Once Upon A Time

Dagian searched her husband's library for the book that she was looking for and upon finding it, pulled it out and dumped it on her table.

He left her with far too much time by herself.

She grabbed the vials that she would need. It had taken her a month to figure out and learn just what she would need. Luckily Rumpelstiltskin hadn't anticipated that she'd do something like this otherwise he'd lock his library up a lot better.

She poured herself a nice strong drink and sipped it as she went to work. What she was about to do was wrong and she knew that she was going to most likely regret it

She'd force herself to repent for it later.

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Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand and the doors opened before him.

He'd found it; not a way to find Bae he was still working on that. He did a way to make Dagian untouched by time. She wouldn't have to worry about growing old and dying before she could see their son.

She wouldn't be happy about it, the potion would put her in extreme pain but it was the closest thing that he could find for her.

He didn't want to see her in that much agony but he knew that she would probably go through with it in order to have just a hope of seeing Baelfire again.

"Dagian," he opened the door and found her lying in bed. He hoped that she hadn't regressed into how she was when he just brought her here. He had barley gotten a word out of her for days.

Her back was to him and she didn't move when he called her name. He stopped and tilted his head. She was such a light sleeper; she would've woken if he stormed in here like he just did.

"Dagian?" he asked.

She didn't move.

"Dagian," he said, rushed to her side and felt her neck for a pulse.

There wasn't one and she wasn't breathing.

To the human eye, she would look like she was dead. But he could sense that just underneath what looked like an empty shell, her life force was still there.

"Oh Dagian, what did you do?" he demanded and found an empty vial on the floor.

He touched the liquid and smelled it. Panic and anger filled him and looked at his sleeping wife.

"Oh no you don't," he whispered and gathered her in his arms. Her head rolled sickeningly backwards and he had to support it.

The sleeping curse. She'd taken the sleeping curse to get away from him.

He supported her head with one arm and kissed her. They were true loves, he didn't know that for sure but they had to be. How else would they keep meeting like they did? How else would their fates be so intertwined if they weren't?

She didn't open her eyes.

No, no, no, no, no.

He let her fall back on her bed and he put his head in his hands. He couldn't wake her up. This meant that they weren't true loves. So if he wasn't her true love then who was? Filib? The recruiter that she had gotten engaged to right before they'd crossed paths again?

But he was dead.

Oh gods, this was his fault. He'd told her multiple times that because of how their paths crossed they were true loves and she obviously finally believed him.

She wasn't going to wake up.

And he didn't keep that potion available on hand; he was worried that Dagian would figure it out. He'd known that she was in his library; he just hadn't expected her to do this.

She stayed true to the deal they made. She hadn't left him. At least not physically. She'd be with him for as long as he wanted her there. And in the meantime she would be free of being with him. She's one-upped him and he had to admit that it was almost well done. If he hadn't underestimated her then this never would've happened.

But she'd just made a mistake of a lifetime because if she knew what she'd dream about…if she knew beforehand that she'd be trapped in her own regrets forever she wouldn't have done that.

He moved from the bed and sat on the chair. He watched her sleeping body as if he were somehow hoping that she'd wake up

How in the name of the gods was he going to stay anchored in this endeavor if the last fragments of his normalcy were gone?

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Present Day

August wasn't Bae.

Gold walked into the house slowly and ran a shaking hand through his hair. He'd allowed himself to believe that his son was…

Gold stopped and rested is hand on the bannister. He should've known something was amiss. He should've realized that it was too easy but he let his emotions and his hope and his attempts for redemption cloud his judgment.

He shouldn't have been this stupid. He wasn't like this, he wasn't like them. Ever since the situation with Moe French he had felt like he wasn't as on his game as he should have been. Oh sure he got Regina right where he wanted her to be but she was also an overemotional idiot and it didn't take every ounce of intelligence that he had to fool her.

He would've gone upstairs to look for his wife but luckily he heard the roaring fire before he took the first step up. HE was really glad of that because after walking in the woods, shoving August against the tree and then having to walk a few steps to get his cane, his leg was killing him.

Dagian was sleeping on the couch. It didn't look very comfortable but she'd brought a pillow and a blanket downstairs. No doubt she was waiting for him and August to come home. She wanted to be there and ready so that they could all sit down and talk like they should have done years ago.

Or rather they would have if there was a family to speak of. August was a liar and he wasn't Bae so he was going to have to prepare her for disappointment.

What kind of a man looked a regretful father in the eye who was begging for his son's forgiveness and pretend he was that man's son just so he could find a cure for whatever he was dying from?

Gold knew that he wasn't a saint but this just crossed the line.

He watched his sleeping wife for a minute or two and everything that he'd put her through, everything that he'd done to her came crashing down on him and he sat down on the coffee table right next to where his wife was sleeping.

"Dagian," he whispered and put his hand on her shoulder.

She stirred at his touch and opened her eyes, "Rumpelstiltskin?"

He moved to her side and put his hand on the side of her face. He felt his guilt amplify at the hopeful look in her eyes.

His emotions broke the hope for the reuniting with his son, the grief, guilt, and hope that came with said reuniting and the crushing blow when he realized it was a lie. IT all just…overwhelmed him and he wrapped his arms around Dagian, "Dagian, forgive me. I'm so sorry."

Dagian was taken back from the gesture but returned it. She must've realized that unlike the last time he'd apologized to her, he was starting to tell the truth

"I'm sorry too," she whispered and pulled away, "I should never have left you when Bae was born, I should never have taken the sleeping potion. I was scared and angry and I hated you but that didn't make it right. There could've been a different way."

Gold nodded, well now here came the hard part.

He took her hand and drew in a heavy breath, "He's not Bae."

He watched the hope in her eyes slowly crumble to dust and she sat up straighter, "No."

"No," she shook her head, "He's Bae. He remembers the things-"

"No he's not dear. Someone told him about it, but he's certainly not Bae," he looked at her.

"How do you know?"

"He tried to use my magic against me, something Bae would never do."

Dagian's jaw trembled and she put her head in her hands and started sobbing.

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his chest, "Dagian-."

"But my memories came back when he hugged me-."

He lowered his head, "It might have had something to do with the baby growing, it might've been that he took an interest in you and saw you for you and not just my wife which you know as something you'd always wanted."

"But he looks like him."

"I know, Dagian I swear I wanted this to be true as much as you did. I wouldn't lie about something like this."

Guilt crossed Dagian face and she didn't have to confess it for him to know.

"How long did you think he was Bae?"

"Does it matter?" she asked.

"No," He told her honestly. In truth he knew that the answer would anger him, "I'd like to know anyway."

"I knew pretty soon after I got my memories back."

That long? He lowered his head, "And you didn't tell me?"

"He asked me not to," she whispered and looked at him in guilt, "I obeyed his wishes."

Of course the little lying imposter didn't want Rumpelstiltskin knowing about this. He would've found out that August was lying about his identity in about two minutes if August hadn't been trying to act mysterious the whole bloody time.

"Dagian," he whispered and put her forehead against his, "Bae's still out there, you know. We'll find him."

"How can you be sure? Centuries passed since Bae disappeared-."

"I controlled it to where we'd land in the same time period he lives in. We'll find him."

Dagian looked up at him and he placed a gentle kiss on her. It wasn't meant to be intimate or anything like that, it was just a way to give and seek out comfort.

Dagian responded and returned the kiss. He immediately pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. This had always been their relationship hadn't it? Well not always, he liked to think that part of their marriage had love in it. But he knew that wouldn't be the case now. One sought out comfort and escape, the other granted it. That was the extent of the relationship now.

But doing something they would both regret in the morning was the exact opposite of what they were trying to go for together.

Both realized that this would be a bad idea at about the same time and they both pulled back. Dagian folded her hands in front of her and placed them in front of her mouth, "I'm sorry."

"It was my fault," he said, "I lost…control."

She shook her head and stood, "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"To clear my head," she muttered and grabbed her coat.

"IT's dangerous out there."

She shook her head, "Well I certainly can't stay here Rumpelstiltskin. My feelings for you, Dawn's feelings for who she thought was Mr. Gold. It's muddling up everything and sometimes it's hard to separate the two."

He braced himself, "Then what do you propose we do?"

"I don't know," she said and rubbed her temples, "And that's why I Need to go."

He put his head in his hands and stared at the fire.

He should go after her, convince her to come back so that they could talk.

But he knew that this would do more harm than good.