Chapter 35
Rumple sat the table in the house that he used to share with Belle. Now it was so empty. There was no life in it. She'd left him and taken anything that good with her. He stared at the divorce papers. He couldn't believe that she had actually done it. He could believe that Regina helped with it or even possibly coerced her into doing it, but never thought that she would follow through with it. Couldn't she see that he was doing this for them? So they could be a family.
He shoved the papers across the table and began to cry. He was losing everything and the only person that he could think to blame was Will. She was the only one truly standing between him and what he ultimately wanted. She was the only one powerful enough to truly fight him, but she hadn't done anything to him directly…yet. He could only wonder what it meant. Then he figured that her coming to Storybrooke was her revenge for what he did to her people. She was slowly convincing every one of his guilt and misdeeds. She was telling them stories of horrors that they didn't know he committed. She was poisoning the populace against him. She was taking everything that he held dear away. He needed to stop her. He needed to find a way and fast before Belle did something that they all might regret.
He knew that Belle was staying with Ruby. He thought that he could talk to Ruby about the situation but he knew that Ruby didn't like him. It was a moot point to try to reason with the Wolf. He wondered if he could try to talk to Emma again. But, then he thought back to the day he tried to file a report about Belle being missing and/or stolen. Emma hadn't been very forth coming in helping him with her. No, he knew that he was on his own and he wasn't sure that he was going to like the outcome.
He needed to get the portal open. Once he did, he would be able to change the past the way he wanted it be. He would be able to fix things and make them right, but he wondered at what cost. He knew that as soon as Belle found out that she had been manipulated she'd leave him. It would be a vicious cycle but he could have what he wanted.
He looked over at the spell book. He still needed Dragon's Blood. The fairies probably didn't have any here in this realm, but he knew that they had other magical ingredients that he could use for other spells, spells to help him on his quest to get his family back. He knew that at a direct approach to get them wouldn't work. He would have to find another way in.
Ruby and Emma entered the library. Emma was glad to see that she back in human form. Ruby sniffed the air and grabbed Emma's hand pulling her through the library back to the small room that Belle and Regina were in. Just outside of the room, Emma pulled her back.
"Remember what I said, not a word," Emma told her.
"Oh, yeah, like I want to tell Regina that you got to ride me. Are you kidding? There is no way that she would take that the right way. I mean you know my sister, right? Just forget it happened. I am not going to tell her," Ruby assured her.
They walked into the room. Regina had her cell phone out and was just about to call them when she saw them walk in. Belle looked up from the books she was using for the translation and gave Ruby a large smile. Emma and Regina saw the smiles between them and smiled at them.
"What did you find?" Regina asked them.
"It seems that Rumple was near the well, and that is where the ogre came from," Ruby told them.
"Well, that doesn't bode well," Belle replied.
"What does it mean?" Emma asked.
"Was there anything else that you can tell me?" Regina asked.
"It looked like the ogre and Rumple got into a minor scuffle. The ogre basically beat him down. I could smell the sweat and fear from him against a tree trunk and its roots. I don't think that Rumple was controlling the ogre," Ruby offered.
"If he wasn't controlling it, who was?" Emma questioned.
"I don't think anyone was," Belle stated.
"How do you know that?" Emma inquired.
"The spell that Rumple used opened a portal to the Enchanted Forest. The ogre must have come through. We need to go to the well and see if it the portal is still open. I am sure that we don't want to deal with any more surprises from the other realm."
"Do we know what he wants there?"
"He is trying to get ingredients that he can't get here. If he manages to go through the portal back to the Enchanted Forest, he will have an endless supply of goods that we don't want him to have. We have to close the portal," Regina told them.
"What about Will?"
"What about her?" Regina replied.
"She'll want to fight him as soon as she knows that Rumple caused this," Emma stated.
"I know. And that is why you can't tell her. She can't know what Rumple has done. This is my choice and I will take the blame for it if she ever finds out. She can't know, Emma. I know that she is your friend, but she can't," Regina told her.
"Why not?"
"She'll kill him," Belle replied.
"And, would that be so bad?" Ruby asked them.
"Yes!" Belle and Regina answered together.
"Why?" Emma asked.
"Whoever kills the Dark One becomes the Dark One," Belle replied.
"So, if Will kills him, she'd become the new Dark One…" Ruby started.
"…And, no one would be able to stop her," Emma finished.
"Yes," Regina said.
"Well, shit. What are we going to do? We have to stop him and we have to protect Will. If we go close the portal at the well, she'll know that Rumple was there and it was his fault. We can't let her go into the woods," Emma told them.
"She senses him there. She'll figure it out on her own. How do we keep her out of the woods? Isn't like we can forbid her from going in there?" Ruby asked.
"Actually I can," Regina stated.
"You would use your Vulcannonian Contract to do that?" Belle asked her.
"If it protected her, yes, I would," Regina replied.
"Then, do it," Emma stated.
"I can also tell her as the Alpha of the pack. She is my Beta. She would have to fight me for position to go against me. She won't because Regina has already ordered her not to," Ruby added, sitting down at the table.
"We are really going to do this?" Belle asked.
"Do you have a better idea?" Regina asked her.
"I just don't think that it is fair that we are taking away her free will. Ordering her because of constraints that she has to follow due to familial lines and magic contracts is the best we can do. I don't want anything to happen to her either, Regina, but we sure that this is the best way?"
"I don't want to do this either, Belle. But, we need to make sure that Will stays around. I can't let her go after Rumple no matter how bad I want her to deal with him. If she kills him, she becomes the Dark One. The only way that I know that we can do that is to forbid her to deal with him and not telling her the complete truth. I know that this is going to piss her off, but I have ways of dealing with that. Let me do this. Ruby doesn't need to throw her Alpha status around unless I can't convince Will to do as ask. It shouldn't be a problem. As long as she is town, she has to obey me," Regina told her.
"Does she really?" Emma asked.
"Yes, it is part of the contract and the magic that it is bound with, Emma. She has no choice. She knows what will happen to her if she doesn't obey the commands that I give her," Regina told her, unsure of why Emma would be questioning her logic now.
"What about her relationship with Coraline?" Emma probed.
"What about it?"
"I know that you forbid her to date her, to have a relationship with her, and yet, she is still coming over to dinner tonight. A dinner I might add that our daughter is making for her. How do you explain that?" Emma asked her.
"I told her that she could go," Regina stated quickly.
"Do you think that Will will try to rebel against your orders?" Belle asked.
"She only ever did once, and that wasn't even completely," Regina told them.
"She did?" Emma questioned.
"Yeah, that is how she got here," Regina replied.
"Did you forbid her from leaving your employ?" Belled asked her.
"No, but she couldn't disobey me. She could leave freely and did often on pursuits of my interest. But, she went to Rumple to get away from the Enchanted Forest and the confines of the contract. It is the only act of rebellion that she ever did," Regina told them.
"But, now that she likes Coraline…" Emma started.
"She has imprinted with Coraline," Ruby added.
"She imprinted on Coraline and you are forbidding her to see her. Do you think that is wise, Regina? She is part Wolf and they cannot help who they imprint on," Belle stated.
"Oh, trust, I know," Regina said, making a slight gesture with her eyes towards Ruby.
"She wouldn't go against you, Regina and you know that. She backed down from Alpha status because you wanted it that way. She gave up her line for you and you still question her loyalty. What will she have to do for you to prove herself for Coraline?"
"Not die," Regina replied in huff and left the room.
"What does she mean by that?" Ruby asked them.
Emma and Belle just looked at Ruby. Belle couldn't believe that she hadn't put it together yet and Emma was fighting going after Regina to calm her down. They both sighed.
"Seriously, someone going to tell what she meant by that?" Ruby asked again.
"Will isn't in Coraline's events of the future, Rubes," Emma stated like it explained everything.
Ruby looked to Belle for a little more clarification. It wasn't that she was dumb; she just didn't understand what they were saying. She wasn't as "fluent" in the time travel and Vulcannonian lore as they were.
"Ruby, Coraline has never spoken of Will or any of her other nicknames."
"So?"
"It means that Will isn't there during the war with the Blackness. If she isn't there, then something either happened to her before the war or she was never there to begin with. Regina is keeping her on a short leash for the protection of the family and to protect both Will's and Coraline's hearts. Can't you see that?" Belle questioned her.
"I don't…wait, Will imprinted on Coraline. If she did so as both a Wolf and Vulcannonian, then she would have been with Coraline in the future. She wouldn't have been surprised by who she was and she would have known who she was in Boston before Emma came to get her. She doesn't know though, does she? Coraline doesn't know that Will has imprinted on her?" Ruby asked them both, seriously worried for her cousin's mental health.
"No, she doesn't. Regina has forbid her from telling Coraline. She is still holding her to the confines of the contract. She has to do as Regina asks of her and she has to defend Regina."
"But, if Regina tells her to stay out of the forest…" Emma stated.
"She won't be able to go after Rumple there," Ruby stated.
"She's trying to make sure that we all survive, but there has to be some sort of caveat. We can't all survive. We know this. We have to defeat the Blackness, but at what cost? What is Regina really trying to do? Who is she trying to protect?" Belle asked.
"At the moment, I would think just Coraline, but even I am beginning to wonder about that," Emma told them as she got up and left the room.
"Can we defeat Gold?" Ruby asked Belle.
"There are only two ways to do that," Belle replied.
"And let me guess, they are both complicated," Ruby stated.
"That would be an understatement. If anyone kills him outright, they become the next Dark One. And, I think that we can all agree that is not an acceptable outcome for anyone to do. We know how easily the darkness of that power corrupts and causes not only the basest of wants, but selfishness, the quest for more power, and the ability to use magics that shouldn't be tampered with ever. Then, there is the option where we get him out of town. If we do that, he can't come back without a spell from Regina. And, we both know that she won't let him back in if she gets him banished. But, once banished, he'll have no power. The dagger would remain here, but the power would still remain tied to Rumple. If Rumple were to die in the Real World…we have no way of knowing what will happen to his power. Worst case scenario that Regina and I came up with is that someone is town is selected by the Dark One's powers to become the newest Dark One. And, darkness seeks darkness," Belle explained.
"It would choose Regina?"
"More than likely," Belle stated.
"She is going on a suicide mission," Ruby replied.
"Not really. She is trying to stop Rumple. She doesn't care how it happens, but she cannot allow him to hurt her family. I am afraid that she is going to challenge him herself and when she can't defeat him outright, she'll call upon Will to get him over the line," Belle stated.
"Do you still have the dagger?" Ruby asked.
"Yes."
"Then, don't give it to either of them. I'll find another way to deal with Rumple. I will not let him destroy this town for his damnable quest for power and you," Ruby hissed.
"How?"
"I'll throw him down the damned well and seal it, if I have to," Ruby stated.
"That would only give him what he wants," Belle stated.
"No, it won't. Without the dagger, he wouldn't have his power there. He would have access to magic, but no way to use it. He needs the dagger in the other realm to be the Dark One as well. Sending him back to the Enchanted Forest without the dagger would be a death sentence and he knows it. He'll come to you soon for it. If he is really is trying to get to the other realm for ingredients for his ill-fated spell, he'll need it on the other side of that well. I, for one, don't plan on letting that happen," Ruby explained.
"Do you think that it'll work?"
"I have no idea, but I need to talk to Regina. I need to make sure that she isn't planning something stupid. We both know how she acts when she doesn't get her way."
"Yeah, she starts wars that destroy nations," Belle quipped.
"Well, let's hope that it doesn't go that far, again," Ruby told her and she went after Emma and Regina with her plan for dealing with Rumple.
Coraline was in the kitchen when Henry got home. He came in the kitchen and sat at the bar. He watched his baby sister work. It was amazing how much she was like Emma and Regina, but he was grateful that she took after Regina in the kitchen. He watched as she effortlessly moved about the room. It was almost like she had lived for there for years instead of weeks. She knew the kitchen inside and out. He couldn't believe how fast she moved around making sure that everything was just how she wanted it before she moved on to the next task at hand.
"Do you want a snack?" she asked not looking up from where she was cutting up some vegetables on a wooden cutting board.
"As long as it isn't healthy, sure," Henry replied with a big smile.
"You never change, Big Brother," she quipped.
She quickly went back over to the fridge. She pulled out some more ingredients for her dinner and some ice cream out of the freezer. She dished him up a very healthy amount in a bowl and gave it to him. His smile got larger and she was afraid that it might crack his face.
"Calm down, bro. It isn't like you are getting to eat for dinner. I'm just letting you have your dessert first is all. And, if you tell Mom, I'll never cover for you again."
"What are you talking about?"
"I think Mom told you to go home after this morning. We both know that you didn't. You went down the wharf to see them break up that ogre. And, don't worry about lying to me about it. I can smell him on you. Eat that up and go wash up before Mom and Ma get home. We both know that if you don't, she'll ground you for at least two weeks this time," Coraline told him.
"Thanks for the head's up. Gosh, I wish you'd been around when I was younger. We could have had a lot of fun together," he said as he shoveled the ice cream in his mouth.
She laughed as she returned the ice cream to the fridge. She knew that he was right. They would have a lot of fun after she was born, but she knew what he meant. If they had actually been closer in age, they would have been a force to be reckoned with in Storybrooke.
"You have no idea the amount of trouble we would have been," Coraline said.
"Oh, yeah, really?"
"Let's just put it this way. Mom wasn't exactly happy that you were teaching me how to shoot a bow at three years old. Things were different in the Enchanted Forest. We had to be more careful about certain things. There weren't drug stores to go get certain things to help us heal or get better. Mom and Ma could only do so much with certain illnesses. Ma used her lighter magic to heal bumps, bruises and scrapes, but we still got scarred, Henry."
"Wouldn't doubt it. You're more like Ma, though in that respect. You're a more physical person. I am not. So, I'm sure that I liked hanging with you because I didn't have to live up to the Princely title," Henry said.
"There was that, Henry, but there was more to it. You are highly protective of me. You have always been as far as I can remember. After everything with Neal…I could understand why, but that didn't mean that we didn't have fun. We used to play hide and seek in the castle all the time. Half the time, Mom would have to find us because we would lose each other."
"Sounds like fun…wait, what happened to Neal? You talking about my Dad? Or, are you talking about Uncle Neal?" Henry asked her.
"It doesn't matter, right now, Henry. Just…you need to be a kid while you can. Look, I know that you aren't a kid. You're a teenager, but you need to enjoy this time. You need to do everything that you can, because when we get sent back to the Enchanted Forest and Fairy Tale Land things are going to be different," she told him.
"Yeah, how so?"
"You think Mom is strict now," Coraline started to tell him.
"I am sure that she is very strict there. I guess I can kinda understand that, too. She would have to be. We don't understand that world. Ma has only been there twice and both times she made lots of mistakes," Henry replied.
She smiled as she moved her chopped vegetables into a sauté pan. She knew that incidents that Henry was referencing. It was one of the reasons that she was afraid of what would happen if she came back to Storybrooke to affect the future. She had also laughed at her Ma's antics. It was one of the few things that Emma had written about to help them preserve the past. There was so much that she learned just from reading her mothers' writings and journals.
"You do know about those, right?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I do. I remember reading your copy of Star Wars, well, your rendition of it. I spent many a night dreaming of soaring through the stars, but I had to laugh when Ma introduced herself to the Evil Queen as Princess Leia. I'm glad that no one got the reference when she was in the past, but I am sure that they all had a good laugh about it when she told them all the truth."
"Oh, we did. I remember when she came back with Hook to the diner. We didn't know that she had been gone so long. It had only been like an hour or so for us. But, she started flipping through the book and pointed at one of the drawings. She pointed a strange looking couple at King Midas' castle for Abigail's wedding to Charming, before it didn't happen."
"Oh, yeah? What did they say? How did she explain it then?" Coraline asked him as she grabbed a pack of chicken out of the fridge and began to quarter is on a new cutting board.
"She points at the drawing and tells them that they are Princess Leia and Prince Charles. She then tells them how she was at the ball and dancing with Hook, but everyone kept looking at them strangely because Emma didn't know how to do the dance. Then, she reminded Grandpa how he got that scar on his chin. I remember Grandpa looking at her weird."
"Grams hit him with the jeweled box right?"
"Yeah, but Emma shouldn't have known that. She kept telling them things that weren't in the book but they remembered. It wasn't until Ma told Snow why she was hugged her after she turned back into herself from the ladybug. That was when Snow believed them, plus there was the fact that she brought Marion back to Robin in the future, here," Henry stated.
"Yeah, I remember reading Mom's take on that little fact," Coraline stated.
"Not their best moments together, I'll admit. But, they got over it. I think it helped Mom realize that Robin wasn't really her True Love. It hurt her, but Emma spent years apologizing to her for it. I think that is why Ma fell in love with her," Henry told her.
"It sure is," Emma said joining them in the kitchen.
"Hey, Ma," Coraline and Henry both said in unison.
"Question, kiddos, have either of you seen your Mom?" Emma asked them.
"Not since this morning," Henry replied.
"What about you, Coraline? You haven't seen your Mom since you left downtown? I need to talk to her. I've got an idea, but I'm not sure how good it is," Emma told her.
"Nope, Ma, I haven't. She wasn't at the grocery store and she hasn't come home that I know of. I would have felt it if she had. Maybe she went to the wharf to check on the progress of dealing with the ogre, but somehow I doubt that. She knew that Will has it under control. Hmmm…Did you check the mayoral office?" Coraline asked her.
"Not yet. I'll try there next. She kinda got upset earlier when we were planning with Belle and Ruby. I'll find her. Dinner smells good by the way. I know that Will will like it. I'll be back soon. And, no more ice cream before dinner, Henry. Go wash the bowl and hide the evidence if you don't want your Mom to know about it. If you see her before I do, have her call me, please," Emma stated, kissed both of their head and headed back out the kitchen and out the house.
"Well, that was interesting," Henry stated.
"She's right. Go wash you bowl in the sink. And, don't even think of putting it in the dishwasher. Mom will know that way," Coraline told him.
"You can't just magic it clean?" Henry asked.
"No, now go," Coraline commanded, laughing at Henry and his attempt to get her to do something magical in the house.
Regina was sitting at the docks. She needed to talk to Will. She needed to tell her to stay away from the woods and the forest for the time being. She would have to make her understand. She couldn't explain it all, but she would tell her enough. She watched the boats going round and round the remnants of the ogre.
She was amazed at how quickly Will had organized the clean-up and further destruction of the dead ogre. She knew that she shouldn't be because she knew how militaristic Will's mind functioned. She was good at devising plans and follow through. She knew how to order people to get done what needed to get done, how she needed to it get done and when she needed to get it done. She was also not afraid to send someone to their death if it meant protecting the mission.
Regina had learned the value of life and friendship. She wasn't as callus anymore. Before she could have sent an entire village to slaughter and not think twice about it. Now, she was having a problem thinking about Emma or Coraline wielding a sword in her protection. She didn't want anyone close to get hurt.
"Coming to check up on me?" Will asked her as she down next to Regina.
"No, I needed to think."
"Still like to stare out into the horizon, I see," Will replied trying for a bit of levity between them.
"Will…"
"What are your orders, my Queen?" Will asked, knowing that this wasn't a social visit.
"I don't know. I am conflicted and with good reason. I am not sure that you will obey me."
"I will, Regina and you know that. Talk to me. Tell me what is bothering you," Will said.
"It's Rumple," she replied.
"What about him?" Will questioned.
"He was around when the ogre showed up."
"I'll kill him," Will said quietly, standing and Regina could feel the hate radiating off of her.
"Sit down."
"Regina…" Will warned.
"Sit down!" Regina commanded her.
Will sat down, again. Regina turned and looked into her blue eyes. She could see the fire burning there and she knew that she would have to do something to quench it.
"You cannot go after him," Regina stated.
"Why not?!"
"You just can't," Regina replied.
"Regina…we both know that I am the only one that can hurt him. Why wouldn't you let me fight him? Why aren't you trying to stop him? You know that he was there with the ogre. He might have been the one that unleashed it on the town. Hell, we all know that he wants you out of the way. He has no more use for you. He hates Coraline. He tolerates Emma. So, give me a good enough reason that I shouldn't hunt him down right now. He needs to pay for his crimes, all them, not just the ones against me. This isn't some personal vendetta. However, I know that I won't cry when he dies," Will explained.
"You can't kill him."
"Who said anything about killing him? I want to maim him. I want to make him hurt. Death is too easy for him. He is immortal like me. Life is a more fitting punishment," Will said.
"I agree with you on that. But, I can't risk you. I can't risk you killing him."
"What is so damn important about him living?" Will demanded.
"If you kill him, you become him," Regina finally told her.
"That's what you're afraid of? You're scared that I'll become the Dark One. That is why you don't want me going after him?"
"Yes, Will, it is. I need you alive. I need you healthy. I need you to be there in future."
"What aren't you telling me?"
"Think about the stories that Coraline has told us about our future. Think about what she has told us through memories and what we have seen curtesy of the dream catcher. Will, you aren't there. Coraline didn't know who you were. She doesn't know about Vulcannonians. There was no one there to teach her."
"So?" Will asked, still not completely understanding Regina's line of thinking.
"You've imprinted on her, right?"
"You know that I have."
"I haven't released you."
"I know, so what of it?" Will asked her.
"I will release you on one condition."
"What's that?" Will questioned, tipping her chin in a defiant manner.
"You cannot kill Rumple."
"Regina, you don't know what you are asking?"
"I do."
"How can you ask me that? He destroyed my entire family…my entire nation. He is trying to destroy you and your family. How can you ask me to not stop him?"
"I didn't say anything about not stopping him. I simply said that you cannot kill him. Other than that, you can do whatever you want to him," Regina clarified.
"If I do this, you'll release me and give your blessing for me and Coraline?"
Regina stared out at the ocean. She didn't know what to really say to that. She knew that Will will be able to protect her daughter, but she knew that Will loved her. It should be all that mattered, but it wasn't. Regina had to think like a queen and not a mother.
"If we survive this, we'll see," Regina told her.
Charming was in the Sheriff's station filling out paperwork. Grumpy had come in earlier and given him a complete report on the clean-up efforts that the dwarves had led. He was happy that Doc and Sneezy had taken care of the few injuries that were sustained and that no one had to go to the hospital for more substantial treatment. He was just finishing up the report when Happy came in the office.
"Everything is done, Charming. We're going to head back down to the mines to make sure that Rumple isn't trying to steal the dust. Sleepy and Bashful have been standing guard since yesterday. It's time to let them get some rest."
"Let me know, if you need our help, Happy. We can supply some townspeople if you need a break. I am sure that someone will be happy to help you out. Just let us know," Charming said.
"We will. Take it easy. Hi-ho, it's off to work I go," Happy replied as he left the office.
Charming just smiled at him as he walked away. Emma walked in and sat down in the chair at the desk in front of the one that Charming was sitting at. She looked worried and he could tell.
"What is it, Princess?" he asked with some mirth in his voice.
"I think that Regina is going to do something stupid and I need your help," Emma told him.
"She isn't going to start another war is she?" he asked suddenly very serious.
"I don't know. She might. She feels threatened by Rumple and we both know what she does when she feels threatened. She lashes out. And, when she doesn't get her way, she destroys things. I don't know if the town will survive if she goes up against him personally."
"It won't," Charming said in agreement.
"We need to stop her."
"How do you propose we do that?"
"I don't know. How did you stop her before? What did you use?" Emma asked him.
"Rumple," he replied flatly.
"Well, that isn't going to work," Emma quipped.
"No, I should say not. I'll talk to your mother. Maybe Snow can talk some sense into her. I doubt it, but they have gotten closer these past few years. Maybe she just needs another perspective to help her see things," Charming said.
"I hope so. I am really worried about her, Dad. I've only seen her like this when I showed up with Henry, years ago. She is on a mission and she isn't going to stop until she gets the outcome that she wants," Emma replied.
"I know, Emma. But, this time it isn't just her family that is threatened. It is her town. She is taking this very personally and if I was in her shoes, I would be, too. I know that it isn't what you want to hear, but we will do our best to help you and help her."
"I love her too much to lose her, David," Emma said quietly.
"I understand. And, trust me when I say so does your mother. We will do what we can," he told her again, hoping this time it would alleviate her fears.
"Thanks," Emma replied.
"You'll be fine, Emma. Everything will work itself out. It always does. We will deal with everything. We always do, Emma. We aren't going to stop fighting. We don't know how to give up," Charming explained.
"I've noticed," Emma said.
He smiled at her. He knew that his family would always fight to defend the people and themselves. They would stand up for what was right. He knew that Emma knew that they would all stand behind her and Regina. He also knew that they would do anything they could to provide a better future for Coraline, Henry and Neal.
"Dad?" Emma asked.
"What, Princess?" he replied.
"How's Neal?"
"He's good. He's becoming more of a handful for your mother. He is amazing. And, the more time that I spend with him, the more I wish I had it with you. I know that we have apologized for sending you here, Emma, but your mother was right," David stated.
"About what?"
"That we should have fought more to keep you. We missed so much with you. As much as you are our daughter, you are more our friend. We are getting to experience parenthood with him."
"I know. I am happy for you, David. We've already talked about this," Emma started.
"I know. I am proud of you, but I can't help but wonder. We always find a way, no matter what. I am giving you my word, Emma. We are going to find a way to stop it. I don't care if I have to kill Rumple myself."
"You can't do that!" Emma yelled at him.
"I know the consequences of the act, Emma. I am not a fool. I am just telling you that if it comes to that, I will take the plunge. Do you know why?" David asked her.
"No."
"True Love's kiss will cure any curse. Being the Dark One is just the strongest curse on an individual from our realm. I have no doubt that if I make that sacrifice that you or mother would be able to break the curse and bring me back. I don't want to really try it if we don't have to do it. I am just offering it as an option," David told her.
"Well, I am going to make sure that we don't have to do that."
"Why?" David asked, wondering why Emma wouldn't take it as an option.
"You only have half a heart, David. We don't know what would happen to Snow, to Mom, if you were to be infected with the curse of the Dark One. I cannot take that chance. You cannot afford to take that chance. Mom can't let you do it. I am not going to let you sacrifice yourself like that. It isn't just your life that you hold in your heart, but hers as well. If you become the Dark One, who will raise Neal?" Emma questioned him.
"I hadn't thought of that," David replied.
"I know, Dad. I know. I've even thought about doing it myself. The only problem with that is Regina won't let me. She won't let me. I just hope that we don't have to kill Rumple. I hope that we can find another way," Emma tells him.
"I might have found a way," Will states as she entered the Sheriff's office with Regina in tow.