Stay with me now I'm facing my last solemn hour
Very soon I'll embrace you on the other side
Hear the crowd in the distance, screaming out my faith
Now their voices are fading, I can feel no more pain
I'll face it cause it's the heart of everything
Within Temptation - The Heart of Everything
Author's Notes: Lilly Bergmann first appeared in Snapegirlkmf's's and my stories Regal Mischief and How The Queen Stole Christmas but in reality she is Lilliana Strogoff reborn. This story also references Snapegirlkmf''s Gold Standard series which we crossed over in Queen.
Storybrooke, Maine
Two days prior to the Final Eclipse
Belle, Az, Archie and a dazed DG stood on the dock waiting on baited breath for the Jolly Roger to appear within the boundaries of the cloaking spell.
"He'd better be worth it," DG muttered. "So help me God he better be worth it!"
"Deege..."
"No, Az. It has to be said. That man was a damned coward most of his life and took the power of the Dark One for what? To puff himself up? I HAD no choice. Neither did Wyatt." She glared over at Belle. "You can make all the damned excuses you want but the truth is he could've stopped this years ago!"
"DG, I know you're upset..."
"You have NO idea how I feel so don't bother to try."
"That's enough Dorothia!" Archie snapped.
"Stop trying to tell me what to do. You're not my father."
"DG, come with me," Belle said, taking her by the arm and leading her away from the others. Archie shook his head.
"Always has to be the center of attention, doesn't she?"
"Archie, don't."
"Dellia, sweetheart, you know it and I know it. We don't have time for these childish antics of hers. She needs to straight out and help us do what needs to be done or you know what's coming."
They glanced over at where she stood with Belle.
"I know what you're going through DG. Believe me I do. I was separated from the man I loved for twenty-eight years but I decided once we were reunited that I would do everything in my power to help him fight his darkness and I have." Belle took the younger woman's hands in hers. "And I give you my word here and now that Rumple and I will do everything we can to help you fight for your love."
"I condemned him to a slow and agonizing death in our first life. I can't do it again. I have to get it right this time."
"Then help us fight this battle so we can win the war."
"I'll do what I can," she murmured.
"Come on. They'll be coming back from Neverland soon."
Suddenly a portal opened in the ocean and the Jolly Roger reappeared with the Shadow bound to its mainsail. A large crowd had now gathered to welcome the weary travelers home. Snow and Charming came off the boat first followed by Bae, Henry and the lost boys, receiving warm hugs from the friends awaiting them while Regina and Rumple waited on deck.
"Rumple!" he heard Belle call out from the crowd and saw her running toward the boat. Seconds later she vanished in a puff of smoke and reappeared beside him, pulling him into her arms.
"Belle," he whispered into her hair.
"I told you I would see you again!" she said firmly and kissed him passionately.
"Remind me never to doubt you again," he chuckled and kissed her back.
"There's something I need to show you," Belle said softly and reached into the pocket of her coat.
"What?"
She took out the black velvet box and handed it to him, He opened it, his eyes wide with shock when he recognized the devices the Dark One had spent centuries seeking. "Aramon's Talisman and the Strogoff Emerald. How...how did you find them?"
"I went to the OZ and got them."
"Belle, are you insane! Please tell me you did NOT go there alone!"
"I didn't and I told you...I would never stop fighting for you. You were trapped in that box and I know these can help you defeat the Dark One."
He nodded. "And they will. Come. We should join the others."
Bae and Henry waited for them on the dock. Belle embraced her future stepson and ruffled Henry's hair affectionately.
"My three favorite men in the world," she said softly.
"Umm….do I call you Gramma now or Belle?" Henry inquired nervously.
The others burst into laughter.
"You can call me anything you like Henry."
"Yeah but you're really young and I'd feel weird calling you Gramma but I call Snow and David Gramma and Grampa so…"
"We need to make it official yet Henry," Rumple reminded him.
"And when are you planning on doing that Papa? When Belle starts getting gray hairs?" Bae teased.
"Smartass."
"You're lucky you brought him home in one piece or I would be shoving the handle of my broom where the sun doesn't shine," Zelena cackled.
"I love you too, cousin."
"I can see the resemblances now that I've seen Aramon but to be honest he looks a lot more like Alan Rickman."
"He does?" Rumple and Zelena's eyes widened. "Belle, you're pulling my leg!"
"I'm serious Rumple. He does. He spins as you do too."
"Did he tell you anything…"
"He's not much of a talker."
"Bae, if it's alright with you Belle and I would like to spend some time alone and I think you should spend some time with your son."
Bae nodded.
"Come by the shop later."
Bae glanced over to where the Lost Boys were standing. The sheriff's department officers rounded up the ones from Felix's crew and were taking them back to their squad cars.
"Not to worry. We'll find homes for the others," David reassured him.
"I hope so. Pan treated them all like slaves. They deserve better."
He turned back to his son. "Now, where can we get a decent meal in this town."
"Granny's of course!" Henry cried.
"And I've got a buffet hot and ready for you," Granny boasted. "Now get your butts moving before it goes cold."
"You coming, Em?"
"Ummm…"
"Go with them Emma," Snow advised.
"But Mom…I…I don't know…"
"Honey, give him a chance," Charming pleaded. "He's making the effort. You should too."
"I would give everything I have to have had those kind of moments with you when you were Henry's age," Snow added. "He needs all his parents there, not just one."
She spotted Bae and Henry getting into Regina's car.
"Regina, wait up!" she called and hurried after them.
DG felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Jeb Cain standing behind her along with Raw, Xenia and Ambrose. Ambrose embraced her.
"We're gonna get him back, doll," he soothed.
"I hope so," she sobbed. "He's lost so much already…"
Now Jeb embraced her. "It's gonna be okay DgG. Father knows what he's doing."
I hope, he thought.
The moment the door closed Rumple flipped the sign to Closed, locked it and walked over to where Belle stood, the hungry look in his brown eyes making her heart race in anticipation of what was to come. It had been days since they'd been together but to her it felt like a lifetime. He held out his arms to her and she went into them willingly, reaching for him and bringing his mouth down to hers.
"I love you," she whispered. "I don't want to spend another day or night without you..."
"You won't," he vowed and carried her into the backroom.
Storybrooke Sheriff's Station
Twelve hours prior to the Final Eclipse
The prisoners were quiet, almost too quiet but Deputies Koto and English were not complaining. They were attempting to pass the time on their shift challenging their fellow deputies to a few hands of poker.
"Enjoy it while you can man," Terry chuckled while Jim Koto swept his winnings into his pockets. Seconds later both men were turned to stone as Pan sauntered into the station in the body of one of the Lost Boys.
"Time to go lads." The cell doors swung open and six very excited teenagers rushed out to praise their leader.
"I told you. Peter Pan never fails," Felix boasted.
"We have work to do and very little time to do it," Pan informed them before teleporting them to the Mills vault. The older boys concealed themselves behind the trees while Pan and Felix approached the vault. Pan held out his hand feeling traces of the barrier spell Regina had cast, a spell laced with blood magic.
"Blood magic works both ways Regina," he chuckled and reached his hand through the barrier with ease.
"How did you do that?" Felix wondered.
"It's simple really. Regina set this spell to prevent anyone without a blood connection to her from entering but when I held Henry's heart, I was able to absorb some of his powers. Not much but just enough to break through this."
They went inside. Felix pushed the caskets of Henry and Cora Mills aside and the pair descended the stone staircase into the room where Regina kept her cache of magical items, she'd brought with her during the curse, but it was the curse itself he was seeking. He took it out of its box and held it up.
"We're going to make a new Neverland old friend and this is how."
"Why can't we go back to ours?"
"Because it won't be there much longer. I've been assured of that."
"By whom?"
"By me," the heard a voice say and a puff of black smoke appeared in the room revealing a tall, ginger haired man the mirror image of the famed Commander Ozopov.
"Felix, meet Silas Finster. The true Dark One."
Felix was aware of this Dark One's fearsome reputation. The unknown identical twin of the Archie Hopper now living in what was known as Storybrooke Two, Silas had been a Dark One for over a century leaving trails of corpses in every known realm and had a standing contract with the Home Office. It was he they called in when they encountered fairy tale creatures or realms too difficult to destroy. Many in their circle referred to him as their 'Grim Reaper.'
"The legend himself," Felix praised. "Have you come to give us a hand?"
"No, I've come to cash in the favor I'm owed."
"And what's that?" Pan demanded.
"You curse or kill everyone else except for those bleeding hearts that look like me and their women. I want the pleasure of killing them myself."
"Done."
"I'll come back to collect them once the curse is cast. And it had better be cast. If you screw up, I will make a special trip to Ephesis and make you experience one of my masterpieces!"
"I won't fail."
"And if you stand there and say 'Peter Pan never fails' one more time Felix I will cook your heart and eat it," Silas threatened. The younger boy wisely held his tongue knowing it was no idle threat. Nor did he want any of his body parts kept as a trophies as Silas was known to do. He breathed a sigh of relief when the man vanished.
"The minute he shows up here again that dagger is mine," Pan said through gritted teeth. He would take his son's but he had other plans in mind for Rumple. "Let's get to the well."
"But don't you need the other ingredients?"
"I already have all of them…except one."
The heart of the thing he loved most.
And that heart was still beating in the chest the boy who stood at his side. His best friend.
Snow's Loft
"EMMA! Open up! It's Molk!" Emma heard David yelling as he pounded on the door. A police knock. Loud enough to wake the dead. Emma jumped out of bed and pulled a pair sweatpants on and raced to the door to find him and a frantic Hildy Mulligan on the other side.
"What's going on?"
"The lost boys! The ones we locked up! They're out and Terry and Koto have been turned to stone!" Hildy cried.
"Stone? What the hell?!"
"Emma, what's going on?" her exhausted parents asked when they came out of their bedroom.
"The Lost Boys are out. I don't know how but I'm gonna find out. Dad, you better come with me."
"We have another problem," Regina informed her when she teleported in with Henry at her side. "My vault's been broken into and some items were taken. I've already sent for Rumple."
"What items?"
"The curse and all the ingredients used to cast it."
"Who…."
"Pan," they heard Rumple snarl when he arrived with Belle. "He swapped bodies with someone before I opened the box. He had to. It's the only way he could've gotten those boys out of their cells, turned English and Koto to stone and stolen the curse. Now we have to find out who he swapped with and swap them back."
"Did anyone call Archie or Az. We might their help."
"Dellia and I can round up the other boys and have Raw read them. He'll be able to tell which one Pan's using," Archie said when he and Az appeared.
"When we find them how do we switch them back?"
"I can do that," Rumple informed them. "He should still have the curse on him when I switch them back. Get it and destroy it! That curse can never be cast again. In the meantime Belle and I will look for my father."
"Be careful Rumple."
"You too, dearies."
Once word of the jailbreak got around town everyone in Storybrooke was willing to help capture the Neverland residents. All but the ones that had been imprisoned in their cells were staying in the orphans' home. The boys were roused from their beds and taken to the diner where Raw waited to read them.
"Boy not among those here," he said after the last boy was read.
"Ephesis," DG muttered. "He's in the box. We have to free him before we can switch them back."
They quickly teleported back to the shop. Rumple and Belle had already returned, retrieving Pandora's Box from its hiding place. He waved his hand over the ruby and activated it, a terrified young boy of twelve emerging from the box followed by another.
Emma watched with amazement as the group pressed their arms to their shoulders and kneeled to the man that bore a striking resemblance to Alan Rickman.
"What the heck….?" Bae gasped. "Papa, is it…."
"Welcome my lord," Rumple greeted his ancestor and Ozian deity.
Aramon smiled and cupped Zelena's face in his. "I see so much of my sister in you," he said softly. "And you have done me proud by ridding the world of Baba Yaga."
"How were you able to escape Ephesis?" Rumple asked him.
"Alemedia's powers are weakening my boy. But now the time has come for you to fulfill your destiny. You know what must be done."
Rumple nodded.
"Who is this?" Emma demanded of Bae.
"Emma, meet Aramon. Our ancestor and an Ozian god."
"For a minute I thought he was Alan Rickman."
"A man whose work I greatly admire," the god said. "That is why I have chosen him as my avatar. We will talk again soon but now this boy's soul must be returned to its proper place."
Rumple summoned the Book of the Ancients and opened it to the page he needed, chanting in Russian Ozian, a dialect he knew his father would never be able to understand.
Wishing Well
Pan gazed down at the swirling green liquid, smiling evilly. "One more ingredient and the curse will begin."
"What is the final ingredient?"
"The heart of the thing I love most."
"Your son?"
Pan scoffed. "No, dear Felix. There are different forms of love, one of them friendship and loyalty and there is no one else that has demonstrated this more than you."
He placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. "This sacrifice you make today will make you a hero of all the Lost Boys. We will carry on because of you."
Felix took a deep breath as Pan reached into his chest and pulled out his heart.
"Goodbye Pan," the boy said bravely as Pan crushed the heart to dust.
Seconds later a cloud of green smoke billowed out, his laughter echoing through the forest as the cloud trailed after him.
"To thy rightful place I bid thee return!" he heard Rumple's voice call out.
"NO!" Pan howled before he was once again back in his own body.
"Hello Papa," Rumple sneered, blowing on his hand.
"Poppy dust," Pan growled and collapsed on the cot in the shop's backroom.
"This should hold him for now. The boy has the scroll. Go!" he ordered the others. He then summoned the box holding the talisman and handed it to Belle.
"It's time."
"Rumple, I can't. Please don't make me," she sobbed.
"It is the will of the OZ."
"The will of the OZ be…"
"Don't say it!' he cried. "Too much has been lost already. You are the Heart of the West and now you must do your duty and subdue the Dark One! Belle, please!"
"I love you Rumple."
"And I love you too. If the Fates are kind, we will have the future we've dreamed of together."
Her hands were trembling as she approached him with the talisman in her hand. "Alemedia Demonia!" she cried, pressing it against his chest. He hissed in pain while the stone scorched his skin, taking away all the powers he'd blessed and cursed for centuries, but he was no longer that cowardly village spinner that took the curse.
"Go to the others. I'm going to have a little chat with my father."
She was still crying when she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him passionately. "We will have our happy ending!" she vowed and teleported out.
Rumplestiltskin.
"Hope?"
There is not much time. You have one last task to complete before you face Pan. You must remove and divide your heart again.
"Why?"
You know the answer. You always have but have not been willing to pay the price. The only way this town and those you love can survive is with the destruction of the two darkest evils.
Rumple lowered his head and glanced over at his sleeping father. "So the prophecy will come to pass after all. We are the two darkest evils and we both have to die," he croaked.
Sacrificing yourself in the names of those you love, are you willing to pay this price now, Rumplestiltskin?
"Yes," he sobbed.
Prove it. Remove your heart...for the last time.
His hand trembled as he reached inside his chest and pulled out the glowing red organ and recited the spell to divide it. It split into one large piece that hovered above his hand glowing red while the smallest one that remained in his palm was completely black.
The larger piece cannot be returned to your body since it is bound to those you love. It must be protected. Goodbye Rumplestiltskin.
Rumple waved his other hand and a box appeared. He floated the larger piece of his heart over to the box and closed it then recited a cloaking spell over it, making it visible to everyone else except Pan. The box then vanished in a puff of purple smoke. It would reappear to the one person who would understand what needed to be done with it. Now he was left the smaller piece, the last part of him still clinging to darkness. He placed it back in is chest.
Henry was on Main Street, the scroll now in his hands when a box appeared at his feet. He opened it up and saw a heart inside. He gently took it out and cradled it in his hands, hearing Hope's voice in his head.
Protect his heart well, grandson of Rumplestiltskin. When the time is right, you will know what to do.
He heard his parents and other grandparents calling for him. He placed the heart back inside the box raced to meet them.
"Henry!" Regina and Emma exclaimed, embracing their son. Once they released him, he handed the scroll to Regina. Once her hands touched it, magic surged through her and she collapsed to the ground unconscious.
Regina saw herself in a dark room, a blond haired woman in a white gown facing her.
"Who are you?"
"Who I am is not important at the moment. What is important is what must be done."
"I can't lose my son...I can't..." Regina sobbed.
"If the curse of the Dark One is not broken, losing your son will be the price you will have to pay to destroy this new curse Pan is unleashing."
"What do I have to do?"
The woman waved her hand and Regina could see Henry standing there, a box in his hand. "Inside that box is Rumplestiltskin's heart while the heart of the Dark One remains with him. Both this heart and the child must be protected."
"I'll protect my son with everything I have!" she vowed.
The other woman smiled. "I have no doubt that you will, but you must not allow the curse to send everyone back to the Enchanted Forest."
"Aramon's Prophecy. We can't stop it, can we?"
"There is a chance, but you must still be prepared for the worst," she cautioned before she vanished.
Rumple stood over his father as he came awake.
"Hello, Papa," he said coldly.
"Thought you'd kill me in my sleep, laddie. I guess you changed your..." He, sat up, glanced glanced down and saw the cuff locked around his wrist. " Oh, wait. I see. You've taken away my magic. That's why it's so easy for you to strut around and pose now, isn't it?" he scoffed.
"I wanted to talk to you. I wanted you to see me and think about what you've done," Rumple said.
"Of course. To look at my son here at the end and really see him and think about what might've been. Is that what you want? Because I do. I remember looking at you... the littlest babe. Helpless and all mine. Those big, big eyes full of tears... pulling at me... pulling away my name, my money, my time, just like that bitch of a mother of yours did before she dropped you on my damned doorstep and took off. Pulling away any hope of making my life into something better for myself. This pink, naked, squirming little larva that wanted to eat my dreams alive and never stop! How old are you now? A couple hundred? Can't I be free of you?"
"Oh, you will be. In death." Rumple picked up a sword from the counter. Part of him thought his father would at least try to think about it, that part of him that was still the frightened little boy who needed his Papa but his father would never change. He wanted to retain his youth and his son was simply a reminder that he was a man in a child's body and it wouldn't last forever.
His father was grinning. "Then, one last lesson, son. Never make a cage you can't get out of." He tore the cuff off his wrist with no effort at all and held it up while Rumple gazed at him in shock. "I made this cuff, you know. Doesn't work on me. But on you..." he taunted, making the cuff appear around Rumple's arm. "Down, boy!" he snarled, using his magic to toss his son into a shelf. "Let's see how you do without magic!"
Rumple groaned as his head throbbed with pain from where it came in contact with the back of the shelf and attempted to crawl over to where the sword lay when his father kicked him in the stomach.
"I've come too far for this. For them!" he cried.
"For your son? No. It's too late. Soon, that fine green smoke will fill their lungs and fog their brains. Not like the rest of this town. I'm not just going to take their memories. No. Because of their special meaning to you, I'm going to take their lives. And you won't do a thing to stop me. Do you know why? Because without magic, you are right back to where you started. The village coward!" Pan taunted before he left the shop.
Regina could hear someone calling her and opened her eyes to find Emma shaking her.
"Emma...stop...I'm all right! Where is Henry?"
"I'm right here, Mom."
"Henry...do not let that box out your sight no matter what. Do you understand?" Regina whispered urgently as she threw her arms around him again.
"Henry...what's in that box?" his father asked.
"Rumplestiltskin's heart...part of it," Az answered.
"Why did you faint like that?" Snow asked worriedly.
"I saw what needs to be done," was Regina's answer.
"Are you going to be okay, Mom?"
"The important thing is that you will," she said softly.
"No he won't," Pan announced when he approached them, waving his hand and taking the scroll from Regina's hands.
"The cu..." Archie started to say before they were all frozen.
"Curse," Pan finished as he held it up. "Look at you all. A captive audience. I could play with you like a pack of dogs, couldn't I?" he taunted. "I think I'll start with these two." he said as he now stood before Bae and Belle. "Hmm. You both look so adorable. Hard to tell who to kill first. No, it isn't. You. You first. " He pointed at Bae and was about to strike when he felt himself being pulled back.
"Stay away from them!" Rumple hissed.
It was time to end it. The most painful part was facing the ones he loved the most to say his goodbyes, even more painful to see them standing still unable to move or speak but their love for him made him stronger than he ever had been before.
"How about this? The worm has teeth," Pan taunted. "What, are you here to protect your wuved ones?"
"I'm not gonna let you touch any of them."
"Oh, I'd like to see that."
"Oh, you will. Because I have a job to finish, and I have to do whatever it takes. No loopholes. And what needs to be done has a price. A price I'm finally willing to pay," Rumple said bravely. He glanced over at his paralyzed son. "I used the curse to find you, Bae, to tell you I made a mistake. To make sure you had a chance at happiness. And that happiness is possible. Just not with me. I accept that."
"Pretty, pretty words," Pan was sneering.
Rumple ignored him. "I love you, Bae. And I carry a part of you with me...just as part of me will always be with you..."
Bae's cheek twitched and inside he was screaming, not wanting to lose his father now that they'd finally reconciled.
"Oh don't worry. You'll be reunited...in death." Pan laughed.
Rumple ignored him and glanced over at Emma. "Forgive my son Emma. He made a mistake, just as I did all those years ago. Forgive him for yourselves and for my grandson. Find the Tallahassee you dreamed about together. This is the last thing I'm asking of you."
A tear slid down the Savior's cheek.
Now his eyes met those of his young grandson, the box containing what was left of his heart in Henry's hands, visible to all but Pan. "You will be a great man and a great sorcerer someday, Henry. You will be the man I wanted to be all those years ago of that I am certain. You were raised well." He smiled at Henry and Regina then walked over to where his cousin stood beside her bondmate. "I'm sorry we didn't have more time to get to know each other, cousin but I leave you in good hands. Bury the sorceress in the past and become the woman you were meant to be."
"Archie, be a comfort to my family. They'll need you now more than ever."
I give you my word for my word as a Talon is my bond, Archie sent, reciting the ancient oath of the lost order.
Now Rumple looked over at Belle, his own bondmate, horror and despair in her beautiful blue eyes. "And I love you Belle," he said as he fought back his tears. "I never thought I could love that way again until that day I came to your father's castle. You saw both sides of me and even when I gave you plenty of reasons to leave; you came back and fought for me. I will see you again...just not in this life as we hoped and I'll wait for you...in the next one. You made me stronger, strong enough that I now know what I have to do and can do it...without fear anymore. You all have. By believing in me even when I no longer believed in myself."
He faced his father again with grim determination. He had to succeed for his family. He no longer had a chance but he would give them one.
"Stronger, yes. But still no magic," Pan reminded him. "You removed it and the Dark One powers with that talisman, remember?"
"Oh, but I don't need it. You see, you may have lost your shadow but there's one thing you're forgetting." Rumple pointed out as he regained his composure.
"And what's that?" Pan sneered.
"So I have I," Rumple declared triumphantly. "I sent it away with something to hide." He raised his hand, willing his shadow to answer his call. The black specter flew toward him and placed his dagger into his hand and remerged with his body. He grabbed his father and held him to him, the blade of the dagger poised behind Malcolm's back, directly over their hearts.
"What are you doing?" Pan demanded as he struggled to free himself.
"Fullfilling the prophecy and protecting my family! You see, the only way for you to die, is if we both die. And now... now, I am ready!" Rumple snarled as he plunged the dagger into his father's back and through his own chest where what remained of the Dark One's essence was stored and twisted it to banish her back to Ephesis where she belonged as his father pleaded with him to stop, promising him that they could have their happy ending.
"Ah but I'm a villain and VILLAINS DON'T GET HAPPY ENDINGS!" he snarled and twisted the blade.
A gold wave shot out from around them and all across Storybrooke, knocking everyone who stood in front of them off their feet, Henry still cradling the box containing the remaining portion of Rumple's heart in his arms protectively. The light surrounded father and son and as it cleared Rumple held his aged father's now still form, sobbing quietly and giving the man he once loved so much a kiss farewell on the cheek as he pulled the dagger out. He gently lowered Malcolm to the ground and closed the older man's eyes. "T...The...darkest of curses by a Strogoff was taken... and with my sacrifice...in the names of those I love...let this curse and all those created by it at last...be...broken!" he whispered and slumped to the ground beside his father, the front of his suit stained with his own blood and his father's. The dagger fell out of his hand and there was a blank space where his name was once engraved.
Boston, Massachusetts
Two hours prior to The Final Eclipse
"No….NOOOOOOOOO!"
It was a nightmare unlike any Dr. Lilliana Bergmann ever had before, her screams waking her daughter and bringing her running into her bedroom.
"Mum….Mum!" Cassandra yelled and began shaking her. "Wake up! Wake up!"
"My son," Lilliana wailed. "My son…."
Cassie frowned. It had been years since her mother dreamt of the stillborn baby she'd given birth to when Cassie was only two though she lit a candle every year on his birthday. She glanced over at the calendar. His birthday was still a few months away.
"Mum….please wake up." Cassie shook her again more forcefully and slapped her cheeks. Lilly's eyes fluttered open.
"Cassie…what….what happened?"
"You were dreaming about him again," Cassie replied softly. Lilly sat up and took a sip from the glass of water that was on her nightstand.
"I'm alright darling. Go back to bed."
"Ummm…are you sure."
"I am, now go on."
Cassie hesitated for a moment or two before she retreated to her own bedroom, her eyes narrowed to slits when she realized she wasn't alone.
"I thought I told you to get out of here before she wakes up!" she snapped at the man lounging in her bed.
"Kinda kinky isn't it?" he teased.
"Victor I swear to the gods if she catches you, I'll be hacking your corpse into pieces! Now go back to Storybrooke!"
He reached for her and pulled her onto the bed with him. "Not without a kiss goodbye first."
Cassie sighed. Whale always wanted more than a kiss goodbye and she never could say no to him.
Shortly after Lilly had fallen back to sleep a cloud of silver smoke appeared before her bed.
"The darkest of curses by a Strogoff was taken and through his sacrifice in the names of those he loves, his curse and all those created by it have at last been broken," Adora recited, caressing Lilly's hair. "Your son has fulfilled his destiny Lilliana and the first blade has been neutralized but his work is not done. The crimson moon will darken our skies in two hours and the Final Eclipse will begin. Your son must unite the Guardians and save our people!"
She glanced over at the closed bedroom door, smiling. "Your Meredith will one day stand at the North Gate in another realm, but she must prove herself worthy of the burden and your heart awaits you in Storybrooke Five. He will find you Lilliana. He will find you the time before the realms unite. And your dear friend Loki will reunite you with your son."
"She won't remember any of this you know. And how am I supposed to reunite her with her son?"
"Your great-grandson has something, or should I say someone Zorinda wants," Adora informed her companion. She bowed respectfully to the elder Norse God.
"The other Regina. The one my great-grandson deaged and gave to Snow White to raise," Loki clarified.
"She will stand at the South Gate as Meredith will stand at the North."
"Zorinda lost the right to be the South Guardian when she took the first dagger," Loki reminded her. "How can you be certain her daughter won't make the same mistake? Regina in that realm was just like the one in this one, only worse thanks to Zorinda or Cora as she chooses to call herself now. There will come a day when Regina will remember her former life. My great-grandson's spell is not foolproof."
"We all have to walk in the darkness for a time before we find our way back to the light."
Loki glared at her. "Lilly has suffered enough in BOTH her lives! You'd better do right by her from now on Ozmalita or you deal with me! I don't give a rat's ass WHAT pantheon you're from. She's very precious to me as was Glinda, her dear mother. When I think of what was done to her…"
The god turned his head away. The Ozian demigoddess had fancied the elder Norse god in her youth and a rather embarrassing incident had forced her to become his student for a time. She had taken the name 'Glinda The Good' in honor of the mentor who had always reminded her to be good when she'd been known as 'Glinda The Naughty'.
"I am sorry Loki…my sister…she was not pleased that I resurrected Lilliana after Alemedia resurrected Zorinda."
"Lurline has as much of a dark streak in her as Alemedia and perhaps the Final Eclipse will be a blessing to the realms and rid them of both!"
"Loki!"
"It's the truth and you know it, Ozmalita. Persephone was the only one who could keep those two hellcats in line, and they've become just like their father without her calming influence. I'm not saying I'm a saint, but they've done worse than I ever could and their offspring have done no better. They can't blame Demeter. She cursed them yes, but they've never had the willpower to overcome it. My dear Lilly is the rare exception and gave her first life for it. So, mark my words, Ozmalita, the man you've chosen to be her bondmate damned well better be worthy of it!"
"Would you like to meet him?" she queried.
"You know I would! Take me there. Now!"
Storybrooke Five (Gold Standard Verse)
Two hours prior to the Final Eclipse
It was early in the evening when they reappeared in the home of Doctor Archibald Hopper. The therapist sat on his sofa with Pongo at his side sipping a cup of tea watching an old movie on television. Adora waved her hand over them and they drifted off to sleep. She then reached into Archie's chest and removed his heart, casting its memories onto the mirror above the fireplace.
"Now do you find him worthy?" she demanded of her companion.
He nodded. "It's still too long for her to wait. Seven years!"
"It will be worth it Loki," she promised him as they vanished.
Storybrooke, Maine
Two hours prior to the Finale Eclipse
"Papa!" Bae cried out, running to his father's side and pulling him into his arms. "Don't leave me again...please! You said you wouldn't break another deal with me, remember? You promised me! Don't break our deal again!" he screamed as he shook his father frantically.
"Rumple," Belle sobbed as she fell to her knees beside him and kissed his cold lips. "I love you...come back to me...please come back to me," she begged. "You told me there was only one future you were interested in...the one with us together...and I don't want a future without you..."
Now, Henry! the boy heard a frantic voice calling in his head. If the rest of his heart is not returned to his body to restore the piece inside him back to what it was before the Dark One Curse, he will die!
In their grief they hadn't noticed Henry coming forward and moving them aside, the remaining portion of his grandfather's heart in his hands.
"What are you doing?" his father cried.
"His heart. He only destroyed the piece that held the Dark One's power. We have to put the rest of it back in to restore it back to what it was before the Dark One Curse now or he'll die!" The boy pushed the heart back into Rumple's chest, covering the spot with his hand then reaching for his father's hand, placing it on top of his, joined by Belle's, Az's and Archie's.
"He's not breathing!" Belle sobbed.
"We need DG," Az whispered.
"Summon her, Dellia! Quickly!" Archie cried.
"The North Guardian summons thee
Dorothia Ozopov appear now before me!" Az called out.
A puff of blue smoke appeared beside Rumple's still form and a dazed DG materialized. "Az, are you...oh he's done it! He's neutralized the first blade!"
"Quickly DG...join us and FOCUS!" her sister ordered.
"Please, please don't let him die!" Belle wailed. "I'll do anything. I'd give my life if I had to!"
"Az...what if we gave him part of our life force like Mother did with me?" DG suggested.
"It might be our only chance Dellia. We could've saved our daughter had we known we could do it. We don't have much time before his soul crosses over and his powers pass to Wyatt." Archie reminded her.
"Hold on Rumple. Hold on," Az whispered and looked up at the others. "Do you know what we're asking you to do?"
"Take it! Take as much as you need but save my father!" Bae begged.
"Take mine too!" Belle added.
"And mine!" put in Henry.
"Mine too," Regina murmured, kneeling beside the man that had been a second father to her. "You're not dying today Rumple."
Wyatt, please….we need you. Complete the circle, DG sent.
Oz (The Outer Zone)
"Part of myself I give
Now by my will let him live!" Wyatt chanted and opened his mouth, blowing on the seeing globe he was using to view the events in Storybrooke.
Storybrooke
Az held out her hand and conjured a small orb. She waved her other hand over it and Bae, Belle, Henry, Regina, Archie and DG's mouths opened, emitting a white mist that floated over to the orb and was absorbed into it. She lowered her head and breathed onto the orb until it glowed with bright white light. She placed the orb on Rumple's chest.
"Part of ourselves we give
Now by our will let him live!" she chanted, the others following suit.
Rumple's eyes fluttered open.
"Papa!"
"Rumple!"
"Grandpa!"
"Bae...Belle...Henry," he murmured, raising his hand and wrapping it around their joined ones.
"Oh God, Papa you had us so scared. We thought we lost you!" Bae sobbed.
"I'm not allowed to die by any other hands but Regina's. She said so," he quipped.
"And I meant it too, you imp! You think you were gonna get off that easily? I think not!" Regina scolded, giving him an Evil Queen glare.
"You're back to your old self I see," he muttered. "Bae...could you help me up, please?"
"Making jokes when you nearly ripped my heart out Rumple! I could just...just.." Belle ranted.
"Just what, dearie?" he inquired.
She choked back a sob and cupped his face in her hands, crushing his mouth with hers. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down to him. Regina quickly covered her son's eyes.
"Mom, they're just kissing!" he protested.
"While lying on the street in broad daylight. Get a room!" she cried.
Suddenly a white mist appeared on the street revealing Hope wearing regular clothes now instead of the silvery gown. She approached the embracing couple, a small smile on her lips.
"Welcome back Rumplestiltskin," she said softly. The couple broke their kiss and turned their heads in her direction.
"Rumple...who is she?" Belle asked softly.
"Hope," he murmured. "How did you escape the box?"
"I was never a prisoner there. I merely appeared because your heart called to me. And now that have you have destroyed the Dark One's essence, you have been given a second chance to be the man you always wanted to be and you will retain your magic, in a limited form. Be aware, using it will extract a price from you physically and you can only be healed through the strength of those who are bound to you by love and blood so wield it with caution."
"I will," he vowed while his son lifted him to his feet. He grimaced as the familiar pain shot through his leg. He waved his hand and his cane appeared in it. He gripped it with one hand while he drew Belle back to his side with the other. They walked over to where the dagger lay. It vanished.
"Please tell me that's a good sign!" Bae begged.
"Alemedia Diosa has returned to Ephesis, or at least part of her has," Hope said. "And now Rumplestiltskin, it is time for you to reclaim your birthright as it is your grandson's time to claim his."
The angel gestured and the box containing the Strogoff Emerald appeared in her hands. The lid opened and the square shaped pendant floated out of it. He reached out and took the emerald pendant in his hands, power surging through it that brought him to his knees.
"Now you are once again Rumplestiltskin Strogoff, Guardian of the West Gate, bearer of the blade and the keeper of fire." She pointed to the ground where a sword lay in place of the dagger, the symbol of a spinning wheel in flames engraved into the steel. He kneeled down to pick it up and once he did his clothing changed into black silk robes with the image of a spinning wheel in flames on the back.
Azkadellia stepped in front of him, changing her own clothing into green silk robes, her symbol engraved on the back. "I am the North Guardian, bearer of the emerald of the land."
The moment Henry's hands touched the staff he could feel his own powers stirring. His clothing changed into grey silk robes with the image of funnel cloud on the back and he started to speak in a more mature voice. "I am the East Guardian, bearer of the staff and I shall summon the winds of change and travel."
DG's clothes transformed into blue silk robes with the image of a chalice on the back. "I am the South Guardian, bearer of the chalice of the waters of rebirth." she proclaimed.
"Will we meet again?" Rumple asked Hope.
"Perhaps...but in a different form and only if you continue on the path you're now on," she said cryptically.
"Do you ever give a straight answer?" he asked impatiently. "It would save us all a lot of trouble, now wouldn't it?"
"You can't always get what you want," she sang.
"Ummm...am I hearing things or did she just start singing a Rolling Stones song?" Bae asked Emma. The angel ignored him while Rumple gave her his worst Dark One stare. She gave one back.
"She did. What's up with that anyway?" Emma asked her.
"Well, are you going to answer me, Hope?" Rumple pressured.
"I've given you enough clues that will eventually lead you to the answer. Follow the path you're on and you'll have the answer in time," she replied. "I must be going now."
Instead of disappearing into a mist, the angel started walking down the street.
Meanwhile back in the town square, the residents of the town were still attempting to process everything they'd seen. The Dark One had been willing to give his own life to save them all. They weren't sure whether they should be pleased with this turn of events or worried that sooner or later the other shoe was going to drop and all hell would break loose again.
"Rumple, do you know what Hope meant when she said she'd see you again?" Belle asked him.
"No."
"Then answer us this, Papa: Why'd she sing a Rolling Stones song? Some kind of inside joke?" bae asked.
Rumple snorted. "I have no idea. She's a strange one."
Suddenly his cellphone started ringing and his son burst into laughter as he heard the chorus of the Rolling Stones "Sympathy For The Devil" as his father's ringtone. Rumple pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the display but there was no number listed.
"Oh, very funny!" he shouted at the spirit who was no longer in sight. "There's your answer Bae. She's mocking my music taste although how she would know about it is beyond me!"
"What's to mock about the Stones?"
"I'm not surprised you have 'Sympathy For The Devil' as your ringtone. It suits you," Regina said sarcastically.
"Yours should be Evil Woman," he retorted.
"Everything's back to normal around here all right," Emma grumbled.
Hope turned a corner and once she realized no one was looking, she took her true form, or at least what it would be years from now. Her blond hair was now brown and her eyes the same blue shade as her mother's. She waved her wrist in an elegant manner as her father and a small Ipod appeared in her hand. She inserted the earbuds into her ears and scrolled through the playlist until she found his favorite song, singing along.
"Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game..."
As she sang the final line, she vanished as quickly as she appeared.
"It is over isn't it?" Bae asked his father.
"Oh my God what's happening? It was daytime, now it's night!" Emma exclaimed.
Seven pairs of eyes gazed up at the now night sky, their hearts pounding with dread.
"When the crimson moon darkens the skies
That is the time when our world dies…" Rumple recited.
The Final Eclipse had begun.