Chapter 54

"Let go of me!" Lily practically hissed, trying to break free. Zelena's grip was like iron. Wait. She could get out of this. All she had to do was… was... She fought not to panic as she tried once more to take dragon form. Why wasn't it working?

"Sorry, sweetie," Zelena glowered. "I'm not about to let you access your new gift. You'll just have to face me as you are."

Lily's jaw set, even as she felt her heart plummet. "Suits me just fine," she blustered, kicking Zelena in the shin. Zelena grunted in pain, but held fast to Lily's shoulder all the same.

"You put a sleeping curse on my daughter," Zelena proclaimed almost too calmly.

"That was Cruella," Lily protested.

"Was it Cruella who sped up my pregnancy? I believe it had something to do with those onion rings you ever-so-thoughtfully procured for me, hm?"

"Ursula enchanted those!"

"Oh, so you're a total innocent in all this, are you?" Zelena sneered. "I suppose it was some sonic boom that collapsed the clock tower?"

"That was an accident!" Lily flung back desperately, even as she realized that Zelena wasn't about to cut her any slack.

Right on cue, as if she'd been waiting for such an opening, Zelena's lips curled in a predatory smile. "Well, my pretty," she nearly purred, "I can cause accidents too…"


Regina tried her front door and found it unlocked. Smiling, she pushed it open. "I managed to clear my schedule for the afternoon," she called. "I thought we could go over to Robin's and you could spend some time with Lyncoln before Roland gets back from school."

There was no response. Frowning a bit now, Regina walked to the foot of the stairs. "Zelena?" Still no reply. She went up to her sister's room, knocked on the door and, when no answer came, eased it open. The room was empty.

Regina frowned. As she'd stated earlier, Zelena wasn't a prisoner. But she would be upset to learn that she'd missed a chance to see her daughter. She'd probably point out that it wasn't as though Regina couldn't have tracked her down to let her know about the opportunity.

With some justification, Regina had to admit. Well then. Why not track her down? She dug into her purse for the bracelet that matched the one on her sister's wrist. Zelena was on Main Street. And she seemed to be standing in one spot on the middle of it. Had her sister been anyone else, Regina might have guessed that she was window shopping or had paused to chat with a friend. Window shopping was a possibility, but her sister didn't have any friends.

Frowning, she waved her hand at the dresser mirror and her reflection vanished, replaced by a view of Main Street. As Regina took in the scene, an oath burst from her lips—one that would gotten her mouth washed out with her mother's hot pepper soap had she uttered it in Cora's presence. There wasn't a moment to waste. She paused only to send a quick text to Emma in case she needed backup. Then, focusing her attention on the images before her, she waved her hand.

A moment later, her sister's room was empty.


Emma got the text just as she and Rumple were getting into her car. "We've got more trouble," she muttered. "Zelena's attacking Lily and—"

Her phone pinged again and she read the new text with a sinking feeling. "And Maleficent just showed up."

Rumple shook his head in mock disbelief. "And you're going to run to the witch's aid, rather than let nature take its course."

Emma sighed. "I'm running to Regina's aid," she corrected. "If she wasn't trying to help her sister, I'd…" She sighed again. "I'd probably still be helping Zelena, because it's the right thing to do."

"Now you're sounding like your mother," Rumple said, getting into the car.

"Yeah, and maybe one day, I'll walk the walk instead of just talking the talk," Emma admitted. "Just because I'm saving her doesn't mean I want to hang out with her. Anyway, the trouble's on Main Street about a block before the shop, so we were going to be heading there anyway. Buckle up."


Zelena looked at the switchblade in her captive's hand with something bordering on amusement. "You don't really think that's going to do more than annoy me, do you?" she demanded. With a wave of her hand, the blade melted, flowing over its bearer's hand. Lily yelped and dropped it.

If either woman noted the shadow overhead, each assumed that the sun had moved behind a cloud.

Until an icy voice commanded, "You will unhand my daughter now, please."

Still keeping her grip on Lily's shoulder, Zelena whirled to face the newcomer. "I don't think so," she replied. "You're formidable enough in your dragon form, but I doubt you'll risk incinerating me when I'm standing this close to your little lizard-spawn. The brat owes me; I'm collecting that debt, and for all your bluster, I don't think there's much you can do to stop me—" She gasped and stared wide-eyed at the hand that had just sunk into her chest.

Maleficent was smiling as she pulled out the heart with a sickening squelch. "Oh dear," she said with mock embarrassment. "What an awkward situation." Her voice hardened. "You poor simple fool, thinking you could get the better of me. Me? Who mastered flight and flame before you lisped your first cantrip?"

For the last few moments, Regina had been standing in a shop doorway, assessing the situation, but she realized that things had already gone too far and she had to stop them before they went any further. "Maleficent!" she cried, charging toward them, a small globe of fire held aloft in one hand. Maleficent waved a hand negligently and froze the formerly Evil Queen in her tracks.

"You've really grown tiresome, Your Majesty," Maleficent sighed. She blew a puff of air in Regina's direction and the fireball flamed higher for a moment before it winked out entirely. "And you had such potential," she went on. "Ah well." She turned her back on her old friend and faced the witch once more. "Now," Maleficent said, "it's time for another lesson." Her smile widened, exposing the whites of her teeth. "A slow, excruciatingly painful lesson."

Oblivious to the yellow Volkswagen Beetle that had just parked several yards behind her, Maleficent squeezed.


Halfway out of the car, Rumple gasped and fell heavily against the doorframe, clutching his chest. Immediately, Emma was at his side. "Gold?"

His face gray, he gripped the sleeve of her coat with one hand. "M-my heart," he gasped. He exhaled and seemed to relax slightly. "It felt like I was having another attack," he murmured. "B-but after the hat—Ahgh!" He doubled over, clutching his chest once more.

Emma looked about wildly, half-hoping to see Whale at hand. Instead, she saw Maleficent holding something red and glowing in one hand and Zelena crumpled at her feet, her face nearly a mirror of Gold's.

Emma's eyes narrowed as a nasty suspicion took hold. She didn't know how it was happening, but if her hunch was right… She thought back to a night at Granny's when she'd been showing off in front of Killian, demonstrating a new spell Regina had taught her. Now how—? She had it. She waved her hand and the glowing object vanished, only to reappear in her own palm. Up close, Emma could see that there were patches of black marring the heart's red surface. Almost at once, Rumple straightened up, his color already noticeably improved. Zelena, too, was struggling to rise.

Maleficent turned to Emma balefully. "Your interference is not appreciated," she snapped.

Emma tensed. "Murder doesn't go down well around here," she fired back.

An arched eyebrow shot upwards. "Does she know that?" Maleficent demanded, inclining her head toward Zelena. "Because before you arrived, she seemed intent on just such a fate for my daughter."

Maleficent's distraction seemed to have dissolved another spell, for now, Regina came forward. "Zelena?" she asked with a sigh.

"You know what she did to my daughter," Zelena snapped.

"For the last time, Poison Ivy," Lily broke in, "that wasn't me!"

"Believe me, sweetie, I'd love nothing better than to vent my wrath on all three of you, but since you're the only one within reach—" A writhing green sphere appeared in her hand. Regina made a peculiar gesture and it disappeared. The mayor smiled at Maleficent.

"I thought that was how you did it," she nodded with satisfaction. Her voice hardened as she turned back to her sister. "And before I forget, just what did you do to Rumple's heart?"

Zelena's eyes darted from Regina to Rumple and back to Maleficent. Finally, she sighed and a bright smile sprang to her face as she jerked her head in Rumple's direction. "I suppose it's because his ticker is only tocking now thanks to me. You see, when I saved his life back in that New York hospital," she continued, "I didn't do it out of the kindness of my heart." She beamed at Rumple, but there was a cold glint in her eyes as she went on, "We had a deal, remember?"

"Extortion," Rumple snarled.

"Tomayto-tomahto," Zelena shot back. "Well, at any rate, Dearie, your heart and mine are intertwined now, though not quite in the way I'd once thought, back when I was your pupil and you trifled with my affections." She nodded at Maleficent. "Afraid you can't crush my heart without crushing his."

Maleficent mulled that over. Then she shrugged. "I can live with that," she said, striding toward Emma.

Emma assumed a defensive posture, passing the heart to Rumple, as she stood in front of him protectively. "Wanna bet?" she snapped.

"Enough," Regina's voice cut through the tension. "Nobody is killing anyone. Not today." She eyed Maleficent steadily. "Stand down, Mal. I mean it."

Maleficent glowered at her, her eyes probing Regina's for any hint of weakness or indecision. Gradually her shoulders lowered slightly. But there was no hint of defeat when she turned to face Zelena again. "Have a care, Witch," she said icily. "And know that if you accost me or my daughter again, it will be at your peril. The heart isn't the only organ I can crush. Or roast." She slid an arm about her daughter's waist. "You're all right?" she asked.

Lily nodded.

"Then let's away from here."

Lily nodded again. Then her eyes locked on Emma's. "Hey."

Emma gave her a stiff nod of acknowledgment. "Lily."

The smile that had been forming on Lily's lips froze and fell away. "So, that's how it is," she said flatly. "Fine." She turned to her mother. "Yeah, let's go." The two walked away and nobody called after them.

After they'd gone, Zelena huffed to nobody in particular, "Would it be too much trouble to return my heart, now?"

Emma took a breath. "Don't suppose you'd consider taking that spell off first?"

Zelena gave her an incredulous look. "And cash in my insurance policy? I don't think so."

Regina heaved a great sigh. For a moment, she seemed to be lost in thought. Then she met her sister's gaze once more and said tightly, "Then I think we might as well leave it where it is."

Rumple's eyes widened. His mouth opened slightly, but no words issued forth. Regina smiled and turned back to her sister. "Really," she said, "it's for your own protection, Sis. If you knew how to stop someone from ripping out your heart, you'd have cast that enchantment ages ago. Definitely before you tried going up against me. Since you didn't, I have to assume you can't. And," she sighed, "I know that if I hang onto it, you'll try to get it back and give Mal another opportunity. You spent a lot of time spying on me; you know too well how I think and where I'm most likely to hide it. For all that you're my sister and I do care what happens to you, I don't know that I'll truly guard your heart as though it were my own. Thanks to your—I believe you were calling it an insurance policy a moment ago? Well, I think it's safe to say that Rumple will."

Rumple managed to nod, as an answering smile spread slowly across his face.

"Wait!" Zelena said. "You're right. I don't know how to safeguard my heart, but you do. You did it for your boy! Do it for me!"

Regina shook her head. "My son never tried to turn back time to prevent my being born. He never turned my subjects into flying monkeys. Or tried to drive a wedge between myself and my True Love. You're my sister, and I will defend you… but I don't trust you nearly enough to give you that sort of protection when it can all too easily come back to bite us later. Besides," she continued, "you did hold onto his dagger for a while. Turnabout is fair play. Although…" She waved her hand at the heart again. For a moment, a bright mist hung over it. Then it vanished. "There. At least you've some protection."

Zelena eyed her sister suspiciously. "I felt that," she said. "What did you do?"

Rumple cleared his throat. And although the expression on his face was nearly unreadable, Regina thought she could detect a hint of approval in his eyes. "Unless I'm much mistaken, she's cheated me of the opportunity to truly avenge my treatment at your hands," he said mildly. He met Regina's gaze with a hint of challenge. "Correct?"

She nodded. "I won't cast a spell to prevent your heart from being stolen, Sis. But I have cast one to keep you from being controlled. Oh, and that other spell? It's true I can't remove it, but I can modify it; it works both ways, now." She gave her sister a thin smile. "I wouldn't stage any attacks on Rumple's heart if I were you, Zelena. You'll only hurt yourself if you do."

Zelena made a choking sound. She cast a furious look at each person in the vicinity in turn, before she spun on her heel and stormed off.

Rumple, still looking stunned, slid the heart into the inner pocket of his coat. "I should have an appropriate receptacle for it in the shop," he murmured. He faced Regina once more and now, his smile broadened. "I thank you for this," he said formally. Then he turned to Emma. "And you, as well, of course," he added.

Emma grinned back. "You're okay?" she asked.

Rumple nodded. "Yes," he murmured. "I do believe I am."


Lily's thoughts were in turmoil as they made their way down Main Street. Her mother was holding onto her arm now and even though Lily had never gone for any of that touchy-feely stuff, she was surprised to realize that she didn't mind it.

"Did she hurt you?" Maleficent asked suddenly.

Lily shook her head.

"Good. For both of you. I don't care what Regina said; if she'd harmed you—"

"Uh…" Lily swallowed hard. "I kinda get why she was… I mean, you don't know what I did to her. Well. Ursula and Cruella, too, but I wasn't just along for the ride." She shook her head. "Actually, coming here was my idea. But when I found out that you were… uh…"

"Dead?" Maleficent supplied lightly.

"Yeah," Lily nodded. "That. Well, I wanted to make everyone pay."

"If I had any doubts about your being my daughter…" Maleficent deadpanned.

Despite herself, Lily smiled for a moment. And then she found herself telling her mother everything.

Maleficent listened, never once interrupting. And when her daughter was finished, she sighed. "Regina told me some of this earlier," she admitted. "But I am glad I heard your side of it, too. I thought smoothing things over with Rumple was paramount, but perhaps I should have made overtures to the witch as well."

Lily blinked. "I don't need you to fight my battles," she protested. "But I could use your help to learn how to fight them myself?"

Maleficent smiled. "First, let's work on your transformations. Then flight. Combat comes quite a bit later on. But first…" She left it hanging until Lily turned to look at her.

"First… what?"

Maleficent's eyes were serious. "I suppose it will do no harm to give you the first lesson now, though I suspect it won't be to your liking."

"What is it?" Lily asked.

Maleficent put her free hand on Lily's shoulder. "Learn how to pick your battles, Lily. You won't win them all and even those you will win will have a cost. I'm not saying you need to roll over and let anyone step on you, but not every skirmish is worth fighting."

Lily sighed. "I guess I watched King Kong enough times to know that the monster doesn't win in the end."

Maleficent blinked. "I don't understand the reference, please. What do you mean?"

Lily put her own hand on her mother's shoulder. "Maybe it's on Pay-per-View or Netflix. We can watch it at Granny's." And when her mother opened her mouth to say something else, she added, "I'll explain what those are on the way."


As he unlocked the shop and bade Emma wait in the front, Rumple was still trying to process everything that had just happened. He hadn't expected Zelena to have put that protection around her heart, but he couldn't say he was surprised. He'd made no secret of his enmity toward her and after everything she'd put him through in the past year, he doubted she'd have believed him had he claimed he was willing to forgive her and move on. Casting such a spell made sense—although she really should have considered that, after the deeds she'd done, the people she'd antagonized, perhaps he wasn't the only person with scores to settle.

But if he'd been caught off-guard when Maleficent had tried crushing the witch's heart, he'd been dumbfounded by what had come next. In his mind's ear, he could hear Snow White once more stating quite blandly that she was willing to let him die of dreamshade poisoning, rather than use the candle to save his life.

Takes care of two evils at once.

Yes, things had seemed to be different now. He was trying to do better. So were the others. But it was an easy enough thing for Regina to say that it was time for them to start acting like he was part of the town. It was quite another for her to actually do it. And for her to entrust the witch's heart to him—even if she knew he couldn't do a thing to it if he wanted to—why he'd practically collapsed from the shock right there on the spot. It wasn't quite as significant a moment as the one in which Belle had handed him back his dagger after the witch's defeat, but it was close.

Regina had apologized weeks ago for using his dagger to control him then. And though he'd recognized her remorse and accepted it then, he hadn't quite been able to banish the cynical voice that wondered whether the next time a situation of that nature presented itself, she'd still run roughshod over his wants and just be sorrier about it than usual.

He had his answer now, and it made that earlier apology all the more meaningful.

Things were changing.

He was changing.

And so were they.

He was actually grinning when he fished out Pandora's box and deposited Zelena's heart inside it.


Dopey was sitting at a table with three place settings when they got back to Granny's. He waved them over. Lily sat down with a smile. "Done with work?" she asked.

Dopey nodded. He passed his phone to her and she read the text on the screen. We should exchange numbers. It would make things easier.

Lily pulled out her own phone. "Yeah, it would. Wish I'd thought of that."

"I must obtain one of those devices," Maleficent murmured. "Are they difficult to master?"

"Not really," Lily said, as Dopey typed, Sending texts isn't. And I guess making calls wouldn't be either… unless you're me. Lily snorted at that and he grinned. But there are a lot of other things you can do with one of these and some of them are easier to pick up than others. I can show you some of the apps.

The door opened and Belle walked in with the air of one who did not want to engage in conversation. Instead, she stormed over to a booth and practically flung herself into a chair. When a server nervously approached her, though, she seemed to pull herself together enough to smile and give her an order. Then she pulled out her own phone and quickly occupied herself with it.

Case in point, Dopey typed. She loves books. If were a gambler, I'd give you odds she's got a few novels stored in there and she's reading one.

"I feel like I should go over to her and try to explain about the other night," Lily admitted. "But how do you tell someone you accidentally nearly got them killed?"

"Would you like me to go with you?" Maleficent offered. "Please, I don't mind."

Dopey held up his hand. Look at her. She's upset right now. Maybe with you, maybe not, but this is the wrong time. Wait until she's calmer. She's dealing with a lot right now and what you did is just part of it.

"What's the rest?" Lily asked.

Dopey shook his head. You don't need to know. And if she wanted you to, she'd tell you.

"Like she told you?"

I'm good at finding things out. And keeping them to myself. Please don't ask me to change at my age.

Lily laughed. Maleficent gave him a shrewd look. "Why do I get the feeling that the others do themselves a disservice when they discount your potential?"

Dopey shrugged. It's not like I try to be noticed. And I have better things to do than try to prove myself. Over and over and over again, he added. Then he paused for a moment and typed, …and over.

"But doesn't it bug you when people treat you like you're…"

Dopey? He grinned. I am. Just not the way most of them think. Anyway, this is another secret I'd like to keep. From anyone who can't be bothered to find out the truth for themselves. He looked up. Server's coming over. If you aren't sure what to order, the lasagne's pretty good.

Maleficent winced. "Please, I don't know what that is," she said a bit dolefully.

"It's—" Lily broke off what she was about to say as Dopey started typing again.

A little piece of heaven. Smothered in cheese. Trust me.

Maleficent smiled. "Very well," she agreed.

As the server reached them, and they leaned toward her, Lily saw the door open once more. This time, it was Snow White who came in.


"You're sure you're all right?" Emma asked. "I mean, you do just have half a heart right now."

Rumple waved her to silence. "I'm well aware," he said a bit testily. "But it appears to be working as it should be."

"Well, that's something anyway," Emma replied.

"Yes."

The word seemed to hang in the air and Emma frowned. "Something else on your mind?" she asked after a moment's pause.

For a moment, Rumple regarded her silently. Then he picked up a polishing cloth in one hand and took a small brass figurine out of the counter display with the other. Looking down intently at the figurine, he said, "One noticed a certain level of hostility earlier when you were reunited with your erstwhile friend."

Emma blinked. "After what she did…"

"Do her misdeeds exceed my own?"

Brought up short, she stared at him for a moment, before blurting, "Seriously? You don't think it's a little… I don't know, disloyal? I mean, yeah, she and I have a history, but in the last week, she—"

"I know," Rumple said quickly. "But there are other considerations. I believe we've had some discussions earlier about a great potential for Light carrying with it an equally great potential for Darkness?"

"Yeah, but—"

"And you are the greatest purveyor of Light magic to have been born in several generations. And she has your Darkness, added to whatever measure she would have been born with regardless of your parents' actions."

"All the more reason why—"

"And all of the Darkness she carries still doesn't begin to approach the level I had attained by the night that I was banished from Storybrooke."

Emma's jaw hung open as she realized what he was getting at.

"My road back has not been an easy one," he continued, his gaze practically riveted to the small brass horse in his hand as he ran the cloth over the same spot on its back. "But I doubt that I would have considered taking the first step had I not had reason to believe that there were people willing to extend to me a second chance." He paused from his polishing, but he still didn't look up. "It's not as though I never tried to do better, but," he sighed, "I was the Dark One. Inside me was the certain knowledge—at least, insofar as I believed—that true change was impossible. A belief," he added, "I'm fairly certain that most of you shared. Which meant that even when I did manage to do the right thing, it was taken for granted that my new leaf was only temporary. Sooner or later, I would revert and everyone about me seemed to be silently watching and waiting for it." His voice was nearly a whisper now. "Until these last few months, I'd never thought I might expect more than… indifference. Tolerance, at best, perhaps. But friendship?" He looked up nervously to find that it was Emma who now avoided his gaze. He waited until she met it once more before he went on.

"When first we met, I manipulated you into owing me a favor. I tricked and betrayed you on far too many occasions afterwards—and I do regret most of them," he added. "And yet, despite our history, when I asked for help I had no reason to expect, you gave it. More. You gave it even when you knew that I was still scheming against you. And when I dared to hope that this time might be different if I seized the chance you were offering, it was. It has been." He paused for a moment before he seemed to recollect himself and drew himself up straighter.

"If you truly believe," he continued, "that Lilith's potential for Darkness outweighs my actualization of it, I'll say no more. But she's facing an uphill climb and while she might willingly have chosen to descend into an abyss, that may not be a reason to balk at lowering a rope."

Emma felt her face grow hot. "I…" She exhaled. "I understand. But so do you. So are you going to…?"

A shadow fell across his face and he sighed. "If it were only about what she'd done to me, yes. I've worked with those who've wronged me in the past. One learns not to let personal feelings interfere when necessary. But the aid you extended to me is something of a double-edged sword. You see, in so doing, you all reminded me that…" He ducked his head. "I'm not alone. And my decisions don't just impact me. I think that you've been holding back, at least in part because you didn't want to hurt me. I do appreciate that. However, I find myself in a similar situation with regard to… my wife."

Emma brought her hand to her eyes and pressed her thumb and ring finger to her forehead. "I should have thought of that," she murmured. "Okay. I'll… give her a chance. But if she's not ready to take it, then that's it." She lowered her hand and gave him a sad smile. "That abyss you were talking about? I'm not saying she has to-to climb out of it all by herself, but I can't pull her up if she won't at least grab onto the rope."

Rumple smiled back. "Well. I'd say that's fair. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Emma sighed. "I haven't done anything."

"You will."

Emma's laugh was halfway between a snort and an exasperated sigh.


"I didn't order this," Belle looked up in confusion when the server set down a burger and fries before her.

The server shrugged. "She did," she said, jerking her head over her shoulder in Snow's direction. Seeing her, Belle gave a slight nod, her face betraying nothing, as the server moved off once more.

After a moment, Snow came over. "I was wondering if I could join you," she murmured.

Belle regarded her for a moment before giving her another grudging nod. "Thank you for this," she said. "I guess I was getting hungry." So saying, she took a bite of the burger.

Snow nodded back. "Belle," she said, "I'm really sorry. I had no idea what I was setting in motion and I know apologizing now doesn't change anything, but I just… wanted you to know."

Belle swallowed what was in her mouth and sighed. "You meant well," she allowed, reaching for a French fry. "I know that. But…"

Snow nodded again. "I won't bother you again," she said sadly. "But if there's any way that I can help…?"

Belle shook her head, but as Snow started to rise, something made her say, "Snow? When… when you sent Emma off before the curse? Years later, when you were reunited, was she…? I mean… When you knew you'd have to let her go," she waved the fry in her hand for emphasis, "you must have had some vision of what, of who she might be like when you found her again. Was she… who you thought she'd be when you did?"

Snow sat back down. "I…" She thought back. "I imagined, of course. I mean, right until I went into labor early, I believed that I was going to go through the enchanted wardrobe. I'd give birth to Emma in this land and raise her on my own. Of course, I had my ideas of what it would be like, raising a little girl on my own, trying to make sure she'd know who she was and what she'd need to do when the time came." Her face fell. "But I did go into labor early and Regina set the Curse in motion and it was all David could do to get her into the wardrobe alone. And I barely had time to think about it before the curse struck and I forgot it all. Then when Emma came to town we… became friends before we knew who we were to each other."

"But when you found out, did you… feel sorry that she wasn't the person you'd imagined she'd be?"

Snow blinked. "I felt sorry that she'd grown up without me. And I know she didn't have the childhood she wanted or the one I would have wanted for her. I was sorry that she was still angry that David and I weren't in her life for so long and that she seemed to blame us for not being there."

"Sorry," Belle repeated, the burger poised halfway between her table and her lips. "Not… angry?" She took another bite

"Angry?"

It took her a moment to finish what was in her mouth, and although Snow waited patiently, the pause was long enough to feel awkward. "Well, yes," Belle said, starting to feel a bit flustered. "I mean, you did what you had to do to give her her best chance—and you yours," she added. "And it doesn't sound like she appreciated what you sacrificed for her."

"Oh," Snow sighed. "No, I wasn't angry. For twenty-eight years, she'd felt abandoned. That's not something you can just… sweep away as soon as you know the whole story. And don't think that, after the curse broke, I didn't wonder if there might have been some other way. So, I suppose I did feel guilty, too. Especially knowing the life she lived here. I spent a long time asking myself if David and I truly did everything we could have, or if we just… jumped on the first solution offered. Even though we were told it was the only solution, maybe we could have looked harder, dug deeper, I don't know." She frowned. "Is there a reason you're asking me about this?"

Belle nodded. "Father woke up," she said. "And I think I've finally realized that I'm not the daughter he wanted me to become. I… think I just wanted to know how other parents… handle a situation like that."

Snow winced. "Maybe… maybe this is something Emma would be able to tell you about better. I mean, even if I could give you some…" she cast about looking for the words, "…some rulebook for how to accept when a child doesn't behave the way you expected, that's really more something your father would be interested in reading than you, right?"

Belle's lip curled bitterly. "If he were interested in reading such a book," she said, "I don't think I'd feel a need to have this particular conversation. I just… wish he could see me for who I am, not for who he expects me to be. But he's not going to change, is he?"

Snow considered. "I don't know the answer to that one," she admitted. "But even if he did, that would be him choosing to change, not you trying to change him."

Realization dawned in her eyes and her face fell. "Just when I think I've finally got that out of my system," she muttered. "I can't change other people. And when I try to change myself, I end up… killing Cruella."

She started when a gentle hand reached across the table and squeezed hers. "And I killed Cora," Snow said simply. "It's… Let's just say I have some idea of what you might be going through."

Belle blinked. "How… how did you go on? After that?"

Snow smiled. "Well, someone who'd been in a few similar situations suggested that I keep telling myself I'd done the right thing, and that one day I might actually believe it. At the time, I thought he was telling me to lie to myself, but now I think it's a little more complicated than that." Her smile fell away. "Think about what August did that night when the hat tried to pull Rumpelstiltskin in. He willingly invited the Darkness to take him over. Yes, it came out right in the end, but he couldn't know that then. He chose Darkness to give Light its best chance. And if he'd… consulted with any of us, I think we'd have all tried talking him out of it," she added. "I'm not saying that Cora had to die or that I was right to kill her. There were other paths I could have taken. Harder paths. That time, I did what was easier; not what was right. But the town was saved. Some days," she continued, "that's almost enough."

Belle exhaled. "I didn't mean to…" she said slowly. "I was picturing Cruella as the Dark One and I knew she had to be stopped. But I was just trying to get the heart away from her, not…"

"I know. That was Cora's plan, too. Becoming the Dark One, I mean. Only I didn't see any other way to stop her than…"

"Not then."

"Not then." Snow squeezed her hand again. "It's hard," she said. "What you're going through. And maybe, that's the point. Taking a life isn't anything that should ever be done lightly. Even if it's justified, it's still a stain on your heart. But sometimes, I think it might be necessary." She looked as though she couldn't quite believe what she was saying, as she repeated emphatically, "sometimes."

But Belle was now regarding her with an expression that bordered on horror. "Is that what I did?" she asked feeling her lunch churning in her stomach as her gorge rose. Was this where her new path had led her? She'd thought that she'd suppressed her baser urges too vigorously and that it wouldn't hurt to accept them, even let them surface now and again. But had she given in to them too freely? Sickly, she asked, "Have I darkened my heart?"