"Papa!"
Rumple looked at his daughter. Her big, brown, frightened eyes stared at back at him as the portal flashed and popped with vicious thunder and lightning.
He was trying to hold onto Baelfire but was slowly losing his grip. The boy looked at his younger sister.
"It's going to be okay, Cassidy!" He yelled over the sound of the portal. He looked back at his father. "You promised! You promised!"
Rumplestiltskin stared into his son's pleading eyes. As the portal closed Baelfire's hand slipped from his and he dissapeared into the green torrent of magic.
There was a moment of horrified silence as Rumple realized what had just happened. He fell into the ditch, desperately clawing at the dirt.
"I'm sorry Bae. I want- I want to come with you."
As his movements slowed and tears came to his eyes he noticed Cassidy approaching the ditch. She was clutching her mother's shawl around her arms.
"Papa?" Her voice was so small and quiet. "Papa, where's Bae?"
Rumple turned slowly to the little girl who was crying just as much as he was. He hugged her and pulled her onto his lap, holding her close to him. He wouldn't lose another child. He refused to lose another child.
"It's going to be okay, Cassie. We'll find him. I promise."
Rumplestiltskin stood in front of the townline, Bae's scarf around his neck. "I promise, Cassie. Once I find Baelfire, we'll find you next."
Three years. It had been three years since Baelfire left through that godforsaken portal. Rumple felt like he was going crazy searching for his son. Still, he wouldn't stop. He would never stop looking for him.
Cassidy had turned ten a few days ago. And with every week, month, year that passed he felt the darkness tighten it's hold on him. He had to keep it together. For her. For his daughter.
"Papa!" Her giggly voice called from outside and she ran into the room, a raccoon hanging from her arms. The animal didn't look unhappy or scared, rather more peaceful than anything else. Cassie tended to have that effect on the beasts of the woods. "I made a friend today."
"Yes, I can see that." He let a smile come to his lips as she let the raccoon on the ground and it followed her around like a lost puppy. "Where did you find it, sweetheart?"
She picked up some straw that had fallen out of the bale. "He was trying to climb over the wall but fell in the bushes. I rescued him." She smiled and handed him the straw.
"That's lovely, dear." There was a knock on the door. Both turned their heads towards it. "Why don't you go into another room. I'll see who that is and what they want."
Cassidy did as she was told. She was used to her father getting visitors. It had happened alot more often now since they moved into the big castle.
She sat on the ground, waiting patiently for whoever had come to visit to either leave, or for her Papa to come in and let her know he was leaving for a few hours.
She waited and waited for what seemed like hours when the door on the other side of the room opened and a large group of ruffians sauntered into the room. Frightened, she could do nothing but stare as they noticed her sitting there.
They looked at eachother, not sure what to make of this sight.
"Why does The Dark One have a child in his living room?"
Another of the ruffians shrugged and slowly approached the obviously frightened child.
"Hey there. We won't hurt you."
Cassidy scrambled away from them and hid behind one of the chairs. "What do you want?"
"We just want to get you away from the bad man."
For all her faults, Cassidy was a smart girl and knew better than to trust these people. "What bad man? What are you talking about?"
The thug sighed and grabbed her arm roughly. He was in no mood to deal with a child's questions but he couldn't very well leave her here with this monster
"Papa!" She screamed and beat at the man, trying to get away from him. "Papa help!"
In a flash Rumplestiltskin was there, his eyes seething with anger and his scaly hand gripping the man's arm.
"What do you think you're doing with my daughter." His grip tightened on his arm. "Let her go."
The man did but Rumplestiltskin did not.
Cassidy hid behind her father, watching silently.
"What makes you think you can walk into my home, and take my daughter?"
The other men backed away from the Beast and their friend who's arm was slowly beginning to turn to lead. It was literally turning to lead.
Cassidy pulled on her father's jacket and looked up at him. "Don't hurt them, Papa."
"They tried to take you away from me. They don't deserve to live."
"I'm okay. I'm not hurt." She gently put a hand over his. "Let them leave. They won't bother us again."
Rumple finally let the man go, his arm returned to normal. He staggered away from the Beast and his Cub, rejoining his friends and they all turned to leave hurriedly.
As father and daughter left the room, one of the thugs pulled a knife out of his belt and aimed it at the Dark One.
Cassidy turned and all logic left her mind as she pushed her father out of the line of fire. The knife embedded itself into the wall and Cassidy felt enraged at this man who dared attack her Papa.
Without thinking she extended her arm and the man's feet were immediately trapped in the roots of a tree. Branches and vines curled up his body until there was no man left and instead a tree stood where he once did.
Rumplestiltskin watched with awestruck horror. It had never occurred to him that his daughter would have magic. How she gained this and why was a mystery. One he planned to solve.
She let her hand drop as she stumbled into him. He held her up, brushing hair away from her face.
"How did you do that?"
"I don't know?" She seemed confused by her own abilities.
Rumple tried not to panick. He had to keep a level head if they were to get through this.
Baelfire- no, Neil, stared at his father for awhile.
"What happened to Cassie?" Neil finally asked.
Rumplestiltskin looked away. He tried not to think about what happened to her. It had caused him so much pain.
"Papa." He insisted, this time getting the older man to look at him. "What happened to her?"A tear caught in Rumple's eye. "She died protecting me."
Neil backed away. "What? But you can't... you can't die."
"Someone had my dagger. They were going to kill me. Your sister... she got the dagger away from them but they killed her with it before I could get to her." He choked back a sob as he remembered that day. He hadn't been watching them. He was so focused on getting that stupid dagger back that he hadn't noticed anything else.
Neil felt himself crying. "How old was she?" He figured she couldn't have been to young to have done that.
"She was only eighteen. She wanted me to find you so badly, Bae. Cassidy's last words were for you. I have the memory but you have to come back to Storybrooke. Magic doesn't work out here."
Neil agreed to go back for that reason, but that reason only.
Then Hook happened.
Six years after first discovering her magic, Rumple realized that he was going to have to watch Cassidy grow old as he never aged. That's when he got the brilliant idea of casting a spell on the castle that wouldn't allow her to age while she was inside or on the castle grounds. For centuries she stayed by her father's side, occasionally tagging along on expeditions. She learned to shoot a bow and arrow and swing a sword on these many adventures. She became quite the marksman.
One day as the two were lazing about in the castle, Cassidy had asked him a question.
"Papa, can I leave?"
He was so startled by the question he almost dropped the potion he was holding. "W-what?"
"It's just that, I'm always here in the castle. I never get to go anywhere or really do anything." She watched him from where she sat on the table. "I would love to go out and see the world."
She noticed the look of anguish on his face. "I promise to write and visit as often as I can. I'm not going to leave forever."
"Cassie, if you leave you're going to age normally. Then I would lose you in a way that I could never get you back."
She pondered this. "Then give me four years on my own. Papa, I've been sixteen for a really long time. Four years out in the world, let me grow and be my own person."
Rumple thought of the offer. If she left for four years and then came back that would be right around the time Regina was to cast the Dark Curse. By that time he'd make sure she was safe during it. Finally he nodded.
"Okay. Four years on your own. But, only if you promise to write everyday and visit atleast once a month."
Cass nodded and threw herself at him in hug. "Yes! Thank you, Papa!"
The next day she left. He gave her a bottle that would immediately send any messages in it to the intended person so they could keep in touch.
Cassidy gave him one last hug before she went off. "I love you."
Once back in Storybrooke and Gold was no longer dying, Neil agreed to stay. He went to his father to get the last remaining memory of his sister.
What he saw broke his heart.
Cassidy gasped as the thug shoved the dagger into her stomach. She collapsed in her fathers arms as he watched with grief and horror.
"No. No, no, no!" He pulled the dagger out and let it drop to his side as he clung to his daughter tightly. "Cassie, please. Please don't go. We were so close!"
She weakly grasped his hand. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. Tell... tell Bae that I love him. When you find him, tell him I'm sorry I couldn't be there."
And with that her eyes closed and the memory faded.
Neil braced himself against the counter. He had just watched his sister die.
"I'm so sorry, Bae." Rumple put down the dreamcatcher. "She wanted to be here for this. To see you again. She fought so hard for us to be happy. That's all she ever wanted."
It had been almost a year since Cassidy went off on her own. She'd kept her promise to visit him once a month and sometimes did it more often than that, but Rumple still found himself becoming lonely without the constant presence of a friend. That's when Belle came into the picture.
At first, he'd been closed off and jaded towards her. He had no intention of becoming close with Belle but that all changed not so long after she agreed to come with him.
One day when Rumple was spinning and Belle was reading in a chair not to far away they heard the thundering of hooves getting closer and closer. Belle had looked at him with apprehension. She was cautious when it came to visitors because she had no idea what would happen to them.
Then the strangest thing happened. A younger looking girl walked in, she was probably no older than seventeen. A few strands of her light brown/reddish hair had fallen loose from her braid but she walked into the room with a grin on her face.
And Belle was surprised when she saw Rumple's reaction. He looked downright delighted to see this girl. Not in a, 'another person to make a deal with' delighted, but a, 'this is a friend I haven't seen in awhile' delighted.
The girl dropped her weapons and ran up to hug the Dark One which he greatly returned.
Belle honestly didn't know what to think.
Then he pulled away from the hug to look at her. "You're late."
Instead of being scared the girl laughed. "I know. I had a run in with the Queen." She handed him a note and picked up her bow. "I think she's still pissed at me for blowing up her carriage last week."
Belle watched them. This was truly astounding to her. They looked so comfortable around eachother.
"I'm sorry, but Rumple, who is this?" Belle could no longer stay silent.
"Where are my manners? Belle, this is Cassidy. Cassie, this is Belle." He introduced the girls to eachother.
Cassidy shook her hand. "My pleasure Belle."
Belle nodded. "Likewise. Um, so how do you two know eachother?"
They looked at eachother. Finally Rumple was the one who spoke.
"Cassidy is an old friend. And unfortunately, she's the only person I trust."
Cassidy rolled her eyes but didn't object or correct him. If her father wanted to keep their true relationship a secret he probably had his reasons.
"Oh, hey! I found something." Cassidy strolled over to her bag and took something out, tossing it to him.
Rumplestiltskin caught it and examined the item. A look of surprise crossed his features. "Where did you get this?"
"I found it in an ogre's cave." She gave the Dark One a cheeky grin and a bow. "You're welcome."
"So you're staying?" Emma asked. She tried to hide the hopefulness in her eyes.
Neil nodded. "Yeah. I've lost too many people, Emma. I want to be there for Henry."