The dagger pushed heavily against Belle's chest, a constant reminder of the hell the dagger had brought to her life and the gifts it had given to her. If Rumpel had never became the Dark One, he would have died centuries before she was even born and she would never have found her true love. It was also one thing that Rumpel loved more than Belle or it symbol something that Belle could never compete with: his love for power. The only thing that had been a stable entity in his life.
With it in her safe keeping for the moment, Belle felt an ease settle over her, knowing that with it in her care it would make the Black Fairy's plans that much harder. Regina had cast a protection spell over Belle, so the Black Fairy could not hurt her or teleport the dagger out of Belle's keeping. Belle cursed Rumpel for not bringing his safe room that had no door to Storybrooke. The dagger would be a lot safer in there.
Belle sat with her back against the window in one of the booths in Grannies. A spell had been casted over Grannies where only residents of Storybrooke could enter, an extra barrier against the Black Fairy. No one was getting near his dagger.
"So…" Regina held her cup of coffee between her hands. "What do we do now?"
"What do you mean?" Belle asked with her hand hovering over the dagger protectively.
"Well, we're back where we were this morning. How do we help Rumpel now?" Regina questioned.
Belle frowned at the question. It was a good question. The only difference now was they knew where the dagger was, but Rumpel was still being held prisoner by the spikes going through his body. No one had seen the Black Fairy since the altercation at Rumpel's house. Not that she was making her presence known around Storybrooke. Always lurking in the shadows.
"As much as we now have father's dagger, the Black Fairy isn't going to just give up. She wants what he's got." Gideon informed them after taking a sip from his coke.
Regina learned forward onto the table. "She wants his power. Yeah, she said."
"Yes," Gideon looked to his mother and then back to Regina. "The Black Fairy is jealous that father can… love."
"Love?" Regina retorted, leaning back against the back of the seat.
"The Black Fairy doesn't feel love. But mother doesn't think it's because of his power, the reason he can feel love."
"No?" Regina said, looking at Belle beside her.
"When you told me about true love's kiss, I think it restarted his ability to love. Woke it up from the darkness." Belle explained and gestured towards her heart.
Regina pondered it pursing her lips and then nodded her head. "I can believe that. True love's kiss is powerful. And like you said, if you had had the chance to kiss him again, maybe you could have broken his curse of being the Dark One."
"Told ya!" Belle smiled and slapped Gideon on the arm. He rolled his eyes at his mother and fell back against the back of the seat.
Regina was puzzled by the exchanged but carried on with their conversation. "So, we still have a crazy fairy running around Storybrooke wanting to kill Rumpel for his power, but she isn't going to get what she wants. And when she doesn't get what she wants, his power to love, we're going to be stuck with possibly her being the Dark One that would be even crazier then she is now!"
"Yep." Gideon agreed, nodding his head.
"Gideon, have you ever seen her use the magic that she used on Rumpel?" Belle asked, checking inside her cup to see it was still empty.
"A few times, but she never taught it to me." Gideon answered. "I've never seen her reverse it either. Father being immortal is the only good thing about all this, as normally they would be dead by now."
"And we haven't got anything that would be able to reverse it?" Belle pointed the question to Regina.
Regina took a deep breath before she replied. "I have been through everything in Rumpel's shop and in my crypt. Blue has gone through what the fairies hav
e and there isn't anything that seems to damage it or reverse it."
"The only person who hasn't tried to do anything is being trapped in it." Belle thought out load. Regina and Gideon both looked to Belle, unsure what she was saying. "Well, you said it. Everyone who has magic has tried to break it. Rumpel is the only one, who out of all people with magic, who would be strong enough to break something like this. No offence, Regina."
"Oh, no. None taken." Regina waved her hand, but her face showed exactly how she was feeling about Belle's words.
"I mean, wouldn't dark magic be stronger than shadow magic?" Belle inquired, her gaze going between Gideon and Regina.
"Then why doesn't light magic win out over dark magic? Or even the other way round?" Gideon interjected.
"Yes, but there has to be a balance and as your father told me once, it depends on the person wielding the magic." Belle leaned forward onto the table to explain. "Take Regina and your father. Regina is dark magic and she is really good at it. Except, your father is, of course, the Dark One. He is dark magic. So he will always be stronger than Regina at using it."
"Yeah," Regina nodded her head at the reasoning. "I can see that. Rumpel is stronger than me and he was my tutor."
"So, how come Emma can't beat either one?" Gideon said before taking a sip of his coke.
Belle thought about it for a moment. "Emma is still new to magic. Yes, she is light magic. However, Regina and your father have been using magic nearly all their lives. Therefore, they have more experience than she does. Like with you, Gideon, you can use shadow and dark magic, but you're not as strong as Regina and your father."
"What your mother means," Regina said, with her trademark evil smile sweeping across her face. "We need to release the Dark one!"
"Not that I condone what he does, but he is his only hope at the moment." Belle clenched at the dagger through her coat.
"How are we going to get him to break out of it then?" Regina asked. "I think with the amount of pain it causes him, he won't be willingly to try."
"Sadly," Belle pursed her lips together before continuing. "He may not get a choice."
Regina frowned at Belle. "You can't be saying use the dagger against him?"
"How else are we to get him to do it?" Belle pleaded with Regina. "Tell me."
"I don't know. But I don't think it's fair to use it against him. You know how much he hates being used like a puppet. I don't know what Celina did to him, but he hasn't been the same since the year he spent with her." Regina shook her head in disgust.
"There might be one way." Gideon was looking down at his hands under the table.
"How?" Belle asked. Both Regina and Belle were looking at Gideon.
"You, mother." Gideon said.
Belle shook her head. "He won't do it for me. He wouldn't give up his power for me, Gideon. He isn't going to put himself through all that pain for me."
"A lot has happened since then." Gideon leaned forward onto the table and moved his coke to one side. "Look at it this way, if he doesn't do it, then fine use the dagger on him."
"I would only see him doing it, if Belle was going to be in real danger." Regina added.
"How are we going to make him think that?" Belle asked sceptically. "He knows no one in Storybrooke would ever hurt me."
"There is one person that would." Gideon said.
Belle shook her head. "I am not going to put the dagger in that danger. If the Black Fairy gets hold of it, then this will be all for nothing."
"Belle," Regina touched Belle's arm. "Who said it needs to be the real dagger?"
"Oh…" Belle stopped and let the suggestion sink in. There was no reason for the Black Fairy not to think it was real, if Belle was forced to command Rumpel. It may even bring the Black Fairy out of hiding and give them a chance to capture her and force her to undo her spell on Rumpel. The result could work out to be the same.
"Let's give it a go then." Belle said and then sighed. Regina nodded her head and then waved her hand over the table. A replica of Rumpel's dagger appeared on the table. Sliding out of the booth, Regina pulled her skirt straight and waited for Belle to get out from the booth. The two shared a weak smile between them.
"Regina, can you give me and Gideon a moment, please?" Belle asked, touching Regina's arm.
"Oh, sure. I'll just be outside." Regina motioned towards the door and left Belle and Gideon alone in Grannies. Gideon climbed out from the booth. His eyebrows were knitted together as he studied his mother's face. She rocked on the balls of her feet and turned to Gideon. She knew that there was more chance of things going her way, hope helped with that, but she was not stupid enough to think that there was not a chance that something could happen to her.
"Gideon," Belle slipped her hand into her coat and pulled out the real dagger. "I want you to take your father's dagger."
"Mother, no. It's safer with you." Gideon held his hands up in protest.
"A lot can happen out there Gideon. I need you to protect his dagger and him. It'll give me some peace of mind." Belle said, offering the dagger towards her son. Gideon hesitantly took his father's dagger. He turned it over and followed the glint on the dagger's blade with his eyes, tracing down the sharp edges.
"I also want you to do something." Belle told him, her hand resting on top of his that held the dagger. "You are going to leave Storybrooke."
"What?" Gideon exclaimed. A flicker of hurt crossed his face.
"Not forever. I just need you to take his dagger somewhere safe." Belle explained and stroked at his face with her free hand.
Gideon shook his head. "What if you need me? You're going to need my help!"
"I need you to do this. It'll help me, I promise." Belle smiled at him and then pulled him into a hug. "You'll be keeping your father safe and that will help me a great deal, son." His head nodded against the side of head, her logic finally overwhelming him. Belle was so proud of him in that moment. He did not realise how much he was going to be taking a weight off her shoulders.
Gideon was so brave and strong. People would probably say that it was inherited from Belle. And yes, they would be right. However, they would also be wrong. If they could see pass the mask that Rumpel wore, they would see this same brave and strong man, waiting for his moment in the sun. Except the monster that hung around Rumpel's neck, stopped that man. She knew the monster's hold on Rumpel was loosening these last couple of years, but alas, it had allowed Rumpel to turn more to the darkness than to Belle.
Pulling away from Gideon, Belle rubbed at a tear that was slowly rolling down her cheek. "Go."
He kissed her cheek and then vanished into a cloud of smoke. Her sigh was heavy as she turned to leave Grannies, snatching the fake dagger off the table. She slid it into the inside of her coat and pushed the door open. Regina was waiting at the top of the steps and joined Belle to descend them.
"Where's Gideon?" Regina looked over her shoulder to see if Gideon was going to follow.
"He's doing something for me." Belle replied.
Regina nodded her head in understanding and they walked in silence over to where the others had been keeping Rumpel company. Henry was sat on the floor in front of his grandfather, telling him how he was sorry that when he tried to write the story of what was happening, he could not help Rumpel. The sympathetic look Rumpel gave Henry made Belle's heart skip for a moment. She still remembered that look as she had gazed up at him from the chipped cup in her hands after dropping it on the floor. Rumpel had been so calm about it and had been so flippant with 'it's only a cup'.
Belle exhaled happily to herself coming to a stop behind Henry. She looked around at the others. Charming and Snow were loitering on the sidewalk, talking to one another, whilst Hook and Emma sat on the kerb. Regina touched Henry on the shoulder and asked him to follow her, taking him over to the others on the sidewalk.
Rumpel watched with curiosity as he lost his audience. Looking from Henry to Belle, Rumpel smiled at his wife and watched her move closer to stand near him. Belle kept her hands down at her sides, mulling over her words.
"Belle?" Rumpel looked from Belle to the others and back.
Belle pressed her lips hard together before she spoke. "Don't you think this is getting silly now?"
"What?" Rumpel's forehead creased up.
"You've been letting this woman get the better of you." Belle waved her hand absently in the air. "You've let your bitch of a mother do this to you. I can't believe it." The others on the sidewalk began to whisper amongst themselves, not understanding what Belle was saying. They all huddled together as Regina explained.
"Belle, you can't be serious." He retorted with a hint of pain in his voice from her words. "How can I do anything when I'm like this?"
"I thought you were the all powerful Dark One?" Belle chuckled.
"This isn't you talking." Rumpel shook his head at her.
Belle took a step nearer to Rumpel, his eyes darting over her face trying to work out what was happening. "I thought you were strong, but I guess I was wrong. How I ever thought you would be able to protect your son, or me I don't know. You would think the Dark One would be at least able to deal with someone so… weak compared to you. Maybe the Dark One has lost his touch. Emma was a lot more scarier than you as the Dark One."
"What!" Rumpel's voice went into a quiet growl.
Turning her back on him to step away, Belle took a moment to take a deep breath and then spun round to face him with her arms gesturing around the street. "She's already got Gideon. Now she's going to get me." Rumpel's eyes were starting to turn dark. "What exactly are you going to do to protect me? Nothing!"
"Watch your tone, Belle." Rumpel warned. His eyebrows were now shadowing over his eyes. Belle tried to hide her swallow. She had never seen him like this, or more she had never seen him use this look with her. With Regina or anyone else, yes, but never with her.
Belle laughed at him. "And what're you going to do? Just hang there and watch the show? Pathetic!"
"No." His voice was deep when he replied.
"It doesn't matter." Belle knew she was about to push a button. "Will has said that he's going to protect me and get Gideon back. He's man enough to do it as well. Not run off like someone I know."
Belle could not help the gasp as Rumpel let out a deep growl. His intense roar of anger made everyone on the sidewalk jump. Rumpel closed his eyes tight and bowed his head. Belle watched his fingers dig into the spikes that were through his hands, his knuckles turning white with the pressure.
Rumpel let out another shout of anger as he snatched his hands towards himself, breaking the tops of the spikes in front of him. He threw what was left of the spikes, which were drove through his hands, down onto the floor in temper. Focusing his magic to the ground, Rumpel engulfed himself into a cloud of black smoke. Belle could hear his groans in pain from within the cloud. She did not know whether to run in to comfort him or be prepared to run from him.
A flash of light dispersed the black smoke and revealed that Rumpel was gone. Belle gasped and quickly moved forward to examine the spot Rumpel had been. The spikes were now broken and were now stumps sticking up from the broken road. She looked around quickly for Rumpel. The others ran over and joined her in the middle of the street.
"Where is he?" Belle was alarmed.
She turned to make a run for Rumpel's shop in case he had gone in there, but stopped when the strong hand caught her chin and his fingertips pressed into her skin. "Here," Rumpel was seething. "Dearie!"
"Rumpel!" Belle screamed at him. Her reaction made him jump and release her chin. Before he knew what was happening, Belle wrapped her arms around his neck and was hanging off him. Rumpel did not know what to do or what was happening anymore.
"What the hell!" Rumpel pushed her away.
"It worked!" Belle exclaimed, holding onto him by his upper arms. She took in the sight of him. His waistcoat and shirt had three holes through them now, revealing his bare chest and stomach underneath. There was a hole through his pants leg, his skin now peeping through.
Rumpel went from being angry to very confused. "What worked?"
"It was Belle's idea." Regina informed Rumpel. "She said your magic would be stronger than the Black Fairy's."
"Sorry, what?" Rumpel rubbed at his temple.
"Look, I will explained everything later." Belle said bringing Rumpel's attention back to her. "Now we need to find a way of stopping the Black Fairy. I have an idea."
"Idea?" Rumpel held his hand over his forehead. He felt so lost.
Belle giggled at his confusion. "We need Pandora's box."