Author's Notes: I do not own Once Upon A Time which is a show on ABC that had me so stressed out this week I was using my leg to express emotion along with my arms. No, really. Thanks for the reads and reviews and faves and follows, I really appreciate it. So, please let me know what you think, give any guesses and happy reading!
The crowd at Granny's usually tried not to look when Mr. Gold came in and he usually didn't make too much of a spectacle of himself.
This was different.
Gold came in and let the cold wind slam the door shut. Granny and Ruby looked up first.
He had that look on his face. That look that said someone was going to die.
"Has anyone seen my daughter?"
No one answered.
"You see, that was not a rhetorical question," Gold said. "I would never ask any of you a rhetorical question because I don't have a month."
Gold took his cane and lifted it to where it could be swung. Fearing broken glass and property damage, Ruby spoke up.
"She came in, but she didn't stay," said Ruby. "She didn't even order."
Gold put his cane back in its usual position and looked at Ruby. "Was that so hard to answer? Now, what do you mean she didn't order?"
"I don't know," said Ruby. "She walked in the door, looked in and left."
Gold grimaced and left, making more noise in his exit than anyone would have previously thought humanly possible. Ruby looked at Granny.
"Better call the sheriff," said Granny. "If anything happened to that girl, there's gonna be hell and someone's gonna pay it."
In the library, three very angry women had grown quiet.
Belle was fuming. "Who exactly does she think she is?," she asked.
Mary Margaret nodded. "She had no right to say those things to you."
Regina had her arms crossed and the definite look that someone was going to die. "If she thinks she can take my son, she does not know who she's dealing with."
"Regina, Tamara was just talking about joint custody," said Mary Margaret.
"Out of town," said Regina. "In New York and she doesn't think she has to run it by us when she wants to abduct a boy from his family?"
"Look, I'm not happy about it, either," said Mary Margaret. "But maybe this is between Emma and Neal."
"Excuse me?," asked Regina. "Some stepmother walks in and gets more say than me? The woman who raised him, more say than you his grandmother and you, his sort of grandmother?"
Belle frowned at Regina.
"Don't give me the dirty look," said Regina. "I wasn't the one who walked in here and practically called you Rumplestiltskin's concubine. I'm one of the few people that understands you actually love the twisted little sociopath."
Belle tried to take a deep breath as the door opened.
Regina motioned. "And here he is. Do you know what your son and his potential bride are up to?"
"I called," said Gold, looking at Belle.
"Sorry, we were in the middle of something," said Belle.
"Is Beatrice not here?"
"No, she hasn't been by all morning," said Belle, her face dropping. "What's wrong?"
"I sent her to Granny's to get lunch and she never returned."
"Have you tried calling her?," asked Mary Margaret.
"No, because I am an idiot," said Gold, shooting her a glare.
"What about her car?," asked Regina. "She didn't drive off to Waterville for Starbucks again and not tell you, did she?"
"Her car is still parked outside the shop. Again. Not an idiot."
"I'll call David and Emma," said Mary Margaret.
"I'll go ask around," said Regina.
"You're helping?," Gold asked with a sneer.
"Doctor Hopper told me to find different outlets for my anger and I think yelling at some of the town morons to look for Beatrice would be a great outlet," said Regina, picking up her coat.
Mary Margaret shook her head. "I'm not sure that's what Archie meant."
Regina stalked out as Mary Margaret followed.
Beatrice awoke in the woods.
It was cold. Like really cold.
She sat up and looked around. Yeah, the woods. Though she could have sworn it was almost dark when she came out here and now it was light. She couldn't have just fallen asleep in the woods, could she? Surely there would be a search party by now and her father threatening people.
Suddenly Beatrice found that she did not remember why she had walked into the woods.
She stood up and found that she had clothes on she didn't remember: high black boots, a deep blue dress and a cloak.
A cloak. That was new.
She did see a red leather messenger bag on the ground, though and looked inside in search of her iPhone.
No iPhone. No iPad. Just books.
Beatrice considered this. She was in the woods, knocked out and robbed? That was an answer. Still, she wondered about the cloak. She put the messenger bag over her shoulder and started walking.
She walked down the path where she encountered a man in brown clothes with two boys in similar garb.
"Hi!," she said hurrying over.
The man's eyes widened in shock at her and he fell to his knees. He quickly signalled his boys to do the same.
Okay, that was weird.
"Hi, sorry, didn't mean to bother you, but could I borrow your cell phone?"
"My cell phone, your highness?," he asked, sounding it out.
"Yeah, do you have a cell phone? I am just kind of lost out here and I was hoping to call my dad."
The boys looked up at her in terror.
"Or my mom..."
"Please, Princess. That's not necessary."
Beatrice looked around. "It's a little necessary. I'm kind of lost."
"If you just go up the path, you can see your home from there."
Beatrice frowned. "Really?" She couldn't remember her house being by anything heavily wooded.
"Please don't summon the Dark One."
Beatrice rolled her eyes. "Oh, we're gonna do that whole thing again? Fine. Whatever."
Beatrice continued up the path and she did not see the pink Victorian.
She saw the Dark Castle.
"Right..." she said. "This is about to be the weirdest dream ever."
It had grown dark. And cold. They had split up the search party. Emma was set up at the side of the road with Merlin, Neal and Ruby. David and Mary Margaret had taken the dwarves to another location. Belle was pacing, but Emma kept looking at Gold. The guy was a hair's edge on this side of sanity.
"Tell me why your blood magic thing doesn't work again," said Emma, glaring at Merlin.
"Because I spent a great deal of time making certain that Beatrice could not be traced by blood magic," said Merlin.
Emma frowned as she flipped through the maps. "And why the hell would you do that?"
"Everyone has relatives they don't like," said Merlin.
Belle walked back and joined them. "She's still not answering. She always answers."
"Well, her phone's off but the last known location was out here," said Emma.
"It hasn't been off since she got it," said Belle.
"We'll find her," said Merlin. "Try not to worry."
"We've got half the town out here," said Emma. "And Regina's back checking on Moe and the knights."
"The usual suspects," Belle said with a grimace.
"If there is anything for Her Majesty to discover, I'm certain she will," said Merlin. "She's not had a chance to shout abuse at people lately."
Belle chewed her lip nervously as she tried Beatrice's phone again. Emma caught sight of Gold staring at something.
"Gold?," asked Emma, walking over. "Did you find something?"
Gold rubbed his hand over the burned tree trunks. "She was here."
"Beatrice starts forest fires now?"
"What are you teaching her, Pop?," Neal asked.
"How to defend herself," Gold said sharply. "Which she obviously needs."
"How do you know it was her?,"asked Belle.
Merlin waved his hand over the tree. "Magic is like everything else in the universe. It always leaves fingerprints."
Emma looked closer. "Okay, so let's look at this like a crime scene. Whoever Beatrice was... doing the fire-ball at was right here. Neal, you stand here."
Neal did.
Merlin nodded. "I see. Belle, go over there."
"What?"
"You're her height," said Emma. "It'll help."
"And what does this reenactment prove?," Gold sneered as the others went into position.
"Well," said Emma, "Beatrice came out here for a reason. Like she was following someone. Whoever that was made her think she needed a fire-ball and judging by the usual level of Beatrice's magic she needed it pretty bad. So she had to have a reason, right? She didn't just run."
Merlin and Emma started looking at the ground.
"What are you looking for?," asked Belle.
"Cause for defense," said Merlin, moving further down towards the tree. He picked up something metal and held it up for Emma. "Will this do, Savior?"
"Shell casing," said Emma. "Someone fired a gun at her."
"Perhaps our lupine search party ought to look from here," said Merlin.
On the way to the Dark Castle, she decided that was it. She was having an incredibly lucid dream. That always happened with Midol PM. Usually it was just episodes of Doctor Who and Sherlock that didn't make sense and then when she woke up, she realized it was because her subconscious just did crappy writing. Dreaming about the Enchanted Forest, that was new, but maybe it was the Christmas break magic lessons? There would be time to dissect this all later and eventually in the office of the psychiatrist she was going to desperately need someday.
She went through the gardens and opened the door, finding herself back in the Great Hall.
Though it wasn't as dark as when she saw it. The torches were lit, there were candles and roses on the tables.
"Beatrice, where have you been?"
She turned to see her mother emerging from the side door, dressed in some sort of garnet gown with gold accents.
"Oh, like the Christmas video, nice."
"What?," asked Belle. She looked Beatrice up and down. "Your cloak is soaking. You're ice cold."
"Oh," said Beatrice. She did feel quite cold. "I think I passed out in the snow."
Belle's eyes widened. "You did what? Go upstairs and get yourself in a hot bath."
"Right..." said Beatrice. "So, where is that?"
Gold paced up and down the strip of road that Ruby had begun searching from.
"Rumple?," asked Belle.
"I am pointless."
"What?"
"I couldn't protect her. I'm not even helping. I can't even find her," he seethed.
"We will find her," said Belle.
"I didn't raise her. I can't teach her. Exactly what have I done for her since the moment I sired her?"
"Rumple, don't speak like that. You love her and she loves you. She's so excited you're teaching her, even if she doesn't show it."
"I've got her!," Ruby shouted.
Emma and Neal ran down, Gold followed cursing his cane. Belle tried to help him and he shook his head, urging her on.
He was the last to arrive, watching as the others huddled around her. Belle held her.
"Beatrice? Beatrice?" She looked up at Gold. "She's ice cold."
"Here," said Gold, taking off his coat, helping Belle wrap her in it.
"Rumple, just fix her," said Belle.
Gold waved his hand.
Nothing happened. He looked over at Merlin who shared his expression of dread.
"Rumple?," asked Belle.
"Get her in the car. Now," said Gold.
It was with some relief that Beatrice got escorted into her own room. Dream Belle had fussed over her, hadn't even left the bathroom while Beatrice soaked in the hot bath. She then handed her a silk nightgown and a velvet robe trimmed in fur.
The room seemed like something she might like. It did have her lamb on the bed. It was purple with tapestries, silk sheets and a roaring fire. There were books and journals with her handwriting. She took the one at her bedside.
"A History of Magical Intervention in the Far North Kingdom." She shrugged. "Okay, I guess that makes sense."
She started to hear her mother's voice as her worry carried down the hall. "I don't know, Rumple, she's not acting like herself. I'm afraid she's hurt her head or something."
"No need to worry yourself, sweetheart. I'll soon have it taken care of." The door opened. "Well, well, I was summoned to attend to a beautiful princess..."
Beatrice flipped through the book, finding that it had an account of her great-grandmother, Catherine the Ice Princess. "Yeah, laying it on a little thick, aren't you?"
She looked up and froze.
Okay. It was definitely her father. There were some changes, though. Like the greasy hair and the weird gray, gold, green skin. What color was that? Oh, the creepy nails. And the eyes. And...
Oh, God, what was with the teeth?
She just needed to breathe.
Seriously, the teeth.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?," he asked.
"Um..."
"Beatrice, why are you looking at your papa like that?," asked Belle.
Rumplestiltskin cupped her face with his hands. "Something is terribly wrong."
"Yeah, have you not seen a dermatologist for that?," asked Beatrice.
"A what?," asked Belle.
"Someone's cast a terrible spell on you."
"No, I'm pretty sure this is just a dream."
Belle looked at Rumplestiltskin. "What sort of spell?"
Beatrice now moved to the clothing. "What are you wearing? Were you at a steampunk convention?"
"Nothing she has said since she got home makes sense," said Belle.
"Yeah, but you're kind of used to that, right?," asked Beatrice.
Rumplestiltskin smiled. "Well, you sound like yourself at least. What do you last remember?"
"Waking up in the snow."
"Before that?"
Beatrice searched her memory. "We were at your shop."
"My shop?" He seemed amused.
"Yeah, you were showing me how to conjure something."
"Conjure?"
"Yeah, then you sent me to get lunch. I went to Granny's and I thought I saw..."
"Saw who, sweetheart?"
"Owen."
"Who's Owen?"
Beatrice motioned at Belle. "They had Thai food once."
Rumplestiltskin turned to Belle. "Who is Owen?"
"Rumple, I have no idea."
Beatrice was distracted. "Now, what was it about Tamara? Did I see Tamara?"
"Beatrice, where was this shop of mine?," Rumplestiltskin asked, sounding rather skeptical.
"In Storybrooke."
"And where is Storybrooke?"
"Maine."
"Maine?"
"The United States. You know of America? The Earth? The Solar System?" Beatrice snapped. "The Land Without Magic. That's it, right? The Land Without Magic!"
"And what do you know of the Land Without Magic, Beatrice?," asked Rumplestiltskin. "What were we doing there?"
"Um, you know Regina cast the Dark Curse?"
Beatrice watched as their expressions turned grave.
"Beatrice, who told you about the Dark Curse?," asked Rumplestiltskin.
"It's not really a secret." She watched as they exchanged glances. "Is it?"
"Rumple, what does that mean?," asked Belle.
"That evil soul." He looked at Belle. "Well, isn't it obvious? Finally, the Evil Queen has come to seek her revenge for me not allowing her to enact her glorious curse!"
"After so long?," Belle asked in disbelief. "Rumple, I don't think Regina has that in her anymore."
"Which was obviously part of her plan."
"So," said Beatrice, "just to clarify, you think Regina's cast a spell that has made me remember a whole other world and that's a lie?"
"Yes."
"Doctor Who is not a lie."
"I'll have to pay the Her Majesty a visit..." Rumplestiltskin seethed.
"Rumple, you can't," said Belle.
"Don't worry yourself, Belle."
"It's Emma's ball," she protested.
"It's Emma's what?," asked Beatrice.
Belle followed Rumplestiltskin. "Beatrice has been waiting for this for months. She's her best friend."
"Whoa, Emma's my best friend?," asked Beatrice.
"I don't really concern myself with Emma throwing herself in front of suitors," said Rumplestiltskin.
Beatrice snorted. Her parents looked at her.
"Sorry, it's just that's pretty funny from where I'm sitting."
Rumplestiltskin grimaced. "Fine. You may go to the ball, but I will accompany you lest the Evil Queen accelerate her plans."
Belle smiled. "I know it's the right decision."
Rumplestiltskin looked at her. "I'm going to get you something to eat."
Belle looked at Beatrice. "This must be so confusing for you, sweetheart."
"No," said Beatrice. "See eventually the Doctor or Sherlock will pop up and I'll know what's what."
Belle frowned. "Who's the Doctor?"
"Oh, you know he's a Time Lord."
She looked at her curiously. "A Time Lord? From what land?"
"Gallifrey."
It was the quickest anyone in Storybrooke had ever seen the Cadillac go as it hurried towards the hospital. They were soon met in the ambulance bay as Neal and Merlin got Beatrice out and helped the nurses get her on the stretcher.
Doctor Whale was out first. "What happened to her?," he asked, shining a light in her eyes.
Neal shook his head. "We don't know. We found her passed out in the woods."
They tried to hurry her into a trauma room. Belle wasn't far back, pushing open the doors with Gold a step behind her.
"Family's not allowed," said a nurse.
"Really?," asked Gold. "How do you propose to keep us out, dearie?"
With the threat of the Dark One issued, the nurse backed down.
Belle stood at the foot of the gurney as the doctors and nurses flew around Beatrice, bringing out blankets and hanging bags of warm saline. Gold took her hand.
Mary Margaret looked nervously at the door to the trauma room.
She looked back at Emma. "And Gold couldn't just fix it?"
Emma shrugged. "He warmed her up in the car. He couldn't do much else."
Mary Margaret shook her head. "That is so not good."
"I don't understand," said David. "Everyone who would want to hurt Beatrice is locked up. Who could have that much magic?"
"Maybe," said Emma. "Or maybe she just ran into something. Or maybe it's not magic at all."
The door opened to the waiting room. Regina and Henry entered.
"What are you guys doing here?," asked Emma.
"He was worried about Beatrice," said Regina. "We heard you found her."
"Yeah," said Emma.
"Is she going to be okay?," asked Henry.
"The doctors are with her right now to make sure of just that," Mary Margaret said with a reassuring smile.
"Where are Gold and Belle?," asked Regina.
"They're with her," said David.
"You see, Henry?," said Regina. "She's with her parents and the doctors. I'm sure she'll be just fine."
"Here, Henry, let's get a snack," said David, leading him away.
Regina looked at Emma. "How is she really?"
"We don't know," said Emma.
"Well, Gold hasn't fixed her. That's not a good sign. Where's Merlin?"
Emma looked around. "He was around here somewhere."
Regina looked over at Neal pacing. "Where is that woman? Shouldn't she be here?," she asked, her voice dripping with contempt.
"Tamara?," Emma asked. "He said she was out for a long run, he couldn't reach her."
Just then, Tamara entered.
"Oh, good," said Regina. She looked at Emma. "Did your mother tell you what happened?"
"Now is so not appropriate, Regina," said Mary Margaret.
Tamara and Neal shared a hug and whispered. The door to the trauma room opened and the gurney went out. They crowded towards the door as Belle and Gold came out.
"How is she?," asked Neal.
Belle shrugged. "They don't know. She's getting an MRI. I can't go in."
"Do you want to get something to eat?," Mary Margaret asked.
Belle shook her head. "I'm going to follow her as long as I can."
"I'm so sorry Mr. and Mrs. Gold," said Tamara.
Gold glared as Belle pulled him away.
Beatrice came downstairs and into the Great Hall. "So, the Enchanted Clock told me to meet you here?"
Belle nodded. "I told your tutors not to expect you. I don't want you walking all on your own under these circumstances."
"Yeah," said Beatrice. "Not great."
"Besides, I have some tutelage of my own to give," Belle said with a smile.
"Oh?"
"Your first ball, remember?," asked Belle. "You have to learn to dance."
Beatrice rolled her eyes. "Come on."
"I am serious. I won't have people up there saying the Dark Princess is so uncivilized she can't dance."
"Since when do you care what people think?"
Belle laughed. "Alright, you caught me. I want you to enjoy yourself and I know you will be all to eager to play the wallflower." She held her arms out.
Beatrice took her arms. "Dancing with my mom. This isn't pathetic at all."
"Now hands," said Belle, "your partner's above your waist. If he doesn't do that, correct him and if he goes lower again, try to excuse yourself before Papa can turn him into something."
"So, no pressure there," said Beatrice.
"I'll lead," said Belle. She then started Beatrice on a series of simple steps, during which they both kept fouling up.
"We're both clumsy, this is never going to work," said Beatrice.
"She's right, you know," said Rumplestiltskin.
"I am trying, Rumple," said Belle. "Don't break my concentration."
"Perhaps she needs to see it done properly," he said. He turned to Beatrice. "May I cut in?"
"Go for it," said Beatrice, stepping back.
Rumplestiltskin waved his hand and music came from nowhere. He bowed and she curtsied with smirks on their faces.
They took each other's hands and began to dance.
Then Beatrice realized what was happening.
Beauty was dancing with the Beast in Beast's Castle.
Then she might have started singing.
"Tale as old as time... song as old as rhyme... ever just the same, ever a surprise, finding you can change, learning you were wrong..."
"Beatrice, what is that?," asked Rumplestiltskin.
"That's just this thing..."
"A thing?"
"If you're so quick to mock, you should practice with your papa," said Belle, handing her off.
"What? No."
Before she realized it, she was dancing with Rumplestiltskin.
"Chin up," said Rumplestiltskin. "Remember who you are."
Beatrice suddenly had a vision of herself in this same room, only she was younger. Rumplestiltskin was playfully dancing with her before he picked her up and let her swing around in the air as she squealed with delight.
"Beatrice, what is it?"
"I'm having a flashback."
"A flashback?"
"Beatrice?," asked Belle.
Beatrice stopped dancing. "That never happened."
She started getting more. Her mother reading to her in the gardens out front. Her father playing tea party with her, dolls as guests with the teapot and cups flying in the air?
The chipped cup.
She looked over to a pedestal. The chipped cup sat on it. She walked over.
"Beatrice?," asked Rumplestiltskin.
"You keep that thing in your shop, behind a lock and a spell. I've seen it once. I've never even touched it."
"Of course you've touched it," said Belle.
"Here," said Rumplestiltskin, taking it off the pedestal, placing it in her hands.
Beatrice frowned. "I've never held it. How do I know what it feels like?"
"What do you mean?"
"In a dream, you can only do anything with information you already have so how do I know what the cup feels like?"
Belle and Rumplestiltskin exchanged their umpteenth look of concern.
"How am I having flashbacks to things that never happened? We never played tea party."
"Of course you did," said Belle.
"You knew about that?," asked Rumplestiltskin.
"Well, don't worry, I haven't told anyone the Dark One liked to play tea party."
"I wouldn't say I liked it."
"No, no, no..." said Beatrice. "Why is this as real as that was?"
"Beatrice," said Belle, "this other world the Queen's put in your head. What happened in it?"
"Long or short?," asked Beatrice.
"Long, I should think," said Rumplestiltskin.
"The Dark Curse was cast, but you thought she was dead. She was really in Regina's dungeon, only thirteen years later Regina found out Mom was pregnant with me and sent her out of town. Fifteen years later, we came back and I met you for the first time."
"For the first time?," asked Rumplestiltskin. "You mean I didn't raise you?"
"No, I actually thought you were kind of creepy..."
"Creepy?"
She looked down to the distinct lack of a cane. "That seems so real."
"Beatrice," said Belle, smiling as she took her hands. "You were born here. We've always lived here together and your papa and I have raised you together."
"I know," said Beatrice. "Wait. How do I know that?"
"We should eat and depart for the Winter Castle," said Rumplestiltskin. He looked at her in concern. "Beatrice?"
Beatrice screamed, bolting up.
She was blinded by fluorescent lights and found herself connected to tubes that she tried to claw at.
"Beatrice, it's alright." She realized her mother was at her side, trying to keep her from taking out an I.V. She wasn't in her gown, though, just a fairly ordinary dress. She looked towards the door. "Rumple!"
"Mom?"
"Yes."
She looked around. "I'm in the hospital."
"Yes, we found you in the woods, what were you doing out there?"
The door opened. Gold rushed in with Neal and Emma.
"Oh, sweetheart..." said Gold, hugging her.
"Your skin's normal."
"What?," asked Emma.
"It was weird in my dream," said Beatrice. "Like this weird green gray with gold?"
Gold looked at her in shock.
"Bea, how did you know that?," asked Neal.
"Wait, your skin used to be a different color?," asked Emma.
Gold looked at Belle. "Did you-"
"No, I never said anything."
"Beatrice, why were you in the woods?," asked Emma.
She looked up at Gold. "I was going to tell you something. Wait, no, I already told you."
"What was it, sweetheart?," asked Gold.
Suddenly, a bolt of pain raged through Beatrice and she screamed.
Then it went black.
"Beatrice?," Belle asked frantically. "Beatrice?"
Emma ran to the door and shouted for Doctor Whale.
Whale and a nurse rushed in, pushing Belle to the side. She threw herself in Gold's arms.
"What is wrong with her?!," Belle demanded.
Whale shook his head. "I don't know. Her MRI came back clean. There's no cause for this."
Emma had heard words like those before when Henry had been in the hospital. "Like magic."
She caught Gold's glance as he seethed.
It was definitely his 'Someone is about to die' face, not that she could blame him.
"Gold?," she asked as if that could stop the upcoming homicide.
"Pop?," asked Neal. "What are you thinking?"
Merlin entered. "Emma."
Beatrice awoke on the floor of the Great Hall.
"There we are, sweetheart," said Rumplestiltskin.
"I was back, for a minute. I was in the hospital."
"The other world?," asked Belle. She looked at Rumplestiltskin. "What does that mean?"
Rumplestiltskin shook his head. "It must be part of the Queen's curse, trying to make that world seem more real."
"No, pretty sure it was real." She paused. "Or maybe not."
Emma followed him out and down the hall. "She was awake for a second. She said she was going to tell Gold something."
"I have someone I think you should meet."
"Where are we going?," asked Emma.
"I did some investigating, you know. I'm a big Law & Order fan."
They walked into the ICU.
"Should we be in here?," asked Emma.
Merlin pulled open a curtain revealing nurses working around a man whose head was wrapped in gauze.
"Burn victim?," asked Emma.
"Now, either, this total stranger with no connection to Storybrooke had the misfortune to have his car catch fire on the exact same day..."
"Or we just found who Beatrice was throwing a fire-ball at." She looked at Merlin. "And who she had to tell Gold about."
Merlin nodded.
"What's his name?"
"Greg Mendel."