Chapter Fifty-Two—"Sacrifices Chosen"
1 Year Before the Curse
The trial was over, and the vote had been unanimous. Just, he suspected, as Cora anticipated it would be. Snow and Charming's little war council (including King George, who certainly wasn't about to be left out of this decision) had cheerfully voted for Evil Queen's execution, and now the courtyard was positively filling with curious onlookers. He could practically taste the bloodlust in the air as people talked amongst themselves. The new royal couple had invited all and sundry to witness the end of the Evil Queen, and for once, Rumplestiltskin had actually decided to attend one of the fashionable royal events that he so habitually eschewed. Now that he was here, he realized that he should attend executions more often. All the rage and fury in the air fed his curse quite beautifully, and the demon within him was humming quite contentedly.
Not that it would be by the time he was through today. He needed Cora to cast his curse, which meant that if she didn't have an exit strategy of her own, he would have to create one for her. That would cause problems between Rumplestiltskin and the royals whom he had shepherded along, which he certainly didn't prefer to have happen, but he could find a way around that. If need be. In fact, he might be able to teleport Cora away without anyone realizing he had done the deed…but to do that he needed to be closer.
Slowly, Rumplestiltskin made his way through the crowd, refusing some sneering noble's offer to escort him to whatever place was set aside for the more 'important' people to get out of the thronging mess of humanity. He'd never understood how nobles seemed to think that standing too close to peasants might somehow contaminate them, so he flicked a bit of magic at the noble and watched him grow a rat's tail. The noble idiot squealed and started spinning in panicked circles, grasping helplessly at the tail that seemed to have a mind of its own and evaded his hands. Giggling, Rumplestiltskin pressed onwards, noticing how people scampered out of his path now that he'd demonstrated a bit of power and a nasty sense of humor.
"It'll go away in a few weeks, dearie," he told the still-terrified noble in a sing-songy voice. "If you behave yourself, that is!"
Of course, he didn't specify what 'behaving' himself meant, although eventually the noble would find that offering kindness to a few peasants—or at least treating them like fellow human beings—would make the tail vanish. Rumplestiltskin rather expected that it would take more than a few weeks for this man to figure that out, but well, that wasn't Rumplestiltskin's problem. Besides, the noble didn't stick around to ask questions; he ran away, red faced with shame and obviously mortified that mere peons could see his predicament. Fool. Most of the peasants around Rumplestiltskin were laughing, however, which meant that the moron hadn't been well liked at all, and Rumplestiltskin had no regrets. Not that he usually bothered with regrets, anyway. He was the Dark One, after all, and if the worst thing he did today was enchant a stupid noble until the man learned to treat peasants like people, that would be a surprise. Belle can't even be angry at me for that one, he thought to himself with a wiggle. His curse cackled in agreement, but he rather thought his wife might approve of a curse like that. Maybe.
Glancing to his left at the dais, he noticed that the royals still hadn't arrived, but the laughing eyes of another sorcerer's met his, and Rumplestiltskin gave the tall, blonde man a nod of greeting. Lord Soulis nodded back, and Rumplestiltskin managed not to giggle out loud again. Soulis had been Cora's student, and one of her dearest allies, but there he was, standing right next to the thrones that would hold his new monarchs. Obviously, he'd managed to turn his coat in a hurry—or he was still working on Cora's behalf behind the scenes. Of the two, the later was more likely, although obviously he'd convinced Snow and Charming otherwise. Lord Soulis wore an indifferent expression, but Rumplestiltskin could see the calculation behind it. Perhaps he was part of Cora's exit strategy…but there was only one way to find out.
Ignoring the trumpets as they announced the royal couple's arrival—and that of King George, who was still piously acting as a visiting monarch—Rumplestiltskin instead slipped up to a position from which he could see the post that they clearly intended to tie Cora to. The Blue Fairy hovered near the archers, and she paused to look Rumplestiltskin's way, scowling.
"What are you doing here, Dark One?" Blue demanded.
Rumplestiltskin smiled at his age-old enemy. "Ask your little king and queen, dearie. They invited me."
Oh, he loved watching that little face go red with fury. Blue hated him as much as he hated her, and getting under her skin was one of Rumplestiltskin's favorite past times. Not that she ever took it well.
"Perhaps there's a lesson in this for you, then," the chief fairy retorted primly, and that made the Dark One giggle.
"You never know, do you?" he replied, wiggling a bit. Then his voice dropped from the high-pitched imp and into something far more dangerous. "Unlike some people, I do learn from my mistakes."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" the Blue Fairy demanded hotly, and Rumplestiltskin giggled again.
"Oh…nothing."
His timing had been perfect; a second set of trumpets rang out, and the crowd split to allow the guards to lead Cora through. She looked haughty but tired, and looking at her face made Rumplestiltskin blink. Magic swirled around her, mostly fairy magic but also…Oh. Clever girl. The magnitude of what was happening—without any of the do-gooding fools knowing, even their preciously light Blue Fairy—almost took Rumplestiltskin's breath away, and he knew that thinking Cora would not have an exit strategy was absolutely ludicrous. Of course, even he hadn't expected this out of his oh so cold blooded student, but he should have. After all, when hadCora not been willing to sacrifice a child to get what she wanted? When it came to bettering her own life, Cora was willing to sacrifice anyone.
After his amazement died down, fury boiled up to take its place. Rumplestiltskin really had not expected Cora to go this far. Did she intend for the execution to go forward? Was she that cold? He wasn't sure if he could answer that question for certain, but he did know for certain that the glamour in front of him was Cora's doing. The person wearing it could not deconstruct the spell, particularly not with fairy dust wrapped around her like this. And if Soulis was not there to speak up—which he knew that Soulis would not do, not unless it would raise his standing with his new monarchs—well, that meant that Cora had left her daughter in a bit of a pickle. Not your job to help her out, his curse sang within his mind, and Rumplestiltskin batted it aside. His inner imp was a lot less fun when it went against what the rest of him wanted.
While he'd been thinking, the little cricket that Blue had made out of a man—talk about a questionable use of magic!—had flown over to hover in front of 'Cora'. It was saying something about regrets and meeting death with a clear conscience, but the very thought of Cora meeting death with anything other than a sneer made Rumplestiltskin giggle. Loudly.
Heads whipped around to face him, and he decided that this was as good of a time as any. Cora might have been prepared to let her daughter die, but…Rumplestiltskin wasn't.
"This would probably be about the time you should ask her for her name, dearies," he said, sauntering forward and looking at Snow and Charming, both of whom stared at him incomprehensively for several long seconds.
The false 'Cora' on the other hand, looked so relieved that Rumplestiltskin almost managed to shut his curse's complaining out.
The cricket recovered faster than the others. "Will you state your name for the record, please?" he asked.
"Regina," the woman who looked like Cora said clearly, her eyes finding her sister's even as Snow jumped to her feet.
"Regina?" Snow gasped.
"This has to be some kind of trick," Charming replied, standing next to Snow and holding out a hand as if to stop her from running to the woman who claimed to be her stepsister.
"Oh, it is," Rumplestiltskin replied before anyone else could get in, wagging a finger at the royals as if they were errant children who needed educating. "It's just not the trick that you were expecting."
"You were Queen Cora's teacher," Blue interjected before either monarch could reply. "You are clearly here to assist her against those she has pursued a vendetta against for so long." The fairy turned to look at Snow. "I warned you not to trust him, child. The Dark One is a creature of darkness and ever has his own agenda."
Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes. "Let's not talk about hidden agendas or who helped these two reunite after a certain nightmare curse, hmmm?" he said to Blue, quirking a smile. But he also didn't give her a chance to respond. Instead, he continued with: "Or whose magic shouldhave identified the glamour when she trapped the wrong person."
Blue glared. Rumplestiltskin twitched his fingers, grasped just the right threads in the very intricate glamour spell Cora had constructed around Regina, and pulled. The spell collapsed in on itself, leaving a very tired looking Regina in her mother's place. She was even dressed in an actual gown of Cora's, bedecked in red and silver today as befitted the so-called 'Queen of Hearts', but Regina looked like she was heartily tired of the fancy clothes.
"Let her go!" Snow cried, and the guards hurried to do so.
Soon enough, the two sisters were hugging one another tightly, but Rumplestiltskin did not stay to watch the tearful family reunion. He also didn't bother to listen to Regina explaining to Snow how Cora had threatened Daniel to make her take her mother's place, and then had enchanted her so that she could not utter a word that might make anyone suspect she was not Cora unless she was asked directly. He wasn't interested in the sap or their joy, or even in the Blue Fairy's stammering apology to Snow—but not to Regina, who she mistrusted and despised. He just faded into the crowd, not looking for thanks (which he wasn't sure any of them but Regina would offer, anyway; heroes were fickle sorts), and heading home.
There. He'd done his good deed for the day, and Regina would live. He'd need her gratitude someday, anyway. He hadn't saved her out of sentimentality or out of disgust that Cora would ever sacrifice her own child to save herself. It would be useful.
And he was not a sentimental man.
Mary Margaret had tried to stop by the mayor's office (when Cora wasn't there, of course) to see Regina, only to be told by some snotty secretary that Mrs. Nolan had quit the day before. Confused, she headed over to the Nolans' house, aiming to make good on her promise to David to try to find out what was bothering Regina, only to find Henry there instead of Regina.
"Aren't you a little young to be home by yourself?" she asked curiously, causing the boy who claimed to be her grandson to roll his eyes.
"I'm almost eleven," he pointed out.
"In several months," she countered. She'd been his teacher, after all, and Mary Margaret had known all of her students' birthdays.
"It's close enough," Henry countered with a grin. "Do you want to come in?"
"That's probably not smart when your parents aren't here."
"Why not? You're hardly a stranger. I know you don't remember it, but you're my grandmother. And you're my adopted step-aunt, too," Henry said, somehow making it all sound logical. "You're also related to me somehow because you're married to Gramps and he's my adopted father in addition to being my grandfather, but that part gets a little confusing."
Despite herself, Mary Margaret laughed. "Yeah, that part does."
"So, do you want to come in? Mom baked cookies earlier, and they're really good," he coaxed her, and somehow Mary Margaret found herself being pulled inside the Nolans' home by an enthusiastic ten year old. Henry's next comment didn't help her resolve when it came to leaving, either: "Mom said she'd be back after lunch, so it shouldn't be long. You can help me with my homework, if you want."
"Shouldn't you be in school today?" she asked. It was the 28th of January, and that was a Friday.
"Teacher work day," Henry supplied, dragging her into the kitchen and handing her a cookie.
"Oh." How had she forgotten that? Mary Margaret had been a teacher not too long before, but somehow that seemed like another life.
"I think you should get a pet bird."
She blinked. "Huh?"
"Well, you could speak to birds back in the Enchanted Forest, so having a pet bird could be neat. You never know what one might say," he replied, grinning around a mouthful of cookie.
"Wipe your mouth," Mary Margaret said automatically, but her mind was already turning over wildly. Just that morning, she'd sworn she heard voices while she'd been on her way to Granny's, but when she'd turned, there'd only been a set of bluebirds. She'd thought she was crazy or imagining things, but Henry seemed to think…
No. It was impossible.
Wasn't it?
The day after Belle brought magic to Storybrooke, she decided to take her daughter out for a little bit of shopping. First, they stopped off at the hospital and visited Rumplestiltskin, who had just finished a fitting for a brace/half-cast for his right leg and was therefore monstrously cranky (a mood which Renee was able to charm him right out of). Then they headed out to Renee's favorite toy store, the Wonderful Toymaker. Belle now found herself wondering about the proprietor of the place, but she didn't recognize him from back home, much though she wanted to. Still, the old gentleman was beyond kind, and helped Renee find a hobby horse in just her size.
Belle felt her daughter deserved a reward for how well behaved she'd been in the last few days, and the gift also served to distract Renee from worrying about 'Daddy Gold', as she'd taken to calling him. So, they'd picked out a hobby horse that had a black unicorn's head, complete with shiny horn and a long, flowing mane. Renee named her hobby unicorn 'Fenton' before Belle even had a chance to pay for it, and refused to stop 'riding' it as they walked out of the store. However, Belle was just happy to see her daughter smile, and knew that Rumplestiltskin would chuckle when he saw the toy their daughter was now so in love with. Knowing him, he'd promise to help her meet a real unicorn someday, although Belle didn't know how unicorns felt about the Dark One or if they'd ever make it home.
She found that she really didn't care if they never made it back to the Enchanted Forest. Oh, she'd miss the sweeping halls of the Dark Castle, but there were some undeniable benefits to modern homes, including the wonderful kitchen (and Rumplestiltskin's unexpected cooking talent). She also liked the way their daughter could play with other children without having to tromp all the way down the mountain to Caerleon, and Belle sincerely hoped that part of Storybrooke's dynamic would not change when the curse broke. Gabrielle had made many friends while she was Renee, and Belle prayed she'd be able to keep them. In fact, she was heading to a play date with Jamie Forrester and three other children right now, so Belle turned left out of the Wonderful Toymaker and led her (hobby unicorn-riding) daughter towards Storybrooke Park.
"Mamma, watch! He gallops!" Renee announced, showing that she really was learning new words every day. Belle hadn't known that Renee knew what a horse's running gait was called, but sure enough, she was demonstrating just that at the moment.
"Watch where you're galloping, sweetie!" she warned as Renee raced down the sidewalk as fast as her three year old legs could carry her.
Too much of her attention had been focused on her daughter, however, and now it was Belle who didn't watch where she was going. While walking past the entrance to Standard Clocks, she managed to run smack into a tall man in a leather jacket, one she had never seen before.
"Oof!" she cried, stumbling back and barely catching her balance.
The stranger did the same, muttering something under his breath that Belle was really glad Renee was too far away to catch. Then blue eyes focused on Belle and gave her a smile. "Hello. I'm sorry about that. I was distracted."
"No, it's my fault," she said quickly. "I was too busy watching my daughter." Speaking of which, she needed to call Renee back before she got too far ahead on the sidewalk. "Renee! Gallop back this way, sweetie."
"Okay!"
"Cute little girl," the man said, and Belle turned to face him, peering up at the unfamiliar face.
"Thanks," she said, and he held out a hand.
"August W. Booth," he introduced himself.
"Lacey French," she replied, wishing that she could use her own name—and wondering if the odd naming conventions of this world made her Belle Gold now, instead of Lady Belle. She rather liked the sound of being Mrs. Gold, come to think of it. Maybe when Rumple gets home, we can finally go to town hall and tie the knot in this world, too, she thought. It would make a lot of things easier.
"Nice to meet you," August smiled as Renee raced circles around them. "Sorry about running into you before. I wasn't paying any attention."
"Really, I think it was my fault," Belle repeated, and then couldn't contain her curiosity a moment longer. "I'm sorry to be rude, but I don't think I've met you before, and I thought I knew just about everyone in town."
"No, it's not you. I'm an author, and just visiting. I've only been here a month or so," he replied.
"Really? We don't get a lot of visitors here."
August shrugged and chuckled. "People keep telling me that."
There was something in August's eyes, however, that gave Belle pause. What kind of author visited for an entire month? And he just looked…curious to her. Then a memory hit her, and she cocked her head at August, wondering if he was the man she'd seen talking to Emma Swan several times. If he was, that opened up all kinds of interesting possibilities.
"Well, we have a strange little town," she replied with an answering shrug. "I guess we're just surprised that someone else might like it as much as we do."
"It seems pretty special to me," August answered, and Belle made a mental note to ask Rumplestiltskin what he knew about this man. Something was going on here, and she was going to find out what.
Regina still couldn't believe she'd done it, even the day after she'd told her mother that she quit. She'd let David leave the house that morning at his usual time without mentioning that she wasn't going to work, too, seeing Henry off to his normal meeting with Emma and trying to figure out what she was going to do with all of her suddenly free time. After alternating between stewing and celebrating all morning, she finally decided that she'd pick lunch up at Granny's for herself and her (supposed) husband and take it to the animal shelter. Regina needed to talk to David, after all, and doing it at the shelter was probably smarter than doing it at home.
"Hey," David looked up in surprise as Regina walked into the tiny cubicle he called an office, greasy bag in hand.
She gave him a crooked smile. "Mind if I deliver your lunch?"
"No, not at all." David hurriedly shifted a stack of papers off of a chair to give her space to sit down. "Sorry about the mess. You'd think we'd be more organized about adoptions, but no one ever adopted pets until a few months ago, and we're still catching up."
And Emma thinks she's not doing anything, Regina thought to herself with a slight smile. But Emma was much of the reason she was there, wasn't she? Or at least Emma's parents were, one of which was sitting right in front of Regina, watching her with undisguised curiosity. Of course, the last time Regina could 'remember' having visited David here was when their so-called marriage had been going well, when they'd supposedly been young and in love. Although Regina was fairly sure that those were memories that had never actually happened, ones that the curse had manufactured, she knew that David thought they were real enough. Maybe I should have waited until he came home, she thought desperately, and then forced herself to sit back calmly.
"It's okay," she said as levelly as she could. "I didn't come to evaluate the shelter for the mayor's office, after all." Regina paused, and then dropped her bombshell. "And, speaking of which…I quit my job."
That obviously took a moment to sink in, and then David's jaw dropped open. "What?"
"I told Mother that I wasn't going to be her puppet any longer, and I quit," Regina replied, letting out a breath to calm herself. "It feels great, actually. I'll find another job, eventually, I suppose, but I won't help her hurt people, anymore. Particularly Mary Margaret."
"Regina, you never helped her—" David started, but she held up a hand to cut him off.
"I did. More than you know," she answered sadly. "But that's over now, and I have a more important question for you. Now that Mother can't stop us—and she won't be able to—you need to decide if you want a divorce. I won't stand in your way. I know how you feel about Mary Margaret, and how she feels about you, too. You're good together, far better than you and I could ever be, and I don't want to keep you away from your True Love."
The last two words would mean very little to David, but they meant a lot to Regina, particularly given how she had lost Daniel. Her brother-in-law still seemed stunned by the entire speech, though, and Regina gave him a lopsided smile as he stared at her open-mouthed.
"I…Regina…what about you and Henry?" he finally managed.
Poor cursed David Nolan. He'd been designed to put them first, and although Regina couldn't argue with the way David loved Henry and put him first, she really hated the way he was obligated to think of her happiness over his own. That isn't love, Mother. That's manipulation and erasing someone's free will, she thought sadly. But Prince Charming was coming out, ever so slowly. He was starting to learn to fight for his love, and Regina wanted to help him do that.
"We'll be fine. And Storybrooke is a small town. You'd see him all the time." Particularly once the curse breaks, and you find out that he's your grandson.
"I… Uh, wow. I don't know what to say." David shook his head, and Regina reached out impulsively to take his hand. Their lunch was getting cold, but she didn't think either of them cared at the moment.
"I just want you to be happy," she said honestly.
"I want you to be happy, too," he replied, and a suddenly-very 'Charming' smile crossed his face. "Even if it's with a firefighter."
Despite herself, Regina laughed. It was good to be friends with David again, and not have to convince him that he really wasn't in love with her like the curse insisted he was. "Is that what you want to do, then?"
"I'm not sure," David answered after a moment's thought, surprising Regina. "I'm not a fool. Henry has told me about this curse…and I think he must be right. Sometimes I have dreams of what feels like another life, and it's so very real."
Stunned, Regina could only stare at him while her sister's husband gathered his thoughts. She'd known that David and Mary Margaret read the Book together, but she'd never even imagined that they might believe what they found inside.
"You mother will hate it if we do this, and she still has the power to hurt people, doesn't she?" he asked.
"Yes. I don't like admitting it…but she does."
"Then we shouldn't. I mean, we should wait," he said. "We can still be friends like this, right? I'll see Mary Margaret, you'll see Errol…and we keep your mother in the dark. I don't want her hurting anyone I care about. Not while I can stop it."
Perhaps time with Regina had taught David something. Charming had rarely been so sly—he'd hated politics because they were full of lies and dishonesty—but maybe these years as someone else had helped him out in some unexpected ways. Now he met Regina's eyes calmly, and she suddenly realized that she had a friend and an ally that she had never expected to have. Or at least not until the curse broke and everyone remembered. Still, she had to let out a short bark of laughter.
"You do realize that I'm your sister-in-law, right?" she asked before she could stop herself.
Much to her surprise, David grinned back. "Well, then I suppose I should stay in the spare bedroom, then," he retorted, and suddenly Regina felt like she didn't have to go at this alone. The smile that bloomed on her face was so big that it hurt.
Look out, Mother. You are so screwed.
"I was wondering when you'd show up, dearie," Rumplestiltskin greeted the Evil Queen with a smile, now able to sit up in bed and feeling much better than he had two days earlier. Most of the healing was complete, or at least healed as far as he dared go before he got home from the hospital (save for his leg, which would need another few days). Whale was already starting to talk about how he needed to rest at home instead of working in the shop for a week or two while his leg 'finished' healing, and Rumplestiltskin figured that he could take advantage of that time to spend time with his family and figure out the ins and outs of magic in Storybrooke. His first impression had been right. Magic was very different here, yet Rumplestiltskin had every intention of mastering it, so time was welcome.
Cora strode in with her head held high, but he could see the fury lurking in her eyes as she turned to glare at him. "What did you do?" she demanded.
"Me?" He gave her his most innocent look, which—particularly between the two of them—wasn't terribly innocent at all. The morning sun was barely streaming through the window; Cora had gotten up early on a Saturday to come see him. Doesn't that make me feel special?
"Yes, you," she snapped. "I can feel it in the air. You brought magic. How?"
"Well, that's my secret, now, isn't it?" Rumplestiltskin countered, lounging back against the pillows. The bed was in the upright position, which allowed him to do so casually while still looking Cora in the eyes, and the sudden anger and uncertainty that flashed across her face told him all he needed to know. So, he guessed: "Having problems with your magic?"
"Of course not."
Chuckling softly, he gestured airily with his left hand. "Well, then why visit little old me? Your bully boys did their work well…didn't they?"
"Obviously not well enough," she snarled, crossing her arms. The next threat, however, obviously came out automatically. "Perhaps I should have them come back."
"Even if you couldget them out of jail, dear, that would wind up a bit counterproductive, wouldn't it?" he countered, smiling nastily at his former lover. "I'd hardly have to lift a finger to stop them now."
"Oh, please. If my magic won't work, yours certainly can't."
"How do you think I've healed myself?" Rumplestiltskin snorted. Cora was undeniably smart, but there were times when her anger overrode her intelligence. Particularly now, when she had spent so long winning the same old game…until suddenly the rules changed. Still, he couldn't resist the urge to taunt her with: "And I thought you said your magic wasn't giving you any problems?"
Cora's glare turned even darker, and he could see her storing up her rage, keeping it ready and simmering under the surface until she could let it loose. But that moment wasn't now, and Rumplestiltskin really was enjoying the way the power dynamic had shifted. I should have brought magic sooner, he thought to himself, feeling his curse snickering gleefully in his mind. She won't touch me, now. Her caveats only give her physical control, and if she tries any of her old tricks, I will rip her to shreds. Cora knew that, too; Rumplestiltskin could see it in her eyes. She'd been thwarted, and this was no temporary setback. Their gazes locked, with Rumplestiltskin's far more mild and just a little bit gloating, and several moments ticked by in absolute silence.
"Why won't it work?" the Evil Queen finally demanded, obviously bending her pride enough to ask.
"Well, riddle me this, Your Majesty: do you still have those warm and fuzzy feelings towards love as you used to?" he replied, wiggling a little bit as his curse chortled joyously. "Still using 'love is weakness', and all those other lovely mottos?"
"You should know," Cora replied, her eyes flashing. "Answer my question, Rumple. Now."
"Stooping to that level already?" Rumplestiltskin laughed, feeling the curse tug on him but able to dissipate its power enough to buy himself a little time. "No need. I'll give you this one for free. Magic here is love based, dearie, and you hate love. Good luck using it!"
"And how would you have done that?"
"My secret. If you please." His curse would have preferred blood, but it liked the way Rumplestiltskin was taunting Cora, too, enjoyed the way he was winning this intellectual game of cat and mouse. And he particularly enjoyed watching the dark curse's magic wrap around her and force her to its will, watching his caveat work much more effectively than hers. Cora had chosen her caveats well, but not nearly as well as he had, and Rumplestiltskin was very satisfied to see that. He was also quite pleased to see that hers were weakening ever so slightly. Overuse will weaken any spell, Rumplestiltskin reflected. There's a reason to be careful, but Cora has always been prone to overuse methods which gain her power.
Her eyes narrowed, and although Cora clearly wanted to ask, she didn't try again. "How are you getting around it, then?"
"I'm not the one who ripped my own heart out to avoid love," he answered more sharply than he wanted to. "You, of all people, know that."
"I suppose I do," Cora shrugged. Her smile was slight, and showed no regrets.
Then again, she'd only shown remorse over having broken his heart the one time. By then it had been too late; he'd met Belle and discovered what real love was like. Even when Rumplestiltskin had been involved with Cora, he'd known that their relationship was toxic and so bad for him…he just hadn't wanted to care. Back then, he'd wanted to be loved so badly that he was willing to take it in whatever form he could find, but Rumplestiltskin was not so desperate now. Particularly not when she looks at me like I'm some sort of belonging, and not a human being, he thought.
You're not human, his curse reminded him with a demonic cackle. You're the Dark One. She fit you well. If you're not going to kill her, you should—
With an effort, he tore his mind away from the incessant voice inside him, focusing on thoughts of his family to pull himself back from the edge. Only long years of practice allowed Rumplestiltskin to throw up a wall between himself and his curse, and even then, he knew the wall would not last for long. It never did, and in his worst moments, he wanted to succumb to the darkness and embrace it. Just like Cora had.
"Have any more questions, or are we done for the day?" he finally asked her caustically, wanting her gone.
"This isn't over, Rumple."
"It never is, dearie!" He grinned at her, letting the darkness deepen his expression into something vicious and hungry. Stuck in the hospital bed though he was, Cora still took a slight step back, which she promptly covered by turning away and striding out with her head held high.
Magic would adapt, of course. Rumplestiltskin knew that, even if Cora didn't. But he'd been a student of the magical arts for centuries, and he knew that magic itself was fluid. Sooner or later, the roots of love within the magic he had brought would fray a bit, opening a path for Cora to use. He hoped that wouldn't happen soon, but the fact that he could use dark magic—and he already knew he could—told Rumplestiltskin that the change was inevitable. At the moment, an openness to love was all one needed to be able to use magic. That and knowledge, anyway, which most of the magic users in Storybrooke still lacked as they slumbered on under the curse. Within a few weeks, however, that would change.
I'd best work quickly, then, he knew. Best to get ahead of her while we have the advantage.
1 Year Before the Curse
Cora must have disguised Regina as herself in order to escape here, Rumplestiltskin thought as he strode through the front gates to what once had been King Leopold's summer palace, anger simmering in his blood and outrage making his strides fast and long. He had known that Cora was cold-blooded, had known that she would go to great lengths to 'better' herself, but this was a bit much. Even for her. Kill her if you don't like it, his curse whispered, but it had always had mixed feelings on Cora. It liked her far more than it liked Belle, although he often thought that was actually a point in Belle's favor. When he was feeling logical.
Yet even thinking of Belle did nothing to assuage Rumplestiltskin's fury as he strode through the halls of Cora's purloined palace. The random soldiers who had retreated with her scrambled out of his way; none of them wanted to tempt an angry Dark One to turn their direction. Cora had obviously been well prepared to fall back, because the castle was clean and well-stocked, full of soldiers and—if Rumplestiltskin's tingling senses were accurate—at least one or two minor sorcerers. But he didn't care. He wasn't here to see them, and he didn't care to announce himself, either. Cora could undoubtedly feel him coming, could feel his rage boiling over, but that had rather been the idea. Rumplestiltskin was angry and disgusted, and he didn't care who knew it.
A wave of his hands tore the doors to the throne room open, almost ripping them off of their hinges. Several of Cora's hangers-on screamed and skittered backwards, but Rumplestiltskin did not even look their way.
"Out!" he bellowed, and almost all of them scurried away, running as fast as their noble little legs would carry them. Those who didn't he banished with a vicious burst of dark magic, eviscerating two of them and throwing the other three out into the hallway. Then the doors slammed shut, repairing broken hinges and locking with a snap. That left Rumplestiltskin and Cora alone, and the Dark One prowled towards where the Evil Queen still sat on her throne. Cora held herself regally, appearing to be relaxed, but Rumplestiltskin could see the tension in her despite the way she waited patiently for him to speak.
When he merely stopped and stewed, glaring at her, Cora arched an eyebrow.
"Is something bothering you, Rumple? If my defeat has upset you so much, I do commiserate with your feelings," she purred.
"As if you feel anything," the Dark One snapped, his temper riding high. But it was an odd fury. Although his curse appreciated the hot rage whipping through Rumplestiltskin, his personal demon was not so fond of the reasons he was so angry.
"Ooooh. Did I offend you?" Cora asked, smiling. "I heard you saved my darling daughter, by the way. Thank you."
She mocks you. Kill her! his curse howled, not liking anyone who treated the Dark One in this manner, no matter its normal feelings regarding Cora. Make her suffer! But he didn't care what his demon thought of Cora at the moment; Rumplestiltskin was too caught up in his own disgust.
"And what exactly would have happened if I hadn't been there, hmm?" he demanded, leaping up the three steps to the dais and towering over his former student. Former lover. Regina could have been our daughter! Rumplestiltskin almost shouted, but managed to stop himself just in time. Hide behind the monster, he told himself firmly. Who you are, what you feel, are weaknesses. Hide them.
Was that the curse, or was that Rumplestiltskin talking?
Cora shrugged nonchalantly, looking up at him as if he wasn't a snarling, threatening, demon. "I have another daughter."
His magic slammed into her, but hers met it, stopping the fury-borne wave of power inches from Cora's face. Still, the impact threw her back against the throne, and Rumplestiltskin heard the Evil Queen hiss in pain. That tiny sound fed his curse, made it cackle gleefully inside his mind, made Rumplestiltskin wiggle dangerously, twirling a hand airily before slamming his palm into the wood of the throne a hairsbreadth away from her face. Cora flinched, and then tried to cover her fear with a sneer, but the Dark One still drank in the sweet smell of her terror, feeling it roll through his bones and send a shiver down his spine.
"You're a cold blooded bitch," he snarled.
"And you're far too sentimental," Cora replied, sounding bored.
"I should kill you," Rumplestiltskin whispered, his mind full of images he'd always tried so hard to forget. Once, he'd had visions of the little girl Cora would have borne him, the girl whom Regina would have been. Rumplestiltskin had thought he'd banished those visions forever when Cora broke his heart, but now they returned full force. He could see himself holding a dark haired little girl, one so different from Gabrielle yet no less his own. He would have loved her, Rumplestiltskin knew.
And even without that knowledge, even without the ever-lingering thought that Regina might have been—should have been—his daughter, there remained one undeniable fact. Regina was Cora's daughter. Cora should have kept her safe, should have protected her, not attempted to sacrifice her child to save her own skin. Nothing got under Rumplestiltskin's skin quite like a parent abandoning their child. Just thinking of what she had done made his blood boil, and that had nothing to do with his curse. This was solely Rumplestiltskin, solely the coward who had let his precious boy go in a moment of weakness he would forever regret. How could any parent think to sacrifice their child to serve themselves? He would have died a thousand times over to save Bae, would have done anything to keep him from harm. Even sell his soul to this terrible curse all over again.
Cora snorted. "You need me."
"Oh?" Like lightning, his hand flashed out, long and black-clawed fingers wrapping around the Evil Queen's throat. She coughed, but continued to meet his eyes fearlessly. "Are you so sure about that, dearie?"
"Otherwise, you would have tried long ago, Rumple, dearest," she replied, reaching up and pushing his hand away from her throat. He let her, fuming, hating the fact that she was right.
But Regina would never cast his curse. She loved too strongly. And Zelena…Zelena's own special brand of madness made her even more dangerous than her mother. Even if it hadn't, the fact that Zelena would need his heart to cast the Dark Curse took her right out of the running. He did need this despicable woman.
"You disgust me," he whispered, grief over the loss of his son rearing up again to crush what little remained of his soul. Cora didn't deserve either of her daughters…but he would use her to get his son back.
"You've always known what I am," Cora answered, rising gracefully. Looking at the cold and unfeeling expression on her face poured cold water over his fury, but fortunately his curse surged up to fill the gap. Cora, however, continued before he could say anything else. "Don't look so surprised."
"Oh, that's not what's surprising me," the Dark One chortled, his voice jumping upwards several pitches. He needed a target, needed someone on which to take out his pain. "What's surprising me is that you're sitting here accepting defeat so…calmly."
That made fury leap into her eyes, and Cora bared her teeth at him in fury. "I have not lost," she snapped. "Not yet. This is merely a setback. Victory will be mine."
"Of course it will, dearie," Rumplestiltskin danced down from the dais, giggling and then twisting to face Cora again. Now he waved both hands, encompassing the vast and empty throne room with the gesture. "You're doing so well for yourself, after all."
"I will have my vengeance," the Evil Queen retorted. "Just you wait."
"I will be," he promised, grinning. Oh, she was close. One more major defeat, and Cora would play right into his hands, and that was the moment in which Rumplestiltskin would find his own revenge. Not now. Now he would pull his anger down from a raging boil, would let it simmer quietly in the shadows. He would not forget this, but Rumplestiltskin could wait. His fury might burn hot, and his curse might demand blood, but he was patient.
Unlike Cora. She would make at least one more disastrous attempt to kill her stepdaughter, and then he would give her the curse. Not much longer, Bae. I'm coming, son.
Regina was surprised to find Mary Margaret there when she got home, but she was not surprised to find that Henry quickly found an excuse to head upstairs and leave them to talk. On one hand, she was grateful for that, because any chance to talk to her sister was welcome. On the other, however, Regina devotedly wished that Henry would have stayed, because she didn't always know what to say to this woman who looked like her sister but wasn't. Every now and then, she could see Snow peeking through the timid cursed facade, but the rest of the time, this was just Mary Margaret. It was easier to deal with the younger woman when David was around, because the two of them were so deeply in love that they seemed like Snow and Charming. But one on one, seeing her sister was hard.
So, she got a little lost for words after they'd exchanged greetings and empty pleasantries. Regina wished she could just somehow shock her sister into waking up, but she understood enough about the Dark Curse to know that wouldn't happen until Emma got off her ass and broke the damn thing. Damn you both, she thought at Snow, wishing her sister could hear it. Your daughter is as stubborn as you are!
"David is worried about you," Mary Margaret said so bluntly that for a moment, Regina actually thought she might be awake. But she shook herself free of that ridiculous hope to answer:
"I know. We talked this afternoon. We had lunch."
A flicker of worry crossed Mary Margaret's beautiful face, a bit of self-doubt that was definitely not Snow White. "Oh," she said in a small voice. "I just wanted to help. I…"
She trailed off, and Regina fought back the urge to hug her. That probably wouldn't be welcome, but she wanted her sister back!
"Don't read too much into that. I brought him a bag of grease from Granny's and suggested that we get divorced," she said dryly, expecting Mary Margaret to jump on that one eagerly.
"Isn't that dangerous?" her (cursed) sister replied immediately, again surprising Regina. "I mean, your mother is, uh…"
"An obsessive control freak bitch?" Regina supplied, and shockingly, Mary Margaret laughed.
"I was going to point out that she seems to want the two of you to be married. And if this curse of Henry's is actually real…well, we shouldn't have to wait long before things change, should we?"
For a long moment, Regina could only stare. This wasn't Mary Margaret talking, not really. This was pure Snow. The woman in front of her had Snow's bearing, Snow's confidence, and Snow's belief that everything would turn out all right in the end. This was her sister, and Regina wanted to cry from relief or hug Snow and demand to know what the hell had taken her so long. She almost did both, only stopping herself with an effort. Snow might be shining through, but the surface memories still belonged to Mary Margaret Blanchard, and that was problematic.
"Do you really believe in the curse?" she had to ask.
Mary Margaret shrugged. "Nothing else makes sense. And maybe…maybe I just want to believe in the possibility of a happy ending. It's been to long since anyone in this town has been truly happy, and I think we all deserve better."
"You really do sound like yourself," Regina blurted out before she thought better of it.
"Like Snow White, you mean?" Mary Margaret laughed.
Oh, right. Emma and Henry were the only ones who knew that Regina remembered—well, and her mother and Rumple, but that didn't count. David did, too, come to think of it, but he obviously hadn't told that bit to Mary Margaret. Interesting. He really is growing more sly, she thought with amusement. I guess I am wearing off on him.
"Like you do in the book," she said quickly, but fortunately, Snow's sometimes-suspicious mind was apparently not winning out over Mary Margaret's trusting nature at the moment.
"Right," her (almost) sister replied. "Anyway, it's weird, but…I'm really starting to think that Henry might be right about this. Will you call me crazy if I say that I think I'm starting to understand birds?"
"Not at all," Regina snorted. Snow's constant conversations with birds had been so annoying when her sister was in her early teens; Snow wanted to talk to all of them, all the time, and Regina had just wanted to go riding without stopping at every birds' nest! But she'd take that, now, just to have Snow back. "I don't think you're crazy."
"Well, I'm glad one of us doesn't!" Mary Margaret quipped, and Regina found herself laughing with her sister for the first time in a lifetime. It felt nice, it felt real, and Regina really started to believe that she could have her family back when this was all over.
And maybe this time, she thought desperately, I won't be responsible for tearing us apart.
A/N: Sorry for the slight delay! Real life and all that happened. Stay tuned for Chapter 53: "Love Unconditional", where Regina shows Emma and Henry magic (and throws a huge curveball at Emma), Emma goes to the hospital again, and we visit an old friend in New York. Back in the past, Baelfire runs into trouble.
In the meantime, don't be afraid to drop me a line. The sneak peek will be up on tumblr soon!
