A/N: I am struggling to write this, and I don't know what to do. I hope you enjoy this update. I'm trying my best dearies!

Love, Joanne.

38. The Magic Settles

The purple clouds of smoke and mist began to dissipate, and I looked back at Mr. Gold, and realized with a jolt, that his skin was now the greenish gold of his true form, Rumplestilzkin.

"Rumplestilzkin," I said, gently cupping his face in my palm. "What does this mean? You've brought magic into Storybrook. So what?"

"I've been zapped of my powers for too long," said Rumplestilzkin as his penetrating green eyes looked back at me. "This is the only way we can beat Regina. Power against power. Because magic is power dearie."

I heard the cry of a wolf, and shivered, the sound frightening me to my very core. "What was that?" I asked nervously.

"That would be your best friend," Rumplestilzkin chortled. "Or did old dear Ruby forget to tell you?"

"Tell me what?" I asked.

"She's a werewolf!" Rumplestilzkin said, and my stomach dropped.

"So, you've just brought back magic, and now my best friend has just morphed into a damn werewolf and will now attack and eat us?" I shrieked.

Suddenly a huge brown wolf bounded out of nowhere. It spotted us and let out a deadly roar of rage, and took off straight towards us. I ran through the forest screaming. "Rumplestilzkin!" I shouted. "Turn off the magic!"

"I can't dearie!" he hollered back. "Once you start the process, it doesn't stop!"

I kept running, feeling the hot breath of the wolf on the back of my neck. My shirt got snagged on a branch, and I tugged on it roughly, trying to free myself. "Damn it, let me go!" I sobbed as the wolf let out another deadly roar. I was stuck, and I braced myself for my final, horrific end to my life.

There was a flash of amber, and the wolf disappeared, and instead, lying on the forest floor, naked as a jay bird was-

"Doctor Whale?" I asked shakily. I took off my baggy t shirt, finally unsnagging off of the branch, and threw it at him to cover him up. "What in the world?"

Dr. Whale threw on my shirt, and stood up, ashamed at his nakedness. "I-I'm sorry. All of a sudden I remembered who I was, and then, I shifted back into my old form."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"The big bad wolf," said Dr. Whale. "I'll huff and puff? Yeah, that's my tagline. I copyrighted that."

"You have got to be kidding me," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "I thought you were Ruby."

"How'd you know she was a-"

"Rumplestilzkin told me," I said quickly. "My best friend is a werewolf, and apparently, my former doctor is too!"

"Calm down!" said Dr. Whale as he tried to soothe my hysterics. "I don't even know who you are. Regina-"

"I'm Belle," I said hastily. "And that bitch locked me up in that psych ward and pumped me full of drugs she almost damn near killed me, and YOU condoned that! You make me sick!"

I shivered and walked quickly away from Dr. Whale, feeling angry at the whole world I was now thrust into. With magic in the air, anything was now possible, and the dangers that it presented were slowly starting to come out of the dormancy the magic had caused it.

"Rumplestilzkin!" I cried as I raced through the trees, searching for him. "Please take me home! Please, sir!"

I looked around the empty forest, and saw no one. I then felt a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped and turned around. "No need to be frightened, dearie," said Rumplestilzkin as I fell into his arms. "It's only me."

"Please, take me home," I said, my voice muffled against his chest. "Back to your house. I don't feel safe here…"

"Anything, my dear," Rumplestilzkin said softly as we magically disappeared and then reappeared into his house.

I shakily sat on the couch, wondering what more there was that I did not know about. "What does this all mean?" I asked quietly.

"Dearie," Rumplestilzkin sighed as he sat down beside me. He stroked my soft brown curls and kissed my forehead. "You remember when I told you about true love, and how it is the most powerful magic in this world?"

"Yes," I said, closing my eyes and resting my head on his shoulder.

"True love is about to go against the ultimate evil," Rumplestilzkin said as he held me close. "And right now, even I cannot predict the outcome…"