Chapter Twenty-Five
Bae had forgotten how intense Emma could be when she was on a mission. He'd expected his father to be a bundle of nerves throughout this whole search-for-Zoso's-dagger process, but Emma must have had more than her usual quota of coffee for the day. They'd dropped by the house to check on Henry and the two younger boys before setting out to search Storybrooke. He hadn't realized how big the town was.
The spells would hold for a week, that was one thing that Rumplestiltskin, the Blue Fairy, and Regina could all agree on. A week and a half was the more hopeful estimate before Zoso was actually trapped, and the sheer amount of power that he'd brought with him had knocked a few days off that. Calling off the search that first night had been the hardest, because they felt like they'd barely begun when David had been the voice of reason and said that they'd need sleep.
It was generally accepted amongst them that Zoso should not remain unguarded even if the spell would hold. Mary Margaret and Grumpy had taken the first watch and while Bae had offered to take the second round, Tinker Bell and Ruby had jumped right in for it. He'd seen the relief flash across his father's face before he'd turned away and opted not to mention it.
Henry was nearly stir crazy by that night with all the action going on just beyond his reach. He drilled his parents for every piece of information he could get until the adrenaline wore off in the wake of nothing being found yet and Emma guided him upstairs to the top floor. Bae glanced over to where his father was curled up on the far end of the couch - not quite removed from the conversation, but never taking part in it unless Henry put a specific question to him - and was going through a spellbook of some kind. Belle was leaned up against him asleep.
Rumplestiltskin must have felt his son's eyes on him and looked up, offering Bae a tired smile. "All the energy of the worlds."
"Pretty sure I never had that much," Baelfire chuckled.
"Pretty sure you did." Rumple eased the book closed with a finger marking his place, trying not to shift too much and wake Belle. She stirred a little, but didn't fully come to even as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a more comfortable angle to lean in at. "So… Emma staying the night?"
"Maybe. It's getting late."
"Getting serious again then?"
Bae felt the blood rush to his face and he wasn't quite sure why. Maybe it was the way his papa's lips quirked up in a knowing fashion of the mischief that was hidden just beneath the usual guarded layers that he wore for everyone else. He wasn't surprised that he knew that he and Emma were giving it another try - Hook hadn't quite seemed to have gotten that memo, as when they'd relieved him of house-guarding duties he'd ducked in to whisper something clever in the blonde's ear and she'd rolled her eyes - but the idea of discussing the depth of his and Emma's relationship - something he didn't even really know - with his father seemed a bit daunting. He wasn't sure why, though. If things hadn't gone quite as awry as they had and he and his father had remained close over the years, he was sure these would have been the types of conversations they would have had when he was younger. He felt the heat fade from his face at the thought and settled into it. "I hope so," he admitted softly.
Rumplestiltskin gave a small sound of acknowledgement, but didn't say anything. Bae leaned forward, trying to catch his papa's gaze again that had returned to the reopened book. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"I've always thought you're quite clever, Bae, though I'll admit I'm biased."
Bae rolled his eyes and would have chucked a pillow in the elder man's direction had Belle not been sleeping between them. "I mean for trying it again."
"Does she make you happy?"
"Yeah."
"And you love her?"
"Yes."
"Then I fail to see where the question lies."
Baelfire sighed. "I love her, but I left her. What if she can't forget that? What if… in a week, a month, or even a year she wakes up and that's all she can think about?"
"Well," his papa said after a moment, dark eyes meeting Bae's, "I have a bit of experience in chasing after the ones I love after making irreversible mistakes. I suppose that, in the end, all we can do is be determined to do better and hope that the person sees it for what it is."
The younger man leaned back against the cushions of the couch at the opposite end of where his father and Belle were curled into and sighed. Emma was so guarded these days that she never would have just jumped into this on a whim. She was ready - or as ready as she'd ever be - and he was ready. They were going to give this a shot for better or worse.
He glanced back over to where his father was absently running his hands through Belle's hair, probably not even noticing the gesture by the way he'd turned his attention back to the book in his lap to keep looking for whatever it was that he thought would help them discover where Zoso was keeping the dagger. "So what about you two?"
"Hmm?"
"You and Belle."
"What about us?"
Bae rolled his eyes. His father was not a stupid man, but he certainly could pretend to be perfectly oblivious when it suited him. "When are you going to pull together the courage to ask her to marry you?"
Whatever Rumplestiltskin had been expecting from his son, it obviously wasn't that. He jolted so badly that the book nearly fell from his lap and Belle startled awake at his side. Bae had to swallow the bubbling laugh and he knew he should have felt more guilty than he did.
"Why don't you head to bed, sweetheart? I'll be in in just a moment," Rumple promised her and she was still too caught up in sleep to say argue.
Baelfire watched her uncurl her legs from the couch, kiss his papa goodnight, and murmur something almost unintelligible to him. "Night, Belle," he answered back, still pushing down his laughter at his father's reaction. After everything, he could take just a moment to enjoy this little piece of normalcy.
That was until the pillow he'd eyed to toss in his papa's direction hit him instead and he found dark eyes the same colour as his own narrowed in what he could only assume was an attempt at a glare. For the most feared sorcerer in the Enchanted Forest, Bae would have thought his father could have leveled a more intimidating glare than that. "What?" he asked innocently.
"You're hilarious," came the growl in return.
"It's an honest question. You love her, right?"
"This is not a conversation that we're having."
"Sure it is." Bae didn't know that his self control was quite this good. He still hadn't quite let the laugh out yet. He was grinning by this point, so broadly that his face was starting to hurt.
"We've trapped a previous Dark One that's escaped a vault meant to keep his soul forever, he's terrorizing Storybrooke, threatening our family and more, and you want to have this conversation now?"
"You wanted to talk about Emma."
"Nevermind."
That finally shook away the building laughter. The word was bitten out and his papa was reaching for his cane, obviously intending to leave the conversation before it could go further. "You're afraid," Bae murmured as the thought crossed his mind and Rumplestiltskin froze. It was obvious enough that there were only a few people that still called him out on his fears, but for everything they'd been through, Bae thought he'd earned the right to be one of them. "Of what? That she'll say no?"
Rumple let the cane lean back against the arm of the couch and he slumped back, not wanting to meet his son's eyes. "Perhaps."
Bae scooted closer and turned so that he could pull his legs up and cross them on the couch, fully facing the elder man. "Why?" He held his hands up in defence of the simple question at the sideways glare he received.
His papa loosed a long sigh. "Because I'm good at running people off, and someday she'll see that," he answered and Bae thought he was being honest.
"Papa…"
"I'll do something foolish. Just wait."
"Do you love her?"
"I do."
"Then trust her."
Rumplestiltskin offered his only child a small smile and reached a hand out, Bae instantly taking it in what was quickly becoming a familiar gesture between them. The smile returned as he squeezed his father's fingers. "And for what it's worth, you've certainly got my blessing on it."
A soft sigh escaped the elder man. "Thank you, Bae."
"Any time, Pop."
When they'd begun looking for Zoso's knife, he'd been as near to optimistic as he could be when the future refused to show him all the pieces. They had a week, and even Emma could cast a simple tracking spell. The first one had led them to a dead end, though. A red herring set up to throw them off. The second lead that had them searching through the mines and the third - that had finally surfaced on the beginning of the fifth day - instilled little hope in Rumplestiltskin. If they failed to find the duplicated dagger while Zoso was held, it would likely mean the death of everyone he loved and everyone that they loved. He couldn't protect them all and sooner or later the elder Dark One would pick them off.
The sight of the snoozing dwarf and yawning fairy on guard duty didn't help alleviate any of the worry either. "Out," he snapped as he entered the sheriff's office and the dwarf nearly fell out of his chair, startled awake.
"B-but the prince said-" he tried to stutter out, but Rumplestiltskin leveled a glare dark enough to send him scurrying behind Tinker Bell.
"I don't give a damn what your charming sheep herder said. Get out."
Sleepy didn't argue again as he ran. The fairy, on the other hand, met his glare. Once she'd decided he wasn't going to release their prisoner she turned on heel and followed, leaving the two Dark Ones alone.
"Been a few days," Zoso mused. "Has the survivor in you finally won out? Here to change sides."
"You've already lost, Zoso. How you're dealt with once we find it - and we will find it - depends on what you say right now."
"Is that so? From where I'm sitting, it looks like you have me in a temporary cage. Nothing permanent." He chuckled, his amber-gold eyes flickering to meet Rumple's own dark ones. He stood slowly, coming as close as he dared to the ink-covered bars. "You know what I am, Rumplestiltskin, because you're the same. You can't keep me, you have to kill me, but you won't risk that either. What good does it do you to turn one of your little pets into another Dark One? Perhaps your son? That would be quite interesting, don't you think? At least he'd know what his father gave to protect him."
Rumplestiltskin stopped just shy of slamming his fists into the bars, checking his temper before it flew so out of control that it showed and before it got him into trouble. Instead, he let a smile stretch his lips, matching Zoso's own and saw a flicker of irritation at it in the older man. "Here's a bit of advice to you. Call it a thank you for the gift you left me with three centuries ago. This lot loves to fix all the wrongs they see in the worlds. It's quite an irritating trait, but one that can be used from time to time. If you ever want to get out of this cage-"
"And into another one without bars? You know as well as I do that's what it is to be owned by someone. Don't play your games with me, Rumplestiltskin. They won't work." The smile returned. "Here's a bit for you: perhaps I'm where I want to be, in the end."
A chill ran up his spine and the door opening behind him put an end to the conversation. Snow White walked in, all wide eyes and innocence. "Everything okay?" she asked cheerfully.
"Of course."
"David said you weren't answering your cell."
He waved it off. He hated the damn thing anyway. What use did a man who could be summoned by simply saying his name have with a cell phone anyway? "We'd agreed there should be two in here," he said instead, searching for the ill-tempered dwarf that had accompanied her on every one of sit ins.
"Grumpy is helping in the search."
"I'm staying with her," came a new voice from behind and Rumple cringed inwardly. Time would do nothing to ease the hate he felt for the man.
"Lovely," the Dark One grumbled, sidestepping the pirate. "Try not to botch it up."
"Sitting and watching. What is there to botch up?" Hook asked irritably.
Rumple only shot him a look in return before leaning so that he spoke directly into Snow's ear. "Watch him," he said and disappeared from the room. He let his magic carry him to the forest where his son, Emma, David, and Belle were searching after the newest lead that he feared was another dead end. At this point, if Zoso could keep them chasing their tails until the inevitability that was the spells weakening enough to release him, he'd be free and he and Rumplestiltskin would be the last ones standing.
"There you are," Belle's voice sounded off to the side and she hopped over a fallen tree to greet him. "I thought you were coming with us when we left out this morning."
"I needed to take care of something," he answered. "We've been following every dead end that has been dangled in front of us."
"Find any clarity?" she asked, her fingers intertwining with his.
"Only the growing feeling that we're being played."
"And you can't find the angle?"
"The pieces are still scattered, and Zoso is clever."
"Not as clever as you are," Belle murmured, tipping up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.
Rumplestiltskin felt the rush of True Love pour through him even with the brief contact and not for the first time since his and Bae's conversation several nights before he felt a sense of wonder at how he'd put it off so long and if he even could manage to put off spending the rest of his days with her by his side any longer. There was something about a vow that somehow seemed so right with her, but he'd never been very good at doing the right thing.
You're still a man that makes wrong choices.
He could make the right one now. He could ignore the many excuses - valid, excuses, part of his mind reminded him, as they were looking for a dagger to control and/or kill a duplicated Dark One, and the lack of end plan made it all the more dangerous - and rise above the fear and uncertainty. As she pulled away, her clear blue eyes catching his, he felt his heart leap in his chest. "Belle, sweetheart," he breathed, "this may not be the right time, but I need to ask you-"
"There you are!" Emma's voice interrupted as she came crashing through the brush, Bae following behind her, though much quieter. "David's been trying to reach you on your cell. We think we found something."
"The dagger?"
"Looks like it, unless he created some sort of fake. We wanted you to take a look before jumping on it."
A smirk perked his lips, despite the interruption. "Smart girl," he praised. "Let's have a look."
"Rumple?" Belle called, catching his hand before he could move away. "What were you going to ask?"
He cringed. It would have to wait. If he wanted to protect her, protect Bae, protect them all, it would have to wait. "Later," he promised and pressed a kiss to her forehead before following Emma through the brush.
Snow had settled herself down into the spare desk chair for what was likely to be an uneventful morning. She'd been through three other shifts just like this one - though the others had been with Grumpy to keep her company - and nothing had happened. Zoso hadn't even bothered to speak with her and she hadn't been fool enough to engage him. Rumplestiltskin had always been dangerous, but only if crossed. This man felt he'd been crossed if a person were in the same vicinity.
Hook had not actually been a part of this particular guard duty yet. He'd been guarding the house along with some of Robin's men, but had agreed to accompany her instead when Grumpy was sent out with one of the search parties. She'd never known quite how to react to the one-handed pirate. There was no question that he was infatuated with her daughter, but how far that infatuation stretched she wasn't sure. He didn't seem to know that Emma and Neal were giving it a second chance - in his defence, very few people knew about that and Snow had only found out when she'd pushed the subject on one of the earlier patrols with her daughter - but he did seem honestly fond of Henry and she didn't question his motives about keeping her grandson safe.
"Thinking awful hard about something, Princess."
Snow startled at Zoso's word and she turned her green eyes on him, watching. He was seated on the cot inside the holding cell - one that she had inhabited for a short time in what seemed like a lifetime ago - and he had a lazy sort of smile stretched across his face, as if he knew something that no one else did. Rumplestiltskin's words to her as he'd left earlier echoed in her mind. At the time she'd thought he was referring to his distrust of the pirate, but the look that the caged Dark One wore now made her reevaluate her assessment of the warning.
Zoso stood, coming to the bars and Hook perked from where he'd been leaned up against his good hand, half-asleep.
"My murderer seemed to think that you'd want to fix me. Save my soul and all of that," he continued, the smile never fading. "Is that what you'd want to do, Snow White? Do you believe people can actually change?"
"I think anyone can change," Snow answered carefully. "If they want to."
"Hmm."
"Plenty of people talk a good talk," Hook said, suddenly wide awake. "If you think we're just going to roll over and trust you, mate, you have another thing-"
"I don't need you to trust me," Zoso said with a shrug. "In fact, I don't need you to do anything. Just her."
Snow felt herself go cold as those frighteningly gold eyes came to rest on her and something shifted in the room. Without warning the door to the cage popped open as if he could have walked out at any time. She remembered Rumplestiltskin warning them that he could have left his own cage in the mines whenever he'd liked, but he was where he needed to be for when the curse was brought down around them. Watch him. Zoso. He'd definitely meant Zoso.
Hook had his gun out in an instant, but the Dark One waved it away before a shot even went off, and the pirate made it halfway to him before he was flung hard across the room and through the glass that surrounded the sheriff's private office. Snow could only watch in horror as he landed hard, slamming into filing cabinets and finally falling limp to the floor and out of view. He did not stand back up and Zoso was in front of her by the time she thought to turn and look at him.
"Don't think about it," he murmured as her eyes flickered over to her bow just a few feet away. One hand gripped her chin and he lifted her off the ground, her feet dangling in the air and the scream choked off. She struggled until she felt a pain that she'd hoped never to feel again in her life. Dark magic tingled through her limbs as he shoved his hand through her chest, gripping her still-beating heart and pulled.
TBC
Notes: In the next chapter - Killian fights back, Henry is brave, and Rumplestiltskin makes a choice.