A/N: This is a little longer than I had anticipated it would be but necessary. I hope you like.
Emma opened the door to her rented home to three sets of expectant eyes.
"Hey, you guys. Come on in," she told Belle, Ruby and Neal. They all shuffled into the small hall and Emma pointed toward the living room. "Walk right in," she said.
Neal was the first to enter and to then stop because there was already someone in the living room.
"You said she wouldn't be here," he said to Emma and she was hard-pressed not to roll her eyes at him.
"But now she is. Believe me, there's a reason for all of this. Now would you please," she argued with him and he made a face.
He still entered the living room, however, but sat as far from Regina as possible which was coincidentally also the arm chair facing the mayor.
Belle and Ruby settled next to each other on the couch with Belle closest to Regina. Emma took the last available seat next to Ruby and an awkward silence settled for a moment.
"You wanted to talk to us all?" Belle then asked. The invitation had surprised her, especially since it didn't sound like a social call.
"Yes, it's about... it's about Rumplestiltskin," Regina said. She leaned forward in her chair looking over at Emma for a moment but then concentrated on Belle again.
"Don't tell me he did something wrong from his grave? Will you ever stop blaming all your life's failures on him?" Neal burst out. He was angry, he had been little else since he's come to know about Emma and Regina's relationship.
Regina looked at him with cold eyes.
"This is not about me, and it's not about you, either, Neal. We invited you here out of curtesy because Emma thought you should hear it, too," Regina told him and turned back to Belle.
"Tell me," the librarian said in a small voice that indicated she expected bad news. She couldn't quite come up with an idea of what could possibly be bad news now that Rumple was already dead and her worst fears had been fulfilled but she braced herself nonetheless.
"We think that Gold might be alive," Emma said and all heads turned to her.
"What?"
"But..."
"You're serious?" were the reactions, accompanied by wide-eyed stares.
"Let me explain," Regina said. "When we were working in the shop that day when Emma fainted in the bar... you remember that day, Neal? You brought that box into the shop," she reminded him.
"I remember," he said flatly.
"Something else came into the shop, too. At first, we thought it had something to do with the box but it didn't. But that something - at first, I thought it might have been a spirit or a poltergeist, something like that - moved the box... it made it fly through the shop."
"Was that why you behaved so weird?" Neal asked Emma.
"Well, we were surprised, it happened all very fast. That thing... that spirit, it claimed to be your dad. I mean, it couldn't talk to us but there was this energy and it moved things. That's why the mobile pretty much exploded," Emma tried to explain what had happened.
"I don't understand. How could this... spirit say that it was Rumple when it couldn't talk?" Belle asked.
"It tried to communicate through moving things. And then it opened a book on a story that Rumplestiltskin had told me once, early when he was teaching me magic. I thought that it might be him because no one else would know about that story. But we weren't sure," Regina said. "I got confirmation when I searched for this device," she added and pointed at the magical cube that sat on the table. "This spirit - though it is not really a spirit - it helped me find this cube. It knew exactly where it was and there's no one who would have known except Rumple."
"So you're saying that Rumple is... a spirit? But then he would be dead," Belle objected.
"That's why I said that it's not really a spirit, it was more like... maybe an out-of-body energy displacement. Rumple is somewhere else but through his magic he could... send some of his energy into the shop. To make us aware that he was alive, to help me find the cube. And I think this is also the key to finding him. I think he might be trapped in another realm, one we need to rescue him from."
They all looked at Regina for a moment.
"You really think he's alive?" Belle asked again and now she had tears in her eyes.
Regina nodded with a small smile.
Belle turned to Ruby who tried the same kind of encouraging smile Regina wore and her friend leaned into her. Ruby hugged Belle who now let out a giddy laugh. The waitress closed her eyes.
Neal rose from his seat.
"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked Emma. He seemed determined not to talk to Regina.
"As sure as we can be. Neither one of us has been back in the shop since Regina found the cube," Emma said.
"Why didn't you say anything before? We might have already found...," Neal started but was cut off by Regina.
"There were other things to be done. We had to set priorities but we acted as fast as we could. What you have to understand is that Rumple could be anywhere. Nobody knows how many realm there are, how many possible worlds we'd have to search to find him. The truth is, we may not find him, even with the cube, even if he can find a way to ommunicate with us," she explained.
"Then we should have started the search the minute you found this," Neal argued angrily.
"Neal, please. They did everything they could," Belle tried to appease him.
"They did absolutely nothing. She just wanted to cover her ass with the whole going-home mission, so that people thought she was nice now. But she's the same old..."
"Careful, Neal! Another wrong word from you and you're out of here, I mean it! I will not have you talk that way in my house, you understand?" Emma told him. She stood and leaned toward him with angry eyes, her posture saying she was ready to throw him out should he as much as blink in a way she found offensive.
Neal clamped his jaw shut but they could all see that he was gonna have his say, even if he had to go to the bar and tell everyone who didn't want to hear.
"What can we do to get him back?" Belle asked Regina.
"We've thought about it. We think our best shot is to try and communicate with Rumple's... energy in the shop. We think that you should try it since... well, you know him best. But we also thought about... a search party of some kind."
"I will lead that search party," Neal said.
"Actually...," Emma was about to say but then the doorbell rang. "We had someone else in mind," she added as she rose to open the door.
"You whistled?" Hook said after Emma opened the door for him and raised an eyebrow. He wanted to appear cool and detached but Emma could tell that he wasn't. His posture wasn't as negligent relaxed as it usually was and there were tension lines around his eyes.
"I did. Come in, we have a proposition for you."
"We? Sounds kinky, I'm in," he said in his habitual attempt at flirting as he walked confidently into the living room. "Okay, I'm only in if you get rid of Neal," he then amended his earlier comment. Then he smiled pleasantly at everybody.
"You can't be serious," Belle said as she saw the pirate walk into the room. "He tried to kill me... and Rumple on several occasions," she started to argue and Killian looked a little confused.
He didn't even know what he was supposed to do as he was pretty sure he wasn't actually here to... get up, close and personal with any of the ladies present.
"Just hold up, lassie. I haven't quite caught on to the proposition at hand, so to speak," he said and waved his hook at her. Then he looked at Emma.
"You said you wanted to leave here as soon as possible. We're thinking of giving you the cube," she said.
"Is that so? Then I can just take it and go? No, it's not as easy as all that, is it, luv? There's a catch. What's the catch?" he asked turning toward Regina.
She smiled at him in acknowledgement.
"There are two conditions," she said.
"Ah, two catches."
"One, you return to Storybrooke every year so that we can use the cube for eventual new portals or repairs, whatever needs to be done."
"That sounds reasonable which brings us to catch number two which is probably not nearly as reasonable," he said.
"Two, you help us find Rumplestiltskin."
Killian looked from Regina to Emma and then at Neal.
"The crocodile?" he said.
"Emma and Regina think he's still alive," Neal told him.
Killian changed his posture from leasurely amused to attentive. There might have been an air of a Royal Navy man about him at that moment had anyone known enough about him to look for it.
"And you want me to find him?" he asked, the frown on his face clearly indicating what he thought of the idea.
"We figured you and the Jolly Roger would be our best chance, yes," Regina answered.
"What makes you think I will not just kill him when I find him?"
"Because you're not that kind of man, Killian. And if you would have it in you to kill him you would have done it a long time ago," Emma said.
Killian smiled rather unpleasantly at her.
"Thank you for the vote of confidence in my manliness, Swan. I guess I don't have to ask who's the man in this house, do I?"
Emma rolled her eyes at him.
"That would be Henry," Regina said with a no-nonsense look on her face. "In any case, Rumple is out there. I presume he's in possession of his dagger and his magical faculties or he wouldn't have been able to contact us. What we need from you, Hook, is merely safe passage back here - and then you can go wherever you want to."
"Not so quickly. your majesty. Do you honestly propose I safe the man who killed the woman I loved and took my hand?" Hook wasn't prepared to let this go yet and Emma could tell that Regina was about to lose her temper with him.
"Killian, I know you loved Milah and...," but Emma failed to reationalize the loss of a hand to Hook.
From his point of view, helping Rumple seemed ridiculous. But it also seemed ridiculous for Belle or Neal to trust Hook with the rescue of a man he so clearly hated. Maybe this had been a bad idea altogether.
"You know nothing about Milah, Swan, don't pretend you do or care," he told her.
"I know a little about my mother, though," Neal said. "And my father didn't just kill the woman you loved, he also killed the woman he loved that day. You took her from him before he took her from you and you both took her from me."
Hook looked at the other man in obvious discomfort before he lowered his eyes in something that could have been interpreted as shame.
"Let's just say, there's a lot of history here. The bottom line is, Hook is our best chance at finding Rumplestiltskin. He's been to more realms than any of us, he has the Jolly Roger, and he wants to leave."
"But I cannot leave without the cube," Hook agreed with Regina and she nodded pleasantly at him. "So it seems we need each other," he concluded and looked at Belle as he said it.
"I don't trust you," she told him and he smiled toothily at her.
"You don't have to. But I'm afraid if you don't you won't see your loved one again."
"Do you trust me?" Neal asked Belle and she looked at him.
"Of course, I do."
"Then I will make sure Hook doesn't just run off with the cube. I will come with you," he told the pirate.
"Sorry, mate, but my crew is already complete. Maybe next time."
"Killian," Emma said in a warning tone.
"What now? I'm not even allowed to choose my own crew?"
"You'll have to accomodate at least one additional passenger, anyway, Hook. Or do you have magical powers we're not aware of?" Regina asked him and he looked at her questioningly. "The cube can only be worked by someone with magical powers," she told him.
"So Emma's coming with me? Why didn't you say so in the first place, luv?" he grinned at her.
"Not Emma," Regina said testily.
"Tinkerbell," Emma told him.
"Has she agreed to this already?" he asked and Emma nodded.
"I talked to her yesterday and she has agreed to do it. For one year," the blonde added and he looked like he could live with that solution.
"Belle, I know this is... all very unexpected and probably confusing," Regina said to the redhead who looked at her. Regina reached out her hand and took one of Belle's. "We thought about it, Emma and I, and it's the only solution we could come up with. We want you to try to communicate with Rumple in the shop. If you can find out anything useful you'll be able to tell Hook via mirrors - I still have to work on those but they should work even between realms. Tink will be there to make sure Hook can get wherever we think Rumple might be and, well, Neal will make sure Hook doesn't do anything stupid," she said with a warning look at Hook.
The pirate merely smirked at her and she turned back to Belle. They looked at each other for a long moment in earnest contemplation. There was a lot of history between them and Regina knew Belle had no reason to trust or even believe her. But Belle wanted to believe and had to trust, it was just difficult. The redhead looked over at her friend who had been silent during the whole exchange, seemingly sensing that her role in this was to support Belle, nothing more.
"What do you think?"
"I trust Emma and Regina, Belle. If they say, it's the only way to get Rumple... back to you, then it is. It's risky, though," the brunette said with a look at Hook. "But it's the choice between maybe getting Rumple back and definately not getting him back."
Belle nodded.
"Then we'll do it," she said.
"Killian?" Emma asked him as if he had a choice in the matter.
He smiled at her bemusedly.
"It'll at least be an adventure, yes?" he said and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, I'll do it. At least, I'll get to spend some quality time with my favorite step-son," he said smiling at Neal who let out an exasperated sigh but didn't say anything. "When will we be able to set sail then?"
"I'll have those communiation mirrors ready for you in a few days."
"It would be nice if you could stay for the party on Saturday," Emma said.
"I'm not really in the mood for a party. How about you, Bae?"
"I'm ready to leave whenever you are," Neal answered.
"As soon as possible then. We can have a little private party when I come back, luv, if you're so eager to drink with me. Just keep a bottle rum handy and..."
"Hush, Killian," Emma told him as she could see Regina's color rising slowly, the firm set of her jaw indicating that she was fighting her evil self to not set him on fire.
He laughed lightly.
"How is this little toy working anyways. I mean, I doubt that the Jolly Roger will fit through a mirror," he said pointing at the cube. He refrained from taking it since Regina had both her very sharp eyes on him at the moment.
"The water will work as your mirror," the dark-haired woman answered simply and he nodded.
"Ah, right. That will work," he said. "Well, if that's all I'll just take my little friend here and be on my way, yes?"
"No, the cube stays here. Tinkerbell will bring it with her when you're going to leave."
Killian looked at Regina, their eyes locked in silent conversation of mistrust.
"Have it your way," he then said.
"I usually do," she gave back.
He turned to Emma.
"It's not like I don't get it, Swan, she's sassy enough. But, as far as I'm concerned, there's things you can't even fake with magic," he said.
"Believe me, she doesn't fake anything. She doesn't need to," Emma gave back with a confident smile and he made a gulping sound under his breath.
"I'll be in my bunk," he told them and left.
Neal got up as well, as did Belle.
"I guess I'll go packing then. Could you maybe send Henry over one of these days, I'd like to talk to him before I'll leave," Neal asked of Emma.
"Sure."
"He will understand, right?"
"Yes, he will. And you'll be back in a year, the latest. I hope you'll find your father sooner than that, though."
He nodded at her words and turned to Regina for a moment. He seemed to contemplate whether or not to say something to her but in the end he didn't. He turned toward the hall. "Are you two coming?" he then asked Belle and Ruby.
"Yes," Belle said and turned to Regina. She hugged her. "Thank you, Regina. The things you did... these last few weeks... you're an extraordinary woman."
"Thank you, Belle, but I'm just doing what I can to... undo what I did in the past."
"You're doing more," Belle argued.
"I'll be by so we can go to the shop together whenever you're ready. Just give me a call," the mayor told her.
Belle went over to Emma and hugged and thanked her as well. Then she turned to Ruby who still sat on the couch.
"Are you coming?"
"I wanted to talk to Emma about something else and then I'll have to be back at the diner for the lunch crowd," the brunette told her friend.
"Okay," Belle said a little dejectedly but Ruby smiled at her in that way of hers, all eyes and teeth. Belle nodded at her. "I'll see you later."
"Later," Ruby said as Belle left with Neal and her voice already took on a raspy quality that was explained by tears that fell on her face when Belle had left.
Emma went over to her immediately, sitting next to her and wrapping her arms around her friend. There were no words exchanged, Emma knew exactly what Ruby felt at that moment and she couldn't think of any words that could make Ruby's pain any easier.
A short while later the three women sat each with their hands around a cup of cocoa or tea. Regina had made them while Ruby had cried at Emma's shoulder. When she had returned, Ruby had been more composed and had thanked her for the warm beverage. She had smiled at Regina and thus made it easy for the mayor to decide to stay with them.
"I'm happy for Belle," Ruby said after a while. "I really am."
"We didn't think you weren't Ruby. We would never think that," Emma reassured her.
"I have to think of the way she was... right after, the sleepless nights, hours she spent crying. Now she'll be happy again even if it takes a while to find Rumple, she will be happy again," Ruby kept on.
"Losing someone you love is the worst kind of pain," Regina said.
"I know," Ruby said. "I mean I... ate my first boyfriend," and she looked sick just thinking about it. She took a sip from her tea. "But I guess... True Love is a different ballgame, altogether."
Regina looked at Emma over Ruby's head which still lay at the blonde's shoulder.
"Love is love, Ruby. When you lose someone a part of you dies. I think we make too much of this True Love-business. Who can really tell? Apart from my parents, that is," Emma argued but looked back and into Regina's chocolat-y eyes. They were her destiny and she knew it.
"And you two," Ruby said with a slight grin and Emma looked at her. She blushed.
"You know how it is in this world, Ruby. Here we fight about whether two women or two men should be able to get married - in the Enchanted Forest it might be the difference between ordinary love between ordinary people and True Love between princesses and princes. Why make a difference at all? We're all just people," Emma gave back.
"Yes, but Rumplestiltskin is Belle's True Love and there's no arguing with that," Ruby said.
"And if he had been dead she might have learned to love another and who could have said that wasn't True Love, too?"
"Emma's right, Ruby. True Love is only a name. If two people love each other with their whole hearts, their whole souls - it's love. none truer than another," Regina said.
"Not that it helps me now but... I guess it might some day. Who knows," Ruby said. "Thank you," she then added and tried a smile for both of her friends.
"Have you decided what you will do now? Will you return to the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked.
Ruby shook her long mane.
"I don't think so. I mean, I guess I could go with Snow and Charming, live somewhere near the castle but... I would have to live alone, possibly hide and always be very careful come a full moon. That's no life. People know me here and they don't fear me as much as they used to. I have the woods...," she trailed off, maybe because she wanted to say something about Belle being there, of having her in her life but then she just stared into the unlit fireplace. She took a rattling breath. "I can't believe how much it hurts." Ruby leaned forward and put her mug down on the coffee table.
Emma rubbed her back in sympathy.
"Don't let it harden your heart," Regina said in a low voice. "You're such a good and loving person, Ruby. Love will come to you... eventually," she added and once again looked at Emma.
"You two are so lucky," Ruby said a little enviously.
"We may not have been if it wasn't for you, Rubes," Emma gave back. "You helped me figure it out. You were there for me when I needed you. I want to help you, too."
Ruby nodded.
"Have you thought about maybe accompanying Hook on his... quest?" Regina asked and Ruby looked at her in surprise.
"Me? On a ship? With that.. pirate and his men?"
"And Tinkerbell and Neal, they would be there, too," Emma added.
Ruby shook her head.
"What would I be doing? I think Neal can handle Hook and... Tink will be doing the magic. I would only..."
"Be getting away for a while. Do something for Belle while not having to be near her all the time," Regina gave her reasons to consider the idea.
Ruby looked back into the fireplace, staring at nothing.
"I can't leave Belle all alone. Rumple is not back yet, she..."
"Has friends who will look out for her. I'm sure Granny will see that she eats enough," Emma supported Regina's idea.
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Ruby asked jokingly.
"No, we're just trying to get you to think of yourself for a change," Emma gave back with a serious expression.
"I'm not sure I can do that, I mean, just up and leave. I...," but it seemed that she was at least considering it and that was all her friends asked her to do. "A werewolf on a ship," Ruby said thoughtfully. "That's a new one."
"It would certainly bring the crew in line," Regina said not even trying to hide her distaste for the occupation.
Emma smiled at her.
"For someone who hates boats so much, you made a pretty good sailor when we sailed the Jolly Roger," Emma commented.
"I did what needed to be done. It's not like I enjoyed it," Regina gave back.
"I've never spend a lot of time on a ship," Ruby said. "I'm not sure if I would like it. I'm not sure if I would hate it, either."
"I always liked living near the ocean. I also liked spending time at public pools when I was little, swimming," Emma said.
"I wouldn't mind seeing you in a swim suit one of these days," Regina said and then blushed. "I did say that aloud, did I?"
Ruby and Emma laughed.
"You sure did. And I would say you have good taste but I'm afraid of fireballs," Ruby said and Regina joined their laughter.
"I'm not THAT jealous," she said.
"Really? I thought you were going to skin Hook alive when he was trying to flirt with Emma."
"That wasn't jealousy, I was just annoyed by his lack of... finesse. He's just being obnoxious."
"How would you have him court me, my love?" Emma asked smiling.
"I would skin him alive if he made an honest attempt at it," Regina gave back, deliberately not smiling. "If I were to court you, on the other hand..." she started saying but then just smiled secretively to herself. Her eyes locked onto Emma's in silent seduction.
"Is it time for me to make up an excuse and leave?" Ruby asked into the sudden tension between her two companions and they snapped out of staring into each other's eyes.
"That's not necessary. We've got our whole lives for her to court me, however subtle and wonderfully artful she wants it to be."
Regina laughed.
"Be careful what you wish for, savior."
They were trying - but not very hard - to not be so obviously in love and failed. It was indeed Ruby's cue to leave them, even though they kept protesting that it wasn't necessary.
"It's okay, I have to think about some things. And I also have to get back to the diner," Ruby told them as she stood.
Emma and Regina also rose and Ruby hugged both of them in turn.
"Thank you two. It's good to... be able to talk about... things," she said.
"Anytime, Ruby," Emma said and Regina nodded.
They both walked Ruby to the door and watched her go.
"She's a strong woman," Regina said and lay her arms around Emma. The blonde closed the door and then returned the hug.
"She is. I just wish she wouldn't have to be."
