come to care about and the ones she thought she might want to care about a little more, but the question that she'd pushed to the back of her mind since the hotel. She was young, but she wasn't stupid. That's why Belle had wanted to give them time. She thought Emma should talk to Neal about it. Sure, talk to him and blow everything up. If he even thought there was a possibility that she was pregnant he'd grab her by the wrist, throw her into the car, and they'd be gone before they ever helped anybody. And Gold wasn't there to help with that beaten-puppy look that he'd given his son the last time that had helped to keep him there.

So she'd let him brood and Emma scoured every inch of the small cabin. Every bookshelf and nicknack. Every coat closet and quilt rack. She'd even gotten desperate enough to act like she was interested in the mantle over the fireplace. It was a small cabin.

The longer time stretched on, the more stir crazy she was becoming. They hadn't come all the way back to Storybrooke just to sit on their asses, and while it might be smart to wait until the one guy who could actually use magic came back to risk running across Magnus, eventually Neal might ask what Belle had been referring to.

With a huff, she turned towards the door. That, apparently, was enough to catch her boyfriend's attention. "Hey? Where're you going?"

He hadn't moved from where he'd curled himself into a chair, knees bent and knife in hand, but those dark eyes of his were fixed on her in a way that always made her feel like he could read her mind. When she'd first met him, it had left her feeling exposed, but the longer she knew him - the more she fell for him - those eyes had become home. A focused look like he had on her would, in most circumstances, calm any nerves. This was definitely not most circumstances.

"We came back to help Regina and apparently my parents are still out there. We don't know what's going on or what Magnus and his creeps know. I can -"

Then he was on his feet, his expressive features pulled in worry. "Emma, no. He knows you're with us. He -"

"Might come after me? Yeah. I got that part. Does it have something to do with the curse? Does he think I can help him or -"

"Pop thinks he might try to kill you to send everyone back home," Neal blurted she finally stilled.

"What?"

Neal dragged in a breath that didn't seem to calm the fear at all. "Papa doesn't think you can break the curse now, but he said he put a failsafe in to keep… anyone from going after you before you had a chance to come back and break it. If you die, everyone that's here and that's from the Enchanted Forest goes back."

"Does that mean you too?"

"I don't know. Maybe, but I think you're missing the point." He stepped forward, reaching his free hand out to her and she took it, letting him pull her closer. "I'm not going to lose you. I get that you couldn't just run from this, but we have to play it smart. Promise?"

She couldn't help but squeeze his fingers between hers and she risked a look up into those dark eyes. Damn the man. Yeah. There was no way she was telling him about a kid until this was all over. "Yeah," she said quietly and saw at least a little of his tension ease. A corner of his lips twitched upward and he leaned in. Emma felt her eyes close as he pressed his lips against hers and she reached her own free hand up to the side of his face, guiding him a little deeper into the kiss.

"I love you," he whispered softly.

Hazel eyes fluttered open. "You too."

His expression turned a little more mischievous. "You know, they could be gone for a while."

Blonde eyebrows danced upward. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean -" He stopped abruptly, his gaze sliding towards the back door.

Emma snorted a laugh. "You were saying?"

"Did you hear that?"

"No…."

The door blew open like it'd been kicked in and revealed a lanky man with sandy hair and a dangerous smile curling his lips. A startled sound escaped Emma as Neal dragged her around, putting himself between her and the clearly unfriendly new guest. His opposite hand settled behind him, presumably to keep her from darting the other direction, but Emma saw the knife clutched carefully between his fingers.

"We don't want to hurt the girl or you," another voice said from the back door and both Emma and Neal's attentions jerked around to see a blond man in some kind of costume. With him was another man that looked identical to the one that had barged in the front door.

The second twin sneered. "Give up the dagger, boy."

Neal squared his shoulders, backing Emma up a couple of steps to reposition himself to jump in either direction. "Like hell I'm gonna -"

And then he was being thrown like someone had tugged hard on invisible strings. Neal crashed hard into the wall, but didn't let go of the dagger. Instead he grit his teeth, anger rolling off of him in waves, and he turned that determined gaze on his enemy at the front door. "Rum -"

There was a flick of the man's wrist, much like Gold had done to open doors and cabinets and the like while searching through the cabin. This didn't open doors, but instead sent out a strong gust of something powerful enough that Emma thought she saw it glisten through the air. The streak of power sliced through her boyfriend like knives that had been thrown, tossing him back harder than the first time and dragging a cry of pain from him.

A hush fell over the cabin as he crumbled to the ground, the fight over before it had really begun and Emma wondered if that's what magic really was. No wonder Neal didn't like it. She didn't think she liked it either.

And then all eyes fell on the dagger that had been driven loose from the groaning young man and as quickly as everyone had frozen in their place, they sprang into action again.

-----

"I'm very proud of you."

Belle's voice drew Rumple's attention from where he'd been carefully mixing a potion that he'd prefer to take whole rather than in its more combustive individual parts back to the cabin. "What for, dear?"

Her smile was soft and kind, and Rumplestiltskin felt the fluttering in his chest that it always elicited. "For trusting Bae with the dagger."

His curse stirred dangerously at the reminder that it wasn't in control and Rumplestiltskin pushed hard against it as he turned back to his potion-making, his skilled fingers tipping one ingredient into the waiting beaker to see it darken and begin to bubble angrily until he pinched the root he'd ground down into dust and sprinkled it in. The mixture gave to that, the colour shifting again and smoking wafting upward. "Of course I trust Bae," he murmured, risking a quick glance in her direction to find her smile hadn't faded. If anything, it had grown.

"Is it ready?"

"Just about," he answered, relieved to shift the topic away from his own vulnerabilities. "Another minute or so and it'll be stable enough to go back with us."

"Do we not need to protect the shop?"

"Oh no. There're enough wards in this place to keep even Magnus out now that they've got magic to pull from."

As if in response to the statement, the bell above the front door gave a sharp, abrupt jingle like someone had rattled the door without getting it opened. He met Belle's sharp look and motioned for her to stay where she was, grateful that she didn't argue the point. If Magnus' people were trying to come in through less-than-magical means, she wouldn't be in the direct line of fire.

Rumplestiltskin pushed through the curtain and towards the front door where he could hear muffled voices and the sound of someone trying to jimmy the lock.

"I thought you were supposed to be good at this!" the familiar and irritable voice of Regina Mills growled from the other side of the door.

"It's been a while," the more surprising voice of Snow - Mary Margaret in this world - answered in what she likely thought was a hushed tone. "And why can't you just magic it open?" Interesting. Somehow Snow had woken up.

Rumple flicked his fingers, the lock flipped, and the door swung open to reveal three surprised faces. "Because Regina, for all her talent, never could break my wards." He flashed them a sharp grin.

Snow White gaped a little as she stared at him. "Rumple…stiltskin? Is that you?"

He heard the light sound of footsteps and the curtain opening behind him as Belle joined the more or less friendly crowd. "Indeed it is," he answered without bothering to curb the amusement in his voice. "And my my…. There must be quite a story here. Tell me, Regina, how did you come by your step-daughter and her charming husband in all of this?"

The prince in question gave him a strange look at the statement while the Evil Queen's lips tugged downward. "What do you think? Magnus."

"It's good to see you're alright," Belle offered.

"Of course I am," she answered briskly and movement caught Rumple's attention. Hiding behind her torn pant legs and utterly unnoticed up until that point, a little boy with a mop of dark hair peeked around.

Rumplestiltskin may have finally noticed him, but it was Belle who greeted him. "Hello there. Who might you be?"

The little boy moved just a bit more out into the open. "Roland," he answered, never straying far from Regina. Rumple didn't miss how she reached down and the boy instantly grabbed her hand. "Are you gonna help us find my papa?"

The Dark One snorted, ready to wave the child off and tell him they had bigger issues to worry about, but Belle shot him a look like she just knew what was going through his mind. "We'd love to help," she said firmly.

Rumple snorted as he turned to limp back into the shop a bit further. "Well c'mon now. Don't just stand there in the doorway. Wards work best on sealed walls. We'll need to -"

And then he felt it. The jarring pull of his curse as the summoning slammed into him by way of his name being called and his own magic snapped him out of the shop.

----

They stood there, the pawn shop suddenly short one obnoxious sorcerer, and Regina's gaze snapped to Belle. "Where the hell did he go?"

To the side, the amnesiatic David looked like he'd finally hit his quota of unexplainable events. His eyes went wide as he turned to Snow. "What just happened? Did he… disappear? What -"

"Magic, David," Snow said quietly, her expression strained as she reached out in a comforting manner.

Belle's blue gaze remained fixated on the spot where her lover had just been standing, but instead of that irritatingly determined look that seemed to be a steady fixture on her features, the younger woman looked… worried. Afraid. She swallowed hard and seemed to try to steal herself. "Baelfire has Rumple's dagger."

"Who's Baelfire?" Snow demanded.

"Rumple's son," Regina answered dismissively.

"Neal?!"

The fear in Belle's eyes shifted and there was that damnable look. "Regina, we need to go. If Bae summoned Rumple, then he and Emma will be -"

"Regina, she's right. We have to go," Snow said, her voice strangely unsteady and when Regina turned she found those large green eyes fixed on her and pleading. "I know you said you couldn't teleport us because Magnus would know, but he already knows. We can't waste any more time!"

Dark eyes remained fixed on the younger queen. "Why do you care what happens to Rumple's son and his little girlfriend?"

Snow's jaw dropped like she was going to answer, then snapped shut. Again and again she tilted between whatever two options she thought she had and David finally slowed his own spiral into panic long enough to step forward, uncertain but desperately trying to return the comfort he'd just received. "I'm sure she'll be alright."

And then it clicked. It all made sense. "Emma. Your daughter."

"Regina please…"

"She can't help you."

Everyone in the room spun to see that the open doorway had been filled by none other than Magnus' right-hand cleric. Caiden stood with his usual sombre expression, blocking their exit. Regina grabbed Roland and pulled him behind her while Snow took a protective step in front of Charming. It was the only movement they could make before magic washed over them and every muscle froze in place.

---

TBC

Notes: Every time I have a long delay on a chapter I just have to think "well, at least it hasn't been a decade :') " As has become my habit, I need to apologize for the delay on the chapter, but at least it's a long one and a TON happens. Between wrapping Snow and Charming into the group, Regina finding out Emma is the savior, Rumple choosing to trust Bae with his dagger... it's a wild chapter. On that latter one, I was so freakin' pleased to be able to weave in a piece of Rumple's original speech to who he thought was Bae. It always broke my heart that he was so open and honest when August was fooling him and how closed off he was when he really did find his son. I think that thinking he'd found Bae and, in a way, losing him again when it turned out to be a scam broke him all over again. So yeah... very pleased with that :)

Next time: Rumple finds himself in uncharted territory, Caiden finds himself facing a difficult question, and the meeting of OutlawQueen.

#OUAT #Once Upon a Time #Rumplestiltskin #Belle French #Baelfire #Neal Cassidy #Emma Swan #Regina Mills #Snow White #mary margaret blanchard #David Nolan #Prince Charming

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saltyunordinaryprincess · 10 months ago

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》》That's the feeling. Not mattering to anyone. That's the coming-untied-from-the-world feeling.《

⋆｡˚𖦹 ☆🂲♡🃍◇🂶♧🂲♤🃍☆🃍♤🂲♧🂶◇🃍♡🂲☆ 𖦹˚｡⋆

An independent Once Upon A Time Alice Jones/Tilly Rogers RP

Mun 10+ years RP experience; Tumblr & Discord

OUAT canon, canon-divergent, and AU friendly

Main ship is CuriousArcher/MadArcher (Alice x Robyn Hood II). Discuss any potential other ships beforehand.

Friendships/familiarity always accepted. Alice loves to make friends. And her Papa is very special. Rumplestiltskin is also not only mentor and dear friend but like a sudo second papa.

Mun and Muse 21+

Open, Semi-selective, and accepting starters

Prompts, memes, and plotting available

Seriously, just send me a message and we can talk something out. Mun is probably just as awkward and shy.

If you are interested in roleplaying on Discord; have an active server or 1-on-1, send a message.

🐰 Send something to get started 🍄

#ouat rp #indie ouat rp #ouat roleplay #once upon a time roleplay #once upon a time rp #alice jones roleplay #muse: alice #self promo #tilly rogers roleplay

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psychohazardous · 9 months ago

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Rumplestiltskin by Anne Sexton

From Transformations, published 1971

Inside many of us

is a small old man

who wants to get out.

No bigger than a two-year-old

whom you'd call lamb chop

yet this one is old and malformed.

His head is okay

but the rest of him wasn't Sanforized?

He is a monster of despair.

He is all decay.

He speaks up as tiny as an earphone

with Truman's asexual voice:

I am your dwarf.

I am the enemy within.

I am the boss of your dreams.

No. I am not the law in your mind,

the grandfather of watchfulness.

I am the law of your members,

the kindred of blackness and impulse.

See. Your hand shakes.

It is not palsy or booze.

It is your Doppelganger

trying to get out.

Beware . . . Beware . . .

There once was a miller

with a daughter as lovely as a grape.

He told the king that she could

spin gold out of common straw.

The king summoned the girl

and locked her in a room full of straw

and told her to spin it into gold

or she would die like a criminal.

Poor grape with no one to pick.

Luscious and round and sleek.

Poor thing.

To die and never see Brooklyn.

She wept,

of course, huge aquamarine tears.

The door opened and in popped a dwarf.

He was as ugly as a wart.

Little thing, what are you? she cried.

With his tiny no-sex voice he replied:

I am a dwarf.

I have been exhibited on Bond Street

and no child will ever call me Papa.

I have no private life.

If I'm in my cups the whole town knows by breakfast

and no child will ever call me Papa

I am eighteen inches high.

I am no bigger than a partridge.

I am your evil eye

and no child will ever call me Papa.

Stop this Papa foolishness,

she cried. Can you perhaps

spin straw into gold?

Yes indeed, he said,

that I can do.

He spun the straw into gold

and she gave him her necklace

as a small reward.

When the king saw what she had done

he put her in a bigger room of straw

and threatened death once more.

Again she cried.

Again the dwarf came.

Again he spun the straw into gold.

She gave him her ring

as a small reward.

The king put her in an even bigger room

but this time he promised

to marry her if she succeeded.

Again she cried.

Again the dwarf came.

But she had nothing to give him.

Without a reward the dwarf would not spin.

He was on the scent of something bigger.

He was a regular bird dog.

Give me your first-born

and I will spin.

She thought: Piffle!

He is a silly little man.

And so she agreed.

So he did the trick.

Gold as good as Fort Knox.

The king married her

and within a year

a son was born.

He was like most new babies,

as ugly as an artichoke

but the queen thought him in pearl.

She gave him her dumb lactation,

delicate, trembling, hidden,

warm, etc.

And then the dwarf appeared

to claim his prize.

Indeed! I have become a papa!

cried the little man.

She offered him all the kingdom

but he wanted only this -

a living thing

to call his own.

And being mortal

who can blame him?

The queen cried two pails of sea water.

She was as persistent

as a Jehovah's Witness.

And the dwarf took pity.

He said: I will give you

three days to guess my name

and if you cannot do it

I will collect your child.

The queen sent messengers

throughout the land to find names

of the most unusual sort.

When he appeared the next day

she asked: Melchior?

Balthazar?

But each time the dwarf replied:

No! No! That's not my name.

The next day she asked:

Spindleshanks? Spiderlegs?

But it was still no-no.

On the third day the messenger

came back with a strange story.

He told her:

As I came around the corner of the wood

where the fox says good night to the hare

I saw a little house with a fire

burning in front of it.

Around that fire a ridiculous little man

was leaping on one leg and singing:

Today I bake.

Tomorrow I brew my beer.

The next day the queen's only child will be mine.

Not even the census taker knows

that Rumpelstiltskin is my name . . .

The queen was delighted.

She had the name!

Her breath blew bubbles.

When the dwarf returned

she called out:

Is your name by any chance Rumpelstiltskin?

He cried: The devil told you that!

He stamped his right foot into the ground

and sank in up to his waist.

Then he tore himself in two.

Somewhat like a split broiler.

He laid his two sides down on the floor,

one part soft as a woman,

one part a barbed hook,

one part papa,

one part Doppelganger

#poetry #anne sexton #personal faves #fairy tales #rumplestiltskin

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peacehopeandrats · 2 years ago

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The Tea Shop

Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold Characters: Belle (Once Upon a Time), Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Gideon (Once Upon a Time) Additional Tags: Family, Fluff, Fluffapalooza, Travel, Missing Years Summary:

While traveling in another realm, Belle pines for the little tea shops of Europe and Gideon works to make her dream come true.

The Tea Shop

Gideon watched as the outer shell of the sand wall he was building crumbled beneath his hands. "It's no use, Papa. My side won't stay together like yours." He wanted his part of their joint creation to be as perfect and straight as his father's, instead it was a sloppy mess of uneven lumps. His fists shot down into the river’s sandy shoreline, hitting harder than he intended and jarring his shoulders.

"It's all right, Gideon." The rumble of his father's soft assurances immediately soothed the ache in both his body and his heart. "I bet we can find out what the trouble is."

Keeping on his knees, his father shifted position in an awkward kind of dance around the castle, studying it from all angles as he moved. Gideon watched, intrigued by the examination, and found himself mimicking his papa's earnest expression. Sometimes just doing that helped him see the problem.

Read more on AO3

#Family #fluff #fluffapalooza #travel #missing years

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anmylica · 2 years ago

Text

Chapter 8: The Price We Pay

Tagging the Usual Crew: @kmomof4 @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @sotangledupinit @snowbellewells @tiganasummertree

Want to be added? Ask me!

Read on AO3

Catch Up Here: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

Rumple slunk into the library just before 7 o’clock and glanced warily at the shadows in the stacks. He didn’t see the boyish figure of his father anywhere, so he looked around him as he waited. Everything in the library was covered in a fine layer of dust, as if no one had been around to take care of anything. He supposed that the only librarian Storybrooke had ever had would have been the only one worthy enough of being the librarian here. He really missed Belle.

Rumple perused the titles as he waited, but nothing of interest caught his eye. He was beginning to think that this was a waste of his time. Just as he was debating the merits of leaving and still managing to screw over his father, the door opened. In walked Peter Pan in his dark, charcoal gray three piece suit, looking as youthful as ever. Rumple saw through the lie of the facade, that underneath the outward appearance of devil-may-care self-confidence, there was a coward who didn’t want to face what his unfinished business was.

“Ah, Rumple! I’m glad to see you’ve taken my deal.” Pan smiled a cold, unfeeling smile.

“Well how could I pass up information on the whereabouts of my son? You drive a hard bargain, Papa,” Rumple replied, his voice dripping with thinly disguised oil.

“Indeed I do. I hope you won’t be too offended that I’ll need some assurance that you won’t engage in any unsavory business.” Pan shrugged. “It’s not that I don’t trust you son.”

Rumple nodded once. He had expected this when Pan approached him to offer a deal. He had written this “contract” as carefully as he could.

“Of course.” Rumple pulled out a rolled-up parchment that had a red ribbon tied around it. “I trust it will be to your liking?”

Pan rolled out the parchment, reading over it for a moment before smiling widely. Rumple let no outward emotion show on his face, but inside Rumple was relieved. If Pan fell for this ruse, then it would solve several of his problems.

“I do believe we have an accord.” Pan signed the parchment and once the signature was complete, the scroll disappeared.

Rumple waited. Pan shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose you want my part of the bargain now?”

“Indeed. Where is my son?”

Pan shrugged again and shook his head. “I haven’t seen him.”

Rumple sneered. “You lie.”

“Oh, I’m telling you the truth. I haven’t seen him. But word on the street is that Hades has him working some dead-end job that he absolutely hates. I’m sure you’ll see him around if you stay in the Underworld long enough.”

Rumple pointed his finger at Pan. “Our deal was that you would tell me exactly where he is.”

“And I don’t exactly know. I only know what I’ve heard, and that’s that he’s here sentenced to working a dead-end job.”

Rumple scowled. “What dead-end job?”

Pan shrugged. “Who knows? I certainly don’t. I’m not the one in charge of this place, Rumple.” Pan smirked and raised his eyebrows suggestively. “This isn’t Neverland. I can say that I’ve heard he was sentenced to providing help and support to newly departed mothers who have left behind a child. Or multiple children, as the case may be,” Pan added as an afterthought after considering his statement.

Rumple narrowed his eyes as he considered just what his father was up to. Whatever it was, he knew that it only seemed to be nothing more than a game. This time, Rumple was determined that he wouldn't be the one playing.

“And there’s nothing else?” Rumple asked shrewdly.

“There’s nothing else I know.”

Rumple slowly nodded, seeing what Pan wouldn’t reveal outright. “Then I will see you when the next part of our deal comes about.

Pan grinned broadly. “See you around, laddie.” Pan turned and left the library, leaving Rumplestiltskin by himself, with only his thoughts for company.

Peter Pan never failed at getting what he wanted, and what he wanted was to be restored to life. Hades was no fun, always all work and no play. Malcom had given up all that adult nonsense when he became Peter Pan, and he loathed even the thought that this upstart of a God would keep him from being who he wanted to be. He’d show Hades what he thought of the audacity of making him work an adult’s toil. To make sure that he would get what he wanted, he just had to make sure that his son didn’t find Baelfire.

He hadn’t lied when he had told Rumple that he didn’t know where Bae was, exactly. Before this moment, he had only heard a rumor of who the new counselor was to bereaved mothers. He had deliberately waited until this moment to come and see his grandson and lay the foundation to getting what he most desired, and if he had to manipulate Rumple to do it, well, hadn’t he been doing that for all of Rumple’s life? So really, he wasn’t doing anything that he hadn’t already done. None of this was wrong.

He opened the door softly to Bae’s office and peeked inside. Bae was sitting at a desk, writing something in what looked like a file. His appearance was disheveled, his shirt untucked and his hair having that certain kind of greasy wildness it had had for as long as Pan had known the adult version of his grandson. He had a frustrated visage as he wrote and flipped through pages in the file.

“It looks like you could use a break,” Pan said, taking a small sort of twisted pleasure at the jump Bae did. Upon seeing who it was, Bae scowled and turned back to his work.

“Just what are you doing here?” Bae asked, not bothering to acknowledge Pan’s words.

“Can’t I come see my favorite grandson?” Pan countered, not answering the question on purpose. Just because this wasn’t Neverland didn’t mean they couldn’t all play a game, right?

Bae sighed. “You’ve never particularly cared about me before. Why start now?” Pan didn’t acknowledge the truth in this statement.

“Do you ever think about him?” Pan asked. When Bae didn’t answer, he continued. “Henry, I mean,” Pan clarified.

Bae looked confused. “What?”

“I mean what with you abandoning him and his mum. Then dying. It seems to me you would miss him.” Pan shrugged and sauntered over to a bookshelf, picking up a random knick-knack and weighing it in his hand.

Bae glared at Pan as he retorted, “That isn’t yours. And besides, I’ll see Henry again.”

Pan cocked his head to the side. “How do you know?”

Bae shrugged. “Faith.”

Pan was silent for a moment. “What if I told you there was another way?”

Bae looked up through his lashes at Pan. “A way for what?” he asked.

“To see him again. This is the Underworld version of Storybrooke. Everything there is here.”

Bae sighed and put his pen on the desk. “Can’t you ever give a straight answer about anything?”

Pan smirked. “What would be the fun in that?” Bae had no idea, but everything was falling into place. He was doing exactly what Pan wanted. Rumple was going to be in for a treat when he learned of what his father had done to his beloved son.

Bae ignored the question. “Either tell what you know or get out.”

“You’ve grown up to be rather boring.” Pan scowled for a moment. “All work and no play,” he observed. After a moment when Bae didn't respond, Pan sighed. “Have you ever heard of the Wishing Well?” he asked. At Bae’s slight head shake, he explained, “It’s a dormant portal. It’s one of the links between this world and the living, the same as it’s the link between Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest in the Living Realms. You can communicate with the other side using it.”

Pan paused for a moment, waiting on Bae to catch on to what he was implying. Bae was silent as he took in the information.

Then Pan continued. “You can send him a message. Just drop it into the well and it’ll make its way to him.” Pan turned to leave, but turned back as if he had forgotten something. “And when you do, give this to him from me.” Pan tossed Bae a bottle with a rolled up message inside. Bae only just caught it in his hands, surprised by the action the pseudo-boy had taken. “And tell him I said ‘No hard feelings,‘ will you?”

Pan left the office, closing the door behind him and smirking as he thought about the trap he had just laid for his grandson. Let Rumple double cross him now.

“Answer me, now! Where is he?! How did you come to find him?” Emma demanded, not allowing herself to pause for even a breath.

Meg nodded, a little frightened by how forceful Emma was being. “He’s down in Hades’ dungeon. I’m afraid he’s getting the ‘welcoming treatment.’”

“‘Welcoming treatment’?” David echoed. “What does that mean?”

Milah cleared her throat. “It’s what happens to all newly arrived souls. He prepares them for life down here. Usually through some sort of mental or emotional torture for the wrongs you committed while living, as a bit of a preview for what awaits you if you try to move on without resolving your unfinished business. And then he assigns you a job to do while you wait in a sort of purgatory state.”

Meg nodded in agreement. “The thing is, though, that you can never resolve your unfinished business. Most people don’t even know what theirs is. It would take a special kind of magic to be able to point the people of the Underworld towards knowing it.”

Emma blinked for a moment as the oddity of those words struck her, but she had a more pressing question. “Can you come here without unfinished business?”

Milah shrugged. “I’ve never known anyone to be here without unfinished business. I think those people just usually move straight on to Elysiam.”

Emma blinked and then turned to Meg, trying to put aside the niggle of doubt in her mind at what could possibly be Killian’s unfinished business. She very carefully tried not to look at the brunette who had been Killian’s first love and the woman whose death he had cheated time in order to avenge. “So he’s roughing him up a bit or what?”

“I’m afraid what he’s doing to him is worse than that. It’s not safe for you out in the open,” Meg grimaced in apology.

Although it felt as if her heart was being crushed anew at Meg’s words, Emma knew she had to put it to the side for the moment and take care of the immediate needs, which was finding someplace safe for them to regroup and come up with a different plan. She nodded in agreement and looked at everyone. “How safe is the loft?” she finally addressed her parents.

Snow’s face fell and David took her into his arms. He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We encountered something, we don’t know what, and it…” David trailed off. “I just don’t think the loft is safe for us to use right now.”

Emma’s brow furrowed at the vibe she was picking up off her parents, but she decided to let it slide for the moment. “Alright. Regina?”

Regina shook her head. “I don’t trust that my home is open for us. It’s technically the mayor’s residence, and I don’t know who the mayor is down here.”

Emma nodded her head again. “Then I guess there’s only one true option for us.” With a wave of her hand, the group all disappeared in a haze of thick gray smoke, reappearing just outside of the Underworld replica of her Storybrooke Victorian. Milah and Meg gaped at her, shaken by their sudden relocation by magic. The rest of the group didn’t look as if they had noticed.

They all stared up at the front door, no one moving or saying anything.

“Do you reckon it’s safe?” Robin ventured to ask, hesitating like all the others after everything that had happened in the Land of the Dead thus far.

Emma took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Only one way to find out, I suppose.” She climbed the steps slowly, the rest following her lead, and she opened the door and stepped slowly inside, observing the front rooms for anything dangerous.

Her living room was in disarray. Her old crib from the castle in the Enchanted Forest and the unicorn mobile took up a large portion of the room, and every inch of the floor was covered in the toys that she had seen from visiting her parent’s castle in her first visit to their kingdom. Emma heaved a sigh. She knew what this was about. She moved to the center of the room and folded her arms, glancing around sadly as the others filed in, staring at the scene before them as well.

“What’s all of this?” Milah asked, a confused look on her face.

“This stuff was in my room in the castle in the Enchanted Forest. It was part of the life I was supposed to have had before the Dark Curse was cast.” Emma picked up a stuffed pirate toy and gave a soft, pained smile.

“Castle? Dark Curse?” Milah echoed.

Emma nodded, but said no more.

“I can fill you in later, Grandma,” Henry added easily, taking the changing situation in stride as only Henry could. Milah looked at him wide-eyed. “You don’t mind if I call you that, do you?” Milah shook her head in amazement.

Regina cast a detection spell over the house, waiting for the red light to reveal any other people that might be there, too. Nothing happened; the house was empty.

“It looks like we’re safe here for now,” Regina announced. Everyone began shuffling the toys and baby furniture around, making room for them all to sit. The couches were draped in canvas cloths to keep the dust off, and they removed those as well.

Emma moved deeper into the living room to grab a sheet off the back of a chair, but she stopped short of reaching it, a strange look on her face. She felt a tugging pull at her navel, heard a strange tinkling sound, and she cocked her head to try and detect it better. Everyone else stopped what they were doing to stare at her worriedly, for no one else knew what was happening, but she didn’t notice. She listened harder. Not a sound could be heard except for the tinkling. It almost reminded her of bells or possibly even wind chimes.

Emma took a step forward, instinct propelling her to move, though she didn’t know where she was going. She couldn’t explain this sensation. It felt like her heart was being pulled out of her chest by some invisible hand, but it didn’t hurt. It didn’t feel like when Cora had tried to take it; that had felt as if she were in the throes of experiencing a heart attack, the horrible feeling stopping only when her magic had rebuffed Cora’s attempts. No, she felt as if her heart was trying to return to a place… a place almost like home…

Lost in her trance as she was, she didn’t realize where she was going until she stopped just in front of her basement door, her hand outstretched to open it. She hesitated, some sixth sense ringing her alarm bells in her head as she beheld the door, and she stood indecisively in front of it. What was down there that was pulling at her so?

“Emma?” Snow called, worried for her daughter. Emma has just gotten rid of the Darkness, and she feared that her daughter was possibly experiencing some lingering effect that the Darkness might have left on her soul.

Emma visibly jumped at hearing her mother’s voice, blinking rapidly. She stared at the door a moment more, but the tugging sensation had ceased and the pealing bells had subsided. She shook her head as if to rid it of her thoughts and turned away from the basement door.

“Yeah, let’s do this. Let’s figure out what we’re going to do next!” Emma moved to sit in the chair she had just uncovered, looking at everyone else nervously. She hoped no one asked her about what had just happened; she didn’t know if it even made any sense to herself.

“Are you sure you want us to help? I don’t want to get in your way or make you feel like I don’t want to help you,” Snow responded softly, a concerned look on her face.

Emma looked at her mom confusedly. “What do you mean?”

Snow swallowed and David grasped his wife’s hand as he realized what Snow’s concern was about. “When we were at the loft, you came to me and told me you were better off without us, that we were holding you back, to put it mildly. I just don’t want you to feel that way,” Snow assured her. Everyone just looked at her in even more concern.

“Oh, Mom, of course I don’t feel that way!” Emma exclaimed, her face falling in misery and sympathy.

Snow sniffed and smiled a watery smile. “Well, I just wanted to be sure.”

Henry piped up, “Wait, you said she came to you at the loft? That’s impossible. Mom and I were together the whole time!”

“I think it might have been whatever magic is at play here,” David replied. He proceeded to tell him what Mary Margaret had experienced. Once David was finished, Emma crossed the room to where her parents were.

“Mom, I promise, I don’t feel that way at all.” Emma hugged her mother tightly, and Snow returned it with equal fervor. “And I promise that my little brother doesn’t feel that way either. He has no reason to.” Snow nodded her head, the tears that had gathered in her eyes falling down her cheeks in relief. Emma and Snow shared smiles, and Emma stood and faced Regina and Robin. “So what happened with you guys? Did you find anything important?”

“I saw my parents in a magical fire in my office. They looked like they were being tortured by Hades,” Regina sniffed. “But we’ll get back to that in a moment. We saw Roland die.”

Emma whipped her head to stare at Regina. “You saw Roland die? How? When?”

Snow and David started, and then they exchanged looks of disbelief and horror. Milah’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t say anything otherwise. She crossed her arms and waited; Meg looked between them all, confused.

“It was Hades,” Robin said. “He came to us after Roland ran into a fire. Said that was my punishment for coming here.”

Emma frowned. “Did he say how Roland got here?”

“No, just that his death was our price,” Regina answered.

“He did say something about wanting us to lose hope,” Robin added.

Emma furrowed her brow and bit her lip. Something didn’t feel right about this situation. There was too much magic in the air around them; she could feel it tingling and prickling her skin. It felt eerily similar to how the Darkness felt when she had been the Dark One, only more primordial and unearthly. And more unyielding.

Meg visibly hesitated. “Well, that’s exactly what he wants.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to stare at her.

“Come again?” Emma asked. “What does who want?”

Meg swallowed. “Hades. He wants everyone to be hopeless. That’s why he’s going after all of you like this.”

David’s brows furrowed in concern. “Do you have any idea why?”

Meg shrugged. “I don’t know why he would want that now. The last time I faced him, it was with my True Love. We barely defeated him the last time, but we died in the process.”

“Was he as horrible then as he is now?” David asked sardonically as he crossed his arms.

Meg smiled a little. “He’s actually gotten worse.”

“Well, then we try to lay low,” Emma said after a moment. “We need to have somewhere safe established. Did you guys get to actually check the loft out, or did Hades keep you from it?” she asked her parents.

David nodded. “I went in there and retrieved Mary Margaret’s bow and quiver. I got my sword too. There was no sign of Hook.”

Emma nodded, half in acknowledgement and half in disappointment. “We just keep looking. For now,” she continued, facing Robin and Regina as Snow, David, and Henry moved to take off the sheets of canvas that were draped all over the furniture in the living space of her house. “Are you sure that Roland is dead?”

Robin sneered, “I saw my son burn with my own eyes! Just what are you trying to insinuate here?”

“Nothing!” Emma exclaimed, holding up her hands. “I’m just trying to figure out what we’re dealing with!”

“Well, there wasn’t anything I could do! I couldn’t get to him fast enough to stop it! He was everything to me, and now he’s gone!” Robin fell silent as heavy, bereaved sobs wracked his body. Regina hugged him, trying to offer any bit of comfort she could.

Emma grimaced in sympathy, but she wasn’t deterred from thinking that something was amiss in this whole scenario. She wondered if she could use the mirror magic and maybe check in on how things were back in Storybrooke. Perhaps she could check just to make sure Roland really was gone? She wandered over to an elaborately carved full-length mirror that was shrouded by the sheet. She pulled it off, concentrated, and waved her hand. Storybrooke appeared within the glass.

By now, she had the attention of everyone. She ignored them and used her magic to try and locate Roland. She finally found him through a mirror in the original Granny’s, and everyone gasped. Robin stood from where he had collapsed to the floor and moved to the mirror, standing so close his nose nearly touched the glass. Roland was there with Little John and a couple of others within the band of Merry Men, slurping a milkshake and smiling as Little John spoke to him. He looked happy and healthy (and very much alive).

“How is this possible?” breathed Robin. “I watched him die; I saw his ashes!”

Emma stepped back a bit from the mirror, making sure to keep the connection stable for the father to look his fill. She said grimly, “I think we need to be wary of how things seem down here. And we should be on our guard in regards to Hades and what he wants to present as real to us.”

Meg stood suddenly. “I should be going. I’m not sure how much longer it will be before the demons down here sense that I’m out of the Labyrinth. I don’t want to put you in any more danger.”

Emma frowned. “Are you sure we can’t do anything more to help you?”

Meg smiled. “It’s fine. I’ve been down here for eons; what’s a few more, anyway? Just… Can you do something for me?”

“Anything,” Emma responded.

“If you happen to find Hercules, tell him I love him? And that I miss him terribly?” Meg smiled a sad smile.

Mary Margaret gasped when she heard the name, but the only one who paid her any attention was David, who sent her a questioning look. Mary Margaret shook her head slightly, and David accepted it. He knew his wife would tell him later.

“Of course,” Emma replied. “But how do you know he’s still here, that he hasn’t moved on?”

Meg shook her head. “The Underworld doesn’t work that way. You can only move on once you’ve completed your unfinished business. Reuniting is our unfinished business. He can’t move on without me, and I can’t move on without him. That’s what it means to be True Love down here.”

Emma nodded understandingly. “Then don’t let us keep you. Good luck getting back.”

Meg reached out to take Emma’s hand into her own, though Emma hadn’t offered it, and clasped it firmly. “Thanks.” With that, Meg walked out of the apartment, intent on heading back to the Labyrinth and her cell within the dungeons. For the first time in a long time, Meg had a funny feeling in her chest. It felt an awful lot like hope.

Killian’s voice cracked as he cried out once more, the pain of the lash he was at the end of becoming almost repetitive. His wounds were bleeding freely, the blood turning that brownish black that it always did in the places where it was beginning to dry to his clothing and skin. Hades had been at this for so long that Killian had lost count of the time that had passed since he was dragged back to Hades’ throne room. His only thought now was about whether or not Meg had overcome her fear and reluctance at leaving her cell to try and deliver his message. He hoped that Emma got it.

He lay trembling against the pillar he had been chained to, his body threatening to give out at any moment. He lapsed in and out of consciousness and was unable to track what Hades was doing. Hades had his hook, and he had used it on Killian in between lashes, carving lines of shallow cuts in a cross-cross pattern that went perpendicular to the lash marks. Killian’s jacket was nearly torn to shreds in parts, offering no protection against Hades’ sadistic cruelty.

“You just have to resist me, don’t you?” Hades drawled as he took a break, looking at the hook, the surface marred by the blood stains covering nearly every part of the metal. “You’ve brought all of this onto yourself. I hope you’re satisfied.”

Killian’s head swayed slightly as he tried to focus on Hades, fighting against losing consciousness once more. He was determined to stay awake as long as he could. “I’ll be satisfied when it’s you on the receiving end of my hook,” Killian grunted out, the effort of retaliating against the god costing him what little bit of energy he had. He slid further down the brick pillar an inch or two, nearly lying prone on the floor.

Hades laughed. “Considering I have your hook, I think it’ll be you on the other end of it. But I have better uses for your handy appendage.” Hades held the hook in the palm of his hand and it disappeared in a puff of smoke. “I do hope your Savior loves gifts.” Hades smiled a sadistic, twisted grin and his hair erupted into blue flames, twisting his expression even further.

Rumplestiltskin didn’t like making any sort of deal with his father, but he knew that he had to in order to make sure Pan’s plans didn’t come to fruition. It vexed him that his father twisted the information of Bae’s whereabouts, but he didn’t need Peter Pan to find Baelfire. Not when he knew where Emma Swan was in this hellhole.

Resolved to coercing her to help him find his son, he poofed out of the library and back into his shop with a wave of his hand. Before he enlisted her help, he had to have something of value to offer her. He needed to nail down the whereabouts of the pirate (or at least determine the most likely location Killian Jones was being kept). It wasn’t good to go into a situation without any sort of leverage, and if there was anything Rumplestiltskin was good at, it was acquiring leverage.

Many of the magical objects he had in his possession were back in the Land of the Living, and thus useless, but he might still be able to find something to help him get a hold of Jones’ location. If only he had something of the pirate’s that he could use for a locator spell…

Rumple shuffled through some of the books that were there on the magical arts, varying shades of darkness inscribed within their pages. He finally pulled one off the shelf that he hadn’t seen before. He opened it to find it was written mostly in Greek. While he had made it a point to study all the most common languages in which spells were written during his centuries of life, Greek was one of those that he had spent very little time on. He didn’t know how to read most of it.

Feeling a small sense of frustration, he flipped through a few pages, peering disinterestedly at some of the illustrations that appeared. It seemed like this was nothing but another dead end. He flipped to one last page and moved to close the book when an illustration caught his eye. It was of a long woven tapestry hanging in a hall. Smirking, he realized just what he was looking at. Though it wasn’t going to provide him with leverage, he might be able to use it to convince Emma to help him anyway. After all, they had to get out of this hell hole once they had the pirate back. This bit of information would help them be able to do that. Waving his hand again, he disappeared in a puff of smoke to try and convince Emma Swan that they each had something to offer the other.

#The Fields of Asphodel #once upon a time #captain swan #captain hook #killian jones #emma swan #ouat #anmylica writes #Csff #season 5 fix it #whumptober 2022 #no 1 #A little out of the ordinary #Adverse effects

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depressedstressedlemonzest · 10 months ago

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Just the shocked heartbreak on rumple's face.

Okay but neal

LOOK AND SEE IF HE HAS A FUCKING SHADOW IF YOU THINK HE'S LYING!

Pulled the ol switcheroo

She's just SO FUCKING PRETTY.

More like stfu self.

I just love david and hooks tete a tete.

Oh.

Had a face.

Ariel!

Watching this: how the fuck would peter dickbag pan know rumple's favorite breakfast?

Now: FUCK YOU YOU FUCKING FUCK!!

Also the breakfast of choice of V from V for Vendetta.

Fitting comparison.

Don't believe her! Right?

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rumbelleshowdown · 6 months ago

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Author: Avalanumbres

Group: C

Prompts: A new hobby. Lady Belle, Peasant!Rumple. Another kid.

Stone Seekers: Waters of Avonlea

Something wet dripped down Gideon’s face as he ran through the streets of his seaport home. When the moisture hit his lips he licked them and tasted salt. Not blood then, that relieved him. His father would kill him if he injured himself. Assuming the angry pirates chasing after him didn't do it first.

“Street rat!” One shouted. “Stop, thief!”

Gideon had one advantage over the larger men. He knew these roads. Fast as lightning, he darted through a crowd, turned left into a narrow alley, and came out in the market. There he resumed a normal gait, pretended to study a few random items on vendors’ carts, and listened as the angry sailors passed him by.

“Hot day today,” he told the costermonger while wiping his brow.

The woman humphed.

“Papa would like two of these, please.”

The seller glanced at the small golden pears in Gideon's hand. “One copper.”

Gideon handed over the coin and strode off toward his home.

Rumplestiltskin and his son lived in a single-room shack with a sagging roof and a packed dirt floor. The space was filled by three objects: a bed, a small washtub for dying wool, and a spinning wheel. Everything else existed in their lives by either coincidence or through the process of creating items to sell. They had little, yet their lives were filled with love and joy.

It was lonely at times, moreso for Gideon’s father, who pined endlessly for the woman he’d fallen in love with more than ten years ago. Belle was Gideon's mother, but wasn't a part of their lives. She lived in the castle beyond the walled part of the city. On occasion, she left her father’s protection to wander the markets. On those rare days she always sought out the spinner’s stall. The family’s reunions were brief and both parents clung to the hope that they would see each other again soon. Gideon, on the other hand, felt little for his mother beyond the knowledge that she made his father’s heart sing. Rumplestiltskin’s happiness meant everything to his son and so he’d adopted his father’s dream of a permanent reunion. In fact, that was the very reason he was in this mess right now.

“Hello, Papa,” Gideon shoved the door back into its frame and held out the pears. “I got us something sweet to end our dinner.”

At the wheel, Rumplestiltskin took his foot from the treadle and looked up, eyes skimming past the fruit to a small bag Gideon clutched to his chest. “My favorite. Thank you. They look delicious.”

The boy sighed as he squeezed his slender frame between the wheel and the wash basin, then dropped to the bed. “You only like them because they are yellow and mother always wears a golden dress to come see you.”

The assumption brought an image of Belle to Rumplestiltskin’s mind, one of warm light caressing a satin gown. From where they had hidden for their lovemaking, a ray from the sun reached out to touch Belle’s tousled hair and made the blue in her eyes sparkle. She told him about the baby that day and their lives had changed forever.

“The fact that they remind me of your mum has little to do with why I like them.” Rumplestiltskin returned to spinning for a moment, then stopped the wheel to turn a knowing frown toward his son. “And what else did you acquire while you were meant to be at your lessons?”

“I went to my lessons, “ Gideon protested.

“For how much of the day?”

Now that his father's full attention was on him, Gideon felt compelled to tell the truth. “Half,’ he grumbled.

“Son, the money I make from dying and spinning pays for that education.” Rumplestiltskin reached for his walking stick and used it to pull himself to his feet. “I wish you wouldn't throw it away so easily.”

“I’m not throwing it away, Papa. Not this time.” Gideon’s eyes lit up as they tracked his father’s movements. “I met another kid on the way to classes today and I learned of a way we can leave this life behind us!”

“By starting a new hobby of thievery?” Rumplestiltskin leaned heavily on his walking stick. He could only blame himself for his son’s behavior, though it’s origin baffled him. He eyed the bag again. “Magical endings always come at a great price.”

“This isn't like your story,” his son insisted, oblivious to the price his parents paid for the magic that kept him a secret. “This is different. If we can help gather these stones we can save the land from a horrible evil. You can be a hero and earn the right to ask for Mother’s hand! No more pining for her at your wheel or daydreaming while you dye the wool. No more secret meetings in the market! You could be married! We could all be together. Forever.”

“And just what do we have to do to earn this great gift?”

Gideon rose from the bed and stepped into the light by the window. With hesitation he began to untie the strings of his leather satchel. “We need to find the rest of these before-”

A terrible crashing erupted from the world beyond, followed by blood-curdling shrieks that grew closer with great rapidity. The noise triggered Gideon’s reflexes, making him draw the string taut and clutch the treasure back against his chest.

“Something’s happening.” Rumplestiltskin rushed to the door and flung it open, took two stumbling steps and then froze. There, directly in front of him, was Belle, golden skirts hiked up as high as she could manage and eyes wide with terror.

“Belle!” The fear that struck him wasn’t for himself, but for the woman he could never live without. “Belle!”

She ran to his side and reached out to help him find balance. “Giant Calixclaws have entered the city from the sea,” she told him. “They’re headed this way.”

“You have to get behind the walls,” Rumple insisted.

Belle shook her head, then turned her gaze to some point down the road. “There’s no time.”

Gideon drew a dagger from his belt and strode forward. “You run, I’ll stay and protect our home.”

“You can’t do that, son. Better to find safety.”

Gideon shook his head. “I can do this. It’s me they want anyway.”

“You?” Belle whimpered. “Gideon… Why?”

He turned, gave her his most triumphant smile, and adjusted his grip on the bag he’d carried from the sea. “I have the Water Stone.”

“Magic,” Rumplestiltskin spat. “Leave that behind and run. Now. Please, son.”

Their boy was about to protest again, but instead he fell silent and tipped his head to one side. The ruckus from down the lane was changing. The sounds of splitting wood and shattering glass had been replaced with something more akin to the crunch of a breaking seashell. “Do you hear that?”

Both parents nodded, but neither could speak. Their attention was on the giant claw reaching up from behind the milner’s home. It rose into the air, then slammed down, splintering the tiny structure into bits that covered the street. The empty space was then replaced by their enemy.

“Giant crabs,” Gideon whispered, swallowing hard. After taking a deep breath he squared his shoulders and stretched himself to his full height. “I’ll have them for dinner.”

“Gideon!” Both parents reached for him, but he slipped away. After just two strides he stood under the creature’s belly and stabbed upward, using all of his strength. He heard a crack and stared up at the orange-pink carapace. The tip of his blade was wedged in the belly of the beast but would go no further. It would also not come out.

Belle tried rushing to Gideon’s side, but Rumplestiltskin held her back, begging her not to leave him. While he pleaded, a cloaked form appeared behind the legs of the Calixclaw. Small and powerful, this newcomer yielded a sword with such precision that each swing sliced a leg of the crab. The beast shrieked again and again, then finally stumbled.

The warrior waved Gideon back, screaming. “Get out of the way!”

He did as he was told, scrambling through his retreat with just enough time to spare. Following one more swing from the sword, their maritime foe thrashed mightily, then collapsed to the ground, dead.

“Gotta aim for the weak points,” the newcomer told him, lowering her cloak’s hood to reveal her wavy, golden hair. She turned to Rumplestiltskin and gave him a wide grin. “A staff fighter, huh? Good. We’ll need all the help we can get. Come on.” With that she took off, expecting the others to follow.

“Who was that?” Belle squinted after the girl, even as her son urged her along.

“Alice,” Gideon said. “And she’ll help me explain everything once you are safe.”

#rumbelle showdown #round one fic #author: Avalanumbres

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antihero-writings · 1 year ago

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Lucid Remembrance

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Summary: "You're so worried about you. You know what I've dealt with? Every night for more years than you could know... the last thing I see before sleep is the image of you—You and me over that pit, your hand... wrapped around mine. And then you open your grip. And as I fall away, all I can see is your face. Choosing all...this...crap over me. Letting me go." The first night's always the worst. (Written for Tale Foundry's prompt "The Monster of Your Stories.")

Baelfire lie beneath a tree, hugging his cloak tighter around himself, feeling cold, and hungry, and lost. He shut his eyes, trying not to shiver, trying to fall asleep.

The stars were different here.

The leaves barely protected him from the rain…but, for now at least, it was better than being in that village. It was too loud, and too bright, and too strange.

He thought, without magic, this world would be simpler, gentler. But this world was too much. Too much to bear.

Too much to bear…alone.

If he’d had his father with him, he thought he could handle all the loud noises, bright lights, and strangeness.

But he didn’t.

So he couldn’t.

His father was the entire reason he came here. This world was supposed to be a cure for the disease of magic. A rescue from the monster inside his heart. Here, Papa could be himself again.

Here, Bae was cast away into a strange, callous land without magic. Alone.

His father chose to stay sick, and captive, and a stranger.

A hand wrapped around his, tight. The portal pulled on him, weighing him down like rocks tied to his feet.

His papa wouldn’t let him fall. Not alone. They had a deal. He promised they would fall together.

But…his father’s other hand gripped this world equally tightly.

Papa looked at him.

And the look in his eyes…

Bae knew in that moment.

He was going to fall.

Papa was choosing magic. Choosing darkness. Choosing pain. Over him.

Rumplestiltskin. The coward who ran. The Dark One who gained power to save his son.

Only to save his son.

Right?

The monster, who never broke a deal. And killed you if you tried.

After everything. After gaining this magic to save him. After he promised. He was choosing magic.

For so long the people in his village called his father a coward. Bae was certain they were wrong. That they didn’t have the full story.

Now?

Pain swirled in him, pulling him down with far more force than any magic.

“YOU COWARD!” Those words he’d fought so hard to disprove wrenched their way out of his mouth now. “YOU PROMISED!” His young voice cracked and broke, like a sturdy tower falling to ruins. “DON’T BREAK OUR DEAL!”

His eyes…gods, the look in his eyes.

His eyes said, lamentable though it was...he would give it all up.

“I have to!” Soft went the words. Soft and yellow.

And Papa’s fingers. They loosened.

Just slightly.

And Bae

slipped.

And the world

fell away.

He wasn’t sure he fell asleep at all, but he shot up, breathing heavily, heart hammering, his clothes clinging to him—with sweat or rain, he wasn’t sure anymore.

He always thought his father was a little messed up, a little misled. Maybe a lot. But he was still his father, and could still be saved. He could still be the good man he was before. If he could just get away from magic.

Now…an angry thing curled its way into his chest.

All those stories. All those rumors. All those words he thought were lies, and half-truths, and fearful wonderings. All those stories about how his father was a monster.

When Bae sat for dinner with his father—and Papa was gentle and kind—Baelfire had always been sure the stories weren’t true. That dagger hadn’t stolen his heart completely. When his papa kissed him goodnight, he did not see a monster. Deep inside, he knew he was a good man.

At least, he was once. He could be again.

Now?

He was starting to think he was every bit as horrible as the stories said.

******

Rumplestiltskin walked into his house, reflex sending a word rising to his lips, before reality killed it.

A word. A name.

What’s in a name, anyways?

The house was so quiet.

Nothing here but a few pots and pans, and beds, and tattered curtains.

Once he came home to a wife. More than once he came home to a son. A family. Him, and Milah, and Bae.

Now, it was just him.

Everything was taken from him.

No. More like he gave it away.

Wasn’t brave enough to fight for her.

Wasn’t brave enough to jump with him.

It didn’t feel like home anymore. Not now that he had nothing to come home to.

He tried not to look at the other bed as he passed by.

He looked at the other bed as he passed by.

Something irrational in his mind told him he’d find a boy lying there. Blinking sleep from his eyes, saying he could stay up a little longer. That he’d kiss him goodnight, and he’d say he was sorry, and they’d go about their days, their lives, as they always had. Not perfect, but happy, at least. Together.

Just empty sheets.

He swept past the bed, and went about preparing dinner for himself.

No one else.

Not even a maid to help. Not anymore.

Blood on his shoes.

“She was mute! She couldn't tell anyone!”

(Maybe he did go too far.)

No one to talk to. No one to laugh with. No one to kiss goodnight.

No one to remind him he was more than just a coward, or a monster.

“YOU COWARD!”

The plate fell to the floor and shattered.

He didn’t bother cleaning it up.

Food tasted like ashes anyways.

Funny how emptiness can be alive; every second that passed, the emptiness of the place crawled deeper into his heart.

Sometimes he wondered if it would be easier to just take it out.

He tucked in for sleep too soon, and turned away from the other bed, shutting his eyes tighter than he needed to.

No one to whom to say goodnight.

A swirling of light. A whirlpool of pure magic, dragging him to a world without.

He didn’t want to drown.

He looked at his son, so small and so beautiful, and so worthy of every affection. Longing and fear warred in Bae’s eyes.

Could Rumplestiltskin walk onto the battlefield and make the fighting stop?

Or would he take a mallet to the leg and hobble his way home?

In that moment they both knew.

“YOU COWARD!” His son’s voice. The words Rumplestiltskin had fought so hard to keep Bae from believing rended the air now, louder than the portal’s cries. “YOU PROMISED!” Gods, his voice. It was the sound of something irreplaceable breaking. “DON’T BREAK OUR DEAL!”

Something cold and sharp went through his heart at that.

How could he refuse him? He had made a deal. He couldn’t go back on it now.

But, what Bae asked of him…it was too much. Too much to bear.

Even together.

How could he leave all this behind? His entire world and everything in it? For a world without magic, where he’d be no one, nothing. Not the Dark One. Not the man who stopped the war. Not the imp who never broke a deal. Not the monster who’d tear your heart out for a minor insult. Just a man. Just a coward who ran. Just a sniveling wretch who couldn’t save his wife, or his son.

“I have to!” The words came out twisted and tiny, but certain.

Ever so slightly,

he released his grip.

The moment he did, the feeling of his son—his treasure, the only person left to love him—slipping through his fingers was like the sands of time running too fast, and the sight of the portal closing was worse than if someone had stabbed him in the chest with that dagger. The one with his name on it.

He wasn’t certain he actually fell asleep, but he shot up, breathing heavily, sweat sticking to him. It was somehow worse with the Dark One’s corrupted skin.

Or maybe he was just reminded that he had it, stronger than yesterday.

Yesterday, he’d still felt human.

He thought the emptiness was a creeping, clawed thing. That was nothing to the regret breathing fetid air down his neck now.

He knew the rumors. The stories.

The Dark One. The villain. The monster.

(Better than a coward.)

(Oh but you’re still a coward. Your son said so.)

But he wasn’t a monster. He was just a father trying to do what was best for his son.

Right?

And…he gave it all up.

Magic has a price. And keeping magic…had cost him the one he loved most.

“There is no escaping it. You will have a son, and your actions will leave him fatherless.”

The memory was a poisoned arrow.

Back then, he’d thought he was going to die. He’d thought he could escape his fate. He ran to save his life, to save his son's future.

And, in saving his own life, he’d condemned his son's future.

The future has a wicked sense of humor.

He’d thought he would die to the ogres, then. Now, he couldn’t die. To anything. Anything but his own name.

He wasn’t sure which fate was better.

He sat up, running his hands over his face. He wasn't sure what he planned to do, but anything was better than laying in bed with his thoughts, and no one to talk to.

There was that butcher in the village who hadn’t delivered on his promise just yet. Maybe he could give him a little encouragement—

“Papa, you’re getting worse.”

Or…maybe not.

It wasn’t what Bae would want, at least.

'It wasn't what Bae would want'? No. He shouldn’t think of him like that; like one might think of the dead.

The word gripped at his heart. What if he was? Would this world without magic be the end of him?

No. He couldn’t believe that.

He would see him again.

There were no other options. He would make sure of it.

Standing up, he thought of what he could do to take his mind off it: take a walk, or read a book, or—

He didn’t make it past the other bed, slumping on the edge. Sitting there, like he used to when—

“Tell me a story, Papa. I can’t sleep.”

The grimace tugged at his lip. Or maybe something more.

Would he ever hear his voice again?

“Are you really that unhappy, Bae? I conjure anything you desire. Name it. What do you want?”

“I want my father.”

“All I want is your happiness, Bae. If you find a way, I'll do it.”

“Good. The deal is struck.”

He could still feel his hand, firm and hopeful, and too small.

He’d made a deal. And, all the while…he’d thought Bae would never find a way.

Rumplestiltskin. The imp who never broke a deal.

Except one.

He fell into the cold sheets, clutching at the blankets, trying to hold onto anything that smelled like Bae.

And he knew. He knew he was every bit the monster they said he was.

“I’m so sorry, Bae,” he sobbed with every last bit of humanity in him. “I want to come with you. I want to come with you. I want to come with you.”

#once upon a time #rumplestiltskin #baelfire #Neal cassidy #ouat rumple #ouat #ouat fanfiction #ouat fic #ouat fandom

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badassxbirdy · 5 months ago

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“Oh, I am totally gonna track those down.” Ty grinned. “Too bad there’s none of that first haircut I gave myself.” Perhaps there was a CCTV still or two out there, the ones they had put on the newspaper article reporting ��sightings’ of her back in the day, but alas, nothing she knew of that could truly show it in all its terrible uneven glory.

“No, it’s okay, I don’t mind.” Despite that statement, there was a long moment of hesitation before she explained any further. She needed to choose her words carefully. Though it was something of a relief that he’d been unfazed by the witch part of this whole thing, the cambion part of the deal was a secret which Tyler had no intention of letting her friend in on. It was bad enough that his passenger knew what she was, let alone Lance. “It was some Rumplestiltskin type shit. Y’know, the whole um, the whole ‘I’ll give you my firstborn child’ thing. Except without the gold.” She snorted, shaking her head. Way back when it had all started, she’d wanted to know what the deal had been for, what could possibly be important enough to Victoria to make it all worth it… but as time went on, she’d slowly come around to the idea that she was probably better off not knowing. After all, there was no possible answer that would make that betrayal any less painful.

“So uh… yeah. I had to get out of there real fast. Never saw her again, but weirdly there was never any missin’ persons report for her like there was for me. I think she’s dead, but there’s no obituary, no nothin’.” She shrugged as she set the scissors down and picked up the clippers instead. Thankfully they weren’t too loud, but she raised her voice slightly regardless, attempting to drown out the sound for him a little as she made her first pass with them.

“You will. It’s gonna take longer for you than it did for me, but it’ll happen.” Much longer. Tyler had been just some random teenager, one with few people to even notice her absence. Someone like Lance Preston? For him disappearing was going to be much more difficult.

“You thought any more about what names you want to try out for your ID’s? You could keep Lance in there somewhere if you want. I uh, I started puttin’ Tyler or the initial on most of mine after a while. So I could still introduce myself as me, but I had an excuse for cops or whatever, y’know? Just in case. Like ‘oh, yeah, this ID totally ain’t fake, officer, Tyler’s just my middle name’. Most of ‘em believed it without me even makin’ the face at them.” She put on her most exaggerated look of innocence, accompanied by a sad little pout, but was unable to hold it for long before catching sight of herself in the mirror made her laugh. “I definitely pushed my luck havin’ them say twenty-one when I was still eighteen. Got one or two confiscated for that.”

“I like to think I still would’ve gotten into fixin’ up cars somehow, even without the whole ‘involuntary road trip’ thing. Maybe could’ve had my own garage one day, just gone full grease monkey. Papa always said I should be a uh… shit, what’s the word, that voice thing… What’s it called when you teach people how to do accents and stuff? That. He was mostly jokin’, but it sounded kinda fun.” Both were fun mental images for her, albeit somewhat bittersweet ones. The idea of the garage in particular made her smile again, a smile that grew when he accepted the word.

Friends.

She hoped that he knew just how important her friends were to her, how important he was.

"Bleached all over" he replied with a hearty chuckle and amused shake of his head. "And by god I hope there aren't any around anymore. Though sure enough. My dad used to take a crap load of pictures. Birthdays, graduations, Christmases, you name it. There oughta be some still. Hope not though."

Bit of a tough situation that was indeed. Because sure. He did not want Tyler to see that hilariously bad hair. Way too fucking embarrassing. On the other hand.... That was his past. His life. And pictures, taken by his dad. All in all a life and memories he'd fought so hard for. It would be wrong...wishing for them to be destroyed. Not after everything.

Thankfully, Tyler kept him distracted with her talk about her mother. And all thanks to that everything, the witch fact didn't bother or surprise him at all.

"Doesn't sound dumb to me" he told her, looking at her through the mirror. And it was twisted in a way. With all that talk about her, her struggling with it all...that made it easier for him in return. Helped him forget all about his own troubles. So much, that he barely even minded the scissors and machinery around anymore as she kept working on his hair.

"A deal? What kind of deal?" Lance asked, curious, though he soon realized that maybe that was a bit much. "If you don't mind my asking of course. You don't have to reply though. " Sighing, he supposed now was about as good a time as any to have the focus turned back on him.

"Sure would love to become a cold case myself" he muttered. After all, he knew that the police were still looking for him. Maybe even the FBI by now, given the mess he'd left behind in Maryland, had crossed multiple state borders to get away from it all. "Guess we really oughtta pick them up." It wasn't like he liked it. Having to go by a different name, again, when all he wanted to do was to keep both his name and identity. But he knew it was a necessity.

He's silent for a long time as she gives him an answer, mostly because it makes him think. About so many things. The thought of cameras sending a shiver down his spine. Being observed. Watched. Without their say so. No thank you. Shaking his head, Lance tried his best to ignore his discomfort, tried to focus on her instead. Smiling a bit. Wondering.

"Any idea who you would've been? What kind of job and all?"

He could picture her in quite a few scenarios, but still. He was definitely interested in her view. Curious and slightly challenging smirk turning affectionate when she got to the friend part.

"Friends" he repeated with that little smirk, followed by a nod. Accepting it. Happily so. Because after all this time, everything that had happened, maybe, he really was ready for that now. Needed it, even.

A genuine connection. A genuine...friend.

Even if just the thought alone made that thing inside stir awake. Made it angry. Because yeah, it certainly didn't like that one bit. Didn't like her. Hated her for it. This time though? He wouldn't let it destroy this. Not if he could help it. So he just kept smiling at her, no matter how much effort it took. Because he appreciated hers so much in return.

#*interactions #demcnsinmymind

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takadasaiko · 6 months ago

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Burn the Worlds Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Summary: Regina finds herself responsible for a small child while Rumple and the others make their way back into Storybrooke.

FFN II AO3

She had thought she had it for a moment. A spark of magic and a break in the wall that, if she'd only been able to make it work, could have been her path to freedom. Instead the spell had rebounded on her, never quite slipping through whatever Magnus had done to trap her magic inside of her, and had thrown her back so that she'd skidded along the rocky pathway. Regina had bounded back to her feet - ignoring every inch of torn clothing, scraped skin, and the fact that she'd lost both heels in opposite directions - and raged at the only thing she could physically get her hands around. Not that the wall moved. The outburst hadn't even really helped her feel better.

But it had terrified the child that appeared out of nowhere behind her. The Evil Queen-turned-mayor blinked in surprise at the boy she didn't recognize. He was small, perhaps around four or five years old, and Regina was sure she'd never seen him before. His clothing certainly wasn't something they often found in their cursed town. No, it was much more in line with the land they were all from. "And who are you?" she demanded, and the little boy froze under one of the lamps Magnus - or maybe whoever worked the mines - had left lit. He stared with wide, unblinking eyes with fear freezing him in place and Regina took a breath, putting effort into softening both her expression and her voice. Who he was didn't matter as much as how he'd gotten there. If he could get in, she could get out. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." The boy didn't seem to believe her and she tried for a smile, leaning over with her hands pressed against the torn knees of her pantsuit so that she was closer to eye-level with him.

At least that wasn't the wrong move to make. His little shoulders that had been pulled back rounded a bit more and the fear in his dark eyes gave away ever so slightly to a more curious expression. He watched her and she did her best to remain patient until he was willing to speak. "I got lost," he said after several long, excruciatingly tedious moments.

Regina glanced in the direction he'd come down. "What were you looking for? Maybe I can help."

He sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his ratty sleeve. "My bad man took him and I'm 'spose to find the safe place." Tears welled up in his eyes and he looked down at his dirty boots as a sob bubbled up.

Panic clawed at the Evil Queen as the child that was beginning to blubber. It started quiet at first, but as it grew louder, she heard the telltale signs of a creature stirring deep within the bowels of the mines. She didn't think that Maleficent could make it all the way up here, but she wasn't sure she wanted to bet her life on that.

Which meant she had to find a way to quiet a terrified little boy. Preferably without hurting him.

So instead she reached a hand out, slow and careful, and was absolutely surprised when the boy took that as an invitation and launched himself forward with his tear-streaked face pressed into her blazer. It was Regina's turn to freeze for a fraction of a moment before something strangely instinctual seemed to move her hand of its own volition and she found herself stroking dark hair. "It's alright," she promised.

He looked up at her. "You'll help me find my papa?"

Her red lips quirked up at the corners. "If you can show me how you got in, we'll see what we can do."

—-

Three centuries of weaving threads spun from visions of the future together to create a path to find his son had left Rumplestiltskin with more than just a penchant for deal making. No, deals were simply the tool he used. It was the control that had secured his path to the Land without Magic. Each step, each move was meticulously planned, and he'd learned to manipulate those around him like chess pieces on a board. He'd had to. He certainly couldn't have relied on them to follow the frighteningly narrow road that had led them all here. Not on their own.

And he'd made it. Perhaps not quite like he'd Seen, but he'd been reunited with his son. That fact hadn't wiped away his habit - his need - for control, especially as they went rushing back into the unknown against a powerful and intelligent enemy. It had taken two equally stubborn wills - and Bae's own love's not far behind - and an admittedly solid argument that while all appearances indicated that his system was clear of the poison, they wouldn't know for sure until they crossed back over the town line. It was the idea of putting the two he loved the most in danger that had him sitting - albeit a bit irritably - in the passenger seat of his own vehicle as Bae drove back towards Storybrooke.

It was a good thing too, because the rush of magic that flooded his veins as soon as they crossed the threshold was overwhelming. Bypassing the sheer surprise from it - he had expected to be the only one with the capability of dragging magic through to this word - it had an odd feel to it. The familiar tinge of darkness had him questioning if Regina had been fool enough to try something so desperate or - perhaps more likely - Magnus had forced her into being the conduit. If so, they might be too late after all. Best not to get ahead of himself on that one and tip Emma into an ill-planned attempted rescue.

The strange, almost bitter magic that would take more time and effort to dissect wasn't the only familiarity tugging at him. No… it was a small, vicious voice that had been oh so quiet these past years. Even waking up from the illusion of Mr Gold hadn't done more than stir his curse in the most distant of ways. With magic in Storybrooke, he didn't just feel the darkness that his curse steeped his soul in, he could hear it whispering. Encouraging. He had power again. Power to destroy his enemies. To decimate the clerics once and for all. The others might try to stop him, to hold him back for the sake of the ignorant town that surrounded them, but how else could he truly keep Baelfire safe if he wasn't willing to sacrifice a few useless —

"Papa?"

Bae's voice cut through the rising temptation and Belle's gentle hand on his shoulder from behind helped to push it back to a manageable space in his mind. Rumplestiltskin blinked, pulling a steadying breath through his nose and releasing it between his lips. He reached up to touch his True Love's hand and tried to offer his son a reassuring smile. "I'm alright."

"What happened?"

Don't tell them. They don't understand. They'll only try to hamper you.

He shoved hard at the twilling voice in his mind. No. These weren't some bumbling townsfolk. This was Bae and Belle and the little someday savior that was turning out to be a clever one in her own right. He didn't have to manipulate them. He could trust them, and he would…. once he knew what they were dealing with. Once he had answers.

Bae braked, the small jolt of the vehicle pulling him out of the deal he was mentally working between himself and his curse. He turned to watch his son put the car into reverse. "What're you doing?"

"Getting you out of here."

"I'm fine."

"Didn't look it."

Rumplestiltskin tried for a smile. "I was just… lost in thought."

Baelfire shot him a withering look that said he wasn't fooled by the careful wording.

Emma, from the back, didn't know him quite as well. "If it's not the poison, we should keep going. The longer we sit out here on the road the more likely Magnus is gonna spot us." She paused as Bae craned back to look at her. "Not that that would have happened if we'd switched cars like I said."

Rumple quirked an eyebrow at his son's sudden nervous demeanour. "Switched cars?"

"Nothing," the younger man snapped, turning his eyes back to the road and shifting back into drive. "Where do I turn for this cabin of yours?"

"Just up on the right," his father instructed, and from behind him Belle's gentle touch turned into an equally gentle squeeze before she settled back.

The air was tense with unanswered questions as the car turned down a dirt path, sending dust flying as the tires ground against the loose gravel. Rumplestiltskin's dark eyes scanned every dancing shadow and rustling leaves, feeling for the magic that surrounded him and beginning to weave loose threads he could tighten into a spell should he need to defend them. Everything was in motion, and that was just the present. He didn't dare try to look to the future and miss something quite literally right in front of him. He wasn't sure this brand of magic would even let him. Like so many other things since Bae had found him, this wasn't part of the carefully crafted plan.

There were no lights shining from the cabin. He wasn't sure if he'd actually been there before or if the curse had simply formed up memories that told him he had. If he hadn't, there was a fair chance that there was nothing that Magnus would readily find to link him to the hideaway. Time would tell.

"You have a key or are we getting creative?" Emma asked as the car pulled to a stop.

"On the top lip of the window sill to the left of the door," Rumple answered, and only then was he certain that the cursed memories were the only ones he had of this place.

"It doesn't look like there was a forced entry," Belle murmured from behind him. "Should we drive around behind to check?"

"Just as likely we'll get stuck back there," Bae murmured, and his father could practically see his son's clever mind working the problem out. "Emma, hop up to the driver's seat. Papa and I will go around. If you hear us shout, you kick it into reverse and don't stop, got it?"

"I'm not leaving you here!" she answered emphatically. "I'm not abandoning you."

Bae turned in his seat to catch her eye. "'Course not. You'll come back for us. We just need someone getting out if shit hits the fan."

Rumplestiltskin risked a push of magic outward as Emma Swann weighed her trust in Baelfire's plan. As far as he could tell, no one was there. The problem was that he didn't know what he didn't know about this magic, and that could get them killed. No. Bae's idea was sound. At least as sound as they were going to get.

"You better come back," Emma pressed and Bae flashed her a grin.

"You don't get rid of me that easily. You ready, Papa?"

It took a moment longer than it should have for Rumplestiltskin to pull himself back to where they were. If Bae's look was anything to go by, he noticed, even if he didn't verbalise it. Rumple nodded and opened his door, easing himself out of the passenger side even as Bae and Emma swapped places.

"Be careful," Belle said softly and he offered her a tight smile. This was going to be the closest they could get to safe for the time being.

Bae motioned that he'd go left, his father going right and Rumple had nothing to argue in that. He kept his footsteps and cane as quiet as he could manage as he circled around the cabin, dark eyes looking for signs that someone had found a way in and was either lurking in the shadows or would come back soon. There was nothing. As far as he could tell every window was intact. He met Bae at the back porch, and that door too appeared to be firmly shut, locked, and unbothered.

His son took a closer look under the stairs before climbing them. "This is your last chance to be honest without a full audience," he said as he came to a stop at the edge of the porch, forcing Rumplestiltskin to crane his head to look up at him.

The curse stirred, fighting against the opening Bae had left him. His son was trying to extend an olive branch. To deny it would be pointless. It wouldn't take long before they ran across trouble and magic was flung around for all to see. It wasn't like Bae would believe him even if he lied about it. Of course the Dark One knew that magic had come to Storybrooke.

He hummed softly to himself, limping around to the stairs and mentally striking a quick deal with his curse that promised death and destruction against his enemies in return for trust in him that he knew how to choose his allies. He couldn't risk either Bae or Belle running should he put this off. "Let's get everyone inside." A clear flick of his fingers called magic to flip the internal lock and let the door swing open. He looked around, meeting his son's surprised look.

"That's what you were reacting to," Bae breathed. "Coming over the town line."

"Indeed."

"How?"

Rumplestiltskin pushed a breath out his nose, risking a quick glance to the future. Or it would have been, had magic worked the same here as it did in their world. Now it was an onslaught of fractured images rushing at him with the same ferocity that his own had when he'd first heard Emma's name here. He stumbled, desperate to throw up a shield around his mind, and felt his son's hands against his shoulders. "Papa?"

"I'm alright," he promised. "It works… differently here. How, exactly, remains to be seen." He offered Bae a tight attempt at a reassuring smile and started into the cabin. He could practically feel the questions that remained unasked for the moment hanging in the air as he made his way to the front door and opened it.

The door to the car opened and Emma popped out. "I thought the key was up here!"

Rumple didn't miss his love's studying blue gaze as she slipped out of the back seat, that clever mind of hers working towards possible answers. A sudden rush of magic wasn't the only answer available, certainly, but he didn't dare let her come to the conclusion on her own. He motioned for them both to follow inside where Bae stood waiting for his papa to share the whole truth.

—

They were lost. Not that that was overly difficult to achieve when the escape plan had consisted of following a small child through dark tunnels and hoping he could lead them out the way he'd come in. Somewhere in the more logical part of her mind, Regina knew she couldn't blame him, but that hadn't stopped her temper from boiling over and the boy from crying, the sobs growing and echoing to the point that she was sure someone would hear them. Probably not someone that could or even would help though.

Regina pulled in a steadying breath and knelt next to the boy who had told her his name was Roland. "Hey?" she tried as gently as she could manage. "Don't cry. I just need you to tell me what you remember."

The sniffling was almost as loud as the sobbing, and Regina could have sworn she heard a low growl from somewhere deep in the caves. "I walked… I walked through a wall," he hiccuped. "Then there were lights and you were yelling and —"

"Okay," Regina cut him off. This was pointless. If he'd told her a week ago he'd walked through a wall, she would have thought it was just a childish imagination. But magic had come to Storybooke. Magic that the Clerics were using against her. No. It was much more likely that he'd slipped through a spell meant to let someone enter, but not to allow anyone to leave.

"I wanna go home," Roland sniffled, voice trembling like he might melt down again at any moment.

"You and me both," the Evil Queen grumbled, but tried for a smile that he couldn't see in the deep shadows of the tunnels. The smile faded instantly as she could have sworn the temperature dropped several degrees around them without moving an inch. Roland must have felt it too because he reached out, his small hand finding her leg and fingers clutched at the material of her slacks. This was a problem. They'd gone too far in the wrong direction and they'd made too much noise. "Come on," she coaxed as gently as she could so as not to terrify him any more. He let her take hold of his shoulders and turn him to aim back in the direction that they'd come from.

"What's that?" Roland asked as they turned to find a softly glowing green light in the direction that had been pitch black just a moment before.

Regina swore softly, turning him again to see the same light creeping up that corridor as well, smoke rolling in with it. It was coming from every direction now and there was no escaping it. Maleficent was toying with her.

As the glowing smoke clawed at their feet and a bubbling laugh echoed through the tunnels, Roland practically climbed up into Regina's arms. She took him, warning him not to let go even as she felt the spell drag them from one point to another none too gently.

They landed hard, almost as if they'd been spit out the other side. Regina stumbled, her heels not designed for the rough terrain, and both she and Roland yelped as she hit the ground. A giggle echoed through the tunnel and whipped her attention back to the friend she'd made into an enemy years before.

Regina pushed a determined breath out through her nose. Without magic, she might not have a chance in all the worlds against the Mistress of Evil, but the Evil Queen didn't go down without a fight. Roland, smart boy that he was, inched away as Regina pulled herself to her feet. "You're looking far more… human than I would have expected."

"No thanks to you," the former fairy twilled, her blonde eyebrows dancing and her smile deceptive to those who didn't know her. It didn't fade as her blue eyes flickered over to Roland. "Who's the whelp?"

Roland shrank back again and Regina took a step towards Maleficent, drawing the other woman's attention. "He's not important."

That smile only broadened. "Run along, little one."

Regina expected to hear the boy take off, his one chance at freedom from the monster even a child should have been able to sense right in front of him to take. Though, he hadn't run from her when he'd stumbled across her. Perhaps he wasn't so clever after all. Or perhaps just very little sense, she decided as she risked a glance back to see Roland plastering what he probably thought was a brave expression on his little face and he planted his feet. "Don't hurt her! She's my friend."

"Dear child, Regina is no one's friend."

"She's gonna help me find my papa," he argued in such an earnest little tone that Regina almost snorted a laugh.

Maleficent gave a small hum that rang of insincere amusement as she lifted a hand. Green smoke billowed up, coming to her call. "I'll give you a life lesson, little one," she said to Roland, though her blue eyes turned sharply back towards Regina. "The Evil Queen was never going to help you. She's only ever in it for herself." And with a twitch of her hand, she released the magic, aiming it directly at the woman in question.

Life was a funny thing. As a little girl, Snow wouldn't have dreamed that she'd go on so many adventures. Running for her life from the woman that had saved it once, learning to steal and fight and survive, falling in love…. She certainly wouldn't have been able to predict that the love of her life and she would have to put their newborn daughter into a magical cupboard to give her her best chance to survive a dark curse that was crashing down over them. She remembered holding onto Charming's far-too-still body, blood soaking his shirt, and all she had had was hope. Hope that Emma would save them twenty-eight years later. Hope that she would see them again. Hope that they could be a family.

Emma had come back for them, though far too early. The Blue Fairy wasn't able to give her an answer as to why the savior had come long before she was supposed to be there, other than the fact that she'd followed Rumplestiltskin's son to Storybrooke. They'd met out there in a world utterly foreign to those living in the cursed down, but the lead fairy had had few details to offer on why the Dark One's predictions had been off. She did, at least, seem to have at least some knowledge as to what had happened to get them to this point, and Snow had spent far longer than she'd meant to peppering her with questions on what had happened and what Magnus wanted with her daughter.

"I knew there was something special about her," Snow told her family's patron fairy as they made their way down to the lake where David waited for his and Mary Margaret's morning walk before she went to the classroom for the day. "Even cursed, I just knew. She's smart and beautiful and brave."

"Yes, she is," Blue said quietly, and Snow tried not to dwell too much on the hint of guilt that lay just beneath the words. "And Magnus will use that. We must gather as many as we can to our side to protect her."

"Why don't you restore the town's memories like you restored mine?"

Blue frowned as they made their way along the path. "I used the last of the memory potion on you. We must be clever in our alliances."

Cursed town or not, alliances were one of Snow's strengths, though her heartfelt encouragement flittered away when she saw the figure by the lake. He looked much like he had that fateful day when they'd all been torn away… more whole, though, and she was grateful for it. Snow's grin tugged so hard at her lips that her cheeks strained. "Charming," she breathed out and sprinted forward.

He turned as she approached, that smile she knew so well gracing his lips, but there was something slightly off in his expression. It wasn't until he greeted her that she remembered. "Mary Margaret, I was starting to think you weren't coming today."

Even with the would-be painful reminder that her love didn't truly know her, Snow found her smile remained. He would. She'd make sure he would. "I wouldn't miss it for anything," she swore, her hands going to either side of his face and pulling him in. Her lips met his and he froze for a moment before sinking into the kiss. Slowly his hands trailed up her arms until they gently cupped her face and for a moment they were one. One heart. One mind. As if Regina had never tore them apart.

Slowly they parted, both panting for breath, but he held her gaze in a way that had always left her giddy. She tried to steady herself as best she could with him looking at her like that. It had worked. She knew it would work. She would always find him.

"I'm so glad that—" he started, but she cut him off. They had to focus. There'd be time for them later.

"Charming, Emma found us. She's okay and she's here, but she needs our help."

"Who's Emma?"

And just like that, the world came crashing down on her. She pulled back, staring at him, and confusion etched deeper into his face with each passing moment. "Mary Margaret…?"

The name was like a swift kick to the gut. "You don't remember me, do you?" She whirled in Blue before Charming - no, David - could answer her. "True Love's Kiss can break any curse! Why didn't it work?"

"Because he doesn't know you," a voice said, whipping Snow and Blue's attentions around a fraction before David's. The Blind Cleric stood between the three and the path to the hospital. He looked infuriatingly smug, leaving Snow to square her shoulders and take a protective step between her unknowing husband and the clear threat that had presented himself. Magnus' lips quirked dangerously. "You should have gone to the Town Square as you were instructed."

Tension was thick in the air and Snow's green eyes narrowed as she prepared herself for whatever would come next. It had been a long while since she'd found herself in a physical battle, and while Mary Margaret's life had been a softer one, she wouldn't let that stop her from protecting the people she loved.

But David wasn't the one that held the cleric's attention. It wasn't even Snow. Those milky white eyes turned to look at Blue, Magnus' head tilting as he watched the fairy carefully. "You were a fool to interfere."

"You've gone too far. That girl is innocent in all of this. I will not allow you to sacrifice -"

He moved so quickly that Snow thought he might have teleported. She didn't have time to react and neither did Blue as Magnus' large hand snapped forward, plunging into the Blue Fairy's chest and dragging her heart from it.

"What -?" David managed from behind her, but Snow couldn't tear her eyes away from the inevitable outcome of the impossible feat playing out in front of her. Blue was ancient and powerful. No human - no matter how much magic he'd drawn to himself - should have been able to pluck her heart from her chest. She didn't think even the Dark One had that kind of power.

Blue turned, her dark eyes locking with Snow's own green. "Run," she whispered as Magnus' grip tightened and the beating red heart was turned to dust.

----

TBC

Notes: Well this chapter gave me a tremendous amount of trouble, mostly on deciding exactly how to approach Rumple's trust issues when it came to letting everyone in on the fact that magic is back in town. I went back and forth more than I'd like to admit, but in the end, I like the idea of him having to bargain with his more emotionally driven curse to allow his logical brain to make that decision.

Next Time: Magnus makes a dangerous discovery.

#Once Upon a Time #OUAT #OUAT fanfiction #Rumplestiltskin #Belle French #Baelfire #Neal Cassidy #Emma Swan #Mary Margaret Blanchard #David Nolan #Regina Mills #Blue Fairy

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