Belle rolled over in bed and noticed that the space her husband was supposed to be occupying was vacant. Concerned that something was wrong, she crawled out of bed, put on her robe and slippers and went downstairs in search of him. The first place she decided to check was the basement, concerned he was working on some kind of magical experiment. It had been over a year since he'd returned from Neverland and defeated his father in a battle that left the former Dark One shaken yet he refused to talk to anyone else but her about it. Also he was still trying to repair his relationship with his son and get to know his grandson better. He feared the others still thought him capable of ending the boy's life to save his own but the undoing he'd feared so for centuries was only the undoing of the Dark One. The dagger that once bore his name was now just another weapon he kept handy for protection along with the gun. He was still capable of wielding magic however, there were more limits on what he could do.
She knelt and looked in the basement window to find her husband not performing a magical experiment but sitting in front of the laptop he bought a few weeks ago and was teaching her how to use. She scowled.
No...he wouldn't be looking at that stuff! she thought. She'd overheard Ruby and Ashley talking one day in the diner about how some of the men in Storybrooke had a nasty habit of looking at dirty pictures on the computer. Unlike the rest of the women, she was not going to be silent about it. She opened the basement door.
"Rumplestiltskin, what are you doing?" she demanded. "It's three in the morning!"
"Oh, come on! How the hell did she get to level 85 already!?" he growled.
"Rumple!" Belle shouted.
"What...oh...sweetheart, what are you doing up?" he asked softly as he looked up from the screen.
"I might ask you the same question. Are you down here looking at that...porn?"
"Porn? Of course not. I'm playing the slots."
"The slots?"
He motioned for her to sit beside him. She could see some pictures on the screen along with some words. "Do you see that button that says spin?"
"Ummm...yes."
"Move the pointer over to it and click." he instructed. Belle clicked on the button and the pictures started moving. When they stopped colored lines appeared through them along with noise and another picture popped up that seemed to be counting.
"Oh! Did I mess something up Rumple?" she asked worriedly.
To her surprise, her husband cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. "Damn, I should've let you do this along time ago! A hundred thousand coins and a level up! I'll beat that Evil Queen yet!" he crowed. He took the mouse and clicked the screen again, typing something.
"I won money?"
"Not real money my sweetheart, but yes you did," was her husband's gleeful reply. "I've been trying to get enough coins to be at a higher level than Regina for a damned week but she's been getting further ahead."
"You play this with Regina?"
"Her and half of Storybrooke. The rest of us share free coins and spins but that greedy bitch keeps all hers to herself. No matter."
His cellphone rang. He glanced down at the display and burst into laughter as he pressed the answer button and put it on speaker.
"A hundred grand and you can only share two thousand coins, Papa? That sucks!" Bae complained. "You better be sending me some free spins!"
"Actually Belle was the one who did it." Rumple confessed.
"Belle? Papa, you said she only gets on Facebook to talk to everybody not play the slots."
"This looks fun," Belle said as she clicked on the spin button again. "Oooh, look Rumple. I won again!" she cried excitedly.
"How much did she get?" Neal asked.
"Just two hundred." Rumple replied with a frown. "You can go to different slots. See," he said as he moved the mouse on the screen to show her the different video slot machines the game had to offer. "And you can bet more or less. It's up to you. Tell you what. Why don't we sign me out and go under your account so you can start playing?" he suggested.
"Papa, you're gonna have to get another laptop." Neal cautioned. "You get her playing the slots and she won't get off long enough for you to play."
"I'll buy her one in the morning. Now add her to your list Bae and tell the others so they can start sending her spins."
"Okay. Gotcha. Night, Papa."
After Bae hung up Belle reached across the table and took her husband's hand in hers. "Is this game helping you and Baelfire bond more?" she inquired softly.
"Yes, but we still have a long way to go. I don't care how long it takes or what it takes. I'm not going to let him go again...not like he did to me." Rumple added bitterly. "And when I think about what he did to Henry..."
"It's over now, darling. You have your son and your grandson back, you have me and...maybe someday Bae and Hope will have a brother or sister but that's not going to happen if you insist on sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night to play the slot machines," she added with a grin. She wanted to have the large family they'd been blessed with at their wedding.
"You were having as much fun playing as I did," he reminded her.
"Yes, and I'll play them some more after you buy me that laptop but I still want to work on getting that brother or sister for Bae and Hope."
"Oh, I sense a deal coming," he murmured, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of what she was proposing. Although the deals he struck now were few and far between, he'd learned over the last twenty-nine years that the most beneficial ones always were with the blue eyed beauty sitting beside him.
"We can play the slots in the morning but we work on having another baby at night?" she proposed.
"And the deal is struck," he declared and they sealed their new agreement with a kiss.
"Since it's still nighttime..."
She didn't need to say anything more.
Over in her mansion on Mifflin Street Regina Mills, the former Evil Queen glanced at her Facebook page, smirking with satisfaction as she saw the latest events in her lifelong rivalry with a certain imp. The verbal sparring was still there and while she was reading through the posts of the day from the game Caesar's Casino, she clicked to reply to one of them.
Remember how you said I was never going to beat you? Well it looks like I AM Rumple. Three million coins and up to level 85! Where are you...oh, that's right. You're only on level 73. You can keep trying, dearie but you're never gonna beat ME! she typed, chuckling while she threw his own words right back at him then opened a new window in her browser. As soon as she clicked on one of the slots she could see that a tournament was being held. She increased her bet amount and started spinning, anticipating leaving her competitors in the dust. Players from around the world were starting to realize that they were no match for the Evil Queen. The jackpot would be hers.
Over in their loft, Snow and Charming were sitting at the kitchen table with their laptops open searching their Facebook pages.
"Snow! Rumple's sharing two thousand coins to the first five clickers! Hurry up and click it before Regina gets it!"
"She's on so we can kiss those two thousand coins goodbye," Snow complained. "We share all our wins and free spins but she never does and she STILL has more money than we do. I bet she cheats and buys coins too."
"We can get Emma to hack her checking account to find out," Charming suggested.
"Is this a Storybrooke's sheriff's deputy suggesting we break the law?" she giggled.
"Yeah because I want to know how the hell she's beating the whole town. Hell, even Rumple is nowhere close to getting to the level she's at and he's been getting a lot of big wins."
While they were switching back and forth between browser screens, a new message appeared on their Facebook pages from Regina announcing her latest victory. Charming read the message, smiling wickedly as an idea formed in his mind.
Later that day while she was at the shopping center Regina spotted her nemesis in the electronics department talking with the clerk as they stood in front of a display of laptop computers. She sauntered over to them.
"You think getting a new computer will make you level up faster in Caesar's, Rumple?" she taunted. "I'm now on level 89...looks like you've got a looong way to go."
"Do you mind? We're in the middle of a conversation here!" he barked. "Now then," He turned back to the clerk. "My wife doesn't need anything fancy, just something she can use to get on the internet, play games and talk to our family members."
"Sure Mr. Gold. How about this one?" the clerk suggested, gesturing to one of the computers. "It's half the price of that one but it has lower memory and a smaller hard drive. Also it's a bit lighter."
"Rumple, you should see this...oh, hello Regina," Belle greeted her former captor civilly when she approached them pushing a shopping cart filled with merchandise.
"It looks like Rumple's buying you a laptop. What for?"
"So I can play the slot machines because I seem to be good at it. I just started playing last night and I'm already up to level four," the beauty replied while her husband was unable to conceal his smirk at Regina's expression of disbelief.
"You bought her coins to get her ahead, didn't you?" the evil queen accused him.
"Hardly dearie. My wife is just very lucky. If anyone's buying coins to level up faster, it's you. Always have to take shortcuts, don't you?"
"Look who's talking," she retorted. "The only way you're gonna get past me Gold is by breaking out your wallet and buying coins or if you manage to win a tournament...which you won't if I'm playing in the same one."
"I don't play the machines you do."
"Nor can you because you can't unlock them yet. By the time my free spins for today are done, I should go up another level," she bragged.
Rumple scowled. "And who sends you free spins? You certainly don't share any with anyone here."
"You forgot my son and your grandson. Did you really think he wouldn't share with me?"
"I didn't even know he played."
"I taught him a month ago," Regina said proudly.
"I see," Rumple muttered.
"Plus I've made a few friends."
"I can only imagine what lies you've been feeding them."
The Evil Queen laughed. "Jealous, Rumple?"
"Of you? Of course not. What need would I have of people outside this town?"
"For starters...more free coins and spins," she taunted. "See you online, Rumple." she added as she walked away.
"She has a point, Mr. Gold," the clerk said. "I don't play the slots on Facebook but my mom does and she said the more friends you have, the more chances you have to get free coins and spins."
"Well, our experiences with people outside this town haven't been all that good. Belle, sweetheart, do you want this laptop?" Rumple inquired of his wife.
"That's fine Rumple."
After he paid for the laptop and placed it in the cart, he glanced through the other items his wife picked up while she was browsing through the store. He picked up a bag of pomegranates.
"What are these for?"
"The pomegranate is the symbol for fertility in many cultures," she explained. "And there was a lady giving out free samples of a juice made from them so I picked up some."
"And that...?" he pointed down to a scrap of blue satin and lace material tucked underneath a box.
"That... is for bedtime," she murmured.
He was considering altering their deal by starting bedtime early once he was able to see just what she would be wearing.
By the time they got to the checkout line the cart was even fuller...with toys.
"I didn't pick up all this! Belle, did you?"
"No."
Who..." He glanced down at the carrier to see his daughter grinning at him.
"I should have figured you'd be behind this, you wee imp!"
"Toys!" she squealed.
Belle laughed. "She's a chip off the old block, now isn't she?"
"Oh aye," he chuckled.
"...Let me get this straight...you want to hack into Regina's bank account so you can find out if she's buying coins for an online casino game?" Emma demanded of her parents. "Then you want to hack into her Facebook account and make her lose them all. Really, guys? That's the most immature thing you could do. It's just a game."
"At least we aren't trying to kill each other," Charming pointed out.
"And you think she won't be pissed once she finds out? This is the Evil Queen we're talking about here, the same one who put Mom under a sleeping curse and Henry into one by him eating an apple turnover meant for me. My suggestion is that you suck it up and just try to play better if you're that determined to beat her. This town has finally settled down now that the father from Neverhell is gone and I'd like to keep it that way," Emma said firmly.
"Hi Mom!" Henry greeted as he entered the loft. "What's going on?"
"Nothing. Your grandparents just needed a lecture on maturity. "Where's your dad? He was supposed to pick you up from school today. Don't tell me he forgot!"
"I didn't," Bae said when he walked in. "I was a little late because I stopped by the shop to talk to Papa about something but it was closed."
"Gold's shop was closed during the day? That's odd," Emma mused. "You try calling him?"
"He's not answering his phone and neither is Belle. Probably playing the slots."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me they're involved in that damned Facebook slot machine insanity too!"
"Papa and Regina have had this competition going for weeks."
"Mom's winning though," Henry added.
"I should be grateful they're fighting each other on the internet instead of in person but what is so damned fascinating about a slot machine game that all the major players in Storybrooke are involved in it?"
"It's fun." was Henry's response.
"You too?" Emma groaned. "I give up!" she cried as she threw up her hands. "Come on Henry."
"Where are you going?" Snow asked her daughter.
"Somewhere I can find a little bit of sanity!" Emma grumbled as she walked out the door with her son in tow.
After they left Bae started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Snow inquired.
"I'm picturing the look on her face when she gets back to her apartment and finds out what Henry does after he does his homework. He uses an account under a different name to hide. That's what I was going to go to the shop to talk to Papa about. If he and Belle set up other Facebook accounts they can get more coins and spins to send to their main accounts. I tried to friend Papa a week ago but he ignored it because he doesn't know its me."
"This sounds like a better idea than hacking Regina's accounts." Snow spoke up.
"That option is still open."
"Charming you're not serious, are you?"
"You were all for it earlier," he reminded her.
"Yes, well I...all right, that's it! She HAS to be cheating. Look!" Snow cried as she turned her laptop screen around so that her husband could see it. Their Facebook pages were filled by posts from Regina announcing that she won more coins.
"I'm going in my room, Mom." Henry announced and was off before Emma had a chance to stop him.
In his room, Henry opened up his browser and pulled up Facebook. He clicked on the chat area and typed a message.
Henry Mills: Hi, Mom.
Regina Mills: Hello, Henry. How was school today?
Henry Mills: Good.
Regina Mills: If you have homework make sure you do it first before you start playing the slots.
Henry Mills: I will, Mom. Am I still coming to your house this weekend?
Regina Mills: Yes unless you have plans with Neal.
Henry Mills: No, the weekend is our time. Are you winning a lot?
Regina Mills: I certainly am but I'm letting my free spins run while I get some work done.
Henry Mills: I'm gonna get started on my homework. Love you Mom.
Regina Mills: I love you too Henry.
Regina smiled as she read her son's last message. In spite of everything that happened, her son still loved her and wanted to keep her in his life even though his birth parents were there now too. Seeing him, beating everyone in Storybrooke at the slot machines and talking to complete strangers online were the former Evil Queen's only pleasures in life now. She had hoped on a future with Robin but he was still morning the loss of his wife and building a life for himself in this strange land. She looked up at her browser. Her free spins were over and it was time to bet. Before she could, she saw she had another message. She quickly replied to it and resumed her game.
"Papa? Belle? Anyone here?" Bae called out, tucking his keys back into his coat pocket as he entered his father's Victorian. He searched downstairs first and found no trace of them. When he reached the top of the steps, his father emerged from the master bedroom in his robe.
"Bae! he cried.
"You feeling okay Papa? I went to the shop to talk to you but its closed."
"Yes well I'm ummm...taking the day off," he stammered.
"Where's Hope?"
"It's her naptime."
"Rumple, are you coming back to bed?" Belle inquired as she entered the hallway in a short blue satin and lace nightgown. Once she saw Rumple's son on the steps she flushed with embarrassment and retreated back into the bedroom. Bae chuckled.
"I can see you're..ahhhh...busy so this can wait til tomorrow."
"No, no. Just wait here a moment, would you?" Rumple begged. He went into the bedroom to find his wife smothering her laughter with her pillow.
"Rumple, do you think he heard...?"
"I hope not," the former Dark One muttered. "I've scarred my poor boy enough over the years with my actions although this would be a little less traumatic. He needs to know we're trying to have another baby..."
"You're worried he'll be upset," she finished.
"He's well within his rights to be after everything I did to him. His sister doesna have to deal with it."
She crawled out of bed and approached him, placing her hands on his shoulders, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones. "You've made mistakes with him but you've been working so hard now to be the father he's always needed. We just have to make sure that even when we have our baby we keep spending time with him too so that he doesn't feel left out. I know he's adult now but even as adults we still long for our parents' love."
"You and I haven't had much luck with our fathers, my sweetheart. Yours treated you like you were dead and mine...Gods forgive me but he was dead to me the moment he took my grandson's heart to save his own miserable life and trapped me in the box so that I couldn't help Henry..." Rumple's hands trembled as the memories of his father's deeds came rushing back again.
"We have to let go of the past and focus on making things right again," his wife said wisely. "A fresh start, Rumple."
He smiled and gently kissed her. "Go on back to bed. I'll be back in a little while."
Neal was sitting in the living room working on one of the laptops when Rumple walked in.
"What are you doing, Bae?"
"You need to run some of these free spins, Papa. We can only send you ten a day you know."
"I've been a bit preoccupied lately."
"I kinda figured that. I could've waited to talk to you tomorrow at the shop."
"No, son. What I have to say can't wait. Belle and I...we're trying to have another baby." Rumple gazed at his son's face, bracing himself for Bae's anger. "I know...I know I wasn't a good father to you and..."
"Papa, stop!" Bae pleaded. "We can't keep doing this digging up the past. It's over and done, neither one of us can change it. I knew sooner or later Belle would want to have another baby. She's still young and obviously you're still capable. It's odd having another brother, sister a lot younger than me but I'll probably spoil them just as rotten as you will. And I haven't been a good father either but I'm trying to make amends just like you are."
Rumple exhaled a deep sigh of relief and threw his arms around his son. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what is it you wanted to talk to me about at the shop?"
"Our mutual addiction."
"I have tried everything I possibly could but I cannot catch up to Regina for the life of me!"
"Well, Snow and Charming were talking about hacking her Facebook and credit accounts to see if she's buying coins but I have a better idea. Create more accounts so you can get more spins and shared coins."
"More accounts? What do you mean, Bae?"
"Well, Tink and I have one account under our real names and another one under fake names."
"How did you do that?"
"I'm going to show you. You might want to create one for Belle too."
Bae set the laptop down on the coffee table and in less than ten minutes both his father and Belle had a second Facebook account under different names set up to play the slot machines. While they were collection free coin and spin gifts, Rumple explained to his son the arrangement he and Belle made.
"I want to beat Regina but I want another baby with Belle more."
"How about we make a deal?" Bae suggested. "I'll play your account at night."
"You can't play two accounts at the same time."
"Oh yes you can. Watch this bit of magic, Papa."
Rumple watched with fascination as his son opened two browser windows running Bae's account and his own at the same time, both of them open to the slot machine application. He smirked, imagining the look on the Evil Queen's face when she realized he was starting to catch up to her had a chance of surpassing her own achievements.
"Have you taught the others this trick?"
"Yeah, except Henry. Regina already taught him how to do it."
"I'm not surprised. Go ahead and play my account tonight."
"And you'll keep me updated about the other issue?"
"Of course I will."
When Rumple returned to the master bedroom his wife was sitting up in bed reading a book.
"Did everything go all right?"
"Better than I hoped," her husband replied with a smile as he crawled under the blankets beside her. "And he did tell me why he needed to speak to me. Apparently he has a trick up his sleeve that can help me beat Regina."
"You can show me that tomorrow," she murmured as she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his mouth to hers.
Later on that night, a small group was seated at the dining room table in Bae's apartment, laptops and browsers open to multiple webpages and they had much more in common than just an interest in playing an online slot machine game. Two had been captives in Neverland while the others had either been there by choice or trying to bring someone home from there. It had been six months but they were still trying to put their memories of the island behind them and finding another common interest was helping heal the emotional scars that still ran deep in them.
"Anyone have a preference for snacks before we start?" Wendy asked, a notepad and pen in her hand.
"Coors," Michael spoke up.
"Bae, maybe you or Tink better go with me for this one. I have my ID but they keep refusing to sell me anything alcoholic because they don't believe I'm over 21," Wendy said.
"Then get soda," Eric suggested.
Bae glanced over at the woman who until a year ago had been a teenager until his father made her closer to her brothers' age. It was a difficult spell that weakened his father to the point where he was almost bedridden for a week. Still, he, Michael and Jonathan had their sister back and he would forever be grateful for Rumple's efforts on their behalf.
"Ariel?"
"I'd like some of those Hawaiian Onion chips if you can find them. Eric and I haven't been able to and we've visited every grocery store in Storybrooke."
"On second thought Wendy, I think we do need to get some alcohol…to celebrate."
"Celebrate what?" Wendy inquired. "You were in a good mood when you came back from visiting your father so am I assuming that has something to do with it?"
Bae grinned. "Yeah I'll tell you when me and Tink get back."
"Jerk!" The others threw peanuts at him.
Once Bae and Tink were alone in the car, she turned to him. "I'm not waiting til we get back. What did your father say that makes you want to celebrate?"
"He and Belle are trying to give me another brother or sister," Neal declared proudly.
"And you're all right with that after….everything?"
"Yeah, I am. But what would make it even better is if I gave him a new grandchild. You want to help me out on this one?" he murmured as he nuzzled her neck. They'd been dating for almost a year, Bae having given up on Emma after two months of nothing but the cold shoulder. Still Tink harbored doubts that she and Bae had a chance at a future together.
"I could…but this isn't the place for that," she said softly. "We'll work on that later."
When they returned half an hour later Bae opened a bottle of champagne and handed glasses out to everyone. "First, my father and Belle have new Facebook accounts so you'll need to add them to your friends list and start sharing what we win tonight…no amount is too small. Second….I may have a new brother or sister very soon."
"I think it's wonderful," Ariel said dreamily. "He and Belle love each other very much and another baby will only bring them closer."
"It's eight. We need to get playing because Regina's already on and her Facebook page is loaded with posts about Megawins." Tink announced.
"Tink, I'm playing Papa's account and mine tonight," Bae informed her. "Woo hoo!"
"You better be sharing that!" Michael cautioned. "How much was it?"
"Guys, the app homepage has a link for free coins too. Get over there quick!" Eric called out.
"And free spins," Ariel added.
"I just leveled up!" Wendy exclaimed.
"Share!" the others called out.
Over on Mifflin Street Regina growled with frustration as she watched her ranking drop in the tournament she was participating in but she wasn't one to quit when it seemed like she had no chance of winning.
"If I can toss people into another world and make them forget who they are for twenty eight years I can sure as hell win this damned tournament!" she hissed and increased her bet amount again. She was already under three million coins now but she had more than Rumple who had somehow managed to level up twice in the last two days probably with a little help with that wife of his. Suddenly a message popped up on her screen.
Henry Mills: Mom, how'd you get below three million?
Regina Mills: I seem to have some difficult competition in this tournament. Play for one more hour and then you should be getting to bed, okay?
Henry Mills: I will Mom. I'm losing a lot now.
Regina Mills: Increase your bet then try to stop the reels if you can't get them to hit active pay lines automatically.
Henry Mills: I'm trying, it's not working.
Regina Mills: What machine are you on?
Henry Mills: Invasion From Outerspace.
Regina Mills: How much are you betting?
Henry Mills: 3,000.
Regina Mills: Increase to 7,500 then watch the reels. As soon as you see the bonuses start to show up, try stopping the reels yourself.
Henry Mills: Mom, it worked! I got four bonus tiles!
Regina Mills: Good job! Now remember, the fuel ship can be in the four corners or the center.
Henry Mills: I hit the fuel ship and it's worth more!
Regina Mills: The more bonus tiles you have, the higher the prize amounts will be.
Henry Mills: Thanks Mom. Check your home page for my share.
Regina Mills: Don't forget to use the autocollect app tomorrow. It will add on the coins I share. I warned the others they are not to collect any of my shares until you get them.
Henry Mills: Are we gonna play tomorrow?
Regina Mills: Tomorrow night, yes. I have something special planned for the day.
Henry Mills: You're not gonna tell me?
Regina Mills: Don't want to ruin the surprise.
Henry Mills: Okay. I'll let you get back to your tournament. Get 'em, Mom!"
Regina Mills: Looks like my luck is turning around. Three more spots and the jackpot is mine! Good night, sweetie.
Henry Mills: Night, Mom.
Back in her apartment Emma sat in front of her laptop with her browser open to Facebook watching posts from her friends and family updating, shaking her head. It looked like every single one of them was on the slot machines game, including Hook. She knew he would go lick his wounds at Neal's place. He always did but she was still so angry at him for being so foolish that she wasn't ready to forgive him yet. Out of curiosity she clicked on the Caesar's Casino app and waited for it to load.
"May as well see what the fuss is about," she mumbled and started setting up an account.
"I could actually learn to enjoy these things, sweetheart," Rumple said to his wife while they were in the basement. He was at his spinning wheel spinning the wool he would need for a quilt Belle wanted to make for the new baby they hoped to have soon between taking bites from a pomegranate while their daughter took her nap. She was sipping blueberry pomegranate juice from their cherished chipped teacup while a book lay open on her lap. "Did you also read about the pomegranate story from Greek Mythology?"
She smiled. "I do think of you as my Hades and me as your Persephone."
"Except I don't have a three headed dog and sit on a throne made of bones. I did have a Dark Castle at one point."
"I do not miss cleaning it."
"Oh come on, dearie. It wasn't that bad."
She scoffed. "You weren't the one doing the cleaning. And I don't miss having to do your laundry by hand. That washing machine is wonderful."
"And since I'm not the Dark One anymore the word around town is that I've gone soft. I can't have that."
Belle shook her head. "Sometimes I don't know whether to smack you or kiss you!"
"You are the only other person besides my son that has permission to do both without being skinned alive. Speaking of my son, can you turn on my laptop and find out how he's doing in our little battle with the Evil Queen?"
"I think I'll play for a bit while I'm on. If you want to play you'll have to bring my laptop down. It's up in the bedroom but we don't want to be up too late if you're going to the shop in the morning and I'm hosting a reading group in the afternoon at the library."
"What book did you choose this time?"
"The Count of Monte Cristo. I'm taking Hope with me."
"Excellent choice, dearie."
"A few of the women keep begging me to make a modern book the weekly read but most of those books are a bit….racy."
Rumple chuckled. "Like those ones you have hidden in the closet that you didn't think I'd find?" he teased. "I'm assuming they were given to you by that wolf best friend you have."
Belle blushed. "She shared some with me and Ariel. Told us we'd find some….inspiration in them. I…oh my goodness…Rumple look at this!" she cried.
"What?" he demanded worriedly as he jumped out of his chair and rushed over to her side as fast as his limp would carry him. One of the side effects of losing the powers of the Dark One was its return but he'd lived with it for so long that it didn't bother him much anymore. "Well, well, well it looks like our esteemed Deputy Sheriff has finally learned the concept of 'If you can't beat them, join them.' Send her a friend request from both of us but make sure you tell her who we are so she doesn't have a fit," he added. A few minutes later he returned with Belle's laptop and sent a message to his son.
BeastofStorybrooke: Bae, can you sign out of my main account?
Neal Cassidy: Sure Papa. You going to play it for a while.
BeastofStorybrooke: Yes. Belle is already on. Did you happen to notice we have a new player?
Neal Cassidy: No. Who?
BeastofStorybrooke: Emma.
Neal Cassidy: Good one, Papa.
BeastofStorybrooke: I'm serious. Look on her homepage. She's playing.
Emma Swan: BeastofStorybrooke? Really, Gold?
BeastofStorybrooke: I have an image to uphold.
Emma Swan: Whatever. Can you help me with this slot thing? I really don't know what I'm doing?
BeastofStorybrooke: It's simple. All you have to do is bet and spin.
Emma Swan: Looks boring to me.
BeastofStorybrooke: You'll never get to where Regina is with that attitude, dearie.
Emma Swan: Okay I'll try it.
On Mifflin Street Regina was delighted to see that another of her nemeses had joined the game but Emma was as inept at playing the slots as she was at using her magic. Grinning evilly, she opened her messenger and sent a text.
Regina Mills: You'll never get to where I am.
Emma Swan: Want to bet on that Regina?
Regina Mills: Dear, if the imp can't even get to where I am what makes you think you can?
Emma Swan: Call it the Savior's confidence.
Regina Mills: I call it delusions of grandeur.
Emma Swan: Stop texting me. I'm playing.
Regina Mills: Certainly. I'll just watch you limp along like the others.
Another message popped up on her screen inviting her to a group chat room called High Rollers. She happily joined in because she had made friends with some of the world's best gamblers through this chat room and they were giving her advice for the little trip she was planning on taking at the end of the month.
Although they both had work in the morning, Snow and Charming logged on to play for an hour or two before they went to sleep and like everyone else, they were stunned to see that their daughter had finally given in to the temptation to play but she wasn't doing well.
"We're going to have to help her with this or she'll be left in the dust," Charming said. "Now do you think we should consider hacking Regina's account?"
"No. She'll learn. She just has to play often enough. Oh, Belle sent me a message. She and Rumple want to have a get together at their house on Sunday."
Okay. Just the four of us?"
"No, she invited Ariel and Eric too. Married couples only. They want us there at four and I don't know what we'll be doing til we play the slots at eight but knowing Belle it has to be something interesting."
"You better open up your autocollect. Bae's crew has been busy!"
"Working on it while I'm talking to Belle."
"You asking her about Sunday?"
"Yes."
Charming decided he was going to try to get some answers out of Belle's husband too. They may have been family but didn't socialize that often unless Belle talked Rumple into doing it.
David Nolan: Something wrong that you've restricted this little get together to married couples only?
Rumple Gold: No. You'll just have to wait until Sunday for the details.
David Nolan: That's all I get.
Rumple Gold: That's all you get.
Mary Margaret Nolan: Do I need to bring anything, Belle?
Belle Gold: If you want to make something, you can. I'm doing this because I want Rumple to start talking to people more.
Mary Margaret Nolan: He's changed a lot since…Neverland and I don't just mean not being the Dark One anymore and everyone credits you for that.
Belle Gold: I love him. I always have and I always will. He has his faults but he's no different from the rest of us.
Emma groaned with frustration when her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Em, it's Ruby. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the club tonight."
"Can't…on a roll here," she grumbled as she clicked to spin again.
"Umm…did I interrupt you in the middle of…"
"No. Playing the slots."
"Oh, then you better add Granny to get coins off her. Maybe some other time?"
"Yeah. I'll let you know."
Once Ruby hung up, she pulled up her chat log and reread the messages she'd gotten from Rumple. He'd been explaining where she needed to go to collect free coins and spins. It was confusing to the young woman at first but she was quickly learning.
Rumple Gold: Up to level three already. Impressive, Miss Swan.
Emma Swan: Dammit, Gold! How many names do you have on here?
Rumple Gold: Just two…so far. You may want to set up a second account yourself.
Emma Swan: Will do it in the morning. On a roll.
Rumple Gold: There's hope for you after all.
Regina arrived at Emma's apartment early the following morning and was greeted by an exhausted Emma Swan. She laughed, having been in that state herself when she first started playing the slots until she started setting up her free spin gifts to run on the same machine while she slept. Once in a while the website would throw fits and disconnect her making her lose spins and coins. Those instances sparked a barrage of nasty emails to the site developers.
"Even after all night playing you're still not able to catch up to me," the Evil Queen bragged. "And quite frankly, you should take the day off and sleep. The last thing this town needs is a deputy who can't concentrate on her job because she didn't get enough sleep."
"Shut up Regina," Emma growled.
"Hi Mom!" Henry called out as he threw his arms around his other mother.
"You have all your stuff Henry?" she asked him.
"Yep."
"I won't be bringing him back until Monday afternoon." She said to Emma.
"That's fine. Have a good time Henry."
"I will."
Regina drove them back to her house. Henry unpacked his things in his old room while she was in the kitchen setting up for one of the two surprises she had planned for him that weekend.
Belle wanted to scream in frustration. She was quickly losing patience with her weekly reading group. No matter how hard she tried to spark their interest in the classics, these women insisted on focusing more of their attentions on contemporary works, mostly romances. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy reading romances; the hidden stack of books in her closet was incontrovertible evidence of it. The issue she had was that the majority of them were filled with sex scenes that added little to the plot. From the moment she reopened Storybrooke's library, her main mission was to inspire both adults and children to enjoy reading as much as she did and she had been successful at it, just not in the way she wanted.
She was relieved when the meeting was over and she could put her assistant in charge of the library while she visited her husband at the pawn shop. He was standing at the counter writing in a ledger when she walked in.
"Sweetheart, why do you look like you'd like to strangle someone?" he inquired.
"I feel like you're the only person in this town I can have an intelligent conversation with today!" she cried. "The ladies in my reading group asked me again if we can make one of their books the topic of next month's discussions. I tried reading it…I honestly did but it is trash!"
"Then let them have their own discussion group about it," he advised. "I don't want you getting too upset with people who want to pollute their minds with garbage." He walked over to the door and turned the sign to read closed and escorted his wife to the backroom where he made them a pot of tea. She laughed when she saw his laptop sitting on the table, Hope on his lap.
"Have you been playing the slots?"
"Every few hours. But I was also looking into something else."
"Oh? What was that?"
"A vacation. Outside the town line. I recall you telling me when we were back in the Dark Castle you wanted to see the world. Also," he added with a sigh. "I don't want our children to feel like they're trapped here."
"I think it's a wonderful idea. But where?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
Henry found Regina in the kitchen with her countertop cluttered with ingredients.
"What are you doing , Mom?"
"This is one of your surprises, Henry. We're going to make a pizza from scratch," she replied with a smile.
"What's the other one?"
"Well, I was wondering…how would you like to go to Las Vegas with me?" she asked.
"You mean to the real Caesar's Casino?"
"Yes."
"I'd love to!" the boy cried excitedly and threw his arms around her.
When Rumple and Belle informed their grandson of their plans he was ecstatic.
"That means you can go to the real casinos like Mom and me!" Henry said.
"Oh? Planning on trying your luck in Vegas, dearie?"
Regina grinned. "I am. What do you say we move this little competition of ours off the internet and into the real place?" she challenged. "I want to take Henry to Vegas at the end of the month. Since you can now leave, you have no excuse to not go too."
"I have something else I'd prefer to work on first."
"What could possibly be more important than making a fortune on the real slots?"
"Giving my wife a real honeymoon and another baby," he answered.
Regina's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "You want to have another child…at your age? This could be interesting. Well, you could have your honeymoon in Vegas."
"Sorry, dearie, but I'd rather go somewhere you wouldn't be breathing down my neck. I hereby call our competition to a close and declare you the winner. Enjoy it."
"You are going soft, Rumple," she muttered, disappointed that he hadn't put up much of a fight. She still had the rest of the town to humiliate. That would have to suffice. And now she would have one more advantage over them, she would be playing the real slots.
"Charming, I'd like to go to Las Vegas," Snow spoke up. "They have some great shows there too along with the slots."
Regina smirked. There was hope after all. She would bury these two idiots in the dust. "We're not travelling together," she said firmly. "You want to tag along; you pay your own way."
"Fine with us," Charming spoke up.
"I'm going too," Emma spoke up as she and Hook joined the group. "I haven't been back to Vegas in a while and I don't trust you not to give my parents a rough time."
Regina glared at her. "I'll give them one if they give me one, dear." she retorted. "The same goes for you."
"Belle, sweetheart, do you have any ideas where you'd like to go?" Rumple asked his wife.
"No. Do you?"
"Certainly not Las Vegas."
"How about Miami Beach?" Bae suggested. "I worked at a resort there a few years ago and the owners have been asking me to come back to visit but I can call and see if they'll make a reservation for you. And then we can find out if they're really related to us."
"Why don't you and Tink come with us?" Belle suggested. "After all, it will give you and your father a chance to spend some time together too."
If Rumple was in need of another reason why he adored his wife, she'd just given him one by suggesting Bae accompany them on their vacation before he even had the chance to do so and he had every intention of doing so.
"And you know this town and can be a guide for Belle and me," he said.
"All right, Papa. Who knows? Maybe getting away from Storybrooke is what you need to do to speed along the process of getting me another sibling," Bae teased. "Come on. We'll go back to your shop and I'll call out there to see if we can get reservations."
An hour later, half the members of the Strogoff family were gathered in the pawnshop while Bae called the resort in Miami Beach having already discussed how long they planned on staying and when they wanted to leave if there were rooms available. The phone rang several times before a woman picked up.
"McDermott Manor, this is Melanie speaking. How may I help you?"
"Lanie? Lanie Preston? Is that you?" Neal inquired.
"It's Lanie Willis now but yes, this is me. Who is this?"
"Neal. Neal Cassidy."
"Neal Cassidy! Oh my God I haven't heard from you in years! How the hell have you been? Where the hell have you been?!"
"I was in New York but I just moved to Maine to see my father."
"Your father? I thought you said you didn't speak to him."
"Well, we've patched things up. Anyway, he just got married and he and his wife haven't had a chance to have a real honeymoon so I wanted to bring them out there."
"You sure you don't want to come back to work here? We could use you now more than ever since the expansion."
"Umm…I have my roots set here now. Do you have any rooms available?"
"Seeing as it's you calling let me check with Channon and see what she wants to do. You mind holding a few minutes?" Lanie Willis asked him.
Bae covered the receiver of the phone with his hand as he spoke to his father. "She's checking with the owner. Hold on, I think someone's picking up."
"Neal, it's been a long time," another female said in a Scottish accent as she came on the line.
"Hi Channon. Did Lanie tell you I want to come back to visit?"
"Of course she did. I have rooms ready for ye. I just need to know how many people will be with ye and if any of them have special needs."
"My father has some trouble walking on one leg but he gets around with his cane. It'll be me, him, his wife and my girlfriend."
"Ye'll be staying in one of our new buildings and I'll gie yer father and his new bride the honeymoon suite and ye and yer girlfriend the other room. The only other details I will need will be your flight number and what time it's arriving so I can have my driver pick ye up and how long ye will be staying."
"My father wants to stay for at least two weeks. Let me give you my credit.."
"No. This one is on me. I owe ye, remember."
"Channon!" he protested.
"I'm not taking no for an answer. You can max out your credit treating yer father around town. I'll put ye back with Lanie so she can finish the reservation."
"Thanks Channon."
"Okay Neal. I already have you in. Just need to add the others. What's your father's name?"
"Rumple Strogoff-Gold."
"Your father's name is Rumple?!" the girl asked then burst into hysterical laughter.
"Knock it off Lanie!" Neal snapped while his father looked like he wanted to reach through the phone and strangle the girl on the other line. For a man who treated names as being important, his own being mocked was an insult.
"I can't help it. Who the hell names their child Rumple? Was he on crack?"
No, he was just a psychotic little shit who tried to kill my son.
"Dare I ask what his wife's name is?" she teased.
"Christ Lanie, knock it the hell off! Her name is Belle."
"And your girlfriend?"
"I call her Tink…and if you say one word Lanie I swear when I get there I'm gonna drown your ass in the pool the first chance I get!" he threatened.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop but oh my God….I pity your dad having a name like that!"
If she only knew what Tink's and my real names were…
"I suppose we could have avoided that insanity by just using my first initial," Rumple grumbled. "That's what I usually do anyway."
"Oh, I'd get it worse if she knew my real name, Papa."
"And you worked at this resort?" his father inquired.
"Yeah."
"Are they all ignorant there?"
"Nah."
"I'm looking forward to seeing another place," Belle said softly.
"I don't know if I'm ready to," Rumple confessed.
Later that night a nervous Baelfire drove to Deputy Molk's house. He knocked on the door several times before David answered.
"Bae! Come on in."
"I have to talk to you...and Beth."
"What about?"
"McDermott Manor. We're going back there and I'd prefer it if you and Beth went with us."
David's eyes narrowed. "You know the hell Beth went through in that place and you want her to go back? I'd tell you to hit the bricks but I'd rather pound you into them!"
"David, please!" Beth pleaded.
"You know why we have to go. Papa thinks the McDermotts might be our cousins."
"I don't think they are. I know they are. They're my descendants," David said stiffly. "Rumple's father Malcolm was my grandson from my third daughter Jane in my first life as Morgan Whitmore, Lord Mayford. And I don't think I need to remind you that the McDermotts are well versed in dark magic, at least Jamie was. I'm still not certain about Channon. You should've told your father what went on down there before this. What do you think is going to happen if you show up there now? Detective Rivera is just itching to haul your ass to jail. We'll go but I warn you...anything happens to my wife there and I will pound you into the bricks. I don't care whose son you are!"
"I'm sorry David, but...I think it would be easier on Papa if Beth backs me up."
David glared at him. "If the police come to us we're telling them everything we know about that place...and Willie Roasch. I wanted Beth to leave all that behind when we got married and now you're forcing her to relive it again. I really, really am fighting the urge to beat the shit outta you right now."
"I know and I'm sorry!"
"You will be."
"Beth..."
"It's all right Bae. I knew I'd have to face Channon sooner or later." She sighed.
"I would have preferred it to be later. All right, Bae. Tell your father we''ll be traveling with them."
"I owe you one David."
"You're damned right you do!"
Bae was barely out the door when Archie teleported into the Molk house.
"All right David, what's wrong? You're upset and you know when you get upset, I get upset."
"Rumple's planning to take his family on a vacation."
"Why would that upset you?"
"They're going to McDermott Manor."
Archie's eyes widened. "Does Rumple know...?"
"No, he doesn't. Bae hasn't told him yet and it's not my place to tell him either but I hate the idea of going back to that place after the hell Jamie put Beth through nor do I trust Channon not to try something. I'd rather have you and Az there if she does."
"I think three Greek Ozian Guardians are more than a match for a Scots-Irish witch, David. Don't worry about it. I'll just tell Rumple Dellia and I want to go too so the kids can see the beach." He laughed. "DG, Wyatt and Glitch want to go to Vegas with Regina."
His twin burst out laughing. "She has no idea what she's getting herself into with those three, is she?"
"Well she'll find out soon enough."
There were plenty of surprises awaiting everyone on their vacation.