LIII

This was shaping up to be one of those days which had Emma wishing she'd stayed in bed. But she would've had to actually have been to bed in order to do that. She was running on pure adrenaline and it was steadily running out. The curse had finally been broken, true love's kiss not only saving her son, but also freeing the citizens of Storybrooke from the listless existence they'd been forced to endure for the past twenty-eight years. She wondered, if Henry had never been poisoned, if she would have had to go around kissing each citizen to have their memories returned. It had worked with Graham. She had one powerful pucker, she thought hysterically and was just able to stifle the giggle bubbling in her throat.

She didn't need her parents to think the stress had finally gotten to her. Her parents. Hell! What had she ever done to deserve having a mother who looked more like her sister than her parent? And she didn't even want to think of her father. He was being awfully quiet, she thought, cutting her eyes in his direction. Well, he was being quiet now. They had just saved Regina from an angry mob out for her blood and were leading her down the front steps to escort her to the sheriff's station. Thankfully, the mob had chosen to listen to Snow and Charming and there hadn't been any bloodshed. Not that Emma would be opposed to a little bloodshed at the moment.

She was still furious Gold had double-crossed her about the potion. Neither he nor Belle were answering their cell phones, and the voicemails she'd left were quite colorful. She wanted an explanation and she wanted it now. Preferably before her mother could voice all the thoughts clearly written in her dewy eyes. She so wasn't ready to face the talk. All she wanted was to hide out in the big white mansion at the edge of town with Jefferson and their kids, curled up with hot chocolate and maybe some cinnamon rolls. Of course, she wasn't getting anything she wanted today.

Regina struggled against the iron grip Charming had around her upper arm and glared at Emma. "You can't just lock me up. I haven't done anything wrong."

Emma quirked a brow at her majesty and snorted. "The last five minutes don't count," she snorted, stopping in the middle of the walkway and crossing her arms over her chest. Leave it to Regina to want to continue to shirk any responsibility for her actions. "We're doing this to protect you until we can decide what to do with you."

"Do with me?" Regina asked incredulously. "I don't see you trying to arrest Gold. He's the one who made the curse which brought us here. He needs to be held accountable for his part in this."

Charming sighed in exasperation and turned his attention to his daughter. "We could always hand her over to Whale."

"That wouldn't be the best course of action," Mother Superior, who had been following discreetly behind them, answered emphatically. "She could regain the use of her powers at any time and she wouldn't hesitate to slaughter Whale and his cohorts."

"If there's magic here, can't you help us contain her?" Snow asked.

The Blue Fairy turned nun shook her head disparagingly. "This is a land without magic. Bringing magic here has made it unpredictable. There are no wands, no fairy dust and little I can do without either."

Regina's eyes held a hint of laughter as she stared at Blue. "Well, well, that's going to make it rather difficult for you when Gold finally catches up to you."

"Indeed," came a decidedly cold voice with its lilting accent before the nun could reply. He stood at the end of the walkway, closest to the street, blocking off their exit. "Time to collect on old debts, dearies."

"I'd say it was past time, wouldn't you, darling?" Belle asked from her position behind the little group, her eyes flashing and the gold cuffs about her wrists beginning to glow faintly. The two former co-conspirators both paled as they realized - without magic - they were left at the mercy of the Dark One and his lady.

Belle forced the Charmings and Emma back with a flash of blue light as wisps of black smoke curled around Regina's feet and snaked up her body to bind her. Belle was left to deal with Mother Superior and quickly had her bound as well. Emma hauled herself up from the ground, wincing from where she'd landed on her hip. "Time out! How the hell do the two of you have magic when no one else does?"

"Really Miss Swan, do you think I would have gone to all this trouble to create such a complex curse without including a few little perks for myself? And those bound to me?" he asked in a biting tone. He truly liked the savior, but sometimes it was just tedious to try to have a conversation with her. "Now we are taking these traitorous harpies away, so they won't be able to harm anyone else. Would you care to join us? Your parents are welcome to come along as well," he offered graciously when he'd rather leave them all behind. It was Belle's insistence they be granted the chance to learn the truth about someone they trusted so fully.

Snow reached out and touched the dark smoke-like rings around the blue fairy and recoiled as a spark skipped painfully against her fingertips. Her accusing eyes flew to Belle. "Why are you doing this? Blue has done nothing wrong," she tried reasoning. "I mean, come on, she's the Blue Fairy. She's one of the good guys."

Gold let out a giggle reminiscent of the imp he used to be. "Goodness and light are overrated. Show me any being who can exist without just a wee bit of darkness and I'll lay down my magic for good at your very feet," he scoffed. "Why do you think Belle is my perfect mate? She brought light into my darkness just as I brought my darkness into her light. We balance each other perfectly. Rheul Ghorm has darkness in her, darkness she fights with every breath and tries to mask it until it eventually gets the better of her."

"This is outrageous!" Charming blustered, stepping forward to free Blue. Gold let the shock, which went through the princeling, silence him for the moment.

Belle chose then to step up to her husband's defense. "Blue took me from Rumpel. She abducted me right out of your palace, Snow, the night of your wedding and held me prisoner for ten months before the curse was enacted. Then Regina held me in the ward beneath the hospital for the last twenty-eight years. If anyone has a right to deal with these two, it's me and Rum."

Charming looked as though someone had kicked him in the chest. Snow looked betrayed and Emma just seemed confused. "We helped with Rumpelstiltskin's search," Snow told Belle, her eyes showing the sorrow she'd felt over her friend's disappearance before it was swiftly changed to one of anger as she rounded on the fairy. "I came to you," she accused. "I came to you and asked you to help and you assured us you had the fairies searching. You insisted you'd put aside your animosity for the Dark One and would aid us for Belle's sake."

"I was trying to help her," Blue insisted, squirming against the magical bonds. "The Dark One cannot love. He is evil incarnate, and it is simply not possible. He drove his own son away. He would have destroyed Baelfire if he'd stayed and he would have done the same to Belle given enough time."

"It's your fault he's gone. You just couldn't refrain from interfering in our lives," Gold hissed, his lips curling back over his teeth as he snarled at her.

"You could have been with him if you hadn't been such a coward. You could easily have followed him here, but you were too weak to give up your power for your only child," Blue railed back at him, all pretense of being a creature of light bleeding away in her anger.

The tight control Belle had on her magic slipped and the bonds tightened painfully. "My husband is not a coward and I'll thank you to cease your prattling … now," she said, giving it a little extra squeeze. "Rum, we need to go … now."

Gold's features softened as he took Belle in. He was amazed she hadn't collapsed under the weight of the magic she was using, and it made him proud of her all over again that she was strong and resilient in her will.

"Miss Swan, if you would," he said, offering his hand to magically transport her to their destination. Charming and Snow took a step back, refusing to let him take them anywhere, but Emma decided to take a leap of faith, her impatience overruling her good sense, and grasped his hand. Belle would be following with Blue.

"Where are you taking us?" Regina asked, her voice quavering slightly in anticipation of what he had in store for them.

Gold grinned. "Somewhere you won't be able to cause any more trouble, dearie."

*.*.*

Emma stumbled as Gold released her, coughing and sputtering as she fought her way out of a cloud of violet smoke, her head swimming dizzily. Gold smirked as he led Regina forward and thrust her into a familiar cell. At least to him it was quite familiar. "Where the hell are we, Gold?" Emma asked, watching Belle as she prodded Blue forward toward the waiting cell.

"This, my dear Emma, is where your parents imprisoned me before the curse was enacted," Gold informed her. Belle placed her right hand in his and raised her left, copying him gesture for gesture. Their hands glowed a fiery red as the bars closed like a gaping maw, enclosing the queen and the fairy in their stone prison. "But unlike Charming insisting upon using fairy magic to imprison me, Belle and I are using dark magic; magic only accessible to the two of us."

Emma paled. "Regina has access to dark magic and you know it won't be long before she regains her powers."

"Not this magic. The spell I concocted is part blood magic. They can only be released if Belle and I cast the spell … together."

Belle yawned, the meager spells she'd performed that morning having left their mark on her and sapped her strength. "The cell will bind Regina, preventing her from regaining her magic for as long as she remains inside. It's no less than she deserves, but kinder than anything she could have come up with to use against Rum."

"But you can't mean to leave Mother Superior down here with her," Emma protested. She couldn't think of a worse fate than being forced to share the same cell as Regina.

"Of course not. This is only temporary, Emma. Rumpel is arranging for her to be relocated to a convent in another part of the state. I vote for one across the country, perhaps in California," Belle replied, linking her arm through Gold's and turning toward the mouth of the tunnel and out of their prisoner's earshot.

"Relocated? I thought bad things happened to people when they tried to leave Storybrooke," Emma frowned, following the pair. "And what of Regina? Are we just supposed to leave her down here indefinitely?"

Gold leaned forward to meet Emma's gaze, his hands crossed on the handle of his cane. If it were anyone other than the woman who'd just saved them all, he'd never bother with an explanation, but she'd been through quite enough. "Truthfully, I can't say what will happen to Rheul Ghorm. Just know I won't kill her. The curse has so many layers and now that we've brought magic here, there's no way to determine the consequences for crossing the border until the theory has been tested. You might want to get someone on that. I'd like to recommend your father for that task."

"Rumpel, shame on you," Belle chided, finding it hard to hide her smile. She wondered if her husband and the princeling would ever learn to get along. "I think we should send Ashley instead. It's not like she would be a big loss."

Gold chuckled. "Still holding a grudge, dearest?"

Belle reached up and brushed the hair away from his eyes before resting her hand on his cheek, her eyes sparkling with warmth. "She lied to you, she tricked you, she lent her aid in locking you up and worst of all … she broke a deal with you."

He absently caressed her swollen middle as he nuzzled into her palm. "It was necessary."

"That doesn't change the fact that she doesn't …" Belle said, the hackles rising on her arms. The more she thought of Cinderella's treachery, the harder it was to control her anger. Now that magic had returned, it wouldn't do for her anger to be unleashed. She had the blood of the Dark One running through her, and even infinitesimal as it was, the magic fed off her anger and made her unpredictable. His fingers kneaded her nape, his blunt nails scratching lightly and helping her to calm. For now, she'd let the matter drop. "As for Regina, the cell will hold her until you wish to release her, something I don't recommend until Rumpel is able to brew a binding potion to keep her from regaining her powers."

"He can do that?" Emma asked, trying to wrap her head around what had to be the strangest conversation she'd ever had.

"Of course, he can. He's the Dark One. There's very little he can't do," Belle said proudly.

Emma shook her head. "How is it you have power?"

"Because, Miss Swan, she is my wife, my true love and the greatest gift I've ever been fortunate enough to receive," he explained, looking down on his wife with such an open expression of love shining in his dark brown eyes, Emma had to look away for a moment. "She is bound to me by love, by blood and by magic. She's nearly as powerful as Regina, but instead of using her magic for evil and petty revenge, she uses it for good. You don't have to fear she's going to wreak havoc on our little town."

"I wasn't implying she would, Gold. I would expect that more from you," she said, tapping her booted foot in her impatience.

Gold could hear the sound of scurrying feet in the tunnels and turned to Emma. "Do you have any more questions before your parents descend upon us?" he asked, a knowing smile playing with one corner of his mouth.

"Yeah. If you are all about helping me, why'd you steal the potion from me and leave Henry to die?" she asked bitterly, hands on her hips, her thumb caressing the butt of her sidearm.

"Henry was never in any danger. True love, Miss Swan, can break any curse. You had that power in you all along and never needed a potion to tap into it as you've already discovered. The potion was always intended to bring magic here."

"But why? Why did you have to bring magic here? If this is a land without magic, couldn't there be repercussions for bringing it here?" she asked curiously. "Like you said, all magic comes with a price."

Gold's teeth gnashed together as Snow and Charming rounded the corner and entered the tunnel. "Rumpelstiltskin!" Charming bellowed as he strode towards them. "Snow and I have discussed this, and we can't in good conscience let you lock up Mother Superior."

Belle tightened her hold on his hand and twisted her fingers in the lapels of his jacket. She could feel the magic whirling through him, ready to strike the prince down. But before she could intervene, Emma stepped in front of them, blocking off her father's imminent tirade. "Actually, David, they can. I believe Gold and since I am still sheriff, we're going to keep them locked up … for now."

Snow ground the heel of her shoe into David's instep when he opened his mouth to argue with his daughter. "Emma, Archie and Red have organized a shelter at city hall, giving aid to those who are searching for their families. It might be a good idea if we offered to help now that Regina is locked up where she can't hurt anyone."

"Do you need help?" Belle asked. "I'm certain there's something I could do …"

Gold firmly gripped her elbow to halt her in her tracks. "Belle, the only thing you're going to do is help yourself into a hot bath and a warm bed. I'm taking you home to rest."

Snow and Emma seemed to agree with him at least on this. "He's right, Belle. Let him bring you home and take care of you," Emma said with a small smile. "I remember how tired I would get when I was pregnant with Henry. You don't want to overtax yourself and end up in the hospital."

"Fine," Belle acquiesced reluctantly. There was so much she could, no doubt, accomplish helping those displaced by the curse and only grudgingly did she allow Gold to lead her towards the mouth of the tunnel.

*.*.*

There were only two words to describe the scene at city hall … organized chaos. Henry, Paige and the Tillman kids were handing out blankets, Red was directing citizens to different tables set up around the courtyard, depending on their needs. Granny, in fact, had one where she was serving hot soup and sandwiches while another held cards to fill out with personal information to be tacked on the cork board in the center of the square. Archie was offering free psychoanalysis to those suffering from PTSD and Jefferson was helping wherever Red directed him, wanting to do his part.

Emma ignored it all, especially her mother. Snow, for the last six blocks, had been trying to have the talk with Emma about their separation, the curse, Emma's childhood and anything else she found pertinent. Emma didn't want to talk about any of it. She had a job to do and she didn't have time to deal with her mother's insecurities, much less any of her own. But when she arrived at the square and saw Jefferson, all thoughts of duty and obligation and her parents flew right out the window. She made her way to his side and slipped her arms around his waist, burying her face against the soft silk cravat tied around his neck.

"Rabbit …" Jefferson breathed against her hair, wrapping his arms tightly about her and pulling her into his chest. "I've been worried. Are you alright?"

"Shut up, hatter, and just don't let go. I only need a minute," she said, her tone a shaky whisper as she clung to him. She needed a minute to just feel something besides gut-wrenching terror, heartbreak and confusion. Jefferson had the uncanny ability to make her feel grounded and secure when her emotions were threatening to overwhelm her and that was exactly what she needed at the moment. She'd been through the wringer both physically and mentally in the last twenty-four hours. She could do with five minutes to herself.

Jefferson rubbed soothing circles along the ridge of her spine and she could feel the tension slowly drain away from her muscles. She needed him, the first person she'd allowed herself to feel anything for in the past ten years. She needed Henry, her beloved son and even Paige. She felt a sense of belonging with the three of them she feared she'd never have with her parents. It's not as though she wasn't willing to try, she just wasn't ready. She stiffened as she felt arms come around her and Jefferson from either side, but relaxed and even smiled when she looked down to find Paige on her left and Henry on her right, surrounding her in a cocoon of love and support.

Henry's eyes were soft and warm as he gazed up at his mother. "Everything ok, Mom?" he asked, a sad little smile curving his lips.

"As well as can be expected," she croaked, stepping back and ruffling his hair. "Regina's where she can't hurt anyone, and no one can seek revenge against her."

Jefferson snorted. "I wouldn't say that. Rumpelstiltskin, whom she hates almost as much as Snow White, is going to bind her from ever using magic again. I'd say that's a good deal of revenge. And you, my love, have taken Henry away from her. She can't be in the best of moods at the moment."

"She has Mother Superior to keep her company, so at least she's not alone," Emma reasoned, rubbing her brow wearily. "Gold's having her transferred to another convent. Did you know?"

"Contrary to popular belief, Rumpel doesn't tell me everything. Belle probably came up with the idea to keep him from killing Blue. Belle doesn't want her husband's soul damaged any more than it already is," Jefferson replied, steering their little group over to where Granny was serving hot chocolate and muffins and an assortment of sandwiches.

Emma took a Styrofoam cup from Jefferson and scanned the crowd for her parents. They were deep in discussion with several of the dwarves and it didn't look like any of them were happy with the news the dwarves had to impart. She was beginning to wonder if this day would ever end.

*.*.*

"Bloody closed sign. Waste of good money," Gold mumbled sleepily, coming awake as he realized what had woken him. The wards around his home rippled, alerting him to their visitor. He didn't want to get up. He'd only laid down a mere two hours ago after calling in favors to have Mother Superior transferred to a convent across the country.

His little wife had been adamant about him not killing the meddlesome fairy and so he'd promised, wishing only to please her. He lived for her happiness, because when Belle Gold was happy, everyone was happy. He nuzzled his nose against her nape and trailed hot open-mouthed kisses up to her ear. She rewarded his attentions by pressing her silk clad bottom against his groin and pulling his arm tighter around her.

"Someone's at the door, love," Belle mumbled sleepily, turning her head to meet his lips.

He finally cracked open an eye to glare at the digital clock on the nightstand. Six o'clock in the evening. "I wonder which one of the Charmings we'll be dealing with this evening. Since the door is still standing, I'm going to assume it's not the shepherd."

Belle scooted out of the bed before he could snatch her back and disappeared into the closet in search of something to wear. She chose a simple yellow sundress with a pattern of violets adorning the hem and a purple cardigan. "Are you ever going to get along with the prince? He's not David Nolan anymore, Rum."

Gold smirked and conceded. "I know, dearest, but that doesn't mean the man doesn't annoy me. Although Charming is much easier to stomach than his alter ego. What was Regina thinking when she gave him that persona?" he asked, tossing his pajama bottoms in the hamper and pulling a fresh suit out of the closet.

"He was in a coma for twenty-eight years. I don't think she was thinking at all. I mean, how was she to know he would even wake up at all? Something else for which the prince owes his grandson. It was his idea to have Mary Margaret read to him in the hospital, after all, which prompted Charming to come back to us. Regina must have been livid," Belle smiled, dropping her brush on the dresser and kissing her husband's cheek as she passed him on the way to the door. "Don't be long, Rum. I'm starving."

The doorbell rang for the fourth time just as Belle reached the foyer and recognized a familiar silhouette on the other side of the stained glass which adorned the front door. She received a hug from Henry and Paige -or rather Grace - as she opened the door to admit Jefferson and Emma. Grace had tears in her eyes as she looked up at Belle.

Belle hadn't yet seen Grace since the curse had been broken and tears sparkled in the girl's eyes. "Aunt Belle," she cried, burying her face against Belle's shoulder.

"I know, sweet girl, I know. We have so much to talk about," Belle crooned, wrapping her arm around Grace's shoulders and stroking her long ginger locks. "Don't cry, darling."

Jefferson ushered Emma and Henry into the kitchen to give his daughter some privacy to reunite with her surrogate aunt. "I missed you so much, Aunt Belle. When you disappeared, and Uncle Rum couldn't find you …" she cried, her voice choking on a sob. "He was so lost without you and Papa didn't know what to do for him and we all needed you and …"

"It's alright, darling. I'm here now and we all have a second chance to have our happily ever after," Belle soothed. She cradled Grace's face in her palms and rubbed her nose against hers in a fond gesture of affection. "And even though you didn't remember our life in the Enchanted Forest, you had a wonderful life here in Storybrooke with your papa."

"And Uncle Ni-Rum, too," she agreed happily. She kissed Belle's cheek and skipped off to the kitchen, waving at Gold as he appeared at the top of the stairs.

Jefferson was making tea and Grace was setting out cups and the sugar bowl, milk pitcher and wedges of lemon on the table. Emma was sitting with Henry seemingly arguing about Regina. "We can't keep her locked up," the boy insisted.

"We can, and we will," she insisted wearily, leaning back in her chair and raking a frustrated hand through her hair. "Even if Gold can somehow bind her magic, there's no guarantee she won't find some way to get her power back."

Belle lowered herself into a chair and quirked a brow at their savior. "Are you doubting Rumpelstiltskin's power?" she asked. Emma shifted guiltily and looked away. "Yes, I suppose you are. Perhaps it's better you didn't know him in our realm. He was a difficult man," she sighed with a wistful smile, remembering all too well the trying times they'd had in the beginning of their relationship. It took her a while to find the man behind the mage.

Emma was quick to reassure. "It's not like I don't believe you, I just don't trust him. Especially after he stole the potion that was supposed to save Henry."

"Rum had his reasons for doing that, Emma. Very good reasons. And he was confident you didn't need the potion. You just needed to believe in yourself and have faith you would break the curse. True love doesn't always have to be between you and the man you love. What greater love could there be than a mother and her child?"

Jefferson poured the tea and let his gaze rest on his daughter. "Or any parent and their child," he added softly. "But that's not why we're here."

Gold stepped into the kitchen and accepted a cup of tea from the hatter, eyeing Emma over the rim of his cup. "Indeed not. So what new tragedy has befallen the town in the few short hours since Regina and Rheul Ghorm have been imprisoned?"

Belle caught the guarded look which crossed Emma's face and turned quickly to Grace. "Sweetie, that new shipment of books we ordered came in yesterday. Why don't you and Henry go into the library and see if there's anything you'd like to take home with you," she suggested. Grace set her tea cup down and grabbed Henry's hand, pulling him along behind her despite his protests. Henry hated it when he wasn't allowed to listen in to information which might be pertinent to Operation Cobra.

Emma waited until she heard the door to the library shut behind the children before answering. "Henry doesn't think we should lock Regina away since she won't be regaining her magic. Have you even started on the binding potion?" she asked irritably.

Gold looked affronted by her tone and he narrowed his eyes on her. "I have, Miss Swan. And I agree with Henry. Regina should be able to resume her life here in Storybrooke as if nothing had happened. Whether or not the citizens of our fair town allow it is another story. But I think watching her flounder through life friendless, magicless and loveless is payment enough for what she's put Belle through."

Emma's mouth nearly hit the table. "What?"

"What Rumpel is trying to say is … it would hurt Henry too much for us to harm Regina and he has a soft spot for your son he doesn't want to admit to," Belle said simply. Gold wrinkled his nose at Belle, but refused to answer.

Jefferson snorted. "It's not that she doesn't deserve to be punished."

"I'm more concerned about Mother Superior," Emma said, leveling Gold with a piercing stare. "What have you decided about her? I know you promised not to kill her, but she can't stay locked up in the mines either."

"That's up to you, Miss Swan," Gold leveled her with a pointed stare, his voice quiet in the sudden stillness of the homey kitchen. "Will you be able to fulfill your part and have her transported to her new home?"

Emma eyed him warily. She'd never trusted Nicholas Gold - shifty pawn broker - and now she trusted Rumpelstiltskin - powerful and sinister sorcerer - even less, no matter how much Belle and Jefferson tried to convince her otherwise. "I don't want to see anyone get hurt, Gold," she insisted, refusing to meet his gaze. Instead she stared down into the cold contents of her cup as she waited for his answer.

Gold set his cup down on the counter so hard, she was certain it would shatter as he turned to glare at her, his deep brown eyes nearly black with his barely concealed rage. "Like she hurt me when she stole my wife from me? Like she hurt my Belle when she held her captive for nearly a year, forcing her to watch every despicable deed I'd ever committed through a magic mirror as she tried to turn her against me? Like she hurt the both of us by keeping us apart?" he asked, his deep voice shaking with emotion. He had to swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as the painful memories of that time flooded his mind. "Nearly a year of loneliness and deep despair, Miss Swan. Nearly a year I couldn't touch her, gaze upon her beauty, or bask in the warmth of her smile. For that … that loathsome bitch deserves the tortures of the damned."

Gold's gaze flitted to his wife and he could see unshed tears glistening on her lashes from his heartfelt speech. She rose from her chair and moved to his side, curling her arms around his waist and letting him draw her into his embrace. "It's alright, darling," she whispered so only he could hear her words. "I'm here with you now. Don't let the darkness in to consume you. I love you." She cupped his cheek in her hand and made him meet her teary gaze. "I love you, Rum."

He pressed his brow to Belle's and simply held onto her, trying to infuse her with all the love he held for her in his heart, through their bond. Emma shared a look with Jefferson, feeling uncomfortable to see Gold so vulnerable. Favor or not, there was no way she couldn't help them. They'd suffered more than any two people should ever have to suffer and it was her innate desire to help others which made up her mind.

She wouldn't even have to compromise her principles to help them. They were sending the woman away from Storybrooke to a safe little convent, miles away from everything she knew, somewhere she'd be unable to hurt them any longer. This was a huge step for Rumpelstiltskin when he could just as easily turn her to dust. "Tell me what you want me to do."

A/N: Thanks so much for sticking with me and I really hope you all enjoyed the update. xoxoxo