A/N: This is based on one of my other favorite episodes—3x19 Tapestry. If you are a fan of The Lost World, I purposely wanted to do this one first before the big reveal on the biggest secret that Marguerite/Belle has from her friends. In this one, I'm keeping Nolan in the picture so unlike Malone… he doesn't go on that journey of self-discovery. The next prompt will feature Belle's reason for funding the expedition in the first place. Don't forget to review!

The Lost World

Prompt: The explorers are being held hostage by a WW1 pilot who has no idea the war is over. They come to a startling discovery that their paths had crossed once before during an interrogation over a crate of stolen iridium from the Royal Navy five years prior, resulting in the reveal of one of Belle French's secrets. (Rated T for guest character death)

The whole point of this expedition was to escape her past and possibly start life anew. Yet, time and time again, Belle was forced to confront her demons in the face of danger.

For the most part, she was able to keep her secrets safe. Her friends never knew who she really was and she thought that this time it wouldn't be anything different. She would find a way to get out of trouble without anyone being none the wiser. Of course, that blew up in her face and now she, Reginald, Rumpton, and Nolan were at the mercy of the deranged pilot who was terribly confused and still hell-bent on keeping his mission safe.

Thankfully, Snow was not there as she had went off to follow a possible lead into her parents' disappearance. As for their new companion—a girl from the future—Emma Swan was also not present. If anyone had a chance to return to help the explorers, then it would have to be Emma.

At least as long as Emma doesn't get caught in the crossfires of one Lieutenant Jefferson— member of his Royal Navy Airforce. Then they were all doomed.

How did this happen?

Jefferson's gun was pointed in her face but Belle kept her composure for losing it would only make matters worse. Funny… It was quite easy to slip back into her old role as she calmly looked into the pilot's eyes, the picture of complete tranquility as if she had nothing to hide. Of course, considering her line of work from five years ago… she had to conceal any trace of emotion.

xxXXxx

Five Years Ago…

"Ah, Baroness. Good evening. We are glad you have joined us."

Belle narrowed her eyes, her tone haughty and dripping with sarcasm. "Oh? I was under the impression if I didn't appear, then I would be arrested."

Two men were with her in the room, an interrogation room to be exact, with a sleek shining table and three chairs in total—two on one side, one across—and on one side of the wall was a large piece of glass. She strolled towards it, her head tilting to the side as she examined the one-way looking mirror.

"Such quaint accommodations. You boys cannot be all that comfortable trapped in here."

The first one that spoke to her was a middle-aged gentleman. Tall in stature with peppery hair and a perceptive gaze, he greeted her with a charming smile that lit up his brown eyes, but there was something somewhat sinister lurking within their depths as if trying to unlock her most hidden and private secrets. The second was much younger than his counterpart and a bit fidgety in Belle's opinion. He had slick blonde hair and blue eyes behind his wire-rimmed spectacles, which did nothing to impress her.

"May I inquiry as to who my humble hosts are?" she asked sweetly.

The young man opened his mouth to give a retort, but his partner beat him to the punch. "Pardon me, Baroness. How could I forget my manners? I am Sidney Glass from MI-5 and this is my colleague Henry Jekyll."

"Charmed, I'm sure," she said.

xxXXxx

The memory shook her from within her core. She had been in London on holiday with her then-husband Baron von Helfing, a Prussian exile that was sympathetic to the Ally cause. At least… that was how she introduced herself to those two men. They had no idea who they were really dealing with.

Reginald was sitting next to her as he was attempting to fix the radio that Jefferson had on his plane. Nolan and Rumpton were standing off to the side, their guns taken, but intently watching the pilot to determine when to make their move. Yet, she caught Rumpton's glance as she imperceptibly shook her head. He still had an expression of astonishment as the crate of iridium—the source of all their troubles—was resting comfortably on the floor.

Indeed, what a shock it had been.

The day had been like any ordinary day. Reginald and Emma left to survey a nearby field to make a new map, Nolan was writing in his journal, and Belle and Rumpton were on their own. As usual, the heiress and hunter got into an argument and Rumpton stormed off into the jungle. No doubt to work out his temper on some poor unsuspecting dinosaur.

Belle retreated to the treehouse, feeling awful about the fight. Rumpton did nothing wrong only he had asked her a question about some insignificant tidbit about her childhood. He had been regaling her with stories about him and his brother that he asked her what her favorite game was as a child and she snapped at him. He had no idea what her childhood had been like and it wasn't fair for her to take it out on him.

So she decided to bake him some cookies to apologize.

Now, as gifted as Belle was in languages and her extensive knowledge in geology and gems, she was a lost cause in the kitchen. Whenever it was her turn to cook, the others would politely find excuses not to be around when dinner was ready. There was some additional work to do in the lab, a sample to be collected, a story to be extracted from a local friendly tribe, etc. She knew she was an awful cook but they could have had the decency to be somewhat less obvious. Only Rumpton managed to put on a good front and eat whatever passable meal she made.

"What's burning?" Nolan shouted from his room.

"Damn!" Belle muttered, pulling out the tray from the fire as the cookies were literally smoking. She had been watching them but like everything else she attempted to do in the kitchen… it would find a way to skip from being done right to overdone. The cookies were charred and any indistinguishable feature was eradicated. They looked like mounds of charcoal.

Tears of frustration started to well as Nolan started chuckling behind her.

Angrily, Belle spun on her heels as she glared at the reporter. "Like you can do any better!"

That sobered him up. While Nolan was a decent cook—baker he was not.

"You have a point. But why are you…?"

His question was cut off as the elevator began working. The last thing neither expected was Reginald carrying a crate and the man wearing a rather large and full backpack with a rifle behind him. When the elevator came to a stop, the man pushed Reginald inside, causing the scientist to trip and the contents spilling from the crate.

Immediately, Belle's eyes were drawn to the metallic looking bars as her brain automatically clicked to their identity.

"The Royal Navy iridium…" she murmured in surprise.

Reginald gasped while the stranger pointed his rifle at her. Nolan started to move but a quick change in aim in his direction had Nolan stopping where he was. Recognition also flashed in his eyes as he looked from Belle to Reginald and to the disheveled and agitated man.

"Belle, how do you know about the iridium?" Reginald demanded.

"How do you know Mills?" Nolan questioned, locking contact with his fellow explorer.

"You know about this too?" Belle asked her friends as all three were equally dumbfounded over the discovery.

"Shut up!" The man ordered. Training the rifle back on Belle, he shouted: "What do you know?!"

"Not much. I was interrogated," Belle explained. "I was an interpreter for many foreign companies and they made me a suspect."

"As was I," Reginald said in awe. "I was devising a way to end the Great War that would have saved millions of lives, but my shipment I had ordered was gone. They thought I stole my own iridium!"

"And I was writing a story for my paper," Nolan said. "The agents I spoke to were not interested in sharing."

"It was quite a scandal," Belle continued.

"Yes… I didn't hear much about it after the fact." Reginald frowned.

"I did," Belle confessed. "It was a surprise considering that it was a spy who stole—"

"Silence!" The man stomped his foot, getting their attention, as his finger curled around the trigger. "Secrecy must be preserved! You know too much!"

"Wait!" Belle cried, holding her hands up. "Listen to me. All I know is that the chain of spies were discovered; their leader arrested. That's all!"

"You were going to say his name!" the man said petulantly.

Reginald and Nolan looked to Belle as she continued to stare into the barrel of the gun. "I don't know his name," she replied slowly. "I only know his position and code name. He was an officer in MI-5, a double agent who fooled everyone, but he was arrested and his co-conspirators were arrested as well. He was known as Gideon."

"The wise and compassionate hero," the man recited softly.

"Yes. He was sentenced to life in prison; his identity never revealed."

The man smiled, exhaling in relief. "He is safe."

After the intense moment passed, Reginald introduced the man as Lt. Jefferson and how he had a radio that needed to be repaired. A storm was brewing and while the tubes were intact, the wiring and insulation needed to be replaced. Reginald advised waiting until the storm passed before he hooked the radio to the windmill to avoid electrocution.

But Jefferson wasn't hearing it. He wanted it fixed now.

Belle and Reginald began to work and Jefferson had Nolan gather up all their weapons and placed them inside the crate of iridium where he locked it up. Then he had the reporter pick up all the pieces of iridium that had fallen earlier and count each bar aloud so Jefferson knew exactly they were accounted for. They performed their tasks without complaints. No one was ready to upset the man further.

However, Belle knew he posed a threat regardless what they say or do. She had to find a way to be alone with Jefferson…

"Excuse me," she said gently. "I need to use the little girls' room. If that's okay…?"

The pilot grumbled but he yanked her up by her arm and motioned Nolan to take her place at the dining table.

"Keep working," he told the men as he pushed Belle forward.

She thought about what to say and knew she had hit close to home about Gideon. How much did this man really know?"

xxXXxx

"How long ago did you marry a German?" Jekyll asked.

"And when did that become your business?" she batted her lashes as the young man sputtered.

Glass, the only one with a sense of purpose, cleared his throat. "Forgive him Baroness. This is all rather new I'm afraid."

She rolled her eyes but held her tongue as Jekyll shot Glass a look. Finally, he started saying, "You were in Shanghai four months ago. Constantinople, three months ago. Then Paris and Vienna."

"I have been busy," she answered flippantly. "Lots of places to travel; new sights to see."

"It goes with the job."

"Oh?"

"We are in the same line of work."

At this, Belle grinned. "Do tell Mr. Jekyll. You also marry rich older men, poison them, and inherit their fortunes?"

The man blushed furiously. "You, um, do that?"

This time she did not hide her scoff. "Of course not. But people will gossip as they are wont."

xxXXxx

"How long have you been stuck here?"

Jefferson glared at her. "Do not stall. Do what you need and let's go."

"Right. It's just… I can't help but think what is the point in this? The war is over and your network is gone. What is left to protect? Some useless bars of iridium? You might as well stop all of this and we can work together to find a way home."

"You think I'm a fool?" Jefferson spat. "I know my orders. I know what I must do. Enough of this delay. Get back to work."

He brought her back to Reginald and Nolan. Apparently, Jefferson wasn't the talking type or one to be reasoned. He forced Nolan to move so Belle could take her place.

Before anyone else could speak, the elevator was moving again. They turned sharply to see who it was now.

xxXXxx

"What about Baron von Helfing?"

"What about him?"

"Are you planning on murdering him?"

She laughed. "You must be kidding. There is nothing more irritating than having my time wasted and by a government clerk who has been hardly out of prep school. Excuse me, gentlemen, but I must bid you a good evening."

As she rose from her chair, Jekyll began to stammer she couldn't leave and he actually tried blocking her exit.

"What does Papa Bear have to say?" she sneered, looking down at Glass who kept silent during the exchange.

"You are free to leave whenever you wish," he told her.

"No!" Jekyll exclaimed.

"All we have to ask is one simple question. I'm afraid Mr. Jekyll didn't get to the point and for that I do apologize if it seems we are wasting your time."

"Very well. What is your question?"

"Have you ever heard of iridium?"

"Is it anything like platinum? I do love platinum." Belle caressed the bracelet around her wrist as Glass coughed.

"No. Iridium is used mainly in military merits, not decoration."

"Ah. And you are asking me this because…?"

"Some of it has gone missing. Pinched, in fact."

"Pinched?" Belle repeated. "You think that I 'pinched' this iridium?"

"I am sorry to say this, but as you can see, we are in a delicate situation. So we must ask."

"Indeed. Well, to save time and everything, I did not 'pinch' your iridium. Is that all?"

"Yes. Thank you for your time Baroness."

As Belle began to walk away, she overheard Jekyll ask Glass if she really poisoned her husbands.

"Haven't you heard? They call her the Black Widow of Vienna."

xxXXxx

"Rumpton!" Belle gasped, and then winced when Jefferson seized her shoulder, digging his nails into her. The hunter raised his rifle but realized it was going to cause more problems so he lowered it to the ground.

"Lt. Jefferson is a little tense," Nolan explained with a weak shrug.

"Get over there!" Jefferson gestured Rumpton to stand next to Nolan. "I'm getting tired of these interruptions!"

The pilot strode over to pick up the hunter's rifle and tossed it over the railing of the treehouse. Then he removed the pistol at his side and waved it in her face. As she was the only female present… she made the perfect target to keep the rest of the men compliant.

Rumpton gritted his teeth, his fists clenching and unclenching. She knew he wanted nothing more to punch Jefferson in the face, but she couldn't risk Rumpton getting hurt for trying to save the day.

Then… something flashed in his eyes. Belle frowned as the hunter stared at the pilot as he questioned:

"Lt. Stan Jefferson? Of his Majesty's Airforce?"

"You know my name?" Rumpton had Jefferson's attention and Belle frantically wished she knew what the stubborn idiot was doing.

"Yes. I have wondered what happened to you. I know what you did. You and your partner took an experimental air transport cargo. It was iridium."

Rumpton knew about it too.

How?

"I know everything about this," Rumpton continued, his eyes hooded in memory. "After all, I was arrested for its theft."

"What?!" "No!" came the resounding cries from his friends as they looked at the hunter in a new light.

As for Jefferson, he was downright thrilled to meet the mysterious Gideon. "You, sir, must be my leader!" He clicked his feet together as he gave a salute. "Gideon, the greatest and masterful espionage player the world has ever seen!"

"Gideon… yes that was my code name," Rumpton confirmed.

The other explorers could not believe what they were hearing. Rumpton… a spy?! Belle shook her head profusely.

"No! You're not a spy John. You know that!"

"You're not the only one with secrets Belle," he told her.

"A traitor… Impossible!" Reginald kept shaking his head. Nolan lost his color as his reporter's mind was connecting the dots. "I knew it was an inside job," he whispered.

"Wait." Jefferson narrowed his eyes as he watched Rumpton carefully. "She said you were in prison for life."

"Well, the British didn't have a stomach to send one of their own to jail. It was easy to make a deal."

Like that, Jefferson became enraged. "Deal? You sold our secrets to save yourself? You betrayed us!? I have spent the last five years in this Hell because of you!"

The pistol was now on Rumpton and any loyalty the pilot had felt had dissipated in seconds. "I stayed true to the cause! You… you betrayed both sides!"

"Stop! Lord John Rumpton isn't a traitor!" Belle cried. "He betrayed no one!"

Her tone must have conveyed enough sincerity to garner Jefferson's attention and to keep from shooting Rumpton.

"How could you possibly know what he didn't do?"

"Because I'm… I'm Gideon."

Now, all the men were facing her as she bravely stood up. At last, the time was now or never. Nodding, she calmly stated it again. "I'm Gideon. I'm the one who infiltrated MI-5 to steal the iridium."

"But… but… you're a woman!" Jefferson's jaw fell as Belle closed her eyes, relieved she was able to say this truth out loud.

Whirling on Rumpton, Jefferson was confused but the hunter smiled. "I was the army's liaison senior officer to MI-5. I volunteered to be the one arrested in Gideon's place to protect his identity. Not even I had the clearance to know that Gideon was a woman."

"This cannot be!" Jefferson started hitting his temples. "Gideon was a spy working for the enemy! He ran the entire spy operation ring in England! He was the greatest double agent in history!"

"Triple agent."

Belle opened her eyes as Rumpton winked at her. "It was every enemy spy willing to give their secrets to a British woman who they thought was working for the enemy, but truthfully, she was working for England all along, keeping those secrets safe."

"The iridium…" Jefferson insisted.

Belle took her turn. "We had to give him a success to convince Berlin he was defective without jeopardizing the war effort."

"My work…" Reginald trailed off as he realized that he was being used to keep up pretenses.

"I'm sorry Reginald. But your work was deemed to be ineffective in the long run," Belle explained. "It was decided based upon the Hopper Committee that reported on defense projects and judged the likelihood of their success. Not that they knew that. But it was the perfect sacrificial lamb."

They all jumped to a series of gunshots as Jefferson fired round after round into the ceiling.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear anymore!"

Thunder started clashing as he ran to the radio and picked it up. The radio was already connected to one of the cords from the windmill and Reginald and Nolan quickly backed away. A spark of lightning lit up the treehouse as the electricity ran up the wire and right into Jefferson.

The man hit the ground before anyone could do anything.

The only distraction came with the elevator running again, and this time, Emma and Snow appeared.

"What the heck happened?" Snow asked as the explorers all looked at each other.

"We have a story for you…" Nolan said as he went over and embraced Snow.

"So this is what you guys do when I turn my back?" Emma teasingly joked. "And here I thought I would have the best story of all running into Snow here."

xxXXxx

It was decided Jefferson would be buried alongside his co-pilot. The iridium was also buried near the plane wreckage where it should properly stay considering.

Hardly anyone spoke about the recent events and so Snow filled the silence with her findings on how she met a shaman who knew her parents and gave her a pendant that her mother used to wear.

"He said it was my turn to wear it. Why… I don't know but it's something."

Belle and Rumpton hung back from the rest of the group as they walked back to the treehouse.

"So… you're the Black Widow of Vienna, huh?"

"It's not how it sounds," Belle half-argued.

"I can't believe you were there that night," he said. "I was there too. I was watching the interviews and I wondered who that alluring vixen was who kept putting Jekyll to shame."

"He was a little impetuous." They shared a chuckle. Then Belle grew serious. "You're not mad, are you?"

"Mad? Why would I be? Belle, you're a hero regardless of appearances. It was an honor to be chosen to protect you."

"Yes but at what cost?"

"It's over now. There is no need to be ashamed."

For the sake of arguing, Belle agreed but she couldn't help the bitter thoughts from forming.

If you only knew what else I had done John. You would not feel the same about me.

But that was for another day. For now, the explorers thought it best to bask in the knowledge that good prevailed and won the war in the end.