She stood atop the dock, helpless to do anything as she watched green lights quickly swarm the body of her former fiancé. "No!" she breathed staring in shock and horror as the green began to dissipate and the water calmed. Gaston never resurfaced. He'd disappeared beneath the depths of the black waters and though she knew he was an excellent swimmer she also knew that he would never return to take another breath. And it was all because of her. Because she'd pushed him. She'd killed a man! No, it was worse! He'd already been dead, but she'd sentenced him to an endless afterlife of torment! She hadn't just failed to help him, she'd made him miserable.
"What have I done?" she cried unable to take her eyes off the spot in the water that Gaston had once fallen. With every passing moment she could tell less and less that something had happened. Around her she could feel the world moving, time continuing on whether she wanted it to or not. Even she was going on. Her hands, they were shaking. Her heart was pounding as it broke and the realization slowly swept over her all too quickly. But there was something that she was more aware of than all of it. A hand on her shoulder. A hand that she recognized on touch alone and probably always would.
Rumpelstiltskin.
He'd told her this would happen. He'd told her that this was what would happen, that in the heat of the moment she'd do what was necessary to protect the ones she loved. She had done that. She'd protected him. Not their child, for once their child hadn't been in danger! It was Rumple who Gaston was aiming for. And she'd reached out and done what she had to in order to save him. But that didn't change that what she'd done was an awful thing. She was no hero today. She was just as villainous as he was.
She stifled a cry as she finally pried her eyes off the river and turned back to him, looking her over with concern. All she could feel was a weight in her hand. The dagger, it felt like it weighed a ton, just as it had the last time she'd used it on him, fake or not. It was heavier somehow. Or maybe just the weight of Gaston. Unable to handle it anymore, unable to want to handle it anymore, she offered it to him. There was no more need for it to be in her hands.
"I guess you were right," she conceded as he took the dagger. "Darkness will always win."
She wasn't sure what she was doing. All she knew was that she felt cold and he had always felt so warm. Without a thought she fell into his waiting arms and laid her head against his chest. He didn't refuse her the gesture. After all they'd shared, all she'd done to him, he still held her just as if it was years ago and she'd just broken free from the asylum. She'd been right. He was warm.
"I'm so sorry, Belle," he whispered rubbing her back. "I never wanted this to happen to you, but you saved me. You saved our child."
That was true. It was the one consolation prize that came out of all of this and even though she would never be able to call what happened here good she knew it was at least true. Gaston had gone into the River of Souls, just as Hades wanted. Now their baby was theirs and they were free to figure out what came next for both of them. Together? Apart? She wished she-
"A-Actually, not so much."
She and Rumple both spun around at the sound of a voice she'd only heard once but recognized too easily. She'd never forget that voice as long as she lived. Hades.
"Sorry to break up this beautiful domestic scene, but…your baby is still mine."
She felt ready to burst into tears. Not out of sadness, not for Gaston, not anymore…Hades words made her angry. Furious, actually. He was going back on his deal? He'd gotten what he wanted and wasn't going to give them what they wanted out of his sick experiment!
"No, we had a deal," she shouted. "Gaston went in the sea."
"I said I would break the contract if Gaston or Rumpelstiltskin threw the other in the river. But since Belle did the deed..."
Her jaw dropped open. Now he was simply adding insult to injury. A technicality! That was what was keeping her from her child! That was the excuse that he was going to use. The only thing that stood between her and any small semblance of justification! It wasn't over?! He'd wanted one of them gone. One of them was, by her own hand but now because of that it was all for naught?!
"And…what a-a fun surprise that was," Hades chuckled mercilessly at her before regaining his horrible uncaring composure. He looked the two of them down with something far more cruel than any villain she'd ever met had. "No deal."
"No," she shook her head and fought to free herself from Rumple's side, she was itching to hit him, to fight him hand over foot if it took that to relinquish his claim…but Rumple's arm around her waist was steadfast, keeping her by his side. "I will get my baby free of you, you monster!"
"Me?" he questioned innocently before stepping forward toward them. Rumple's arm was still tight, he guided her out of his path…which happened to lead right to the edge of the dock. The very place she'd done the horrible deed she now had to live with for the rest of her life. "Well, you're the one who just doomed your ex-boyfriend to eternal torment."
"Don't listen to him, Belle," Rumple urged, still keeping an unfailing grip on her. "He wanted this to happen."
She really wasn't sure what she thought or wanted to do at such an awful proclamation. Kick? Scream? Cry? She was just a person who had always tried to do her best to be a good person, to set the best example that she could for this baby even before it was born. Why would Hades do such a thing to her. What did she mean to him? Why on Earth would he want her baby?!
"Why? Why did you push me to this?"
"Uh, I have my reasons," he remarked suddenly and inexplicably squatting down closer to the dock. He was looking at something. A…a flower? A flower growing out of a space on the dock. If it weren't for the lovely white of its petals she would have said it was more weed than flower but-
She nearly jumped when she saw it. Before her eyes the flower wilted, far more drastically than Rumple's rose ever had wilted. The white petals turned grey and black. The stem began to bend as it failed to hold itself up. Its leaves began to wither and dry up. In fact, the entire thing began to shrink and shrivel. It was dying right in front of them. And she really had no idea why.
"Now, this…is a beautiful flower." she watched as Hades reached out and plucked, or perhaps snapped, it free from its rotted roots. He raised it to his nose as if it was a perfect rose and inhaled deeply before glancing up at the pair of them. She hated the way that he looked them over as he rose from the ground. It was clearly as if he knew he had the upper hand. Worse, he knew he had the upper hand, and he was enjoying watching both of them squirm. "Imbued with my favorite scent... hopelessness," he added before vanishing in a swirling cloud of white smoke.
He was gone. And she was still unsure what to do. She glanced up at Rumpelstiltskin, hoping he would have a suggestion for them, a place to start, even a promise that might give her hope. But he only stared back for a few seconds before looking out over the bay, clearly just as worried and disturbed as she was. She laid her head against his chest once more as he rubbed her back, but was suddenly aware that the heat he'd once offered her was beginning to burn.
Short chapter, but it was a short scene. I had originally planned to put it with the last chapter, but once again the tones were so different I felt they really needed to be separate. And while they are both shorter than average chapters together they would have been a longer than average chapter, and if I have the option, I'm always more willing to make short chapters than long chapters.
Big, big, thank yous are going out to Grace5231973, ArkTaisch, Fox24, and of course Teresa Martin, for your continued reviews and thoughts on these chapters. If nothing else I've enjoyed the variety of opinions on them, and I appreciate how many of you say kind things even if you don't like the chapter content. Constructive criticism always welcome. Peace and Happy Reading!