Summary: Spoilers for the S1 finale. Magic has returned to the town of Storybrooke, and Snow and her Charming know who is responsible. But when they go to confront the culprit, they find him a little preoccupied… [One-Shot]
Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Once Upon A Time.
Note: Just a little thing inspired by a comment on a random Youtube video (the link is on my profile page – watch it, blub hysterically, then find the comment that inspired this fic…) and by promo videos for season 2. I wanted to get it up before the new season starts in America. Why do I have to wait until 2013 to see it? Damn Atlantic Ocean…
Otherwise Engaged
"Magic," Snow breathes as the cloud of purple mist envelopes her and her Charming. "It's magic. It's coming." She closes her eyes, holding on tight to her love until the dust settles. She can smell it, feel it, coating lungs and clinging to her skin as she breathes it in, and suddenly, she's reminded of home, a place so very far away, a place steeped in magic.
It's a little while before they let go of each other, hoping that they haven't gone anywhere and nothing catastrophic is about to happen. Snow risks opening her eyes. They're still in Storybrooke, the residents looking enlightened and bewildered in equal measure as they regain memories long-forgotten and wonder, at the same time, what the hell just happened. From the murmurs passing around the streets where the citizens are congregating, the majority of the town is in favour of lynching Regina. Snow disagrees, and from the expression on James's face, he does to. With the return of magic, Regina will have regained her power. No mob would be too strong for her, and they have lost too much already. There is a far more pressing problem. Why has magic returned, and where has it come from?
"So, what do we do now?" asks Red.
Emma and Henry join them in the street, and through the incoherent conversation that follows (Snow is still having trouble processing that Emma is her daughter, the little baby she said goodbye to only two minutes ago…), Snow and her Charming realise what has happened.
Rumpelstiltskin has brought magic back; the True Love's magic that James hid and Emma retrieved. They guess he's at the well, whose waters return that which has been lost, according to Emma.
Whilst the rest of the town rallies against Regina, a select few slip away into the woods in search of the man (or monster) responsible for restoring the Evil Queen to her full capacity. Snow and James, Emma and Henry, Red and Granny, and Grumpy for good measure. About halfway they stop; after all, if Regina regains her power, so will Rumpelstiltskin, and they are not sure whom they should fear most.
But Snow encourages them to press on. Rumpelstiltskin can always be relied upon to make a deal. Regina can't. The Dark One can be negotiated with. Regina can't. They arrive at the well, spoiling for a fight, and are wholly and utterly unprepared for what they find.
Emma claps her hands over Henry's eyes as the gathered cohort stand agape, watching Rumpelstiltskin and someone Snow doesn't recognise at once (but thinks might be Belle, Sir Maurice's daughter who vanished all those years ago).
They're kissing as if their lives depend upon it, drinking each other in like men dying of thirst gasping for water.
Presently Rumpelstiltskin (although Snow's having trouble calling him that since he still looks remarkably ordinary) notices that they're there. The knowledge of an audience doesn't deter him, however. If anything, it encourages him.
Finally, Granny, deciding that enough is enough, clears her throat.
"If you've quite finished," she says testily.
Rumpelstiltskin eventually breaks away.
"I haven't," he says simply, and recaptures Belle's mouth.
"Rumpelstiltskin!" James says, as imperiously as he can.
"You've got a hell of a lot to answer for!" Grumpy finishes.
They are ignored for their trouble. Snow, James, Emma, Red, Granny and Grumpy all look at each other, mentally shrugging.
Rumpelstiltskin is otherwise engaged, and it looks like all they can do is wait for him to finish.