Chapter 36—"Stay With Me"


For once, all of their various visitors were accounted for and well away from interrupting anything. Tinker Bell was, as far as Rumplestiltskin knew, back with Snow White's merry group of no-longer-outlaws; they'd taken the kingdom and Snow and Charming had been hailed as King and Queen—or King and princess until their marriage took place in a few weeks. I wonder if they'll bother to invite me. Probably not. Mulan was asleep, sent to a nice world of dreams by a quick concoction Rumplestiltskin had brewed before he verified she was indeed heartless. And Tiger Lily, his mother's onetime visitor, was assuredly not coming back right now. Whatever her purpose had been.

It seemed as good a time as any for a family conference.

"Zelena has Mulan's heart." Belle spoke calmly, with her hands folded in her lap, but there was nothing calm in her blazing eyes.

"That explains why she asked Tink if she could tag along." Fiona sat back with a sigh, her expression curious. "Clever, really. Take Belle's friend and make the association natural…"

"It's not clever, it's horrible!" Belle clearly couldn't hold her anger back any longer, even when Rumplestiltskin put comforting a hand on her arm. She let out a shuddering groan and leaned into him, but every line of her body was tense with worry.

"And we'll get it back, sweetheart. I promise." Rumplestiltskin might not really have cared much about Mulan, but she was Belle's friend. That was enough for him, and the new man he was becoming recognized that Mulan might be a good ally to have in the days to come. She was also a decent person, which probably meant she was worth saving just for that. Assuming he cared about such things these days, which Rumplestiltskin still wasn't sure about.

"I think the why she's spying is as important as how we get her heart back. Rather more, in fact." Fiona pursed her lips, looking at Rumplestiltskin. "She hasn't given up on you, I fear."

That made him snarl. "She's welcome to want what she wants, but I have no interest in her!"

"But she is interested in you, my dear boy. Both of you, I wager." Fiona shot a look at Belle. "If I know our dreadful green queen, she's on a mission to get rid of Belle so she can have you for herself."

"If Zelena thinks that'll work, she doesn't know Rumple very well." Belle rolled her eyes. "Getting him to admit he has feelings for anyone is a lot of work."

Rumplestiltskin snorted. "And I'd prefer to resurrect Nimue than to so much as dance with Zelena."

Fiona giggled, but Belle perked up. "You dance?"

"Oh. Um. A little?"

"You'll have to show me!"

He felt his face go red, and damnit, that now showed. Infernal pale complexion! But she was interested, which made him feel warm inside. "You…you would want me to?"

"Of course I would! I love to dance, and dancing with you would be magical."

Rumplestiltskin stuttered helplessly—she wanted to dance with him? Truly? But his mother saved him from his embarrassment.

"Later, children. Later, you can talk about every kind of dance, if you get my meaning."

"Mother!"

"Fiona!" Belle looked a little more horrified than he felt, but not by much. Rumplestiltskin already wanted to hide under the couch they were sharing. His mother was getting at, hinting at—no!

Not that he hadn't thought of how amazing it would be to make love to Belle, but he knew she was highborn, and therefore a virgin. He would have to marry her, first, and while that idea was enticing, a peasant-turned-sorcerer was not exactly the catch of the year. Was he?

Fiona just waved away their protests. "Anyway, that's hardly the point at the moment. You can be little lovesick puppies after we resolve the issue of Mulan's heart. I assume that Belle is against killing her to remove the threat?"

"Of course Belle is!" Belle looked affronted, but Fiona, being Fiona, just brushed that off, too, and turned back to Rumplestiltskin.

"Well, then one of us will have to go retrieve the silly thing from Zelena's vault. That should be simple enough." She chuckled. "I'd say we should make it a mother-son outing, but that would only be asking for Zelena to creep in here and create mischief, so I suppose we'll have to save that for some other time." Fiona cocked her head. "So, do you want to go, or shall I do the honors?"

Rumplestiltskin hesitated. "The real question is how I go, if I do."

"What do you mean?" Belle turned to him, her brow creased in confusion.

"Do I go as I am, or like this?" With the last word, he twirled his hands and quickly assumed the familiar skin of the Dark One. Rumplestiltskin didn't feel any differently, not physically or magically, but the emotional security that wearing the mask of the monster provided was hard to deny. People respected Rumplestiltskin as the Dark One. They feared him, and no one would dare hurt those he loved, lest terrible revenge fall upon them.

As a human sorcerer, no matter how powerful…he was an unknown. Unknown to me, too. I think this power is the same, save sweeter and lighter, but there is no way to know until I am backed against the wall. That was not a position he cared to be in, of course, which was why the mask of the monster made things easier.

"You're going to have to show the world who you are sooner or later, Rumple." Belle's voice was soft, as was the hand on his arm. She wasn't being judgmental, either, but Rumplestiltskin could tell what she thought.

Fiona, on the other hand, seemed to turn the idea over a few times. "You want Zelena assuming that she's still up against the Dark One, don't you?" Her eyes narrowed. "Is that because you worry she'll think you less powerful, or because you prefer she thinks you have a singular weakness a la dagger?"

"Both, I think." Being the Dark One was also easier; Rumplestiltskin wasn't sure how to be some pseudo-Merlin. And he still hadn't figured out the cost of this magic. It had to have one, but without the darkness whispering in his ears, identifying the price was much harder. The price of light magic was generally eaten up by doing good things, but he was hardly a good man, even now. He might be one someday, but today…today he was just a slightly-redeemed Dark One, brought there via kiss.

"Well, in that case, if you're going to continue to play the monster, I should fetch the girl's heart." Fiona spoke the words with an easy shrug, but it was Belle's smile that filled the room.

"You'd do that to help Mulan?"

"Of course not." Fiona snorted. "But I would do it for you."

Belle looked like she didn't know what to say about that. On one hand, she clearly hoped Fiona was turning good enough to do something right when she wasn't personally involved, but on the other hand, the fact that Fiona would do it for Belle meant that Fiona really did approve of her and think of her as family. Not that his mother hadn't heavily hinted at grandchildren, but for all Rumplestiltskin knew, that was just Fiona being herself—or, in other words, as difficult as she could possibly be. But this bald statement announced to the world that she cared for Belle, and it was enough to even make Rumplestiltskin smile.

"Thank you." Belle's smile was brilliant, and Rumplestiltskin just squeezed her hand as he gave his mother a nod of his own. Thank you, Mother.

Fiona's smile was soft and only for him, and Rumplestiltskin could not imagine how his life would be if his mother hadn't wandered into it twenty years earlier.


"Tell me you'll be my maid of honor, please." Snow had Regina's hands in something like a death grip, but Regina couldn't care. She just grinned.

"Of course I will! I was afraid that you'd ask Blue or something."

"Blue has been wonderful to us, but you've been my truest friend since I was young, and I couldn't imagine getting married without you at my side." Snow was glowing with happiness, and it was almost contagious. Regina was starting to remember the heady feeling of being in love herself, anyway, so she knew that she'd enjoy the job. Snow dropped her voice to a conspiring whisper: "I think Charming is planning on asking Robin to be his best man, anyway, so that's perfect, isn't it?"

Regina felt her face flush. "A little."

"Oh, come on, Regina. You've been falling for him for months, and I saw you kissing outside the council chamber. That convinced me that you definitely had your heart more than anything else."

"Well, I'm glad you finally believed me on that." She tried not to snort, really she did, but the idea of having her best friend doubt her still burned a bit.

"I always wanted to believe you, and I'm sorry that I didn't." Snow looked so sad that Regina couldn't stay angry. "And I do appreciate the offer of peace that you brought to us. Even if Zelena doesn't stick to it for long, it's going to give our people some much-needed breathing space."

"So, you're going to agree?" She didn't know why that made her feel so happy. Maybe it was the feeling of having accomplished something for a change. Just keeping one step ahead of assassins and enemy armies never really left Regina feel like she'd done anything other than stay alive.

"We are. Charming and I discussed it yesterday. We're sending official messengers to Zelena in the morning, along with an invitation to our wedding."

"You're inviting her?" Regina gaped.

"Well, after what Aurora told us about what happened when Maleficent wasn't invited to her christening, we thought it was smarter to actually invite Zelena. We're even thinking about inviting Rumplestiltskin."

That name made Regina shudder. She knew that the Dark One had been her sister's teacher, and although she'd never met him, something inside her shrank away from the thought. Robin had told her how Rumplestiltskin had nearly killed him for stealing a wand—and would have, if not for a brave maid setting him free! Thinking of magical people and creatures made Regina glad that she'd given up her own magic. She wanted to be herself, not someone who delved too deeply into darkness and lost their soul. Zelena had done that, but Regina would not.

She'd let her magic be used to save her mother, and that would be that. No more magic for Regina.


"Why in the world have you two been so nervous for the past few days?" Tiger Lily looked between Beans and Bae, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What have you done?"

"Nothing. We haven't done anything." Bae felt he needed to set the record straight, particularly because he wasn't really nervous. Beans' nerves were a bit contagious, though.

"I saws her." Beans' words came out in a rush. "Madam Faustina."

Tiger Lily's head snapped around. "The one you cursed you with eternal youth?"

"Aye."

"You never did get around to telling us why she did that." Tiger Lily looked thoughtful, as if she was also remembering the vision that had interrupted that conversation months earlier.

"Or why it's a curse." Bae cleared his throat. "I mean, having been in Neverland and never growing up, I get it, but most people would think that 'eternal youth and beauty' are pretty awesome."

"Yeah, only 'cause I ran away from her before she could kill me and drink it." Beans shuddered violently. "Why d'you think I was so eager t'go with the shadow?"

"Um, I never thought of it, really." Bae made it a habit of not asking why boys went to Neverland. Their reasons never turned out to be worth the torture of being in the place.

"What do you mean before she could 'kill you and drink it'?" Tiger Lily demanded, her eyes wide.

"'S how she stays alive." Beans shrugged uncomfortably, scuffing his feet against the floor. "I didn't stick 'round to ask for details, mind. But I saw her do it once. 'Fore I ran."

Bae felt sick to his stomach. Even Neverland sounded better than that. Tiger Lily, on the other hand, seemed more thoughtful than sickened.

"That would make sense. You can't grant yourself eternal life with magic, even if you can prolong your life. The only way to keep yourself forever young and beautiful is to imbibe the essence of that from others. Or to have someone else do it for you, out of love."

"Now you're sounding crazy." Bae knew that people with magic could live a long time, but sucking someone else's life away so that you could live was just gross.

"It might be crazy, but it makes sense." Tiger Lily sighed. "I thought the fairies rid the world of that type of witch a long time ago."

Bae snorted. Fairies helping, sure. "Not based on what we saw in the marketplace."

"She's been 'round for a long time." Beans' voice was a quiet whisper, and the fact that he didn't like to use Madam Faustina's name hadn't escaped Bae. "There's a power in names, my boy," his father had told him years ago. "Some can summon. Some can curse. Some can cure."

Tiger Lily nodded. "Well, it's high time she was stopped. I'll go see Blue about her, and the fairies will deal with the problem."

Bae couldn't help rolling his eyes dubiously, but at least Tiger Lily didn't notice. She'd asked before why he didn't like fairies, and it was hard to describe, at least not without getting into details about the bean the Blue Fairy had given him. Had Blue meant well, or had she known that his father would have ended up a cripple in a world with a technology level that people in the Enchanted Forest could only dream about? His father would have died in that world; his skills would have been worthless, and Bae had seen plenty of beggars on the streets. The only ones who ever had pity taken on them were the children, like him.

He'd probably still always be angry that his father—his papa!—had let him go, but Bae was actually sort of glad that Rumplestiltskin hadn't come through that portal.


Tink felt mostly convinced that Regina had her heart, although she couldn't escape the feeling that there was something going wrong in regards to Regina and Zelena's newfound civility. Yes, Snow and Charming were working on an official peace treaty, but it still felt wrong. However, Tink did have another project on her hands, so she decided to let go of the Regina issue and go chase a beau for Zelena. Even if Zelena actually kept to the peace treaty, having her distracted would be a good thing. That, and she'd promised Fiona she would help.

So, she spent a few days making her fake pixie dust—which did leave her feeling a little bit guilty—and visiting Zelena to get a hair of hers to mix into the "potion" she needed. After that, all it took was hunting down Tink's leastfavorite sheriff. Even that hunt turned out to be easier than she expected; Nottingham was slumming in a bar not far from the border between the two kingdoms, knocking back ale like it was his job.

Given that he lost his job when King George fell, it probably is, Tink thought with a smile, reaching out with her wand and poking Nottingham right in the shoulder.

"Hey!" He slurred the word, shifting sloppily on his barstool to look at her. Nottingham's face brightened when he took in her small figure and—judging from where his eyes were resting—her breasts. "Hey."

"Sober up." Tink poked him again, and this time a trail of magic came out of her wand, shooting up his nose and forcing Nottingham's head back with a snap. She heard his neck crack as he groaned, but Tink didn't feel a flicker of regret. "I need your attention."

His grin was disgusting. "You already had it, pretty lady."

"What you need is your mouth washed out, but I'm no lady. I'm a fairy." Tink drew herself up as proudly as she could. "And this"—she gestured with the vial full of the glimmering green potion she'd concocted—"just led me straight to you."

"If it means you and I are going to get in on, there's no need to ask." Even sober, Nottingham was a lecher, and Tink almost felt bad about sending him Zelena's way.

Except she'd seen how often Zelena made use of her heartless harem, so if Tink could put someone in Zelena's bed that actually wanted to be there, she counted that as a win. Still, not saying something obnoxious was hard, and she did roll her eyes.

"You're not my type."

Nottingham pouted, and started to turn away.

"But—!" Tink brandished the vial again. "This potion indicates that you have a soulmate out there. And I am going to take you to her."

"You're—I'm—I have a soulmate?" Nottingham finally seemed to wrap his mind around the concepts, and then narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here to help me?"

"I'm not." Tink shrugged. "I started at the other half of the equation. The potion brought me to you when I was looking for her soulmate."

She definitely had his attention. "And who might the lucky lady be?"

"Queen Zelena, of course." Tink folded her hands as primly as she could. "She's very eager to meet you."

"Queen Zelena?" Nottingham's eyes looked like they might leap right out of his skull. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Not so fast." Tink stood. "Go get yourself a bath, and then we'll talk."


This time, Killian had opted for the more direct approach. Gaston had spotted a peddler of some sorts heading up the road towards the Dark Castle, and they hurried to catch up with him.

"What puts you on such a dark road, good sir?" Gaston could sound downright congenial when he put his mind to it, so Killian let him talk.

"Well, the road is aptly named, since it leads to the Dark Castle." The peddler shrugged. "I'm here to work a deal in exchange for my goods."

Killian cocked his head, realizing that although this man was dressed like a peddler, he didn't have so much as a bag slung over one shoulder. He certainly wasn't pushing a cart. "What wares would those be?"

"Oh, I have my talents. Rumplestiltskin likes to avail himself of them from time to time."

"Often?" Gaston was smart enough to know that they couldn't go in with someone easily recognized.

The peddler shrugged. "Not lately. Lately, he's been distracted by his mother and his maid."

His mother? Something sounded off about that; Killian couldn't remember Milah ever having mentioned a mother-in-law. If there'd been another woman in the picture, Milah probably wouldn't have been so miserable—or at least she would have had an ally in trying to force her worthless husband to be useful. A cold feeling was starting to creep up from the bottom of Killian's spine, and he was assuredly not fond of it. Gaston, however, kept on with the script they'd planned.

"Well, in that case, might we accompany you? A man of your means surely could use guards on such a dangerous road." Gaston put on his winningest smile.

"Dangerous road?" The peddler laughed. "Out here? No one threatens Rumplestiltskin's lands, not if they know what's good for them. I usually bring my daughter along, but she had a tea time set with friends that she absolutely could not miss."

"What kind of father brings their daughter to see the Dark One?" Killian hissed.

"A doting one. He always gives her candies." The peddler gave them a toothy grin. "Name's Jefferson, by the way. You are?"

"Just travelers," Killian got in before Gaston could give his name. His instincts were starting to tell him that providing more information might well be dangerous. "Travelers hoping to make a deal with the Dark One."

"Well, you hardly need to come with me for that." Jefferson laughed. "All you need to do is knock on the door."

"We'd prefer a little more…anonymity than that," Killian said carefully, just as Gaston blurted out:

"There's someone else in the castle we want to see. Without being seen."

Was he an idiot? Even Jefferson had stopped cold at that, and now his eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "Then I suggest you find some other fool to escort you. I value Rumplestiltskin's friendship, and I won't have the two of you ruining that." Jefferson gestured meaningfully. "Run along. And I do mean run, or I'll summon him myself."

"We meant no disrespect—" Surely Killian could salvage this somehow.

"The clock's ticking!" Jefferson pulled off his strange hat and whirled it around, doing an odd little jig. Maybe he was a little bit mad; he'd have to be, to call Rumplestiltskin a friend. Either way, Killian wasn't going to stick around to find out. For the second time, he grabbed Gaston by the arm and pulled him away, letting Jefferson continue up the path without them.

They were just going to have to find another way into the Dark Castle.


"What are you working on?" Belle plopped down next to Rumplestiltskin as he carefully wrote the lines of the spell, peering over his shoulder curiously. She'd rarely seen him write; most of his spells seemed to come from books or old notes, but line after line was pouring out of his quill.

Interestingly enough, the handwriting she saw was nearly identical to that on the notes she'd spent hours sorting and boxing. Rumplestiltskin had never mentioned that those old 'useless' papers were his! Typical. Rumple used to keep so many secrets that his secrets had secrets.

"A summoning connector." He glanced up at her, but only briefly. "One so that I can hear it if anyone summons me by calling my name three times."

"Why would you want that?" Belle cocked her head. "I would have thought you'd be happily rid of that."

"Ah, but it might be useful. Particularly if I'm going to continue playing at being the Dark One."

"I'm still not sure why you want to do that." She sighed. "I mean, it makes sense, sort of. People knowing you weren't the Dark One could destabilize the Enchanted Forest, and the last thing you need is people coming looking for old revenges and thinking they can take advantage of you no longer being the Dark One. But do you really want all those people coming to you for deals?"

"They…filled the hours." He shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable. Old loneliness shined in his eyes, so Belle squeezed his arm gently. "And it does behoove me to know if people are looking for me."

"That makes sense, at least." Belle leaned in to nestle her head into his left shoulder while his right hand scratched away. "Do you think you'll need to do it for long?"

She knew Rumplestiltskin well enough to know that the longer this lie went on, the more comfortable he would be with it. He'd hidden behind the mask of the beast for so long that she knew he didn't know how to live as just himself. As Rumplestiltskin, without being the Dark One. Belle was determined to help him find that path, but she was worried that he'd dwell in this pseudo-darkness for a long time before he was willing to emerge.

"I don't"—cutting off, he twisted to look at her. "You think I shouldn't, don't you, sweetheart?"

"I think that if you're too comfortable pretending to be the Dark One, it's not really that different from being the Dark One," she said honestly. "You told me once about how you had wanted to help people, about how you wanted to be good. I'd hate to see that get lost in all of…this."

Rumplestiltskin sighed. "You're right, of course. I am beginning to understand my magic, but I must admit that I'm not sure who I am beneath all of that. Without my…history."

"I can help you find out, if you'll let me." Belle knew that she'd broken his curse, that she'd helped free him—a choice Rumplestiltskin had had to make on his own, too—but she desperately wanted to matter. She wanted to help him, to show him that she loved him every bit as much as he loved her.

"I'd like that." When he turned to her, Rumplestiltskin was wearing a soft smile. "I really would."

"Good."

Belle leaned in and kissed him again, just because she could. Then she stayed as he finished the summoning connector, and then they went downstairs to discover more about where Rumplestiltskin wanted his future self to be.


She'd forgotten about the warrior woman again, hadn't she? Sighing, Zelena headed down towards her vault. She'd put Mulan's heart away after hearing about the suspicions surrounding Regina, satisfied that her foresight in stealing it was now serving two purposes. Things were going well on the battlefront, though; she could keep Snow and Charming tied up for months in negotiations while she prepared her time travel spell, and even if she did have to sign a bloody treaty, well, treaties were for lesser people than she. Zelena was damned well going to rule everything when she had her mother at her side. They would be two queens, supreme over the Enchanted Forest. Untouchable.

In the meantime, however, she did want to know what was going on between her teacher and his little maid. He'd made threats on the girl's behalf, which meant he was growing rather fond of her. Rumplestiltskin wanted to protect this 'Belle', and that made Belle a liability.

Or, if she played her cards right, Belle could be an ingredient.

Zelena was so caught up in that happy thought that she almost didn't notice Tinker Bell when the fairy met her on the steps. "I have someone who wants to meet you."

"Really? Now?" Zelena sniffed, but she had to admit that she was a little intrigued. Tink had said that she was going to mix up the pixie dust potion and bring back Zelena's soulmate. "I was planning on doing something…"

Tink shrugged. "I can always bring him back later, but they say that love waits for no one."

"Oh, very well." Zelena waved a hand. Mulan's heart could wait, anyway. "Where is he?"

Tink stepped aside, and a tall and handsome man came around the corner. Zelena had never seen him before, but the welcoming smile wore made her heart flutter. Was that what love felt like?


"Shall I talk to the Apprentice again?" Fiona asked quietly, and watched her son's head snap up from his wheel. It barely dawn, and Belle was still asleep upstairs, but apparently Rumplestiltskin had inherited Fiona's early-rising ways.

It's amazing he can walk after the sounds I heard the two of them making last night, but it's about time! She resisted the urge to gloat, though; if she pushed too hard, she'd probably turn the lovebirds celibate. As things stood, Belle was undoubtedly exhausted, so now was the time to talk to Rumplestiltskin about the quest that had formed the center of his life for centuries.

"You—you don't think he'd help, do you?" Rumplestiltskin looked like he hadn't dared hope, so Fiona sat down next to him and kissed the top of his head.

"We won't know unless we ask, my son. I know you're still preparing for the curse, but I, for one, would prefer not to put myself in that green wench's power if I can help it."

"I'd prefer not to see so many suffer, either." His voice was a whisper, like he barely dared admit that, but it made Fiona grin.

"I'm glad to hear that."

Rumplestiltskin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You are?"

"Of course I am! I vowed to bring you back to the light, and look at you—you're coming to it all by yourself. I'm so proud of you, Rumple."

"Mother…" He ducked his head and blushed, but she just kissed his hair again.

"You're becoming the man you should have been. I may be the Black Fairy, but I am a mother, first." They both knew why she'd embraced darkness, after all. It had been a terrible choice, but it had been out of love.

They had always had that in common.

"I'm not all that light. I'm still willing to see the curse cast, if that's what it takes." The eyes that rose to meet hers were determined and cool, and part of Fiona was proud of that, too. He will never roll over for anyone ever again, she knew. My son. There's strength in him that he doesn't even know about.

"Well, let me see what I can do about that, hm? Perhaps our friend the ferret will be more helpful if he knows that wretched curse is gone. He certainly should be, if he's actually the light magic practitioner that he claims to be."

Rumplestiltskin snorted. "I find that the more one shouts about being a good magic user, the more likely they are to be short-sighted and narrow-mindedly biased."

"I can't argue with you there, but it's still worth trying. Although I will have to tell him the truth. Are you willing to take that chance?"

"Not particularly." Rumplestiltskin hesitated. "But Belle would say that I have to start somewhere, so…yes. Let's try."

Fiona beamed. "I'll stop by and see him after I'm done fetching Mulan's heart back. It'll be a day full of do-gooding for me. Whatever will I do with myself?"

Rumplestiltskin laughed, and Fiona felt wonderful.


A/N: I apologize for the long time between updates…life has very much gotten away from me lately! But I'm back, and next up is Chapter 37—"We Must Believe," in which Fiona runs into an old flame, Tiger Lily goes to Blue for help, Rumplestiltskin and Belle go travelling, Bae learns something interesting about the Dark One, and the Apprentice is summoned to help.