Here it is, the final chapter of Season 2!
By the way, I was very sad at the complete lack of response to my question at the end of the previous chapter. Is there nothing that anyone would like to see more of, or less of, or just something in general that you would like me to consider? It doesn't have to relate to any of the things I mentioned when I asked - those were examples to get people thinking. Keep in mind that I'm doing my best to keep this story canon, so there are some things that just won't work, like a suggestion I got a little while ago about maybe having Paige fall through the portal with Neal - aside from the fact that I couldn't see any way to have that happen without a complete break from canon, I already have some adventures planned for Paige while most of ABC's main characters are in Neverland. But I will always be glad to consider any feedback my readers might have. Even if the idea would break from canon, please suggest it anyway, because it might give me other ideas that I can use in future chapters!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
~~Previously on "To Carry On"~~
~In the Enchanted Forest, Rumpelstiltskin arranges for Garnet, the dowager queen of the Wolfsbane kingdom, to collect a lock of her younger son's hair. Andrew had pushed his mother aside to protect her from an assassin's arrow. In truth, the arrow would never have hit Garnet – Rumpelstiltskin fired it from the magic bow he had taken from Robin Hood. But Andrew does not know that, and so his actions are based on his own courage.
In the Blueberry kingdom, the Dark One made a deal many years ago that saved the life of a young princess named Hazel, who grows up to become Owen's mother, and therefore Eliza's grandmother. In exchange, Hazel's mother had to give Rumpelstiltskin a small sample of the life-saving potion, which was concocted by a faun.
In the war-torn kingdom between the two, Rumpelstiltskin advises two women not to switch their babies. Both women had given birth at nearly the same time, but one woman, who had married a man who would turn out to be the rightful heir to the throne, had a daughter. The proof of her husband Felix's lineage had just come to light, and she was distressed to think that she had not borne her husband's heir, rightly guessing that the assurance of a royal line would help Felix to gain support. But against Rumpelstiltskin's advice, the women do switch their babies, so that Felix will believe he has a son. Felix's wife promises to raise the poor farmwife to nobility so that their two children can wed, in order to preserve the royal line. But eventually, many years later, the switch is discovered and Felix loses most of his support.
But before that happens, the Dark One collects a magical bag from Felix, as payment for bringing Felix's ancestry to light. However, the bag belongs to the heir of the family, so he must also make a deal with Norah, who at this point in time still believes she is the daughter of a poor farmer. But Rumpelstiltskin does not reveal his true nature to her just now, and Norah believes he is just a lonely, desperate soul who was kind enough to help her out. But instead of using his own magic to create the documents she wanted, he tells her that what she needs is in the bag. The bag's own magic creates the documents, and when Rumpelstiltskin turns to leave, Norah calls out to him that the bag was his, thinking he had accidentally left it. However, this step is necessary for the ownership of the bag to pass to him.
~In Storybrooke, Paige takes a stuffed toy to Mr. Gold. It was meant to be a dove, but since she herself made it when she was only seven years old, it is a very crude attempt. However, it was given to all of Eliza's brothers when they were infants, so Paige hopes that Gold can use it to make a finding spell of some sort. But Lacey is derisive, both of Paige and of the toy, so she throws the toy in the trash and makes fun of Paige. Paige leaves the pawn shop, and when Lacey goes into the back room to get another drink, Gold retrieves the toy and tucks it into his safe.
Paige is pleased to have Aurelia at home with her, though she is also worried about the potential price of the magic that saved her daughter. Mike has returned, and for the first day everything went well, but on the second day they had another fight. Mike discovers the key that Gold gave her, which enables her to control her own dreams, and touches it without knowing what it is.
Though the fight upsets Paige, she also knows that some of the things that were said are things that needed to come out eventually, like Mike's worry that Paige might use the key to keep having sex with Gold even if she and Mike are together, and the fact that it's unfair of Mike to be so upset about Paige's past with Gold, when he slept with six women before he even met his one true love.
That night, Gold returns to Paige's dreams to carry out his threat from the night before. They have sex through the bars of the cage where he was imprisoned in the Enchanted Forest, but Gold, appearing as Rumpelstiltskin, uses his control over the dream to make people appear – people that Paige cares about. First Emma is there, then Ruby, and finally Mike. Emma and Ruby are both projections, just part of the dream. Mike, however, is really there, somehow. Rumpelstiltskin realizes almost right away, but Paige doesn't catch on until just before he disappears.
When Paige tearfully apologizes to Rumpelstiltskin for not being able to bring him out of his darkness, like Belle would be able to do, he is confused. He doesn't understand why he can't prove to her that his is, in fact, a monster, especially after the things he has just done to her.
Rumpelstiltskin took the bag off of a shelf. It was a carpet bag. The dark, yellowish-brown material was embroidered in a cross-hatch pattern. Despite the fact that this bag was nearly two hundred years older than Rumpelstiltskin himself, it was in good condition. The bag hadn't been particularly well-kept during its long existence – it was the inherent magic that kept the fabric from fraying and falling apart. And Rumpelstiltskin had finally found a use for that magic.
He had done a spell that showed him the defining characteristics of the three tiny kingdoms on the far side of the Wolfswood. The Blueberry kingdom was renowned for its intelligence, and Wolfsbane for its courage. But the kingdom between, which hadn't been a true kingdom for several generations, had become known for betrayal. In order to ensure that those three kingdoms were included in the Dark Curse, he would need a token to represent each kingdom.
Several years ago, he had acquired a sample of a potion that had saved the life of the only heir to the throne. The potion was so complex that it was unlikely any human could have devised it, but with some timely advice from the Dark One, the girl's parents found a faun whose healing skills were unsurpassed in the Blueberry kingdom. So that bit of potion would do nicely in Rumpelstiltskin's spell.
To represent the courage of the Wolfsbane kingdom, Rumpelstiltskin intended to collect a sample of hair shed in the act of saving a life – or so the little princeling had thought. In truth, there had been no danger – Rumpelstiltskin had used a magic bow that could not miss its target, and aimed for the tip of the prince's left ear. However, the prince took it as a threat and pushed his mother aside so she would not be harmed, thus making the boy's act courageous.
Rumpelstiltskin chuckled softly. It had a sneering quality to it, and he looked rather pleased with himself. He knew that the prince's mother, Garnet, was looking for him. She now possessed that token of courage, and because of the seeds he had sown, she would trade it for the Dark One's aid. But he thought it would be amusing to let her search for a few days – and besides, it would make her believe that he had little interest in making a deal with her, which would sharpen her resolve to trade that precious memento of her favorite son.
But now, he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. He focused his thoughts on what he needed – a symbol of the central kingdom's betrayal. When he opened the bag and reached in, he wondered why there were only a few papers in there. But as he perused them, he chortled in delight. It was perfect!
The two pieces of paper were birth certificates, though the names had not been filled out. These were the original birth certificates of Robert and Norah, before the two mothers switched their babies while the doctor washed up and prepared the paperwork. One was the heir to a throne, while the other was the child of a poor farmer. Rumpelstiltskin had not lingered to watch, but he could imagine the confusion on the doctor's face when the two women insisted that he must have gotten confused about the genders of the two babes. Yes, this was just what he needed for his spell.
After this, he only needed to collect Prince Andrew's lock of hair, and then make the potion. Then, once he was in that cell that Snow White and her dwarf-friends would devise, he just had to make sure Regina added his potion to her spell. That wasn't quite as simple as it sounded, but Rumpelstiltskin knew that he could distract her enough that she would do what was needed. In fact, she might be so focused on her task that she wouldn't even realize what he had done.
Emma knew she had to tell Henry about his father. Right now, Henry was at the playground, with Granny watching over him. She couldn't find her keys, and as she rummaged around on the end table where she thought she'd put them, she pushed things out of her way roughly. She knew that she was focusing on her frustration to try to keep from feeling the pain of losing Neal again, and that just made her even angrier. She opened the little drawer with a jerk, pawing through the contents in case her keys had fallen into the drawer, or been placed there by someone else.
A partially-folded piece of paper fell to the floor. Frowning, Emma picked it up. She caught a glimpse of a drawing on it, so she unfolded it to look at it better. "What's this?" she asked.
David walked over. "Oh, Matilda, the exterminator, she brought that by. She was looking for her axe while you and Mary Margaret were… gone. I don't know if she ever found it or not, though."
Emma snorted. "I doubt it. That thing's in one of the tunnels under the library – I saw it on my way down to slay a dragon." Her voice was just a touch sarcastic on the last three words.
David's jaw dropped. "Wait, it's down there?"
Dropping the paper onto the table, Emma replied, "Yeah. But what I'm looking for are my keys."
"Oh, uh, I think they're on the counter," David said, pulling out his cell phone. As Emma walked away, he dialed the numbers on the paper.
"Hey, Mat, it's David," he said when he got an answer. "Listen, Emma just saw that drawing you gave me, of your axe. She recognized it." He paused, smiling as he listened to her excitement. "Yeah, she says it's down in the tunnels underneath the library. Now, with Belle, well, gone, I guess you could say, I'm not sure who's in charge of the library, so I'll look into it, and as soon as I can get us in there, we'll go down and get your axe." As she responded again, his grin widened. He genuinely liked helping people. It made him feel like he was doing something worthwhile. When Matilda paused for breath, he said, "Listen, I've got to go now, there's a… a family thing I have to take care of, but I'll call you as soon as I know anything, okay?" After a moment, he said, "Thank you," because Matilda had said that she hoped everything was alright. He looked over and saw that Emma and Mary Margaret were ready to go, so he said, "I'll talk to you later. Bye." After Matilda said goodbye in return, he ended the call.
Turning to his family, he simply said, "Let's go."
Paige woke up feeling dirty and used. A hot shower only made her feel a little better, but holding her baby girl, feeding her, helped much more. Once again, Paige felt as if the tiny child in her arms was comforting her. After Aurelia was done feeding, Paige headed downstairs to make her own breakfast.
She was just mixing up the pancake batter when a knock sounded on her kitchen door. Only one person would come to the back door, and Paige swallowed. After their fight yesterday, and especially the dream last night, she wasn't sure she wanted to face Mike just yet. But she knew she couldn't refuse to let him in, so she opened the door. She did her best to smile as naturally as possible.
But Mike seemed withdrawn, so he probably wouldn't have noticed anyway. "Hey, um, I thought maybe we could have some breakfast together, if you're making enough for two." It almost seemed as if he, too, was trying to pretend they hadn't fought yesterday.
Smiling gently, Paige signed, You know I never bother with trying to scale down my recipes, Mike. I'm making pancakes, and trust me, there will be plenty.
He smiled back, but his face was guarded. "Good," he said. Before Paige could even ask, he started getting out plates and silverware to set the table.
"Paige, have I ever told you just how amazing your pancakes are?" Mike pushed his plate away, looking quite contented. All throughout breakfast, they had avoided any serious subjects, but Paige knew that Mike had some very unpleasant things on his mind. She hoped there wouldn't be another argument.
Mike's face got serious again, making Paige nervous. "So, um, I – I don't quite know how to say this Paige, but I had a… crazy dream. Last night." He was looking down when he started to speak, but now he glanced up, trying to gauge Paige's expression. "It was about you. With… Rumpelstiltskin."
She looked away, not sure how to respond.
"Was it real, Paige? Was that one of the dreams that he controls?" His voice was almost emotionless, but there was a touch of anger he couldn't quite suppress.
After a moment, Paige nodded.
"I thought you told me those dreams had stopped," Mike said, unable to keep the edge from his voice.
They had, she replied, with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Then after – after he lost Belle… He was trying so hard to be a better man, and then Belle, his inspiration, was ripped away from him. And as if that weren't enough, he was given Lacey in her place. I don't know if Regina purposefully did something to Belle, or if the Curse's false memories finally just caught up with her because she lost her true memories, but Lacey is… Lacey likes the darkness in him. Instead of an inspiration to goodness, he has a bad influence, now. When that happened, he started believing he was a monster again, and he's been trying very hard to make me see him that way. But I'm afraid that if he ever thinks I truly believe that, it could bury the goodness so deep he might never be able to find it again. And I can't stand the thought of watching him do that to himself.
Mike looked like he wanted to speak, but he held his tongue.
I know I'm not the one he needs, she signed. But I'm hoping that if I can stay strong, that will be enough. I just need to keep that spark of goodness alive inside him, until someone finds a way to bring Belle's memories back. Paige took a deep, shuddering breath, trying not to cry. It was hard enough to admit this to anyone, but to Mike… she didn't even dare meet his eyes, fearing what she would see there. Last night, he… he kept denying me pleasure, and made me do things in front of people I care about. Emma, Ruby… you. The other two, they weren't really there, but somehow… somehow you were. And when you appeared, he kept whispering in my ear, telling me what to do. Telling me that he wouldn't let me orgasm if I didn't do exactly what he said, and I was so afraid that it really was you, but… I just want you to know that I didn't do it for the physical pleasure. I knew that if I hesitated, if I paused just a moment too long, he would say that I secretly believed he was a monster. And I'm so sorry, Mike. I'm sorry I did all that right in front of you.
Mike cleared his throat. "So, uh… did he?" At Paige's confused look, he blushed and elaborated awkwardly. "Did he…let you… orgasm?" It hadn't happened while Mike was still stuck in the dream.
Paige blinked at him for a moment before nodding. Yes, after you… were gone. Honestly, she was surprised that Mr. Gold hadn't forced Mike to watch that. It would certainly have made Mike extremely uncomfortable, and what better way to make Paige think he was a monster than to give Mike another reason to start a fight? But now that she had realized it, the fact that he didn't go that extra step gave Paige hope. She knew she wasn't what Gold needed, but maybe she was helping, maybe her refusal to see him as evil was holding the darkness at bay, at least a little bit.
"Well, at least he kept his word," Mike muttered grudgingly.
Paige just stared incredulously.
"Look," Mike said, "I'm trying, Paige. After what you said about… me freaking out, I'm really trying." He reached out and gently wiped a tear from Paige's face. "Are you crying because you're afraid you can't save him, or because you're afraid I'll start another fight?"
Both, actually, Paige signed. I love you, and I love him, too. Just in different ways. And the thought of losing either of you is terrible, but if I lose both of you, I don't know what I'd do. Then she glanced over at the bassinet, where Aurelia was napping. If I have to, I'll raise her on my own, but I don't want that. I want you to help, and I want Mr. Gold to be a part of her life, too. But if I lost both of you, if we lost both of you, I just don't know how I could face the future.
"I hated what I saw last night, but what you said about helping him – well, signed, you know what I mean. I hate it, but I understand." He swallowed hard. "And I know that, if you did lose both of us, you would find a way to carry on. You're strong, Paige, I've known that since I met you. If anyone can soldier on, it's you. I… really hope I never have to see anything like that again, but… if it means that much to you, then do what you have to, to help him."
Paige just stared at him incredulously, tears still on her face.
Mike gave a wry chuckle. "You know, before I came here this morning, I told myself that if that dream really was real, it was over. I was out of here. But… somehow I just can't give up on us. I thought about a lot of things while I was gone. Like spending my life without you. And Paige, that thought just sucked. And then when I came back, and you said you weren't sure you could marry me if I kept freaking out, I realized I had to grow up. I was being unfair to you, just like you said."
His self-deprecating smile became embarrassed. "And, well, after I left yesterday – before the dream – I was listening to music, and there was this song, a love song. And one line went something like, "you and me, we've both got sins, and I don't care where you've been." It goes on to say, "come to me with secrets bare, I'll love you more, so don't be scared." I know it's really cheesy, and cliché, and all, but… it really made me think about the kind of man I want to be for you. And… I can't promise I won't get upset about Gold, but I'm going to try. Really try. I know it's going to be hard, but when I think of everything I've put you through – all the things I said, the way I've hurt you over and over… but somehow, for some reason, you still want to be with me. That means a lot, Paige. It really does." He cleared his throat awkwardly. He still wanted to wait until they were married to have sex, but maybe Paige was right, and they should try something, to see if he could get over his hang-up. He wanted to tell her that now, but after the dream last night, he couldn't bring himself to mention it. But if things went well, they could discuss that later.
An incredulous smile came over her face. Oh, Mike. I love you so much!
"And I love you. Princess," he replied.
Paige's smile widened when he called her that. She knew this wasn't a guarantee, but at least he was finally willing to really try.
The Dark One watched the dowager queen of the Wolfsbane kingdom. She was disgraced, exiled for plotting against her elder son, but too late, she had realized the error of her ways. Now, though… now she was trying to change her younger son's fate.
Though she no longer wanted to put him on the throne, she didn't want him to leave the kingdom to marry. But Rumpelstiltskin had known it would come to this. Why else had he deliberately given this woman the idea that her son's fate could be changed? When telling the boy's future, he had made a seemingly off-handed comment that implied that the little prince would need to prevent someone's murder for Rumpelstiltskin's prediction to come true. Then the very next morning, the Dark One had fired an arrow into the outpost, so that the little princeling could play the hero and create the token Rumpelstiltskin needed.
As the former queen approached her little cottage, Rumpelstiltskin leaned casually against the corner of the humble building. "I believe you were looking for me, dearie?" he asked, smirking. She had been searching for him for almost a week now, and though he wanted that lock of hair, it amused him to let her think he might ignore her.
"This is your fault," Garnet said, her voice low and threatening. Her attempt to hide her frustration was pathetic, but she also couldn't hide her fear at confronting him like this.
A dangerous gleam in his eye, Rumpelstiltskin asked, "Whatever do you mean, dearie?"
As she explained about her son being betrothed to the Blueberry princess, and how she believed that Eliza would be wildly unfaithful to the boy, Rumpelstiltskin grinned. He replied that he'd never heard of red hair being the mark of a woman's whoredom, as this disgraced queen claimed. He chuckled, thinking of Eliza's masquerade and the way she had danced with him. He knew she would never be the loose woman Garnet claimed, but then again, Garnet's claim was not based on logic but on a mother's fear of losing her son.
Of course, Garnet wouldn't believe him if he told her so, because she didn't want to believe that Eliza might be a good woman, and Andrew's true love besides.
"But that's not what I came here for, is it, dearie?" he asked, his voice just a touch too smooth.
"I want her dead," Garnet spat.
Steepling his fingers, Rumpelstiltskin replied, "I thought as much. But magic cannae kill anyone." His tone of voice suggested that everyone should know that.
With a hint of impatience, as if she knew he was deliberately misunderstanding her, the former queen replied, "But you have information as well as magic, have you not? You could find someone who can kill her for me, someone very good at what he does. I have no doubt that there are many that either owe you a favor, or would do this in exchange for your help. I cannot pay an assassin."
"Ah, but can you pay me?" Rumpelstiltskin kept his gloating inside.
"I do not know," the desperate woman replied, her voice nearly breaking. "What do you want?"
"As always, something… precious," he said, his smirk at its most devious.
The banished queen closed her eyes, but didn't shed a tear as she offered the locket. Rumpelstiltskin pretended disinterest at first, the better to firm her resolve to part with this precious trinket.
When their transaction was finally completed, Rumpelstiltskin delightedly exclaimed, "Well, 'tis done then!" He snatched the locket out of her hand.
Regina had no reason to care what became of the kingdoms on this side of the Wolfswood, but Rumpelstiltskin had made plans that required them to be Cursed as well. It all depended on Regina's whim at the moment she cast the Dark Curse, but Rumpelstiltskin had no intention of relying on her whims. This locket held the final ingredient he needed to bring his plans to fruition.
Before he left, Rumpelstiltskin said, "Expect a visitor in few days, dearie. He's rather good at what he does, and he would only turn aside for love, which he lost long ago." Of course, Eliza would live – Rumpelstiltskin had his plans well in hand to make sure that the witch-hunter would spare Eliza's life in exchange for information on the whereabouts of Miranda, the woman that he believed he loved.
Paige cuddled Aurelia in her arms as they left the hospital. Mike was carrying the empty car seat. Although Dr. Whale had said it was normal, it still worried Paige that her daughter had lost weight. No amount of reassurance could completely quell her fears that something was about to go terribly wrong, but Whale had insisted that there was no reason to re-admit Aurelia to the hospital. Still, though, Paige just felt the need to hold her baby right now.
When they got to the car, Mike strapped the carrier into the base and turned to Paige. "Hey, you heard Doctor Whale. He said that babies usually lose a little weight at first once they're home, but she'll gain it back in no time." Whale had specifically mentioned that even full-term babies generally lost weight at first, but Mike didn't want to add to Paige's worry by reminding her that Aurelia was a preemie.
"Anyway, if we're going to get home any time soon, we kind of need to put her in her car seat," he added.
With a reluctant frown, Paige shifted the baby. She ignored Mike's outstretched hands; she wanted to hold Aurelia for as long as she could. She was getting much better with hooking all the little straps, but she lingered over them anyway.
As she straightened and turned away from the open car door, a sudden tremor shook the ground. Paige stumbled against the side of the car, looking around in wild terror. Mike looked around at first, too, until he saw Paige's reaction. He immediately put his arms around her, saying, "It's alright, Paige. It's okay. I'm right here." He kept murmuring things like that as she stood in his arms. She was very tense, and her chest heaved as she began to hyperventilate.
Mike stroked Paige's hair, and slowly she began to relax. Her breathing slowed, but not quite to normal, and she put her arms around him as the tension in her muscles eased. She buried her face against his shoulder. A few tears squeezed out of her eyes, but she suddenly pulled back, pushing at Mike a little to get enough room to use her hands.
What happened? Do you think it's the mines, like before? She wiped at the tears as Mike shrugged, then her eyes widened. She whirled and leaned back into the car to check on Aurelia. But the infant seemed completely unfazed by the tremor, so after placing a gentle kiss on her baby's forehead, she turned back to Mike to sign, I'm okay, now. I think. But maybe we should get home.
"I don't know what it was, but you're right, let's head home."
Paige was curled up on the end of her couch, with Aurelia's bassinet next to her. There had been two more tremors so far, and every time Paige tried to be stronger, but she was still terrified. She tried to consciously relax her muscles.
Mike came in from the kitchen with two mugs of hot tea and a jar of Miles' blueberry honey. Paige poured a generous dollop of honey in both mugs. They both stirred to mix in the honey, and Paige sipped almost without thinking about it. Then she smiled over at Mike. He had chosen the blueberry tea, even though he knew that Mr. Gold had given it to her. She watched him as he took a sip.
His eyebrows lifted, and he said, "You know, this stuff is actually pretty good. In spite of… I mean, I like it," he amended. He hadn't meant to insult Gold, even by implication. "Sorry."
Paige touched his hand, then pulled back to sign, It's okay. It's going to take time. She was actually a little surprised that he had caught himself. But she was also pleased, in part because she could tell that his apology was genuine. She knew that he meant what he had been about to say, but he hadn't meant to say that part out loud. She didn't expect him to ever come to a point where he could like or respect Mr. Gold, but she hoped that Mike could come to respect her friendship with the other man.
Mike smiled gratefully and took another sip of tea. Then a very serious look came over his face. "Paige," he said, "while I was making this, I called Dr. Horne. He says that the Curse is being… undone. Not that we're going back, but if no one stops it, Storybrooke will be destroyed. Along with everyone in it." He met her gaze and hoped he didn't look as frightened as she did. "He's on his way over here. He says if these are his last moments, he wants to spend them with people that he loves."
Paige was shocked. She sat her mug down to sign, We're all going to die? She pulled the bassinet closer to herself, but since the baby was napping, Paige decided not to pick her up just now.
"Horne says it will take strong magic to stop this thing – maybe stronger than anyone in town can handle. There's nothing we can do but hope."
Paige picked up her mug and drank, then stared into her tea for a long moment. When she lifted her head again, she looked calmer. She put the mug down again to free her hands. Call your brother. And the Blue family. Oh, and the Groves, and anyone else you can think of. Tell everyone so they can all be together with their families.
She wished there was something she could do to help, but she knew that her magical abilities, inherited from her fairy ancestor, were practically non-existent. She would only be in the way if she tried to help. But she could spend this time with people she cared about, and send thoughts of goodwill out to whoever might be trying to stop this destruction.
Rumpelstiltskin used long, silvery tongs to hold a small glass jar over a flame that spouted from nowhere. The medicine that had saved the princess Hazel was inside, and as it came to a boil, he added a few ingredients. First was a cascarilla powder made from one of the eggshells of the pair of transformed mandarin ducks that owed him their existence, as well as a pinch of the invisibility powder he had made from the recipe Muffet had acquired for him so that he would lift the Goldilocks spell.
That made the clear liquid turn bright blue, but when he added the lock of hair he had recently acquired, it fizzed orange. He kept the jar over the flames until the liquid became a dark, murky red, then he took a step to the side. A large, silver bowl was now in front of him, with the two original birth certificates lying within. He poured the potion evenly over the documents, which sizzled and evaporated on contact. Before the steam cleared, he dropped a single strand of Regina's hair into the bowl.
When all was said and done, the bowl held a silvery-looking powder. There wasn't much, but it would be enough. Rumpelstiltskin carefully used a tiny silver ladle to scoop the powder into a small vial.
He had already received Cinderella's summons, and had responded to tell her exactly when he would arrive. Before he left his castle, he took a last look around. He rather doubted he would ever see this place again, not that it really mattered. Even if someone were to try looting the place, they wouldn't find the things he had stashed here, just in case.
There were just a few more things he meant to take with him. There was the squid ink, which was already tucked into a hidden pocket, and now he secreted the vial of powder on his person, as well. He hesitated over the flask of blueberry brandy before he tucked that into his sleeve. It was nearly gone, but it was a very good brandy. He might as well finish it before they put him in that hideous cage.
In a puff of dark purple smoke, Rumpelstiltskin was gone.
Mr. Gold wasn't sure how long he had been crying in Belle's arms, but he pulled back. There wasn't much time. "I've done so many terrible things lately," he confessed.
"It's my fault," Belle replied tearfully. When he shook his head and started to protest, she insisted. "Yes, it was. If I'd had my own memories… Lacey just egged you on. She… I… encouraged the darkness. I'm so sorry, Rumple!"
"No, Belle," he said, his voice almost caressing her name. "No, you had no control over any of what happened to you. I was the one who gave in to the darkness. I even… I did horrible things to Paige, because she refused to believe that I was still a monster."
"But you're not," Belle protested.
"Oh, sweetheart," he said, grimacing at what he was about to confess. "I've done things that have most likely made her young man pull away even more. I should have stopped the dream as soon as I realized he was really there, but… but I didn't. I made her do things in front of him – no man should have to watch the woman he loves do those things with another man, but I kept on. Trying to prove to her that I really am a terrible man. And do you know what she did?"
When the silence grew, Belle asked, "What, Rumple? What did she do?"
His face crumpled in misery. "She apologized because she wasn't you. Because she couldn't bring out the good in me the way you do. I may have ruined her happy ending, and she apologized to me! I wish… I wish I'd at least helped her find her brothers."
"Are they really here, then?" Belle looked surprised.
"Somewhere," Gold replied. He opened the other door of the cabinet where he had kept the pieces of the teacup and withdrew the poorly-made stuffed dove that Paige had brought in. "I once made a thing that would find the place where the king had hidden his children – a bracelet, which I gave to the very witch who turned her brothers to swans." At the look on Belle's face, Gold gave an almost embarrassed shrug. "Yes, I was responsible for that part of Paige's misery, as well. I think she suspects it, though I haven't actually told her so." He cleared his throat. "Before this… trigger, before the end was brought upon us, I put a spell on this toy, so that if she were to place the bracelet around it, like so," he said as he demonstrated with his hand, "the bracelet will be able to locate her brothers here. But now… well, not helping her is something I regret. And… what I did to her in that dream."
Belle felt a small flash of jealousy at the thought of what he had done with Paige. But she also eyed the toy with regret. "I'm glad you didn't throw it out," she said, her eyes filling with tears. She had said some awful things to Paige while she was Lacey. Taking his free hand in both of hers, she added, "If someone does manage to stop this, if we survive, you can give it to her then." She tried to smile reassuringly, but she could see that he didn't hold out any hope of living through the day.
Regina hadn't arrived yet, but Rumpelstiltskin knew she would be along shortly. He pulled the little vial of powder out of the hidden pocket and removed the cork. After pouring the powder into his hand, he re-corked the empty bottle and tucked it into one of the little niches along the back wall. He rubbed the powder into his right palm, until his skin had absorbed it. Then he sat along the back of his cell, smirking as he sensed Regina's approach.
He wondered when she was going to make her presence known, but the moments stretched on, so he said, "It's just us, now, dearie. You can show yourself!"
In a puff of black smoke, one of the rats in the tunnel disappeared, leaving Regina in its place. The first thing she did was to stretch her neck, and Rumpelstiltskin thought he heard a faint crack. Apparently she found it uncomfortable to be a rat. He giggled softly to himself, partly at her discomfort, and partly in anticipation. This was going to be a fun encounter.
Regina announced that Curse he had given her was not working. He commented on how worried she was, and revealed that Snow and Charming had come to him because they were worried, too. He revealed that the Dark Curse could be broken by their unborn child, and watched Regina's reaction. Most people would have thought that the new information was unimportant to Regina, but Rumpelstiltskin knew her better than that. She was affected, but she knew that was something she would have to deal with later, so she didn't allow it to worry her now. How very single-minded of her!
"You see," he said conversationally, "no matter how powerful, all curses can be broken!" In softer tones, he added, "Their child is the key. Of course, the Curse has to be enacted first!"
"Tell me what I did wrong," Regina said in a low voice.
"For that, there's a price."
"What do you want?" asked Regina, sounding amused.
"Simple," Rumpelstiltskin replied, letting his face show his discontent, and a small part of his loathing for this filthy cell. "In this new land, I want comfort. I want a good life." He was saying this partly because he knew Regina would expect it, although being wealthy and powerful definitely had its advantages.
"Fine," Regina said dismissively, interrupting him. "You'll have an estate. Be rich."
In an exasperated yet almost playful tone, he said, "I wasn't finished! There's more!"
"There always is with you," Regina replied, as if she had been expecting that. He knew she had been hoping that would be all, but she had been prepared for further negotiation. He didn't bother to suppress a devious chuckle.
"In this new land," he said, "should I ever come to you for any reason, you must heed my every request!" He spun out the word every into three syllables. "You must do whatever I say. So long as I say… please!" He gave a small, dry laugh, making sure that his expression was overly delighted.
Regina's eyes narrowed. "You do realize that, should I succeed, you won't remember any of this?"
"Oh, well, then… what's the harm?" he asked.
"Deal," Regina said, her arrogance filling the air like too much perfume. She truly thought she had gotten the best of him this time! He smirked at her.
"What must I do to enact this Curse?" she asked, trying – and failing – to hide her impatience from him.
"You need to sacrifice… a heart," he said quietly, miming the act of cutting out a heart over his own chest.
Regina's reply came as no surprise to Rumpelstiltskin – he already knew what she had tried. "I sacrificed my prize steed," she said, rather defensively. And it was true, she had loved that horse. But, perhaps without being quite aware of it, she had chosen the horse as a lesser sacrifice to the one she truly loved.
In a fit of rage that he didn't need to feign, Rumpelstiltskin leaped over to the bars, reaching through and grabbing Regina's throat with his right hand. She didn't allow herself to react. "A horse?" he asked incredulously. "This is the Curse to end all curses; you think a horse is going to do?" His voice dropped lower. "Great power requires great sacrifice. The heart you need must come from something far more… precious."
"Tell me what will suffice," she said calmly, still acting as if his hand gripping her throat was nothing to be concerned about.
"The heart of the thing you love most," he whispered. He knew that would get her.
And it did. She finally reacted by grabbing his wrist and pulling his hand away from her throat with a swift jerk. "What I love most died because of Snow White," she said heatedly.
"Oh!" he replied, looking at her as if in concern. "Is there no one else you twuly love?" He stroked her cheek with his finger as he watched her eyes grow sullen. It had finally sunk in, and now she understood what she needed to do. "This Curse isn't going to be easy. Vengeance never is, dearie. You have to ask yourself a simple question." He added a third syllable to the word question. "How far are you willing to go?"
After a moment, she leaned toward him and replied, "As far as it takes." She was trying to pretend that the idea of killing her father didn't affect her, but he knew it wasn't true. But he didn't bother to call her out on it.
"Then please stop wasting everyone's time and just do it," he said, letting her hear the impatience. "You know what you love. Now go kill it."
They stared at each other for a moment, then Regina turned and disappeared in another puff of black smoke.
Rumpelstiltskin giggled softly to himself. He knew that the contact had lasted more than long enough. Now Regina's whim was of no great concern – the three tiny kingdoms where he had made his plans would be included in the casting of the Dark Curse.
When Regina reappeared in her castle, the first thing she did was to raise her right hand to massage her throat. The same hand that she would use very shortly to rip out her own father's heart, though she felt conflicted at the moment.
Paige hated this. Just sitting here, waiting for the end to come. Something about it just didn't feel right, but there was nothing she could do. A tree had suddenly shot up in front of the duplex, and Paige thought that it had only just missed destroying their front porch. Mike had wanted to go outside in case the roof fell in, but Dr. Horne had pointed out that they would die no matter where they were. However, Paige shared her mother's love of the outdoors, so she had suggested they go out into the garden. She and Mike were on the bench under the trellis where the roses would grow in nicer weather, with Horne standing nearby, holding Aurelia. They had all been taking turns comforting the baby.
They could hear people screaming in the streets, rushing around trying to find a safe place, and part of Paige wanted to join them, just to have something to do. At least the tremors seemed to have stopped, though she could feel that her muscles were still tense. She didn't know if she was still reacting to the most recent tremor, or if her subconscious mind was trying to prepare for more. She swallowed hard and hoped there wouldn't be any more.
Vines grew across the yard like the appendages of some kind of reaching, nightmarish monster. One of them curled around the small fountain on the other side of the yard, and continued to grow around it. Paige wondered if the stone would crumble under the pressure of the forest reclaiming Storybrooke, though the fountain seemed undamaged so far. Mike must have worried about the same thing, because he made a small sound, and Paige tightened her arms around him. That fountain had been put there as a memorial to his father, or so Mike's Curse memories had insinuated. No matter how false those memories were, they still resonated deeply with everyone in town, which was why it had been so hard for so many people right after the Curse had been broken.
Suddenly, she thought of Mr. Gold. He probably only had Lacey with him, and Paige had no doubt that he knew exactly what was happening. After all, he had created the Dark Curse. That's when it hit her. As the creator of the Curse, would he be spared? Or would he die, too? Or perhaps he was already dying, perhaps his well-being was affected by this. If someone were to stop the undoing of the Curse, would he still die, anyway? Regardless, she decided that she couldn't let him die with just Lacey for company, assuming the rude, useless girl hadn't just run for her life when all this started up. But…
Mike, I'm afraid… I'm afraid that Mr. Gold is going to die alone. Even if Lacey did stay with him, which I rather doubt, he still has no one who truly cares to be with him for this. She swallowed hard. I don't want that for him, I want to go to him, but… but if you ask me to stay here, I will.
Mike blinked at her, and she could see the shine of unshed tears. Then he stood up and took her hand. Turning to Horne, who had been looking at Aurelia and hadn't seen Paige's signs, he said, "Paige doesn't want Mr. Gold to have to die alone. So, let's all go. So we can still be together, the four of us, but so she can… so Gold won't die alone, either."
Paige smiled at him, a tear streaking down one cheek. Thank you, Mike! Thank you for understanding.
With a wry smile, Mike replied, "Well, if it turns out this isn't the end, I guess I need to try to come to terms with your friendship with him at some point in time. Why not start now?"
Horne offered Paige the baby, but she signed, I'd better not, in case there are more tremors on the way. I don't want to drop her, or squeeze her too hard. But when we get there… or if we realize we aren't going to make it there… She didn't want to finish that thought, so she just let the rest go unsaid. The two men surely knew exactly what she meant, anyway.
They hadn't even gotten halfway to Gold's shop before the forest receded. They looked around in wonder as the trees and vines that had been reclaiming their former territory faded away. Paige wondered if the duplex's front yard would still show any damage from the tree that had probably also disappeared.
Though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer, she signed, What's happening?
Horne was smiling widely. "This undoing of the Curse, it is having been stopped. We are being all saved!"
They had been crossing the street when the destruction stopped, and now they just stood there in the middle of the road and hugged, all three of them. Horne carefully held Aurelia to the side. Paige broke away and leaned down to kiss her daughter's soft, tiny forehead. Then her smile faded.
Since he's the one who made the Curse, this still might have affected him… maybe even…
"Don't think like that," Mike said, even though a part of him wouldn't mind if it were so. "Let's go check on him, just in case, but I'm sure he's fine." When Paige turned away to start toward the pawn shop again, Mike shook his head. He couldn't believe he was consoling Paige about that dirty old man. But he had made a promise, and before the Curse, he had never been one to go back on his promises. And he truly wanted to be that man again, even though things had changed so much.
But when they arrived at the pawn shop, no one was there, and the door was locked. So Paige turned and headed for his house. But before they had gone very far, she stiffened. She turned to sign, What was that?
"I didn't feel anything," Mike said.
But Horne knew. "That was being some form of magic portal, Paige. From the way it was feeling, I think it was perhaps being a magic bean, though those were growing no more, as I had been understanding it. Perhaps more were being found somewhere, or else that giant was being persuaded to stop his destroying of town and be starting a new crop of beans. That was actually being the third time such a portal was used recently, but you were seeming to be not noticing of the first and second portals."
Thinking back, Paige had felt something before, but the second time she had assumed that it was something to do with the Curse being undone. She couldn't remember why she had ignored the first one, but maybe it'd had something to do with Ed's funeral.
They all came from the direction of the docks, she signed. Let's go see if we can find out what's happening.
Mike and Horne just nodded, and they turned down the next street that would take them in the right direction.
As the pirate's ship crested the edge of the portal, Gold wanted to look back. Though they were probably too far out to see anyone still on the docks, he might catch a glimpse of Belle's blue coat. But he had to hold on – it would be a rough ride through the portal. He also needed to be focused on what lay ahead. He really didn't want to back to Neverland, but he had to save Henry. These poor fools who had come with him didn't stand a chance against Pan. Even though it would be the end of him, he was the only one who could save Henry. If the others could manage to find a way to bring the boy home again, that was all well and good, though he doubted it would work. But at least the boy would have his family around him after he was saved.
A Few Notes:
This chapter takes place during the episode "And Straight On Til Morning."
The song Mike quotes is "Come To Me" by the Goo Goo Dolls. And by the way, he actually skips a word in the first line that he quotes. The full line goes, "you and me, we've both got sins, and I don't care about where you've been." I was typing too fast and realized I had missed that word, then decided to leave it like it is and have Mike slightly misquote the song, since it is clearly not a song he is familiar with.
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