Chap 10.

7:15 A.M.

"How much for this?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, sitting back in Snow's boat.

"Excuse me?"

"Your boat. Exquisite craftsmanship."

"It's not for sale."

"Of course it is dearie. No one comes to see me without a deal in mind."

"So you're Rumpelstiltskin? Really?"

"Well were you excepting something else dearie?"

"I don't know, I just thought the Dark One would be more dark, the monster in the shadows, less a man in leather with oddly colored skin."

"And to think I was looking forward to this." He said, stepping closer to look at her. "Wow. You really are the fairest of them all, aren't you? What can I do for you?"

"I need a cure."

"What ails you, child?"

"A broken heart."

"Ah. The most painful of afflictions. Well, I'm afraid if you want me to make him love you, no can do. And nothing can."

"Oh, no. That's not the problem. We can't be together."

"Well that, I can help you with." He said, He then took out a vial and used it to collect some water from the lake. A quick shake caused it to change color.

"That'll do it?"

"Not yet. No two loves are exactly alike. We must make this personal." Rumpelstiltskin quickly pulled out a strand of Snow's hair and put it in the vial.

"So, if I drink that, I'll no longer love him.

"The next time you see the object of your grief, you won't even remember who he is."

"Won't remember him?"

"Love is the most powerful magic. The cure must be extreme."

"'Extreme' sounds like an understatement."

"Don't doubt yourself now, dearie. Love makes us sick, haunts our dreams, and destroys our days. Love has killed more than any disease. This cure is a gift."

"What's your price?

"These'll do."

"What do you need of my hair?"

"What do you need of it now? It's been plucked from your head. Do we have a deal?" Snow's only answer was to take the potion from his hand. "I thought so. Drink it in good health, Snow White." And then he walked into a cloud of mist.

"Fairest of them all, should I be worried?"

"You dearest, now why would you need to be worried?" Rumpelstiltskin said, looking over to see Zelena appear out of the mist. "You know I tend more toward red, brown, or blond haired women, or really anything but black or dark brown haired women who cause me nothing but trouble."

"My mother had dark brown hair." Zelena said, lifting an eyebrow.

"Exactly my point, she ruined women of the hair color for me, just like my wife."

"And you opinion of red heads?"

"Better than all the rest." He said, grabbing her around the waist, and then taking them in a puff of smoke from the cold docks to the Dark Castle, specifically a much warmer bedroom.

Storybrooke.

"So, how's being a two months pregnant going?" Emma asked. She had run into Zelena who was on her way to Granny's with Sarah and Jane.

"Well, it's good. I think after going through it so many times, it's like getting back on your old bike, you know how to ride it' it's just not something you've done in a while."

"Yeah, I couldn't imagine having a kid thirteen years after the last one; of course I'd never pictured myself having him in the first place, or in those circumstances. I was always planning that if I ever got married and had kids it be two or three and all at once."

"Well that was my plan two, but sometimes you get lucky and find another present under the tree." Zelena said smiling, reaching over to give Jane and Sarah a side hug. "Besides, now I have four helpers to change the diapers and feed the baby at some ungodly hour while I sleep."

Jane just looked at her mother, her face clearly saying 'that's what you think'. "Ha, we don't get paid nearly enough to justify that, if you want our help, it will be to help pick out a nurse to help you."

"I'm so happy you feel that way. And I will be more than happy to prove you wrong."

Emma was certain this conversation could've gone for quite a bit longer, it wasn't for the fact that across the street she saw Mary Margaret and David, and they were kissing. "Something tells me she didn't follow my advice."

"Oh no." Zelena said.

"Well it's not actually that bad, other than the fact that he's married, and his wife is friends with the Mayor." Emma then looked thoughtful for a second. "Okay it is that bad."

"You have absolutely no idea." Sarah said. She then pointed towards the car across the street from David and Mary Margaret. And inside was Regina. And the look on her face could be described as many things, none of them positive.

"What do you think the odds are we can run interference?" Jane asked.

"Not very good." Zelena said. "Emma, expect hellfire to be raining down upon your friend at any given moment. If things get too hot please inform us, we'd be more than happy to try and thwart Regina's attempts to cause someone misery."

"Thank you." Emma then turned to leave, but stopped for a moment and then turned. "Are you helping me to help Mary Margaret, or because you want to help David, or is it because you want to cause Regina troubles, discomfort, thwart her plans, disrupt her predictable world, or all of the above?"

"Emma. Why must you question our motives, didn't anyone ever tell you not to look a gift horse in the mouth." Zelena said sweetly. "And why must you make it sound as if all of those are mutually exclusive." Zelena said smiling. Then she and her daughters left to go into Granny's.

Thank you xxxLeanniexxx, thank you to Twyla Mercedes, and yes I did have a relaxing vacation, which is surprising considering the fact that's not only did I have cousins who were getting sick one day and then becoming healthy the next, only for another one of them to fall suddenly deathly ill, and then make a miraculous recovery before lunch, but they got me sick right before death and finals week.

And on one hand a big thank you to Grace5231973 for being a lovely beta and leaving a lovely review. And congratulations, you have left the 30th review for this story.

But on the other hand could she please hand in her cheek card. And the rest of you should probably do the same.

I leave a painfully obvious reference to Dr. who, one of the greatest geek shows of all time and not have you managed to get it.

Please proceed to the left of the aircraft to receive your kind of shame from a big metal android man, before being thrown out. The plan shall be crashing in Belgium.

You see, you'd all be laughing right now if you actually watched Dr. Who, but you don't, the only why can think to respond to that is to ask what's wrong with you people?

Please tell me you at least get the cone of shame reference.