Author's Note: This fic must be the definition of "I know you guys hate me for the slow updates". I'm so sorry it took me so long. I had a block, then things happened and it took me ages to finish this chapter, but I already have the rest of the fic sorted out, I know what I'm going to do which hopefully will make things easier for future updates to come faster. I did not abandon it in any way.
There was always a commotion whenever visitors came to the dark castle, but usually it was a good one. Gideon and Rose had just appeared in the great hall to greet their brother and sister-in-law when they heard the screams and in a slit second their father had disappeared. They exchanged a quick glance before rushing outside the castle with Neal and Emma on their heels, unsure of what exactly could be happening.
None of them were really expecting anything by now s they had just returned home after a very unfortunate episode, but apparently life couldn't give them a damn break. Gideon had spent hours considering different ways of telling his father about Roderick – because now that his mother knew, he couldn't hide the facts for long anymore – however the time once more, didn't seem to be the right one, but then it might never be.
Outside the castle, Rumplestitskin was kneeling on the floor, supporting Mrs. Potts' body in one of his arms as she tried to stand up again. Neal immediately offered his hand to help and together, father and son pulled her back on her feet, although she still didn't look very secure in her shaking legs. Mrs. Potts looked like she had seen a ghost, her face had gone pale and she desperately clutched at her apron, making it clear, how nervous she was.
"Papa, what is happening?" Neal asked the question everybody was obviously anticipating.
The imp looked up at him, the haunted expression in his face making Gideon's heart skip a bit and suddenly, even before the answer left his father's lips, he knew exactly what had happened, because there was only one person for who Rumplestiltskin would be this scared. The only person not present there, gathered with them by the castle's gates.
"Someone took Belle," the Dark One mumbled.
Rose's nails dig on the skin of his hand, he felt her shiver by his side. So, they were right this whole time, someone was really plotting to ruin their family.
"What?" Neal blinked. "Why?"
"Because somebody is apparently trying to test my patience but, oh, whoever did this will end this day dead."
The murderous look that overtook Rumplestiltskin's face, replacing his fear and concern, was definitely something to worry about. They all knew him well enough to be aware of the things he would do for his loved ones and for Belle – his wife, his heart – he would kill and die. Gideon was about to start a phrase, tell him to be rational like his mother would, but he was already grabbing Emma's arm, starting to drag her away, however the princess planted her feet on the ground, narrowing her eyebrows at him and refusing to leave.
"You're coming with me," the Dark One insisted.
"Where?"
"Wherever this freaking woman has taken my wife!"
"Wait, you can't go away like this," Neal interfered, standing between their father and his wife. "Let's take a seat a think about it."
It only served to irritate Rumple even more, but what he didn't understand was that they were all preoccupied too, however starting a blind search only guided by anger, wasn't going to help with anything. Gideon was pretty aware that his father's love for his mother prevented him from thinking clearly right now and he imagined that if it was Roderick who was missing, he would act like a crazy man too, but it wasn't so everything he could do was try to help.
"Are you mad, Baelfire?" Rumplestiltskin inquired.
"Please," Gideon said, "it is the rational thing to do, we need to take Mrs. Potts inside first."
He knew his father was about to protest, but he didn't quite have the time to, as Emma pulled away from him and passed an arm around Mrs. Potts shoulders, helping her inside as Neal and Rose followed them, leaving a very angry imp to snort and take his son's lead back to their castle. This kidnapping still sounded very unclear to Gideon and, as they brought the maid to the dining hall and he summoned a glass of water for her, Gideon tried to look back to the whole last year in an attempt to understand who, would have any reasons to take his mother.
"Here, drink this," he said, offering the water to Mrs. Potts.
"Thank you."
She sat down on his mother's reading chase and with the corner of his eyes, Gideon noticed Mr. Dove taking Chip and Colette upstairs, probably already knowing something bad was happening. His father came closer, impatiently glancing at the maid.
"Tell me more about the woman who took my wife," the imp demanded.
Mrs. Potts nodded, licking her own white lips before starting to speak.
"She was a bit taller than Lady Belle, she was older, was wearing black and had chestnut hair. She was powerful."
Rumplestiltsking sucked a breath, being the stillest he had been since this whole mess began. Even though he didn't know what could be passing through his father's mind, Gideon knew that it couldn't be good.
"It can't be," the imp whispered.
"Papa?" Rose called him, nervously playing with the golden rings in her fingers.
Ignoring her, he turned back to Emma.
"You. Contact Henry now, I want answers about Wonderland and he better have them!"
"Wonderland?" Gideon inquired. "Papa, what do you mean?"
He swallowed hard, his eyes unable to focusing in any of them.
"I think Regina's mother got Belle."
Then, with a flourish of his hand, Rumplestiltskin vanished from the dining hall, leaving them to wonder if he was right or not.
Belle didn't know how many time she spent locked in that cage with Ella before the guards appeared, but it certainly wasn't a nice time. Her back was hurt, she couldn't possibly find a comfortable position to seat and her bump seemed to have suddenly grown in weight, making everything more difficult. She was tired enough to have slept had she been able to take the cold and hard ground as a mattress, but unfortunately, she wasn't, so Belle just kept staring at the stone walls, hearing Ella's bitter murmurs about how they were going to die in there.
She couldn't allow herself to think like that. Belle had plans. Gods, just that morning she and Rumple were talking about books and cribs, how could it all seem so distant now? She was supposed to be at home, helping him to find a way to get rid of the dagger, talking to her children, helping settle a guest room for Neal and Emma… Not here.
When the guards came, she didn't know what exactly to expect, but she felt afraid when they broke into her prison and rudely took her out, however although Belle fought against them, she didn't scream for help, because she knew nobody would come in her rescue, she was alone, left to save herself. They dragged her through long, infinity hallways until they reached what seemed to be a small dining hall, with a large – not as large as the one in the dark castle – wooden table in which a whole afternoon tea set was served, the woman who took her there, sat by the head of the table with a delighted smile in her red lips.
"Sit," Cora commanded.
The guards untightened the grip in Belle's arms, pushing her against the table as if to give some emphasis to the lady's words and she sighed, stressed, pulling a chair for herself and sliding onto it.
"I wasn't expecting any special treatment given the fact you kidnapped me," Belle started with all the petulance she had, "but I guess tea is not that bad."
"You really think you should be using this tone with me? Do you have any idea of who am I?"
"Cora, Regina and Zelena's mother," she completed. "I've heard a lot about you."
"So, you know what I'm capable of."
Although she didn't do it, Belle really felt like rolling her eyes at her. A long time ago, even before Gideon was born, Rumplestiltskin had told her a lot of stories about his past in an attempt to strengthen their relationship and one of those stories included Cora. He believed her to be dead by know – or at least that much he hoped as he resented that woman very, very much – but here she was as alive as one can be.
"Sure, but I'm curious," Belle said, looking straight at Cora. "Is this about the thing you had with Rumplestiltskin years ago or you're really just helping your friend to get what she wants?"
"I never do anything out of the goodness in my heart," Cora laughed, sipping her tea. There was an empty cup in front of Belle and a teapot nearby, an invitation for a drink, but she would rather die thirsty than to give Cora the chance of poisoning her with it. "I have an interest too, of course, but it has nothing to do with my past with Rumplestiltskin."
"So why me? And why Ella?"
Pulling her teacup down Cora took a moment to analyse Belle's curious expression. She had too heard a lot about her, well, actually, Cora had done a lot of research when it come about the Dark Lady. The Queen of Hearts never thought somebody would be able to have the same effect she did in Rumplestiltskin, but she found out Belle had an even bigger one. What he had with her was a lot more than the physical attraction he had felt for Cora, their relationship wasn't based in stolen nights, but in a deep kind of love she would never understand.
Someday, back to a distant past, Cora had believed herself in love with the imp, but after months of observation, she concluded that even if what she felt for him could one day evolve to love, it would never be reciprocal. At least, not that way. It would never be True Love. But she didn't really care about it, she would have her happy ending once Gothel casted her curse – the same one Regina had once the chance of casting but was never able to.
"You two have a kind of fire we can't find often," Cora said. "Your daughter has it too, but it is just a tiny flame, it is not like yours. She is kind of a coward like her father."
Belle's eyebrows narrowed.
"How do you know Rose?"
"She came to me a few months ago," she shrugged. "I was hoping Maleficent would eat her and the boy alive, but I believe they never made it to her place."
A surprised gasp left Belle. Rose could trust her for some things, like talking about her relationship with Roland, but apparently, she still secrets of her own. Belle had no idea why her daughter would seek for someone like Cora, but she betted she had met her as a commoner in the village, not as her father's evil old girlfriend or her boyfriend's evil grandmother.
"How long have you been plotting this?"
"Oh, long, really long. Who do you think encouraged Agathe to get to Rumple?" Cora winked. "I must say I was hoping to kill you on my own, but as everything failed, I think Gothel's plan is the best option."
These words made a new lump appear on Belle's throat. She been separated from her husband for so many time because of that woman?
"You helped Agathe?"
"I tried, she is too dumb to not do things right."
"I must have known…" Belle trailed off. "But why would you do all of this?"
"Because we need power and getting the Dark One's dagger is the only way I'll get it right now."
She didn't know who "we" were, if Cora and Gothel or somebody else, but it didn't sound good in any possible way. Belle couldn't allow them to get anywhere near her husband's dagger, because it wasn't just the power who would belong to Cora and her evil friends if they got their hand's in it, but his freedom too.
"And you thought what? That Rumple would be willing to trade the dagger for me?"
"No, I expected to weaken him," Cora said, tracing the border of her teacup. "First you, then the children and once everyone he loved was gone, he would be begging to be killed."
"This is a really stupid plan," Belle scorned.
And it really was. Of course, she couldn't know the reasons why they were planning all this or what was their purpose, but even so, there were better ways of capturing the Dark One without harming is family. Unless you were trying to make him suffer.
"Oh, I bet you would have come up with something smarter," the Queen of Hearts rolled her eyes.
"Probably, yes," Belle shrugged, laying a protective hand on her stomach. "You have no idea what I'm capable of when it comes to my family, Cora. And if I were you, I wouldn't try to find out."
Cora's dark eyes narrowed as they fell to her middle-section.
"Gothel will like to know about the babe. She was in need of a pure soul for her own plans."
Her jaw fell open and she stumbled up, walking as far from Cora as she could before the guards came to her side, gripping her arms painfully tight again, making her hiss and her eyes get full of tears, but she held her chin up anyway, defying that vile woman.
"Don't you dare thinking about taking my babe."
"I'll do whatever I want and whenever I wish," Cora stated, then turned to the guards, commanding. "Take her away."
"No, Cora," Belle yelled. "I swear to all of the gods that if you touch my baby I'll kill you! I will!"
Her screams echoed in the hallways until she was thrown back inside the cell.
Rose had lead them to Neal's old chambers, the same ones in which they stayed whenever they came to visit and Emma immediately reached for the chest they had brought with clothes taking the dresses from the top of it and picking the hand mirror from inside of it. She still wasn't sure if calling Henry back was the best option, but if she didn't do it, Emma was afraid she would end the day as a snail, because she had never seen Rumplestiltskin so angry before.
Only a bit of magic was needed for her son to appear in the mirror, wearing a big red shawl around his shoulders, apparently sat against a tree. He looked really tired, which broke her heart a bit.
"Henry!"
"Mom," he looked up with a small smile. "It is nice to see you, but I'm afraid I can't talk for long."
"No, listen," she begged. "Your grandfather might have a clue about Ella!"
It wasn't exactly a clue and she knew it very well, but it could be as Gideon had quickly explained for them, his clever brain working as fast as waterfall, while the rest of them were merely trying to process the whole situation.
"What?" Henry asked, surely not convinced of that.
"Henry you need to come back home," Neal interfered, taking the mirror from Emma's hand so he was in sight. "That might be the only way you have to find your wife."
"But he is not sure if this clue will take me to Ella, right?"
"Nothing is sure now, Henry," Emma answered. "But Lucy misses you."
It made him reconsider everything. His eyes became sad and all she could see was the little boy he once was and not the man in the other side of the mirror. He wanted to go back home but he feared if he did he would never see the love of his life again.
"I miss her too," Henry admitted. "Every single day."
"Then come back," Neal insisted.
There was a moment of hesitation, but then, maybe his weariness or his eagerness to meet his daughter again, made Henry nod and they could see that he was picking his things up from the ground with a determination that not even his most faithful letters contained.
"I'll be there in two days."
"We are at the dark castle waiting for you," Emma guaranteed.
With a last smile, Henry disappeared, being replaced by their reflex.