II

***The Invitation***

The Dark One apparated directly into Queen Regina's informal sitting room – where he'd sensed her presence – and peered over her shoulder. "I thought we'd already had a little talk about interrupting me, dearie. Is it time again to have another?" he asked in a deceptively calm tone. He was smugly satisfied by her shriek of fright and the dozens of fine pieces of parchment which flew from her hand and into the air. They flitted down to land over the divan, refreshment table and floor at her feet in a colorful disarray. The blonde woman, sitting beside her, merely arched a bored brow in his direction.

"Rumpel!" Regina turned her wide eyes on the imp. "I do have servants who are paid to announce visitors. You don't have to sneak up on me." Her hand fluttered over her low décolletage as her heart rate returned to normal.

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked innocently. He ignored her snort and paced around the back of the sofa, passing briefly by the petite blonde, his nose burning when he caught her scent. He scowled at his former pupil. "Consorting with fairies now, your majesty? How progressive of you."

Regina reached out and rested a restraining hand on the fairy's sleeve. "Tink, do you think I might have a moment alone with Rumpelstiltskin? Then we can get back to our preparations,"

Tinkerbell eyed the Dark One warily. "Are you sure, Regina?"

The queen smiled and reassured her friend, holding her silence until she'd departed. Smiling? Smirking he could understand, but smiling? The queen did not smile, especially at fairies. He regarded her, a frown of utmost concentration upon his brow. Had she been spelled? Cursed? He was even more disturbed as she turned that truly genuine smile on him.

"Thank you so much for coming, Rumpel. I assure you it's important or I wouldn't have disturbed you." She patted the cushion beside her, beckoning him to sit beside her. The fingers of his right hand twitched nervously, but he cautiously approached her and sat. Oh, this is going to be weird; I just know it.

He took in the white dressing gown she wore … a very frilly white dressing gown. He flourished his hand in her direction. "Not really your color, Regina."

She blushed, and his lips parted in astonishment. He hadn't realized she even knew how. Something very odd was afoot, and his eyes darted around the room. Tendrils of magic curled into the corners and between mortar and stone, searching for whatever hidden trap she was prepared to spring. Instead, she stared at him guilelessly and continued to smile as she retrieved her fallen papers and stacked them on the table.

"There have been several changes in my life of late."

Rumpelstiltskin leaned closer to her resting a hand on either side of her face – palms open and facing himself – without touching her. He inhaled sharply. "White magic," he growled in a clipped tone. "And dare I say it … love? Oh, dearie, what have you been up to?" He bounded to his feet, his lazy, measured stride taking him to the hearth where he lifted one of her baubles, his long fingers toying with it to still their nervous trembling.

What the hell had she been up to? He'd groomed her to be the perfect monster to cast his curse, and now it seemed as if she'd been transformed overnight. Transformed back into the sweet, biddable girl she'd been when he'd first met her. She'd been so heartbroken from the loss of her true love, desperate to be free of her mother's iron thumb, and thirsty for freedom. Now, however, there was a softness about her, the black heart of the queen replaced with the blinding white light of new love. Ack!

"I met someone," she practically gushed.

He barely refrained from banging his head on the fireplace mantle. "Did you now?"

"Yes, and he's wonderful and kind and –"

"Eh te te tet! There's no need to go into detail, dearie," he cut her off. "I take it your new best friend … the fairy? She introduced you to your new love? Bloody meddling mosquito," he grumbled. "And what of your revenge on your beloved stepdaughter? It's not as though you can complete your revenge without dark magic."

"I realized I was being foolish for blaming Snow. It wasn't her fault; she's only a child. The blame really belongs with my mother," the queen said quietly, pain still heavy on her heart.

The sorcerer gaped at her and then pinched the skin on the sensitive inside of his wrist. Surely, he was embroiled in his worst nightmare. "Where is Regina, and what have you done with her? I don't believe this!" And what did this mean for the Dark Curse, for Baelfire? A wave of nausea hit him as the darkness which resided in him clawed its way up his spine.

She winced as she took note of his darkening features. It wasn't often he lost control of his temper, and even now he was fighting the beast. "I'm still me," she said softly.

"Are you really so sure you want to break your deal with me, dearie?" he spat through clenched teeth. "No one breaks a deal with me –"

"I'm not breaking the deal, per se … just altering it a bit," she hedged, another smile playing upon her lips. "I can't cast your curse, Rumpel. It's no longer an option if I'm going to fight for my happiness, but there is another way … a way to this land without magic you so desperately seek."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "How do you know –"

It was her turn to cut him off. "Tinkerbell. She told me a great deal of Blue's secrets. One was the story of your son and why you wanted to … nevermind. Tink's been banished for helping me find my true love, and she wants to help you, too."

"I beg your pardon."

"You heard me, Rumpel. She doesn't believe as the other fairies do. She thinks everyone deserves a second chance."

Despite the surreal nature of the entire encounter, he couldn't help but find himself intrigued. "Yet, you're the one presenting this alteration to me. What's the catch?" he asked, sitting beside her on the divan once again.

Regina sorted through her papers for a moment until she found what she was looking for, and handed him the lurid pink invitation. He gaped at her dubiously. "Don't look at me like that, Rumpel."

"Well I wouldn't if I wasn't certain you'd lost your mind," he snarked as he stared down at the invitation to Regina's Valentine's ball. "The entire kingdom is going to think you've gone stark raving mad. Are you going to streak through the ballroom at midnight without a stitch on, by chance?"

"Would you be serious!?"

"I'm not the one handing out ugly, fluffy, pink invitations to a – god's bedamned – Valentine's ball," he argued. He was still doubting her mental faculties. "Methinks the fairy might have sprinkled you with too much dust."

Regina huffed in exasperation. "Think whatever you want, Dark One, but this is a condition of giving you the spell to reunite you with your son."

He sobered instantly at the mention of his beloved child. "I actually have to attend?"

"Of course … and you have to bring a date."

"The Dark One does not date, dearie!" he roared in outrage. It was all a façade for her benefit. He could think of one particular lady he wouldn't mind having on his arm for the evening. Yeah, as if that would ever happen, he inwardly groaned. He shot to his feet again to pace the length of fine Agrabahan carpet before her hearth, not wanting her to see his unruly thoughts written over his weathered features.

"It will be fun. No date, no deal."

"Regina! You tempt my wrath."

She crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest, insistent in her demands. She was determined to have one last bit of fun before he was sure to leave the realm forever. "Is there really no one who could accompany you? This is a spell from Blue's own vault, Rumpel. This is for your son." A calculating smile curled her soft pink lips. "What about your little maid?"

His head snapped up in alarm, his spell-clever fingers twitching with barely restrained magic. "What do you know of her?"

"I remember how desperate you were to get her back when Mal and her girls stole her away from you. Our dear Maleficent was quite amused to see you so upset over the girl." She lifted one manicured hand to forestall his brewing tantrum. "Does she care for you, too? Enough to accompany you? Enough to want to see you reunite with your son?"

"Fucking hell!" he growled under his breath. Did his Belle care … at all? It was something he desperately wanted to learn for himself. He glared at Regina and the open empathy radiating from her ocher eyes. If she were toying with him, he'd have no qualms about ending her. "Fine. I will think about this proposal of yours, but I'm not making any promises."

Regina shook her head as she watched the vivid purple mist envelop him and carry him away. It was damned hard trying to be good, but she'd been given a second chance … a chance she refused to squander. It was only right her mentor was given one, too.

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading my fic :D I'm so thrilled with the response to the first chapter. I hope you liked this one just as much. Next chapter … Rum asks Belle to go with him to the ball. Stay tuned, my darlings.