Title: Be faithful and true
Many thanks give I unto my readers and reviewers for their patience for me and their interest in this story. I hope this chapter lives up to the wait.

For the next few days, she forced herself to forget about her meeting with Baelfire. Her skin itched and twitched, wanting to talk to the man and listen to his side of the story even as she told him about his papa's. Bernard knew something was up and had stayed away from her, often sending Penny in to deal with her. She rather liked the girl with her quiet manners and studious eyes. But there was something more to her, something underneath her skin that said she was not what she seemed.

Any other time, Belle would have been all over that mystery.

Any other time…a knock interrupted her thoughts. Even as she schooled her features into politeness, she wished desperately to escape through the open window. For the first time, she cursed her upbringing and the courage that had allowed her to face the trials that had been placed before her. Because running away from all of this was definitely looking appealing to her.

But that wasn't who she was. If it had been, Rumpelstiltskin would never have looked twice at her.

"Come in," she called out, fearing another visit from Dr. Locksley. While true that he hadn't bothered her except for that first meeting, she had no delusions that he was finished with her. He was merely bidding his time, choosing which battle was the wisest one to engage her in.

"Is this a bad time?"

Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Baelfire and Emma. "I was not actually expecting you."

"Yeah, well, something has come up and I think you may be the only person who can help."

"Don't think this means that I believe that you both are from some fairy world though," Emma said, shutting the door behind them.

Belle considered that for a time. A smile slowly crossed her face at this sign of his outward acceptance of what was truth. It was to be hoped that such outer acceptance would also become an inner truth, "Glad you told her. And I would hardly expect anyone to believe such an extraordinary tale without extraordinary and repeatable proof to back up the claim." Rising to her feet, she went into another room and got another fold out chair. "How can I help you?"

Instead of answering her, Baelfire handed her a paper. Reading the words and the charges, she frowned. "You obviously had a plan to deal with this. Why the change?"

Emma studied her intently before coming to some conclusion. Whatever else this woman was, she was not afraid to face things head on. "I don't want my child to grow up without a father."

"Commendable," she agreed hiding her shock. Rumple was going to be a grandfather…she wondered how that would figure into whatever plan he had for reconciliation. She wondered if he had even considered the possibility that his son would be grown and would have a family of his own. She certainly hadn't. "I'm sensing a but in those words."

"A prison sentence for this wouldn't be long but it would be enough to change me," he was quiet. "Originally, I wanted to go to Canada but I can't leave Emma to face this alone, not when the both of us know what its like to grow up without parents."

"Did you have another plan?"

"I was going to pretend to find the watches and turn them in. Or pawn them," Emma admitted. "But even that could go wrong. Think about it for a moment. What if I was challenged? Why would I even have the key for the locker they were in? It's not like searches of bus lockers are a normal thing unless there is an actual crime involved. And trying to make one up to instigate such a search would only bring up the chance of further charges being brought against us."

"Something else happened though because the both of you could go to Canada after making an anonymous call about suspicious activity," Belle pressed. "What?"

The two exchanged looks, a volume of communication passing between them.

Belle felt a pang of envy and jealousy. In the last few days she and Rumpelstiltskin had shared, they had developed the same communicative abilities. Her fingers twitched under the desk, trying desperately not to show just how she was feeling. Something caught her eye out the window and she rose, trying to get a better look. Narrowing her eyes, she saw a familiar figure on a motorcycle. "Would this desire to ask for my help have anything to do with a man in a leather jacket on a motor bike?"

"Yes," the answer was slow in coming.

Perhaps it had something to do with the venom in her voice. "Did he tell you who he was?" she idly asked, tilting her head as she watched the man.

"No," again the answer was slow. "Should he have?"

"I should think so. If he has decided to screw around with your lives then he should have the decency to tell you who he is – and admit to being the reason for a lot of what has happened to you, Ms…" she let it trail off, making them aware that they hadn't officially introduced themselves, though Neal knew that she would not call him by his chosen name but the one his papa had given him. He couldn't help but wonder again about that connection.

"Emma Swan," her words were brisk.

"Belle French – or so they want me to believe," she returned the greeting. "What, exactly, did he tell you?"

"He made me aware of the fact that he knew who I was," he said.

"Did he now," she drolly said. "Why would he do that?"

"Doing so was an almost surefire way of getting me to run away instead of staying with Emma," he bluntly said. "He said that I was getting in the way of her great destiny, that it was in her best interests if I left her."

"Oh how commendable of him," she sneered. "Break her heart and she'll do great things. Be with her and make her happy, what? She'll only be mediocre? Hope he never tells Snow that. Then again," a viciousness entered her voice, "May be he should. I'd love to see her react to that belief that only misery will bring out the best in one."

"Uh, yeah," Neal sounded totally lost. "Do you know him?"

She let out a harsh bark of laughter, finally returning to her seat. "I know who he is if that is what you are asking."

They exchanged looks before Emma's head shook, letting him know that she didn't think it was worth pursuit at the moment. "You might think bad of me but I was going to run when I saw that he knew me. It's just that I've lost too many chances with a family when I've let my courage and hopes get up. When I first arrived, I thought I found a home but they were in danger. I tried to help them but ended up in a dangerous situation that I barely managed to escape from. I am ashamed to say that my fear of my father was almost greater than my love for Emma."

She could tell there was something more to it but didn't push it. At the moment, it didn't have any bearing on their next steps. "What stopped you?" Playing with the pen on her desk, she wondered how she could help them out. It wasn't as if she really had any impressive contacts in this world. And she hardly thought Rodney would like it if she called him to fix this.

"I did," Emma replied, sending him a glare. "After he'd come back after talking with that guy, he was acting all weird and furtive. But I haven't been living in a bug with this guy without learning who he really is. There was no way I was going to accept any pithy words from him about being afraid that our plan would go wrong. Something else was going on and he was an idiot if he thought I was going to be placated. He promised me Tallahassee and a new start – I wasn't going to let him dodge that without an explanation. And it better be a good one, not half cocked."

"Smart woman," Belle said, titling her head to the side. "What do you want me to do?"

"Is there any way you can help us?"

"Are you willing to accept the fact that if I help you, your father may find you?"

Neal was quiet, realizing that now was the chance to ask for answers. To learn more about this woman and to find out about his papa. "Yeah, what's up with you and him?"

Putting down the pen, she pulled out her necklace. "This was given to me by your father for my safety and protection. Whether you wish to believe it or not, he is not an evil man. Just because his actions are evil does not mean that he is. As for what is between us, he's my true love. And I am his. Even Reul Ghorm had to admit to that and I'm sure you can imagine how much that had to hurt considering her stance that the Dark One is incapable of love. Everything has a price, Baelfire, and the price for my help is steep, may even be more than you are prepared to face. Are you willing to pay it?"

"We don't have money," Emma protested though she had a feeling the cost was emotional and not monetary.

Neal stiffened, staring at her. Blatant honesty stared back at him. No madness or fear in her eyes, the woman believed what she said. You are his goodness, the Blue Fairy had once said of him. Perhaps that had been true – but it had only related to the human side of him. It seemed that this woman, this Belle, had found it in her to love the entirety of the being that was the Dark One. "How has he been?"

"Some would say that I have made him soft," she replied. "Others that I have returned him to who the Dark One originally was, someone who was brought into being to do that which had to be done regardless of the cost. It is up to you to decide how he is."

"What is the price?" he softly asked.

"You give him a chance. I don't care if you start with letter writing, phone calls, or even e-mail but you give him a chance."

"Not demanding an instant reconciliation?"

Belle pinned him in place and he squirmed under the look. "I want a real reconciliation, not a con. You want my help, you're going to get it. But you are going to try to heal things with your papa. I promised him forever and I kept that promise as far as I was humanly able to. I stood against the scorn of others, the scourging of the priests my father set upon me trying to cleanse me of impurities, and walked through our world in seven pairs of iron shoes until I found him again. I will not rest until he has that which will give him a happy ending. It is up to you to decide how you want this to work and I will keep him at bay. Are we clear?"

Emma leaned over and squeezed his hand, "I'll stand by your choice, Baelfire."

A ragged sound escaped him, unable to believe that Emma - his stubborn Emma - had called him by that name. Unable to believe how real hearing it from her made things. "You can keep him in line? Stop him from being extreme?"

"He was locked in a cage that deprived him of magic, Bae. I can only say that I will try."

"Then I can only try to do my best," he finally agreed.

"It's all I ask," she sighed. Standing up, she extended her hand, "The deal is struck."

August watched the trio make their way across the packing lot to a plain, white car. It was obvious that they were having some kind of discussion before Emma finally nodded, leading the way to the yellow bug. His eyes narrowed as he watched Belle watch them drive away, a thoughtful frown on her face. As if she could feel his eyes, she looked up and over at him. Putting her keys into her pocket, she made her way towards him.

He couldn't help but stiffen at her approach.

For the moment, her reaction to this situation was more important than the damage that Baelfire was doing to Emma's fate. Standing in front of him, she tilted her head. "You know I find myself wondering how much this sudden charge again Baelfire is your doing. The crime happened a few years back, so why is he now being pursued for it?"

"I have no idea."

One of her eyebrows went up, "Really?" and a little laugh escaped her. One that sounded far to much like the Dark One's for his comfort. "Now, why do I find myself not believing what you're saying. Could it possibly be because you have expressed the idea that only in misery can great things be achieved?"

"I never said that," he denied.

"No, you just used a variation of the words – making him believe that only by leaving her could she accomplish her destiny. Tell me, Booth, just what could possibly happen that is so bad if she has Baelfire's support and aid? What could having someone who loves you and wants to help you bring about something that is worse than struggling through this life alone? Abandoned and forgotten? Struggling to find your way through a miasma of feelings, trying to reach some truth amidst the lies around you?"

August was silent before releasing a deep sigh. "I don't know – but I know that her destiny can't be changed."

"Of course not," Belle agreed. "I have not become so adapted to this world that I have forgotten the truths of our home. Yet I do not think this is a path she needs to or even should walk alone. There are dangers that have come into this world because of the curse. To one who knows not the touch of magic, there might be the chance to escape the lures they cast. But you know as I do the appeal of the easy, the quick to resolve. Would you deny her the right to have the help of one who knows those traps? Should she go to Regina's new realm, should she not have at her back those she can trust?"

"You think she'll trust you?"

"I'm willing to give her the chance to get to know me." Stepping closer, she leaned forward and rested her hand on his shoulder. "And I'm giving you the chance to do the brave thing as I once did. You were sent here for a reason, Pinocchio. It is one you have not fulfilled. Why not do the brave thing now? Help us and keep the wood at bay."

He scoffed, "You can't guarantee that."

"You're right, I can't. But when you were a wooden boy, did you have the difficulties you are experiencing right now when you followed the path of obedience to your father?" she archly asked. "Or did you suffer?" From his flinch, she had her answer.

Walking away, she paused and turned around, "You know where to find me."

Emma wrapped her arms around Neal, feeling him shiver against her. It wasn't cold that affected him, this she knew. Truth be told, meeting Belle had been an experience had shaken her too. With Neal, she could convince herself that his words read true to her because of his past. That because of his sorrow, he'd found it easier to believe that it was magic that had separated him from his papa.

But Belle…that was another matter entirely.

Her eyes had been clear and focused, unflinching. What she had revealed to them was the truth. This place – this Realm – and everything that lived in it was as real to her as it was to Neal. A world of magic and wonder that breathed, was not just morality tales to pass the time away. They were not stories created to explain how the world worked. It was as real to them as Earth was to Emma. The worst part of it was that Emma could pick up no deceit in her.

Resting her head on Neal's back, she wondered how it could be true.

And if it was truth, how was she supposed to react to the news that she was the child of Snow White and Prince Charming?

The child of prophecy? Her arms tightened around Neal at that thought. His hand came up to cover her hand, squeezing it. "What are we going to do?" she hoarsely asked. "I don't want to force you into anything."

"You believe?" he asked quietly.

A huff of air escaped her and she squeezed back. "I don't know what to believe, Neal. But I know this – that woman is no less sane than you. So, if you're willing to step off that ledge into the unknown with me, I'll take that step with you."

"You are a strong woman, Emma Swan." He was silent, thinking it over. "But my father…"

"Was a kick ass dad until he allowed magic to corrupt him."

"What?"

Freeing one hand, she turned his face around until he was looking straight at her. "From what you've said, you lived in a village that branded him a coward. His wife left him high and dry to raise you alone. And he did a good job for, even with your shady past, you are an honorable and decent man. For love of you, he stayed in the village that hated and despised him. He refused to fight a battle he could not win so that you would not be an orphan. Even knowing how strong this duke guy was, he broke in and stole the dagger to try to stop a war from taking your life and the lives of the children in the village.

"I say again, your dad was kick ass."

"I…I never thought of it like that."

"Of course you didn't," she replied. "Your hurt and pain is still too deep to look at it through any other mirror. I may not know much but I know what I see. And that is that you are a good man – and much of that came from the man who raised you in love."

"You are a stronger person than I am, Emma Swan. If you stay with me, I can face him."