Author's Notes: I do not own Once Upon A Time which is a show on ABC where we may veering even farther from season 3 than I anticipated. Seriously, just wow. Thanks for your reads and reviews, I've gotten back to a couple of you and I will try to get back to the rest of you. I appreciate it all the same. Also, I don't know what impact this would have, but I wrote this before last night's episode. It shouldn't affect anything I think but it's been a tumultous less than 24 hours. Please let me know what you think and happy reading!

Gold carefully cracked the door open to peer into the guest room. Beatrice was asleep on the bed, looking decidedly more placid as she slept. Without her glasses, she looked so like Belle and he wished she had let him fix her eyes. It still stung that she didn't trust him.

There was a TV on the dresser. It hadn't been in this room before, it had sat unplugged in one of the other rooms. He supposed children of this world weren't used to going without these things but he didn't think it should be on while she slept. Making light use of his cane, he went in and shut it off.

Gold made his way to his own bedroom. Belle was sitting on the bed, heels off, not having gotten out of her clothes.

He had ideas for that.

She smiled at him and motioned for him to join her. Sitting at the edge of the bed she cupped his face in her hands.

"Rumplestiltskin," she breathed and leaned up to kiss him. She giggled.

"What?"

Her grin threatened to cover her face. "I still can't believe I can do that."

Gold shook his head. "You strange girl."

"Well, I'm hardly a girl anymore," said Belle. "I have a girl who is almost the age I was when I met you."

Gold nodded.

"We have a girl," said Belle, sensing his discomfort. She held his hand. "This is the land Baelfire is in, yes?"

"Yes."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No, I suppose I'll have to look."

"It's a big world out there, Rumple. You have no idea. It makes our realm seem tiny."

"You've seen it then?"

"A bit," said Belle. "There's no way to see all of it."

"Ah." Here he was so close to what he wanted and still so far away.

"We can help you look," said Belle, squeezing his hand. "We'll find him."

"What is she like?" He looked up at Belle. "I can tell she's smart."

She nodded, realizing what he was asking. "Yes, she's so smart, Rumple. She always has been. She started reading when she was three."

"Well, is that a surprise considering her mother?"

Belle smiled. "She's not just good with books. She likes physics and astronomy. She's very good at math. She speaks French, started taking Spanish, last summer she did an extra session to start learning Japanese."

"All things you're good at."

"She's a hard worker," said Belle. "She's always helping with these donation drives and things at her school."

"You said she doesn't have friends."

Belle nodded. "She's introverted. She has some classmates she works well with, I think, but she's at this age where the girls all care about boys and who wore what outfit. It's hard for her to tolerate them, I think."

"She doesn't care for boys and clothes?"

"Oh, no, she likes clothes," said Belle. "When you see her closet, you'll understand. She has about a hundred nail polishes. They're not the only thing for her, though."

"And boys?"

Belle frowned. "What are you asking?"

"What am I asking?"

"Are you asking if she's a lesbian?"

"No, I- is she?" Far too much was happening for Gold at this point.

Belle shook her head. "I don't think so. I've never seen her have a crush on a girl. She has her crushes from television."

"From television?," asked Gold.

Belle nodded. "It's not unusual for girls in this land."

Gold shook his head. "I wouldn't know if it's usual or not, I've barely had contact with anyone who was too young to owe me rent for twenty-eight years. The habits of young girls are somewhat beyond my scope of knowledge."

Belle grinned and hugged him. "Well, you have time to learn."

Suddenly, a scream broke through their happy haze. Belle leapt to her feet and was down the hall. Gold struggled to follow.

"Beatrice?," she said, racing in the guest room and flipping on the light. "Beatrice, it's okay."

Belle sat on the bed and tried to stir Beatrice, pulling her into her arms.

Gold got a closer look at Beatrice. She was shaking, covered in sweat. She struggled to find her glasses on the night table.

"It's okay, baby," Belle said softly. "Mommy's here. You're not there."

Beatrice relaxed, seeming to understand. She sat up and looked to the television.

"Why is it off?," she asked.

Gold frowned. "You were asleep."

She turned her glare towards him. "You turned it off?"

"Hey, Beatrice, Papa didn't know, okay?"

"I'm sorry," said Gold.

Belle looked up at him. "She's terrified of the dark."

"I'm sorry," Gold said again. "Can I get you anything?"

"No," said Beatrice.

Gold left the room as Belle soothed Beatrice, feeling like an idiot and a failure.

It was cold and dark and Beatrice began to remember some of why she didn't like the Enchanted Forest. Hook dragged Beatrice out and into the getaway pirate wagon because apparently that was a thing. He parted ways with the others and took Beatrice with him.

"Try not to panic, Princess," said Hook.

"Oh, don't panic?! Really?!" Beatrice elbowed Hook in the gut which got him far enough away to hold her hand out.

"Beatrice, no-"

She shoved her hand forward, not entirely certain which power would come out, but got the one where Hook went flying into a tree.

"Killian!"

Beatrice turned to see Emma running towards her, the princess dress having been ditched for leather pants, boots, a tunic and a sword. She ran towards Hook.

"Beatrice, what did you do that for?"

"Did I just wake up in crazy town again?!," she demanded. "He kidnapped me."

"Yeah, I know, he shouldn't have done that, but it was all part of my escape plan!"

"Your escape plan?!"

"Yeah, I told you all about it."

Beatrice shook her head. "Uh-uh. Sideways Beatrice may not know how to use an iPad, but I know there's no way she went along with a plan to get kidnapped by pirates!"

"Wow, you didn't fall for that for a second," said Emma, helping Hook up as he moaned.

"What is going on?!," asked Beatrice.

"Killian and I are running away together," said Emma. "You were just a distraction."

"What? The distraction that ensures my dad comes after you?! What kind of stupid plan is this?"

"It's not stupid," said Emma. "Killian helped me come up with it."

"Oh, then if it came from the guy hellbent on killing the immortal guy, it must be a good one," Beatrice snapped. "Did your mother drop you on your head, Hook?!"

Hook rolled his eyes.

Emma spoke. "Look, I don't have what you have. Nothing exciting is ever going to happen to me, so Killian and I are going to go sail the realms."

"Oh, yeah, great idea," said Beatrice.

"Look, love," said Hook, "you don't have to come with us."

"That's a good thing because I'm not."

"We need your help," said Emma. "Just sort of distract the search for a while."

"I do not want to distract the search," said Beatrice.

"Well, you're going to," said Hook.

Beatrice waved her hand and revealed a fireball. "Do I look like I have to do anything I don't want to do?"

"When did you learn to do that?," asked Emma.

Beatrice felt the memories of the other world creeping back in. Gold had taken her to his cabin in front of the lake. He said it was the kind of thing you didn't want going wrong with an audience. It had taken her the better part of the morning to get any flames going, it was just before lunch when they formed something golf ball sized. Refocusing after a meal and warming up for a while she got the hang of it and there was only one small fire they had to put out before Gold finally said it was time to go home.

"Does it matter?! I am going back now. Enjoy your pirates life. Yo ho-hum and a bottle of rum!"

"We could hold her for ransom," suggested Hook.

"Yeah, then her dad's really gonna kill you," said Emma.

"He hasn't yet, love."

"Yeah, last time Belle stopped him because it was the middle of Beatrice's birthday party. It's not her birthday now."

Hook looked over at Beatrice. "I thought you were leaving, love."

She pointed over at something she recognized from her storybook at least, dappled by early morning sunlight. "That's Regina's castle."

"Yeah," said Emma.

"Well, first thought, it seems like a mistake for you people to live so close together. Second thought, if she's really cursed me, maybe I can talk to her."

"The Evil Queen isn't much for conversation," said Hook.

She looked back at Emma. "Is Cora around?"

"Your dad killed her," said Emma.

"Good. Then I don't have that psycho around, just the one," said Beatrice. "Excuse me."

"Beatrice, no," said Emma.

"Look, I am going and getting some answers. Don't try to stop me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Hook.

Emma shot him a glare. "Killian, we can't just let her go alone."

"And what about you? I believe the Evil Queen once tried to kill you because you're the only thing that could break her Dark Curse."

"Actually, judging by your billion brothers and sisters, you're not the only thing," said Beatrice. "Also, is her father dead?"

"Yeah..." said Emma.

"Does anyone know where his heart went?" Beatrice waved them off. "Never mind. Going."

"Beatrice, wait, I'm coming with you," said Emma.

"Then I suppose I am as well," said Hook.

"Regina is still mad at Rumplestiltskin. You have no idea," said Emma.

"Yeah, what would I know about a world where Regina is mad at my dad?"

"I've told her once and now I've told you," said Regina, glaring at Merlin. They had been shut in Emma's office almost an hour now. "How many more times do you want me to say it?"

"You killed the man's father and buried him in the woods. Now my granddaughter lies in a hospital bed. I'm a bit angry about that," said Merlin.

"How was I supposed to know?"

"Well, here's a tip, in the Land Without Magic, when loved ones disappear, people tend to want to know why!," said Merlin.

Emma sighed. "Look, I'm not exactly thrilled here, guys, but I don't think there's anything we can do about it," said Emma. "Unless you two.."

Merlin glared at her. "Well, do you have a shovel?"

"A shovel?"

"Yes, if you dig out his remains, I can make his skeleton move. I usually try to save it for Halloween, but Christmas is coming up, maybe he can dance to the tune of Jingle Bells."

"Sarcasm won't help anything."

"I find it helps me immensely when I have to not throttle people for stupid suggestions," said Merlin. He turned to Regina. "Or stupid things they did in the past."

"Are you still mad at me about the Curse?"

"Has it really taken you this long to put that one together?"

"This isn't helping," Emma interjected. "Who could have been spying on the town? Has anyone seen any strangers?"

"Beatrice seems to keep inviting people to town," said Regina.

"Oh, yes," said Merlin, "I'm sure the UPS driver has been using the twenty minutes he's in Storybrooke every other week to conduct massive surveillance on the town and construct a headquarters. He must be changing faces all the time as well."

Regina rolled her eyes.

"Merlin's right," said Emma. "The only people to even come to town since the Curse broke are Neal and Tamara."

"Tamara," said Regina.

She looked across at Merlin. The two powerful sorcerers shared a look of understanding.

"Tamara," he repeated.

"Guys," said Emma, "what makes you think Tamara?"

"The process of deduction, Savior," said Merlin.

"We need evidence."

Merlin and Regina didn't answer and began walking out.

"Guys?," asked Emma. "Evidence?"

Gold stood on the front path as Belle chatted with her uncle, Ian. He was a music teacher in this land, but at home he had been the Duke of Padua. Gold had met him exactly once before today, never even having had to argue with him over rent. The movers were bringing the boxes from New York today and Belle was using the good weather to chat with her uncle, catching up on which family member had done what and where they were. It was trying Gold's patience, but he supposed it was better than Moe French on his front lawn. Belle's mother's family had never been a problem and Ian had come to say hello as soon as word spread that Belle was alive and with him.

He watched as Beatrice joined them.

"Is my stuff here?," asked Beatrice.

"Right there," said Belle, pointing at a collection of boxes.

"Hello, Beatrice," said Ian.

"Hi," she said offhandedly.

Gold couldn't help but be a little pleased that he wasn't the only one getting a cold reception. He watched as Beatrice looked over the stack of boxes, then went to look in the back of the truck.

"Is something the matter?," asked Gold.

"Um, where's my bed? And my desk? My DVD cabinet?"

"Beatrice, you know there wasn't a lot of reason to keep the furniture from the apartment," said Belle.

"Except my stuff."

"You see, Susan's daughter just turned ten and she needed a bigger bed, one for a young woman-"

"You gave my stuff away!"

"You don't need it," said Belle.

"I can sleep in my bed," said Beatrice. "It doesn't have freakish claws on the end and my desk, I can think at my desk. And where am I supposed to keep my DVDs?!"

"Beatrice, it was just IKEA-"

"I like IKEA! Nothing is haunted or creepy there and they have frozen yogurt!" She walked over to the boxes and picked one up.

"Beatrice, let the movers handle that," Gold pleaded.

"No, I have to inventory this to make sure Susan's brat daughter didn't need a complete Doctor Who DVD set," she said, marching up.

Gold followed and approached her door. He heard muffled crying.

He knew the look on her face. He had seen enough people reach the end of a deal, finding out what their end of the bargain would be. She had wanted to find her father, expecting a prince and instead she got him. A crippled old man. A villain. She had been ripped from everything she had ever known to live in a creepy house with a strange man.

He knocked on the door.

"Beatrice? May I come in?"

She sighed. "Yes."

Gold entered after giving her another moment. He chose to ignore her puffy eyes and red nose. "Have you found your things?"

"I think so."

"Good. Do you want any help unpacking them?"

"I can get it."

"I gave some thought to what you said outside-"

"Forget it."

"No, no, you were right."

She looked up in shock. "I was?"

"You're a young woman and you have your own tastes. This is your room, you ought to have things you want in it."

Beatrice shook her head. "It's fine."

"No, I insist. At the very least, there's not been a new coat of paint in twenty-eight years. I can take you somewhere, but the options are somewhat limited in Storybrooke."

"Could I just look online?"

"Online. Right." The Curse had not seen fit to impart him with a lot of technological knowledge. "And how do you pay for that?"

"With a credit card?," Beatrice said tentatively.

"And you know how to do that?"

"Yeah..."

"Very well. Just find some things you like and we'll order them."

Beatrice, Emma and Hook arrived at Regina's castle. Beatrice spotted a tunnel.

"You can't go in through there," said Emma.

"And why not?," asked Beatrice. "Should I go in the front door and knock?"

"This tunnel leads to the West Wing of the Queen's Castle," said Hook.

Beatrice shook her head.

"The west wing," said Emma.

"It's forbidden," said Hook.

"Well, pretty much the whole building is forbidden so I don't see what difference which side makes."

Emma took out her sword, then Hook.

"You two are serious," said Beatrice.

"Beatrice, you don't go in the west wing of any building," said Emma.

"Why? Because Josh and Sam are busy writing the President's State of the Union speech?"

"You just don't."

"Then why even build it?," asked Beatrice. "Is this some asinine Enchanted Forest rule?"

"Everyone knows that," said Hook.

Beatrice walked down the path to the door. Waving her hand, she opened the door and walked through it.

It was dark. Really dark which Beatrice wasn't thrilled about. She heard Hook and Emma behind her.

"Why don't you go in the west wing?," she asked softly.

"Dark ghosts lurk in the west wing of every castle in this land," said Hook. "More dangerous than you can imagine."

Beatrice heard screams and crying.

She looked over to see a redhead saying goodbye to a little boy.

"I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Best to keep walking," said Hook.

Beatrice walked forward. She saw the same boy again and couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about him.

"No, Papa, I want to stay with you," the boy said tearfully.

"Why is it the same ghost?," asked Beatrice.

"What do you mean?," asked Emma.

"Every castle in the land is haunted by dark ghosts and it's the same one-"

Out of nowhere a portal appeared, they hurried to escape it as Beatrice was sure she could hear screams. She thought she saw the Blue Fairy, she could swear she heard crying and then a shadow.

A shadow with bright blank eyes.

"No way..." said Beatrice.

"What?," asked Emma.

"That shadow. I know that shadow. I used to see it all the time."

"You know that shadow?," she asked.

"Don't be so skeptical," Hook warned. "Come on. There's no time to waste."

Hook tried to urge them ahead.

Beatrice stopped and turned to the shadow.

"Why are you here?," she asked.

The blank bright eyes met hers.

"I'm waiting for you," he said in a deep voice.

He grabbed her arm and Hook grabbed her. She whipped her arm back for a fireball and the shadow was distracted enough to drop her. She ran with Hook and Emma back until they found a door and fell through it, just shutting out the shadow.

"I don't understand," Beatrice said.

"Nor do I, Princess Beatrice."

They looked up to see Regina.

"Hey, Regina," said Beatrice. "How have you been?"

"Rumple."

Gold rolled his eyes as he marched through the forest.

"Rumple, talk to me!"

Gold looked back to see Sideways Belle. She was still following him. Ball gown with sword in hand.

"What is your plan?," she asked.

"My plan? My plan is to retrieve Beatrice and then maybe kill Hook for fun before I leave."

"Leave where?"

"You should stay here," he said as she stared at him.

He turned to walk away and heard Belle's footsteps behind him.

"Why could I never remember you listening to what I said?," he asked turning.

She shook her head. "I don't understand."

"Of course. I remembered you perfectly because you always were perfect."

"Rumple, you're talking about me as if I'm not here. I am and I want to help find our daughter."

He nodded. "Of course you do." There would be no fighting her. If the Belle he created was anything like the real one and she was, she wouldn't be happy unless she was helping him. So he had no choice but to include her in his plans or she would be fighting him.

She squeezed his hand. "We'll find her, Rumple. No one takes our daughter from us."

Her eyes darted and Gold turned to follow them. There was a piece of lavender tulle hanging off a bush.

"Beatrice's dress," said Belle, picking it up. She turned to Gold. "Can you do something with it? Enchant it?"

Gold looked behind her.

"Belle, has Beatrice been acting strangely?"

"Of course she has. Don't you remember?"

"Tell me what I said."

"Rumple, what's going on? Do you think Regina's cursed you as well?"

"Cursed me?"

"With the memories of that other world. The Land Without Magic, that awful place where we weren't together."

"And did I tell Beatrice I thought Regina had cursed her?"

"Yes, yes, you did."

"I know where she went."

Belle turned around. "The Queen's Castle? Why would she do that?"

"Because she has a logical mind and hates to leave a problem unsolved, no matter the cost."

"You think she went to confront Regina?"

"She thinks she knows Regina. She doesn't know this one."

"Um, hi..." said Beatrice.

Gold looked up in surprise. Beatrice stood in the doorway of the cellar. It was the first time she had ventured down this far, their interactions usually remained in the kitchen or dining room. "Hi."

"The spinning thing? You really just sit down here and do that?"

The wheel. That was the reason she was still standing in the doorway. It seemed so strange that his own child had never even seen him spin. Bae had been an infant in a basket next to his wheel while Milah disappeared for hours.

"It's nothing I can't interrupt." He motioned for her to come closer.

She approached carefully. "Where do you buy straw?"

That was her question? "There's a store not far from my shop that had it in the garden section."

She nodded. "What is straw?"

Yet another question that no one had ever asked him. He supposed her life in Manhattan didn't have much need for agricultural knowledge. "It's the leftover stalks after crops are harvested." He saw that she was clutching her iPad to her chest. "Did you find some things?"

"I found some stuff, but I don't know, it's kind of a lot-"

"Well, let me see," said Gold, holding his hand out.

She reluctantly handed him the iPad.

"It's a bed," she said. "Well, duh, it's a bed."

Gold looked at the page she had pulled up. It was a white headboard, an imitation of an antique, but delicate. The pictures on the website portrayed all sweetness and light, fantasies of what a girl's bedroom ought to be, the absolute antithesis of Mr. Gold's dark and forbidding house.

"I see," he said. He looked up. "And the desk?"

"Um," she leaned over to scroll down, "they have one to go with it."

"And those bed linens? Are those what you want?"

"I don't need-"

"You don't have any and these won't go with anything I have."

Beatrice took the iPad back, did something and handed it back. There was now a bed covered with some sort of teal ruffled set. Teal ruffles. What would Mr. Gold say?

"Alright," said Gold. "Desk chair?"

"I can get a regular chair."

"Supposing you can't."

"Well, that one's cute," she said.

"Is that fur?," he asked.

"It's fake," she said defensively.

"Do they have any more to go with this?"

"Any more what?"

"A bedside table, a dresser, shelves for your books and your poor trinkets scattered everywhere." Gold attempted to look through. "Here, this one looks like it could hold everything."

"No, desk, bed, I'm good. Really." She took the iPad back. "I'm sorry."

"But your things-"

She shook her head. "No, sorry. I shouldn't be so... I'm sorry."

"Beatrice-"

"Forget the whole thing."

She left before he could move to follow her.

Belle had fallen asleep in their bed with a book open in her hands, a sight he had seen before in the Enchanted Forest.

"Belle," he said, gently trying to stir her awake.

"I wasn't asleep," she said quickly.

He had also heard that in the Enchanted Forest.

"Did Beatrice mention the furniture offer?"

Belle leaned back into her pillows looking at him. "I thought you were doing that together."

"Yes," he said. He didn't want to disappoint Belle with their latest encounter. "I just lost the website..."

"And you don't want her to know you lost the website." Belle nodded in understanding. "Did you check her Pinterest?"

Gold shook his head. "What's Pinterest?"

Belle reached to her night table for her computer. "It's this website that's just pictures of things people like," she said, opening up the laptop and logging on. "See?"

Gold took the laptop from Belle. It was just picture after picture. "Is this all Beatrice's?"

"No," said Belle, leaning over to help him. "You see, you click on her name and those are all her boards."

Gold scrolled down her page. One for clothes, one for shoes, one for purses, one for nail polish? Others seemed to be dedicated to things she had mentioned in passing, like that doctor show, places she wanted to travel to, books she liked. Gold had found her description of some of them dreadful, what sort of land sent their children off to slaughter each other on a reality show? It was bad enough this land let their children go off to singing auditions when they were clearly tone-deaf.

"Try 'Room Stuff,'" said Belle.

"I might have figured that out," said Gold.

"You might have," Belle teased. "Just click on it."

Gold did. There were all the things she had pointed out and more, even the things he had inquired after that she refused. Things she hadn't even mentioned.

"So she wants all this?"

"No, people just put things on there sometimes. Just get the things you two agreed on."

Belle leaned back, starting the book, but really falling asleep as Gold did more on the computer. He got enthralled by the website the bed came from and didn't see what harm it could do. Maybe he couldn't be what Beatrice wanted, but he could get her the things she wanted. They might even make her smile which had been a rare sight he had only seen when she was alone watching something.

Soon he had racked up a shopping cart with about forty or so things in it, having gotten everything on the board along with things young girls didn't think of like curtains and rugs, all of which were just a click away. He then realized her bathroom was sorely in need of some decor, briefly waking up Belle to find out what Beatrice's favorite color was which he had not known was a complicated question. Somewhere in the explanation he got the hint that purple would be an appropriate choice and found the necessary things. He was pleased with himself and went to the checkout finding the internet made it very easy for him to spend his money as computer illiterate as he was. He was considering finding out if there was another website he could buy a new television from when the phone rang.

It turned out to be American Express Fraud Prevention. He had a few credit cards, hardly used since he always had plenty of cash and this company felt the need to tell him that someone had used his card to buy thousands of dollars worth of furniture on the internet. He informed him that the things were for his daughter, those words infused with a sense of pride and that he expected to be making more purchases for her. He then asked if there was a way to get Beatrice a card and they connected him to someone who could help. They were only too happy to help him get an extra card for his daughter.

His daughter.

He did like the sound of that.

"Well," said Regina glaring at the trio, "I was doing just fine until you three wandered in. And what were you doing in the west wing? I thought perhaps Emma and the pirate were that dumb, but not the daughter of Rumplestiltskin. Haven't you learned anything from your mother's books?"

"Mother?"

They looked back to see a dark-haired girl. She held up a paper.

"I finished my lesson."

"Very good, honey. Go wait in the kitchen and we'll make turnovers together. Mother just has some guests."

"I missed a step," said Beatrice.

"Yeah, so did I," said Emma.

"Cora," said Regina. "This is Princess Emma and I assume one of her many paramours, Captain Hook. This is Beatrice, the Dark Princess."

Cora curtsied.

"Run along, honey. We'll be there in a moment," said Regina.

Cora ran off. Regina turned back to them.

"You have a kid?," asked Emma.

"Yes," said Regina. She looked back at Beatrice. "I suppose I ought to be grateful to you. If you had never been born, my daughter wouldn't exist."

"Glad to help," said Beatrice.

"I never said I was grateful," said Regina. "What do you want?"

"So... I was just wondering, did you curse me?"

"Did I curse you?," asked Regina.

"Yeah, I'm sort of walking this line between blurred realities."

"So you've gone mad," said Regina. "That's no surprise considering your father and possibly your mother. At least I assume that's the reason for her attachment to the imp."

"Just curious, how did I spoil the Dark Curse?"

Regina looked at Emma and Hook. "Is she serious?"

"Yeah, she's serious," said Emma.

Regina turned back to Beatrice. "Snow White once again could not keep her mouth shut and went to console Rumplestiltskin in his cell. That's when she let slip that she had just seen Belle and she had not been dead for years. That's when they found out Rumplestiltskin had a plan to get out of his cell the whole time. He wanted to be captured. So he came here to rescue your mother and told me he knew I had failed to cast the Curse and why and he wasn't going to tell me because he wouldn't risk his True Love and their beloved Dark Princess."

"Ever figure that out?," asked Beatrice.

"I did actually which is when I discovered Rumplestiltskin had my father's heart. My mother made some off-handed comments about Belle and he found her heart, then killed her."

"So, yeah, you're probably angry," said Beatrice.

"Angry doesn't begin to cover it."

"Sorry, dearie, we don't have time for you to find another adjective."

Beatrice looked up to see Rumplestiltskin and Belle.

Regina turned. "Can't you supervise your child?"

"Beatrice, come on. We're going home."

"What about Emma?," asked Belle.

"If Emma wants to run off with a pirate, who am I to stop her? Sweetheart, come on."

"Rumple!," said Belle.

"Sweetheart, it's me," he said, turning towards her.

Beatrice eyed him. "Yeah..."

"Your father."

"Yeah, I caught on to that."

"Rumple, are you alright?," asked Belle.

"No, it's me," he emphasized.

Beatrice shook her head.

"Mr. Gold."

"Mr. Gold?" Regina laughed. "How long did it take you to come up with that name? A whole second?"

Beatrice eyed him. "What's going on?"

"I came here to get you out."

"Get me out of where? What is this place?"

"This is a netherworld. More specifically, it's my netherworld. I bent it to my will long ago after I lost Bae. Merlin made me come out of it once and swear never to return, but I broke that oath after I thought I lost your mother."

"Rumple," said Belle. "Maybe you should lie down."

"Sweetheart," said Gold. "Please just give us a minute. I have things I have to say."

"Prove it's you," said Beatrice.

"What?"

"Prove it's you and not just some trick by someone."

Gold searched his memory. "Beatrice, if you don't come with me now, you will never get to see the Doctor Who Christmas special and you'll never know how that girl can be in Victorian London and whatever the place with the snow was where she died."

"Okay," said Beatrice. "That was pretty good."

"Who is this Doctor?!," asked Belle.

"Just one flaw in your story," said Beatrice. "If you haven't been here since you thought Mom was dead, I shouldn't be here. There shouldn't be a place for me, but there is. There's memories and people who know me and a room full of stuff."

"Yes," said Gold.

"Yeah, so, you're disproven."

Gold walked closer. "When I thought your mother died, after I had done everything I needed to do to prepare for the Curse I let myself lose my mind. I came here. I imagined that she was still here and I imagined the life I had wanted to give her and someone like you."

Beatrice shook her head. "You didn't know about me."

"Your mother wanted you. She didn't think I knew, she didn't state it, but I could tell in every offhanded mention or lingering look at an infant that she wanted a child. I wasn't certain I could give her one-"

"No. Too much detail," said Beatrice.

"I wanted to make her happy," said Gold. "So when I came back here, I imagined Belle's child, her pregnant, her giving birth, her contentment. When you arrived, the magic of this world put you into the place that was waiting for you."

"Rumple, what are you talking about?," asked Belle. "You're saying I'm just ephemera?"

Gold turned and caressed her cheek. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you're just a dream. A beautiful dream. You helped me when I needed it most like you always do, but I have to go. I have to take our daughter home."

"Home to where?"

"To you."

Beatrice felt herself drifting away.

"Beatrice?," asked Emma, snapping her back.

Beatrice looked at Gold. "Dad, did they find Owen?"

"Owen?," asked Gold.

Beatrice wrinkled her face like that was going to make the memory come back. "The guy I threw the fireball at."

"They found him, but his name wasn't Owen."

"And Tamara?"

"What about Tamara?"

"She's working with him." Beatrice felt it all coming back. "Owen dragged me out there, I got away and he tried to shoot me, but I did the fireball thing and actually nailed him. I was trying to get a signal out there on my phone when I ran into Tamara. She injected me with something."

"She knows you saw her?"

"Yeah."

"We have to get back," said Gold, taking her hand. He looked at Belle. "We have to go, sweetheart."

"I understand." She hugged Beatrice.

"You always do," Gold said wistfully.

Beatrice looked at Gold. "Is she going to be alone?"

"No," said Gold. "When we leave, the magic of this world replaces us. I could never leave her alone in here."

"Don't worry about me," said Belle. "Just go."

"Come on."

"Bye, sideways people." She pointed at Emma. "You're going to flip when I tell you about this."

Gold took her back through the door to the west wing.

"Remember, whatever you see in here is just echoes. Nothing can hurt you," Gold promised.

"How do we get out?"

"This way."

Beatrice saw the eyes of the shadow again.

"Sweetheart, don't look at that."

"No, really, what is that?," she asked.

"It's just something from my past. You don't need to worry about it."

She looked at him. "Your past?" She spotted the little boy again. "Oh, my God. That's you, isn't it? Who left you? Who were you talking to?"

Beatrice stopped as they arrived at the portal.

"We really go home with that?," she asked. "We don't Inception ourselves to another reality?"

"Just hang on," said Gold. He linked his arm with hers and grabbed her hand. He looked at her. "With me."

They jumped. One final time, Beatrice felt the memories of the netherworld washing over her, her life here flashing before her eyes. She was born, held in Belle's arms, cradled by Rumplestiltskin. She ran through gardens and fields she never knew, played games with kid Emma, ran the halls of the Dark Castle and then...

There was a kiss. She was kissing someone. She was in a gazebo, in the rain, it was almost pitch black and her face was tilted up. He was taller and his cloak was damp and...

She had her eyes closed.

"Why did I have my eyes closed?!," she screamed.

It was at that moment Beatrice realized she had bolted up and was back in the hospital room.

Neal eyed her skeptically. "Because you were unconscious?"

Gold stirred next to her.

"Papa," said Neal, rushing over. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Bae. Where's Belle?"

"Tamara took her to get some tea."

Gold bolted up. Beatrice went to follow and realized she had a freaking hospital gown on.

"Really?," she asked. "Too much trouble to conjure some actual pajamas?"

Gold waved his hand nonchalantly at her and she found herself in jeans and a sweater. She chased after them.

"What's going on?," asked Neal as he followed Gold.

"You're fiancée is a lying bitch," said Beatrice.

"Whoa!," said Neal. "Where the hell did that come from?!"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe when she left me in the woods to die!"

Tamara looked at Belle as they walked away with the styrofoam cups of tea. "How are you holding up?"

Belle shot her an icy look. "Look, I didn't come here because I wanted a chat or a cup of tea. I came to tell you something."

"To tell me something?"

"This family- the one you say you want to be a part of- accepts each other. I've tried to help, I tried to include you in the Christmas plans and you said so many awful things about us. About Rumple."

"I just said what I thought-"

"No, you were cruel and you enjoyed it. I am done tolerating it in strangers and I most certainly won't tolerate it in my own family-"

Which is when Belle noticed that Tamara had gone flying back into the wall as the whole cafeteria gasped. She looked up.

"Beatrice? Rumple?" She stood and walked towards them, embracing Beatrice. "My baby. Thank the Gods..."

Tamara moaned.

"Shut up," Beatrice snapped.

Belle was surprised as her embrace was met with Beatrice's squeeze that was quickly escalating into a death grip.

"Sweetheart, what's going on?," asked Belle.

That's when Emma, Regina and Merlin entered.

"Oh, good, the gang's back together," said Merlin.

"Is someone going to tell me what the hell's going on?," asked Neal.

"She's on the floor," said Regina. She looked at Emma. "Enough evidence?

"Now, please!," said Neal.

"Neal, Tamara was the one working with Owen or Greg or whoever he is. She's been sending someone information about everyone in town," said Emma.

"And she is going to be ever so helpful and let us know who that might be," said Merlin.

"Your taste in women continues to disappoint," Regina said to Neal.

Neal looked at Tamara. "Tamara, tell them there's been a mistake-"

"Left for dead in the woods?," asked Beatrice. "How did I get that wrong?"

"You're a good man, Neal, but you have no idea who you're dealing with," said Tamara. "Magic doesn't belong in this world."

"Is Tamara in a cult?," asked Beatrice. "I thought she was just a bitch."

"My children have been hurt," said Gold. He reached a hand out. "And you are going to pay."

Tamara gasped for breath.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Oh, what would my day be if you didn't try to kill someone, sunshine?"

"We need to find out what she knows, Gold," said Regina.

Gold released his invisible grip. Tamara regained her breath as Emma collected her.

Gold waited anxiously for the day when Beatrice's things would arrive. He wanted to surprise her and hadn't revealed his plans yet, but had moved her to another room while the painting was done which had irked her but she made no complaints.

It was only when the truck pulled up to the house entirely full of his order that he got a hint of how much he had actually bought. The company had something called "white glove service" and there were four workmen to come deliver and assemble. Then the truck with the flat screen and those delivery men had arrived, causing him to endure a call from Charming about the danger of outsiders. The prince could go to hell. His daughter was getting her things today. He supervised as the room came together, then the men left and he went to work with the bed linens.

"Rumple! We're home!," Belle called.

"I'm up here," he called back, making final placements on the ruffled throw pillows and standing back.

"We went to the school!," said Belle. "Where are you?"

"Beatrice's bedroom."

"What's in there?," asked Belle.

"Clearly nothing of consequence," said Beatrice as Belle opened the door.

The women froze.

"Rumple..." Belle gasped.

"What's going on?," asked Beatrice.

"Your things came today."

"My things?," she echoed, looking around.

"Yes, I made your bed," said Gold. "The delivery man hooked up the television to the cable and your Blu-ray player-"

"My Blu-ray player?"

He ignored her interjection. "I brought in your boxes, but I thought you would know what way you like your things arranged. Your posters are framed now, but I also thought you would know how you wanted them arranged. Just let me know."

"Okay..." said Beatrice. "Thank you. You know, in general, thank you."

She shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm going to start dinner," he announced.

Gold walked in the hallway and began down.

"Rumple?"

He turned just as Belle came up and thrust her lips against his.

"You don't need to spoil her," she said disapprovingly before another kiss.

"Then why does it seem you're rewarding me?," he asked, just before she could regroup again.

"Because you love her," said Belle, giving him a softer kiss this time. She ran her hand through his hair. "And she loves you and she'll tell you someday."

Gold sighed. "I suppose I'll just have to live in hope until then."

Gold walked into Beatrice's room and handed her a mug.

"One mocha," he said. "You promise it won't keep you awake?"

"Not a chance," said Beatrice.

He looked to the television. "I've never been happier to see that enchanted blue box."

"It's not a-" She shook her head. "Never mind. Sure it is."

He kissed her cheek. "Good night, sweetheart."

"That stuff in the west wing," said Beatrice. "Was that all real?"

He stopped and sat. "Yes."

"And it was stuff that happened to you?"

"Yes, it was."

"Was the redhead your mom?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"What happened to her?"

"She left when I was small."

"Oh. So your dad raised you?"

"No." She looked at him with that curious look of Belle's and he knew he would have to answer. "My father was a coward who abandoned me. Two spinsters raised me and taught me my trade."

"Spinsters?," she asked. "There are really spinsters? You know, literal spinsters."

Gold smiled. "My Beatrice from the Land Without Magic. There's so much you don't know."

"Well, I figured out where to buy straw," said Beatrice.

"That was hay, sweetheart," said Gold.

"Oh." She considered it. "Does that not work the same?"

"No." He shook his head and gave her another kiss on the cheek. "It's no matter. Now, you really must sleep."

"Love you," she said casually looking back to the television.

Gold froze. She had never said that before. Had she even noticed? Had she meant to say that and now she was playing it off?

"I love you, too, sweetheart," he said, afraid to turn.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," said Gold. "Not at all."