She sat in her room for a long time after she'd finally been sick. And though she was loathed to admit it, she did feel better almost instantly. She didn't know if it was the morning sickness or the shock or a combination of both, but her stomach ache was nothing but a memory fading a little bit more with each passing second as she stared around the cabin. She had no idea what was going on outside. She heard voices, of course, but she didn't rise to see who was around or where, just kneeled down on the ground and began to pick up the pieces of the shattered shell. Her hands shook as she added the bloodied half that had gone into Jekyll. She'd never had to be purposely violent before. She'd always been able to work her way around it or have someone defend her but she'd never had to actually defend herself in such a way. Gaston, the one death that still haunted her, she had only ever intended to push off course, not into the River of Souls, but Jekyll?! She didn't regret what she'd done, she knew that she'd have done the exact same thing a million times over if it meant keeping her baby safe, but that didn't change the shock of it all.

At the doorway, she heard a sigh and glanced over her shoulder to find Rapunzel. "Well…you just can't seem to catch a break, can you?"

She stared up at her in surprise. "How did you-"

"The pirate tracked me down at the library and said you might need a friend. It's a mess out there right now but…at least I finally met Emma. Interesting girl, that one."

She didn't acknowledge the comment, just shook her head in irritation at herself. "I'm your boss and I feel like all I do is drag you away from work!"

Rapunzel shrugged as she knelt next to her to help pick-up. "As your employee I can assure you I don't care. As your friend, I really don't care. You need me more."

"Oh don't touch that!" she exclaimed grabbing the trash can away from her. "I got sick, I haven't thrown it out yet."

"I don't mind-"

"I do!" she exclaimed swiping it out of her reach again. She stepped away from the mess and took a few deep breaths. Her sickness was ebbing, her anger on the other hand was beginning to grow once more. She leaned against the door frame, amazed that it was getting quiet on the ship again. "What's going on out there?"

Rapunzel sighed and she heard the squeak of one of the chairs as she sat. "Most of it is gibberish to me. Apparently Jekyll had completed some serum or other and Regina and Rumpelstiltskin were going to use it but he took it first to kill Hyde, somewhere in there was a struggle and Hyde got the Dark One's Dagger."

She let out a soft crazed chuckle. That wasn't gibberish to her. That was everything making sense and her anger becoming far more controlling. The Dagger. That stupid, precious, pain in the ass dagger! Hyde had control of Rumple and wanted her dead. He hadn't had to do the murder himself with Jekyll on board, he just had to watch and force Rumple not to lower the protection spell he'd placed upon her, the protection spell that had done the opposite and trapped her in her cage with the man who wanted to kill her! And for what?! Not because she'd done anything wrong but because he loved her. Because she was where he kept his heart and soul and to murder her would take away her life, their child's life, and his soul! All because he was the Dark One and couldn't keep his nose out of other people's business for his own good.

But at least the dagger was safe! At least he'd taken that back as she assumed that was what the man, Hyde, had dropped and she'd seen him pick up. So long as his precious curse was intact and he had his magic what did he care that they'd almost lost their child today?! What did he care that if Killian hadn't come along, she'd likely be dead right now?!

"The good news is that Hyde is dead. He died when his doppelganger did, which, judging by the way that Emma said it, is significant somehow."

She nodded. Yes. Yes, it was very significant, but not really helpful given their current state. The natural conclusion was that the evil double could be destroyed only when the original was destroyed. They knew how to destroy the Evil Queen, but the cost was Regina. Rapunzel was right, this was a mess.

"I'll have to explain it all to you, but I'm not sure how up to it I feel at the moment," she muttered looking back over at Rapunzel.

"That's alright, we'll talk about whatever you want to talk about. You can tell me tomorrow."

She loved Rapunzel, she loved how strong she was and how certain and calming…but at the moment she wasn't entirely sure she was up to talking. Not that there wasn't anything to talk about, she was just certain it would turn to screaming quickly. "Just uh…just let me get rid of this first alright," she explained gesturing to the trash can still in her hand. Rapunzel nodded in agreement and told her she'd sweep up while she was gone to make clean up easier. She went back onto deck, hopeful the walk to the trash can would give her some fresh air…but she stopped in her tracks at the sight of Rumpelstiltskin on the docks.

He was looking at her, watching her from a distance, but even though she couldn't see his eyes she knew that look. Now he wanted to talk to her?! After her life was safe?! She almost turned on her heel and went back down into the cabin, but before she could she felt that wave of anger bubbling up and over. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to Rapunzel, it was just that she wanted to scream at Rumple.

Leaving her trash on the ship, she descended the gangplank, not even allowing herself a sigh of relief when she realized that she was permitted to leave again! She was free. That was great. But she never should have been imprisoned to begin with. And-

She nearly tripped as she came back on land. It was the first time she was on solid ground and not something swaying and shifting beneath her and the feeling was odd but it wasn't as odd as the sight that had nearly stolen her breath.

He'd cut his hair. His long beautiful hair, the hair she always loved to run her fingers through…it was short now, not much longer than David's! Had it been like that before?! Yes. As she replayed her terrible memories of that morning she realized that it had been, she just hadn't realized it. And she nearly cried at the change! She'd always loved his hair! But this…this wasn't the man that she knew. This made him look sharper, harsher, more evil in a way. Oddly enough, she felt like it made the anger flowing inside of her easier to have. Now it wasn't just a lack of emotion and mentality through which he failed to resemble the man she loved. Now he no longer looked the part either.

She stood her ground as he came closer to her. He looked like a child, one who knew that he'd done something wrong and yet he just couldn't seem to muster a look of remorse for it. He still looked smug.

"You cut your hair," she pointed out as he came closer to her and her heart beat wildly in her chest. She was trying to find some sense of patience decency but she could feel it fade away the longer they stood together.

"You noticed," he commented with a small amount of surprise that she didn't really seem to think he should have.

"I would have earlier, but you were too busy trapping me," she answered back with that same acid tone she'd had with him earlier. Only this time it was worse.

"Well, I'm sorry, I-I just wanted to um…to make a fresh start," he suggested, but she had no interest in anything he was saying.

"I don't want to hear it." For the first time she understood the phrase "no love lost" and she didn't mind it. She was angry. And though she was above throwing something at the back of his head this time, she wouldn't deny that she wanted him to feel the same kind of hurt that he'd made her feel. He'd taken advantage of her in the worst way a person possibly could. He was supposed to be the one person on earth that she could trust above all else and at the moment he was the absolute last person she knew she could rely on. It was as if he'd reached inside of her, scooped up the little love she had left for him and tossed it off the side of the ship when he'd made that spell. He'd nearly killed her. And he had killed others.

"You know, you've destroyed two lives where there used to only be one. You just keep finding new ways to increase the suffering around you, don't you?"

"That was never my intention," he replied gently.

"Well, then what was your intention?!" she cried back. "Why did you go to Jekyll in the first place? What could possibly be worth all of this death and destruction? I'm trying to understand Rumple, but there is only so much I can take when you tell me nothing! Why?! Why did you do this?"

His face bore no trace of remorse, but she could finally see the look of a pained man on his face and knew he'd either tell her now, or she'd never-

"You," he answered softly. "It was all about you. I sought him out when you became the maid in my castle all those years ago, because I had begun to have feelings for you...and I thought they would make me weak."

She tried to breathe, to contain her temper but it was getting harder, back to the same old story! "A-and you thought what…that Jekyll's serum would rid you of those feelings?"

"I'd hoped," he muttered. "But the experiment was a failure. In anger, I took his precious necklace and sent him to the Land of Untold Stories, but it didn't solve anything. And I'm glad that it didn't...because I would never want to lose the love I feel for you."

Love! Now he was talking about love?! After what he'd just done?! "You locked me on that ship like a prisoner. Did you even think about what would have happened if Jekyll had succeeded, what would have happened to our son?"

"I was only trying to protect you."

"I don't need your protection, okay?" she hissed! She didn't want him to ever protect her again, not if this was how he was going to do it! "Not at the cost I keep paying with you. God, you didn't...you didn't cut your hair for me. You cut it for you, because you are sick and tired of looking at the man in the mirror. But you forget...I always see you for who you are."

"Yeah…" he whispered as he turned to walk away. She felt no pain watching him go. The words were harsh, she knew they were, but what he'd done to her was worse than those words and she didn't regret a single one of them. She always saw his light and his darkness, the man and the monster. It broke her heart that he would continually choose the monster over the man, the monster over her and their family, but it was clear that was what he was always going to do. As far as she was concerned she never wanted to see him again.

"No, um..." before she could go back onto the ship he turned suddenly and saw a spark of something in his eyes that he hadn't had for a very, very long time. Anger. "You may not think that you need me, Belle, but you will," he warned coming closer than before, ignoring every sense of personal space she had. "You forget whose child it is you're carrying. He will have a mark on his head by virtue of who he is, and if you want what's best for him...you will come back to me."

A threat. So this was what they were reduced to now. Nevermind who had put the mark on their child's head, nevermind the idea of romance, or kindness and consideration. Now it was love and stay with me or else. Her father had tried that on her when he'd wanted her to marry Gaston…he should have known she never responded to words like that.

"Threats won't make me love you again, Rumple," she pointed out, not daring to back down.

"No," he agreed. "But necessity will."

And that was it. With that final promise, he left her standing there on the dock, her hands over her stomach, feeling like there must be smoke coming out of her ears. She had no idea what had happened to her beast, what he'd done in getting his curse back, but she knew that was not the man that she'd loved. And if he was so desperate that he wanted her out of desperation or necessity, then that was not the man that loved her either.

Um...so, I have a lot of feelings about this chapter and this scene in general. But I'm constantly reminded that words hurt and so do my opinions and I don't want to be responsible for wounding someone over a fictional couple on a fictional television show. If anyone wants my opinions, they are welcome to send me a private message, and we'll discuss it. But for now, I'm just going to keep my opinions to myself and do what I do best and continue to write.

Thank you to Grace5231973, Fox24, and BobBaloney for the reviews you left me on the previous chapter! I was really pleased to hear some kind and encouraging words! They help! Thank you so much for your support and I really am sorry, but we all knew there was no avoiding this chapter. Peace and Happy Reading!