Once Upon A Time

Dagian knew that she probably shouldn't stare at the….hideous disfigured…thing that used to be her husband but for some reason she couldn't take her eyes away from his snake-eyed pupils.

The two captors that survived immediately took three steps back when Rumpelstiltskin took one step forward.

He noticed it immediately and a smirk played across his lips, "What do you think you're doing, boy?"

"We're here to negotiate."

"And what exactly could a child like you want?" he asked with a sneer in his voice, "That would require you to come to me like this?"

"You know why we're here," the man said and Dagian tried to keep herself from shuddering in fear when she felt a sword press up against her neck, "Our king will be willing to trade your wife for the dagger."

He looked down at her briefly as if he was considering it, "And what makes you think that I'd be interested in trading my freedom for her? She has a horrible habit of running away. Seems like a bad investment. What would I do with her?"

"Well I certainly don't care. Cut out her tongue or put another son in her belly. Maybe she'll stay for this one."

A dark look crossed Rumpelstiltskin face and Dagian felt a jolt of fear down her spine. If he accepted the negotiation or not, she had a sinking feeling that she wasn't going to make it out of this one alive.

"And why on Earth would I negotiate with you when I can just take back what belongs to me, boy?"

The man paled as he seemed not to have considered that and realized his king might've sent him off on a death mission.

He walked forward, "I'll be taking back my property now."

Dagian's heart beat wildly in her chest and she wanted nothing but to run but she knew that if she did that then the sword that was still pressing against the back of her neck would most likely be used.

"Stay away from us," Dagian let out a small cry as the sword bit into her flesh.

"Or what, child?" he sneered, "You'll kill her? You lose that bargaining chip if you do boy. And there won't be anything to save you when I'm done with you should that happen. What did you do to your king to make him send you on such a suicidal mission?

The man kicked her hard in the back and she stumbled facedown with a cry.

"Take her then. I was…I was only following orders."

"Oh were you now?" Rumpelstiltskin taunted. Dagian spied the knife that she'd dropped next the corpse of the second one that he'd killed and she scrambled towards it, "Did you really think you could put your hands on my wife, my wife and I would give you anything you wanted? Oh no, boy. You're not getting the dagger. But I'll tell you what. I'll send you back to your king skinned alive and he'll see what that knife is really capable of."

Dagian maneuvered her hands to grab onto the knife that was on the ground and awkwardly cut the twine that held her wrists together. It came free and she scrambled up and raced down the road just as her husband forced his thumbs into the leader's eyes.

His screams sent chills down her spine. If she could make it to the trees then she might be able to disappear. She didn't know where they were but she could survive. She always did. She was successful at disappearing within a moment's notice and she had no doubt she could do it again.

"I'm not done with you yet, dearie!" she heard a snakelike voice call down the road behind her.

A hand grabbed the back of her dress and pulled her backwards. Her legs went out from under her and she hit the ground hard, the wind was driven from her body. She laid there for a few minutes trying to breathe.

He hovered over her, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Please," she gasped, "Don't do this."

"Don't do what?" he forced her up and led her back down to the bodies, "I'm curious to know what you think I'm going to do."

"Don't kill me."

"Snapping your neck for running away from our family when I needed you the most is too easy a punishment for you."

He shoved her hard onto the road; Dagian landed next to one of the bodies and tried to scramble away as soon as she realized that the body was in fact, skinned, "Oh gods…"

Rumpelstiltskin wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her from running in fear. She bent over and emptied what little lunch she had, "Stop trying to run dear, you won't get very far and I might not be so nice next time."

She drew in a few more shaky breaths, "What are you going to do to me?"

He straightened her up and took her bloody wrists in his hands to examine them. Anger flashed across his pupils and she tried not to pull away at the feel of his lizard like skin. She was afraid that any sudden movements might set him off.

"That's going to scar, dearie. "

"What are you going to do to me?" she demanded again.

"I don't know, I haven't decided yet," he leaned in close and she flinched at his rotting teeth. She pressed her back against a tree to avoid him but he moved closer, seemingly thrilled that she was cornered, "But I think I'm going to keep you close. Wouldn't want you to get yourself kidnapped again by any of my enemies. They might not be as nice as these three"

She heard some commotion down the road and from a brief glimpse she saw the men coming down the road were wearing the same uniforms that the men he'd just brutally murdered were wearing.

An insane smile forced on Rumpelstiltskin's face, "Shall we have some fun?"

Her eyes grew, "No! No, please."

"So eager," he said with fake glee and leaned so close that she turned her head away in disgust, "I do suppose it's time to take you home though. It is high time Bae met his mother."

He wrapped his cloak around her and she flinched at the sudden contact.

"Welcome home dearie," he whispered mockingly in her ear and pulled away quickly with some look of disgust on his face.

She found herself pressed up against the wall of their old home. She scanned the villagers for any sign of them helping her but no one moved. Most she didn't even recognize. It wouldn't have mattered anyway; they just eyed him with fear and moved on.

"Let me show you your room," he grabbed her by the arm and led her towards the back of her house, "You're not meeting our son looking like this."


Once Upon A Time in Storybrooke

The slight moving of the bed pulled Dawn from her dreamless sleep and she opened her eyes to find herself in the bed of the cabin. She didn't know what time they'd come up here last night to pick up where they'd left off on the couch. Nor did she remember drifting off to sleep as her husband held her in his arms, but she supposed she had.

She felt her husband's arm around her body in an embrace and she smiled to herself. She didn't know how to explain it but being married to the most terrifying man in the town had brought something out in her that made her happy. Maybe it was because she wasn't seeing the terrifying loan shark businessman anymore. Maybe it was because she was seeing a little bit under those layers. Not the full man at the core but something more than most people had probably seen.

They were almost normal.

She knew it would end though, they would return to their normal lives and she would be reminded of the kind of man he was and the kind of life she would have but she didn't care about that anymore because she was happy. As selfish as that sounded, she didn't care anymore. She didn't care what anyone thought anymore because being married to the most feared man in town now meant that she was safe.

She rolled on her back and smiled at her husband as he opened his eyes, "You awake, dear?"

She nodded and turned so that she was facing him, "Yes, I'm awake."

"Are you alright?" He asked and pulled her closer to him. She placed her hands on his chest, not in an effort to push him away but anything else would require him to lift his head and it just seemed like too big of an effort when she could just place her hands here.

"Yeah," she nodded, "A little sore but I'm alright."

He rubbed her back and kissed her, "Well now that you're caretaker to my rather large estate…"

She lifted her head in confusion and then rolled her back with her hands over her eyes and started laughing, "Really? Is that what works with the women? '

"Yes…once."

She stopped; she should really learn to think before she opened her mouth. She didn't want to think about her husband's previous conquests right after she just consummated their marriage with him.

"Do you want anything?" he asked and combed one of his hands through her hair. She'd learned quickly that it was his favorite gesture of affection when he wasn't kissing her. She sort of wished he hadn't picked one that tugged at her scalp when it was tangled.

"I am a little hungry," she admitted.

"Alright," he grabbed a bag that he'd placed in the room earlier and opened it. The clothes they wore yesterday were currently on the floor in the living room. "The power here is horrible but I imagine we can scrounge something up."

"We?"

"Well do you think that I'm going to do all the cooking, dear?" He gave her one of his shirts as her bag was still in the living room as well.

"I can cook, just not well."

"We're going to have to change that, now won't we?" He whispered in her ear and it sounded a lot more seductive than it should have.

"Oh honey," she whispered as he rolled on top of her and kissed her. She intertwined her fingers in his and then groaned in disappointment as he rolled off her and climbed off the bed, "Tease."

He smirked, "My cane's over here."

"Oh, don't act like that was an accident."

"Of course not darling but we have work to do to make this cabin livable for the next two days and if we get most of it done then I can guarantee you that tonight will be reward for a job well done."


Present Day

Gold hated the weeks leading up to and week of Valentine's day. He hated being reminded constantly about true love and having it shoved down his throat with overly pink and red hearts and flowers and chocolate on sell. It was enough to turn his stomach. Now that was an insulting thought. He'd survived countless centuries and seen countless horrors and this of all things made him sick.

It reminded him of Belle, it reminded him of Dagian, it reminded him of missed opportunities and outer forces and inner doubts. It reminded him of hopes lost and unwinnable decisions.

It reminded him of simpler times when he'd been ignored but content.

It reminded him that this world was not so different than the one he forsook.

He turned over in the bed and looked at his wife. She knew about the teacup and what it meant to him. She never questioned him about it, just like he never questioned the engagement ring that she kept in her jewelry box. She thought it'd been from a dead fiancé that she lost in war but he knew it was from Filib. One of the things that had crossed over with them had been that.

He wondered if the man had even had a name over here. Or if Dagian only knew that she'd had a man she'd loved that she lost and married Gold as a way to escape and have at least someone that understood her."

She kept it next to the wedding ring he'd given her

He didn't wear his, so she didn't wear hers. He didn't see any point in doing so. Their Storybrooke counterparts had married in a business arrangement and walked the line somewhere between happiness and contentment. That wasn't exactly a marriage was it? It was more of a…how did the young ones put it? Friends with benefits? No, they were closer than that. They'd always been.

His thoughts went to his wife. She would barely sleep tonight. Both Dagian and Dawn had only ever wanted to be safe. Someone that got in his house and stole his things when she could've been home had robbed her of that security. She would spend God knew how long jumping at every noise…he wondered if she'd even be home when he wasn't for the next few days.

He could end this right now. He knew that Moe French would not have dared to act alone. He had been a cover for someone else and Mr. Gold was not so much a fool to believe that it was anyone but Regina.

She was horrible at this, wasn't she? Did she really think that he wouldn't figure out it was her after she accosted him in the street to ask him a question that he'd brushed off?

He could just…let Moe French go and immediately target Regina but that would not have been as fun. He'd been aching to get his hands on Moe French for what he'd done to end Belle's life.

And whether or not Sheriff Swan found his cup then he was going to beat a confession out of Mr. French. He'd known exactly who had talked him into breaking into Gold's house but Mr. Gold wanted to hear HIM say it.

Regina thought she had the advantage but she couldn't have been more wrong. If Regina knew that he remembered then there was nothing to stop him from coming after Regina as fast and vicious as was humanely possible. She thought she was getting him to tip his hand but she couldn't be more wrong.

Oh, he was going to ensure that she regretted this. What he was going to do to Mr. French was nothing compared to what he was going to do to her.

Dawn pulled her robe over her pajamas and smiled at her husband as she walked into the bedroom, "Honey, I Have something to tell you."

He tied his tie, "I can't right now, Sheriff Swann called me, she found our things."

"Your things," she corrected, "Or other people's things that you bring home because you have no room at the shop and we'll never have a real living room because of it."

"Are you really going into that again."

Her smile fell, "Honey, I didn't mean anything bad by it, I'm just teasing you."

"It's not a good day for that," he snapped, "What is it that you need to tell me?"

"Okay," she smiled again, "Honey…"

"What?"

Her smile faltered slightly, "Honey…"

He raised his eyebrows and waited for her to continue.

She frowned, "You know what? It can wait for tonight."

He shrugged it off, "Alright," he kissed her cheek, "I'll see you later tonight."

"See you tonight," she said, looking completely deflated, "Be home by seven."

"As the lady wishes," he called over his shoulder.


Once Upon A Time

Dagian struggled to keep up with her husband as he dragged her passed the old hut they'd once shared together and to a smaller one at the back of the house.

Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears and she was shaking so badly that she kept her eyes downcast on the dirt. Her hus…Rumpelstiltskin gave her the feeling that he was quite unpredictable now and she was worried that if she said something wrong or begged for his forgiveness then he might change his mind and she'd be like the highway men.

He waved his hand and a door opened, "Welcome home dearie," he said and pushed her through it.

She stumbled in and looked around. It was a well kept room with a fire place, a table with a basin and pitcher and a bed shoved into the corner decorated in red and gold colors.

He released her and closed the door behind him.

"No," Dagian whispered and fought tears as the worst possible scene played in her head now that they were alone, "No, no, don't…please don't."

He rolled his eyes, "I didn't bring you here to force you to perform your wifely duties and shame you. I could hardly look at you right now what makes you think I'd want to touch you?"

"Then why am I here?"

"This is your room."

She looked at the room and then looked at him, "I don't…I don't understand."

"Well you'd expect to sleep in the dungeon now wouldn't you?" he looked around as if he was proud of himself, "You know there's a big part of me that believes I'm going to regret this."

She lowered her head, "I'm sorry."

"It's too late for that dearie." He snapped his fingers and a tub of water appeared in front of her, "Clean yourself up and burn those clothes. Your meeting our son in the morning and I'm not going to allow you to look like you just rolled out of the poorest place imaginable to come here."

Dagian raised her head defiantly and set her jaw. Her rebellion against his order was quiet clear.

"Darling," he said catching on immediately, "If you don't make yourself presentable then I'll throw you in that tub myself darling and it won't be as pleasant for either of us."

She paled but kept her eyes straight ahead.

He smiled as if pleased with himself and walked out of her room, "Have a good night."

He closed the door but she didn't hear him lock it. She wouldn't leave, not after what she'd seen him do. She wasn't an idiot.

Her legs gave out from under her and she sank to the ground. Her hand instinctively went to the gold ring that Filib had given her when he proposed several years ago. She had turned him down but he'd asked her to hold onto it. It'd belonged to his mother and something like that had no place in the battlefield where he was about to head to.

He believed that once she'd stop punishing herself then she'd accept.

She never told him just how much she….Oh gods all the opportunities she missed.

Filib was dead.

She wrapped her arms around herself and started sobbing.