It had been a while since Emma had gone in Gold's shop (she thought guiltily of the baby monitor she had slipped into a spittoon on a shelf near his register) but the air in it had changed, had gotten heavier. The whole place felt vaguely queasy and teaming with an uneasy, unnatural life. She knew it was biologically impossible but she felt like any minute a snake would shoot from under a display case and slither across the floor. Regina seemed to sense it too as she walked ahead of Emma into the shop, letting one arm drift behind her as though wanting to make sure the room was safe before briskly slapping the bell by Mr. Gold's register.

Mr Gold, hollows under his eyes, appeared and Emma felt her heart hammer in her chest.

"Well well well, to what do I owe the pleasure of a royal visit?" he said softly, knitting his fingers over the top of his cane.

"I just wanted to see how your hair looks now the curse is broken." Regina smirked. "I see you've kept up the flat-iron. Wise choice."

Emma resisted the urge to jab Regina meaningfully in the ribs. Mr Gold sighed heavily. "What do you want Regina? I know you wouldn't be here if you didn't want something."

"Actually,this time I'm here about something YOU want. Your happy ending." Regina said simply. "Because I can get that back for you."

"Can you?" Rumple laughed.

"I know where Belle is." Regina said, standing straighter.

Mr. Gold raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Do you now? Let me guess. You think she's still at the asylum."

Regina looked, for once, surprised. "Wait…what?"

"She rejoined me when I brought magic back to Storybrooke, Regina. For a few brief days, yes, I had my happy ending, with no help from you. And then…Belle left."

Regina cocked her head, and Emma sensed her swallowing one of her usual tart remarks. Can't say I blame her was written all over her face.

"After the way you imprisoned her, I'd think you'd drop the subject." Mr. Gold's smooth voice snarled at the last words, but Regina looked unintimidated. "Oh, so I guess you'd rather I made her desperately in love with someone else for 28 years?" she snapped.

Mr. Gold shook his head slightly. "I was spared that at least." He grumbled. Regina got in closer, leaning over the display counter. "What if I were to find Belle and convince her to come back to you?"

Rumple snorted.

"I can help too." Emma said, blinking rapidly. "I mean, I'm no relationship guru but I'd be willing to try-"

Mr Gold looked thoughtfully between the two of them. "So it's true? You- and the Saviour?"

Regina clenched her jaw and tightened one gloved hand into a fist. "Let's stick to the subject at hand, Gold."

"No no, I find it- rather encouraging, actually. After all, if an Evil Queen can convince a Princess to love her despite having a sticky lump of black tar for a soul, then maybe you could con Belle into being with me.

"If either of you were capable of talking Belle into giving me another chance, then yes, I would consider my happy ending restored. But what, may I ask, would your price be for this service?"

"An item from your shop." Regina spun around on one foot. "A three-pointed spear, gold, sort of gaudy, its got a 'Caesar's Palace' kind of thing going-"

"The Triton?" Mr Gold crossed his arms. "You do know if it gets into the hands of the one of the merfolk, they become by ancient rite ruler of the ocean? And that this ocean, last time I checked, didn't have a monarchy? Could be sort of dangerous."

"As dangerous as that time you brought magic back to Storybrooke?" Regina kept her tone barely civil. "Look Gold, I'm setting things to rights. I just want to help a friend with the triton, then I'll bring it right back. I'm not trying to start some maritime mutiny, trust me. I like my crabs deep fried, not singing to me about where I should live."

"Quite." Mr. Gold pulled a roll of parchment from a shelf and waved his fingers over it. Dense writing in intricate calligraphy blossomed over its surface. "Here's our deal. Belle for the Triton."

Emma caught Regina's lean arm as she reached for a pen. "Um- Mr. Gold, we're going to read this through, if you don't mind."

Regina's eyebrows raised delicately, as Emma picked it up and tucked it into her coat. "We'll bring it back by closing."

In the furthest booth at Granny's, Regina and Emma bent over the document, mugs of cocoa with cinnamon (Emma) and tea (Regina) momentarily forgotten.

"Thee has readily consented to all parts herewith- I can barely read this stuff even when you magically adjust the font." Emma grumbled. Regina had managed to make the letters shift from their calligraphy to Helvetica with a swirl of her hand.

"I can't believe you're making me read all of this anyway."

"Mr. Gold is slippery. Look, look at this part: 'of the damsel heretofore after referred to as Belle: and she shall be delivered up to Mr. Gold, whether or not pre-contracted to another, to be kept with at his discretion and for the duration of his necessity of said Belle.' I think that means something shady, Regina."

"Hey." Ruby came up to their booth with a bottle of red wine. She blew some dust off the neck. "The guy at the counter asked me to send you our best bottle in the house for being his personal savior." Ruby announced, putting it down with a thunk and getting a corkscrew out of her pocket. "At nine dollars a glass, this thing hasn't moved from the shelf in the last 28 years, but that just makes it better, right?"

"I don't know him." Said Emma, craning her neck to look at a swarthy man nodding to Regina. Regina looked over her shoulder. "Oh, Hercules , right." She gave a short wave to the counter. "He and Megara keep asking me over for dinner to thank me for getting them back together but…she's a little sassy."

"You're one to talk." Emma couldn't keep the smile from her face, her cheeks pinkened. "You're making a lot of friends, Regina. You're making a difference."

Ruby rolled her eyes, and Emma caught the look. "How about you, Ruby? What do you need to get your happy ending back?"

A mysterious smile played on Ruby's lips. "Actually…I think I found that all on my own." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Enjoy the wine, ladies, and if you need anything else too bad, I'm officially off the clock now." She said, pulling the cork out, and fairly dancing towards a girl with big blue eyes who was waiting by the door."

Regina turned in her seat, her face growing pale.

"No…surely not…"

Emma watched as the girl with blue eyes and Ruby kissed deeply in the doorway.

"Oh, how typical." Emma growled. "I know you don't like PDA, because you still can barely handle the fact you're gay, but if Ruby wants to kiss her girlfriend than GOOD FOR HER and-"

"No…Emma…" Regina's eyes were huge, her face stricken. "Ruby's girlfriend is Belle."