A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited this universe.


Derailed

Chapter 12: Shards

~ Catspook


The mirror was not difficult to locate. It had been given pride of place in the main chamber (Ingrid had apparently served Emma and Elsa tea in the anteroom - probably so that they would not see it).

"You were right," Emma said to Rumplestiltskin, "She was close."

"One piece left," Regina said. "It's a good thing I let Sydney go."

"I recall that being a group effort, dearie," Rumplestiltskin drawled.

The mirror was dispatched with no more ceremony than the barrier. When Rumplestiltskin retrieved the Hat, it was nowhere near full. The Savior would fill it.

Was that your plan? Have me destroy the Savior for you? I know you now, and I no longer serve you.

Are you sure?

He wasn't. He wasn't sure of anything anymore.

With the mirror disposed of, Emma tasked them with splitting up and searching for clues. Based on her earlier comment, Rumplestiltskin searched for traces of the Sorcerer's magic buried under the hum of Ingrid's ice. He felt something and followed it, finding far more than just a clue.

"What is that?" Emma asked.

"A scroll," Rumplestiltskin said, "From the Sorcerer. It confirms everything we suspected. And more."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, walking over. Elsa and Anna had moved on to the next room.

"Look at this here; this is how she installed herself in Storybrooke without your notice. And this names Emma as the Savior."

"So the Sorcerer did sell me out," Emma said.

"It seems so."

"What else does it say?"

"Let me see." He read further. "It explains Storybrooke's location, when Emma would arrive to break the curse…"

Something seemed off. After reading the scroll twice, carefully counting the lines, he noticed his eyes skipped over a section. A concealment spell. It was easy enough to break, and the newly revealed lines jumped out at him. Oh. Oh, no.

To free himself of the dagger, the Dark One must sacrifice the heart of someone who knew him before he was the Dark One.

Malcolm! His curse cheerfully suggested. Or the pirate!

And, oh, he wanted to do it. He hated them both. On top of all they had done to him in the past, they were both responsible for Zelena getting a hold of the dagger. "Gold?" Emma asked, "You see something? You're gonna have to help me out here, because I can't read this."

Regina probably couldn't either. Even with the concealment spell removed, the scroll was written in runes. Beyond himself, Rumplestiltskin doubted anyone in town other than Anna, Elsa, Belle, and possibly Kristoff could read it. "Yes," he said, because Emma would know a lie.

"Well?" Regina asked sharply. His mind scrambled for an explanation that was neither truth nor lie.

Bae would want him to tell the truth.

You kowtow to the heroes now? Follow their bidding? You're just a slave by another name. Pathetic.

I've had enough of your lies.

"There is a note about the Hat," he admitted.

"Well, that's promising," Emma said. "What does it say?"

He looked at her. "To free myself of the dagger, I would have to sacrifice the heart of someone that knew me before I was the Dark One."

Dead silence. Then Regina muttered, "So if Malcolm goes missing…"

"Don't think I'm not tempted, dearie. But the larger question is: why is this information here? Why keep it from me and give it to Ingrid?"

Emma snapped her fingers. "To give her something to exchange for the ribbons."

Rumplestiltskin nodded. "A plausible explanation."

"That would mean that the Sorcerer was expecting her plan to go through. Why would he want that?"

"I don't know. Nor do I know what he will do now that it has not."

No one else had any suggestions either.


When they finally got home that night, even Rumple was too exhausted to cook.

"We have leftovers," Bae said tiredly.

They had that. Belle and Bae, that is. Rumple nursed a single cup of tea and didn't even finish it. Was this the thing that would finally break him? How much could a heart be expected to take?

And Bae. To learn that he had a son, that the gods had stolen his essence from him to create Henry… Belle could not imagine what he must be feeling. He was angry, of course, angry at the gods and angry at Rumple for keeping it from him. He at least seemed willing to talk with Rumple about it; it was actually her suggestion that they all go see Archie together that had finally calmed him down at the library. He needed his father now more than ever, and he seemed to know that.

But it wasn't fair, any of it. The gods had used him, had used Rumple and Emma and the rest of them, dragging them all, through deception and magic, towards some unknown end - some future where Ingrid had enacted her plan, and Rumple had succumbed once more to the darkness.

But she hadn't, and he hadn't. So what now? Belle didn't know, so she pushed back thoughts of tomorrow and focused on the moment.

"What can I do for you? Either of you?" she asked them.

Bae and Rumple looked at each other and then at her. "You've done enough, sweetheart," Rumple said. Bae nodded, his eyes sad.

There we're any questions left to ask. Rumple had told them everything. About the arrests, about what he'd read on Ingrid's scroll. And he already had plans for tomorrow; he was going to use the Hat to remove the ice barrier that still encircled the town.

"How about a movie?" she proposed for lack of a better suggestion.

They both nodded. "Whatever you like," Rumple said, his tone distant.

"Fine," Bae muttered.

So they watched a movie. Wall-E was another of August's suggestions, and they enjoyed it well enough. It was a sweet tale, and the film had clearly been made with love, as even the credits we abundant with a hopeful future and tiny, animated robots. When they had ended, none of them know what to say.

As the silence dragged on, Bae spoke first. "I'm going to bed." He pushed himself out of the recliner, tossing the throw blanket he'd been using over the back. Rumple watched him soulfully, and it reminded Belle so much of her first few months in this house, wondering if they would ever be able to make amends.

"Good night, Bae," Rumple said.

"Good night," Bae muttered. Back then, there had been nights when he had not even said that.

It was something.


"Master, the Snow Queen has fallen," the Apprentice reported. It was all going wrong. The second curse had come too soon, but his Master has instructed him on how to preserve the future, and for a time it had seemed like he had succeeded. But when the ice wall came down and dwarves were boasting all over town that Ingrid had been imprisoned and her mirror destroyed, the Apprentice knew that he had not. Certain events were expected: the Dark One's betrayal, Ingrid's sacrifice, and the Dark One's banishment. They could no longer occur.

"The future has changed," his master replied.

"What do I do?"

"The Snow Queen and her nieces have served their purpose. Let them go."

"And the others?"

"Watch, for now. When it is time for you to act, I will call on you."

"Yes, Master."


"Thank you," Wendy said, "For everything." She was leaving. Her brothers had packed the red convertible, and with the barrier removed, they were anxious to get out of Storybrooke. Bae couldn't blame them.

"I'm the one who should thank you," he said. "You took me in when you had no reason to. You saved my life."

She smiled. "You sacrificed yourself for us."

"And you sacrificed yourself for me."

She shook her head ruefully; they'd debated those facts more than once, and Bae had never been able to convince her. "I'll e-mail you when we get to Boston," she said.

"I thought you were going back to London?"

"Eventually. John and Michael want to make sure Pan doesn't have any more agents out there."

"Thank you," he said to them.

"Please let us know if we can help at all," Belle said. "And remember that you are always welcome here."

"Will they be able to...?" Bae asked his father. They'd barely spoken since Ingrid had been captured, both waiting anxiously for their first appointment with Archie.

"Yes," he said. "I replaced Ingrid's barrier with another, identical to the one I erected before Regina reversed the last curse. It will keep strangers out, but anyone who has been on this side of the town line will be able to pass back and forth freely."

"OK."

Silence. Wendy smiled again, sadly, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "Take care of yourself, Baelfire."

"You too."

She waved cheerfully as she got into the car. He watched them drive away until they took the turn out of town and he could no longer see them. And then he stared at the road. "Bae?" Belle eventually asked softly.

He turned towards the library. "We can go."

"OK."

They were half way there when he said, "I should work on my math today."

"Would you like some help?" Belle asked.

He didn't know why, but he said, "Actually… Papa?"

In front of him, his father stopped and stared at him. "You want…?"

Bae shrugged. "If you want."

Papa looked like he might cry. "Of course I do."

"OK," Bae said. They started walking.


It was cold, but Ruby had gone for a run on the beach. The town was celebrating the collapse of the ice wall (the villain defeated in less then a week? Emma was getting good at this), but she still felt trapped. She knew that most of the peasantry was happy to be back on Earth, with its indoor plumbing, television, and democracy, but Ruby hadn't been a peasant since the day she had learned what she was.

She was a werewolf, and she did not belong in this world.

As the weather had turned, even Anton had had to give up trying to grow magic beans for the season. He'd thought he'd manage to salvage a plant back when the second curse first started, but the bean that had been growing had withered and died, and nothing had come of it since.

Back then, everyone's concern had been escaping Zelena. And then Ingrid. Now that the wall had been taken down, there were rumblings about leaving town (the Darlings already had), people talking about how the next witch would be no threat in the world beyond the town line. But for Ruby, that was no escape.

She needed magic. She needed her people. Snow had found her happy ending, and all around her, Ruby's friends were drawing closer to families and lovers. But not her. Granny was her only family, and she would not be around forever. No lover could take the place of Peter, and she was too afraid of repeating history to let them try.

She needed escape, and so she ran.

She stumbled when her foot hit something hard. "What the hell?" It was a bottle. "Ugh." Assholes drinking on the beach. At least pick up after yourselves!

Not wanting someone else trip on the thing - or, worse, for a kid to cut themselves if it broke - Ruby pulled the bottle out of the sand. "What…?"

A message in a bottle? And now that she looked for it, it felt like magic. Ruby turned and sprinted towards the road; Gold had to see this.


Rumplestiltskin did not know what Bae was thinking. He'd expected to be back where they'd been after Regina's curse had broken, only with one more hurt, one more betrayal to contend with. But Bae was talking to him. True, they did focus on the old standby - his schoolwork - but Bae was legitimately behind from two months of neglect preceded by a school year that had never happened.

Perhaps it was Belle. No, Rumplestiltskin was sure it was Belle. Bae had been wary of her then, but now she was his mother in all but name. She'd told him of how much they had relied on each other while he had been in Zelena's thrall, and if there was anything that could bring him comfort about that time, it was knowing that.

But things were not mended, and Rumplestiltskin did not know how to mend them. They had an appointment to see Dr. Hopper the next day, but Rumplestiltskin did not know how much good that would do. This was no simple misunderstanding, it was a betrayal, one he had engaged in knowingly.

They looked up when the shop bell rang. Like most unexpected sounds these days, it made Rumplestiltskin start and his heart race. He only hoped it was not Emma reporting that Malcolm had escaped.

"Gold!" the younger werewolf said, plopping a glass bottle with message inside onto the counter, "I found this on the beach. It's magic."

Belle emerged from the back, greeting their guest, "Ruby. How are you?"

"Hey, Belle. Same old, same old. I found something on the beach."

"Indeed you did," Rumplestiltskin said, picking it up carefully. The wolf was right; it was magic - the Sorcerer's magic to be precise.

"Any idea what it is? It looks like a message in a bottle."

"That is exactly what it is. This bottle is enchanted. It's the Sorcerer's magic."

"Whoa," she said.

Bae took a step back. "Can you tell what kind of enchantment it is?" Belle asked.

"Yes. It's enchanted to find the person to which the letter inside is addressed." He took the bottle by the neck and opened it.

"Is that a good idea?" Bae asked trepidatiously.

"I sense no other enchantments. And I believe this letter may help us determine just want the Sorcerer's endgame is." He pulled out the letter and read it. Indeed.

"What does it say?" Belle asked.

"It's addressed to Elsa and Anna, from their mother."

"Their mother? Their mother drowned nearly forty years ago in another realm," Bae said.

Rumplestiltskin nodded. "Hence why the Sorcerer had to intervene to ensure it arrived here and now."

"What does it say?" Belle asked. He handed it to her.

"If I am not mistaken, the Sorcerer does not intend it for Anna or Elsa at all, but for Ingrid."

Belle read it quickly, her blue eyes darting across the page. She looked up. "Gerda loved her after all."

Rumplestiltskin nodded. "It seems so. I believe I have some calls to make."


"This is a trick," Ingrid insisted. "The Dark One has deceived you." She slid her eyes over to Gold, who was standing in the corner, his hand folded primly over the top of his cane.

Emma held the letter out to her. "One way to find out. That memory stone - is that something that can be faked?"

She snatched the letter up, reading it before looking at the seal on the bottom. "It's real," Anna insisted. "That is out mother's handwriting. If you knew her, you should know that." She seemed to think this could 'save' Ingrid. Emma had her doubts.

Ingrid glared at Anna, then extended her finger over the stone, hesitant to touch it. Flexing her hand a couple of times, she finally did, gasping as the air shimmered around her. She brought her hands to her face and began to cry. "They loved me. They really loved me."

If Emma's superpower were not telling her that Ingrid was sincere, she would not have believed it. That's it? Thirty plus years stalking us and that's all it takes? "Where?" Ingrid begged Gold, "Where did you find this?"

"I didn't. Miss Lucas did; she found it on the beach in an enchanted bottle. It's the Sorcerer's magic. If you needed further proof that he was using you, dearie, I think you have it. You've failed your mission, and so he is done with you."

"I… I don't believe you."

Gold shrugged and conjured the bottle, setting it on the table. "See for yourself."

She picked it up, examining it furiously. She set it down with a thunk. "Why? Why would he do this?"

"We were hoping you could help us with that," Emma said. "Just what did the Sorcerer say to you?" Ingrid looked to her, uncomprehending.

"Please," Elsa said, "The Sorcerer has something planned for Emma, something that involves her blood tainted by darkness. If you care about her, please tell us."

"I… I never spoke with the Sorcerer, only the Apprentice. He told me about Emma, that she was my sister. He gave me a scroll with instructions-"

"We found it," Emma said. "There's something in there about Gold needing a heart to use the Hat; do you know why the Apprentice would want you to know that?"

"I thought… I was going to trade that for the ribbons." She looked at Gold. "The ribbons, where are they?"

"Consumed by the Hat," Gold said, "Like your barriers and the mirror."

"That's what we suspected," Emma said to Gold. He nodded. "Anything else? Did the Apprentice mention anything else? Did he tell you how to find me out there? The scroll only mentioned Storybrooke."

"No. I didn't know where to look. I looked for allies, but… their magic was false. So I started with Storybrooke. I heard the story about the baby found by the side of the road, and I knew it was you; I had to arrange the rest myself."

"That seems like leaving a lot to chance," Emma muttered.

"Unless he - or the gods - were arranging things behind the scenes. Remember that Reul Ghorm was also in play," Gold said.

"She was?" Ingrid asked. "What did she do?"

"She got August to send Emma to jail," Anna blurted out before Emma could tell Ingrid it was none of her business.

"She… you're sure? It was her?"

"Oh, yeah," Emma said.

"Please," Ingrid said, "Please, I want to help. Tell me what she's done."

Emma held up a hand to cut off Anna's "helpful" rambling. "You first. You've got the pieces we haven't been able to add to the puzzle yet. Tell us everything the Apprentice said, word for word if you can. And everything you did."

Emma took a seat and pulled out a notebook. Elsa sat next to her, and Anna sat on the table. Gold stayed in the corner, absorbing every word.