A/N: The Dark Curse is broken, but Rumple is still has magic. But what kind and what does his mother have to do with it? Pay attention to the last thing the Dark One tells him. It's almost the same thing Neal said to Rumple before he died.
Chapter Twenty-five
"Open your eyes and look around. Pick yourself off the ground."
"What?"
"What was cast is broken with a kiss. Now you can enjoy wedding's bliss."
"Wait, are you talking about my curse?"
"Yes, and now our time has come to an end. I am proud to call you friend."
"Wait."
"No need for tears. No need to cry. It's finally time to say good-bye."
"No, please, don't do this."
"What we had has expired. I want to go. I am so tired."
"Wait, I still need…"
"You have all you need…this you know. Please, Friend, let go."
"Good-bye," Rumplestiltskin said with a sigh as the darkness enveloped him and that last thing he heard was a soft, sad giggle.
Gold's pawnshop
Moaning, Rumplestiltskin rolled onto his back when he opened his eyes and rubbed his face with his hands. His head hurt and his heart slammed hard and fast in his chest. Getting to his feet, he looked around when he saw he was in his pawnshop and he blinked his eyes a few times.
"What the hell am I doing in here?" he asked with a confused look on his face. Sighing, he walked to the front door only to find the door was locked and frowned. He walked to the delivery door, but that door was also locked as well as the back door. He hadn't brought his keys with him and fear started bubbling in his chest. He was experiencing panic attacks from when he was Zelena's prisoner and she had locked him in a cell. She had even locked him in a cage and dangled the cage over boiling lava and he could still smell the brimstone.
"No, you are not in a cage or a cell," he said while placing his hands on top of the display case and closed his eyes. Reaching into his pocket, he realized that he didn't have his smart phone and the panic started spreading. He was too upset to try to use his magic and he didn't want to break any glass as he sat on the floor and bent his legs up. He closed his eyes as he placed his wrists on his knees and tried to calm down. He cleared his mind as he tried to remember where he had placed the spare keys when he opened his eyes and sighed. "You are an idiot. There are spare keys in my desk."
Getting off the floor, he walked around the display case when he walked in the backroom and headed for the desk. He tried to get the middle drawer open, but the drawer was locked and the panic he was feeling made his heart go faster and harder.
"Calm down," he said, sitting down hard on the chair and placed his head in his hands. He breathed slowly through his nose then looked up and saw the phone. Rolling his eyes, he picked up the receiver and his hand was shaking as he pushed the buttons.
Emma held Belle as she assured her that Rumplestiltskin was alright as Neal half listened to Charming talking to the others when Neal's smart phone vibrated in his pocket and took out the smart phone. His eyes widened when he pushed the button and held the smart phone to his ear.
"Papa?" he asked as he walked to a tree and placed his hand against the bark.
"Bae, help me," his father's voice said and he heard the panic coming from him.
"Where are you?" he asked and looked at Emma and Belle.
"I'm at my pawnshop."
"How did you get there?"
"I don't know. All I know is the doors are locked and I can't get out. I left my keys and phone at home and the spare keys are locked in my desk. I had to use my office phone to call you," Rumplestiltskin shouted and sank to the floor.
"Take it easy," he said as he walked to Emma and Emma and Belle looked at him.
"Who are you talking to?" Emma asked.
"It's my father. He's at the pawnshop."
"How did he get there?" Belle asked.
"He doesn't know, but he said the doors are locked and he can't get out."
"Doesn't he have his keys?"
'No, he left them and his phone at home and the spare keys are locked in his desk. He used the office phone to call me."
"Oh no," Belle said softly then looked at Archie. "Archie, come here."
"What's going on?" Archie asked, walking to her.
"Rumple has somehow been sent to his pawnshop and he's locked in. He doesn't have his keys and…"
"He's having a panic attack?"
"Yes."
'Neal, give me your phone," Archie said and he handed Archie the smart phone. Archie held the smart phone to his ear and could hear quick, ragged breathing on the other end. "Mister Gold, this is Doctor Hopper. I need you to calm down and…"
"I don't want to calm down! I want out!" Rumplestiltskin shouted and Archie held the smart phone away from his ear.
"Listen to me. I want you to close your eyes and breathe," Archie said and heard Rumplestiltskin taking a few deep breaths. "That's it. You're going to be fine."
"Keep talking to him," Neal said and Archie nodded as Neal and Emma ran down the path and Belle hoped that Rumplestiltskin was going to be alright.
Gold's pawnshop
Neal used his spare key to open the front door as Emma and Neal ran in and Emma closed the door. They could just hear Rumplestiltskin's voice coming from the back room when they went around the display case and went in the backroom. He was sitting against the desk as Neal walked closer then took the receiver out of his hand and held the receiver to his ear.
"Archie, we're here. Yeah, tell Belle we'll take care of him," he said as he watched Emma help Rumplestiltskin to his feet and walk to the black wood couch with the red cushion. Neal placed the receiver down on the phone cradle then sat down and Emma sat next to Rumplestiltskin. He was shaking as Emma slid her arms around him and Rumplestiltskin placed his head on her shoulder.
"You ok?" Emma asked and he nodded his head. He was sweating and his hair was sticking up from when he was running his fingers through his hair.
"Do you have any idea how you got here?" Neal asked and Emma gently rubbed Rumplestiltskin's back.
"No," Rumplestiltskin said as he gulped in a breath of air. "One minute I'm kissing Belle then I was here."
"Why couldn't you just magic yourself back to us?" Emma asked and he made a nervous giggle.
"Magic doesn't work if the one casting spells is emotionally upset," he said. "If I tried, I might have appeared inside a tree, a rock or in the ground. Though painful, it wouldn't have killed me, but it still would have hurt."
"There has to be a reason you were sent here," Neal said as he stood up and looked around the room. Rumplestiltskin watched his son when he remembered what he heard before he had woke up and blinked his eyes a few times. He slowly stood up then walked out of the room and they followed him. He walked to the back of the room then knelt down and picked up a few floorboards. "Papa, what are you doing?"
"I didn't know you had a floor safe," Emma said when she looked down and Rumplestiltskin smiled up at her.
"You weren't supposed to, Dearie," he said as he waved his hand, but the safe door didn't open and he frowned. He waved his hand a few more times then sat back on his legs. "My magic's gone."
"What do you mean it's gone?" Neal asked as he and Emma knelt next to him.
"It's gone."
"Do you remember the combination?" Emma asked.
"No, but, then again, I never thought I'd need it," he said then smiled at her. "You can open it."
"I don't know the combination."
"Use your magic," he said as she sighed, closed her eyes and held her hand over the combination lock. "Just relax and picture the tumblers."
"Are you teaching my Swan how to be a safe cracker, Papa?" Neal teased and he hushed him.
"You can do it," Rumplestiltskin whispered as Emma concentrated and the combination lock turned. A few seconds later the safe door opened and he smiled at her.
"Man, I feel wiped out," she sighed and leaned against Neal and he held her.
"All magic comes with a price," Rumplestiltskin said and looked down. He moved Pandora's Box when he removed a white cloth and they looked at the white cloth. He untied the string when he removed the silver dagger and Neal frowned.
"So this is where you keep it?" he asked and Rumplestiltskin nodded his head. He looked at the back of the silver blade then turned the silver blade around and frowned. "Uh, Papa, it's blank."
"It shouldn't be," he said and Emma frowned.
"What's supposed to be on it?" she asked.
"This is the Dark One's dagger. It should have my name on it."
"What do you think happened to it?" she asked as he handed the silver dagger to Neal then stood up and leaned against the display case.
"True Love's Kiss breaks all curses," he said then softly smiled. "Belle and I broke the curse when we kissed."
"So you're not the Dark One?" Neal asked as he and Emma stood up and Rumplestiltskin shook his head. Suddenly a white shimmered in the palms of his hands as they looked at each other and he titled his head to one side. The white light grew brighter then flared and Neal and Emma covered their eyes. After the white light faded, they saw that Rumplestiltskin was gone and Emma growled, rolling her eyes.
"Not again," she said and Neal crossed his arms over his chest.
The Elemental Temple
"This is getting old," Rumplestiltskin sighed as he looked around and ran his fingers through his hair, brushing the hair out of his eyes. The torches were sitting in iron holders as the firelight made the white marble walls glow in a red light and long shadows flickered on the walls. The floor and ceiling were also white marble and he could see a glass dome framed in gold. The sky was dark and he could barely see stars. At the center of the room were white marble stairs and a white marble platform was in the middle of a large platform. Four, iron braziers stood in the corners of the platform and fire flickered while small curls of smoke floated upward. Sighing, Rumplestiltskin walked up the stairs then walked to the platform and saw a wooden box with gold hinges floating over a marble alter. He tilted his head to one side then held his hand over the lid of the box. The lid of the box slowly opened as he backed up and the torchlight flickered on the five crystals sitting in the box.
"Do not be afraid," a female voice said as he spun around and flicked his hands up, growling when the fireballs he wanted to summon failed to appear.
"Where are you?"
"Why don't you try and find us."
"I am not in the mood to play games, Dearies, so you better show yourself before I really get angry," he said, looking around with his eyes.
"As you wish," the female voice said when a golden light flared behind him and he spun around. Four women stood on the other side of the marble alter as he looked at them and anger grumbled in his chest. The women wore robes of purple, white, brown or blue silk with gold trim and had gold sandals on their feet. Their skin was pale and wrinkled, but their faces were beautiful. The woman in the purple robe had black hair and violet eyes, the woman in the white robe had white hair and golden eyes and the women in the brown and blue robes had brown hair laced with white and gray hair and brown eyes and gray hair and blue/green eyes.
"I know you," he said as he placed his hands on the marble alter and two of the women smiled.
"It has been a long time, Sweet One," the woman in the blue robe said and his eyes went wide.
"Jeanna?" he asked and Jeanna smiled, nodding her head. She was one of the spinsters his father had left him with and he looked at the woman in the brown robe. "You are Astra."
"Yes," Astra said, sweetly smiling at him. Astra was the other spinster and had been the one who comforted him when he had returned from Neverland.
"I don't understand. It's been over three hundred years since I last saw you. You should be dead."
"Some would say the same about you," the woman in the purple robe said and he glared at her.
"Will someone tell me what's going on?" he asked, feeling the anger growing inside of him.
"You are here because your curse is finally broken," the woman in the white robe said.
"How do you know about my curse?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
"We know much about you," Jeanna said.
"You do?" he asked, arching his eyebrows up.
"There is no need to get defensive," Astra said.
"I don't like people spying on me," he growled.
"Calm yourself," the woman in the purple robe said. "Now that your curse is gone, it is time for you to learn of your true power."
"My…true power?" he asked, tilting his head to one side.
"I knew we should have told him," Astra sighed.
"You should have told me what?"
"He hadn't lived his life yet," the woman in the white robe said.
"He had the right to know," Jeanna said when Rumplestiltskin balled his hands into fists, looked up at the dome.
"Enough," he shouted and they gave him a startled look. He glared at them while his heart slammed in his chest and he breathed hard and fast through his nose.
"Fine," the woman in the white robe sighed. "What have you been told about your mother?"
"I was told she died the day I was born…and my father wished I had as well," he sighed and lowered his head.
"Your father was an unworthy excuse for a human being," the woman in the purple robe growled. "Your mother died two months after you were born."
"How did she die?"
"She died helping us battle the Dark One."
"I'm the Dark One."
"No, not anymore," Astra said.
"Tell me more."
"Your mother was our youngest sister. She was rebellious and tended to go off on adventures. It was on one of her adventures that she met your father. We warned her about becoming attached to him, but she didn't listen. Imagine our surprise when she sent word she had married him and was pregnant with his child."
"You must have been so happy," he said, sarcastically.
"We were appalled!" the woman in the white robe said.
"That changed when I had a vision and saw her child's life," the woman in the purple robe said.
"You saw my life?" he asked, scrunching up his nose.
"Yes."
"And you didn't do anything?"
"We could not interfere."
"So you just let it happen?" he shouted as his hands were enveloped in a white light and flame flickered on his fingertips.
"My, what a temper," the woman in the white robe said with a grin. "He is his mother's son."
Rumplestiltskin lifted his hands as he looked at the white light then at them and frowned.
"What's happening to me?"
"You're finally becoming what you should have always been," Jeanna said.
"And what is that?"
"You are a Fire Elemental Mage," she said and his eyes widened.