"Robin where are you going?" She asked as he got up from his spot on the bed.

"I'm feeling a bit cold. I'm going to get some more firewood." he said with a weak smile. He released Regina's hand and laced up his boots.

She noticed that he reached into his pocket and held the object he took out of his box in his hand. Over the past few hours he had been holding it quite often. She pretended as if she didn't notice. It was the polite thing to do for a man grieving the loss of his mother, but she couldn't help but wonder. What was it that Naomi had given him that he wouldn't let go of.

"Thanks, I'll stay here." She said with a cheery smile. Robin walked out of the room and she started to comb though the knots in her hair with a hair brush. She hated her hair sometimes. The length of it made it so hard to maintain. She used to have many dress maids help her to comb through it on a daily basis, but now she found that it took over a half hour to brush it by herself. Robin loved her long hair, it was the only reason she bothered to keep it at this length.

She winced as the comb tore through a rather large knot, pulling out a large hunk of her hair. Angered, she threw down the comb and took the knife they kept beside their bed and held it three inches from the bottom of her hair. Then she thought for a moment and moved her hand down another inch and sliced it through the bottom of her hair.

She shock her head and dress allowing the short strands of hair to fall onto the floor. She waved her hand on the wall and created a mirror. Examining herself, she quite like her hair shorter. Maybe she would cut it even shorter one day.

She heard Robin's foot steps on their porch and she waved the mirror away and sat back down on the bed brushing her hair like nothing had happened. He came in and placed the logs next to the hearth. He smiled to her and she went back to brushing her hair. She placed her hair brush back down when she though she saw something, and then there was a flash of bright white light-

"It is done." Cora said getting up from the fire she had built. Now, of course, that fire was now still. It didn't flicker. It was not moving. The trees stayed still. Nothing moved. Nothing moved. Everything was still. Birds mid wing flap were suspended in the air. The clouds didn't move. The wind didn't blow. Time was still. Completely still. Frozen.

Rumple motioned to a spot where they could see a cottage poking out from the trees. "That is where the outlaw went."

"Excellent." Cora said as she dashed to the cottage. Rumple tried to follow behind, but found that he was quite tired. He decided to walk slowly and catch up to her later.

She pushed open the door to see the both of them in suspended animation. She walked over to her daughter slowly observed her. "Oh why do you have to be so stubborn Regina." Cora fixed a piece of hair that hung over Regina's face Let a man cloud your judgement. But don't worry. Mommy will make it all better." She kissed her daughters forehead and reached into her pocket.

A sharp needle shined in the light. She reached into her other pocket pulling out a vile of bright blue liquid. She dipped the needle into the liquid and it shone a bright gold glimmer. She smiled as she pressed the needle into his finger.

"Sleeping curse?" Rumple asked as he entered the home.

"Of course."

"Why don't you just kill him?"

"I want him to think about what he had done to my daughter. I want him to be trapped in the dark room forever. He needs to suffer Rumple, and there is no place better to then being trapped in the world where you are with nothing but your own regrets."

"Then why did you even need to create the Quo potion?" he questioned before coughing into his sleeve.

Cora chuckled. "Oh he told me you would fall for it." She pointed to the cuff on her wrist "The cuff doesn't do anything, but take away your magic."

Rumple looked down to his sleeve where there was a large splatter of blood. "Poison? But without magic you could just use my dagger."

"I don't need your dagger Rumple. My, friend, told me of a potion I could use that would directly transfer your powers to me when you died. And all I had to do, was be the last person to kiss you." He began to crumple to the floor as Cora summoned a spell around Robin. "And now the outlaw will be where no one can find him."

"It was their hairs I gave you. They have true love! True lovers... they always find... each other. Killing me... won't help anything."

Cora sat down next to him. "Haven't you ever heard of the Quo potion before. It was used by true lovers to stay just with each other alone until one of them died. That is when the spell was broken. I had no choice but to kill you and I though the Quo potion would be the best way to do so. And in a matter of minutes, I will have all of your powers, and you," she laughed again standing up to tower over him. "You will be dead." She began to walk away. "And with my assistance, my daughter will be queen once more. I will make her forget about her so called true love and he will be stuck eternally with his regrets. Good bye Rumple."

"You... won't get... all of my powers." Cora swung around. "Seeing the... future... it is something... only I can do. Not... the dark one."

"Then I will improvise."

"I should have... believed what I saw... but I-"

"Love is weakness. You taught me that. You stole my youth away from me in the night, you made me think that love was a good thing. But I learned that in life, you get a choice. Love and weakness or power. And Rumple, would you still believe," she felt, even without her heart a twinge of sadness. "That you still make me weak. That somewhere inside of me, I still love you." She swallowed hard. "But the only way for me to succeed it to kill you and take you power for my own."

She watched as his eyes darted around the room before locking onto Cora. Then, the lids shut. And then there was a flash of light.

Regina turned around and she gasped. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother transporting away in a purple cloud. There was a body on the floor and her heart felt as if it had stopped. "Robin!" She shrieked running over to the body, but she saw it was the face of someone else. "Rumpelstiltskin?"

She check for a pulse and found none. "She killed you. And Robin-" She looked around. She didn't see him. "Robin!" No one was there to respond. "ROBIN!"

She ran outside, but he was no where. "ROBIN WHERE ARE YOU!" She felt devastated as she covered her face with her hands and began crying silent tears. She began to moan as she cried and leaned up to the side of their house. Her breathing was out of control. Tear streamed down her face. "Please don't leave me."

He felt as if he had hit his head. He was lying on the floor, when he had gotten there, he didn't know. He opened his eyes, but everything was dark. There was a torch on the wall that he picked up and looked around. It was so dark. The room was very warm. There was mirrors. And nothing more.

He was alone.

"Regina?"

His voice echoed through the room.

"Regina!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the thing his mother had given him. A ring. Her wedding ring. It should have been Regina's. But now her was here, where ever here was, without her. A tear slid down his face. And the another. He dropped the torch. Many more. He fell to his knees.

He was alone. It was dark. And all he wanted was her to be in his arms. To know she was okay. To be with the woman he loved.

He felt time start again and he smirked as he saw the name of the dagger of the dark one change. "Cora, I summon the!" He turned around to see the purple smoke clear. She looked confused as she looked around. "Well done Cora, or may I say dark one." The cloaked figure walked up to her slowly. "I say the power of the dagger has suited you well." And it was true. Instead of becoming scaly like Rumpelstiltskin had, her appearance was changed to make her more youthful.

"You have had the dagger. This whole time?"

"No, I just know where to find things." he said showing her the name. "See that. Congratulation. You have finally done something I could never do." He flipped up his hood and Cora gasped. "You killed my son."

"You are, a boy?" There was a long pause. "How can you of all people have a son?"

"Youth isn't temporary if you have power." He pointed toward her. "You know that. The dagger has granted you with the youth you seek. But one thing that the dark one's power doesn't do is make you unkillable. You can still die."

"If you are going to kill me, just hurry up and get it over with."

"I am not going to kill you. No, no, my power is much stronger than that of the dark one. The only thing I need now is the heart of the truest believer and my power dwarf yours and ever one else's in the entire world combined."

"And you want me to go find that heart?"

"Oh no, the heart hasn't been created yet. But thanks to you, I know exactly where I am going to find it."

"And where is that?"

He raised his eye brows. "Haven't you ever heard of a game? That is part of the fun. The surprise. And now you have to wait your turn." He lifted the dagger over his head. "Go with the shadow and stay there until I summon you again."

He watched as the shadow carried away the new dark one. "Let's play."

A/N Dun Dun Dun! So much happens in this chapter! Please review, tell me what you think!