Chapter 14—"The Truth too Late"
He knew there was something wrong the moment his mother and Belle walked into the great hall. Firstly, those two didn't generally spend time outside together. Belle liked flowers and plants while Fiona would probably burn the garden down if a bee stung her. Secondly, the grim expression on Belle's face and the way his mother wouldn't meet his eyes told Rumplestiltskin that something had happened.
"The Blue Fairy paid us a visit." Fiona's words snapped out peevishly, and Rumplestiltskin found his eyes flicking to Belle. She was still here, but they all knew there was only one person in the Dark Castle whom Blue would find sympathetic.
Belle met his eyes before he could even form the question. "I told her that I'd made a promise, and I'm staying here."
"Oh. Ah, of course you did. I'd expect no less from an honorable woman." Rumplestiltskin actually had expected Belle to jump at the chance of freedom, even though she'd promised to be his friend earlier that same day. The fact that she hadn't left him feeling strangely warm inside. Desperately needing to cover that up, he asked: "And she just…left? It's not like the blue bug to be so obliging."
That question made his mother and his maid exchange a meaningful look. "I'll, um, leave you to this conversation," Belle said after a moment, but what really surprised Rumplestiltskin was the way she touched his arm as she walked out of the room. "I'll be in the library if you need me."
He didn't know what to say to that, and his arm almost felt burnt in the most wonderful way, even after her brief touch was gone and Belle had left him and his mother alone. A long moment passed before Fiona cleared her throat.
"Blue wanted me to return to the Dark Realm."
Rumplestiltskin snorted out a laugh. "I trust you told her of the futility of that wish."
"I never told you how I broke out, did I?" His mother sighed heavily, walking over to the chaise longue near the fire. "Sit down with me. Please."
"Does it matter?" Something in her tone set him on edge, and Rumplestiltskin didn't like that.
Here comes the catch, dearie! Zoso's laugh was triumphant. You knew it was coming, but you've spent decades lying to yourself and saying there wouldn't be one, that she 'loved' you. Fool.
Try though he did, Rumplestiltskin couldn't shut that voice out.
"Unfortunately, yes. It does now." Fiona looked down at her hands, which were twisting nervously in her lap. Rumplestiltskin had never seen his mother nervous, and that, more than anything else, made him sit down at her side.
Don't trust her, Nimue advised him in a voice that sounded almost reasonable. You know what it's like to be burned by those you love. It's too late to stop her from getting into your heart, but you should protect yourself while you can.
"Why?" He hated the way his voice tried to tremble.
"Because there's something I never told you. I told you that I was exiled for attempting to send away all of the children born the winter you were, but I never told you why a great evil was destined to kill you." Fiona looked up at him, and Rumplestiltskin was surprised to see tears shining in her eyes. "And…you deserve to know."
"Now that the Blue Fairy is blackmailing you, you mean?" Rumplestiltskin regretted the words the moment he said them, but by then it was too late.
"Well, I won't lie and say that isn't why I'm telling you now. But I always did mean to tell you. Please believe that." His mother's expression was so sad that Rumplestiltskin found it hard to doubt, even as he tried to armor his heart against her. "I just wasn't sure when you'd be ready to hear it."
Rumplestiltskin had to swallow the sudden lump in his throat. "Ready? Why—why would I need to be…ready?"
"Because you weren't destined to be the Dark One. You were destined to be so much more."
"More?" He couldn't help the incredulous way in which he snorted that word. "A lowly spinner, bereft of magic and power, and—"
"No." Fiona cut him off with a gentle hand on his arm. "You were destined to be the Savior, my son. But I took that away from you when I tried to save you from your fate."
"You—you…what?" Rumplestiltskin couldn't process the first part of what she had said. He couldn't. He just couldn't. "How?"
"I trust you've heard of the Shears of Destiny?" When he nodded mutely, she continued, her voice heavy: "Tricky things. Blue had them, of course. Tiger Lily—your fairy godmother—suggested I use them on myself, to cut away my fate of killing the Savior. I thought instead that I could use them on you, that if I could make you not the Savior, we wouldn't have to kill one another, and that I could use my power to protect you."
A knot of sick dread was forming in his stomach, and listening to that explanation finally made her earlier statement register. I was meant to be the Savior, Rumplestiltskin thought, feeling utterly dazed.
Well, that explains why you're so annoyingly weak sometimes. Nimue's sneer meant nothing to him, though. It felt distant and unimportant.
I was meant to be the Savior.
"Blue banished me after I cut away your fate," his mother continued while Rumplestiltskin stared ahead blankly, not seeing the flickering fire in the fireplace. "I never thought—well, I didn't expect it to end up like that. I didn't expect any of this."
Rumplestiltskin barely heard those words, even if they did register on some level of his consciousness. Finally, he managed to form coherent speech through the fog in his mind. "I was meant…to be the Savior?"
Someone like him could not have been meant to be the Savior. He had been a coward. He had been nothing. Even when he'd been young, he'd been meek and inoffensive; he hadn't been some strong hero. Even when he'd tried to overcome his father's sorry reputation in the First Ogre War, he'd been an utter failure. He'd come home a despised coward whose wife couldn't stand the sight of him. Rumplestiltskin had never mattered, and he'd always known that he wasn't supposedto matter, right up until he took his fate into his own hands and became the Dark One.
There had always been an emptiness in him, a feeling of something missing. He had always assumed that was because he'd never been meant to be anything at all. Instead…it meant the exact opposite.
"Yes." A warm hand touched his cheek, making Rumplestiltskin finally look at his mother. Her face, creased with worry, swam slowly into view as his heart pounded in his ears. "You were meant to be the greatest of heroes, with deep and powerful light magic. I took that from you."
"All to keep your own power." The words sounded harsh, even to his ears, but Rumplestiltskin couldn't stop them. Parents giving up children for power. This seems to be a terrible family tradition. How could he be angry when he had done the same? He'd given up Bae for power, and although he hated himself for that, he could see that his mother hated herself, too. We are too much alike.
"Yes." Fiona didn't quite flinch, but he could see the pain in her dark eyes. "I chose my power over your destiny. I did it out of love for you…but I was wrong. I know that, now."
"That's…that's why I've always felt so empty." Rumplestiltskin felt the anger drain out of him, leaving only that roaring emptiness, a pull towards the light that he'd tried so hard to fight ever since becoming the Dark One.
I was meant to be the Savior.
I was meant to kill my mother.
"I suspect so, yes. I didn't tell you before because I doubted you'd want to hear about such a fate—"
"I don't." The flat statement was out before he could think, with darkness swirling into his mind, heavy and burning toxically. Blackness narrowed his vision. "It doesn't matter. You cut that fate away from me, and I'm glad for it."
"Rumplestiltskin—"
"No." Jumping to his feet, Rumplestiltskin looked down on his mother darkly. "You made me what I am. I don't regret it. I have power. I have the same thing you wanted to keep, so you of all people should understand that, shouldn't you?"
"I do, but that isn't the point." Fiona rose, looking more desperate than Rumplestiltskin had ever seen her. "The point is that I took away the purpose you were meant to have. If I'd not done that, you wouldn't be cursed with this darkness you cannot shake. Even I can see that there's a good man underneath the Dark One, and it breaks my heart to see you like this."
"Like what? Dark?" His giggle was sharp and bitter. "The pot's calling the kettle a little bit black there, eh, Mother? I should think you'd be happy with how I turned out. Or do you not like me like this?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Fiona snapped. "I love you no matter what you are."
"Then why complain?" He may have sung those words in lieu of saying them, but Rumplestiltskin hadn't felt this strange in centuries. He didn't want to know that he'd been meant to be the Savior, because that knowledge meant nothing. That fate was gone, and if it having been cut away meant he felt empty from time to time, then so be it. He was the Dark One, and he'd chosen this fate. He didn't want to know about what might have been.
You made a deal I didn't understand, the quiet voice of his conscience pointed out, but Rumplestiltskin only batted it aside.
"I'm not complaining, you great fool! I'm saddened because I inadvertently forced you to this path, forced you from a path where you could have power without the darkness."
He pointed a finger at her, scowling. "But I'd have had to kill you."
"Not if I'd given up my power." Fiona sighed, suddenly looking old and broken. "I should have, but I was blind. And I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I did the same." He couldn't take his mother apologizing to him, not after all the love she'd given him. And he didn't want to hear about what he should have been. What he could have been.
"Can you see me with that power, Bae? I could turn it to good!" He'd wanted to be a hero, once. He'd even thought he could be. His entire village had celebrated when he'd beaten the ogres, and they'd hailed him as a hero. It hadn't lasted long, but it had felt—
Don't think of that!
"Rumple—"
"Don't say it!" he cut her off with a shout, knowing that his mother was going to talk about what he should have been, about a son she could have been proud of. He knew that his mother loved him—he was finally, utterly, convinced of that—but he couldn't bear to hear her say it. "I don't care!"
"Oh, my poor boy." Fiona stepped forward to touch his face again, but Rumplestiltskin scrambled back. He knew what she was going to say, and he couldn't face her apologies. Or her compassion.
So, he did the only thing he knew how to do, and teleported right out of the room.
"Did you know?"
Belle was pleasantly surprised that Rumplestiltskin sought her out a few hours after he spoke to his mother, but his harsh voice still made her jump. When she turned to look at him, the uncertainty and the anger in his eyes made it obvious that his mother had told him whatever the truth Blue had threatened to share was.
"Your mother didn't tell me, no." Belle rose slowly, shaking her head. "I'm not sure what Blue threatened to tell you, except she said it was something she said that your mother had done to you."
"Oh." For a moment, Rumplestiltskin looked completely lost, and then shook his head. "Good. It doesn't matter."
Belle cocked her head. "You're not angry with your mother?"
"Of course I am!"
"But you also don't want me to know what happened." Belle could understand that; she was growing comfortable in their friendship, but the bond between Fiona and Rumplestiltskin was one she didn't want to get in the middle of.
"I don't—I don't—arghh!" Wheeling away from her, Rumplestiltskin grabbed a nearby vase—one Belle had filled with flowers just that morning—and flung it against the closed door to the library, making Belle jump. Then he pranced away from her, sarcasm lacing every high-pitched word. "She says she's sorry. Says she didn't want this for me. As if it matters!"
The next thing he threw was a candlestick, but fortunately not one that was lit. The golden candlestick smashed into an ugly clock high on one shelf, but fortunately didn't hit any books. The clock face shattered, though, scattering glass and its tiny hands all over the floor. The candlestick didn't fare much better; Belle was pretty sure it was bent. Wincing, Belle stepped forward cautiously, reaching out to put a hand on Rumplestiltskin's arm. Much to her surprise, he didn't jerk away.
"Rumple?" Owlish eyes turned to look at her, wide and full of confusion and pain. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's the matter."
His voice dropped to a whisper. "Why would you want to help me?"
"That's what friends do." Belle felt her heart break a little for the lonely man under the darkness; there was so much she didn't understand about Rumplestiltskin, but she could see he was hurting.
"Oh." The wind seemed to go out of Rumplestiltskin, and he half-collapsed, half-sat onto the divan Belle had occupied a few moments earlier. When he finally spoke again, his voice was so quiet and ragged that Belle could barely hear him. "She cut away my destiny."
Belle felt herself jerk back slightly in surprise. She sat down next to him with a plop. "What? How?"
"The Shears of Destiny. They can cut any fate, from anyone at all, and she used them on me when I was a baby." Rumplestiltskin closed his eyes briefly. "I was supposed to be the Savior."
Flabbergasted, Belle fell silent and stared. She had read about Saviors, knew they were the greatest heroes humanity had, people born to stand between darkness and the rest of the world. The idea that the Dark One could have been meant to be the Savior was staggering. Even though Rumplestiltskin was a man capable of kindness and love—unlike what Belle knew of many other Dark Ones—the fact that he'd been meant to be the purest of heroes left Belle breathless. Of course he was angry and hurt! How could anyone learn they were supposed to be the Savior without mourning how that fate was taken away?
"She did that because she was the Black Fairy?" Belle found herself disliking her previously cautious admiration of the Black Fairy. She'd admired how Fiona loved her son without knowing this, and this new knowledge made her blood boil.
"No." He shook his head, opening his eyes and going so still that he might have been a stature. "We were destined to kill each other."
Belle gaped.
"I don't care that she did it." The words were a snarl, and made Belle blink hard. "I care that she won't shut up about that stupid fate that isn't mine. That she's apologizing for something I don't care that she did!"
"How can you not care that you were meant to be a hero?" All Belle had ever wanted to be was a hero. All she'd ever wanted to do was make a difference.
"I'm no hero," Rumplestiltskin spat. "I'll never be a hero." He flung his hand around in a sarcastic twirl. "Monsters don't get to be heroes, dearie. It's not in the cards."
"But you were supposed to—"
"It doesn't matter. You can't change the past, no matter how much magic you try with." His giggle sounded hollow. "And why would I want to? I have all the power I could possibly want, and none of the inconvenient morality of being the Savior."
Belle couldn't quite wrap her mind around the emotional whiplash he was displaying. "Then why are you angry with your mother? She's just apologizing for what she did. Surely you can see that she's doing that because she loves you."
"Because she looks at me like I'm supposed to be something I'm not!"
"I think she just wants what's best for you, whatever that may be," Belle said carefully, not even wanting to allude to the fact that she knew Fiona wanted to save Rumplestiltskin from the horrible curse he was under. "Isn't that what parents do?"
Something broken crossed his face, and Rumplestiltskin suddenly went quiet. "Yes. That's what they should do."
"Don't blame her for loving you, then. Even if you disagree with her."
"I…I'm still angry." He shot her a rebelliously hurt look, and Belle squeezed his arm gently.
"It'll turn out all right." She gave him her most encouraging smile. "You'll see."
"How do you know?" Rumplestiltskin's voice was scratchy and hoarse; Belle wondered if he was trying not to scream or not to cry. Maybe both.
"Because I believe your mother loves you and you love her. You can work the rest out in time."
He didn't say anything in reply, but at least he didn't run away.
She was going to make Blue suffer. Suffer. Fiona just hadn't yet decided how.
In the end, she decided to seek out Tink's friend, Nova. Tink was already turning out to be an interesting acquaintance to have—perhaps she was even becoming a friend, although Fiona was hesitant to use that term. It had been so long since she'd had a friend that she wasn't sure what that felt like, but for some reason, Tink hadn't turned away when she'd realized Fiona was the Black Fairy. And Fiona wasn't quite so narrow-minded as to blame Tink for Blue's intervention; Blue had to have been aware of her leaving her exile for years. Yet she's chosen to act now, which means she fears what Rumplestiltskin and I might get up to together.
That was a thought, wasn't it? After she was done ruining Blue's perfect little fairy world, Fiona would go take a new look at the Dark Curse. It would serve the arrogant bitch right if Fiona cast that bloody curse herself and made her miserable while doing so. The idea was rather attractive, certainly more so than letting Zelena cast the damned thing. Of course, she'd have to find a way around the pesky price Blue had attached to the curse, because Fiona wasn't about to kill her beloved son. That would rather defeat the purpose of getting him to his son, she thought with a roll of her eyes. Still, she'd written the thing in the first place, and if anyone could get around Blue's annoying additions, she could.
That, however, was a project for later. For now, she wanted to meet Nova, the fairy who had been turned down by a dwarf and had her heart broken. Blue had been behind that, of course. Blue always was. Tink had told her more about Nova than Fiona had been able to spy out, and she was going to use that.
Still, the broken-hearted way in which the young fairy hauled around that giant bag of fairy dust did give her a little pause. Fiona had taken her own fairy form to soar high enough to catch Nova, and she'd only meant to watch, until Nova lost control of the bag and almost dropped it right out of the sky. A quick flick of Fiona's wand caught the bag, however, leaving it hovering in midair as Nova twisted to face her.
"You can't use magic to catch fairy dust!" The poor girl's eyes were wide with alarm as she lunged for the bag's handles, grabbing them tightly. "It'll explode!"
"Is Cyan still selling that line?" Fiona had to laugh, and for a moment she felt like the innocent young fairy she'd been. "It was as much a lie in my time as it is now. Fairy dust won't explode if it hits magic. They just tell you that to frighten you."
"Really?" Nova's expression was comically shocked, but Fiona managed not to point that out. "I've been carrying these by hand for months, and no one's told me?"
"Pretty much, yes." Fiona found flying and talking at the same time was a little challenging; the last time she'd taken this form, she'd been hauling unconscious children around, not having conversations. But she'd be damned if she'd show that, particularly to this slip of a fairy girl.
"It's just like them." Nova heaved a sigh, and almost dropped the bag again. "No one thinks I'll make a good fairy, so they just use me as a delivery girl. But it's not like I have anything better to do, so I do it."
Even Fiona's heart twitched a little at that; apparently, even she could pity a lonely and broken fairy. Had things gone differently, I might have been her. For a moment, Fiona wished they had, that Malcolm had turned into a monster and broken her heart before she could give up her own future as a fairy. But she would never have had Rumplestiltskin in that case, and there was nothing in the world that would force her to give up her son.
"You're still mourning your lost love, aren't you?"
"Fairies aren't supposed to love." Nova sounded more than a little spiteful, not that Fiona could blame her.
She snorted. "That doesn't stop it from happening though, does it?"
That earned her a glare. "We've all been warned about you. Blue says you'll try to corrupt us away from what we know is right."
"Does she?" Fiona threw her head back and laughed. "That's rather delightful. I didn't know Blue cared so much."
"I'm not sure I'd call it caring, at least not about you. She seems worried that you'll convince us to embrace the darkness." Nova laughed uneasily. "Not that any of us would. That would be…wrong."
"Oh, don't worry. I'm not here to corrupt you. Who wants a legion of little dark fairies, anyway?" Fiona countered with a grin. "I certainly don't. I'm not terribly enamored of competition."
Nova glanced around, and then spoke in a hushed voice as if afraid someone would overhear. "Tink said you're not so bad."
"Did she? I'm honored." Fiona found Nova's innocence almost charming, or at least enough so that she didn't say something sarcastic or cutting. She had a feeling that it would wear on her nerves before too long, though. At least Tink is sharp and sarcastic. This one is pure naivety, and not nearly so smart. "I've grown rather fond of my research sessions with her."
"She said that there were fairies who had remained fairies and found love." Nova's face fell. "But Blue still says we can't."
"They've always said that. I had to leave the order to find love, so I did." Fiona shrugged. "I wasn't much of a fairy, anyway."
That made Nova frown. "But you're the Black Fairy. You're powerful. Everyone's afraid of you, except maybe Blue."
"Well, that came later, I'm afraid. Once, I was like you. I loved a man, and I was willing to give up everything to be with him, so I did." Fiona found a strangely genuine smile crossing her face. "Things didn't turn out like I'd hoped, of course, but I could never regret having my son."
"You have a son? I didn't—I didn't think that was possible."
"Of course it is. Things work the same for us as they do for the humans. It's rather simple, and even enjoyable." Fiona couldn't help enjoying how bright red Nova went; the girl really was that innocent, and it was gloriously funny.
Nova sputtered incoherently for several moments before finding words. "But—but—I can't listen to this!"
"Oh, yes, you can. Words won't hurt you, and they certainly won't corrupt you over to my 'evil' ways. Not unless you want them to."
"I don't! I don't want to embrace darkness."
"Neither did I, believe it or not. I just did what was necessary to protect my son." Fiona took a deep breath, not letting herself grow too intense—that would frighten Nova straight away. "And I'm not saying that you should follow my path…just that you shouldn't be so preoccupied with following Blue's silly little rules that you never live for yourself. Having both magic and love is possible. You just have to be willing to fight for both."
Those words struck home; Fiona could see it. Nova wasn't exactly ready to run away with her dwarf, not yet, but she was starting to think, and that was the beginning Fiona was looking for.
"I think I'm in love." Snow's entire face was glowing, and Regina didn't have the heart to say something obnoxious to her friend. After all, she had known Snow since the younger woman was a little girl; her father and King Leopold had been good friends. Regina had found herself the shoulder Snow cried on when her mother died and her father married Zelena, and when Snow had to run from her wicked stepmother, who she'd turned to had been an easy choice.
Regina didn't regret helping her, either, even though it had made both of them outlaws and had forced Regina's own father to go into hiding. Her uncle the king (her father's brother) refused to go to war to protect Regina or Snow, but at least he was willing to protect her father. That left Regina and Snow in the woods with outlaws, but that arrangement was turning out much better than Regina had expected. Even if it means Snow robs even more royal carriages…she can at least pretend she isn't doing it to meet a certain prince, she thought with a snort.
She rolled her eyes. "Well, that's obvious."
"Regina!"
"What?" Not snorting again was hard. "You've been mooning over Prince James for weeks. Maybe longer. Yesterday, you were on about how he was smart enough to catch you in a net, and let me tell you, I wanted to—"
"Oh, because you're so much better about Robin," Snow cut her off with a grin, and Regina jerked herself up short.
"I'm nowhere near as bad as you." Her heart was not suddenly racing. "And besides, he just lost his wife. Making romantic overtures when he's mourning would be crass."
Snow gave her a pointed look. "But you like him."
"Of course I do. He's a nice man." Regina shrugged as casually as she could. "Stop changing the subject. You're in love with Prince James."
"I think so, yes. Is it weird, falling in love so quickly? I know his father wants him to marry Abigail, but he doesn't seem to want to, and—and I'm being stupid, aren't I? I'm just an outlaw. Everyone believes I murdered my father, probably including Prince James."
Regina shook her head. "Love is never stupid, and it's always worth fighting for. My father taught me that." Thinking of Daniel made her smile sadly, but her daddy had been right. It was better to take a chance on love than to live without it forever. "Talk to him. You never know until you try."
Snow hugged her, and Regina hugged her back just as tightly. Zelena might have been her sister by blood, but Snow and the outlaws here in the woods were the family Regina had chosen, and she didn't regret that for a moment.
Rumplestiltskin avoided his mother when she came back to the castle, but Belle didn't. If she had to choose a side—which she didn't want to do—Belle was certain that she'd choose Rumplestiltskin's. Yet unlike Rumplestiltskin, she knew that Fiona was determined to free her son from the clutches of the Dark One, and that left her feeling torn. She hadn't really appreciated how much the darkness ate at Rumplestiltskin, yet she'd seen that in their conversation that afternoon. He told himself that he wanted to be what he was, that it was better, when any person with eyes could tell that even Rumplestiltskin didn't believe that.
"Are you waiting for something, dear, or are you going to stare at me all evening?" Fiona's voice broke into Belle's reverie, making her jump. "We've quite given up on you cooking, but knowing if there's dinner to be eaten would be nice."
Belle rolled her eyes. "You know that you can summon whatever you want and the castle will do the work."
Fiona snorted. "Of course I do. That's hardly the point. You're the maid."
"And I've spent the day helping your son deal with what you did to him, so excuse me if I've been too busy to bake your favorite chocolate cake." Not that Belle had ever successfully baked a cake, but that wasn't the point.
"How is he?" Fiona's suddenly sober question almost took Belle aback. "Did he take it terribly?"
"Of course he did. He's confused." Belle let out a breath. "I think he'll be all right, though."
"I think he hates me for it, and that's anything but all right."
Belle almost snapped at Fiona not to be so dramatic, but the woman was Rumplestiltskin's mother, and overdramatic antics really did seem to run in the family. Besides, it wouldn't do any good, and would probably only create more over-the-top melodrama. "I'd hate you in his shoes, but he keeps saying that it's for the best. That he likes being the Dark One."
"Oh, phooey. No one actually likes darkness, no matter how much we lie about it. We just like the power and decide that darkness is a price worth paying for it." Fiona's shoulders slumped. "I can understand that far too well."
"Look, I'm not saying he isn't angry—because he is—but I wouldn't say that it's the end of the world. He knows you love him." Belle was tempted to discuss the philosophical implications of what Fiona had just said, but she knew that she had to mediate the mess between Rumplestiltskin and his mother first. This is not what I signed up for, but I'll do it because it needs to be done.
And because she cared about Rumplestiltskin. Belle could admit that in the privacy of her own mind, particularly since she thought he cared for her, too. They were friends, and she wanted to help him, assuming he'd let her.
"Does he? I abandoned him. I'm sure he's remembering thatwhile he's angry with me." Fiona huffed, and Belle wanted to shake her. But when Belle opened her mouth to say something logical, Fiona held up a dismissive hand. "I don't want to hear it. I don't know why I'm telling you this at all."
"Maybe because I'm the only one in this castle who doesn't automatically become extra-dramatic the moment something emotional goes wrong," Belle snapped before she could stop herself. "Look, Black Fairy—"
"Oh, just call me Fiona. You're aware that it's my name, and I do like you better than Blue, so you might as well use it." A glare. "Despite your blatant disrespect."
"You need my help. You won't hurt me."
Fiona snorted. "My son likes you, you mean, so I won't."
"Or maybe you just need someone who reads fairy better than you do." Belle couldn't help smiling sweetly as Fiona's glare deepened.
"That was one time!"
Belle just grinned.
A/N: I apologize for the one update week last week (and the single/late update week this is going to be). We're getting ready to go on a trip, and the days just don't have enough hours! There won't be a chapter next week, but look for one chapter the week of 17 July, and then back to the normal bi-weekly updates after that.
Next up is Chapter 15—"Something That Wasn't There Before," in which Rumplestiltskin and Belle grow still closer, Belle smacks some sense into Fiona, Bae faces off with Pan, and Blue has words with Rumplestiltskin.
