A/N: What is up!? Hey guys so I revamped this prologue and changed so many things. If you didn't know, this is going to be a sequel to my story Second Chances. That story is not yet complete (almost there!) but this is meant to be a companion piece. If you've never read that one, then it's okay because I will cover everything you need to know here. There will just be more background with the past in that story. Hope you enjoy!
Fair Warning: There are spoilers for my story Second Chances. If you don't want to know how that one is going to end just yet, you might want to wait.
Season 2 in between episodes 15 (The Queen is Dead) and 16 (The Miller's Daughter)
The pain in his shoulder grew more unbearable by the moment. And despite the shock at her willingness, the savior's resolve to save him provided the Rumpelstiltskin with little comfort. He was dying. The poison racing through his veins assured that much. More than that though, he was heading into the worst possible situation, stumbling headfirst into his greatest fear.
Cora had the dagger.
With it she could force him to do whatever she wished. Any wish, fancy, or unholy desire she could imagine, and he would have no choice. With his son finally in his grasp, Rumpelstiltskin was far too aware of the danger they faced. What if his ex-lover discovered Belle?
It took every ounce of his considerable will power to pull himself together in that moment. Poison or not, his power was only as good as the one who wielded it. Power like his had loopholes galore to manipulate if one was clever enough to see them. And Rumpelstiltskin was nothing if not clever.
He needed to speak to the woman currently threatening his very existence. If he could get Cora to back down for a few moments, the imp knew he could work out a way to stop the poison. Then he could deal with the Queen of Hearts.
His decision made, the pawnbroker turned to the savior. "Mrs. Swan," he called Gold as she made to leave the crew's quarters of the stolen pirate ship, "can you hand me my phone?" The woman in question turned back to face him a questioning look on her face.
"Where is it?" she asked cautiously.
"In the left jacket pocket of my coat," he answered, pointing to the bloodied heap lying on the floor close to his bed.
Reluctantly, Emma shifted through the jacket and grabbed the elusive item. She started to hand the phone over but stopped halfway through the movement. "Who are you calling?" she asked suspiciously.
An impish smile crossed the Dark One's face as he considered the princess standing over him. Perhaps she does have more brains than her either of her parents, he thought silently. "I'm calling Regina, so I can talk to Cora," he explained in a moment of surprising honesty. "I want to know what her game is and how she found out about my dagger."
Emma scowled as if she didn't like the idea but consented nonetheless. "Fine, but I'm staying right here. I'd prefer to know up front when you plan to sell us out."
"I'm hurt that you think so little of me, Mrs. Swan," the dying man quipped, "I thought we knew one another better than that."
To her credit the savior simply smirked back at him before handing over the phone. Cora picked up on the third ring, "Rumple dearest, it's so nice to hear from you."
"Can't say the same to you Cora. Why ever are you answering Regina's phone?" Rumpelstiltskin inquired. doing his best to keep his voice level.
"We both know I'm the one you wished to talk to dear," the Queen of Hearts answered sweetly. "Were you able to find your long-lost son?"
The imp ignored the barb with ease but felt a bit of panic gather around him. "This isn't a social call dearie. Are you really going to break a deal with me?" he queried, his voice dangerously close to the high pitch of the imp he'd once been.
Cora answered his question with one of her own. "To which deal are you referring darling?"
"The one in which we called a truce," the imp growled. He received a glare that he promptly ignored from Emma for that answer.
"Oh, that one, if I recall I simply offered you a piece of merchandise in return for your agreement to leave me alone. I thought I was in keeping with my end. Either way did you really expect me to keep such a deal after discovering the source of all you power was a simple knife?" The Queen taunted.
"You're playing a very dangerous game dearie,"
"Am I? By the looks of this silly little knife, you haven't got much time left in this world. Besides I'm doing you a favor," Cora laughed. "I'll rid you of all your darkness."
"What by killing me? No thank you." A hiss escaped before he could stop it, as Rumpelstiltskin shifted slightly to alleviate his aching chest.
"You don't sound so good Rumple," fake concern dripped from her words and the imp didn't need to see her to know which ridiculous pout she'd be wearing.
"How did you find out about the dagger?" he asked cutting to the quick of the matter.
"Oh that," Cora paused for a moment for effect, "I met one of your old apprentices when you sent me to that annoying little world. Wonderland is full of interesting people you know. But I'm afraid that by the time I met him, he was quite mad."
"The Hatter was never my apprentice dearie, only a tool. Stop lying."
"Not the Hatter Rumple. No, this charming young thing claimed to have been your first apprentice. Of course, I found that fascinating since I believed myself to have been the first." Cora paused once more, allowing the identity to sink in. "He was perfectly willing to share that little piece of information about the dagger and its uses with me. For a price of course." Rumple's blood went cold at the realization and he couldn't help the shocked expression that settled on his face. Emma looked at him expecting answers, but he just shook his head. "What's the matter Rumple," Cora's voice called through the phone, "cat got your tongue?"
He hung up the phone quickly and threw it against the wall, surprising the savior with his sudden outburst. "Whoa Gold, chill out," she advised as the man in question grimaced in pain from the sudden movement. "What was that all about?"
"We're in trouble Mrs. Swan."
On the way back from Neverland. Season 3 ep 10
Regina stood at the bow of the flying ship deep in thought as she watched the passing scenery. She didn't notice the figure beside her until it startled her by speaking. "I need to ask you something," her former mentor insisted startling the Queen.
"Damn it Rumple, you scared me," Regina responded breathlessly. "What do you want?"
"I haven't gotten the opportunity to ask, what with one crisis after the next, but before she died your mother said something to me that I've been wondering about it," the imp explained leaning against the ship's railing next to her. It would do no good to beat around the bush and he had to know. If Henry hadn't been his undoing, he had a decent guess as to who another boy might be.
"What'd she say?" she questioned turning to face the Dark One.
"Cora mentioned someone she knew during her time in Wonderland, someone from my past as well. I wanted to know if you brought this person over during the curse. You had to specify to bring Jefferson and the few others from Wonderland, who else did you bring from that realm?" Rumpelstiltskin asked cautiously. He still didn't trust his one time student, but out of all the people aboard the Jolly Roger (his son and grandson excluded) he knew he could at least get an honest answer from her. If he asked properly.
"I just brought the Hatter and that knave that my mother always went on about. No one else," the Queen sighed eyes turning away from him and back towards the horizon. Regina disliked the topic of her previous failings, especially after her efforts in Neverland, but he needed to know.
"You're certain you brought no one else over?" he asked once more allowing a severity to climb into his tone.
"Of course, I'm certain. What's this about Rumple? Who did my mother mention?" she asked curiosity and a bit of fear dictating her now. If her old mentor was frightened by someone she was concerned, especially after Pan.
"No one, it's fine," Rumpelstiltskin answered as he turned away and walked back tow the Charmings and his son. Hopefully she would chalk up this conversation to his paranoia over being in Pandora's Box or blame it all on stress from their trip to Neverland. Hopefully he was done facing the demons of his past. If there was anything resembling good luck for him, his former apprentice would remain lost to Wonderland.
The boy who still occupied a constant presence in the Dark One's nightmares, could be his final undoing. And now that he'd faced his father, begun reconciliation with Bae, and found a tentative place in this crazy family, he had no desire to ever see that boy again. Back in Storybrooke Belle was waiting for him and hopefully he could finally become the man he so desperately wanted to be.
Unfortunately for Rumpelstiltskin he had too long of a past, far too many demons, and absolutely no luck.
A/N: Okay so that's prologue done! This is going to be a full ensemble story, but it will have more focus on Rumpelstiltskin and Belle. It's also a season 6 rewrite. So, expect some familiar scenes with new twists and plots that hopefully deal with some of the issues I experienced with that season. This will be my largest undertaking yet, so please have patience with my crazy and sometimes unreliable update schedule.
Thanks for reading! As always let me know what you think in the reviews/comments and I will see you guys in the next chapter!