Hello, darlings! I know, this took more time than usual, but I really wanted it to work, and had to basically start over a few times. Anyway, it's also a bit longer than other chapters, so I hope that makes up for the delay. And there are some feels. I love you all very much. Enjoy!

The Tormented Storm

"Papa, please, can't I see her at least once?"

"I'm afraid it wouldn't be a good idea, Elsa. You know how frail your power is."

"Just once. Please. It's her birthday tomorrow. We always did something on her birthday. At least let me give her the present I got her." Elsa showed her father the little dolls she had spent a whole month sewing. They were representations of herself and Anna, just like the ones they used to play with, only now they looked older. Elsa had put great care in the little dresses and the hairstyles to match how she and her sister looked now. She had tied the dolls together with a glittery ribbon, hoping Anna would remember how close they used to be, and that she would know that Elsa hadn't forgotten.

"It just won't be possible, darling. You still haven't fully recovered from… that day." The memory of his eldest daughter (eldest, but still a child), on the floor, shaking, curled up in a ball and crying inconsolably about being cursed and dangerous to everyone, was only too fresh in the King's mind. It wasn't Elsa's first crisis, and so he and the Queen were trying to keep her as undisturbed as possible. Seeing Anna might be too emotionally challenging for Elsa. "I can give her your gift, if you want," he offered. "I'm sure she will love these beautiful dolls."

Elsa shook her head. "It doesn't really matter."

"Elsa, sweetheart-"

"It doesn't."

The child sat on her bed, knees close to the torso. She pressed her hands to her ears and rocked herself softly back and forth. The King knew his daughter wouldn't listen to anything anymore and sighed. The dolls had been discarded on the floor, and he picked them up. He placed them on her night table, hoping she would reconsider. They were really beautiful, and he could already see how much they would mean to Anna. He patted Elsa's blonde little head, but she didn't react. With a last, painful look, he left and closed the door.

The Queen's eyes opened suddenly. For a moment she was disoriented, and then she recognized the Storybrooke morning. When she rose she noticed her pillow was damp, and so was her cheek. She had been crying in her sleep.

Why was she letting these things haunt her? Long gone were the years spent in reclusion. She was with Anna now, and had seen more of her than she'd ever thought possible. And by the gods, those freckles… Her life finally seemed to be in place, and yet there was a part of her that still felt chained. These memories were dragging her back to dark places she desperately needed to forget.

But Elsa couldn't just stay in bed and dwell on her problems; rest was a luxury a Queen couldn't afford. She got up and prepared for the day –she had special plans that would be difficult but, if they went well, also quite satisfying.

If there was something that Elsa valued deeply there in Storybrooke it had to be the showers. Such a complex yet functional water system delighted and amazed her to no end. She had been studying it the best she could, drawing sketches and analysing its construction, in hopes of reproducing it in Arendelle. The idea of how much that would improve her people's life quality made her really happy. Another thing she had grown to love from that place was the clothes. Dresses in her land were often long and uncomfortable. Though ice was better than anything else in the world, she couldn't always wear it and ended up feeling trapped. Here, Elsa had fun picking her outfits and trying on items that would be considered outrageous in Arendelle. Pants? For a girl? That didn't matter here. When she examined the final result, she knew that in jeans and a flannel shirt, allowing her hair to fall free and loose down her back, she looked more beautiful than in any ball gown.

In the garden she found Regina, who was picking apples from her tree.

"I'm going out," she told her.

Regina immediately guessed her purpose. "Be careful. Gold plays dirty. You don't want me to go with you?"

"Don't worry, I'll be safe. I can handle it."

A couple of minutes after Elsa had left, Emma burst through the door, humming happily. In her arms she carried a bouquet of lilies. When she saw Regina, placing her apples in a fruit bowl, she beamed.

"Oi, Regina, I got you flowers!" When she realized what she'd said, Emma blushed and stammered. "I mean, for the house. Flowers for the house. To decorate. I remembered you once said you liked these so…"

To her surprise, Regina didn't laugh at her, hell, she even seemed to be blushing, too. "Thank you. They're my favourite." Regina accepted the bouquet with a smile. "I also have something for you. Here." She handed Emma a box of fried bread. The box had grease stains and smelled strongly of butter.

Emma's eyes lit up like a child's. "Wow! Thanks! But Regina, you once said these were horrible and awful and fattening."

"I know what I said and I'm not taking it back. They're gross. But I thought that if I forbade them you'd still find a way to get them and you'd end up eating more." If there was any importance in the fact that Regina had gotten up half an hour earlier to be the first one at the bakery and ensure Emma wouldn't miss her bread, it wasn't mentioned.

"I didn't think you cared about my health."

"Of course I do. Can't have you dying in my house, can I? There are only so many times I can try to kill you, you know." And, destroying what was left of her self-control, Regina smiled once more. "Let's give these a vase and some water."

Emma followed her into the kitchen, where they found a beautiful crystal vase and placed the lilies in it. Emma watched as Regina arranged each flower carefully, making sure each harmonized with the other to perfection. Her fascination with the care Regina was putting in the arrangement made Emma get closer and closer, and when Regina turned around, she found her just millimetres away.

"Emma, what…?"

"Sorry, Regina, I…"

Their eyes met. Their lips joined. The touch was soft and tentative, shy and clumsy. Both women were unsure, and only began gaining confidence from the other's reactions. They looked at each other, and kissed again. It was slow and tender, the first recognition and the sudden realization of how much they had wanted this. Emma placed her hands on Regina's hips and softly pulled her closer; the Mayor then finally dared to run her hand through Emma's hair. Regina nibbled delicately at Emma's lips and finished the kiss with a peck. Tentatively, Emma cupped Regina's cheek, and found such warmth in the woman's eyes that there wasn't room for doubt anymore. She wrapped the Queen in her arms and hugged her tightly. Sure enough, soon she felt Regina's arms closing around her own body.

"I love you."

::::::::::

Walking alone helped Elsa to clear out her mind after that nightmare. Every day she tried so hard to push the thoughts away, and yet they came back to haunt her at night. It's as if she had only traded one pain for another, and in her dreams there was little she could do to protect herself.

The walk didn't take as long as Elsa had expected. She ran into Gold on the street, a few blocks from his shop. Before he could react, she'd dragged him into a nearby alley and slammed him against the wall. She grabbed him by the coat and shook him, her anger finally coming out in growled words.

"Why? Just tell me why."

He smiled. "I was wondering when you would come to see me in person, and not send your nannies to do the job."

"I asked you something."

"Magic has a price, Elsa, and so does freedom. You chose to parade your powers, to show them off, and these are the consequences. You, your talent, your nature, will be desired and craved by many. And although not everyone is up to the challenge, those who are will make a move."

"You just want to attack me because you can," Elsa realized. He envied her, and coveted her magic out of sheer ambition and thirst for greatness. She had heard stories, Emma and Regina had told her how most of Gold's powers had been taken from others, starting with the Dark Power itself. Something like what she could do was bound to drive him crazy. Well, let it drive him crazy, and have him blinded with arrogance. "I'm not scared of you. I've dealt with your kind before, and I know how this story ends. Try whatever you want, but you're not getting away with this. You cannot hurt me."

This time Gold's smirk was mocking. "Playing strong, aren't you? May I remind you, Elsa, of how much you can be hurt? Thirteen years locked up, no one to talk to. Then your secret exposed, and you running away. People chasing you, thinking you are a monster. Doesn't that haunt you, Elsa? Doesn't that hurt you?"

Elsa gritted her teeth, fighting the memories. Conceal, don't feel. "If you know so much about my life, then you are surely aware of what happened to everyone who tried to hunt me down. Those who hurt me pay too high a price. I can make another winter, I can give life to any shape my ice takes. I can kill. You know all that. So help me, all hell will break loose."

"I'm certain you know how risky that would be, surely you don't want to place yourself and so many innocent people in such danger. Besides, I believe you are concerned with your sister's safety, especially considering the, ah, special relationship between the two of you." Gold gave her a mocking smirk.

Elsa snorted. "You think you can intimidate me with that? Yes, I make love with my sister. Is that all you have to wield against me? She's realms away from both of us. But, hey, did you know that your wife visited me yesterday? She even brought your daughter with her, and let me hold her for a while." She paused for effect, and continued. "You threaten to hurt my sister, but in fact it was your daughter that was completely in my power. How many milliseconds do you think it would have taken me to overpower Belle?"

For the first time she saw Gold get nervous. "You wouldn't dare," he said.

"Wouldn't I?"

Elsa looked at Gold, her blue eyes dark and piercing. Around them, ice spread in thick layers, creeping with a deep, dry noise. This ice had colour, Gold noticed, red undertones that made it look as if it was on fire inside. And it wasn't Elsa's shiny snowflakes, either; this was spikes and roughness, raspy ice that could very well cut or tear.

Elsa felt her stomach turn as she pronounced the threats against Belle and her daughter, but knew they were necessary. And besides, he hadn't hesitated to insinuate hurting Anna, had he? Why should she refrain from playing with his loved ones, when hers had become his weapon? Despite her guilt, she saw in his eyes that he was starting to believe her capable of keeping those terrible promises, and couldn't help a touch of pleasure. She let the ice creep a bit higher before finally stepping back to admire her work, both on the man and on the walls. Gold looked around at all the icy mess.

"What?" said Elsa, feigning innocence. "You're stealing my power, surely you can clean this up."

Gold rearranged his coat and looked coldly at Elsa. "Fine. Let it be as you want. Let it be exactly as difficult for everyone as you want it to be. But if I was you I would try to keep it here," he gestured at the two of them. "After all, if I was able to reach you in your kingdom and bring you all the way here, who says I cannot reach her? Just remember that whatever befalls my daughter might, just might, befall your sister. Or should I say your lover? Well, you know who I mean. Think about it, Elsa. Goodbye."

She saw him walk away and waited before leaving the alley herself. Oh gods. Regina hadn't been exaggerating when she'd said that Gold played dirty. Elsa felt such turmoil inside her that she thought she would explode. She rubbed her hands to keep any random ice from bursting out and tried to calm down. She failed.

Her heartbeat quickened and her breath roughened. She felt a crisis coming. It had been quite a while since the last one, but between her dream and her encounter with Gold she guessed her mind wasn't precisely in top shape. Knowing she wouldn't make it to the house, Elsa looked around the street and sought shelter. She saw a small diner and headed that way. When she walked in, she immediately felt all the eyes on her. Elsa walked as fast as she could, headed straight for the farthest booth. She sat down and breathed deeply a few times, trying to calm down. Anna, chocolate, ice and snow, she chanted to herself. Anna, chocolate, ice and snow. Reciting the things that made her happiest slowly began to soothe her.

Granny saw her. The girl looked so desperate, and yet was trying so hard to appear serene, that she felt moved. Perhaps she had misjudged her. This would be a good time to make up for that.

"Here, child," she said, placing a cup of tea in front of her.

Elsa looked up, startled. "Oh, thank you. But I'm afraid I don't have any mo-"

Granny rolled her eyes. "Please."

The childlike gratitude in Elsa's eyes startled Granny for a moment. She softly rubbed the girl's shoulder and attempted a smile. Elsa corresponded, and Granny felt guilty for the original opinion she'd had of her. She left her alone to give her some privacy, but decided to keep a watch on her.

Elsa sipped the tea. It was like heaven. Little by little she began to feel better, and realized she had managed to stop the crisis before it actually hit. She allowed herself a tiny proud smile and then she heard the voice.

"Hello."

She looked up and saw a man with a friendly face.

"I'm Dr. Hopper," he introduced himself. "I saw you when Emma took you to Snow's place. Elsa, right?"

"Yes. You're a doctor? What do you specialize on?"

"I'm a psychologist."

"A what?"

"A psychologist."

"What do psychologists do?" Elsa asked, curious. She had never met one before.

"Well, I…"

"Please, sit down. Tell me all about it."

Dr. Hopper sat in front of her, and tried to explain what his profession consisted of. "I try to help people, when they're feeling sad, angry or worried. We talk and try to find a solution. There is always one."

"Do you really think so? What if you are your own problem?"

"Well, you can solve yourself. It's a bit harder, but still not impossible."

Elsa laughed. "Some of us are beyond repair. Unsolvable for eternity."

"Eternity is a lot of time for someone as young as you. How can there be no solution?"

"Because… Because when something hurts you, the way to stop the pain is to destroy the source, or at least get away from it. If your tooth aches you take it out, if the fire burns you don't go too close. But when you are the source, how can you leave it behind? How can you get rid of it? Get rid of your own entity? We go everywhere with ourselves, so there is no escape. And when you've tried everything, and you only manage to make the situation worse, what is left? And when you're hurting others along the way?"

Dr. Hopper paused. He hadn't imagined that her inner conflicts were so serious. Yes, one look at her was enough to see that she was crying out for help, that's why he had decided to approach her; but the amount of pain that seemed to pour from her was shocking, all the more because of the effort she was making to hide it. He chose his next words carefully. "Maybe we have let some things hurt us for so long that we have come to accept them as part of who we are and we have blended with them, not realizing that they aren't actually ours. Maybe what we need is to see how much we have absorbed from others who might not be wishing the best for us. Those patterns can be destroyed, if we have the courage to just let go."

Elsa looked down. She seemed deep in thought. "Let go…" she repeated.

In that moment Ruby called from behind the counter. "Archie, you're running late! Remember you have an appointment with Grumpy. We don't want him to be, well, grumpier."

"Oh, I completely forgot!" He turned to Elsa. "I'm so terribly sorry."

"Don't worry, I understand. Thank you for listening."

"On the contrary, thank you for sharing."

He rose from the booth, but Elsa stopped him.

"Dr. Hopper, could I… could we… talk again… sometime?" Her voice was little more than a whisper.

"Of course. Here, take this card. The address is on it. You're welcome anytime you want. And please, call me Archie."

::::::::::

Gold was enraged. He had underestimated the girl. Completely underestimated the girl. When he had found out about her, and done further research, he had always seen a little child, inexperienced, terrified or her own shadow, with no confidence or self-esteem whatsoever. Someone who, though born and bred to be queen, had never considered herself more than a disgrace. That's what he had brought to this land, that's what he had expected to find. Now she wasn't even responding to the curse he had placed on her earrings, now she was making threats and fighting back like a lioness. It also didn't help that she had Regina backing her up, of course, but he knew that the true fierceness lay in the ice child.

On the other hand, though…. He'd just witnessed a rather impressive display of her powers. It was nothing like any magic of his could achieve. From the first time he had sensed her powers, when she had visited his shop, he knew they were extraordinary, and much greater that even she knew. That winter she'd cast in her land was nothing in comparison with what still slept inside her.

Now that she was perfectly aware of what he was doing he would need to be more careful. He hoped she wouldn't keep her threats; after all there was genuine goodness in her, but he would nonetheless have to figure out a way to ensure his daughter stayed safe –otherwise everything would be pointless. Before he moved to the next phase, however, there was something he needed to fix. Belle was back working at the library, and that was his first stop. He took his wife to the back of the place and confronted her.

"I heard you went to Regina's house yesterday."

Belle looked back at him, unflinching. "Yes, I did."

"And you took our child."

"Yes." She clutched her baby tighter against her chest.

"Why did you do that?" How many milliseconds do you think it would have taken me to overpower Belle? Elsa's words came back to him and sent a pang of anger and worry.

"I felt I owed her some sort of explanation or apology. And since when do I have to ask you or get your approval before visiting someone?"

"Belle, I didn't mean it that way. I'm simply concerned for you and the baby. I would like you to stay out of this." What would I do if something happened to you?

"Why? You don't think I can handle or understand it? You mean to go on hiding things from me like I'm some dumb four-year-old?"

"Your condition was delicate. I didn't want to upset you."

"I was just pregnant! It's not like I was handicapped, or retarded, or anything like that. You could have told me, and I would have listened. Yet you've been deliberately ignoring me, as if I was below you. Do you think that, Rumple, that I'm not good enough? Why are you doing this, anyway? Don't you realize that it's monstrous, that you're hurting a girl who has done you no wrong? Would you like it if someone did that to our daughter?"

"Don't you say that. This won't put you in any danger. Just give me time, Belle, and you will see. Trust me, please."

"How can you ask me that, after the way you've showed me that you don't deserve that trust?" Belle ran a hand through her hair. She looked so hurt, angry, and confused, that for a moment Gold couldn't take it and almost decided to give everything up. He caught himself on time. He knew she would understand, sooner or later; his Belle was a smart woman and she would soon see through his actions.

Eventually Belle met his eyes. "Look, right now I don't know what I'm going to do, I don't know what to make of all this, but if this goes on and I have to pick a side, I will take hers. I mean it, Rumple, I will stand by her. She's the nicest, kindest, gentlest, warmest person ever. You should have seen her with our daughter. What you're doing, Rumple, is monstrous. Why do you keep letting your ambition get in the way of happiness? Why make such efforts to destroy everything you have, and drag us all with you? Am I not enough? Isn't your daughter enough?" Belle placed a hand on his cheek.

The tenderness of her touch was almost too much to bear. "Aren't I telling you that everything I do is for both of you?" He touched their daughter. "She's the reason I'm doing this! It's all for her, and for you. To keep you safe, to make sure you have the best in the world."

"How is any of this going to help us?"

"You will see, Belle, just give me a chance."

"And what about her?"

Gold didn't answer. Belle shook her head in disappointment. "That's what I thought. You're a mess, Rumplestiltskin. And you're still a coward."

With that, Belle turned around, leaving him behind. As Gold saw her walk away he swore he would prove to her how strong he could be. Belle would see what he was capable of for his family. Even if it meant the blood of an innocent.