Rumpelstiltskin knew that he was taking a very large chance when he told Belle everything that he and Dagian had done to each other and how their baby came about.

He knew that she was going to leave him when he saw her face crumble and his heart started racing in fear. He was going to lose her, his decisions were coming at him in a big way and he was going to lose her again to pay for it.

Belle's eyes filled with tears, "And you did that…to her."

"I know what I did was wrong, and it was reprehensible and I….I regret it every day. We were trying to make it work and when our relationship was obviously at an end, she and I parted on good terms but…when I released magic she's blaming me for the birth of the baby."

"Is it…," Belle looked down, "Is it because of what you did?"

"It seems that's the case, yes," he told her honestly, "If you want to leave then that's…fine. I'll understand."

"I want to meet her," Belle said quickly.

Gold tried not to shudder at the idea of his ex-wife and his true love being in the same room together. He wasn't worried so much about her Dagian personality, in fact he was worried that she would push him towards Belle and walk off laughing. However the 'Dawn' side of her was in love with him and would get jealous if he exhibited any interest in a woman that she felt was prettier than her. How she might respond to Belle was a different matter 'I don't…I don't think that's a good idea."

"If you're…trying to change then I want to hear it from her," Belle said slowly, "And she and your daughter are going to be a part of your life no matter how much you try to push each other away so…I want to meet her. Just to make sure that she's alright. I don't want there to be any mistaken animosity between us."

Rumpelstiltskin rubbed the back of his neck, he still wanted to refuse. Pushing her on his ex-wife wasn't something that he was particularly looking forward to. Especially with a hair trigger temper like she had. But he knew that if he didn't then it might look like he was hiding something

"I'll talk to her," he promised, "But if she doesn't want to see you then there's nothing I can do. And if she doesn't then you have to let this go

"I will," Belle promised.

As much as Rumpelstiltskin trusted her word, he really doubted she'd have an easy time keeping that one.

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When Jefferson dodged that idiot David Nolan he ran to the hospital. He didn't know why…considering what he'd done to the ex-wife of the imp, it should be the last place he would run to.

But he knew that he needed to make this right. He'd messed up. He'd gotten reckless and now a baby was paying that price.

He hadn't…he hadn't meant for it to go like that. He wasn't going to hurt her; he didn't want to scare her it had just happened. The plan had been to try and make her jealous with Belle to make her angry. HE knew enough from watching Rumpelstiltskin and his wife that they did care about each other and were sometimes extremely jealous. The plan had been to make her jealous and irritated at the idea of another woman being there so quickly. And if that didn't work then he was going to appeal to her sense as a mother to be. He was separated from his daughter; he just wanted to be reunited with her. Surely she would understand that. She was going to be a mother as well…

But when he saw her doubled over in the alley, he panicked. HE let his madness get ahold of him and now everything was wrong.

He stopped in the gift shop and bought a small bear for the baby. He knew it would probably end up shoved down his throat but he would risk it, he had to do something. And the guilt would eat at him until he made sure that she was alright.

He knew every room in this place. Every inch of this land. He'd followed the edges, trying to find a way out. But every time it was the same…it wasn't so much that he couldn't leave but he could feel a tingling at the back of his neck that turned into a buzzing in his ears and he dare not risk crossing the town border.

He found the small nursery easily thanks to his knowledge. He wasn't going to bother them. He was just going to leave the bear and leave her alone.

He opened the hospital room door and stopped in fear when he saw Rumpelstiltskin standing there. He regarded him for an instant and put a finger over his lips. Dagian slept on the couch. He noticed that a blanket was draped on her.

"She sleeps so lightly," Rumpelstiltskin muttered and watched his daughter again.

And Jefferson knew that whatever Dagian had told him…if she told him anything, was a lie. If she'd let him know what Jefferson really did then Rumpelstiltskin would've made sure to end his life too. Jefferson was quite aware that Rumpelstiltskin was awake for years and so the way he acted towards his ex-wife wasn't the product of false memories, he was actually protective of her all those years.

It might've been sweet if she wasn't under false memories at the time that kept her cooperating.

But who was he to look down on someone forcing someone else to cooperate?

"I was just bringing something for the baby," He held up the small bear.

Rumpelstiltskin watched him carefully, "What were you doing with my wife?"

"Ex-wife," Jefferson corrected and then shook his head quick.

"Of course," Rumpelstiltskin narrowed his eyes, he didn't have the snake pupils anymore but Jefferson still wondered if maybe he could see right into him and know the secret that he and Dagian shared, "But you're avoiding the question."

"I found her wondering and took her back home."

"So far?"

Jefferson held his gaze, "She was closer to my house than the hospital and it looked like I made the right call considering the visitor we received."

"But all that time and you couldn't call an ambulance?"

He shrugged, "We thought they were false labor pains, we didn't want to bring an ambulance out there and have questions asked."

"Hm," they held each other's gaze, waiting for the other to break before Gold looked away, "I suppose I should thank you for delivering my daughter then. And for finally making the right call to get them to a hospital."

Jefferson ignored the barb, "I'm just glad they're alright."

"I suppose that makes me in your debt now."

"I just want to be left alone," Jefferson said quickly, "Give me that."

Rumpelstiltskin smirked, "It seems that solitude is the thing that everyone wants today. Very well Jefferson, I'll leave you alone."

Jefferson kept his eyes on the sleeping baby as Rumpelstiltskin walked around him and towards the door, "Unless, of course, I have a reason not to."

Jefferson walked up to the baby and took her in. She was small and helpless but she seemed less so now that she was now longer screaming in his arms. He didn't understand it but somehow hooked up to all these machines she looked stronger.

He looked at her sleeping mother on the couch. He was surprised that she didn't wake up for any of this but he imagined the exhaustion she was feeling now that everything was over had settled in.

Guilt gnawed at him and he knew that if she woke up with him standing over her then the hospital would probably be filled with her terrified screams. Or his if she chose to fight instead of run.

He put the small bear next to her and left.

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Once Upon A Time

When her husband returned home to her after the Ogre war, he was in such shock from what he'd seen that he had a hard time really talking about it. Even simple things like walking were out of the question now that his hip was mangled. When Dagian lay next to him that first night and he hissed when she accidently bumped the bed, she knew that he was going to have to start relying on her a lot more.

The morning after he returned home, Dagian pulled together as much as she had of their meager supplies to give him breakfast. He didn't eat much of it, but she didn't expect him to but the way he touched her face when she knelt down to get the food made her realize that he appreciated her attempts nonetheless."

He slept most of that morning, so Dagian and three of the other women got a bath ready. He was in a heavy shock so he didn't notice how much he reeked yet but it was starting to settle into the house. Dagian feared that she'd throw up and the last thing she wanted was him waking up with a constant reminder… or any more than he already had.

IT was backbreaking work, which was why Dagian needed help. Her child was due in a couple of months and it made the prospect of bending well impossible.

Finally by noon the tub was full. Her husband was awake by then. HE weakly offered to help but Dagian had refused. She didn't know the extent of his injuries yet. When he got home he just begged her just to sleep next to him so she hadn't gotten a chance to look. A bath would be the perfect time to get him cleaned up and take a full assessment of his injures. The faster she got those healed, the sooner she could focus on helping him through the mental and emotional ones.

She sent the other ladies away, thanked them and helped her husband into the bath. He did his best not to lean on her. IT made them move even more clumsily but with the combined teamwork they managed to get him undressed and into the tub. He hissed in agony, but didn't try to struggle away when the hot water hit his broken body.

When he was settled Dagian slipped out her clothes and joined him. Her back was already aching and kneeling next to the tub for gods knew how long certainly wasn't going to help it.

Gods knew that she hadn't had a nice hot bath herself in more than two weeks.

Her child kicked as soon as the water rushed over her belly, "That was his foot,"

He stared at the small movement of her stomach in fascination, "He's moving around?"

"I honestly don't know where your son got his energy," she said and placed his hand on the area of her stomach that their son was most active. The dirt and blood was starting to cloud the water but while he was distracted, Dagian took a good look at his mangled hip and felt what she had of breakfast rising up. Part of it looked sunken in, his leg was twisted at a bit of an angle and he had a long jagged cut down his thigh.

How did he walk so far on this?

Rumpelstiltskin looked ashamed and averted his gaze, "Please don't."

Dagian rested her hand on the side of his face and covered his face in kisses

"You have a cripple for a husband," He whispered, she could hear how broken he was in his voice.

"I don't care about that," she whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You're alive, that's all I care about-."

"A man that can't provide for his wife-."

"I said I don't care about that," She buried her face in his shoulder, which still smelled like sweat and blood, "You're back, you're alive and you're safe and we're going to be a family again."

She heard the sob catch in his throat, and wordlessly he wrapped his arms around her as well.

They held each other like that for several minutes before Dagian pulled away and wiped a tear from her face, "Let's get you cleaned up, alright?"

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Present Day

Rumpelstiltskin looked up at the ringing of the bell of his shop. He was getting ready to scream because of the line that was practically outside his door now of people wanting him to do things for them instead of taking the easy way.

However, when he saw Dagian he stopped, "How did you get out of the hospital."

"Yes they…needed the room and I wanted out of there so I threatened to make a makeshift rope with sheets and climb out the window…it wasn't effective though because I sort of remembered that I was on the first floor. I'm joking of course but Whale let me go."

He felt the guilt as soon as he asked the next question, "And the baby?"

"Lily's stable…they're going to watch her to make sure she gets stronger and if she does well then she'll come home quickly but if not then…it looks like she'll come home close to when she was supposed to be born."

He lowered his head in shame.

"I'm sorry," Dagian said before he could blurt out an apology, "The baby being born early was never your fault. I shouldn't have taken it out on you like that."

"You were stressed and angry and probably right. Your water broke when the magic happened-"

"I was looking for an easy target and you were there," she admitted, "It wasn't right."

"You were right if it was my fault."

Dagian hesitated and sighed, "I don't want to point fingers and fight Rumpelstiltskin I just want to know what your plan is now."

"What plan?" he asked wryly.

"Well, we can't leave to find Bae until the baby's strong enough to be released and travel and I'm hoping that you don't leave me behind to deal with Regina while our child gains strength and I know you're not going to leave without her either. So I'm hoping you have some sort of plan or this is going to be one awkward road trip."

He stared at her in disbelief, "You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

He shook his head, "OF course you haven't, that would be too easy

"Rumpelstiltskin," Dagian said in a panic, "What?"

"We can't leave town," he told her and she saw the agony in his eyes that must copy her own. He was shaking as if he were on the verge a breakdown, "If we do then we lose our memories of our true identities."

Dagian took a few moments to let that skink in. To her surprise she didn't get angry. She wondered if that was because she was exhausted or looking at his face and looking at the broken glass cabinets and glass on the floor indicated that he'd gotten angry enough for the both of them. Instead a tear slipped down her face as she realized that she was likely never going to see her son again, "You said this would work."

He turned and rested his hands on the broken glass case. His shoulders were hunched and tense and if she knew from past experience before he turned into the dark one that this was what he did before he had a breakdown. He wouldn't look at her; he'd close himself completely up and retreat into himself much like he did when he was dealing with the trauma of what he'd seen in the war.

Dagian crept up behind him and rested her hand on his shoulder, "Rumpelstiltskin."

He cringed at her touch but she continued to keep her hand on his shoulder and put her other hand on the side of his face, "Rumpelstiltskin-."

He grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could. Dagian nearly suffocated at his smothering but held him as he broke down for a few minutes in her arm as their plan and hope to leave town backfired.

Dagian pressed her face in his hair and started crying as everything from the past couple of days crashed down on her.

Her daughter was too early and she was never going to see her son again.