Chapter 23—"On Their Own"


"I was going to point this really obnoxious sheriff her way, but she seems to be playing with this buffoon of a knight named Gaston." Tink heaved a sigh, not sure how to frame the situation for Fiona. "I really have no idea what she's up to."

Fiona scowled. "She's as self-centered as she is unpredictable. I'd love to kill her, but…"

"But what?" Tink was against killing on principle, but she had to admit that the world without the Wicked Queen in it would be a nicer place.

"Oh, it's not worth the price, that's all." Fiona's shrug was a hair too casual, but Tink didn't press. She had something else on her mind, anyway—particularly since any distraction from Zelena's romantic shenanigans was welcome.

"Where's Belle? I thought I'd say hi to her while I was here, but the castle's as quiet as a mouse."

"She went home." Fiona's sigh actually seemed disappointed. "Rumplestiltskin let her go."

"Why? Did he get sick of her?" Tink hadn't been sure what to think of the strangely friendly relationship between the Dark One and his maid (who she knew he'd made a deal for; every fairy knew about that poor girl). Belle seemed entirely at home in the Dark Castle and seemed to have few, if any, duties, but Tink hadn't really wanted to dig into that.

"Oh, far worse. He fell in love with her."

Tink gaped. "He…what?"

"Oh, I know, you're thinking of Blue's party line, about how those steeped in darkness cannot love." Fiona snorted. "Well, allow me to tell you what a lie that is, in case you hadn't already figured that out. I can most certainly love, and my son can as well. He let her go because he loves her, and I'd hoped she'd be back."

"Why?" Thinking of how uncomfortable being the Dark One's love interest would be made Tink shudder, until she thought of the glowing smile Belle had so often thrown at Rumplestiltskin.

"Because love can save as surely as darkness can doom, of course." A sad smile. "A mother always hopes for the best for her child."

"Um, yeah. Right." Tink didn't really have an answer to that, so she took a deep breath and forced a smile. "You want me to keep an eye out for her? Just in case something's happened?"

"That would be quite lovely. Would you know, I've grown a bit fond of the girl." Fiona shook her head. "Despite my best efforts, she does tend to grow on you. Rather like mold."

"Fiona!" But Tink had to laugh. She really didn't want to like the Black Fairy, but she did. And now she'd become Fiona's unlikely—and sometimes unwilling—partner in heavens-knew-what, but at least it was going to be interesting.

And at least I get to help some people I like along the way. Snow, Charming, and the Merry Men were all good people, and Tink was proud to fight by their sides. She found it a little strange that when she asked Fiona if she could borrow a magical ring of healing that she'd seen in the Dark Castle, the ring was freely given, without even a price asked for in return. Blue would have found a band of outlaws, even one surrounding a princess, to be beneath her notice, but Fiona was willing to help. Not for their sakes, of course; Tink wasn't naive enough to think that Fiona cared about the Merry Men. But she was willing to give the ring to Tink as a friend, and that meant a lot to Tink.

Blue had been ready to throw her out for helping Nova; Fiona was willing to give her the means to help her friends. If she had to pick one of the two as a mentor, it was absolutely no contest.


Rallying people to her banner was easier than Belle had expected. Oh, some old men looked at her like she should go back to playing with dolls instead of assembling an army, but most people were happy to know that someone was willing to stand up to Gaston. A few days' worth of investigating told Belle that Gaston had already tried to bleed the countryside dry, gathering "taxes" that weren't due for months, demanding tribute, and threatening to "collect" young women for his bed. He hadn't taken many women yet, but a few had disappeared into the castle, and Belle put finding them near the top of her list. For a man who's anticipating marriage to two different women, Gaston certainly has no idea what fidelity means, Belle thought bitterly. He'd made a mess of her father's holdings, and it was going to take months to win the people's confidence back.

Despite the damage Gaston had done—or perhaps because of it—Belle, Mulan, and LeFou were able to gather a surprisingly large following in just three days. From there, storming the castle turned out to be ridiculously easy. Most of the guards deserted Gaston as Belle and her forces rushed in, and then Mulan led their people against those still loyal to Gaston. The resulting battle was short and bloody, but in the end, Belle found herself looking down at where Gaston lay on the ground in the castle's courtyard, with Mulan's sword at his throat.

"Let him up." Her heart was still racing, which meant Belle was surprised by how calm her voice sounded. But she'd done it. She'd led her people to victory, and Gaston had lost.

She still had to deal with Zelena, but the Wicked Queen wasn't here, and so far as Belle could tell, Gaston didn't have a way of calling for her. If he did, she had no doubt Gaston would have done so already.

Mulan twisted to look at her, jerking Belle free of her thoughts. "You sure?"

"I am." She couldn't afford to mention how unsure she was; Belle wanted to send Mulan down to find her father, but she needed her here. LeFou had disappeared, though, and that was a little worrisome. Gaston's former squire had proven helpful so far, but what if he was playing another game?

She'd been around tricky and twisty people for too long. Belle was starting to see loopholes everywhere.

"You can't possibly think that you can hold me." Gaston climbed to his feet wearing a superior scowl, making Belle wonder if he even registered the fact that a woman had knocked him flat on his back.

"You've lost, Gaston." Belle held herself as straight as she could, too aware of how her former fiancé dwarfed her. "That's what matters."

He snorted. "No one will stand for a woman usurping a man's place like that."

"No, what no one wanted to stand for was you usurping my father's place," she shot back. "These aren't your lands, and I'll never marry you."

"You'll be singing a different tune when my allies arrive." Would nothing wipe the smug expression off of his face? Belle was going to have to deal with the potential of Zelena—or Zelena's army—arriving soon.

"I doubt that." Belle tried not to roll her eyes, but it was hard. "In fact, I'm not sure any of them will think you're worth the work."

"Just you wait, Belle. I'll have everything I want, and you'll be reduced to nothing except the discarded whore of a beast!" Gaston lunged towards her, but Mulan stepped in his path, tripping him before he could move more than two steps.

Gaston crashed back to the ground at Belle's feet. After a moment, she stepped forward to look down on him.

"I am not a whore, and Rumplestiltskin is not half the beast you are, Gaston." Belle looked up, ignoring him before he could sputter out an answer. "Take him away and put him in the cell my father was in."

"You wouldn't dare! You—Oomph!" Gaston cut off as Mulan buried a fist in his stomach, and by the time he'd caught his breath to object further, someone else had shown up.

"Belle!"

Whirling around, Belle saw her father emerging from the castle on LeFou's heels. Without thinking, she rushed to him, throwing her arms around him. "Papa!"

Her father caught her easily, and for a moment, Belle felt like she was a little girl again, safe and whole. She'd been so worried about her father over the last few days, terrified that Gaston would take revenge on Maurice because of her disappearance. But Maurice appeared all right, aside from being a little thin and pale, and the smile on his face told Belle that her father would be just fine.

"Oh, sweeting, I was so worried about you." He held her tightly for another moment before Belle drew back to shrug.

"I was fine, thanks to Mulan and LeFou. It was you I was worried about."

"I didn't mean these last few days. I mean when you were with that—"

"Rumplestiltskin let me go, Papa." She didn't want to hear the word beast come out of her father's mouth, particularly not now. "And he always treated me quite gently."

That was a bit of an exaggeration; Belle still remembered being yelled at for crying and threatened more than once. Yet Rumplestiltskin had always been more bark than bite, and after the first few weeks her stay at the Dark Castle had been quite wonderful. Belle had often forgotten that she was supposed to be a prisoner, let alone a maid, and she knew that Rumplestiltskin had, too. Just thinking about him made her heart skip a little, but she forced away the dreamy expression that wanted to land on her face. There would be plenty of time for that, later. First she had to set things to right here.

"He did?" Maurice looked like he was certain she had to be lying, so Belle squeezed his arm.

"Truly. He respected me far more than Gaston ever has." And I would marry Rumplestiltskin a thousand times over before I'd marry Gaston once. The thought appeared unexpectedly and unbidden, but that didn't make it less true. Belle's heart hammered hard in her chest before she could push the associated emotions aside, but she had to. For now.

Maurice peered at her doubtfully. "And he let you go? At what price?"

"He said our deal was done." Now wasn't the time to tell her father that she'd fallen in love with the Dark One. Not with so many people watching. Belle knew that Maurice would take it badly, but she'd have to tell him eventually. In private.

For now, however, they had to finish making sure Gaston's stooges couldn't hurt anyone else, and figure out how to deal with Zelena. So, Belle turned the subject to practical matters, and hoped that the truth coming out wouldn't go too badly.


"There's a curse coming," Beans announced one afternoon after a particularly bad case of visions. Fortunately, they were alone, although Tiger Lily and Bae both stopped cold.

"A curse?" Bae managed to speak before Tiger Lily could get the words out; the worst feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach, something dark and cold and terrible.

"The darkest of all dark curses." Beans shivered. "It will be meant to take us all away."

"Away to where?" Tiger Lily bit her tongue hard to avoid asking more. This was starting to sound familiar in the worst ways.

"Another land. A land without magic."

Fiona. Was she still trying to banish all of the children to the Land Without Magic? If so, why? Bae and Beans were children, but only barely. Yet Beans had said 'us all', which had to refer to the children, didn't it?

"I've already been there. It's not much fun."

Those words made Tiger Lily twist to look at Bae in surprise. "You have? How?"

"A magic bean." Bae shrugged. "You'd heard most of the story, I guess. The shadow took me instead of the family I was with. I was just there, not here."

"Oh." She almost asked why he'd taken a bean to the Land Without Magic, but that really wasn't important, was it? Instead, Tiger Lily turned to Beans. "When will the curse come?"

"A long time, I think." Beans cringed, and Tiger Lily immediately headed over to get him some tea. Seeing inevitably gave Beans headaches, and the longer the vision, the worse the headaches were. "Not sure."

"Well, then we have time." She made herself smile, but inside, Tiger Lily made a mental note to find Fiona and try to talk sense into her old friend.

She promised me that she would bring her son back to the light, but I've seen no evidence that she's done so, she thought angrily. Granted, the Dark One is hardly tormenting the countryside, but he's clearly still out there, and that means Merlin's prophecy still hasn't been realized. And now Fiona was planning on casting that damned curse again. But what could be the purpose? The children Fiona had once wanted to vanish were all dead, now, and Fiona herself had become the evil she'd fought against. None of this made any sense.

Finding Fiona was going to be hard enough, too. Without magic, Tiger Lily had no way to track her down, and she was not about to steal someone's baby and make the weirdly-traditional offering that drew the Black Fairy in. Asking Blue for help was out of the question, too. Even if Blue considered helping her, Tiger Lily had too much pride to go crawling home. Blue hadn't been wrong to blame herfor Fiona turning to darkness, after all. Tiger Lily should have stopped her earlier, and she was determined to fix that problem without involving her old friend and mentor.

Assuming Fiona would let her.


Tink couldn't believe that Zelena had found her own handsome-but-brainless-and-willing boytoy. She'd actually grown fond of the idea of pasting Zelena and Nottingham together! Nottingham was enough of a bastard that she didn't even feel bad about pointing him towards Zelena, but he was too dense to help Zelena accomplish anything. Unfortunately, right before she could work up the required magic to fake pixie dust pointing Zelena to her "soulmate", Zelena up and found herself an obscure knight named Gaston. And he was even more braindead than Nottingham, a fact that still left Tink rather flabbergasted.

At least she could still be a spy. Zelena's romantic adventures had no bearing on that, or wouldn't until Zelena decided she didn't need Tink around. Zelena was still after her friends, so keeping an eye on what the Wicked Queen was up to was far more important than finding her some idiot lover, even if that was supposed to be Tink's ticket through the door. Still, Zelena didn't seem inclined to throw her out, so Tink decided to make the most of the situation while she still could.

Still, running into a leather-clad man with a hook for a hand did give her a little bit of pause.

"Is Zelena accessorizing her harem, now?" The words blurted out before she could stop herself, so Tink figured she might as well go for broke and gesture at the hook, too.

Miraculously, the dark-haired man didn't look offended. Instead, he rolled his eyes. "And here I was about to say that I thought you were shorter than Zelena's usual type, love."

"I'm not your love. I'm a fairy." Tink glared.

"And I'm a pirate. Fancy that, neither of us seem to be members of the dear queen's heartless harem." He grinned at her, and the expression was almost a leer. Tink found it a little off-putting, but she had the feeling that the expression was more a defense mechanism than a true attempt to get under her wings.

"Then what's a pirate doing here?" She crossed her arms, studying him. Zelena had plenty of less-than-moral allies, but most of them had magic. This pirate definitely didn't; Tink would have spotted any magic easily. Except he definitely has been somewhere magical, she realized, squinting at him narrowly.

"Serving the queen, of course. For now." His wry smile didn't waver, and then he offered her a courtly bow, kissing her hand with a flourish. "Captain Killian Jones, at your service. I'm also known as Captain Hook."

"That's a really creative nickname." Again, the words slipped out before she could stop them, and Tink could have kicked herself. "I'm Tinker Bell."

"Sounds like I'm not the only one here with a nickname. Don't you fairy sorts usually go by color? And yours seems rather appropriate for this castle, if you catch my meaning."

That made her scowl. "Touché." His ability to match her sarcasm didn't answer her questions, though. "Why are you working with Zelena?"

"Revenge." He shrugged. "Treasure. All the things that keep a pirate's dark soul warm at night."

"And Zelena's going to help you get that?" In Tink's experience, Zelena was only out for herself. She wasn't likely to help anyone else, not unless it directly profited her.

Hook gestured airily. "It passes the time, at least for now. Having a patroness never hurts, either." What he didn't say—but Tink still heard—was that Zelena probably had someone watching him.

That was interesting. Hook was definitely Zelena's type; she liked them tall, dark, and handsome. Tink had originally thought that poor Frankenstein was yet another one of Zelena's playthings, but it turned out that she only wanted him around to figure out how to bring her mother back to life. That hadn't worked, of course, which had resulted in Frankenstein narrowly escaping Zelena's wrath just a month earlier. His rescuer—ironically enough—had turned out to be Fiona's son, who had whisked the mad doctor and the hatter away from Zelena's temper before she could start killing anyone. That had turned Zelena onto other pursuits, but Tink still couldn't figure out where Hook fit into that, unless he was Zelena's lover.

The caution in his expression, however, indicated that Hook wasn't. And that meant he might be of use to Tink's cause. After all, she was already consorting with outlaws. A pirate couldn't be much worse, could he? She'd have to be careful, but Tink thought she could manage this.


Talking her father into getting everyone together within a few hours of securing the castle took more effort than Belle anticipated. Maurice insisted on allowing everyone a chance to clean up, and while Belle couldn't blame her father for not wanting to wear the soiled clothing he'd long been imprisoned in, she disliked the look he gave her when he hinted that she should change out of the trousers and tunic she was wearing. Her clothes were comfortable and serviceable, and far more suited to fighting for her kingdom than a ball gown was! As far as Belle was concerned, the battle wasn't yet over, so why should she dress up as if it was?

Fortunately, her father was too happy to see her to do more than hint that he didn't like her clothes. And then he raised a toast in her honor, which promptly made Belle forgive him for the slightly disapproving look he'd shot her trousers.

"To Belle!" Maurice raised his glass high, and much to Belle's surprise, his assembled advisors did the same. "Without her bravery and her courage, we wouldn't be here."

Her face went red even as her heart leapt; all of her life, Belle had waited for a moment like this, but now that recognition had arrived, she was all too ready to move onto the next problem. "I had help. A lot of help." She glanced over to Mulan and LeFou with a smile, which made both nod their thanks. "And we're not out of the woods yet."

"Sir Gaston is in prison, and his remaining men are being rounded up now. I think things are well under control." Captain Thenardier, one of her father's advisors, gave her a funny look as he spoke up, but there was something in his eyes that made Belle uneasy.

"I meant Zelena." Using the Wicked Queen's name seemed to make the air go out of the room, and several people actually gasped. "We have to figure out how to counter her magic."

"The Queen—the Queen was Gaston's ally, yes." Even her father looked a little scared, and that made Belle wonder what exactly had happened while she was gone. But there was no time to ask. "But we can hope that if we pay her tribute, she won't return."

"That's not going to work." Belle had met Zelena enough times at the Dark Castle to know that she was both petty and cruel, and she wouldn't accept the loss of a client kingdom so easily, not even if they gave her all the jewels they had to offer. "She'll want to punish us for overthrowing her pawn."

Those words brought about another long silence until Mulan spoke up. "How do we fight her? Even witches have weaknesses, and there has to be something we can do."

"She's too powerful." Maurice shook his head mournfully. "Force of arms wasn't enough to stop her last time. She's the one who took over the castle, not Gaston. We have no weapons here that can face her."

"We don't need to face her," Belle cut in, hating the defeated expression on her father's face. "The best way to fight magic is with magic."

"Sweeting, no one here has magic."

"No, we don't." Belle supposed that having to spell it out for her father was no surprise; she'd had to lead him to calling upon Rumplestiltskin in the first place. Now she just looked Maurice directly in the eye. "But we can make another deal."

"No. Absolutely not. I won't have you going back to that beast when you've only just now escaped!"

"I didn't escape, Papa, he let me go!" Belle could match him shout for shout all day long; somehow, arguing with her father didn't seem nearly as daunting after she'd had screaming matches with the Dark One. "And even if he were a beast—which Rumplestiltskin is not—he's predictable in that he always keeps to the letter of his deals. He's also more powerful than Zelena."

"Which you know exactly how?" Captain Thenardier sounded suspicious, but Belle just rolled his eyes.

"Because I spent nearly a year in his castle, of course. I met Zelena there, and I know she won't cross him."

That wasn't strictly true, of course; Belle was certain that Zelena was crazy enough to cross Rumplestiltskin if she wanted something badly enough, but she also knew that Zelena would lose.

"It's still out of the question," Maurice cut in. "I won't have you sacrificing yourself again. You've already given too much."

"It's my life, Papa." Stepping forward, Belle put a gentle hand on her father's arm. He looked truly distressed, and she wished she could explain that going back to Rumplestiltskin was something she wanted to do—but Belle knew better than to do that in front of everyone. Mulan would understand, and she thought LeFou might believe her, but the others would simply say she was under the Dark One's spell. "I'll do whatever I need to if it means saving our people, and besides…Rumplestiltskin was kind to me, before. He will be again."

Perhaps he would be better than kind, but Belle couldn't count on that. She'd been gone for months, and while she missed him dreadfully, she had to wonder if he felt the same. Just the thought of going back left her breathless with excitement, but what if Rumplestiltskin didn't want her back? Yet she knew that was wrong. She remembered the pain in his voice. I expect I'll never see you again, he had said so sadly, sounding so very human and broken. He had let her go out of love, Belle knew. If he hadn't insisted she leave, Belle never would have, and she'd always intended to go back. She just hadn't meant for it to be like this.


He was insufferable, but he was the only person who would know the truth.

Fiona waited until her son was off with the hatter to visit the Apprentice. She knew that Rumplestiltskin hated the stuck-up prig as much as she did, and his presence would only pour oil on an already simmering blaze. Still, enough time had passed that she had to face the fact that Belle was clearly not coming back, which meant that her hopes of using True Love to free Rumplestiltskin had been dashed. Perhaps the prophecy meant some other Dark One, the voice of pessimism pointed out. Or maybe Tiger Lily was wrong, and it was always too much to ask for any Dark One to turn the darkness to light. There had to be a reason why it had never been done, after all. So many Dark Ones had inherited the mantle since Nimue drank from the grail, and none of them had ever strayed from the dark path. Perhaps Tiger Lily had simply expected too much, and she'd foolishly gotten Fiona's hopes up.

Yet a part of her refused to stop hoping, which was why she had come to visit the Apprentice one last time, even though logic told her she ought not bother. Particularly after she'd turn him into a ferret last time.

"Back again?"

She should have known that she couldn't sneak up on him. Not with the magic Merlin had long ago bestowed upon his favorite student. "Do you always state the obvious by way of greeting, or is this just your way of complaining that I left you with a little gift last time?"

"I will not be so careless again." The look he shot her was anything but friendly. "If you are here about the young woman your son took—"

"I am not." Fiona didn't know what the Apprentice thought had happened with Belle. He would never believe her if she told him that Rumplestiltskin had let the girl go, so she wouldn't bother. "I am here about the prophecies Merlin made concerning the Dark One."

That earned her a narrow-eyed look. "There are not many. Nimue trapped him in that tree before even a century passed."

"I am quite aware of that," she snapped, and then forced herself to take a deep breath. "I know of one. I would like to know if there are others."

"You speak of the one about a Dark One who will turn the darkness back to the light." Merlin's Apprentice shook his head sadly. "You cannot possibly believe Rumplestiltskin can do so. He has been the Dark One longer than any other, and is irrevocably stained by the darkness."

"Oh, now you're starting to sound like the Blue Fairy. Is that on purpose?" She shot him her sweetest smile. No one wanted to be compared to Blue.

The insult clearly struck home. "I am not nearly that narrow-minded, thank you." He glared, and then continued: "I do not doubt that it is possible for a Dark One to turn the darkness to light. But it cannot be someone who has reveled in the darkness for so long. I am sorry, but it will not be your son. It cannot."

"Just tell me what was said." Fiona bit back the urge to shout at him; further antagonizing the Apprentice would not get her what she wanted. She had assumed that Belle's kiss would be the vehicle by which Rumplestiltskin was freed, but she had been wrong. Please tell me there is another way.

"He said that someday there might be someone worthy of holding that much power without letting it burn through to darken their soul." The Apprentice threw a sharp look her way. "But Merlin also said that it would be simpler by far to destroy the darkness so that no one would ever have to."

Fiona snorted. "Yes, that's worked out quite well for all of you."

"Do not make light of the many efforts to snuff out the darkness." Now the Apprentice looked offended—but she really didn't care. Yes, he was the keeper of the Sorcerer's Hat and what remained of Merlin's magic, which meant that he was the closest thing the world had to a human master of magic. He had tried several times to remove the darkness from various Dark Ones, but even Fiona knew that had never worked. Some news always made it as far as the Dark Realm.

I want to save my son, you fool, not destroy him. Fiona crossed her arms impatiently. "Did he say anything else?"

"Only that once darkness takes root, it never truly leaves. Love can overpower it, but such a love is but a candle in the vast darkness if not tended properly."

"And what if it were?" The question slipped out before Fiona could stop it. "What if love was enough?"

"Then the darkness would still fight back." The Apprentice shook his head. "Centuries of toxic power cannot be wiped away; the darkness will always fight to remain in power. To be truly free of it, a Dark One would have to chooseto let go, and none of them can." He studied her for a long moment as Fiona's mind whirled. "I know you care for your son, despite what one would think, but he will not give up the power any more than the others would. A part of him may love you, but not enough to give up his power."

"I would never ask him to give up his power." Fiona found the entire idea ridiculous; her power was as much a part of her as air. Why would she ever ask anyone else to give up magic for a nebulous thing like love? Love was precious and love was light, but power was security and provided the ability to get things done.

One should not have to exist without the other.

"Ah, but you think of power as a natural part of you because you were born a fairy. His power is not." The Apprentice held up a hand. "Magic taken through darkness comes at a price. And the price is his soul."

"Which you think he's already lost." Fiona didn't need to see the Apprentice's nod to know that he believed as such, but she knew he was wrong. Rumplestiltskin loved Belle enough to let her go, but did he love her enough to give up the darkness?

Fiona chose not to prolong that conversation and left shortly thereafter. She had work to do, and answers to find.


A/N: I apologize for the long wait between updates – juggling a full time job that just doubled my responsibilities and a full time degree is more challenging than I expected!

Stay tuned for Chapter 24—"With Me Forever More", in which Rumplestiltskin receives an unexpected summons, Hook plays things smart, Belle tries to make a deal, and reunions are had.