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Chapter 14
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"Hey, Emma. You don't have to help me if you don't want to." Henry flicked his practice sword up and onto his shoulder.
"Don't do that, Henry- if that were a real blade, you would cut your shoulder." Emma snapped back immediately.
"Oh, right." Henry said sheepishly. "But it looks cool."
"Lots of things look cool because they are dangerous." Emma pointed out. "Which is why you need to respect them."
"Ok." Henry agreed.
Emma rubbed her forehead with her non-sword hand and sighed. "I do really want to help you, Henry. I'm sorry I'm distracted."
"Are you sick? You went to bed really late after the party the other night. And you've been acting weird since then."
Emma gave him a sharp look. "You are too observant for your own good, kid." She muttered.
Henry screwed up his nose as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Rumpelstiltskin's been acting weird, too, did you catch it from him?" Emma jerked as if he had hit her, which kind of scared Henry. And how intensely she focused on him was definitely intimidating. "Um..." Henry said uneasily. "Forget I asked."
"You've been talking to him?"
"Er... no?" Henry winced. "And certainly not making any deals!" He added hastily.
"You're not in trouble, Henry. I just... want to know how he's doing." Emma said, putting her sword in the rack and sitting on the bench.
Henry followed suit. "Um... you talk to him more than I do. What do you think?"
"Please just tell me, Henry." Emma said, sighing and slumping a bit.
"Well, I dunno. He's being sort of twitchy. Like he was when we first got back. You know, before you found me in the cell." Henry tapped his fingers on his legs, thinking. "Maybe something disrupted the curse? He said last time that he was dealing with the feelings again and he wasn't used to it."
"Ok..." Emma nodded. "Um... anything else?"
"Um... I guess he's been nicer?"
"What do you mean?" Emma asked, leaning forward intently again.
"Well, I dunno. Before, I would ask him to help me out with stuff, you know, cause I get stuck or whatever. He used to laugh at me and make fun of me when I asked, but if I paid attention to the parts he was teasing me about, that was the answer." Henry scratched the back of his head. "But for the past couple days he's just been helping-helping. And telling me these long stories about how the things I'm learning could be used. Which is really wicked... but I don't know why he's doing it."
Emma sighed and put her chin in her hand, looking away from Henry pensively.
"Why don't you just call him? You have the dagger, right?"
Emma flinched. Henry blinked in surprise at her intense reaction.
"I can't do that." Emma said hoarsely. "I won't."
"Um. Ok?" Henry looked around the practice salle, fiddling with the ends of his shirt sleeves.
Emma looked at her son and huffed fondly. "Sorry, Henry. I'm just a bit out of sorts. I think you're right, I caught something from Rumpelstiltskin. I'm sure I'll be fine." She smiled sadly. "But remember what you said about it being mean to force him to do stuff?"
"Yeah?" Henry replied, not sure where she was going with this.
"Well, I agree. So I'm not going to make him come if he doesn't want to."
"Oh. Well... why wouldn't he want to? I thought you liked each other?" Henry asked, puzzled.
Emma winced again. "Yeah. Well, grown-ups can be really silly sometimes. Especially when we've... given each other illnesses."
"Uh huh." Henry said wryly. "You know I'm almost eleven, not two, right?"
Emma grinned sheepishly. "Of course I do, kid." She rubbed her hands on her legs nervously. "How could I forget when your birthday party is in a month."
"Six weeks." Henry corrected, grinning.
Emma grinned back, looking relieved. "Yes, well, soon anyway. That's not the sort of thing one can forget, is it?"
"No." Henry replied easily. He knew his mom thought he had forgotten her odd line of questioning. But she really should know better. He noticed that both she and his grandma (which was still kind of weird to think of his school teacher as) had a tendency to think that people would just drop stuff. Even though the knew that neither of them would, and that Henry was their flesh and blood. Why would he? So he tucked the conversation in his mental folder for Operation:Viper.
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Henry knew that his first step in this new phase of Operation: Viper had to be the gathering of allies. So he tracked down the resident wolf and Rumpelstiltskin's best friend. He found the pair in the library, where they tended to hide. Henry knew they were unhappy here... but he wasn't totally sure why. Hello- fairy tale castle!
"Henry!" Belle exclaimed. "Not you, too?"
"Um. What?" Henry asked in confusion. Who else was recruiting for Operation: Viper?
"Oh. You're not here to convince us to move in with Rumpelstiltskin?"
Henry's face stretched into a gigantic, involuntary grin. "You are! He'll love that!" Henry danced in place, almost squeeing in happiness. Someone was in on Operation: Viper, though not the new super secret arm of the plan.
Red rolled her eyes. "Well, he wasn't in on the plot, but you had to go and mention it to him." She said wryly.
"Oh, Henry, honey, it would be a terrible idea to go live with him, no matter what Emma says." Belle wrung her hands worriedly.
"Emma suggested it?" Henry blinked. Well... that was interesting.
"Well, yes." Belle replied. "Who else would think of such a crazy idea."
She had a point. But... "It's not a crazy idea. You've lived with him before." Henry pointed out.
"Well, I have..." Belle trailed off.
"I doubt he would like the two of us living together." Red sighed. "Who would?"
"Oh." Henry frowned in confusion. "I guess... but why wouldn't he like you, Red? You're really cool."
"Thanks, Henry, but there's a bit more to it than that..." Red muttered.
"And you are both cursed so you could be curse-buddies!" Henry smiled.
Red paled and gulped. "Uh..."
Belle patted her shoulder. "He meant that positively." She assured her girlfriend.
"Right." Red sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Well, I know it's technically against the law to be cursed, but that's stupid. Plus you're the Queen's friend and helped save us all and stuff." Henry said dismissively. "But anyway- yeah, you should go live with Rumpelstiltskin!"
"Shh!" Belle shushed him. "Not so loud." She craned her neck, then looked to Red, who shook her head, tapping her nose. Belle relaxed. "He would definitely not welcome me back, after how we left off..."
"Oh, sure he would!" Henry grinned happily. "He was about to offer you a place to stay when the Evil Queen said your father kicked you out. He was really upset at the thought of you with no place to go."
"How do you know that?" Belle blinked in confusion.
"There was a storybook with all of your tales in there." Henry said happily.
"So... you know the details of everyone's life. Including the private bits we wouldn't want anyone but people very close to us to know... if even then?" Red asked sharply.
Henry deflated. "Oh." He scratched the back of his neck. "Um... yeah. I guess so."
Red glared at him with eyes that started to glow a bit yellow.
"Urk!" Henry gulped. "I'm sorry! It was to break the curse!"
Red growled until Belle put a hand on her arm, and she subsided, grumbling, looking at Henry warily out of the corner of her eye.
"Henry... you really think he would let us stay with him?" Belle asked finally.
"Oh, sure. He's not a bad guy... even with that Dark One stuff. He knows how to keep the curse in check." Henry nodded quickly, sneaking unsubtle glances at Belle's rather wolf-y looking girlfriend.
"Really?" Belle smiled cautiously, hopefully.
"Yeah." Henry looked back at Belle. "But you definitely shouldn't kiss him again."
"Oh, no problem." Belle said wryly.
"And certainly not try to break his curse. He likes it, I think. He seems happier than as Mr. Gold." Henry added.
"You think so, too?" Belle asked, shaking her head. "That's what Emma said."
"Well, she is my mom. So we're both really perceptive." Henry said proudly.
"Uh huh." Belle smiled.
"Well, what have we got to lose?" Red shrugged.
"Our lives?" Belle replied sarcastically.
"Rumpelstiltskin doesn't kill people." Henry protested. "Well... I mean, he used to but he said that was uncouth and he didn't like it anymore."
"Thanks, Henry. That's really reassuring." Belle shook her head.
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"Oh, I don't know that this is a good idea." Belle said nervously, her hand raised and her fist hanging listlessly.
"Just knock on the damn door. He's had a while to cool off, and Emma and Henry said that they thought it would be fine." Red rolled her eyes fondly.
"But she didn't say why she thought it would be fine..." Belle trailed off nervously. "Henry had some good arguments." She allowed. "But he's just a kid!"
"The princess talks to the imp frequently- she said as much. That he won't leave her alone. So, it makes sense that she would know." Red shrugged. "And that brat knows more than is good for him... and anyway, he's usually right. If you can't trust royalty in this land, who can you trust?"
"But Rumpelstiltskin can be... very tricky to figure out what he actually means. He has blatant signs if you can see through the posturing, but I don't know where Emma is on that scale." Belle replied worriedly. "Or Henry... he always sees the good in everyone."
"I am sure that she can tell- they call her the 'Truth Seeker' for a reason." Red said dryly. "She might even be better at it than you are, with him." She shrugged. "I think the fact that he constantly is bugging those two means he has enough patience to deal with us."
Belle looked affronted. "Know him better? I should think not! She hasn't known him nearly as long as I have!"
Red smirked. Plan working. "Oh, I don't know... she did know him in his other form, and you didn't really. There is a certain amount of bleed over of personality from the other world, especially since he recalls everything that happened, unlike the rest of us."
"Hah! So what? She didn't even know about magic back then, which is a huge part of who he is." Belle huffed. "Even if we were to break the curse, it would be a huge portion of his life."
Red looked at her lover in alarm. "Remember what they said, though."
"Yes, I know." Belle sighed. Henry had been pretty adamant, but it had been impossible to argue with Emma about the curse breaking. The princess had strongly recommended leaving the castle and that Rumpelstiltskin would be thrilled to see them, but she had been even more forceful that breaking the curse would be terrible for him. "It is a curse, though. I don't quite get why he wouldn't want to be free of it."
"Emma is not one to say anything without absolute proof, at least not that implacably." Red reminded. "You want him to be happy, right?"
"Of course. That's why I would never try to do it without his permission." Belle nodded.
"Not try again without his permission." Red smirked.
Belle flushed. "Right. Well... exactly. He never seems happy, though, I mean, not really." She shrugged.
"Being happy or not does not have to have anything to do with being under a curse." Red said pointedly, her hand unconsciously fiddling with the edge of her cloak.
"Oh, I know, Red." Belle smiled beautifully. "I think you mean we need to find him a wife."
"Or husband." Red added.
Belle's laugh pealed out into the gloom surrounding the Dark Castle, making it seem a bit lighter.
The door banged open, startling the two of them.
"Who is distur..." Rumpelstiltskin shouted, only to stumble to a halt, staring at the two of them.
"Oh, um... hello." Belle said nervously, pushing her skirts down with two worried hands.
Rumpelstiltskin just stared at them.
"So..." Red prompted, but the two of them didn't take the hint. She sighed.
Rumpelstiltskin's eyes flicked over to Red. "I won't lift your curse." He snapped.
"Oh. Ok." Red rubbed the back of her neck, then froze. "You mean it can be lifted?"
He frowned at her, his eyebrow twitching. "Of course it can be lifted, dearie- I was there when your family was first cursed. But it is a blood-tied curse, and the price is more than you could ever pay." He bared his teeth at her.
"I see." Red tilted her head contemplatively at him. "But the curse has been on my family since my great-grandparent's time." She grinned. "You are old."
Rumpelstiltskin sneered at her. "Yes, yes. Did you all come to my doorstep to insult me, then? How very lovely, what a nice thing to do." He moved back and made as if to close the door.
"Wait!" Belle stepped forward and Rumpelstiltskin stilled again uncertainly. "We came... um... because... well..."
Red sighed. If she wasn't secure in the fact that Belle loved her, she would think her twitterpated. Rumpelstiltskin was looking at her rather uncertainly as well. "We came because no one is willing to put up with our perversion." Red said.
Belle looked at her gratefully.
A grin spread across Rumpelstiltskin's face, overly cheerful. "I already told you I couldn't do a thing for your curse, dearie. So if you will excuse me..." He tried again to close the door, rather hurriedly in fact.
Red caught it, much to his apparent annoyance. "Not that!" She snapped.
"Then... what?" Rumpelstiltskin's brow furrowed, both in confusion and because he was unable to budge Red. Sometimes, having supernatural wolf-strength was helpful. Such as when facing off with another supernaturally enhanced being. Fortunately wolf beat imp, especially since she had a good couple inches and probably a few kilos of muscle on him. Red grinned, letting her canines show in her amusement. Rumpelstiltskin let out a puff of air in irritation.
"Well, our love." Belle answered the question, sad about her statement, but a small quirk in her lips from their antics.
Rumpelstiltskin abruptly let go of the door, causing Red to stumble. "The goody-two-shoes are upset about love?" He asked in utter bewilderment.
"Not love- our love. Specifically." Belle prompted.
Rumpelstiltskin scratched his head. "It's 'True Love', isn't it? I can see it on you." He looked a bit disgusted, causing Belle to wilt, though his statement that he could tell had made her perk up a bit. "Belle, dear, you are not making much sense. They are all in love over there, so what? Usually people 'in love'" He air-quotes-ed it, looking disgruntled "are all about sharing it and having everyone be happy around them."
Belle looked at him in confusion. "Well, yes. Snow and Charming have been supportive."
"But it is unnatural for two women to love each other." Red decided to cut to the chase.
Understanding dawned on Rumpelstiltskin. He burst out laughing.
"What exactly is so funny?" Red growled, while Belle just regarded him quizzically.
Rumpelstiltskin grasped onto the door, wheezing. The two women watched him with various expressions until he got a hold of himself. "Ah, Good. It is always a riot to see what righteous knots they are going to twist themselves into. I think I need to use that for my next deal..." He giggled.
"Um, ok." Belle's eyebrows furrowed. "It's not funny for us." She added.
"Right, right. Of course." He wiped tears off his scaly skin, sticking one into a bottle curiously. He hmmed when it turned dark. "I wouldn't expect it to be. It is so rare to have same-sex True Love here, with procreation being so important in the culture, and all. I think it would be much more pre-va-lent in the other world." He sang 'prevalent' and stuck the bottle of his tears inside his vest. He looked at them shrewdly. "Well, as much as I appreciate the laughs, dearies, you haven't said why you are here."
"Oh." Belle rubbed her arm with her other hand.
Rumpelstiltskin blinked. "Oh." He echoed. After a brief silence, something like hope struggled to bloom in his expression. "You... need a place to stay?" He asked hesitantly.
"I know that you like your solitude, but we could clean for you. And Red is a great cook... at least, now she is... and... well, I did enjoy staying here before, even if you made me, really, so... it could be just for a little bit." Belle babbled. She cut herself off when the words seemed to smack Rumpelstiltskin in the back of the head hard enough to daze him.
He swallowed reflexively. "You... want to stay... with me?" He asked uncertainly.
"Well... yes." Belle said.
Rumpelstiltskin turned to Red. "You as well?"
"Obviously." Red crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
"Oh." Rumpelstiltskin blinked, turning back to Belle. "But I let you go."
"And I'd like to come back." Belle replied. "If you'd let me?" She finished hesitantly. "I'm so sorry about before! I won't try to break your curse without your consent again, I swear! It was a terrible thing to do, and it's your decision." Belle added when he didn't say anything. "Oh... maybe this was a bad idea..." She backed up. "I know I haven't been the best to you..."
"No!" Rumpelstiltskin shook himself out of his shock, stepping forward and gesturing helplessly with his hand. Belle squeaked at the sudden movement. "I mean, it would be lovely if you girls would like to stay for a little while." He said more softly. "I certainly have the room." He smiled ironically.
"Really!" Belle squealed.
"I don't see why not..." Rumpelstiltskin said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Oh, thank you, Rumple!" Belle squealed, launching herself at him. He caught her out of pure reflex as she glomped him.
"Erm..." Rumpelstiltskin looked helplessly at Red, looking for rescue. Red shrugged at him.
Belle released him quickly and stepped back, looking at Rumpelstiltskin pointedly.
Rumpelstiltskin blinked, then shook his head in chagrin and stepped back, sweeping into a bow. "Would you two lov-e-ly ladies like to come in?" He asked.
"Why, thank you, sir." Belle said snootily, sweeping past him. Red followed snickering, mouthing 'thank you' to the imp before following her lover inside.
Rumpelstiltskin fidgeted for a second, looking happily lost in the doorway, before doing a little skip step and following them. The doors closed behind him.
"Oh... my." Belle said, trailing off in despair.
"What?" Rumpelstiltskin asked defensively.
"Um... well." Belle gestured hopelessly. The foyer of was covered in at least an inch of dust and debris in most places, looking rather like snow. There were some impressively large cobwebs stringing from the rafters. But more than that- nothing was in its place. The hangings were torn down and heaped on the floor underneath, there were mushed gold objects in various states of being dismembered, the occasional jewel gleaming from a dust bunny like a demented eye. And not a single intact pane of glass in the entire place.
"We were gone for several decades." Rumpelstiltskin said stiffly. "And though my wards were mostly intact, some persistent people seem to have made it through and looted the place."
"Oh." Belle blinked.
"The roof's intact?" Red asked.
"For the most part." Rumpelstiltskin stiffened further, looking like he was about to raise hackles, if he had them.
"Well, let's start with those leaks and go from there." Red said practically.
"Oooh. You know how to repair shingles?" Belle asked, eyes shining.
"That I do." Red grinned.
"You never cease to amaze me, Red." Belle grinned. She moved closer. "How ever will we be safe up there? There are all manner of... gargoyles."
"All the better to secure you to, my dear." Red grinned wolfishly.
Rumpelstiltskin cleared his throat.
"Oh!" Belle looked up at him sheepishly. "Sorry, Rumple."
"It's fine dearies." Rumpelstiltskin smirked. "I do appreciate the offer, but I think it would be best if you let me handle the structural stuff."
"If you can fix it with magic, why haven't you done so?" Belle asked in confusion. "For that matter, why did you make me clean everything?" She continued, more hotly.
Rumpelstiltskin raised an eyebrow. "Anything can be done with magic, dearie."
"But all magic comes at a price." Belle and Red recited together.
Rumpelstiltskin looked indignant. "I like saying that part." He said finally, pouting.
"Ah, sorry, Rumple." Belle grinned.
"We can repair the roof, save yourself for the windows. Unless you just want to deal for new glass, I suppose. It will take that to get the windows redone. And I don't fancy being here in the winter with these large panes empty." Red said contemplatively.
"The rooms are mostly intact." Rumpelstiltskin replied. "And the magic that keeps the temperature mild is still there as well, though it does feel more strain without structural support."
"Hmm." Red hummed. "Well, we can fix it with a mix, then. It will give Belle and I something to do to repay your kindness."
"It's not kindness." Rumpelstiltskin said softly.
"Oh, nonsense!" Belle retorted.
Rumpelstiltskin grinned wickedly. "Taking in two young maidens, having them stay in my house... no one will think that kindness is my main motivation. I am quite sure you will no longer have any sort of proprietary reputation after staying with a man, me in particular."
"We can discuss three-somes later." Red smirked, patting him on a shocked cheek as she breezed by. "Belle- you must show me where the brooms are kept. Hopefully they did not run off with the rest of the goods."
"Coming!" Belle called after her cheerfully. "And, Rumple, we are not having a three-some, as much as I love you." She added before she raced after her lover.
Rumpelstiltskin stood, looking at where they had disappeared and listening to the occasional thump in the distance. His expression couldn't figure out where it wanted to land. "Well, at least it will be interesting..." He muttered to himself, before an uncertain smile won the battle for his face.
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A/N: Running out of written stuff and new episode tomorrow. So there might be a gap of a few days to a week (or more... but I promise I'll try to keep up that pace!). Depending on how much the new episode changes and/or is awesome.