While Regina agreed to work with Rumple, it took Rumple a little more convincing to reveal what he and Zelena had planned. And even more to finally expose where the Author's location was. The cabin where Rumple had them stashed was about a 15-minute hike without magic towards the less inhabited portion of the forest. Which Regina was extremely adamant about not using magic so she could know the exact location of the Author and how to arrive to the cabin. It became an argument between Regina and Rumple if Belle should join. Regina was for and Rumple was very much against. He did not trust the Wicked Witch around his former wife especially when she did not have her heart. Belle ended the conversation shouting at Rumple informing him she wanted to be included in helping everyone get their happy endings. No matter how tight Regina squeezed Belle's heart, Belle wanted nothing more than for Regina to get what she deserved. She wanted her to marry Robin and live happy ever after. She had seen the torment in Regina's eyes day after day while she was locked up in her tower in the enchanted forest and again in the asylum in Storybrooke.
"Sissy! Long time no see!" Zelena spoke with a chipper sarcastic attitude like always. "Tsk tsk Rumple when will you ever stop having a soft spot for this poor little maid of yours." Belle sneered in Zelena's direction, refusing to show her an ounce of fear.
"I'm a librarian not a maid." Belle quipped back still showing no sign of being afraid of the wicked witch. She looked brave and admirable standing up to an actual witch, Rumple was shocked. It was not like his ex-wife to use her voice to its fullest ability.
"Hurt her and you will never walk again." Rumple growled standing protectively over Belle.
"So where is this author you guys speak of? Because right now all I see is a poorly decorated cabin and you two bozos." Regina shrugged her coat off twirling her fingers and making it appear on the coat rack.
"Yes Zelena where is our guest?" Rumple asked in a more civil tone.
"Oh yeah that guy. He kept talking and talking and I just couldn't listen to him anymore, so I tied him up and shoved him in the closet." Zelena admitted without an iota of regret in her tone. Regina walked towards the closet that Zelena pointed to and opened it with a gasp as she saw the Author tied up on a dining chair with his mouth gagged.
"That is inhumane! We've got to untie him." Belle shouted running towards the barely conscious Author.
"Hold it." Regina used her hand to create a forcefield that stopped Belle's motion. "We don't know who we are dealing with yet exactly." She waved her hand in front of his face causing the Author to completely pass out into a deep slumber. "Gold, speak. What can he do."
Rumple struggled to speak as he despised being told what to do, but given the fact that Regina still held Belle's heart he had run out of options. "From my understanding, he is the only person who can change our fates. All he needs is wood from a magical tree in the enchanted forest and with that he can rewrite our endings and modify them however we desire so that we may also receive a happy ever after." The notion of toying with the future send a shiver down Belle's spine. She had an inkling of what Rumple's happy ever after consisted of but even then, she was determined to never find out.
"And what exactly is your happy ever after sister of mine?" Regina icily stared down Zelena.
"What does any other woman dream of every night before she goes to bed?" Zelena wrinkled her eyes in smile.
"To be mayor of a quaint little town where everyone worships her?" Regina replied. "Oh, wait already did that sis."
"I'm not you Regina. I don't crave all this power you do. I want a family, but not just any family…I want your family." Zelena winked as Regina dived at her throat ready to choke the life out of her. "Kidding. You can keep your teenage brat; all I want is a child with that handsome man of yours. I think we would make the most beautiful children."
"You guys are monsters. How could you treat each other like this?" Belle spoke receiving a squeeze from Regina in punishment.
"Oh, poor misunderstood Belle…it's because we are villain's darling what did you expect." Zelena laughed watching Belle grimace in pain.
"No. They are. I refuse to be called a villain…I've changed." Regina responded eyeballing her sister.
"Hah! You consider yourself a hero? Look at the way you're manipulating me and the author. You are no better than them." Belle spoke on the cabin floor trying to catch her breath from previously shouting in pain.
Regina examined the heart in her hand as if the words Belle spoke struck a nerve. "You're right Belle." She pouted examining the heart in her hand.
"Oh, c'mon now really? Don't tell me you're developing a soft spot for the pathetic maid as well." Zelena snarled wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"Watch who you call pathetic." Belle called out full of rage. "I may not have your strength or your powers Zelena, but the only pathetic person here I see is YOU. You are the one who can't come up with her own original thoughts so she must copy everything Regina ever did or had. You have to lie and manipulate everyone to get what you want because nobody actually likes you." Belle was speaking between her teeth as she lay on the wooden cabin floor still gripping her chest recovering from her pain. Zelena gasped looking appalled at the brunette on the floor and the fact that both the magic users besides her in the room did nothing to defend her. The glare that Rumple gave Zelena alerted her to not react in the manner that she wished she could. The Wicked Witch rolled her eyes and twirled her finger and disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.
"She needs her heart back Regina." Rumple bent down to check on Belle as her breathing turned shallow. It didn't take a doctor to know that she needed the warmth of her heart back in her chest. Her body was getting weak without the heart and especially with all the abuse Regina had inflicted her with. The snow and icy wind did not help either.
"No." Regina shocked both Rumple and Belle with her icy tone. "You can't take this leverage from me Gold." Rumple nodded.
"Maybe he can't…but I can." Belle heard a voice speak clear as day as the pain in her chest vanished and her body felt warm again. Who was it? She stood to face Regina as she realized her face was frozen in time. Rumple's appeared the same. Belle had never seen anything like this. "Over here princess." A short man with thick brim glasses and brittle black hair stood up from a chair.
"Who are you?" Was all Belle could mutter out as she approached the man.
'The names Isaac. But you might know me as the Author." He smiled softly full of kindness. A rush of emotions came over Belle and she couldn't help but laugh.
"You-you're the Author. The one I've read dozens no hundreds of stories about?" The words were running out of her mouth before she could even make coherent sentences.
"Why yes, the one and only. I must say Belle you were always my favorite person slash princesses to write about."
"You know me? Wow." She was star struck to say the least. "But-but the Author I read about was alive decades ago, and you look not a day over 35."
"You're too kind." He giggled. "One of the many benefits of being the author is not aging. I was actually 3 days' shy of my 53rd birthday when I was selected to be the author." Belle wanted to ask him a plethora of questions. She actually had a list back home of things that intrigued her about the authors role in life, but she never thought she would actually be up close and personal with him.
"Zelena…she left before you froze them." Belle gasped upon realization.
"Don't worry Belle." Isaac said reassuringly. "I've seen all of the ways today's story plays out, and the Wicked Witch does not get her way in any of them."
"What about Rumple? Can you fix his heart for him?" Belle turned back to the frozen image of her the man she once loved. All she could think about now with her heart intake was how much she did not want Rumple to die. Sure, she could never love him again. But still she wouldn't wish his curse on anybody.
Isaac signed looking disappointed by her question. "I'm afraid I can't help you there. Rumpelstiltskin unfortunately was not a good person, and I'll have you know my writing took no role in that. He chose the role of the Dark One and embraced it all by himself. I simply write stories down before and after they happen, I can't change them."
"I don't want him to die." Belle admitted heavy heartedly. He might have been cruel and abusive, but Belle took no pleasure in knowing the man she once loved with all her heart, would soon be dead.
"He won't." The author spoke knowingly.
"But how do you know that." Belle's eyes had begun to water full of emotion.
"I know the future but I can't change it...actually better said is, I won't change it." He smiled wanting to get Belle to relax. "I can't really explain how he will live for I fear breaking the rules as an author. All I do is watch and write down what I see. But fret not, he will live." Belle exhaled feeling calmer than she did before she talked to him. She sensed the authors eyes shifted from her face to behind her across the room. Just as she was about to turn her head to observe what Issacs eyes were gazed on, Rumpelstiltskin. He stood directly next to Isaac now as he grasped his heart out of breath.
"Oh so I see you have some tricks up your sleeve author, well guess what, they don't work on the Dark One." Rumple was speaking in between breaths as he appeared in pain. There was a certain madness in his eyes that Belle did not miss.
"I knew you'd break free Rumple. I just hoped you wouldn't do this." Isaac spoke with a calmed voice as Rumple reached for his chest and ripped a red heart out of Isaac's chest. Isaac did not scream or wince like Belle had when Regina held hers but in turn looked disappointed at the man who now held his heart.
"You WILL write my story author. I will live my happy ending."
"I want you know; I was rooting for him." Isaac spoke directly to Belle as if Rumple was not in the room. "I fear he chose the darkness instead."
"What does that mean." Belle stood planted into the ground as if her fear had her paralyzed.
"Are you sure this is what you want. It won't be real." Isaac turned back to Rumple.
Belle looked confused at both men as Rumple commanded Isaac to walk towards the big brown storybook. Isaac picked up his quill and began as Rumple stared cynically at the narration being drawn. Finally, Belle found the courage to follow both men to the dining table where the storybook laid.
"No." She shouted as she looked at the page in horror. "Rumple, how could you do this to me?" Belle fell to her knees unable to act as her chest felt stunned. Hot tears ran down her face.
"Because, the fact that this is your reaction to my fairytale ending is EXACTLY why I'm doing this. You never once loved me for ME. You always tried to change me. Well dearie, maybe I'll change YOU." Rumple was bridging the borderline between sanity and insanity. His eyes were dilated, and he grabbed Isaacs heart with all his might. Through labored breathing Rumple spoke his fairytale to Isaac and Isaac like a vessel obeyed his wishes. Belle felt helpless. In her mind, she had already said goodbye to her current life and forgotten all about Storybrooke. She felt hopeless.
"I loved you once Rumple, I saw the man behind the beast…I saw the good. But now, I don't see that man anymore. Not now. Not ever." Tears were streaming down Belle's eyes as she stared at Rumple feverishly commanding the Author to write. "Please Rumple, don't do this."
"Rumple what is the meaning of this." Regina's voice startled Belle as she had been silent before. The Evil Queen looked truly shaken to her core. She was just as confused as Belle.
"You'll find out soon enough." Rumple darted murder eyes towards Regina who stepped back slightly unsure of what to do.
"Rumple." Belle spoke pleading again.
"I have to Belle. It's the only way." Was the last thing she heard Rumple say before the Author dropped his quill and said the words she feared aloud. The End.
The four of them looked at one another as a white light invaded all of their senses. Suddenly everyone was back in the Enchanted Forest. And suddenly everyone's memories were very different as they were in Storybrooke.