Hello everyone, and welcome to my rewrite of my old story 'pixie dust and dark magic' which was published in 2014
Looking back on the original story I wasn't happy with how it was going, and I beieve I've improved in my writing since then. (this chapter was the original chapter though I have added additional sceens and major edits in some parts, the next chapters will be completely original not using any of the previous versions chapters.)
The OC character Anabelle from the original version will not be appearing here, to be honest I kind of shoe-horned her in for a friend, though she didn't really add much to the story as well as ditracting away from Rumple and Gabriel's dynamic ( Gabriel original was called 'Adrian' in the first fic)
I do hope you all enjoy this revised and rewritten version of 'Pixie Dust and Dark Magic'
(Rumpelstiltskin's Cell)
Inside the dark and damp dungeon that was once the dwarf mines, a solitary figured stood behind a cell of spike's that imprisoned him from the outside world.
Rumplestiltskin, otherwise known as The Dark One was standing up against his cell 'bars' and grinning devilishly.
The Evil Queen, otherwise known as Regina, had paid him a visit after her first attempts at casting the dark curse was met with humiliating failure, and he had told her what needed to be done.
If she wanted the curse to work, she would have to sacrifice the heart of the thing she loved the most, not her pitiful attempts at using a horse's heart as some feeble substitute. He was now however focusing on a darkened spot of the mine shaft that seemed to be merely a shadow against the wall, but he knew what was truly there, even locked away in this cell he still had access to some of his great power, he had noticed the shadow's arrival just as he and Regina had finished their conversation and she had left.
"Come on out dearie's, Her Majesty is gone" he said with a mocking flourish at the so called 'Queens' title, as she no longer truly ruled anything, he found it quite amusing.
As soon as the words came out of his mouth the shadow twisted and fell away to reveal what was concealed beneath, two cloaked figures, one wearing a red and maroon cloak while the other wore a forest green one, both had hoods hiding their features.
They approached the cell slowly, Rumplestiltskin didn't show any signs of worry or suspicion as he already knew who his two visitors were.
Lifting the cloaks off their heads the two figures were revealed, one was a young man, and the other was a girl who looked to be in her late teens.
The girl had a cherubic face, blonde hair tied up in a neat bun, her eyes shone a bright blue which contrasted the darkness surrounding her, and she looked around nervously as she turned to her taller companion.
His appearance was truly peculiar, his hair was down to his jaw in length and a dark brown, almost black in appearance. His skin was a golden tinted grey which seemed to mirror the man across from them; his eyes were large and reptilian in appearance, and his hands possessed darker nails.
Rumplestiltskin smiled gleefully at the appearance of the two visitors, they unlike the queen were a welcomed interruption to his otherwise repetitive dull days locked in the cell, by that stupid little girl who had signed away her child without even reading there agreement, and then immediately going back on her word when she discovered the cost of her 'happy ending'.
The nerve of the wench, and they called him despicable!
Turning his attention back to the two people in front of him he awaited their response.
"So it's true than, the curse will be coming soon?" the girl said, her voice full of anxiety and fear. Rumple noted luckily that she hadn't heard their conversation, lest she know he was the one who gave it to Regina, and that wasn't something he wanted her to know at this time.
"Why yes indeed dearie, the curse is still coming" he said evenly.
"And It will be within the next three days until it occurs" Rumplestiltskin replied as he shut his eyes between sentences, his power of foresight giving him the amount of time that Regina would wait until she decided to finally do what must be done.
The girl removed her cloak and the boy did so too with his own, and with a wave of his hand both were gone from sight, revealing the girl to be wearing a green dress which looked like it was made from leaves and she had matching green shoes with white pompoms on them, the most notable feature however where two wings jutting out from her back, fairy wings to be precise.
"I have to go and warn the others back at Pixie Hollow, we've got to be prepared so that when the time comes we don't have mass panic when the curse hits" she said as she turned to the young man who nodded before moving his right hand towards the air behind them and a few moments passed before a a hole seemed to open up in mid-air.
She looked through it to see her homeland in sight; giving a small smile to him before she flew through it, the portal closing behind her as she did.
"If only travelling to every land were as easy" the boy said, his voice holding a slight accent as he turned back to Rumplestiltskin.
"Yes, that would save Regina a lot of time" Rumplestiltskin replied, a hint of regret was in his voice through only the young man could pick up on it.
The two figures locked eyes for a second before the younger one walked over and reached through the bars, pulling Rumplestiltskin into a hug. Which despite the bars being in between them was reciprocated by The Dark One, whose eyes softened slightly at the gesture, before his visitor leaned back away from the bars, although regretfully.
"I'm worried father" he said softly.
"What if something goes wrong, twenty eight years is plenty of time for Regina to have her fun, what if this so called 'saviour' does not arrive" he said as his eyes were narrowed in concern. He knew that Regina's plan would have them all sent to a land without magic, and his father had prophesized a saviour would arrive to free them, but he worried over the many variables and odds of something going wrong, and they would all be trapped without any memory of their true selves.
Rumplestiltskin however raised a hand to silence him.
"I won't let Her Majesty control me, she will have her little sense of 'rulership' in this new land, but don't you worry son, I will be the one holding the power there, not her" he said with a grin on his face, before his expression turned more serious.
"Did you take the potion like I instructed?" he asked to which the young man nodded in response.
"I did, but I still don't understand why" the young man said curiously
"Will it give me my memories after the curse has struck?" he asked unsure of the reason for his father's instructions.
"No, but it will give you a small taste of freedom from within your confines of time, you still will be cursed like the rest of us, with no memory of your true self, but you will be able to travel this new land and see all that you wish to see, you also have the perception filter to aid you as well. When the twenty eighth year approaches, you shall return and your arrival will be soon followed by the saviour, and then the final battle will begin!" he finished with a flourish as he barred his teeth slightly, lost in his thoughts.
The younger boy smiled at the prospect of being able to at least travel around instead of being confined in whatever one place the curse would trap them all in, he was thankful to his father for the chance to at least see the world.
'Just like she would have wanted' He thought sadly at the memory of the woman who they had both shared time with, one who was both dear to their dark hearts.
"You should be going now, spend your last few days of freedom with your little fairy" Rumplestiltskin said with a slight tinge of sadness in his voice as he knew this would be the last time he saw his son until almost twenty eight years would pass, but he knew that they would see each other again.
The young man nodded sadly before he turned and began to walk away from the cell.
"Gabriel!" Rumplestiltskin exclaimed, causing the young man turned around at the sound of his name, his eyes welling with tears slightly, but he held them back as he looked at his father.
"Be safe" was his father's words as he raised his right hand towards his son; Gabriel mirrored his action with a small smile before he disappeared in a plume of red smoke.
"…..Be safe" Rumplestiltskin repeated to the spot where his son had been standing moments before, his tone pleading and low.
He had lost his first son far too many years ago, and Gabriel was his second chance at being a parent, the boy had loved him and stood by his side for centuries, and he couldn't help but fear for his safety, even though Gabriel possessed vast powers of his own, that didn't stop him from worrying.
Because that's what parents do when it comes to their children.
(Storybrooke: Twenty Seven Years and Six Month's Later)
The town of Storybrooke was fully up and running by twelve o'clock, by mid-day everyone was awake and going about their day.
Granny's diner was full by now with the lunch rush, which would be all sorts of people from around town who would come to the establishment. One such individual would be Henry Mills, adopted son of the Mayor herself, Regina Mills.
He was currently enjoying his weekend off from school and was reading from the large hard cover story book he had received several months prior from his teacher Ms. Blanchard, it had opened his eyes to so many truths about the town and about his mother, any regular person would just cast off his notions as childlike imagination or mental problems, but he knew it was true, and he had a plan to prove it, however it would take until the end of the month before he could successfully pull it off.
Glancing down at his book again his eyes caught on to the illustration that was on the page opposite he was just reading.
In it there was an older male, who looked several years older tham Henry.
The young man was the son of Rumplestiltskin, Gabriel Van Helsing.
His eyes stared intently at the image; he had already begun to work out the identities of the people in Storybrooke.
Ms. Blanchard was Snow White.
Ruby from the diner was Red Riding Hood.
Doctor Hopper was Jiminy Cricket.
Mother Superior was the Blue Fairy.
And Henry's adoptive mother, Regina Mills was truly The Evil Queen.
But no matter who he was able to identify, he still hadn't been able to narrow down who Tinkerbell was in Storybrooke, or who Van Helsing was. Frowning slightly in confusion he decided to keep looking, unbeknownst to him the answer to one of his questions was just arriving in town.
A lone car was travelling down the road after passing the sign welcoming visitors to Storybrooke, several minutes later it was driving along the main street slowly, before pulling into park a few minutes' walk from Granny's diner.
After it stopped, several moments passed as the person inside merely looked out through the front windscreen, watching the outside world silently, before the car door opened and they stepped out. A few people walking on the opposite side of the road spared him a glance as he stretched out his legs after having been driving for some time.
He was a young man who looked no older than twenty, slightly above average height. His skin was a tanned colour and his hair was a dark almost black shade of brown which was to his jaw in length and had slight waves to it, this was all wrapped up in a white long sleeved shirt which was unbuttoned at the top, a pair of dark jeans and black converse. Reaching back into the car he retrieved a dark red maroon trench coat, putting it on and leaving it open, the coat went down past his mid calves.
Looking down the road to see the diner he started to walk in its direction, taking a deep breath of fresh air he smiled slightly.
He knew his presence in Storybrooke wouldn't go unnoticed for long, he was feeling anxious about the unavoidable meeting that he knew would happen one way or another, but that's why he had come to Storybrooke.
It was time to come home.
"Gabriel?" a voice spoke up suddenly, causing him to turn in its direction.
He saw a young woman his age standing several feet away, she had brown long hair with red highlights, she was quite attractive, dressed in a waitress uniform with red tights under her skirt and black knee length boots, her midriff was bare as her shirt didn't go down all the way.
The young woman was staring at him with shock and surprise, causing him to smile lightly at her before replying.
"Hello Ruby, miss me?" he asked as the young woman was at his side almost immediately.
"I can't believe your back! You've been gone for like forever" she said pulling him into a quick hug before moving back and looking at him with a smile.
"You have to tell me everything! Later though, I'm just finishing up my break" she said as he nodded.
"I was just on my way to the diner myself, I've been driving for hours and I'm starving" he said as Ruby linked her arm around his and pulled him towards the diner.
"Say no more" she said as they approached the establishment.
Walking up past the outside seats and tables she opened the door and stepped into the diner, the door chimed with the sound of a small bell as the two stepped through it, the interior of the diner was full of people, and only one seat seemed to be free.
As soon as the door chimed, a few people's heads turned to see who had entered, and when their eyes fell upon them they widened slightly. This started a chain reaction until all eyes were on the two, or more specifically on Gabriel.
Every person in the diner seemed to be staring at him.
Giving them a small smile as he ignored the obviously awkward vibes in the atmosphere.
Ruby separated from him and walked back behind the counter. "I'll be right with you to get your order"
Gabriel meanwhile made his way to a booth which was occupied only by one, a small boy who was reading from a large brown book.
"Would it be okay if sat here? There doesn't seem to be any other spots available" he asked politely, the younger boy raised his head to look at him and at the sight of his face the child's eyes widened.
The boy blinked slightly as he turned his gaze back to the book and squinted as if studying something before turning back to the older boy.
"Sure!" the boy said enthusiastically, his face lit up with a smile.
"Thanks" Gabriel said as he sat down opposite the boy as the diner having returned to its previous atmosphere of chatting and eating.
"I'm Henry, what's your name?" Henry said as he put his book back into a backpack seated next to him.
"Gabriel" The older boy replied smoothly just as Ruby appeared beside their booth ready to take his order.
"So, what'll it be?"
Gabriel didn't ask for a menu as he turned back to Ruby. "Well, guessing that the menu hasn't changed. I'll have the French toast with extra bacon, and some English breakfast tea, please"
"Ok, that'll be coming right up" Ruby replied before turning and heading back behind the counter.
"Where did you come from?" Henry suddenly asked out of nowhere, Gabriel turned to him with furrowed eyes.
"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion.
"It's just that we don't really get any visitors here….well ever!" the younger boy replied with curiosity filling his voice.
"Well I've been travelling a lot, going around the world, seeing what it has to offer" he said casually, Henry's face changed to slightly shocked.
"Wow so you've been to a bunch of other countries" he said excitedly.
"Yes I have" Gabriel replied, smiling slightly at the boys enthusiasm, Ruby walked back over to the table and placed a cup of tea down on a small plate, she turned back to Adrian with a smile.
"Your food will be ready shortly." She said before leaning down closer. "And you'll have to tell me about that sometimes, you know I've always wanted to travel around, if I wasn't stuck here that is" she said, her voice sounding exasperated at the end of her sentence, before sighing and leaving once more.
(Henry POV)
"Why did you decide to come to Storybrooke?" Henry asked, slightly suspicious as to why he would come here, if his theory was right, than he knew why Gabriel was here, even if the young man himself had no clue.
Gabriel put the cup down after taking a small sip, his eyes scrunching at the question; he exhaled a small breath before answering.
"Well in all honesty I just woke up one day and felt the need to come home, I don't know I guess I got bored" he said, his eyes suddenly were staring off into the distance, before he blinked and turned back to Henry.
"And the second reason would be my father, he lives in Storybrooke" Gabriel replied as Henry suddenly took on a look of confusion, he still hadn't figured out who Rumplestiltskin was.
(Henry POV End)
Ruby returned shortly after with Gabriel's food, and he proceeded to eat in relative silence, Henry all the while kept stealing glances at him when he thought Gabriel wasn't looking.
"Ok kid, why do you keep staring at me?" Gabriel asked suddenly, putting his fork down beside his plate, having finished his meal.
"…I wasn't starring" Henry said quickly.
"You're not a very good liar kid" Gabriel replied unconvinced.
Henry was silent for a moment before speaking up once again.
"I was just wondering who your dad is?" he asked curiously.
Gabriel blinked twice before replying. "Well if you must know" he began rolling his eyes slightly, before opening his mouth to continue.
However at that very moment, the sound of tapping could be heard from outside of Granny's, it seemed to be getting closer, and it was apparent to the rest of the diner inhabitants as they all seemed to visibly tense at the sound, people hunched down and others hid behind menu's, some quickly excused themselves and headed out through the back entrance as fast as they could.
Gabriel let out a small smirk.
Speak of the devil and he will appear.
The door suddenly opened with a ring of the bell, and the tapping slowed as the person stood in the entrance, not moving as the diner was overcome with silence, a pin drop could be heard as the person walked through the door.
It was Mr Gold.
He was the town billionaire, owning pretty much the entire town, which made him the most powerful person in Storybrooke minus the Mayor of course, although some people questioned that.
He was a ruthless and uncaring man; some people shuddered at the very mention of his name, his snake like dealings where notorious around Storybrooke.
And there he was, standing on the edge of the counter of the diner, dark glasses on his face which accompanied a small satisfied smirk at the reaction of the patrons.
Ruby walked over with a cup of coffee in a to-go cup and placed it on the counter in front of him shortly and giving him her biggest and most dramatized smile.
"You're usual Mr Gold, I do hope you enjoy" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as he made no comment on her tone aside from giving her a small smirk of his own as he picked up the cup and prepared to leave, however something caught his eye which made him stop.
Or someone in this case, his hand released his grip on the foam cup as he placed it back down on the counter, the whole diner seemed to be on edge, his gaze rested upon Gabriel across from Henry, recognition filled his eyes behind the dark tint of his sunglasses, but he didn't show it physically except for a short pause as he surveyed the young man who was now giving him a smirk similar to his own.
"For low and behold there he stands, the prodigal son for he has returned" Mr Gold said evenly, before Gabriel stood up in his booth and stared back at Mr Gold.
"And I missed you too Dad" He said dryly.
(Flashback: Pixie Hollow)
Three days had passed, and the curse would soon be upon them. Tinkerbell had warned all of the fairies about the upcoming curse and they were to seek refuge in the pixie dust tree when the curse struck, they knew it would do them no good but at least they would be together in the final moments before it ripped them away from their world.
Van Helsing was returning from the winter woods with Tinkerbell as they had been helping the winter fairies prepare, and now were back across the border into the warmth.
"It is coming" Van Helsing said ominously as he looked into the distance.
A large black cloud of smoke came billowing over the horizon, encompassing all in its path.
Stretching out both of his hands into the air towards the large onslaught of smoke his hands glowed purple, the cloud growled in protest at the action.
"That slowed it down, but I can't hold it off forever, quickly we must go" He said as he wrapped his arms around Tinkerbell and they disappeared in a plume of red smoke, reappearing in the pixie dust tree, many fairies backed away in shock before realising it was the two of them.
Queen Clarion turned to the two of them with concern.
"The curse?" she asked to which Tinkerbell nodded sadly, walking over towards her Queen.
"I'm so sorry Queen Clarion, I just wish there was something I could have done to fix this" Tinkerbell said sadly as her eyes brimmed with tears, her whole world was about to be ripped from her and she felt so weak and useless to stop it.
She felt a two hands on her shoulders and looked up to see the Queen giving her a comforting smile as she wiped away the tears from Tinkerbell's face.
"Do not blame yourself" she said softly as Tinkerbell looked into her eyes.
"There are some things that not even you, my little tinker fairy can fix" she said softly as she pulled Tinkerbell into a hug, she would not usually admit it but she did have a soft spot for the Tinker fairy ever since she first arrived in Pixie Hollow, she hoped that she would be safe in this new world.
Tinkerbell eased out of the hug and turned to see Van Helsing standing near the edge of the tree, he turned back and walked over towards her as they saw the curse beginning to slowly encompass the pixie dust tree.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close; she looked up at his brown eyes with fear.
"What if we don't meet each other during the curse, what if something happens and we're not together. Gabriel I don't know what I would do without you" she said sadly as she held onto his hands tightly, afraid to let go.
He smiled sadly and brought a hand up to caress her cheek, before he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Do not worry my dear, no matter how many obstacles we may face, we will be together again" he said sweetly as the curse was but mere feet away as they pulled each other into one final embrace.
"I promise" he whispered into her ear as the curse surrounded them, and then all went black.
(Flashback End)
Mr Gold had left Granny's diner with Gabriel in tow, both men walking towards Gabriel's car.
"So you've finally come to Storybrooke. After all these years of running around and wasting my money you come back, why now?" Mr Gold asked dryly as they walked.
Gabriel turned to give him a blank look.
"I don't know maybe I was home sick. And I don't think it was a waste," he said before his eyes softened slightly and he continued.
"… Mum always wanted to see the world, I thought if she were still here…maybe she would have been proud of me" he said quietly, Gold stopped and turned to Gabriel as a silence passed between them before Gold's expression hardened as he turned and walked ahead, leaving Gabriel standing there.
Across town at the same time a middle aged woman who looked to be in her forties was walking out of the grocery store, her arms full of several bags; she had a teenage girl at her side carrying fewer bags.
The older woman was Claire Kensington; she ran a local contracting business with some help from her husband, who also ran his own business on the side.
She had blue eyes and honey brown hair that was tied up, she looked quite good for her age as well, a fact that was well known around town.
"It's a good thing we got the groceries now Tina" she said as she turned to her daughter "I have to get home, Mr Gold will be stopping by soon"
As soon as she said that her daughter turned to her, she had bright blue eyes like her mother, unlike Claire however Tina had bright blonde hair that went just past her shoulders which she usually wore in a pony-tail or a bun, she was a cheerful and all around happy girl.
However her smile faltered at the news that Mr Gold would be stopping by, she always tried to see the good in everyone and tried to make friends with them, but Mr Gold always seemed so cold and distant, in a way she felt sorry for the man, he didn't seem to have a friend in the world and her own thoughts about him were probably a lot more nicer than a majority of the town, she quickly masked her expression with a smile, she would try and be nicer to him when she saw him later today.
For some reason she felt like something new and important was coming.
And there you go, chapter 1 complete.
I will be posting more either this weekend, or after christmas. I do hope you enjoyed this first chapter of the rewrite, and as always reviews are appreciated and encouraged.