A/N: Some dialogue lifted from S3E15: Kansas.

This is the law of sacrifice: You cannot have all things. You must give up some of what you might do, have, and become, or you will have nothing. Those who believe they have everything? They're deluded. Don't tell them—the poor fools are probably happy. This is a lesson in creation: The first blood of blood magic is always your own.

—Jeff Mach, There and NEVER, EVER BACK AGAIN: A Dark Lord's Diary: (A Memoir and Manifesto for Villains and Monsters) (p. 48). FastPencil Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Chapter 19: The Law of Sacrifice

"Enough," Regina continued, striding toward Rumple. "This ends now."

"After everything this witch has done," Rumple said disbelieving, "you're going to protect her?"

Regina nodded. "Good magic stopped her," she said firmly. "And good magic doesn't exact vengeance."

Still fighting the dagger's control, even though he knew it was futile, he cried, "She killed my son!"

Regina sighed. "How many—" She stopped. Stopped and really thought about what she was about to say. After her mother's death, when she'd sworn vengeance on Snow, Rumple had said the same thing to her, virtually word-for-word. Maybe it was a noble sentiment, or maybe just a plea for sanity, but timing was everything and his had been spectacularly bad.

Was hers going be any better?

"I…" The dagger wavered in her hand as new realizations began striking her in quick succession.

Zelena had done more than kill Neal. Actually, from Belle's account, her sister had given Neal a nudge on the path that had led to his demise, but Neal had chosen to walk that path on his own. And it had been Emma who had unraveled the enchantment Rumple had spun to stave off the inevitable.

Don't give him ideas, she told herself. It's not like you want him to turn his attention on Emma, either.

But her earlier thought remained. Zelena had done more. Far more. She'd enslaved Rumple. She'd tortured him. The cage, the beatings, his feet… And those were only the parts she knew about. What else was there? And why wasn't Rumple mentioning any of it? She could understand if he didn't want to bring up what wasn't already common knowledge, but surely the parts that were… She frowned. Was it still too painful to discuss? Probably, but wouldn't Neal's demise also fall into that category? Maybe he was willing to overlook everything but that bit. Maybe, but Rumple wasn't exactly the forgiving sort as a rule.

A possible answer to the conundrum suggested itself. She tried to shy away from it, but it persisted. He's sticking to that, because he's betting that we'll be more willing to mete out justice against her for her crimes against a hero than—

She swallowed. If that was what was going through his mind right now, was he right? Good magic doesn't exact vengeance. But should good people turn aside from justice? She took another breath. And then, she slid the dagger into her coat and extended her hands toward Rumple, palms out. "Could we…" she asked in a different tone of voice, "Could we discuss this in more… private surroundings?"

Rumple's eyes narrowed. She could have ordered it. They both knew it. But she'd chosen to make it a request instead. He regarded her for a moment that felt to Regina like an eternity. But then, he gave her a slight nod and his hand traced a swift gesture.

An instant later, the two vanished in puff of violet smoke.

A surprised smile spread across Zelena's lips and she started to rise. Only to be greeted by the tip of a sword-blade poised perilously close to her now-unprotected throat. "If you please, milady," Robin said in a tone that was no less serious for its mildness, "I'd suggest you remain where you are until our companions return."

Zelena obeyed with a frustrated sigh.

Killian, back on his feet now, moved to stand at the outlaw's side. "How long do you imagine they'll be, mate?" he asked quietly.

Robin shrugged. "I've no pressing duties to attend to at the moment. Have you?"

The pirate smiled. "Nay, I've not." He glanced over his shoulder to David and Emma.

"We'll batten hatches here," he said. "No need for the rest of you lot to hang about. Not when yon babe needs to get back to his mother."

"Take Little John with you," Robin interjected. "Let your physicians ascertain that his recent indisposition has left no lingering effect."

"Right," David nodded, motioning the others to follow. "Wait." He reached into his pocket and took out a pair of handcuffs. He tossed them toward the two men standing over Zelena. Without batting an eye, Killian raised his hook and snagged one of the cuffs.

"Call us if there's any trouble," Emma added.

"Aye, love," Killian agreed, stooping down to secure the witch. "Though I don't imagine it'll be necessary. We'll meet you at the hospital once matters are resolved here."

The back room of his shop looked to him exactly as it had when last he'd left it. No speck of dust to mark the passage of time; someone—Belle, most likely—had kept things clean and tidy. Rumple didn't spare more than a glance for his surroundings, though. Instead, he turned angry, expectant eyes on Regina. "Well, your majesty," he said curtly, "private enough?"

Regina nodded. "I believe so. Thank you for agreeing to this."

"I've agreed to nothing," Rumple snapped. "Though, I imagine that matters little now that you possess the blade."

Regina shook her head. "On the contrary," she replied, "it matters a great deal."

Rumple snorted at that.

"Seriously, Rumple, we do need to discuss this."

"Well, dearie, we can discuss away, but we both know whose arguments will carry in the end."

Regina sighed. "That's not how I want to do this."

"And yet you hold my dagger."

"For now," Regina nodded. "If all goes well, I'll return it before we leave here, but first… We have to talk."

Rumple's eyes narrowed, but he gave a faint nod, though his expression was stony. A quick, surprised smile passed over Regina's face. "How are your feet?" she asked.

"Never you mind, dearie. Now that I've my magic again, such debilitation is a thing of the past."

Her smile stayed longer this time. "That's good to know."

"But you didn't have me bring you here to inquire about my health."

"Actually," Regina replied, "that was one of the reasons. I wasn't certain whether you wanted everyone present to know the details of what you went through last year and even if you're okay with that, I rather think that this discussion might go more smoothly if there's nobody on the periphery to interrupt with questions and requests for clarification."

Despite himself, Rumple gave her a quick, involuntary nod. While the prince was certainly aware of those events and Robin might have some knowledge, he most definitely didn't want the pirate to know the particulars. As for Emma, he didn't really object if someone were to bring her up to date out of his hearing, but not in front of him! His expression thawed ever so slightly. "Well, I appreciate that," he allowed. "But you have other reasons."

"Yes." Regina took a breath. "My sister did more than kill Neal, and we both know it."

"And yet, you're protecting her."

"It wasn't that long ago that I was bent on ending Snow's existence because she'd killed my mother. At the time, you asked me a question that…" she smiled wryly, "If the truth must be known, made me want to rip out your heart for asking it, so I imagine you'll return the sentiment if I pose it to you now. Must I?"

How many people have we killed, trying to get what we want? His expression hardened. "I remember," he said coldly. "You needn't repeat it."

"I'm not going to pretend that Zelena doesn't deserve to be punished," Regina said. "Of course she does. But… she and I are a lot alike. Our mother ruined us both; she gave away Zelena, but she kept me. I'm hard-put to say which action was the more damaging."

"If you're trying to appeal to my sympathies…"

Regina shook her head. "No. But I can understand what it's like to not have the life you wanted, the life you think you deserve."

"Tick tock, dearie."

Regina swallowed. "After Snow and David defeated my forces, after my capture, I don't think that there was a soul in either kingdom—present company included—who thought I didn't deserve death."

"Except your stepdaughter."

Regina shook her head. "Not even her. But despite that, she decided to give me another chance—one I admit I threw back in her face. But if she hadn't, if she'd given me the fate I justly deserved, I'd have gone to my grave believing something along the lines of the words Zelena flung at me not an hour ago. That evil and darkness were my destiny, and that I had no chance of being anything better."

"And you want to give her a second chance in turn," Rumple almost hissed. "When she's done nothing to earn it."

"What had I done to earn it when Snow gave me mine?"

Rumple looked away. "Well, there's nothing I can do to prevent you from doing as you plan. But if you're hoping for my blessing…"

"I told you," Regina said, "I'm not denying that she deserves to be punished. I don't want you to kill her, but surely there are other options."

Slowly, he turned back to meet her gaze, one eyebrow raised. "Well," he said warily, but with the faintest of smiles, "what did you have in mind?"

Snow broke into a tearful smile when she saw her husband and daughter enter the hospital room, David clutching a blanket-wrapped bundle gently to his chest. "He's okay?" she asked, scarcely daring to believe it.

"Fine," David nodded, just as the child began to wail. "I think he's just hungry."

Snow reached for her son with a sigh of relief. "And everyone else is…?"

"Yeah," Emma replied. Then she paused for a beat. "Except for maybe Zelena."

David nodded slowly, his expression unreadable, as he quickly filled his wife in on the details.

"And Rumpelstiltskin wants her dead," Snow surmised.

"Can you blame him?" David asked.

"David!" Snow exclaimed. "I understand how he must feel, but surely he can't be allowed to…"

David shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "I don't know," he admitted. "Somehow, I get the feeling that the things we know she did to him are just the tip of the iceberg. I can't blame him for wanting a chance to dish out a little payback." He paused. "Honestly, if I were in his place, I'd be fighting hard not to."

"But she's beaten," Snow protested. "Powerless. Surely you can't be saying it's okay to kill her!"

"I think Regina's trying to talk him out of it," Emma cut in. "But are we seriously going to get upset with him if she can't? Zelena had Gold locked up for almost a year. Plus, I think when he was too… mixed up to control, she let him go hoping I'd be able to pull him and Neal apart, knowing it would kill Neal! No wonder he wants to…"

"That's," David took a deep breath. "That might not even be the worst thing she did. After Belle told us that he was alive, after Zelena threatened us, we broke into his castle asking for his help. That's how we knew we had to get to you. But afterwards, Belle and Regina sneaked back to see if there was anything else they could do for him." He winced. "Something we all should have considered asking before we left. And…"

Emma waited. "Dad?" she asked, after he'd been quiet for too long.

David took another breath. "And thinking about the state he was in when they found him… if killing Zelena is all Rumpelstiltskin does, maybe we should admire his restraint." When Regina had told them the condition in which she'd found Rumple, she'd been terse, delivering the bare facts—which had been horrific enough—without going into much detail. Thinking back now, David wasn't sure if he'd ever elaborated on that initial report, or if, after Snow's return from the Dark Forest, between his agitation over the torture chamber in their palace and their need to find a way back to the realm they were in now, he'd pushed it to the back burner and never brought it up. He gave his wife a pained smile. Then he turned to Emma. And then he told them both everything.

Regina hesitated. The truth was that she hadn't thought this far ahead. Until a few minutes ago, her primary objective had been stopping Zelena; she hadn't taken the time to consider what would happen once the emerald choker was off her neck. "Uh…" If Rumple said 'tick-tock' again now, she was probably going to revert to Darkness. She thought quickly. "I have," she took a breath, "two options." Two half-formed options, but she was working on fleshing them out as she spoke.

"Well?" Rumple snapped.

She frowned. This wasn't just about what they were going to do with Zelena; it was about what would happen afterwards. More. She was going to have to choose her next words extremely carefully, if she didn't want Rumple to find some loophole in the arrangement that they were about—that she hoped they were about—to strike. He was going to be looking for one. Especially with the kind of leverage she was currently holding over him. She chewed the inside of her lower lip for a moment. Then, slowly, she pulled out the dagger and set it down on the table before them, keeping her hand on the hilt. "I was planning to return this to you when we were finished," she said, "but if we're going to have any kind of good-faith negotiation, then I think you need an assurance that if we can't come to some sort of mutually satisfactory agreement, I won't just use the dagger to compel your acquiescence and thereby make a mockery of these proceedings. I realize that once this is back in your possession, there'll be nothing stopping you from whisking yourself back to the barn and having your revenge on Zelena before I can follow, but I'm hoping you'll at least hear me out first. May I have your word on that? Please?"

Rumple's eyes were glued to the dagger, but Regina hadn't missed the way they'd been widening as she spoke. She exhaled when he gave her a quick nod. "Then there's no further reason for me to hold onto it," she said with a confidence that was only half-feigned, as she released the hilt.

Rumple snatched it up at once and slid it into his jacket, but when he met Regina's gaze again, it was with eyes that held far more wonder than rage. "You said you had two proposals…?" he prompted.

"Yes." She was still making them both up as she went, but they were less hackneyed than they'd been a moment ago. "The first one, I think, you'll like more at first blush, but I'd recommend that you listen to both."

"I gave you my word, dearie. Don't insult me by thinking I'll break it now."

Regina shook her head. "I just don't want to think you'll jump at the first opportunity, before you hear the other option." She took another breath. "You can have an hour alone with her. You don't kill her or cause her any physical or mental damage with a reasonable expectation of being permanent. But I suspect you'll still make it what's likely to be the longest hour of her existence," she added with a malicious smile. "However," she continued, sobering, "once that hour's up, she's free to go about her business. We can both keep an eye on her, and I'm certain we won't be the only ones, but she gets the same opportunity I had at a second chance. She may take it; she may not, but until she does something to demonstrate she hasn't, she has the run of the town."

Rumple winced, though his expression didn't waver. "And the second option?"

Regina paused. "This one is going to require an obligation on your part that you aren't going to like either. Emma once told me something I believe you'll agree with in principle: that in any compromise, both parties are somewhat dissatisfied."

"Indeed," Rumple nodded, the distrust back in his eyes, as he rasped, "And the source of my dissatisfaction in this instance…?"

"Maybe I should lead with the parts you'll like," Regina said, her smile a bit warmer now, though still cautious. "We keep Zelena in the same quarters in which she had you for a year."

"I like it already," Rumple chuckled. "Go on."

"She gets one to two hours a day out of the cage for supervised fresh air and exercise; you or I can provide the supervision, or we could ask one of the others at your discretion. We set up a protection spell around the farmhouse property line to keep her within those boundaries; I'd suggest a Palaci seal, if you're amenable. And as far as food, we can spell the cage to provide a limited menu, or we can bring it in ourselves. I suppose if the spinning wheel were removed, there'd be room enough for a cot and," she wrinkled her nose, "a commode."

Rumple nodded, his smile broadening. A Palaci seal was a dual lock safeguard; a protection spell that required two spell-casters to enact. Once raised, only those two could lower it again. Incorporating such a measure would ensure that neither he nor Regina would be able to spirit the witch away without the other's knowledge. It would also, he noted wryly, retain a record of anything transpiring within the protection area, effectively negating any attempt to secretly end the witch's existence or, conversely, slip her a charm that would allow her to escape the spell barriers. It would be an effective safeguard for all parties involved.

He raised wary eyes to Regina. "I think I'd better hear the catch, now."

Regina pressed her lips together firmly and nodded. "I want you to book twelve sessions with Archie."

Rumple's jaw went slack. "I-I beg your pardon?" he managed.

Regina met his gaze, unwavering. "When that year is up, Zelena still goes free. After what she did to you, I think it wise for you to develop some sort of coping strategy in advance of that happening. Archie's expertise is likely to prove helpful."

"You can't be serious."

"Twelve sessions," she repeated. "I won't try to police what you do while you're in them. If you're at all interested in knowing, I spent my first session in Archie's office staring at the floor, answering his questions with shrugs and one-word replies, and trying to find a way to begin that wouldn't end with his throwing up his hands and informing me that I was beyond his help." She paused for a moment. "That pattern held for probably three quarters of the second session, too. If it takes you longer than that to open up, so be it; the sessions spent getting you to that point won't be considered wasted. All I'm asking is that you book the appointments, you give it your best shot, and if Archie's satisfied with fewer than twelve, then that's good enough for me, too. I won't insult you by suggesting that you might be considering being deliberately uncooperative in hopes of provoking the very reaction from him that I was trying to avoid or that you might be thinking of finding some sort of leverage to bring to bear on him to get him to release you early. If that's your aim," she sighed, "I can't stop you. But I'm hoping you'll recognize that I'm not including the directive in order to… to penalize you or because I like making you uncomfortable." She smirked. "I mean, I do enjoy that, obviously," she added, before she continued more seriously, "but that's not my reason now."

"Suppose he believes that twelve sessions won't suffice?" Rumple hedged.

"That's between you and him. The terms of this proposal call for twelve sessions. If you choose not to continue afterwards, that's your decision and I'll consider the deal upheld."

"And just how are you unhappy in all this, your majesty?"

Regina shook her head. "She's my sister. It's not going to be easy for me to see her locked up for a year. I'll admit she deserves it, but as I said before, I deserved far worse. I can't say I would have been the better for a year's incarceration."

"Opinions may vary," Rumple murmured.

"Well," Regina returned not rising to his bait, "I suppose we'll never know." She sighed. "If you need more time to consider the options, or if you have a better idea…?"

"Not one you'll accept," Rumple said, with a slight shake of his head. "No. I thank you, but I believe I can accept your second proposal with better grace than your first. With," he added, "one addition."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

Rumple smiled. "I want to deliver her to her new lodgings. My way…"

Zelena was growing more and more irritated as the minutes dragged on. Her adrenaline high was gone by now, and the coldness of the packed dirt floor on which she was sitting was seeping in. Her guards looked bored and sleepy, but she already knew that the moment she attempted to slip away—admittedly, a challenge with her hands cuffed behind her back, but she'd still tried—there'd be a sword or a hook pressed to her throat. She shook her head. "How long do you intend to keep me here? Rumple's a stubborn one. My sister might be hours talking him 'round."

"Then we'll be here for hours," Robin informed her nonchalantly.

"Of course," Killian murmured, "there's the distinct possibility that it won't be the crocodile who'll be forced to give way. I can't say I'll envy your chances in that instance."

Zelena's lip curled back as she opened her mouth to respond. But whatever she might have said was lost in a startled shriek, as the same force that Regina had halted some time earlier engulfed her once more, dragging her roughly out of the barn, through the open storm cellar doors, down the unsanded wooden stairs and into the waiting cage. As the door slammed shut and the heavy padlock threaded its way through the hasp, Zelena's handcuffs vanished.

Regina turned to Rumple, her expression inscrutable. "Satisfied?"

Rumple nodded slowly. "We have a deal."

"Deal?" Zelena repeated. "What deal?"

Rumple turned cold eyes on her. "You have your life," he said. "And in one year's time, you'll have your freedom. You've your sister to thank for both gifts, for I had no certainly wasn't about to grant you either." With that, he spun on his heel and set one foot on the first stair.

Regina gave her sister a look that might have contained the barest hint of sympathy. Then she turned to follow Rumple.

"Wait," Zelena cried. "You're just going to leave me here?"

Regina turned back with a sigh. "Your meals will appear three times a day. And you'll have an hour a day to walk about the grounds."

"One hour a day," Zelena repeated. "For an entire year?"

"Depending on your behavior, it can be increased to two. Oh." She waved her hand and the spinning wheel and stools vanished. A folding cot now stood against one wire-mesh wall, graced with a woolen blanket and a single pillow. Against the opposite wall, a camping toilet sat next to a sink. "You'll find," Regina continued, "that the faucet also functions as a shower nozzle." She eyed the setup critically. Another wave of her hand brought an opaque curtain to encircle the two items, affording their user some privacy. "Well," she added with a tight smile, "I believe that's everything, now. Unless you've any questions?"

"Why?" Zelena snapped. "Why not just kill me and be done with it?"

Regina sighed. Behind her, Rumple was making his way up the stairs, though she suspected he was probably going to wait close by to ensure that she wasn't going to renege on the deal they'd just struck. She had no intention of doing so. "Not long ago," she told her sister, "I was a lot like you. I wanted to kill someone who wronged me and I failed. Had I killed Snow White, I wouldn't be in this world. I wouldn't be with these people, and... I wouldn't have my son, Henry. So, no, Zelena, I won't kill you. Instead, once this year is over, I'm going give you what I got. I'm going give you a second chance."

Zelena sniffed scornfully. "What if I don't want it?" she demanded.

Regina gave her a cool smile. "Well, that would be a mistake, dear," she warned. "Take it. Use it. Evil isn't born. It's made. And so is good. If I were you... I'd consider creating a new destiny. Because if you don't, I'll be right there to take your heart and crush it. Now, if you'll excuse me... I have a step-grandson to visit at the hospital."

Without a backward glance, she climbed the stairs. As she'd expected, Rumple was standing just outside the storm cellar. "You want to do the honors?" she asked him.

"With pleasure," Rumple replied, in almost the same tone of voice in which he'd spoken those same words a short while ago. The wooden doors banged shut of their own accord and the heavy bolt slid smoothly across them. He turned to Regina with a grim, approving smile.

Regina's answering smile froze on her face before it yielded to a worried frown. "Rumple?"

He seemed to wilt before her eyes, his face pale and haggard as he slapped a hand down on the side of the cellar entrance for support. "We should… go back to the barn," he murmured. "Rub out the etching. Some residual power might… might…"

Regina started toward him and laid her hand on his shoulder. As she did, Rumple sank to one knee and the tears that he'd been holding back could be denied no longer. Regina shook her head. Hesitantly at first, and then gently, fiercely, she pulled him closer and held tight.