Cora stared at the golden thread he'd spun in his hands and then finally grabbed it herself to examine. He watched as she rubbed it hard between her fingers as if searching for paint or some other trick to explain what she'd just seen. Finding none, she looked back up at him.

"You want to help me?"

"No," he answered honestly. "I want you to help me. And you will, because the future…is my gift. Well, in a manner of speaking." It was the first time since he'd inherited the ability that he actually thought of it that way, but he wasn't willing to relinquish this lead he had on his son now! And better yet, he had the feeling Cora was not willing to relinquish this hope she had that her life might not just be spared but improved. A fine bed over a cot of hay would be appealing to any man or woman…didn't he know.

"What could you possibly get from me?" Cora demanded with a roll of her eyes as if she thought the entire thing was ridiculous. If only she knew just how long he'd waited for this moment.

"Funny you should ask. Can you read?"

With a snap of his fingers, he crafted a contract, one that Cora was eager to take in her hands and begin skimming. The jolt she gave when she got to the fine print was small but still present. But the look she gave him as she held that contract in her hands…it was suspicious.

"My firstborn child?"

He nodded, moving around the little stool to stand beside her. "She is quite important."

"She?"

"Yes, I see the future. Weren't you listening?"

Cora's eyes drifted away from him, and she let out a small sigh, almost one of relief. He supposed it could be emotional for a woman to hear news of her first child and also painful for someone to suggest they would take it away, but fortunately for her, that wasn't what the contract stated and nor would he do such a thing. He wasn't an idiot. Now that he had something of a timeframe, there was too much to do in order to get himself together and find Baelfire. He didn't have time to raise a child. He'd leave that to her mother. All he wanted was the ability to be in her life and teach her magic, that wonderful, glorious power that quivered just beneath her mother's skin. But only if she accepted this deal!

"Anyway, I only get my payment if you live past tomorrow."

"You can turn all this straw into gold by morning?" Cora questioned.

He nodded. "And you can parade in front of the royals and demand the hand of the dimly lit Prince!" he pronounced. "And have them kneel before you. That's what you want, eh? You want them to kneel-"

"No."

"-I… No? What?" he questioned, turning back to her.

No? No, to what? No to his offer? Or no to his deal? It was a critical question! And he was more confused than ever because he couldn't understand the answer of "no" to either of those? No to one and she died, no to the other, and she'd never get the respect she deserved at had to undoubtedly crave after the life that she'd led. No? How could she turn him down?

"Teach me," she finally requested gently but with insistence. "Don't just do it. Teach me. Make it part of our deal."

Well…wasn't this an interesting twist of fate. It was his job as the Dark One to be the tempter, to be cunning and clever to suggest the best deal that would give him what he wanted while letting her feel like she had just won. There were no negotiations involved, and yet…

The power within her burned bright, like a beacon in the distance that issued warnings, it called to him now, tempting, desirable, and the skin on her shoulders didn't exactly hurt either. So, this was what it felt to be tempted, to feel want for someone other than his son. She was a worthy opponent. But he wasn't going to be fooled. He wasn't going to be caught up in her twice. He needed Regina, not Cora. Cora's knowledge of magic would only make the hold she'd have on her daughter stronger than his own, and he couldn't have that. Besides…she was nothing next to his Belle.

He let out another small laugh. "You are a spicy one, aren't you? But look around you, dearie, you're in no position to bargain. It's my way or no deal."

That was what he should have said to her. That was what he should have insisted upon when Cora asked for magic. He shouldn't have taught the bitch as much as he did, he shouldn't have had an affair with her, he shouldn't have ever come so close as to nearly give a piece of himself away that was reserved for his True Love.

That memory with Cora wasn't his best to look back on…but it was certainly one that he wished he'd seen through more than others. Especially because of the heartache she'd caused him but also because he was certain if he'd been allowed to have a hand in training Regina, she wouldn't have been as needy as she was today.

Another visit from the former Evil Queen. It figured. She went around acting as though she was powerful, but at the first sign of trouble, it was right back to him. She'd slipped in with dinner, but this time she hadn't used a camouflage spell, but rather one she'd fixed on the outside. She'd shifted her appearance into that of a mouse, started nibbling on an apple he'd taken a bit of that morning, and then tossed out of the cell.

He knew it was her and not an ordinary mouse because he could smell magic on her, powerful Dark Magic like he hadn't been in the room with for years but would always recognize. It was the same magical signature that his Curse reeked of. He could feel it giving him power, overcoming the magic of the mines. He could leave if he wanted to with that magic. He could end this torment and go back to his castle. Live out these days before the Curse in comfort. Oh, how he longed for the comfort of home! Of anything beyond this! But the magic he had was here for another purpose. He had to store it away.

When the guard left, it was just the pair of them in the cell, but he waited until he heard the footsteps fade farther down the hall. "It's just us, dearie," he muttered. "You can show yourself."

In a cloud of black magic, she was suddenly standing before him again. She moved her neck to one side, excising the last of the uncomfortable magic before she stepped forward.

"That Curse you gave me," she explained, holding the scroll he hadn't been in the same room with for years up in front of him. "It's not working."

And somehow, that made him angrier than anything inside this cage. She had all she needed to cast that Curse; why wasn't she doing it?! What was taking her so fucking long to do it! Oh…he knew, or at least he could take a guess. But with any luck…he could light a fire under her and make it so that she finally moved!

"Oh, so worried," he smiled, tapping his fingers together. "So, so worried. Like Snow and her lovely new husband."

"What?!"

"They paid me a visit, as well," he smiled, stepping up to the bars. "They were very anxious…about you and the Curse."

"What'd you tell them?!" she roared, stepping up to the bars.

"The truth! That nothing can stop the Darkness!" he announced with a flourish before sneering down at her again. "Except, of course, their unborn child." Regina balked, her eyes opened wider, and he felt her heartbeat quicken. Nothing like the promise of losing everything to force the little witch to get a move on it. "You see, no matter how powerful, all curses can be broken. Their child is the key. Of course, the Curse has to be enacted first."

"Tell me what I did wrong."

"For that, there's a price."

"What do you want?"

"Simple," he spat. Being in here had given him time to think, time alone in his own head as he hadn't had for over a century, and he knew what he wanted from it. He never wanted this again. He wanted resources, and he wanted power in any way that he could get it! Fortunately, after a talk with a werewolf about this new place they were going to, he knew how he needed to get it. In a World Without Magic, there were two ways to get what he wanted. The first was money. But the second was to have power over the one who had power in the first place. And his student was suddenly desperate enough that he thought she might give it. "In this new land, I want comfort. I want a good life."

"Fine. You'll have an estate. Be rich."

"I wasn't finished!" he snapped. "There's more!"

"There always is with you," Regina sneered, shaking her head. He ignored her comments and climbed the bars, standing high above her for his final most important request.

"In this new land, should I ever come to you for any reason, you must heed my every request. You must do whatever I say. So long as I say…' please'!" he shrieked, laughing at her, letting her think he was going mad because sometimes he felt like he was. But if she thought he was going mad...the request would seem less harmful than it actually was, less suspicious.

She sighed without interest, unaware of what she was about to give away. The realm may not have magic in it now, but one day it would; the Curse would bring its own magic with it. Not much, not until he'd finally enacted a spell to bring it into that land, but it would be there. And he wanted to use as much of it as he could. "You do realize that should I succeed, you won't remember any of this."

"Oh, well, then...what's the harm?"

"Deal."

He snorted as he backed away from the bars. It was done. All he needed to do was give her answers, and he'd be ready for the new world. He prayed it would come soon.

"What must I do to enact this Curse?" Regina questioned.

He couldn't be entirely positive where she'd gone wrong but seeing as how she was still standing there, without tears in her eyes, he could think of one significant thing she'd either skipped over entirely or chosen to half-ass out of love. "You need to sacrifice a heart," he instructed.

"I sacrificed my prized steed," she interrupted.

He flew at her. Launched himself at the bars of his cage, reached through and grabbed her by the neck, taking in the wonderful sensation of Dark Magic flowing from the Curse, into her, and now into him. Oh, it was just as seductive as the first day he'd touched it. It deserved the finest of everything to come to fruition! If she thought that her horse would do…she clearly had no idea how to romance magic.

"A horse?" he growled, letting the magic flow into him. "This is The Curse to End All Curses. You think a horse is going to do? Great power requires great sacrifice. The heart you need must come from something far more precious."

He'd attacked her, but her heartbeat evened out as she listened to him…but now it was pounding again, pulsing so wildly he could feel it in her neck. "Tell me what will suffice," she ordered with a calm voice.

He grinned, looked her in the eye, and whispered, "The heart of the thing you love most."

She snatched him by the wrist at his declaration and pulled herself free. "What I love most died because of Snow White."

That was true…years ago! Now she was all grown up, and there was one she loved even more, one who had shown her loyalty beyond measure despite what she had become. He smiled, recalling the vision of her looking at her father through the bars of her own cell, "the one I love most." That was where she'd gone wrong. Love made people truly blind.

"Ooh. Is there no one else you truly love?" he asked, dragging the back of his fingers over her perfect cheek. He'd done everything that he had to do to get her ready, but this was the final test he couldn't pass for her because he hadn't! He'd had the Curse in his grasp, and he'd had someone he loved in the dungeons! He'd let her go, let her die because he wasn't strong enough to kill her himself. Regina had to be! She had to want it more than she wanted the man she loved. He was helpless to do anything else but wait.

"This curse isn't going to be easy. Vengeance never is, dearie. You have to ask yourself the simple question. How far are you willing to go?"

The Evil Queen stepped forward so that she put her own face between the bars of his cell. "As far as it takes," she whispered. Good.

"Then please don't waste everyone's time and just do it," he begged. "You know what you love. Now go kill it."

Without another word, she turned, transformed herself back into a mouse, and walked out of the cell, leaving him behind. She'd taken the Dark Curse and all the magic it offered with her, but his skin still hummed with it. Now! He had to do it now! Before he gave in and used that magic to leave before he lost his opportunity.

He flew to the wall where the parchment was and held it between his hands, and then he transferred it. He used every ounce of energy and magic he had to push all the magic the Dark Curse had given him into that parchment until it glowed with blackness and burned his hands. He dropped it in the dirt with a shock when it ended. Behind him, he could hear guards walking in the outer corridor. He didn't know what time it was, but he wasn't going to take any risks. He scooped up the burning parchment, took out the magical quill and the squid ink, and retreated to his little alcove. He dipped the quill into the ink, and it provided enough power for the quill to absorb the energy of the Curse and transfer it into him as he wrote one word over and over and over again.

"Emma."

It was his trigger word. Now, when the day came that he heard that word again, it would be in the other world. He would wake. He would help her break the Curse he'd worked so hard to create. Much to Regina's displeasure, he'd remember the deal they'd just made, and he would be sure to use it.

He wrote the name until there was no longer any more space left on the paper, and power buzzed through him, tied him to the curse and now to this cell. The magic spent, there was no leaving now. He had only to wait.

I was conscientious about which scenes I used for his "what-ifs." I wanted scenes that, if he played them out entirely, would still get him back to Baelfire in the end. With this scene, we see him refusing perhaps the one relationship he has come to regret most of all thus far...Cora. Instead of agreeing to teach her magic, he holds firm in his deal. With little choice, Cora would have given in. He'd have been in Regina's life, and so would Cora, but it would have been a different Cora, one whose power never grew enough to threaten his own. And who knows, in that scenario, maybe it would have been Danial she'd have had to kill. Ah...the what if...

Thank you, Jennifer Baratta, Alarda, and Grace5231973, for your reviews on the last chapter. I hope you'll enjoy the magic I'm trying to work on Rumple's "trigger." That magic was never fully explained, so I did my best with trying to work with it. I hope it all makes sense. We're down to three more chapters! It's not long now. Peace and Happy Reading!