Over at the former Mayor's house, things weren't fairing so good either.
Henry had gone up to his room to sulk. An hour later Regina knocked on the door with a plate in her hand.
"-Come in" answered his soft voice. His mother entered the room,
"-Hey, I brought you some pizza in case you were hungry."
"-Thanks, I'll eat it later" he said gloomily from his curled-up position on the bed.
Regina sighed, putting the plate down on the desk next to him before seating herself on the end of the bed.
"-Henry," she said rubbing his back. "I know it was hard for you to hear those things. But I truly believe that Emma did not want to hurt you. Sometimes, what people wish we were like and who we are to ourselves are not the same thing."
It was quiet and then, "-Why? Didn't she want it? What did I do wrong?" he tearfully sat up, "I-I had it all planned out, we would go on adventures together."
"-You mean like:
Going to Neverland or Experiencing "Frozen" Maybe a trip to the Underworld to retrieve a loved one?"
"-Yeah," said Henry, "Emma was there for all of that. How could she not see the "wonder" in what we were doing?"
"-I think she did Henry, but it's not enough for her. You eventually have to listen and follow your own heart:
I loved Daniel fully, and would have given up EVERYTHING. Just to be with him, that was MY dream. It didn't matter where we lived or what we did. As long as we were together. My mother had dreams of her own, but they were taken from her. So, she destroyed mine, using Snow. To live out hers vicariously through me…"
"-I would NEVER do that!"
"-I know you wouldn't… But when you LOVE someone, you MUST set them free. They may even come back to you someday. You taught me that Henry, Before and After, the first Curse broke. No matter HOW hard I tried to cling to you. You just pulled further and further away.
As for Riley…
I hardly know her because we got off on the wrong foot with her kidnapping. But I can sort of see WHERE she is coming from, when she talked about being used.
For a long time, I thought of Rumpelstiltskin as nothing more than a sick twisted little imp. Who played a vicious game with the lives of others.
One I too was taught to play if I was going to get anywhere.
Then once the Dark Curse broke. I found myself on the receiving end of it, a place I hadn't been in for years. But what hurt the most was when it came from you.
Despite my faults Henry, as the "Evil Queen." My heart never went totally black with darkness. I have always loved you."
"-When did I use you?"
"-When you were eleven, the people had evicted me from office as Mayor. You felt that you had to get the key to my vault after Jefferson tipped you off to something. So, you cleverly lured me out of the office, under the pretense of "having lunch" at Granny's. When you didn't show up, I put two and two together and sent David after you. Before you could get hurt, knowing that you wouldn't listen to me… I don't blame you Henry, at the time I had proven myself untrustworthy. It DID hurt though."
Things were quiet for a minute, "I can see I've given you something to think about. Get some rest and eat, when you want to talk. I'll be here…" she said, with a light caress to his face before getting up and walking back towards the door
"-Mom?" She turned around to find his arms hugging her "-I'm sorry…" he sobbed, Regina merely returned his embrace with consoling words.
Emma spent the next couple hours with Killian. Though his calming presence and change of scenery had helped some. She just couldn't shake what Riley said out of her mind. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it. The one person who could give some answers was Belle…
Entering the Library was the easy part, finding the Bookworm Beauty was another thing. But she eventually found her through a game of "Marco" "Polo".
"-Over here!" said Belle, Emma turned the corner to discover her sitting down on the floor with the heels off. Organizing books on a bottom shelf way in the back. "Can I help you find something Emma?" she asked struggling to get up.
"-Easy there," answered the sheriff, offering the woman her hand and attempting to steady her as she regained her balance.
"-Thank you," she replied once she had accomplished her goal.
"-You're Welcome. Belle, I'd really like to talk to you if you have the time?"
The Bookworm blinked, surprised "-Really? About what?"
Emma bit her lip nervous, she never really had much friendly contact with her before.
"-Well, first of all. I'd like to apologize for what I put Rumpelstiltskin and you through as the Dark One. You didn't deserve that, either one of you."
"-Th-thank you Emma. Umm I guess you overheard what Gideon and I were talking about yesterday?"
"-Yeah, Regina asked Riley earlier to redo the spell that allowed you to talk to him. She said "No,"
Belle shook her head, and in a defeated tone she replied.
"-Somehow it doesn't surprise me, that girl is very protective of Rumple/Bobby in whatever form he's in."
"-You don't really believe he tried to kill himself? I mean, I've always known him to be sleazy miserable man. But still!"
"-He TOLD me himself Emma. If Riley hadn't been there...? That's why she is a better guardian for him than I could ever be. She gives him what he needs"
The Sheriff grimaced at hearing the pain in her voice. "-You really loved him," It wasn't a question but a statement.
"-Yes, I do. But I had forgotten what that meant in the misted of my anger and worry. And I did something that cannot be reversed. Now I have to live with the consequences."
"-Yeah, I know a little about that. I finally told Henry the truth about my feelings and my dream, all of the family actually. He and my parents did not take it very well. Plus, the timing was bad. But, the cat's out of the bag… and there it will stay."
"-Oh Emma,"
"-Belle, I just have to ask, out of curiosity. What is the Price for the Spell?"
"-Laryngitis," she sighed. "That's why I was sick last week and couldn't babysit."
"-You mean, whoever was chosen or if we all went. They wouldn't be able to talk about it immediately after they came back?"
"-Yes, and I highly doubt it would have been everybody. Because of the strain it would've put on Bobby. As Riley firmly pointed out to me when I approached her with the subject: Rumpelstiltskin or not, He is STILL a BABY! Anything could go WRONG. Would you or your parents even RISK exposing your brother, Neal to such a spell?"
"-No! Of Course Not! (sigh) We really HAVE been UNFAIR to you…"
"-What?"
"-Among other things, Riley and Ray also brought it to our attention that in our quests to do "right." We've thoughtlessly been taking advantage of people in the process: Especially You and Mr. Gold. Belle, I cannot speak for my mother or anyone else. But I am truly sorry, for EVERYTHING…"
"- This is surprising, but I appreciate it Emma. I was happy to help either way."
"-I know you were, your dedication to becoming a "Hero" is really something. Almost rivals Henry's."
"-It was all I ever wanted since I was a child, along with travel to distant lands. Now however, with everything that HAS happened. It is one of the topics I am personally sorting through. My dreams are broken Emma." She admitted, sadly.
The sheriff moved to put a comforting hand on her shoulder,
"-Neal and I, that is "Baelfire" shared a dream before I went to jail, and Henry was born. Living out of our car, the yellow bug that I drive. We picked a spot on the map that would be our dream home where we would one day settle down and raise a family. The place was Tallahassee, Florida. It's another State, farther away than New York. Once I did my time and was released from prison. I eventually made it there, staying for 2 years. Waiting in hopes that he would someday turn up. But he never did…"
As Belle listened, she was unconsciously unaware that her mouth had been hanging open in shock.
"-Wait, You! were arrested? On what grounds?"
Emma inwardly groaned,
"- That's right, you don't know this story because you were locked up during the first Curse. During one of mine and Regina's earlier fights, she did some digging into my past and brought it to the paper. So almost all of the town knows most of the basics of what happened…
Neal had some time ago, stolen some very expensive watches that he was going to sell, and we were going to use the money. But he ultimately ran into August, the grown-up version of Pinocchio. Who somehow convinced him to call the cops and let me take the blame. All in the name of getting me back on track to being the "Savior."
He and I don't have the best relationship right now, due to some previously hidden facts that have recently been brought to light. It's a long story but to summarize:
Both August and I have records against the government outside of Storybrooke.
If Somebody meaning "Riley" or "Ray" should go to the Police. There's a strong possibility I will be arrested again, should I need or want to cross the town line. The Dark One or her Lover do NOT mess around…"
"-Oh don't I know about that…" interrupted a familiar voice.
Suddenly the library doors burst open theatrically to reveal Zelena with baby Robin in her arms.
"-My personal experience has found it can be fun to mess around with the Dark One in the beginning. Before it gets boring… Belle, I need you to babysit this ev-!"
The wicked witch was abruptly cut off in the middle of her sentence by hazardous choking. Unfortunately, by the time the women finally reached her, she was already unconscious, and her kid was on the floor screaming…
Between the two of them, they managed to get Zelena and Robin to the hospital, where she was admitted right away. As they waited out in the lobby for the rest of the "Hero" squad to get there. They resumed their previous conversation:
Belle had agreed with Emma, remembering all the less fruitful encounters with the current Dark One.
Then the Sheriff sighed,
"-I never in a million years EVER thought I'd be on receiving end of a lecture about "Right and Wrong" from Neal's Daughter! But I realize it wasn't just him who raised her. It's evident that Riley's mother made an impact while she was alive, and in all honesty:
Riley scarily reminds me of Who I Used to Be before coming to Storybrooke and my early days here. It truly is remarkable at how far I've fallen. In adopting my parents' black and white "Hero" philosophy, I had forgotten that part of me. The last time I was in touch with it was, Neverland. BEFORE Pan came to Storybrooke and tried to take over with his own curse. If I could somehow combine what I know now to who I was then…?"
"-It looks as if we're in the same boat," said Belle.
"-What is this about a boat, Lass?" asked Killian, having just come in through the sliding glass door with the rest of the company.
"-Mom? What happened?" questioned Henry, looking around to see Baby Robin sitting on Belle's lap.
"-All I know, is that Zelena made a surprise trip to the library asking Belle to babysit. But before she could get the full sentence out, she started choking and collapsed. Dr. Whale is running some tests but hasn't been able to find anything."
"-That's because it's magic…" answered Riley appearing in a smoke cloud.
"-What Magic did this?!" demanded Regina.
"-The Unbreakable Vow,"
Emma groaned, having read all the Harry Potter books, she knew what was coming.
"-WHAT?!"
"-Zelena is going to die because she thought that she could break a magically enforced vow and not pay the consequences."
"-I've never heard of such a thing" said Snow, "What was this "Vow" for?"
"-There numerous purposes and conditions for them. But ours was about "Peace" between our two families.
If she agreed to turn a blind eye to mine, including Belle? Then the whole time Robin was growing up, she would be safe from all of Zelena's enemies… It was SO simple:
Just STAY AWAY from us.
But she couldn't even do that! So now, that little girl is going to grow up an Orphan. It makes me sick…" said Riley, shaking her head in disgust and walking down the hallway.
"-Wait!" she looked back to find herself face to face with Regina.
"-There has to be a way to undo this. Magic has its loopholes, find one!"
"-Why are so desperate to save your sister Regina, I didn't even think you liked her all that well?"
The former Evil Queen bit her lip,
"-Regardless of my own feelings, her daughter is also the child of my true love. She's already lost her Father whom she was named after. And I myself, received chance after chance though I was unworthy of it before I eventually turned around. With the help of Henry, I wish the same for Zelena too. Please Riley? Is there another way?"
The Dark One groaned, "She doesn't deserve this but, yes… Just a warning Regina: It Will Cost You"
"-I don't care! Whatever it is I will pay it"
Riley frowned as a deep sadness came into her eyes. "-Regina…"
Motioning for her to come closer, when she did. The Dark One whispered what she had to do. The queen withdrew in shock "-You can't be serious?"
"-There's NO other way…"