AN: See chapter 1 for story notes and summaries.
Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, eventual Swanfire, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)
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Also, feel free to follow me on Tumblr lilacmoon83. In an effort to grow my Snowing fanfiction blog on Tumblr and get more visibility for my writing, I invite anyone following my stories here on to follow me on Tumblr. I have a sizable following here on , but that hasn't really transferred over to Tumblr. I've been considering doing face claims for all original characters in this story too. So if you're interested, give me a follow on Tumblr and help my stories get a bit more visibility through reblogs and shares!
For one face claim reveal, I will tell that I chose Gal Gadot as the face claim for Persephone...cause she's perfect as Persephone!
Please consider leaving a review if you're reading. It is very much appreciated!
Thanks for awesome the reviews. Here are individual responses:
Saberius Prime: Yep, Regina is free and Cora is already manipulating things. As for Belle, the search for her is on! Glad you're enjoying the story so much!
Barratta Jennifer: Yes, I think there is going to quite a showdown between Cora and Persephone.
BooksinmyDreams: Thanks! Glad you liked it so much!
Sara K M: Glad you liked all the flashbacks! They were very emotional, but much needed I think to understand how Emma came to have the relationship she has with her parents. Yep, I agree, Keith is a creep and a half. Will they notice? Not as soon as they probably should and you'll see why. Yes, I thought Cora being disappointed in Rumple for falling in love was on par with her personality. I would agree. Cora could never let it go that she deserved to be royal and it would make sense actually that miller's fared fairly well. Everyone needed flour. I head canon that David grew up much poorer than her. Her hatred of Snow simply because who she was born to is very Cora I think. Yep, she's already manipulating Regina too. Glad you're enjoying so much!
Number Ten: Yep, Cora is already manipulating her daughter. But you know it has to happen for Regina's development. Actually, no if you read it again, Killian actually didn't start that fight, for once, he says. He just happened to get lucky and got a glimpse of the Charmings that Cora is intent on destroying and made observations. As for Smee meeting up with Hook, not sure yet on that. Gold is probably going to turn him into a rat. As for other ships besides Snowing. Obviously I think Swanfire should have happened. I'm okay with SwanQueen when it doesn't vilify Snowing. I passively ship Rumbelle when it's not toxic. If we're talking Red, then I ship her mostly with Mulan, but Ruby Slippers is okay, though in season two, I totally could see RedBeauty. I also would have been cool with Frozen Swan happening as well. Then for season 7, I passively ship Glass Believer and totally ship Curious Archer. And though I don't write throples, I enjoy reading Red Snowing, Detective Snowing, Detective Red Snowing, and just about anything else involving Snowing. Honestly, the only thing I really don't ship is Snow and Charming with anyone else but each other, like romantic Snow Queen and romantic Evil Charming, cause nope. And I don't really ship Captain Swan anymore. I started out indifferent to it when it began in season 4, I tolerated it later on, and then it became intolerable, putting it on the NoTP list. Thus, Finding You Always will be the only story that I will ever include Captain Swan. Thanks for asking.
Beth1980: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the flashbacks and that they were in character. Hmm...she might have. That might be something I need to call back to later with Mary Margaret and how she realizes why she was so tender during that time. Don't worry, if anyone is offended by the breastfeeding, then they probably should step off and not read my stories. I think it's such a natural thing and this stigma against it really puts me off. So if they don't want to take a stick to a beehive, so to speak, then I doubt they'll get on me for it. Glad you liked how they got Henry out. And yes, Cora is horrible. She probably calls Snow and tramp, because she sees Persephone as a tramp and Snow as her "bastard". From Cora's POV, Hades made her a Queen and she betrayed him and spat on everything he "gave her". I'll probably get more into Cora's line of thinking soon. But yeah, she really has no business calling Snow that. Her hatred of her is purely by association. Yeah, unfortunately, Cora is already manipulating Regina. So glad you're enjoying the story!
SecretLoveCara: So glad you like it! I'm loving the twists and turns myself. I'll probably be throwing in some more, lol. Thanks for reviewing and so glad you're enjoying it!
Izzypirelli: Thanks! Glad you liked the flashbacks. It probably was lonely for David. I decided a comprehensive flashback of various times was needed to really show how Emma got to the place she is now with her parents. Hah, yeah, no Belle can't catch a break. Yeah, Smee was careless, but since he refused in the show to take that hat off, I decided it was probably the best way to give him away. Yep, Cora's hatred is very misplaced and I have a twist ahead to show you how deep that hatred of a little girl goes. As for Regina, she is definitely being manipulated already and time will only tell what path she will choose here. So glad you're enjoying! :)
Dreaming Out Loud
Chapter 48: Smoke and Mirrors
The first thing Belle noticed upon waking was the smell of soot and when she opened her bleary eyes, she found her surroundings to be shrouded in darkness. And she was not alone. She heard voices, male from the sound of them and she lifted her head. Around her were walls made of rock and she looked down to find herself in some kind of mining cart. The mines...that's where she was. Then the memories all came crashing back to her. The portly man in the red cap had come after her and despite fighting her way to escape, he had put something over her mouth. The smell of the substance on the cloth had rendered her unconscious. But her mind still swirled with questions as to why. She had never seen this man before and had no idea why he might want to kidnap her.
Most in this town knew Rumple well enough to know that doing something like this to someone he cared about was as good as a death sentence, never mind that she would never approve of killing under any circumstance. But when she heard her name, things started to become horrifyingly clearer. Especially when she realized her wrists were handcuffed to the inside of the cart
"Belle…" Moe uttered, as he noticed she had awakened.
"Father...what's going on?" she demanded to know.
"Relax Belle...I promise you'll understand soon enough. This is for the best," he said. She looked at him with confusion written on her face.
"For the best? What does that mean?" she asked again in a demanding tone.
"That monster will ruin you. You will be better off forgetting him again...you were going to leave him behind before and it would have been the best thing for you," Moe explained. She stared at him in disbelief.
"You don't get to decide what is best for me! This is wrong, father! Let me go!" she pleaded.
"I'm sorry Belle," he apologized, but she didn't believe he meant it.
Cora looked around Regina's home with an impressed air about her.
"A lovely home...you've done well for yourself, dear," Cora mentioned and Regina found herself resisting the urge to preen under her mother's scarce compliments.
"Thank you, Mother. It is this world's version of a castle," she replied.
"Yes...now our real work begins. Persephone and her precious daughter must pay," Cora added. Regina frowned.
"How long have you know that Snow is Persephone's daughter?" Regina asked with scrutiny.
"For many years now...I'm actually the one that told Leopold that his fair little retch wasn't actually his," Cora responded. Regina's eyes widened.
"Leopold knew?" she exclaimed, as she clenched her teeth.
"Of course dear. I wanted him to know exactly who the daughter he doted upon really was and where she came from. I wanted him to realize that the pride he had in thinking she was his little girl was untrue; that his heir was illegitimate. My only regret is not being able to tell Queen Eva the same," Cora responded.
Regina was stunned. Were she and Snow the only ones that didn't know about her true heritage? For she knew if her mother and Leopold knew that Rumpelstiltskin certainly knew, probably from the time Snow was born, knowing the imp. It didn't matter though. It didn't change the fact that Snow still needed to pay. She and her perfect little family had taken Henry away from her and turned him against her. And that would not stand. But it had to be done carefully.
"Mother...we must be cautious on how we deal with the Charmings. Not only is Persephone powerful, but Henry will hate me forever if I kill his family," she mentioned.
"I've been waiting a long time to deal with the woman that cursed us with that wretched girl,"
Cora cooed.
"And Emma and her parents. We can't just kill them," Regina reminded..
"Yes, we can," Cora stated. Regina's face fell.
"Don't worry, dear. Henry will be made to understand that what we're doing is for his own good," she added. A cold chill slithered down Regina's spine at those words. Her mother had killed Daniel for her own good. She had accepted Leopold's proposal for her own good and put her on the Throne for her own good. And somewhere, deep inside Regina, the need to protect Henry from her mother bloomed. But turning against her would spell only her own doom and the need to still make Snow and her perfect little family pay was still very present. There was a war inside her, a war she had not felt since before she had descended down the path from young Queen Regina to the Evil Queen. She clenched her fists and her anger at Snow threatened to boil over. It was so much easier to hate her step-daughter and blame everything on her. Yes, if Snow was gone, then her problems would be solved. But deep down, she knew that wasn't true.
Maleficent had warned her about casting the curse and the emptiness it would leave inside her. And it had...it was an emptiness that not even Henry had completely filled. She thought he had, but that was when the curse was keeping everything and everyone in order. But now...it was all gone and again, because of true love's kiss. She was sure other villains were somewhere laughing at her being defeated now twice by something such as a kiss.
With Persephone protecting the Charmings though and David's weird pseudo friendship with Gold, there was no way she could take all of them on without her Mother's help. Could her Mother really be the lesser of two evils?
"Mother, we must handle Snow's demise delicately. It's very important. Her husband has developed somewhat of an unlikely friendship with Rumpelstiltskin," she informed. Cora seemed to ponder this for a moment.
"Perhaps, but I have something he wants and I assure you that he won't bat an eye at tossing his friendship with some pauper turned prince when he sees what I have," Cora promised. Regina swallowed thickly.
"Then what do you plan to do to Snow?" she asked. Cora smirked.
"Let's just say that I happen to know that the plant I used to have in Eva's court is somewhere here in Storybrooke and I believe it's about time that she come back to work for me. She failed to help me undermine Snow White when she was a girl, but this time, she'll help us see to a very tragic demise for her," Cora stated in a pleased tone.
Red led them through town, tracking Belle's scent from the article of clothing provided. David's phone buzzed insistently again and he finally answered it.
"What is it, Leroy?" he asked.
"It's the Queen...she's gone," he reported. Snow watched her husband's expression go from concern for the task ahead of them to hard edged and rigid.
"Check the cameras," he ordered.
"Yeah...those are gone," he reported. David clenched his teeth.
"Dammit...we'll be there as soon as we can," he responded, as he hung up.
"Regina is gone," he growled, as he balled his fist.
"What?!" Emma cried.
"The cameras are gone too…" he added.
"Gone?" Snow asked.
"Like magic," he answered bitterly.
"I'll go to the station and assess the situation while you all keep looking for Belle. Obviously, Regina found a way through my magic and I'll need to see the cell to determine how," Persephone said. Snow nodded, as her mother squeezed her hand and then disappeared in a puff of lavender smoke.
"You should have let me take care of her from the beginning and this wouldn't be a problem," Gold growled.
"This isn't the time to play the blame game...and killing her is still wrong," Emma countered, as they stopped near the Game of Thorns flower shop.
"Red?" Snow asked.
"The scent...it's muddled now. It's the flowers…" she said, as she struggled to keep the scent. David looked to Gold and saw he was seething with barely contained rage. He stepped into the shop and found it empty.
"You think he's behind this?" David asked.
"Oh, I know he is, dearie. Suspend your thinking that a father would never abduct his own child. Sir Maurice is not you," Gold replied.
"What the hell does he get out of kidnapping his own daughter?" Emma wondered.
"To keep her from me," Gold responded, like it was obvious.
"Yeah...but keeping someone under lock and key isn't as easy as it sounds. He knows we were gonna check his shop and his home. If I had to guess, they're not there either. So where would he keep her?" Emma reasoned. Just as she said that, Snow noticed something on the ground and knelt down.
"What is it?" David asked.
"I think it's part of a footprint. Whoever's shoe it was is really dirty," she mentioned, as they looked at the substance on her fingers.
"That's soot...I know where he took her," David said, as they hurried off after him.
Persephone rushed into the station, where Leroy and Happy were in the process of locking Keith up.
"Well...hello doll face," he leered. She glared at him.
"Call me doll face again and I assure you it's the last thing you'll ever be able to say," she snapped, as she waved a hand over the lock on the other cell where Regina had been.
"What are you doing?" Happy asked curiously.
"Trying to figure out what magic was used. The spell I used isn't easily nullified," she explained.
"Ain't it obvious, sister? Regina got out and then blasted the cameras," Leroy retorted.
"No...she didn't. All magic leaves a signature and this is not Regina's," Persephone replied.
"Then who would have freed her?" Happy asked. Persephone swallowed thickly. Thankfully, she knew it wasn't Hades. She'd know his mark anywhere, but the sinking feeling in her didn't disappear. She didn't know her signature, but instinctively she knew it had to be Cora. She was the only one that would have the magic to free Regina. She almost felt faint at that. They had expected her to eventually find a way to this land, but they had not expected it to be so soon.
"I have to go," she said, as she disappeared and then reappeared in front of Regina's house.
"Cora...I know you're here…" she called. But there was no answer.
"So...that's how you want to play it? Lurking from the shadows...fine by me. Just know that if either of you hurt my family or think of employing anyone else to do so...I won't hesitate to turn you to mulch!" she called with vehemence. She let her warning carry for a few beats, before she disappeared again.
Cora peeked through the curtain with a smug smirk. The Goddess was unnerved by her presence in town, which made staying concealed for now all the more fun. Like a game of cat and mouse, with her as the cat of course. As matriarchs of their respective families, Cora could already feel the coming stand off between her and the Queen of the Underworld. And she relished it. She couldn't wait to cause Snow White to lose yet another mother and give her everything she so justly deserved. Of course, that meant making the Princess truly suffer by taking away what she loved most. Her Prince Charming and lovely daughter. And then, only when Snow White was finally nothing more than a broken shell of a girl at her feet, would she grant her the release of death by allowing Regina to finally crush her heart.
"Let the games begin," Cora said quietly to herself.
"Father...you have to let me go! This is wrong!" Belle pleaded.
"I know it seems that way now, Belle. But I promise this is for your own good," Moe reasoned.
"You don't get to decide that! You cannot continue to try to force me to live the way you want me to. Why can't you understand that?" Belle exclaimed.
"Belle…" he started to say again.
"No! This is my life and if you do this, then you are the true monster!" she interrupted.
"Belle...that beast is the monster! I don't know what he has done to you, but this will fix it," Moe said. Her brows furrowed in confusion, as she watched him put a hand on the lever that controlled the mining car.
"Father...what are you doing?" she asked fearfully.
"Sending you over the town line. At least as Lacey, you can be free of that beast. Even if you leave and I never see you again, at least I know that monster won't be ruining you," he replied. Her mouth dropped open in shock, as he admitted he'd rather never see her again than allow her to be happy as herself.
"Please don't do this...I have friends! I don't want to leave them again!" she pleaded.
"This is for the best, darling," Moe said tearfully, as Emma and David rushed in with Snow and Gold behind him. Moe hit the lever and the car started speeding away, as Belle screamed. Emma drew her gun and pointed it at Moe, making him move away. David stopped the mining car and ran down the tunnel. The car screeched to a halt, barely a few feet before the line and a frantic Belle looked up.
"Belle?" he asked. She breathed in relief and nodded.
"Still Belle," she confirmed, as he unlocked the cuffs and lifted her out of the car. When they returned, she saw Emma had cuffed her father and she ran to Rumple, as he enveloped her in a hug. Snow sighed in relief, as she felt David's arms encircle her waist and she leaned back against him, relishing it, as he pressed a kiss to her hair. She turned in his arms and he cuddled her against his chest, folding her into his arms.
Dark magic swirled in Gold's palm, as he threatened to virtually vaporize Moe for what he had done.
"Rumple...no," Belle pleaded.
"He needs to pay, Belle. How can you defend him after what he almost did to you?" he growled.
"I'm not...but I don't want you to kill him," she countered.
"No...he has to pay," Rumple argued. But she put a hand on his forearm.
"And he will...because I never want to see him or have anything to do with him. Ever again," she said firmly.
"Belle…" he started to plead, but she put her hand up.
"No...just stop," she said, cutting him off.
"Belle...I'm your father," he reminded.
"No...you're not. Father's do not do what you just tried to do," she hissed. Emma nodded.
"She's right…" Emma agreed.
"And you think you know so much about father's, Miss Swan? Or mother's for that matter?" Moe questioned, glancing at Snow and Charming. Emma smirked and gave him a smug glower.
"Oh yeah...I know about having parents, in a way no one ever expected. And my parents...they'd never even think of doing to me the things you've done to your daughter. They're real parents, who love and support me, no matter what. If I thought you weren't a lost cause, I'd say you could learn a whole hell of a lot about parenting from them. But...I don't think you're worth their time," she replied. The looks on Snow and Charming's faces at that clearly stated they were both surprised and touched by their daughter's staunch defense of them.
There had been times over the years in the dreamscape that they had truly felt like horrible parents. There were even times in Emma's anger that she had told them such. And though, they knew she hadn't meant those words at the time, it was never lost on them that in many ways, she could have been right. So to hear her so passionately defend them nearly brought them both to tears. It's not something they would expect from her, so perhaps that was exactly why she believed they deserved such. Emma may have saved them all, but Snow and Charming were determined that there would not be any more challenges or battles that she would face alone.
Moe could only glare at her though and Emma never really expected to get through to him. She had a feeling he was just one of those people that would never change and this instance, perhaps Belle would be better off without him in her life. It wasn't for her to say, but she certainly wouldn't blame the brunette if she truly did cut him out of her life.
"Let's go...you can have your phone call at the station, because I'm booking you for conspiracy to commit kidnapping. And if I manage to get to the rat you hired to do the job before Gold, he's going to jail too," she informed, as she marched him out of the mines and back toward town.
Snow and Charming followed behind Belle and Gold with their arms around each other's waists. They couldn't help but exchange looks filled with so much love and emotion that anyone noticing probably would have felt like they should avert their eyes, for the looks passing between them seemed so intimate.
Unfortunately, when they reached the station, they found a nearly frantic Persephone waiting for them.
"What's wrong?" Snow asked in concern.
"Besides Regina being gone," David added.
"Because I don't think Regina was the one that freed herself," Persephone responded.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I thought you said she couldn't get through your magic?" Emma questioned, as they took Moe into the station and locked him up.
"She can't, which is why I don't think she did," Persephone responded, as she watched Gold hobble over to the cell that had once held her and examine the lock. They shared a knowing look.
"Then who did?" Emma asked.
"Cora…" Gold hissed and Snow felt dread knot in her stomach.
"She's here?" she squeaked, as she felt Charming's arms encircle her waist again.
"I'm afraid so, snowdrop. I knew she'd come...I was just hoping for more time," Persephone replied.
"So...if she's here and hasn't shown herself yet, what's her ploy?" David asked.
"She is patient...she'll lurk in the shadows and bide her time until she's ready to make her move. What that move will be...is uncertain," Gold responded.
"He's right, which means none of us should move about the town alone, no exceptions," she warned, as she looked to Gold.
"And you…" she started to say.
"She's going to come to you wanting to make a deal," Persephone warned.
"And she has nothing I want," Gold retorted.
"Really? So when she offers you the globe that will allow you to pinpoint Baelfire's location, you won't sell us out?" she challenged. He went silent and Belle looked at him in disbelief.
"Rumple!" she scolded.
"How can you expect me to turn down an object that will allow me to find my son?" he questioned.
"Because the price is too high!" Belle exclaimed.
"Or maybe you don't turn it down," David said, earning incredulous looks from all the women in the room.
"Do you think you could play double agent?" he asked, cluing them in on a plan of sorts.
"You want to double cross Cora? That's gutsy, even for you, dearie," he warned.
"What other choice do we have? She's going to come to you and probably evade the rest of us until she's ready to strike. Let's not let her get the drop on us," he suggested.
"I think the question is what is she going to want from you in exchange for that globe?" Snow asked.
"Probably a truce. A promise that I won't kill her on sight," Rumple responded. Emma's brow furrowed.
"What did she do to you?" the blonde asked.
"Never mind...making deals with Cora is almost as bad as making deals with Hades. However...without that globe, I might as well kiss the possibility of finding my son goodbye," he replied bitterly.
"Cora may say she wants a truce, but you and I both know she only wants that for one reason," Persephone countered. He nodded evenly.
"The dagger," he agreed.
"The dagger?" David asked.
"Quite simply, should Cora find my dagger and use it to kill me, then she becomes the Dark One. And I don't think I have to tell any of you what that would mean for all concerned," he responded. There was dead silence, as they let that sink in.
"What do we do?" Emma asked, breaking the silence.
"When she comes to you...let her convince you into a truce and get the globe. Let her think she's in control and then we track her. Once she thinks she has you at a truce, that's when she'll search for it," Persephone reasoned. Gold nodded.
"It sounds like it's our best bet, even if there's a lot of room for things to go wrong," David mentioned, not missing the troubled look on his wife's face. Emma checked the time and started for the exit.
"I gotta get Henry. He'll be getting off the bus any minute," she mentioned. The others followed, with Gold and Belle returning to the shop and Persephone letting her daughter and husband have a few moments alone.
"Snow…" he started to say.
"Cora is evil…" she blurted out.
"I know," he responded.
"No Charming...you don't know what she's like! She used my dead mother to manipulate me into telling Regina's secret. Then she killed Daniel in front of Regina," she reminded, as he put his hands on her arms.
"She won't stop until she takes away everything I love...everything her own daughter loves. That means Henry, Emma, my mother…" she lamented, as she trailed off and tears filled her eyes.
"You…" she finally managed to choke out, as he folded her into his arms and kissed her hair.
"I know you're scared...I am too. I'm terrified of losing you and our family. I don't even want to think about my life without you..I lived that when I thought we couldn't be together back in our land," he confessed. A tear slipped down her cheek and he brushed it away.
"I know...so did I," she recalled.
"Without you...I felt dead inside," he continued.
"I took a potion to forget you...it was the worst mistake ever," she reminded. He smiled gently and caressed her cheek.
"I understand why you did...I was in misery without you, but that's why I'm going to fight with everything I have for you...for Emma and Henry. Because I refuse to ever be separated from you again," he said passionately. She swallowed.
"And I'll fight for you...even if it means ending Cora myself," she realized darkly, before her green eyes flicked up to him again. She could see his worry, but he brushed it off.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," he replied.
"But if it does, I will do it...I will do anything for you," she promised. He hugged her close at that.
"And I you," he confessed, as he slowly led her out, tucked closely to his side.
They joined their daughter and Snow's mother at the bus stop to greet their grandson. He dipped his head down to capture her lips in a tender kiss, just as the bus pulled up and deposited Henry. With that, the five of them headed home to the loft.
Regina parked her car on the curb. A simple glamor spell had disguised her easy recognizable car as something less conspicuous and they watched Emma arrive at the bus stop with Persephone.
"These carriages are strange," Cora commented.
"They take some getting used to, but I've found they are a preferable way to travel when magic isn't an option," Regina said idly, just as they spotted Snow and Charming join the other two women at the bus stop, arms around each other.
"Ugh...are they always this nauseating?" Cora complained.
"Yes...as a matter of fact, they are. True love…" Regina said, hissing the last part with contempt.
"Love is weakness, darling. True love will be Snow White's undoing," Cora stated.
"Believe me, I've tried to get rid of her Charming multiple times, but that love always seems to save them," Regina warned. Cora smirked.
"Yes...Snow White seems quite willing to do whatever is necessary for him. It will be interesting to see how far she really will go," the former Queen of Hearts cooed. Regina gave her mother an odd look in response, but Cora didn't elaborate.
"It's time to find the person I asked you about earlier," she added. Regina nodded curtly and started the car, all while casting a longing look at Henry's retreating form.
"Don't worry sweetheart, you'll get him back and then everyone that has crossed you will pay dearly," Cora promised. Regina resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably and then slowly drove off for their intended destination...