Chapter 12—"More Than They've Got Planned"


Three days passed before Fiona realized that her son was avoiding the maid. Two weeks earlier, there'd been hints of a budding romance between the two, and now Rumplestiltskin was snappish and nasty when he did see Belle, worse than he'd been even in the beginning. Fiona suspected what had happened, and she was half surprised that Rumplestiltskin hadn't thrown Belle back in the dungeon. I told the silly girl not to bring it up, and now I'm going to have to undo the damage she has done. Hopefully, Belle had not mentioned who had put the idea of breaking Rumplestiltskin's curse on her mind, but Fiona didn't think she had. If she had, my boy wouldn't be speaking to me.

The more Fiona watched the pair, and the more she studied the fairies' lore on the Dark One, the more she came to a depressing conclusion. Oh, she knew that True Love's Kiss could break any curse, and she had no doubt that her son could love, but Fiona had hoped to find a more proactive solution to the problem. What manner in which the Dark One's curse 'broke' had never been tested, and not knowing what might happen left even the Black Fairy nervous. Such a kiss could unleash the darkness to torment someone else, leaving Rumplestiltskin a powerless cripple once more, which he would hate. His soul would be free, and he could go back to his original path, but Fiona knew better than anyone that his Savior magic was gone. She had used it to escape the Dark Realm, after all, and had watched it dissipate afterwards. And this only holds true if he and Belle could share True Love. Fiona wasn't sure if that was possible, even for a Dark One as full of love as her son, but there would be no way to find out if Rumplestiltskin kept avoiding the girl.

Her line really did take every emotion to its possible extreme, didn't they? Sighing, Fiona strode into his tower, noticing the three or four shattered teacups near the door. "What in the world has twisted you up so much, Rumplestiltskin?"

"Nothing."

He didn't even turn to look at her, keeping his eyes on whatever project he was working on like a petulant child or a distracted academic. Only he could combine those two so well. Fiona sighed.

"Two weeks ago, you were laughing and throwing snowballs at your adorable little maid. Now you refuse to talk to her. What happened?"

A long moment of silence passed. "She's a naive fool."

"That's not news." Fiona snorted. "She's always been that. I thought you found it endearing."

That finally earned her a glare. "She pretends to care for me. She doesn't."

"I do think she does," she said softly, moving forward to stand at Rumplestiltskin's side. Thankfully, he didn't pull away; he only laughed bitterly. "I think you know she does. And she understands more than you might think."

"Of course she doesn't. She asked me if there was any way to undo what I am." A sharp laugh. "As if I'd want to."

"Would you not?" Fiona cocked her head, reaching out to touch his cheek. "I can hear the voices badgering you. Would you not wish to be free of them?"

The unspoken matter of the Sorcerer's Hat hung in the air between them, but neither brought it up. Rumplestiltskin just shrugged. "All magic comes at a price."

"Yes, that is true. And the price of darkness is the highest of all." She sighed again. "Is that why you're angry at her? Because she thinks she can save you?"

"Because she doesn't understand why I'd be like this. She thinks she does." A vicious snort. "She's never known desperation in her life."

Fiona agree with that utterly and completely, but now was not the time to feed her son's angsty mood. "Nobility isn't a shield against being a desperate soul, you know."

Dislike nobles in general though Fiona did—she'd watched too many of them line their pockets with peasants' coin to even respect them—she wasn't blind to the fact that Belle had sacrificed herself to save her small kingdom from the ogres. Being willing to do that indicated a serious amount of courage—not to mention a deep and desperate need to make a difference that the peasant Fiona had been for a few short years recognized all too easily. Even as a fairy, she'd wanted to make a difference, to matter, yet she'd never been allowed to. Much to her surprise, she'd come to rather like Belle; the young woman was kind and smart, and she had brought a softer side out of Rumplestiltskin than Fiona had dreamed could exist. She loved her son for what he was, yet she had not expected someone else to be able to do so.

Unfortunately, he well and truly had his back up, now, and was hardly in a receptive mood. His scowl alone told the tale, particularly when he only snorted in response.

"Is that the only way in which she angered you?" Fiona needed to know if her own name had come up; if he was only furious with Belle for suggesting he stop being the Dark One, that was easy to deal with.

"She exists."

"Oh, do stop acting like a child and answer the bloody question!"

He ignored her.

"You can tell me now or tell me later, but either way, I will find out." Fiona steeled herself to be patient; she could outwait Rumplestiltskin, even if she'd go crazy doing so. He was her son through and through, and a stubborn silence would drive him mad. He was perfectly capable of being even more patient than her, yet he wouldn't—not when he didn't have a pressing reason to do so. Seconds ticked by, and then minutes, with Fiona simply watching her son, until the words finally exploded out of Rumplestiltskin in a snarl.

"She's a fool." He turned to glare at Fiona like this was her fault, and although it was, she certainly wasn't going to volunteer that fact.

"She's young, Rumple." Since when did I end up playing peacemaker? Tiger Lily would laugh and say that she told me so, could she see me now. "And she does care about you."

His reptilian eyes narrowed. "You say that, Mother? After the hurry you were in to get Cora out of my life?"

"I was eager to get a power hungry viper out of your life when she tried to enslave you." Fiona glared right back at him. "Was that a problem?"

"No." Her son blushed, just a little, and then suddenly looked away. Bashfully. "You think she likes me?"

"Only you could miss those signs, you silly boy." Fiona put a hand on his shoulder, smiling fondly as Rumplestiltskin looked up at her with owl-like eyes. "Of course she does."

"Oh."

The look on his face made it obvious that Rumplestiltskin had no idea what to do with that information, and Fiona checked another sigh. She was going to have to lead her silly child into this romance, wasn't she? How in the world did he manage to get married when he was human? She wanted to ask that, but didn't dare; Fiona remembered the unflattering picture Rumplestiltskin had painted of his first wife, of the woman who had abandoned him and his son for a pirate. His relationship with Cora had been based on power and darkness, and while under other circumstances Fiona would hardly object to that, she knew that Cora had hardly been the type who would bring Rumplestiltskin back to the light. Belle, on the other hand, just might do the trick.


Belle was half surprised that Rumplestiltskin hadn't thrown her back in the dungeon. Her employer certainly had avoided her like the plague ever since he'd thrown teacups at her like a barbarian, and he'd barked at her to get out any time she came near him. In her opinion, that was a ridiculous overreaction to the argument they'd had—particularly since he'd been halfway to drunk at the time! She'd tried to apologize once, but he'd threatened to turn her into a teapot and then teleported away before she could say another word, so Belle had taken to avoiding Rumplestiltskin in return. He hadn't restricted her access to the library, so she stayed there as much as she could, taking her meals in the kitchen as days ticked by.

The Black Fairy spoke from her to time to time, but Rumplestiltskin's mother was hardly a social butterfly. They sat down to do research once more, but the Black Fairy demurred when Belle tried to bring up her son.

"That's his concern." The Black Fairy waved a hand. "I can't get between the two of you, dear, even when he's being a fool."

Belle felt her eyebrows rise. "You think he's being a fool?"

"He's singularly good at it, yes." A small smile. "Give him time. He's…well, few enough people have cared for him, over the years. Sadly, Rumplestiltskin is not only difficult because of the darkness inside him."

"Oh." Belle didn't think that changed her opinion of him; she'd long since realized that there was an aching loneliness inside Rumplestiltskin, despite his mother's presence in the castle. "Do you think I should apologize to him, then?"

That made the Black Fairy laugh. "Oh, no. Don't bend too fast—he deserves to stew a bit. If he wants to fly off the handle every time someone expresses care for him, he deserves to be miserable."

"That's horrible!"

"That's what being a parent is." A shrug. "I love my son more than my life, but I cannot always protect him from his idiocies. No mother can. Even if I am more inclined to smother him than most."

Belle couldn't help snorting at that. "I bet that doesn't go over well."

"Better than you might think. He's surprisingly tolerant of me." And the Black Fairy's smile was surprisingly soft, too, which really reminded Belle of how much this woman—no matter how dark she was—loved her son.

"I don't always understand him, to be honest," she said after a moment's hesitation. "He's so powerful…but so fragile. Sometimes, I think words can break him when magic would just bounce away."

"I told you life had been unkind to him, but I haven't told you the half of it. It's not my story to tell, but he's had a hard time of it, and not only because he's the Dark One."

Belle wanted to ask more, but the Black Fairy changed the subject to the research they were doing, and no matter how fun it was to point out that a fairy was translating something wrong, that didn't solve her Rumplestiltskin problem.


Rumplestiltskin hadn't been this happy in days. In fact, he was contemplating a full on giggling fit, because this was just wonderful.

"I can't believe this!" Zelena paced back and forth across her throne room, her magic smashing through anything that seemed to offend her. "And you're helping them!"

"Well, what would you have me do, dearie?" he trilled, enjoying every moment of her fury. "I wouldn't want to interfere in matters of your little kingdom, after all." He gave her his most innocent smile. "You wouldn't like that at all."

Zelena glared. "You already are! And as for what you could do, you can stop helping my nauseating little stepdaughter when she asks!"

"Me?" Rumplestiltskin smiled innocently, waving a dismissive hand. "I've only provided a trifle here and there, nothing major. But you, on the other hand—well, it doesn't say terribly frightening things about our dear Wicked Queen if she can't catch an outlawed princess, does it, hmm?"

"Don't test me, Rumplestiltskin!"

"As you pointed out, I'm the Dark One, Your Majesty. Testing people is what I do." He grinned at her, enjoying Zelena's wrath. She wasn't nearly angry enough to cast the curse yet—which was good, since he wasn't ready for her to do so—but keeping Zelena near her boiling point was an art form he'd perfected over the past few years.

"Hrmph!" She drew herself up proudly, but the pretend dignity didn't stop Zelena's eyes from narrowing. "Sometimes I think you're a little mad."

He giggled, liking the way this conversation was going. It was an excellent distraction from maids he did not want to think about. "It comes with the territory."

"Then riddle me this, Dark One," Zelena snapped. "Why is it that my worthless half-sister is protecting Snow White? She's turned herself into an outlaw for her? Who would do that? Why give up a life of comfort and luxury for a dirty little campsite in the woods?"

"I would think it started when you killed her True Love." Rumplestiltskin gave Zelena his toothiest smile. "That does tend to turn someone against you."

"She deserved it."

Rumplestiltskin kept himself from saying something cutting in response to Zelena's sneer; even at his worst, he'd never believed that someone deserved to lose their True Love simply because of who they'd been born. Zelena was often torn between which relative she hated more: her half-sister or her stepdaughter. Regina's horrible crime had been being born to Cora in wedlock and raised as a half-royal noblewoman, whereas young Snow White was guilty of being loved by Zelena's entire kingdom and having been the light of King Leopold's life. Neither had allowed themselves to be murdered at Zelena's convenience, and now they'd become outlaws together. The irony was absolutely beautiful, and Rumplestiltskin was more than happy to help both stay alive, just to keep Zelena annoyed.

And because he needed Snow White and her prince to have a child, of course, but that was only one of several True Love threads he was working at the moment. He'd thought Regina might suffice until her stable boy had been killed—and hadn't the irony of that possibility been enticing!—yet now Snow White was the frontrunner. For the moment.

Rumplestiltskin pushed his thoughts aside and waved a dismissive hand. "I find what life gives us usually isn't about deserving." If it was, I'd never find my boy. "Life is what we make of it. What we take."

"Now that's a philosophy I can get behind." Zelena's smile was fierce, and for a moment—just one—they were on the same page. Then she scowled again. "But I still won't have you helping the little brat. The fact that Regina is helping her is bad enough! Regina is my sister, and she should be on my side!"

Mentioning that Zelena had killed Daniel again was pointless, so Rumplestiltskin just giggled. "You'll take me as I come, dearie, or not at all. Or I could always teach your little sister instead of you."

He'd contemplated it more than once, but Zelena was an incredibly time-consuming and needy student. Between her, his mother, and his maid, he had enough drama in his life without borrowing any more.

"You wouldn't dare!"

He shot her a wolfish grin. "Don't tempt me."

A howl of frustration escaped Zelena, and Rumplestiltskin felt himself wiggle in delight. Most of the gleeful anticipation he felt was his own, but some of it was definitely due to his ever-unwanted internal passengers. Isn't her aggravation beautiful? Nimue crooned. He could feel her gloating in his mind, and the others with her. You'll get that curse cast yet, and perhaps you will then prove yourself worth to be one of us.

Oh, shut up. Rumplestiltskin barely managed not to roll his eyes. I've lived longer than any of you lot and learned more than you ever dreamt of. I will find my son. I don't care about the price. He was here for a purpose, to drive Zelena closer and closer to casting the curse. She was unstable, perpetually jealous and prone to fits of uncontrollable rage that drove him to insanity, but she was Cora's daughter. And even if Regina's temperament made her far better suited to cast the curse—she would at least be less mercurial—Zelena was the tool he had to work with. He'd invested too much time in her to stop now.

"I hate you sometimes!"

"I know, I know." Dancing forward, Rumplestiltskin leaned in close. "But you know you need me."

Zelena turned to glare at him poisonously, but he gave her his sweetest smile. "They're hiding in woods controlled by my enemies, and you're helping them! It's not fair!"

"No one ever said life's supposed to be fair, you know. The question isn't how you complain about unfairness. It's what you do about it." Rumplestiltskin kept his wiggling to a minimum; Zelena needed guidance, so guidance he would give. Even if she drove him insane.

And even if he was becoming slightly worried about whose heart she would use to cast the curse when the time came. He'd hoped she'd want to use Prince James', but the fool had gotten himself killed and replaced. Zelena certainly lusted after the new 'James', but his chance encounter with a certain princess in the forest already seemed likely to derail any such opportunities on that front. Besides, Rumplestiltskin needed the former shepherd to fall in love with Snow White, anyway, so he wasn't going to let Zelena screw that up. So, he'd have to put enough time in to keep her on the right track—and to find someone for her to fall for that wasn't him. I hate playing matchmaker. Maybe Mother can help me find someone truly vile for Zelena. The Huntsman certainly wasn't going to do. Zelena viewed him as a wretched little pet, not an actual lover.

There were times he actually hoped that his mother would find another way to get to the Land Without Magic and find Baelfire. It would certainly be easier than getting Zelena to cast the Dark Curse.


She found another rebellious fairy quite by accident.

This wasn't the heartbroken novice she'd seen before; no, that young fairy was still out there, presumably pining away for her dwarf. Fiona hadn't investigated how that little romance had worked out, but if she knew Blue, it wouldn't have been well. Blue seemed to dislike love on principle, and Fiona had gotten an earful after she'd re-become a fairy about how foolish she'd been to give up her wings in the first place. Sometimes, Fiona wondered if Blue had exiled her because she'd dared to be a fairy and a wife (because even Blue thought it better to stop being a fairy if one was going to love). Her attempt to cast a curse might have only been an excuse. Blue had arrived with that wand, after all, and that did make Fiona wonder.

Thinking like that had distracted her enough that she failed to notice the young, green-clad fairy sneaking into the Sacred Vault of the Fairies. They bumped right into one another as Fiona came around one line of bookshelves, and both jumped out of their skin.

"I'm so sorry!" The young fairy was blond, tiny, and terrified. "I didn't mean to—I mean—which is to say that I—"

"That you're not supposed to be here?" Fiona asked the question kindly, trying not to laugh. After all, there was nothing that would put a panicked expression on a young fairy's face like being caught here. Only senior fairies were allowed into the sacred vault, which was why she'd needed Tiger Lily to get in, back another lifetime ago. And that was why she'd disguised herself as the fairy she'd once been, instead of waltzing around the place as the Black Fairy.

"Um. Yes." An abashed smile. "I was just…curious. You won't tell Blue, will you?"

"Of course not." Now Fiona did allow herself to laugh. "Doing so never entered my mind."

"Oh." The green fairy laughed nervously. "Thank you."

"So, what brings you here, young Green? Are you a naughty novice sneaking into the Sacred Vault, or a young fairy thirsting for knowledge?"

"I'm not a novice, not anymore." Fiona knew that proud smile; she'd once wanted to be exactly like this. "I just graduated. But my friends call me Tink, and I—I was just curious. Cyan talks about this place like it's something amazing, and I wanted to see."

Cyan. Fiona almost hissed aloud; Cyan had been her own former mentor, a stiff-necked fairy who had made her feel like she was never good enough. She doubted Blue's favorite crony had changed one bit, but that wasn't a surprise, was it? Fairies rarely changed.

"Tink?" she echoed curiously. If this young fairy had chosen another name for herself—which she now understood was forbidden, unlike in her day where flowers were as acceptable as colors—she was rebellious.

"Short for Tinker Bell. Blue says it's improper, but I don't want to be just one more shade of a green fairy. I want to be me."

"I like it." Having a conversation with someone who thought of her as something of an equal, or at least just another fairy, felt very strange. Tink was looking at Fiona like she was someone to be admired instead of feared, and Fiona couldn't remember the last time anyone save her son had done that. Or perhaps Belle. That child does surprise me.

"You do?"

"Well, I've always been a bit rebellious myself. I'm Fiona." Fiona gestured at the books and artifacts surrounding them. "So, why are you here? Looking for anything in particular?"

"I was…I guess I was hoping for something that could help a friend of mine." Tink looked away, appearing embarrassed. "She's…got a problem."

"What kind of problem? Perhaps I can help." Fiona wasn't sure why she was offering; she'd come to the Sacred Vault to find more on the Dark One, not to befriend a rebellious young fairy. She reminds me of everything I wanted to be, Fiona thought before she could stop herself. And I bet Blue hates her.

"She's in love." Tink shrugged helplessly. "Blue tells her that she's wrong, and that it won't last, but Nova loves Grumpy, and I want to find a way to help her."

Gaping, Fiona tried desperately to hide her delighted reaction. Tink was friends with the lovestruck novice she'd noticed! Fiona hadn't yet approached Nova, but this situation was just too perfect for words.

"What kind of help are you looking for?" she asked curiously.

"All the history of the fairies is here. I can't believe that we've always been like this—alone except for each other. I mean, otherwise, where did fairies come from? No one speaks of our origins, but I heard rumors that there used to be male fairies, or at least humans who fairies were allowed to love." Tink's chin jutted out rebelliously. "There has to be some records of something."

"There are, actually." Fiona put down the (useless) book she'd been carrying. She'd found those references once, back in her quest to convince her superiors to let her love and be a fairy. Her efforts had failed, but perhaps another fairy could succeed in her stead. "Let me show you."


Rumplestiltskin hated knowing that he was wrong. His mother had told him that he was, and he'd ignored her because he hated it when she was right. Belle's too-nice attempt at an apology had told him that he was wrong, because she was good and kind enough to apologize to a monster who had thrown things at her and screamed at her. Apologize for nothing, Zoso hissed, clearly irritated that he'd even contemplate acknowledging he had been wrong. That clinched it.

So, he sought Belle out, his heart pounding in his chest. But he tried to act casual, because Dark Ones didn't apologize, and Dark Ones didn't fall for—

No, he couldn't even think those words. It was too dangerous. He was too dangerous.

"There's, uh, something I wanted to show you," he said by way of greeting, and then made himself sneer. The effort fell flat; a nervous smile tugged at Rumplestiltskin's lips as Zoso howled an objection. "If you're not too busy reading, that is."

He'd meant the last sentence to come out sarcastically, so why did it sound like a plea? Damn this girl! The way Belle looked up at him with a smile made Rumplestiltskin feel strangely warm, banishing all of his attempts to be brusque.

"Something to show me?" Her blue eyes were wide with curiosity, and Rumplestiltskin wanted to slap himself. A gift is not an apology, he told his inner darkness firmly. "Like what?"

"You have to come with me to find out." He was not smiling. Nor was he wiggling in excitement.

"Come with you?" Belle was on her feet in an instant, leaving her book on the divan. "Are we leaving the castle?"

"Um, no. Not exactly, anyway." Rumplestiltskin felt a little guilty there; Belle was allowed to wander the grounds, provided she didn't wander off, but he wasn't stupid enough to let her actually leave. Any girl with half a brain—and Belle definitely had more than half of one—would vanish in an instant if he let her go, and he didn't want the hassle of tracking her down.

And that's the only reason. Really. It is.

"Then where are we going?"

He abandoned all pretenses of not grinning. "To a place you've never been."

"But I've been everywhere in the castle—" A swirl of purple smoke engulfed them, making Belle cut off with a surprised yelp. They landed outside the door to the western tower, and Rumplestiltskin had to pretend not to like it when Belle grabbed his arm to catch her balance. "Don't do that without warning me! That's so rude."

"I'm the Dark One, m'dear." He shot her a cheeky smile, feeling better about himself already. "I am rude."

"Only when you want to be," she shot back. "Or when you're throwing teacups at people."

He froze. "I, uh—that was—I mean—just come with me." Shaking his head, Rumplestiltskin pushed the door open, heading into the room and hoping that Belle had missed how he was stuttering. He didn't dare look at her, and instead gestured at the oval window hanging on the far wall. "I wanted to, uh, give you a way to see the world that you're missing."

"To what?" As he'd hoped, Belle's curiosity overrode her anger, and she stepped up next to him, giving Rumplestiltskin a strange look. "That's just a window…with a wall behind it. And curtains between the window and the wall?"

"Ah, it's so much more than that." Rumplestiltskin gestured at the 'window' frame. "Touch the frame and think of a place you would like to see."

Belle did so immediately, and Rumplestiltskin supposed that he should not have been surprised when an image of her own home swirled into existence. Belle loved her father, and her people—otherwise, she never would have sacrificed so much for them. She gasped when Sir Maurice came into view, deep in conversation with a young man Rumplestiltskin had never seen before.

"That's my father!"

"Listen closely, and you can hear him."

Her eyes lit up, and Belle leaned close to the frame, glowing with happiness. I should have done this sooner. I should have shown her that she could still see those she loved.

"…don't know, LeFou. Gaston is a good friend, but I have cousins who would inherit before a friend. And I still haven't lost hope for Belle's return."

LeFou, whoever he was, shrugged. "But those cousins can't lead men in battle like Gaston can. No one can lead men like Gaston."

"With luck, we won't have another war." Maurice actually looked sad as he spoke the next words, which made Rumplestiltskin's estimation of him increase a little. "Belle's sacrifice ensured our safety from the ogres."

"One never knows what might happen, Sir Maurice."

"No, one doesn't. And you can tell Gaston to come himself next time, instead of sending you to argue in his place." Maurice gave LeFou a pointed look as Belle sighed sadly. "You may be clever with words, but a brave man fights his own battles."

LeFou bowed and backed off, but Rumplestiltskin didn't miss Belle's whisper of "Oh, Papa," coming from his left. He just pretended not to hear her.

He wasn't always rude, after all. Just usually.


A few hours later, Fiona watched her son and the maid come down from the western tower, laughing and talking about all the places Belle had seen through the 'window'. Fiona knew about that magical window into the world, of course; she'd used it to spy on Blue more than once. But she hadn't expected Rumplestiltskin to share that with Belle, even in lieu of the apology he should have given the girl. Fiona almost asked if showing Belle the (distant) world made up for the fact that Rumplestiltskin had thrown things at her, but she managed to bite the spiteful words off just in time.

"Enjoying yourselves?" she asked instead, trying not to sound bitter.

Both froze, with Rumplestiltskin staring at her with owl-like eyes and Belle cocking her head in puzzlement. Her son's voice squeaked a bit. "Mother?"

"Oh, nevermind." Fiona stalked out of the great hall before she could make a greater fool of herself, trying to get Belle's happy laugh out of her mind. She knew what her problem was, and she hated herself for it.

She was jealous. Fiona was jealous of the way that a mere human girl could make her son smile, was jealous of the way Belle's inner beauty could turn heads as much as her outer beauty. This maid was the exact kind of woman that a Savior would have fallen for: good, brave, and full of light. She was walking proof that the deepest parts of Rumplestiltskin's soul remained as they should have been; despite being the Dark One, he still yearned for the light, and that should have made Fiona happy.

Instead, it made her furiously envious. She wanted to be there for him. She wanted to be the one he turned to, the one who made him laugh and made him happy. She wanted to be the one who brought him back to the light, not to trust some girl to do it for her! She'd enlisted Belle in her plan, hoping to see Rumplestiltskin fall in love with her, yet Fiona hadn't fully thought through the consequences of doing so. Rumplestiltskin was a man of extremes, and when he loved, he loved. So, of course he was falling head over heels for the girl. Of course he was looking at Belle with stars in his eyes. Fiona had wanted that, and yet she didn't. She wanted to have her son to herself.

You can't, a voice that sounded much like Tiger Lily said in her mind. It wasn't, of course; she was just imagining things. Love isn't limited. The more you love, the more you can love. He won't have to choose between you.

But if that was true, why did Fiona burn to find someone and reduce them to ash? Why did she want to rip that girl away from her son and keep him for herself. She wouldn't, of course. No matter how badly she wanted to. No, she would do something far worse. She would watch them fall deeper and deeper in love, would facilitate this relationship every step of the way. Fiona would do whatever it took to save her son, but that didn't mean she had to be happy with it.

Or with Belle.


A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I'm sorry that I'm not doing review responses right now, but life is crazy busy, and I barely have the time to write.

Next up is Chapter 13—"Both a Little Scared," in which Fiona and Tink meet again, Belle and Rumplestiltskin have a heart to heart, the Blue Fairy comes to the Dark Castle…and threatens to reveal a well-kept secret.