Belle stood nervously in the shop, she had been glad when Snow had eventual left her alone in the library. She took a deep breathing trying to calm herself.
"Rumpelstiltskin, Rumpelstiltskin, Rumpelstiltskin." She said as calmly and emotionlessly as she could.
"Hello," he said quietly, having appeared behind her.
She jumped slightly and turned to look at him, her face creased in annoyance.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He smiled, reaching out to her.
She shrunk away. "Why?" she asked, her face filled with sadness.
He turned away from her, "Belle, I can't stand not being with you. I made a mistake."
"Save it Rumple." She said angrily, "You lost me, because of the choices you made. I'm asking you, to please stop this, if you ever loved me…"
"It's because I love you, I have to do this. So we can be happy." He pleaded slightly.
"How could you curse Regina with that spell, you said it could never be used." Belle quickly changed subject, she couldn't stand talking about the love they had shared. Her body longed to touch him, she missed his presence, but she couldn't stay with him. She couldn't trust him.
"Mara regaining her powers doesn't matter, I promise you that." He sighed, "As for Regina, she held you prisoner, she deserves no sympathy."
"Wait what do you mean Mara will regain her powers?" Belle gasped.
"I have to go." He said, smoke surrounding him.
"Rumple, no." she called after him. It was no use though, he was already gone.
Belle sunk to the floor, conversations with him, always drained her. She wanted to sob, cleanse herself in a way. She calmed herself quickly, and jumped to her feet. She knew she needed to warn the others, before Mara escaped.
Emma appeared in a field, and was almost immediately run over by a young Regina on a horse, as she jumped over hurdles. Emma couldn't help but smile at how happy and free the teenager seemed. She jumped over several barricades, before coming to a stop near her father. Regina jumped off her horse and hugged him, flashing Emma a smile.
"That's beautiful, sweetheart." He beamed,
"Thank you, daddy." She smiled back, glancing at Emma, who clapped, smiling back at her.
Emma saw Cora approaching, with a man she recognised as Daniel, holding a saddle, trailing behind her.
"Beautiful?" Cora scoffed "I'd hardly call that beautiful."
Emma came closer to Regina, and wrapped her hand around Regina's giving it a squeeze.
"You didn't like it, mother?" Regina said, a hint of anger in her voice.
"You ride like a man. A lady should be graceful. You should use a saddle." Cora sighed.
Regina stared at her mother, trying but failing to not roll her eyes. Emma glanced towards Cora worrying that she may have seen what Regina had done.
"I was just having fun." Regina replied, the anger in her voice becoming increasingly apparent. Emma squeezed her hand, once sharply, trying to ward her off antagonising her mother. A look of fury flitted across Cora's face, but she quickly schooled her face into its typical serene mask.
"Well, you're getting a little old for fun. Who's going to want to marry you when you behave like a commoner?" Cora quipped as Reginas father opened his mouth to speak.
"Honey, please leave her alone." He pleaded, he couldn't stand watching the two of them argue. Emma stared at the kind looking older man. She remembered seeing how he had crumbled after that whip struck Regina's face. Yet she still couldn't believe that he had left Regina under her mother's charge.
"Stop coddling her. She's becoming an old maid. All the other girls her age are married. I had such high hopes." Cora demanded, her eyes piercing.
"Milady, perhaps this saddle-" Daniel began, approaching Regina.
"I'm done riding for the day. And don't ever interrupt me and my mother again." Regina coldly replied, turning away from him, as she hands over the reins to the horse, which he leads away. Emma sees the hurt in his eyes as he goes away.
"Regina, that's Daniel, why did you speak to him like that?" Emma implores, anger rising within her. She can't believe Regina is being so cruel to the man she loves.
"Why do you always have to criticize me?" Regina sighed, she was getting angry too, but was trying to hide it as much as possible. She cast Emma a look filled with venom, she knew Emma couldn't understand.
"I'm not criticizing you – I'm helping you." Cora smiled sickenly sweetly.
Regina sighed and began to walk away.
"Regina, I'm sorry…." Emma began, but Cora interrupted her.
"Don't you walk away from me." She said angrily.
In a moment Regina was in the air, and floating back towards Cora.
"Mother! You know I don't like it when you use magic." She replied angrily.
"Fight her," Emma said, "You have magic, you can…." She trailed off.
"And I don't like insolence. I'll stop using magic, when you start being an obedient daughter." Cora quipped.
"Why can't I just be myself?" Regina said, her voice small.
"Regina, remember I told you, none of this is real, you can come with me," Emma began saying, as Cora spoke over the top of her.
"Oh, because you can be so much more. If you'd just let me help you…"
"I don't care!" Regina shouted, looking at Emma, then turned to her mother as she continued speaking "about status. I just want to be-"
Emma saw Cora's hand go up, and the reins, magically wrapped themselves around Regina, cutting off her air.
"Regina," Emma gasped as she watched the teenager struggle
"Cora, please." Henry cried out too.
Regina gasped, as Emma reached out to her, "Regina, please…trust me."
Regina closed her eyes, tears forming, and she looked away from Emma.
"Please… I'll be good." Regina said.
"Excellent. That's all I wanted to hear." Cora smiled, letting Regina float back down to the ground. Regina turned away in disgust, tears in her eyes, and ran off up the hill towards the stable.
Emma ran after her, grabbing her arm, as she approached the stable door.
"Regina, please." Emma said,
"No, I can't, I can't do this anymore. Please, I needed you as a child, but I don't need you here anymore. Please leave me." Regina pulled her arm away.
"I can't leave you Regina."
"Then that's your problem, not mine." Regina said coldly, and ran into the stable.
Emma watched as Regina apologised to Daniel, and they kissed. Regina's eyes caught Emma's as she hugged him close. Emma couldn't help but wonder if the cold Regina that had told her to leave, was just the same defence mechanism that had been cold to Daniel in front of Cora.
"I'm not giving up on you" Emma loudly said, as the memory began to fade around her.
Henry was done with waiting around, he hated seeing the pain and anguish, on both his mother's faces. He needed to do something more, than holding Regina's hand as she cried or screamed.
He had told his grandparents he was going to Granny's and that he needed some time to himself. The latter part had been true, but it was Mara he was going to see. He was marching down the street, lost in his thoughts, when he bumped straight into Belle.
"Henry." She said, forcing a smile,
"Oh hi," he mumbled, his cheeks flushing with colour.
"Where are you off to?" she inquired, noticing that he was alone.
"Oh just to Granny's." he smiled at her.
"Oh really, but you've already long past Granny's to get here." Belle sighed, "Tell me the truth, Henry."
He looked down at the ground as he spoke, aware of how foolish what he was saying was, "I was going to see Mara. To try and help my mom. I just.. want to be doing something."
"Henry, it's way too dangerous for you to be going on your own." Belle worried, "Come on, let's get you home."
Henry nodded, and followed Belle back to the apartment. He couldn't help but feel deflated, all he wanted was his mum awake again.