Belle watched as the heroes ran out the door of the shop, chasing the swirling mass of escaped darkness out into the street. As quickly as everything began, she was suddenly left behind. Alone with the comatose body of her husband collapsed on the floor and a half-dead Apprentice, also collapsed on the floor, Belle felt a bit at a loss for what to do. It was all too much.

She was kneeling on the floor between the two fallen men, still staring starkly in shock when the heroes burst back in. Immediately she was in a whirlwind of yelling. Regina was shouting at Hook. Hook was shouting at Regina. Henry was crying. Charming was shouting over both Hook and Regina, trying to break up their argument. Only Snow was silent, wide-eyed and clutching the dagger as if her life depended on it. Emma was not among them.

Belle looked up from the floor at the rowdy hoard and blinked at them owlishly. This seemed to refocus their ire on her and she suddenly found herself the center of the whirlwind. Angry accusations and finger pointing at her unconscious husband were accompanied by demands that she wake him up so he could fix this mess-though they didn't say what exactly that mess was.

Nevertheless, at that she managed to snap out of her shock enough to speak up. "I don't know how," she blurted in anguish, her voice thin and reedy with stress. Then she pointed at the fading Apprentice on the floor nearby, "he's the only one who does!"

They suddenly seemed to remember him and the fact that he was probably past help and about to die. Regina got down beside him and her hand glowed as she did some sort of magic, perhaps to assess his condition or to try and bring him around. Whatever she did, it at least prodded him back enough to whisper something to her. What he said to Regina, Belle couldn't hear. With a rattling gasp, the Apprentice pulled forth a wand and handed it to Regina. She took it from him with a nod. He returned the nod, then his hand fell back limply to the floor and he moved no more.

Faintly, Belle heard Snow begin to sob and bury her face in David's shoulder. Regina rose from the ground and looked at all assembled. Her face was set and there was steel in her voice. "Emma's in the Enchanted Forest. He says we have to find Merlin to free her from the darkness. I can use his wand to open a doorway to there." Her eyes grew hard and resolute. "I'm going."

Snow seemed to pull herself together. "Then I'm coming too," she said firmly. "I'm not losing my daughter. Not again."

"You're bloody well not going without me too," Hook snapped, glaring at Regina as if this were her fault as much as Rumplestiltskin's.

Belle felt she ought to speak up. She ought to say something-anything-but it was Henry who actually did. "Wait," he said, still sniffling slightly and wiping at his tears. "Why do we need Merlin? Mr. Gold knows more than anybody about being the Dark One. He's got to know something we can do to help mom."

Regina's gaze softened as she looked at her son. "Henry, this is his fault to start with and even if he does wake up, he's never cared to help anyone but himself." She sent a sideways glare at the unconscious body on the floor.

"You don't know that," Henry stubbornly insisted. "He's not the Dark One now, I bet he'll help."

Regina shook her head. "I've known him a long time. He's not going to help. And besides, who knows if he's even going to wake up at all."

At this, Henry looked stricken, but he didn't argue further. Instead, he asked, "then can I go with you to look for Merlin?"

"No!" was the immediate reply from both Regina and Snow in unison. They looked at each other askance, agreement apparently being a foreign concept. Regina continued, "it's not safe, sweetie. I'm sorry."

"David will look after you here," Snow said, picking up where Regina left off. "We'll just be a few days, I'm sure."

Belle, mutely watching this all transpire, was surprised to hear Henry agree without further argument. There was a faint light in his eyes, however, that said he wasn't defeated. She'd seen that look before, but before she could comment Regina turned to her and spoke.

"Belle, you should come with us too. You were married to the Dark One, after all. We can use your insight."

Belle blinked, but her eyes hardened and she shot back, "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on here."

Regina looked at her in vague surprise, as if she had forgotten that Belle was an actual person rather than a tool to be used. Nevertheless, she recovered quickly and gave Belle a quick summary of the situation. The darkness had tried to attach itself to Regina, but Emma had instead took it on voluntarily to save the town. Then she had vanished, leaving only the dagger behind. Snow held it out to show her. Rumplestiltskin's name was gone, replaced in the same ornate lettering by "Emma Swan."

Belle glanced over at the comatose form of her husband, still on the floor where the Apprentice had left him. Regina caught the look and smoothly stepped in. "He's not going anywhere. We'll have someone keep an eye on him. The fairies will help."

Snow chimed in as well, plaintively entreating her. "We need your help, Belle. Please come with us."

That was all it took. After all, Belle wanted so badly to be needed and to be a hero as well. How could she refuse?

As she agreed to go with them, she didn't notice Henry's eyes upon her. Nor did she see the reproving expression on his face.