Chapter 2—"This Cruel Trick of Fate"
"Let the boy go and I'll answer your questions." Tiger Lily faced her so bravely that Fiona had to laugh.
"Why are you so worried about children now? You never were worried about my son!" Those words burst out with more emotion than she wanted them to; even after this long, that fact still burned.
"I had to protect all the children you wanted to banish! You're the one who cut your son off from his destiny, not me!" Her old friend actually looked angry, but Fiona had to scoff.
"And after that, I'm sure you and Blue never worried for one measly moment about him. After all, he wasn't the Savior any longer. He wasn't important." She sneered, her heart racing furiously. How could she still be so angry over what had happened? She was different now, and yet the pain felt so fresh. Pain makes me stronger. Magic crackled in her hands, dark and powerful and so ready to make Tiger Lily suffer. "I doubt you even looked in on him."
"He was with his father." That answer sounded incredibly weak, even to Fiona's ears, but she couldn't bring herself to pounce on the weakness. Don't think about Malcolm, she told herself firmly. Don't think of how he must have wept for you.
"But not his mother. You saw to that. You and Blue." She spat the words before drawing herself up proudly, allowing the darkness to wrap around her and comfort her. They had left her with nothing else, and she'd let Tiger Lily see how powerful she was. She giggled. "And now you do nothing as I steal other children. How appropriate."
"I'd heard the stories, but I didn't want to believe them." Tiger Lily had the audacity to look sad, but the boy got in before Fiona could laugh.
"You're the Black Fairy." Brown eyes zeroed in on her, and although he looked wary, this one didn't seem to fear her, either.
"And you're a clever one, aren't you?" She cocked her head, taking his messy brown hair and lean build. This one looked hauntingly familiar, although Fiona couldn't quite say why. Perhaps he was related to the last one she'd stolen from this island?
"No. But it doesn't take much to figure out who the child-stealing fairy dressed in black is." He shrugged diffidently. "Funny you should come here. Everyone here's already been stolen."
"Oh, have they?" That made things more interesting, and Fiona turned back to Tiger Lily. "Is that what you're doing these days?"
"Of course not! That's Pan." A deep scowl. "And he makes even you look…good."
"I doubt that." Fiona had few things to enjoy in her exile, but she did like the way people were afraid of her. Power was a cold comfort, but it was a comfort. It was the only comfort she had.
"At least you went dark trying to save your son. He—" Tiger Lily cut off suddenly, shaking her head. "He didn't. And now he steals children to torment them."
"My, that sounds familiar. I have to admit that I grow more and more curious about this Pan creature by the moment." Watching the boy shudder was supremely entertaining, and even Tiger Lily looked like she might get sick. Of course, Fiona wasn't going to tell Tiger Lily that she didn't hurt the children she took. She only disciplined them, made them stronger. It wasn't right—even she knew that—but it wasn't for fun. She let them go when they were loyal, too. Sometimes. Speaking of which. "You can go," she told the boy, waving him away. "Unless you want to find out exactly how bad I can be, of course."
He snorted. "Not really, no."
"Then shoo."
The boy didn't have to be told twice; he darted out of the cave and Fiona thought no more of him. Tiger Lily, on the other hand, was fascinatingly pale.
"Don't be curious about Pan. Fiona, if you listen to nothing else I say, please understand that you don't want to see him—"
"But I'm not Fiona any more, dear. I'm the Black Fairy." Stepping forward, Fiona reached out to touch Tiger Lily's cheek. The former fairy flinched, and she loved it. "You saw to that when you refused to help me save my son. And now you're going to answer for failing to protect him."
"What?" Tiger Lily's eyes were huge. "But I—I wasn't his Fairy Godmother anymore."
"Oh, of course not. He wasn't important enough, was he?" Maybe she'd rip Tiger Lily's heart out, finish the job she started all those years ago.
"No. I gave up my wings after everything that happened. After I failed to stop you." Tiger Lily looked away guiltily.
"So, you just ran away instead of protecting him. My, what a valiant and good fairy godmother you turned out to be. So much for telling me that it was your job to protect him!" Her hand fell to Tiger Lily's throat almost on its own, and the way the bones constricted and Tiger Lily gasped felt wonderful. "You made sure that I wouldn't be able to protect him, and then you left my boy alone! You—"
"My, this is an interesting reunion, isn't it?"
Turning, Fiona found herself facing a smirking teenager. If he hadn't been floating in the air, she would have dismissed him utterly, but power radiated around the obnoxious child—and he was horribly familiar. First that snarky boy, and now this smirking blonde had struck the same chord within her, yet she'd never seen either one before. That realization made her shake her head, desperate to clear it. This island realm was full of strange magic, and maybe it was making her think everyone was familiar. There was no other reasonable explanation.
"I fail to see what business it is of yours." Drawing herself up, Fiona released Tiger Lily and brushed her hands off. "You must be this Pan I keep hearing about."
"Peter Pan, actually." His grin was self-centered and loathsome; Fiona felt her lip curling up in disgust. This was a boy—or perhaps a man, if young Ed had been right—who felt he was more important than everyone else. And more powerful.
If he can get me what I want, I don't care how cocky he is.
"Peter Pan, then." She gave him her sweetest smile, which Fiona had to admit was not nearly as sweet as it had been back when she had been good and innocent. Now it was predatory, but Pan didn't seem bothered by that. "I understand that this island is…yours."
"Aye, it is. As is everything on it." He landed lightly, smirk still in place. "And that might include you, now, Fiona."
She glared. "Silly little boys don't get to call me by that name. You get to call me the Black Fairy."
"Fiona…" Tiger Lily's voice sounded pained, but the brat just laughed over her.
"Aye, lass, I could, but I never have, and never will." Pan's smile turned vicious. "But of course you don't recognize me. I wouldn't recognize myself, particularly not after so long." He gestured at his body, practically leering. "And particularly not after I've grown younger and more powerful than you could ever dream of."
"What are you talking about?" Fiona tried to scoff the words, tried to fight down the growing sense of alarm. There was something she wasn't seeing, something just out of her reach…
"You don't remember me, do you, love?"
"I think I'd remember a singularly self-absorbed adolescent like you had we met before," Fiona drawled before she could stop herself, giggling a bit. The cocky little bastard radiated power, but she was certain she could handle him. And if she couldn't, well, the damned Dark Realm would pull her back soon enough. To her children.
I am here to ask for his help, not antagonize him! Fiona knew she didn't have much time, and she couldn't waste it. She couldn't bear spending more time in that Dark Realm; she was fairly sure that she'd lose her soul if she did. She knew she was perilously close to that already. For a long time, the thought of her son had kept her sane, but knowing he was dead had gutted her. And being a bit further from the Dark Realm only reminded Fiona of how far she had fallen. She hurt children when she was there. What kind of monster was she? I have to get away.
The boy scoffed. "You think you'd remember the man you left behind, but I wouldn't put it past you to forget." Pan gestured at her, sneering dismissively. "After all, you abandoned your family."
"And who told you that?" Fiona felt power crackling down her spine as her fury built and built. Who was this little ingrate to lecture her? He knew nothing about her, and—
"No one had to. You're here." Abruptly, Pan's sneer veered into another smile. "But of course you don't recognize me. You probably forgot all about the husband you left behind, didn't you? I knew that those pesky fairies calling it an 'accident' was a lie, but I never knew how much of one."
She blinked hard. "….What?"
"See? Forgotten already." Pan shrugged showily. "I suppose that's the way of power, isn't it? Now that I've gotten a taste, I quite understand."
"You can't—you can't—" A sick feeling was starting to form in her stomach, heavy and nauseating.
"Ah ,but I can. Seems we both found our way to power without caring about what it cost others."
Fiona felt cold. So cold. This could not be. He could not be. Not the man she still dreamt of, still ached for. This arrogant and cruel child could not be her lost love. "Malcolm?"
"Don't sound so shocked, Fiona. You gave our son and me up for power, and all I did was follow your example." His grin was sadistically smug. "When you get down to it, love isn't nearly as important as power."
"You what?" Shock made her words soft instead of sharp. A distant tug accompanied them, but Fiona ignored it. The Dark Realm suddenly felt so unimportant, and her exile was meaningless. Was Malcolm saying what she thought he was. "What…what did you do?"
"You might say I followed in your footsteps. Being a single father was hardly in the cards for me. Having a mewling, clingy little worm stuck to you every moment of every day gets old after a while." He shrugged. "Rumple was a pathetic little brat, anyway, always demanding love and care, never standing up for himself. When the shadow here offered me a deal to give him up, I was more than ready."
"You gave up our son." She could barely breathe. Her chest was tight and it felt like a giant weight was pressing down on her.
"Aye. It was easy, too. As I'm sure you already know."
Magic tore out of her, catching Pan by surprise and throwing him back against a tree hard enough that the trunk cracked. "I promised to spend every moment of every day trying to find my way back to him, and you gave him up?" A black wind started whipping around them, fast and strong. "I was trying to protect him!"
"By leaving?" Pan snorted, freeing himself from the tree with an effort. "That's rich. Now, do be a good little girl and leave my island, or you'll find out how very powerful I am."
"I don't care how powerful you are. I'm going to make you pay!" Fiona had never hated anyone as much as she hated her husband in that moment; she had loved the man this boy had been with all of her heart, had trusted him, had believed he would care for their beloved son when she was gone.
He gave him up willingly, and people call me the monster.
She was shaking with rage, but the tug was back, and Fiona could feel it pulling her away.
"Fiona, he's not worth it." Tiger Lily's desperate whisper made her turn in surprise. Her old friend was still there? Why was she here on Pan's nasty little island, anyway?
"Not worth it? You and Blue sent me away from my son, only to let him trade my boy for power?" The words were a shriek, but she didn't care about dignity. Her son had been abandoned by both of his parents.
"I couldn't stop him. Blue forbade me contact with your son. She said since I'd failed to stop you, I wasn't a worthy fairy godmother." Tiger Lily looked racked by guilt. "But he grew up with two spinsters, who—"
"I've already seen them!" Or heard of them, but it was close enough.
The pull was growing stronger, and Fiona could feel herself shrinking to fairy size. She fought it desperately, wanting to make Pan pay. He's not Malcolm. Not anymore.
"Then you know he was happy with them." Tiger Lily shot an acid glare Pan's way, reaching for Fiona's hand before Fiona could jerk away. "Happier than he ever was with him, and better cared for, too."
"That doesn't make it right! And it's his fault that our boy died!" Fiona had never imagined that her son would be abandoned by his father, too. Not by Malcolm. Not her Malcolm.
"Is that what you think?" Pan's laughter echoed around them as Fiona gasped. She'd never fought the pull to the Dark Realm like this, and it was growing painful. But she didn't care. What was physical pain, compared to this?
"It's been hundreds of years," she snarled, whirling back to face him. Movement frayed her magic, and the tug grew stronger, as if gravity itself was trying to betray her. "Of course he's dead!"
"Dead? Oh no, he's not dead." Another laughing shrug. "It's much worse. He's The Dark One."
"What? No—no—that's impossible." She felt like the wind had been sucked out of her chest. All she could manage was a broken whisper. "He can't be."
Pan threw back his head and chortled. "Darkness seems to run in the family, doesn't it?"
"No. Not him. Not my—"
She never managed the last word. Suddenly, power swept her up before Fiona could find a way to counter it. She was pulled into the sky at dizzying speed, sucked back into dead and dark exile.
"I was starting to grow concerned." He had also been starting to pace a path into the ground, but Rumplestiltskin wasn't going to mention that. Even to Cora. Don't show weakness, Zoso whispered inside him, but he batted the voice aside.
He was happy. He was finally allowed to be happy, and now he would have a bewitching and dark enchantress by his side. Together, they would find Baelfire, and he would at last have the family he had always dreamt of having.
Cora smiled slightly. "Well, here I am."
Ignoring the strange stilted tone of her voice, Rumplestiltskin leaned forward to kiss her. Cora's lips met his readily, yet there was an emptiness in her that he had never felt before, something dark and deep and gone. The spark between them was missing, snuffed out by something he could no longer touch.
"Something's not right." The words came out even as the truth dawned on him, but he couldn't, wouldn't believe it. He had to be wrong. Something terrible must have happened.
"Yes." Again, her expression didn't change. "You're correct."
"Well, what happened? Couldn't you take the King's heart?" Rumplestiltskin leaned forward, willing the answer to be anything but the truth he knew. His heart was already racing, beating an erratic and nervous tango out inside his chest.
She shrugged. "No, I was able to do it. I chose not to."
"Ah." That was the only word he could get around the sick bile bubbling up in his throat. I told you so, Nimue whispered. You know what she is. You love her for what she is, you great fool.
You should have seen this coming.
"I'm sorry, my dear Rumple. I'm not going with you." Cora didn't seem very sorry, but Rumplestiltskin wanted to cry. Nimue was right. He was a fool, but he loved her. Yet Cora went on in that same calm, unfeeling voice. "You see, I have a wedding to go to—my own."
Rumplestiltskin pointed down at the box she held. "Whose heart is in the box?" He had to know.
Finally, she flinched a little. "Don't make this harder."
"You lied to me! Whose heart?" He wanted to rip her to pieces, but emotion stayed his hand. Furious though he was, he wanted to be wrong. Or maybe he wanted to be right. If it was hers, then he could convince her—
"Mine." A little shrug, and for a moment, Cora looked regretful. Then she squared her shoulders like she was facing a demon. "I had to. You told me not to let anything stop me until they're on their knees. My heart was stopping me."
"You never loved me! Never! You're not getting away with this." He was shaking with rage, could hear a dozen voices within him screaming for revenge. "We had a contract. I'll take your baby!"
"You changed the contract, Rumple." Now she looked satisfied as well as sad, but sadness would not mend his broken heart. "You only get your own child. And any baby I have…it won't be yours."
She played you, Spinner. Gave you love and affection, and took what she wanted. Power. Zoso's voice was almost wistful. Still, she did seem to genuinely like us. It's a pity she didn't go for the dagger. She'd make a fine Dark One.
Shut up! He wanted to scream, but instead, Rumplestiltskin dug into the darkness, using it as armor to shield his shredded heart. If Zoso and the others wanted a Dark One, he would give them a Dark One!
"You never wanted me, did you?" he hissed, power swirling up around him. He could destroy Cora utterly, could rip her to pieces. Who cared if he needed her daughter for the curse? He could find someone else. "You only wanted power."
"You're the one who taught me that power matters." Cora drew herself up. "Just as you told me how you let your son go to hold onto your power. I'm merely following your example."
"I—I—" His fury died, drowned in heartbreak. Had Cora really thought that he wanted to give up Baelfire for power? He'd been terrified and the darkness had—had—
We led you down the right road. Power should always be chosen over love.
"Goodbye, Rumple." Cora gave him a sad smile, and then turned to walk away.
Heartbroken and deflated, Rumplestiltskin let her go.
"Get away from me!"
Two children approached as Fiona was slammed into the caves of the Dark Realm, but she swept them back with a threatening wave of one arm. She wasn't in any frame of mind to do magic, particularly without a wand—the fairy source of her power wanted a wand, and it had taken her years to learn any magic at all without one. But the children weren't fools; they fled when she screamed at them, disappearing into the caves and probably happy for the reprieve. A part of her wanted to chase them, to make them suffer for daring to approach her, but Fiona couldn't handle that right now.
Her son was alive.
The thought should have been an occasion for joy, should have made her want to sing with happiness, but she could not. Even the knowledge that Malcolm had somehow turned himself into a cruel self-centered adolescent hadn't been enough to shake her like this, but what Malcolm—Pan!—had told her rocked Fiona down to her very core. Her son was the Dark One.
How could that have happened? How could her sweet boy, destined to be the Savior, have embraced such terrible darkness? Fiona had never regretted turning to the darkness to protect him, but she had done so that he would never have to! Her beautiful, perfect boy was not meant for such a terrible fate. He was not meant to know what it felt like to have darkness coiling inside you, driving you to do worse and worse deeds, to hurt everyone around you. He had been meant for the light, not for this!
And how could he handle it? Had cutting his destiny away made him more susceptible to the darkness? Of course it would. Images of a ravaging monster came to mind, of someone whose inherent light had been stripped away and left with nothing but darkness. Even Fiona cringed thinking upon that; she had heard stories of the Dark One growing up, and knew what kinds of terrors one could unleash. She shivered, hugging herself helplessly when she reached her private chambers. Her son was a monster. She had made him into a monster by taking away the power that should have kept him safe. She could tell herself that she had been trying to protect him, but the truth would not change. Her Savior had become a Dark One.
Yet when emotion gave way to reason, Fiona started to wonder about that. If more than two centuries had passed in the Enchanted Forest, that meant he'd been the Dark One for almost that long. No one survived more than two hundred years as the Dark One. Fiona knew her history. Even Nimue's reign of darkness had only lasted eighty-some years, and most others were slain far more quickly than that. But my son still lives.
Slowly, Fiona lifted her black crystal ball with shaking hands. "Show me the Dark One."
Fiona had been afraid to say the words, but she forced them out of her mouth. Saying show me my son had never worked; even the crystal ball needed more guidance than that. Outside the Dark Realm, a simple spell would have sufficed to let her see her son, but breaking magic through the walls of her exile was hard, even for a mother seeking her son. She had tried so many times to find him, only for her spells to fail. Now, however, the crystal ball grew cloudy…and then cleared, revealing a slender man dressed in leather and silk.
His face was golden and marred by scales, yet Fiona could see the slender bone structure underneath his curse. The set of his cheekbones reminded her of her father, as did his messy curls. But she only got a moment to study his face before the figure her crystal ball whirled away, a furious expression on his face—which was suddenly obscured by a cloud of dark red smoke.
Then he was gone, leaving her staring at a tree. A tree.
"Bring him back!" she snarled at the ball before she could stop herself. Yelling didn't work, of course, so Fiona had to force her anger back and focus on re-creating the spell. However, after a moment, her son's image re-coalesced.
Right as he smashed a candelabra into the smooth surface of a wooden table. Sides heaving, he brought the candelabra smashing down again, and again, and then again. Finally he flung it away with a soft, snarling noise of rage, only to grab a chair and smash that into the table. A china cabinet with a glass door was the chair's next victim, and unlike the table, it shattered, spraying her son with glass. Foolishly, Fiona opened her mouth to object before snapping it shut again—she could do nothing from here, and her son was the Dark One. A few cuts could be healed with the flick of his smallest finger.
So, she watched his face as he stabbed the chair towards the cabinet's contents, and paid no mind as he smashed a bowl and some glass goblets. She knew that kind of breakdown. She could feel the heartbreak and pain radiating off of her son, could see the tears in his eyes that he refused to shed. Something had broken him, something had cut him so deeply that crying would not even begin to ease the pain.
Most mothers would weep with their son, but Fiona's heart leapt. Yes, her precious son was suffering—and she burned to seek revenge upon whomever or whatever had hurt him so—but that meant he was still there. That meant that her son's heart, fated to be so strong and so good, was not lost to darkness. He was no mere vessel for the darkness, no ravaging monster whom the woman inside the Black Fairy might shrink away from. He was still her son, Dark One or not, and she was going to find a way back to him.
No matter what it took.
A/N: Stay tuned for Chapter 3—"A Change in Me," in which Fiona asks for Tiger Lily's help leaving the Dark Realm and ends up making a deal she does not understand. Meanwhile, Baelfire hides from Pan, and Cora breaks Rumplestiltskin's heart.
