Chapter 9

Rumple gets the 2nd letter- many years too late and Elsa'a hideout is spotted.

It was late the evening that Morgana made her way over to Rumple's. she paused outside the door and took a deep breath before knocking. She waited a few moments before Belle opened the door.

"Hello, Morgana. Come on in." She smiled. "Rumple's in his study. I'll make some tea." Belle said and left Morgana to find her way to Rumple's study alone.

She knocked and went in at Rumple's invitation.

"Hay, Rumple." Morgana smiled and Rumple looked up at her.

"Hello, little sister." He smiled and got out of his seat to pull out a chair for her in front of his desk. She took it and waited for him to return to his seat.

"This is for you. A long time coming... But." She said and handed him the letter Arthur had kept.

Rumple read it and as he did so, Morgana remembered her words to him.

"Dearest, brother.

As you know I am to marry, Merlin, Arthur's resident sorcerer. I would be so pleased I'd you would accept, not just my invitation, but also my request that you give me away. Without you, I have no other family- except for Baelfire and Milah, but as I am to understand Milah has been lost to Hook and Baelfire is not pleased with you.

Concerning Milah, I will not exaggerate or try to upset you in anyway, but I should hope you remember something I said to you when you first fell in love with her. She was not the one, not for you, Rumple. She used you for her own gain and then proceeded to abandon you and Bae. That is not the sign of a woman who loves you... Completely.

Enough of sadness. Please, I do not care if you have become what people say... The Dark One. You are my only family and I want you at my wedding. I do not care for idle talk and superstitions of common folk. I love you, even if others do not.

Your, honest and loving sister,

Morgana."

Rumple looked up at her and sighed, a tear in his eye. "Better late than never, hay, Morga."

"Yes. I suppose so."

"Who had it? Thank you, Belle." Rumple asked as Belle emerged with tea for the three of them.

"Arthur." Morgana said and then when Rumple gave her a look with a quirk eyebrow she explained the whole story to him. When she had finished rumple looked practically murderous.

"I could... Oh, I could kill him."

"Don't, Rumple. It would do none of us any favours." Belle pleaded and Morgana nodded.

"For once, listen to Belle, brother." Morgana smiled.

"I always listen to her, dearie." Rumple smiled. "But I don't like him, never have."

"I know." Morgana smiled and rested her hand over Rumple's across the desk. "You always were the better brother to me. No matter what people say."

Rumple and Morgana exchanged a look which held the truths of so many years, years Belle was not privy too and nor did she want to be. That was their life, their story.

Meanwhile, down by the docks Hook and Charming were walking a patrol when they saw, Elsa slip between houses and enter a tackle shop... Charming and Hook exchanged a look and both nodded before racing back to Snow's and Emma to tell them what they had discovered.