Chapter 37
The further they walked from the library more Victor felt Aurora losing control over her emotions. "I am sorry Aurora but I have to stop by the hospital first before I take you home. You can hide out in my office while I see how the Fairies are doing."
"I am fine." She managed to get out.
Victor knew that was far from the truth. "It is okay to cry." He told her.
"No, no it isn't. It is a weakness and one I am so sick and tired of giving into to. Everyone tells me what to do. I am the Queen I should be the one telling everyone what to do!" She muttered, "I should be the one in control."
"You seemed to have no problem taking control back there at the meeting."
"Ordering you around. I am sorry for that."
"No need to be, you did what was right. I was as shocked by Jefferson's actions as you were. People are more afraid at night, but I know one morning he will find his courage; you two will be together."
"I do not wish to think or talk about him at the moment."
"Of course." Victor agreed walking them into the hospital. "I will get a nurse to show you to my off…"
"Dr. Whale." A nursed rushed back over. "Thank goodness you are here Mother Superior isn't getting any better."
"Where is Doctor Van Helsing? I left him in charge."
"He doesn't know what to do."
"See Aurora to my office."
"No, let me come with you. Maybe I can use my magic to help."
Victor looked like he wasn't going to let her but then he said, "Alright come on."
George hung around in the shadows outside the Library waiting for Phillip after the meeting. He saw Aurora leave with Victor and the others followed. He trailed Phillip and Mulan back to her room at the Inn.
"Don't you see this works best for us." Mulan stopped him on the stairs. "We can be together openly now."
"How do you figure that?"
"If Aurora marries Jefferson, then you can marry me. We can rule your Kingdom and they can rule hers. And if they cause us any problems I am sure that the two of us could easily outsmart and overpower anything they can come up with and then you can have control of her Kingdom as well as your own."
"I know my place but it is time you learn yours," Phillip muttered closing the door to Mulan's room behind them.
George stood there on the stairs smiling, realizing just how easy Phillip had made it for him to finally once and for all win the stupid Prince to his side and get his long overdue revenge on Jefferson and The Dark One.
Aurora took one look at the Fairy and knew what was wrong with the Fairy. She came to a dead stop in the doorway as Victor rushed over reading her chart and checking her vitals.
"She stopped throwing up but she started to seize about 10 minutes and she has done it about three times, each time for a longer time."
Van Helsing started, "I was going to order a CAT scan to see…"
But Aurora cut him off. "She has been poisoned."
"What?" Van Helsing stopped jerking around to see Aurora in the doorway for the first time.
"I have seen this before. She was poisoned."
Victor paused a moment noticing how pale Aurora had grown in just a few moments before he explained. "The Fairies were suffering food poison. But we hadn't figured it out what it was they ate."
"No, it is more than just eating bad food. They have been poisoned on purpose. I saw this when I was seven. It is how Maleficent killed the three fairies who were keeping me safe." Aurora started to explain again as the Fairy started to seize up again.
Van Helsing and nurses started forward to help her while Victor backed Aurora out into the hallway.
"What are you talking about?"
"The Fairies all loved this tea, and that evil witch had finally found us. But she didn't attack and kill us all outright. I guess turning into a dragon and burn us all alive was too easy or quick. Instead, she put something in the tea they always bought at the market. As they got sick they asked for the tea and I made it." She realized she was crying at the memory. "I killed them because I made the tea and brought it to them each time they asked and they got worse and worse until they started seizing up and died. I am sure Maleficent wanted us all to drink it and die but I hated that tea, never enough sugar to make it taste good, so I would never drink it."
"But some of the Fairies have gotten better." Van Helsing commented stepping out into the hallway.
"Flora got sick first she was the strongest one of the three. It affected her faster and worse. This Fairy in there, how powerful is she?"
"The most powerful one of them all," Victor commented. "She is the Blue Fairy."
"She is the Blue Fairy!" Aurora gasped moving around them both to look at the Fairy now resting on the bed. "Victor you need to find something to counter the poison or the most powerful Fairy of all time is going to die on your watch."
"I am going to make sure all the guest have clean towels for the morning. If you need anything just yell." Granny took her crossbow and left Ruby and Belle in the diner.
"So," Ruby looked across the table at Belle, "You knew the Hatter and Queen Aurora when they were younger, and he loved her?"
"He still loves her, I don't know what that was tonight. This curse has changed us all. But due to the sleeping curse, Aurora isn't really that much older, and Jefferson is way older than you would ever guess."
"Yes, that whole Lost Boy comment and the fact that Captain Hook is his father. I am sure there is a story there."
"Jefferson has more stories than you could ever imagine."
"Oh, I am sure, I know from working with Van Helsing on these missing people cases that Jefferson and Aurora had a run in with Dracula."
Ruby's comment about Dracula made her remember the night they had appeared in the tavern Jefferson had owed. He was a complete mess because Dracula had killed Elizabeth and almost killed Aurora.
She had to wake up Jefferson to change the blood bag for Aurora since she wasn't sure how to do it. She reached over giving him a gentle shake.
"No, you can't have her! She is mine!" Jefferson muttered falling off the bed.
"Jefferson, it is me."
"Belle?" He questioned what he was seeing.
"You are safe. Aurora needs the other blood bag."
"Yes of course."
She had watched as he sat up and quickly tended to it. Afterward, Jefferson went to lay back down but he paused looking at her across the room. "You know I didn't mean what I said when I woke up. Aurora isn't mine to own. Another person shouldn't own another person."
Belle laughed. "I understand. You care for her and I do believe that was the most grown-up comment I have ever heard you say. Now please get some more rest." She covered him with a blanket.
"I was there for the aftermath of what Dracula did. Jefferson loves her a much as she loves him. It is Rumple who has caused and is still causing them to be apart."
"Speak of the Devil and he will appear," Ruby commented as Rumple appeared in the diner in front of her and Belle. "Granny will be right back with that crossbow."
"You both know as well as I do that crossbow will not hurt me," Rumple commented looking at Belle.
"Why are you here Rumple?" Belle asked. "I made myself quite clear back at the Library I didn't want to see you tonight."
"I just wished to explain things a bit better before the night ends. Will you please talk with me?"
Belle gave him a long look before telling Ruby. "Go ahead Ruby I will be up to my room in a few minutes."
"Are you sure?"
"I can handle myself around him, I will be fine."
Ruby gave Rumple a long hard look, "I have wolf hearing if you so much as upset her I will be right back here."
"And I will deal with you with a wave of my hand."
"Rumple!" Belle shook her head at him but once again told Ruby to leave her alone with him.
Victor rushed down to his office with Aurora close behind. He pulled up the Fairies blood work on his computer. Looking for anything that stood out.
Aurora sat in the chair letting Victor work, knowing her magic wasn't going to help at the moment. All these powers and they never ever actually help me.
After a few minutes, Victor started to mutter to himself as he clicked the little thing on the desk which was connected to the computer. "If that is the case then I have an idea of what may counter it."
Who would want to poison the Fairies? Aurora thought. There is only one person who I would… Her thoughts turned darker. I could do it. No one would know Rumple said there was a potion which would look like the person who drank it would have a heart attack. Phillip is just human no magic at all. One drink and he would be dead.
"Aurora" Victor stood up smiling. "You are correct I think I figure it out. I am not sure if it was on purpose but they seem to have a violent reaction which could be deadly if exposed enough."
"You know how to save them?" Aurora felt guilty sitting there thinking about killing someone when Victor was working so hard to save the ill Fairies.
"Yes, but it is going to be a long night here at the hospital do you want me to get someone to take you back to my house."
"No, I can get there myself."
"But you don't know where I live."
"Magic, Victor remember. I just think it and I can just appear there."
"Of course." Victor blushed.
"See you once you save all the Fairies."
"Oh no, pressure there." Victor laughed as he watched Aurora disappear in a cloud of purple smoke.
Aurora had planned on just going to Victor's and trying to sleep. But the more she thought about the more she realized the only way to be done with Phillip was to kill him. She used her magic to appear in Jefferson's attic which looked the Rumple's Tower Room.
The first thing she did was cast a silencing spell so Jefferson and his daughter wouldn't hear her moving around. Then she quickly grabbed the ingredients she needed and lit the fire under the mini-cauldron.
She brought up the first ingredient and paused hearing Merryweather voice in her head. "Dark magic is never the answer, it only darkens one heart."
She closed her eyes remembering the small dark spot on her heart when Hook had taken it. Opening her eyes, "I already have done things to darken my heart, if I wish to have any heart left, Phillip needs to die." And she started the potion.
"Jefferson treats her as an equal, he listens and respects her. You said tonight that you care for both Jefferson and Aurora but then you don't seem to care about their happiness. I know a part of you looks on both of them as your own children, so I just don't understand why you insist they be unhappily ever after apart"
"Because I want them both to stay alive! You can agree being alive is more important than being happy. They can find happiness in other places, but they can't come back from the dead no matter what Victor may think."
"Rumple you know seeing the future isn't that black or white. I could tell when you first told me that Aurora was here, that you haven't seen that event happening. They are writing their own future and you need to let them."
Rumple opened his mouth to defend his decision but he got a flash of what Aurora was currently during. "Belle, I don't know what the right answer is, but just know I want to keep them both safe and now I must leave."
"You are just going to run away? We are in a middle of a conversation."
"I am sorry for the inconvenience, but if you knew what was about to happen you would want me to leave too. Just trust me there is somewhere else I need to be right now." He tapped his cane to the floor and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.
Aurora moved to pour in the final ingredients when Rumple appeared behind her grabbing her by her wrist. "I wouldn't do that if I was you, dearie."
"R..Rumple." She stuttered turning to face him as he took the vial from her like they were back in his Tower Room and he was stopping her from making a mistake during a potion lesson.
"Yes, my dear Queen, that is my name."
"What are you doing?"
"I think the only questions are what do you think you are doing? And does Jefferson know you are up here doing it?"
"Jefferson has no idea I, and now we, are up here. I did a silencing spell on the room." She paused at Rumple's smile like he was proud of her. "I am doing the only thing I can think of to truly free myself of a future I do not want. So, if you are here to tell me to not to let my emotions get in the way you can just see yourself out."
"Everyone including myself has emotions. I have always tried to get you to control yours, not suppress them so much they lead you down this dark path."
"The dark path has worked for you the past 300 some years."
"You have no idea how hard I fight not to indulge the dark voices."
Aurora felt a chill at his comment remembering how his magic had felt when he had let her have a taste of it back at Emma's apartment a few nights ago.
"If you are planning on killing your King, then I am here to stop you from making that mistake."
"He is not my King, and he will never be my King. I am not making a mistake. I am getting rid of a problem."
"I never expected you to go so dark."
"It is do this one wicked deed, or do no good deed ever again."
"Now you are just being over dramatic like Jefferson."
Aurora laughed shaking her head in disagreement at his comment. "It is like you taught us, if it comes down to us or them we should pick ourselves every time."
"Killing someone is not picking yourself. Killing someone will change you."
"It won't be the first time, and I dealt with that just fine."
Rumple gave her a worried look.
"You didn't know, your little puppet was a murder, did you?"
"If you refer to the guards you controlled to help you escape Maleficent I hardly see that as murder. They were already hurt and most likely going to die before you made them stand and continue to fight that dragon."
"There were two others all the years I was on the run. I am sure you understand there are men out there who would love to do horrible things to young girls."
"If that is the case they deserved it. Phillip hasn't done anything to deserve to die yet. He only wants what yours and his parents wanted for you both."
"You have told me you saw Jefferson and my story play out at least a hundred different ways. So, you had to see me go dark." She moved closer her anger pushing her on. "There has to be more than one version where I do much worse than killing Phillip. So, tell me how much darker could I get?"
"Those futures where not absolutes and they are not acceptable to me. You hurting your friends is the last thing I want to see happen. I will not let you darken your heart any more than you have had to, to survive this long."
"All those evil visions will come true if I marry Phillip. He is already siding with King George. If I stand with them there is no way I could be anything other than evil or worse dead."
"Believe me Evil is worse than dead. You have to fight the darkness inside of yourself. It is something we all have to learn at some point in our lives. Once you give into the darkness you can't resist its call."
"I thought you would be proud of me. This is something you or your other monster Regina would do."
"I told you all those years ago what happened to Regina is not in the cards for you. Besides do you not remember what I told you that day in the clearing with the Unicorn?"
Aurora stood there unsure of what to say hearing Rumple's words from that day all most 40 years ago.
"Evil isn't born dearie and once you start down that road it becomes harder to get your happy ending."
Aurora glared at him a moment, "No, good loses because we feel we have to play fair. Well to hell with that way of thinking. I am going to kill both Phillip and George and be free because sometimes you have to do horrible things for the greater good."
"That is not true."
"You just hate that I don't need you as the devil on my shoulder anymore. I can do it for myself."
"I never wanted this for you."
"You should be used to your apprentices going dark, just look at Cora or Regina. And those are just two I know about I am sure you have another wicked witch you taught out there somewhere ruining people's happy endings!"
"This is not how you get your happy ending."
"HAPPY ENDING?" her voice boomed. "What happy ending can I have with Phillip in the way?"
Rumple moved quickly filling the space between them grabbing her wrist. When he did images flashed at him.
Aurora was standing on the deck of Hook's ship, people were running and screaming, and something smelled like it was on fire. Rumple watched as a look like one he had seen on Cora's face too many times to count over the years, flickered across her Aurora's as she advanced on Victor.
"Jefferson says he loves me but you…" Rumple watched as Aurora walked around a very scared Victor. "I have seen how you have looked at me. There is this little part of you which lusts after me."
"I am a man it is part of our biology to find an attractive mate, Aurora is beautiful so it is only natural for one's mind to have ideas which will never be acted on."
"I am Aurora."
"You are most definitely not Aurora."
"You make it sound like I am a monster, but then again you of all people should know about monsters. If what you say is true dear Doctor then it is all your fault I am like this. That I don't remember, that I am evil. So, it is only fair you will die first."
"You are the darkness that Aurora never allowed in her heart."
"Darkness or not I don't think it matters I think there is still a part of you who wants to kiss me."
"You would be wrong."
"All prim and proper it really is quite sexy on you."
"I have a girlfriend who I love."
"That mutt is as good as dead don't you want to have some fun before you die." She teased.
"Honestly I would prefer no fun and not die."
"Well see you are not the one in control so you don't get to decide it." She grabbed him pulling him close kissing him draining his life force, causing his hair to start to change to a platinum blonde.
Aurora watched Rumple freeze up holding her wrist for a long moment before dropping it and pulling back in with a look of disgust on his face.
"D…Did you just have a vision?" she asked rubbing her wrist where he had grabbed her.
"What would Jefferson think if you used the magic he returned to you to kill someone?"
"Please, he worked for you and Regina…" Aurora paused realizing what he was admitting. "Did you see me killing someone? Someone other than Phillip?"
Rumple ignore her comment and continued talking about Jefferson "But that was decades ago and now he has a daughter. I highly doubt he would want someone as a mother for young Grace that could become the evil stepmother."
Aurora stepped back as if Rumple words had slapped her. "I am not evil but sometimes being good doesn't mean good things will happen to you. Look at my life, what has being good ever gotten me? The only way I can get what I want is to take a dip in the darkness. Besides I was never meant to be good."
"Whatever are you talking about?"
"Just look at my go-to magic. It is fire based. That isn't exactly light magic."
"Fire magic is fuel by anger and distrust both of which you have because of what happened to your parents and the Fairies who took care of you."
"And Jefferson!" She shouted again. "What you did to us was worse than Maleficent because you had me gain your trust and you built me up thinking I was something I am not and then you tore it all away."
"I didn't think losing Jefferson would cause such darkness to creep into your heart."
"That is because you never think of anyone but yourself. But look at what losing someone did to you or Regina. Why should I be any different?"
"Because I thought you to be smarter and stronger than this. Choosing what is easy over what is right. I didn't think you would have the same weakness as me."
"I am strong. But you and Jefferson were right. Love is just a foolish concept, it leaves you weak. What I am doing is showing my strength and I am killing the source of my problem. It will help this whole town as well as my Kingdom back in the Enchanted Forest. We don't have time or energy to fight on two fronts."
"You are wrong killing isn't the strong answer, it is the easy answer."
"It is the right answer. They are going to hurt or kill too many people, and with Cora and Hook loose in town we can't fight the coming war on two fronts and think we can win. This is the right strategy, you or Regina would do the same thing."
"Yes, but the Charming's and Jefferson would not."
"And that is why in the end they always lose. I am sick of losing. I want to win for once."
"Yes, it may feel that way but not because of my teaching you and not because I lead you to believe Jefferson was dead. It is because of what I let Maleficent do to you, your parents, and your Kingdom."
"What, what are you saying? That you let her destroy my life?"
"Certain things had to happen."
"Nothing!" Aurora screamed pushing Rumple away from her. "Has to happen if you have the power to stop it."
"Some things are supposed to play out a certain way."
"You mean certain things have to happen so you could get what you wanted." Aurora hugged herself rubbing her hands on her arms. The action cause Rumple to pause because it reminded him of a very young Regina.
"We were such a happy little family for those few months. Belle, Jefferson, you and I, but you sent Belle away. You made me and Jefferson think the other was dead. And then you sent him away and kept me until the curse could take me. You had to ruin us all to get a son back, a son who hates you and wants nothing to do with you. All the while you had Jefferson who always worked so hard to get your approval."
"Your love will ruin the both of you."
She noticed the worried look on his face. "But it isn't my life you are really worried about, is it? Has it ever been?"
"I don't know what you mean?"
"It's Jefferson. All this time you have been stopping us because you think it leads to his death."
"I do not wish either of you dead."
"But you care more for him because you basically raised him since he was seven."
"Yes, I suppose you have a good point there. I don't wish to see him hurt."
"You have a funny way of showing that, you just hit him with your cane tonight."
"You are one to talk. You love him but you doom him to death or a life knowing he caused your death if you continue down this path."
"But you don't' know for sure. You just made it clear that even after all these years you still don't know which way the future will fall into line. Reading the future is tricky, look at what happened to your son."
"It wasn't just one version that you two didn't get your happily ever after. Why would you risk the pain?"
"Why did you keep looking for your son even after you knew he wanted nothing to do with you? Wasn't that painful?"
"Because he is my boy."
"Well Jefferson is my True Love and no Kingdom is worth losing him over."
"I think we both know that was not all he wanted."
"Yes, he wanted you to be happy for our love. For you to give us your blessing, but we both know that will never happen, which is why we tried to keep it from you."
"Never say never, dearie. I thought I taught you that?"
"Stop playing word games, Rumple! This is our life we are talking about. We have nothing to do with you anymore why can't you just let us go?"
"You are a Queen and no one can take your title away from you."
She laughed. "You still don't understand Queen is one of the last things I would use to describe myself and it is all you ever saw in me."
"That isn't true." He started placing his hand on her shoulder.
"No," she screamed throwing his hand off her. "Don't touch me. I have had enough of your lies and enough of Prince Phillip and King George."
"Do you not want to be Queen anymore?"
"Thanks to Emma killing Maleficent I am a Queen already. I do not need a man let alone Philip to be a good and powerful Queen."
"Yes, but to claim such a title by murder? That doesn't seem like something your parents would have done, it seems more like what Maleficent did."
"Stop it! Stop It! Stop It!" Aurora screamed pulling her hair a moment. "Everything you have ever done for me has been a manipulation, so just tell me what you want from me. Because Phillip is giving me no choice. He knows how I feel about him and he doesn't care. He still plans on marrying me and taking me back home to rule both our kingdoms. He barely deserves his own kingdom, and he sure as hell doesn't deserve mine."
"There are ways to stop him without giving into the darkness."
"The darkness is all I have left."
Rumple back away from her at that comment looking her over from head to toe. The flash of her kissing the life force out of Victor flashed through his mind again.
"Why are you looking at me like that? This is all because of your lies…. You ruined everything! I wish you hadn't ordered Jefferson to find me. I was better off on my own!"
Rumple waved his hand and Aurora fletched back against the table expecting to pay for her last comment. But instead, he made her potion ingredients and items disappear.
"What…" She looked at the empty table. "What have you done?"
"I have saved you once again, I am not sure how many times this makes it now, and once again I don't regret it."
"I don't need saved! I need to be allowed to live my life as I see fit. I escaped Maleficent to the Fairies but I was trapped there. I escaped her a second time but I just wondered lost, unsure of my purpose. I escaped your castle with Jefferson finally wanting something more than just staying alive, but we were still trapped and I wound up back with you a new purpose burning throughout me until the sleeping cursed trapped me. I finally woke up only to find out I am once again trapped because just like always I can't have the life I want. Don't I deserve to live my own life?"
"Sometimes we have to settle for the next best thing."
"Yes, because that works so well for you and your 'I am going to have it all' attitude." She hissed at him.
"You can't let the end justify the means because before you know it you will be just like me. Evil isn't born, it's made. If you start down that road I may not be able to stop it." He gave her one last worried filled glance before disappearing.
Aurora looked down at the empty table worry filling her own mind at what Rumple's vision of her really was before looking back to the supply shelf. "I don't want to be evil, but I seem to be damn if I do and damn if I don't." She closed her eyes forcing herself to breathe and giving a huff, she disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke back to Victor.
"I didn't expect to see you here tonight." George commented as Van Helsing walked into his shift lab.
"Victor, thanks to Aurora's help figure out a way to neutralize the effects of my virus. He set me home for the night."
"I thought you said magic wouldn't do anything against it?"
"She didn't use her magic she used her knowledge of how Maleficent poisoned the Fairies who were caring for her. And Victor was able to work out an antidote. But whatever reason would you have for being here at his hour?"
"Phillip thinks Jefferson is a threat to his life, so let's give him a real reason to truly believe it."
"Whatever do you have in mind?" Van Helsing asked.
"Something that will drive Phillip to our side forever and get rid of that of pesky Mulan. But first, we will need something from Jefferson."