Happy Father's Day my fellow readers!
Never forget to tell your father you love them!
Zila's POV
I paced back and forth in my kitchen while my daughter watched.
"Mother I love you but please stop pacing it's driving me up the wall
I stopped pacing and looked to her. She smiled and she clutched her father's dagger close to her. Her eyes suddenly went white as though she was having a vision a gift she inherited from her father. A second later her eyes returned to normal.
"What did you see my love?" I inquired.
"Father is back along with Henry, Emma, and Baelfire" she answered.
As soon as she said that my phone buzzed and I swiped it see a text from David. He and Snow were on the way to get me.
"It's time" I said turning to my daughter. She nodded before she waved her hand and a new sword appeared in my left hand. Its hilt was silver with a garnet at the end. The blade was the same coloring.
"I will keep the real dagger with me"
I went up to Dakota and pressed a kiss against her forehead. Then I heard David's truck and I left the kitchen in a cloud of crimson smoke. Since there wasn't much room in David's truck I rode in the bed meaning the back of the truck. The ride to the docks made me uneasy part of it was because I worried over my husband. I felt the unborn Dakota kicked inside me and I placed a hand on top of my bump, her kicking continued until the truck came to a stop at the docks and not a moment too soon.
Emma and an unknown human male helped Rumple walk by supporting him. The human male had to be Baelfire no doubt because he had the same scent as Rumple's.
I jumped off the bed of the truck and rushed over to Rumple, Emma got out of the way as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I then held his face and kissed his lips with all of the love I bore for him. Rumple smirked weakly into the kiss before I pulled away. I then helped Baelfire carry his father to the bed of the truck.
"How is our little one?" Rumple asked looking to my swollen middle.
"She is fine" I reassured my mate. I placed both of my hands onto his face. "You need to save your strength mate of mine"
"Bae this is your step-mother Zila"
I felt my face blush and I turned to the man who was Baelfire. Baelfire looked at me for a moment examining me before he nodded and he held his hand out.
"I'm honored to meet you Zila, Henry said a lot of good things about his grandmother"
I chuckled at the compliment before I took his hand and shook it.
"It's good to meet you finally Baelfire, your father also had said wonderful things about you"
This time Baelfire or Neal I learned from Emma blushed. I saw Ruby usher off Henry before Neal got into the back of the truck with me along with Emma. The ride to the shop didn't take long, and after David parked, Neal and I helped Rumple into the shop towards the back office. The two of us put my mate onto the bed so he would be comfortable. I removed Rumple's suit jacket and tossed it aside. Emma suddenly came in the room with her parents behind her. She carried an empty jar.
"Did you find it?" Rumple asked weakly.
"Yeah there's nothing in it" the blonde said as she shook the container and the sound of something clinking was heard she reached and pulled out something though it was unseen.
"What the hell?"
"Invisible chalk use it in the front doorway draw a line the rest of you might want to prepare for a battle"
I suddenly felt sick and I excused myself to the bathroom. I threw up and remained like that until after I flushed the toilet and washed my hands. Back in the office Rumple was talking with Emma.
"I can't cast a spell, I can spell "Spell"
"You can it's in you" Rumple said weakly before taking a breath.
I forgot Emma had magic it was the reason she her heart wasn't taking out by Cora.
"How? Here? Like from my brain?"
"Just try" Rumple encouraged.
Emma sighed before closing her eyes.
"Stop thinking!" Rumple growled in annoyance. He sat up a little and I growled at my husband to not push it. "Conjuring magic is not intellectual endeavor, its emotion, you must ask yourself why am I doing this, who am I protecting, feel it"
Emma nodded and she turned around facing me. She closed her eyes and I felt her magic spark to life. Rumple smiled weakly pleased.
"Oh yeah you feel it?
"Yeah I think I did" Emma said turning back to Rumple.
"Good girl very good girl" Rumple praised the Savior.
Baelfire stood near his father watching him closely, before he saw my swollen middle.
"How far along are you?" he asked.
I rubbed my belly as I answered.
"Five months you have a little sister inside me, because she's half immortal her growth rate is fast" at that moment Dakota kicked inside me.
"Would you like to feel her kick?" I offered at Neal.
Neal blushed before he nodded and he walked over to me. He stopped beside me and he placed a hand over where Dakota was kicking. A second later she kicked again as though she sensed her brother's presence and Bae smiled.
"She likes you" Rumple said.
"She's a feisty baby that's for sure" Baelfire agreed, the shop suddenly shook and Baelfire had to catch me so I wouldn't fall. The shaking stopped and David came into the office.
"They're here Regina and Cora"
I growled and hurried to the front with the sword Dakota gave me. Emma stood next to me while Neal was by my side, David next to him. Snow stood off to the side. I held out my sword out just as the door to the shop burst open and in came Regina and Cora.
"Regina think about what you're doing" Emma said trying to reason with the Evil Queen.
"Don't talk to me" Regina snapped back.
A second later Regina conjured an orb of fire and she sent it towards Emma. David deflected it with his sword and then pointed the sword back towards the evil duo. Regina then sent David flying out the door and the shop door closed behind him. Emma called after her father before Cora sent the blonde crashing against the wall. Regina then came towards me just as Neal went forward with the sword he held towards Cora, she disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke and reappeared behind him.
She dropped the fake dagger just as I surprised Regina by grabbing her and I spun her around, my sword pressed close to her throat. Cora looked to her daughter before to Neal and the fake dagger.
"What's it going to be?" Bae taunted Cora.
"Mother!" Regina shouted.
"Choose wisely"
Cora then summoned the fake dagger back into her hand and I then pushed Regina into her mother hard, the two of them fell upon a glass counter breaking it. Emma then shouted for us to get into the back office, which Neal and I did, Emma then used the invisible chalk to make another magical barrier. I went to my mate who still was hanging on. I pressed a kiss against his lips and he moaned a weak reply.
Enchanted Forest
Zila looked back at the wedding dress she wore. The straps rested at the shoulders tomorrow she would marry her mate.
"Enjoying the view as much as I am?" came said mate's voice.
Zila rolled her eyes and turned to greet Rumple who came up to her; he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. The kiss was followed by Zila scolding her other half.
"You know the rules mate of mine it's bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the big day"
"Well love I don't always follow said rules"
Zila smirked before she kissed her mate once more.
"This time I'll tolerate it" Rumple giggled before he kissed her mouth one last time and he pulled away.
"Love the dress"
"Well I'm only wearing the damn thing once"
This made Rumple giggle again.
"When you see the future there is irony everywhere"
Zila snorted as Rumple sat down.
"Rumple are you ready for this?"
Her mate made a come here gesture with a single finger and Zila walked over to him, once in front of him, the male dark one took her hands into his.
"I have waited for you for almost 300 years Zila, and I love you, you love the darkness inside me, the power it wields, and most importantly you love me for who I am as I love you for who and what you are"
"And I will be by your side forever Rumple, you are my light to my darkness"
Storybrooke
Rumple's breathing became more labored, Bae sat on a nearby stool while Emma stood up. My fangs elongated and I was about to use them to bite my wrist but Rumple placed his hand on top of my wrist to stop me.
"Don't use your blood to heal me, Zila its best I die"
"No you're not dying" Neal said as he put his sword down.
"I am dying that much is certain, Zila come here"
Tears went down my face as I scooted my chair closer to my mate. He still held my hand as I bent my face down so our foreheads could touch.
"Zila you always were a hero, who helped her people, and you are a beautiful woman who loved an ugly man, who really, really loved me despite all of the horrors I've committed, promise me you'll take care of our daughter"
"I promise mate of mine" I choked out tears streaming down my face, I kissed his lips lightly.
Dakota's POV
I watched as Snow White look at Cora's heart. Then the Saviors mother turned to me.
"Dakota why are you here?"
"To do what needs to be done to protect my father please give me the candle Snow" I said firmly as I walked towards Snow. I held my hand out and Snow hesitated before she handed over the candle. I didn't want to do this, to murder someone, but I had no choice. I walked past Emma's mother and stood over the heart that belonged to Cora. I waved my hand over the candle and both sides were lit.
"Cora" I whispered as the wax seeped onto the heart, then I blew both sides out my mission was now accomplished.
Zila's POV
Bae and Rumple shared a brief father and son moment which touched me. I swore when I heard the magical barrier finally broke and Cora came into the room. I stood in front of Rumple while Neal and Emma stood in front of me.
"You two out of the way" Cora said with a wave of her hand and both Emma and Neal disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke. Then Cora sent me flying and I landed against the wall, I growled when I felt my head getting cut. I weakly got up and saw Cora standing over Rumple.
"A vision told me about you, that this day would come, but it didn't tell me everything, didn't tell me what I really wanted to know"
Cora sat next to my mate on the bed.
"And what's that?"
"Did you ever love me?"
I got up weakly still having some fight left in me as Cora stroked my husband's face.
"Why do you think I had to rip my own heart out? You were my weakness. You are the only man I truly ever loved"
She then stood up and she raised the fake dagger.
"No!" I screamed as I stood up.
But before Cora could stab Rumple, Cora gasped and she dropped the fake dagger. I sensed a sudden change in Rumple and I heard a heartbeat. I rushed over to my husband who was now alert. The two of us looked at each other in confusion before we looked to Regina and Cora, Cora was laughing. It was then I felt her heart within her chest. Regina smiled at her mother, Cora smiled back but a second later she clutched her chest.
Rumple pulled away the blood soaked paper towels and my eyes widened to see his wound was gone. Cora then lost her footing and Regina caught her before she hit the floor. Both women were on the floor while I grabbed the fake dagger; Rumple wrapped a protective arm around my waist while the other held his cane.
"What's wrong?" Regina asked her mother.
"This would've been enough, you would've been enough"
Cora's eyes closed and her heart stopped beating, she was dead.
"Mother?" Regina looked to me and Rumple. "What's going on?"
When we didn't answer Regina sobbed and turned back to Cora, still holding her lifeless body.
"Mother? Don't leave me please, what am I going to do?"
"Your mother did you no favors"
"Shut up!" Regina snapped looking back to us. "You two stole her life, you cast some spell"
"We did nothing" Rumple replied.
"Regina! Stop!" came the voice of Snow.
Snow and her mate hurried into the office and stopped at the sight before them.
"You did this" Regina said to Snow, then Regina disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke with her mother going with her.
Later.
Still Zila's POV
"All I ask Rumple is that you listen to what she has to say"
After his almost death Rumple and I were now at my house to retrieve the real dagger.
"Zila love who is her? What is going on?"
"It's hard to explain" I answered as I unlocked the front door. I walked inside first my husband behind me.
As the two of us came into the kitchen Rumple froze.
"There's powerful magic here"
"Indeed"
Dakota emerged in from the hallway and into the kitchen clutching the real dagger. Immediately I got in front of my mate who was furious.
"Get out of my way Zila"
"Killing her isn't the answer Rumple!" I said to my mate.
"She speaks the truth, I have no desire to hurt you"
"Who are you really Rose?" Rumple hissed.
"Let me show you and then I will return the dagger if I wanted to control you or hurt your wife I would have done so"
Rumple glared at Dakota before he nodded. I stepped aside as our daughter came to him. Dakota put the dagger down before pressing her palm against her father's cheek.
Rumple's brown eyes widened and he dropped his cane. His arms were wrapped around our daughter.
"My sweet girl" he then began to kiss Dakota's face like I had done earlier.
"I'm here Dad" Dakota said as her father continued to kiss her. Finally he pulled away.
"How is this possible?
"Powerful magic, the price I shall pay when it is time, Cora killed you and I couldn't let that happen, I'm so sorry Papa, I didn't want to take a life but I had no choice"
Rumple only smiled before he hugged our daughter once more.
"Thank you my jewel, for saving me, I love you"
"I love you too, Papa" Dakota replied as Rumple kissed her forehead.
There you have it Rumple lives and reunites with Dakota.