Author's Notes: I do not own Once Upon A Time. A mouse does. Anyway, thank you so much for the reads and reviews and follows. I do appreciate them. Please let me know what you think and happy reading!
Belle laid awake most of the night.
What was Beatrice possibly thinking? That she had been some princess in a fairy tale? She hadn't been anybody. She had been locked away in a place no better than a cell. She couldn't even remember anyone coming to visit her.
Maybe she had deserved to be there. Maybe she had been crazy.
Then she heard the front door shut.
"Gold."
The Gold Fairy Godmother froze and turned back as the Blue Fairy hopped across clouds to come near her.
"You were so quiet at the meeting today," said Blue. "Nothing to report on your charges?"
Gold shrugged. "Aurora remains free of Maleficent for now. Cinderella continues to toil for her stepmother, but her ball has not yet come."
"And what of Belle?"
Gold didn't speak. There was no point. The Blue Fairy would know all.
"She is your charge and she has become the Dark One's lover," Blue said with contempt. "How can you explain yourself and this utter failure?"
"She loves him," said Gold. It was the only answer.
"She is infatuated, it is your job to guide her."
"It's not an infatuation," Gold insisted. "It's True Love."
"And how can you know that to be certain?"
"Because she kissed him and the curse of the Dark One weakened."
"I see. Then why does the Dark One continue to plague the kingdom?"
"Because he stopped her." Gold saw Blue's disapproval beginning again. "He thought it was a trick by Regina the Queen. They have worked through it."
"And yet the Dark One remains."
"Belle says he needs his power to find his son and she won't take that from him," said Gold. Sensing Blue was about to say more, she quickly added, "Which I think is more proof of True Love than any kiss."
"He made his choice about his son long ago."
"A choice he's lived to regret."
"Are you Fairy Godmother to Belle or the Dark One?"
"Perhaps he needs one or perhaps it's Belle."
"Do you have any idea what havoc your negligence has wrought? There was a spark of magic which has been traced to be growing in your charge."
"Children born of True Love always have magic."
"More likely it's the Dark One expanding his power, creating a new pupil, like Cora and Regina. This child is destined to go down their path."
"I don't think he would do that."
"Oh. Do you now?"
"He's gentle with Belle," said Gold. "And we all know Rumplestiltskin's tale, that he was a poor spinner who took on the Dark One's powers to save his son. He never tried to steer him towards the practice of magic. It seems to me impossible that a father could risk his soul for one child and lead another down a path he knows all too well is a burden."
"Is this what you told Belle?"
"No, I did my very best to dissuade her, even saying that their children might be monsters and it didn't work."
"I'll be taking over as Belle's Fairy Godmother."
Gold was stunned. "You can't do that! I was godmother to her mother, Reinette, and her mother and her mother before that and so on."
"I suppose you want to be Fairy Godmother to the Dark One's child as well?"
That was indeed a frightening thought, but Gold tried to shake it off. "She might well need one."
"She will never have one."
"What does that mean?," asked Gold.
"She's not your concern anymore," said Blue, turning back amongst the clouds.
"He won't let you near her!," said Gold, calling after her. "Of all of us, he despises you the most."
Gold could only watch as Blue flew away.
"Beatrice!," Belle shouted.
Beatrice stood on the train platform, wishing she couldn't hear her mother or had the heart to ignore her. Before she knew it, Belle had grabbed her and turned her around to face her.
"Beatrice, what are you doing?"
"How did you even find me?"
"Credit card activity."
Beatrice looked incredulous. "You know how to do that?"
"A woman in India talked me through it. Now, what are you doing?"
Beatrice shook her head. "You asked me to tell you the truth. I did and you don't believe me, which is sort of ironic when you think about it!"
"Beatrice, I believe that you believe that's the truth," said Belle.
"No! That's the truth!"
"You need help, sweetheart."
"They want to lock me up!"
Belle shook her head. "No, I am never going to let anyone lock you up. We can figure this out together."
"Then let's go."
"Go where?"
"Storybrooke."
"Beatrice, no, you don't understand, I can't go back there."
"Why not?"
"Beatrice, I was in a mental asylum there. The mayor said I was some kind of prostitute..."
Beatrice shook her head in incredulity. "You were not a prostitute-"
"That's why I don't know who your father is-"
"Mom, I go to a high school full of slutty girls and you are not a slut-"
"Is that any less likely than my being a princess in a fairy tale?"
"Yes, actually! It is!"
"Beatrice..."
"Take me to Storybrooke and prove me wrong! Do that and I will go wherever you want and be locked up."
"That's not what I want-"
"What if I can give you one other person who says the same thing?," asked Beatrice. "If I have one other person that says the same thing, will you at least go to Storybrooke?"
"Beatrice..."
"That's my deal."
Belle nodded. "Alright, it's a deal."
The Gold Fairy resumed her duties with less than her usual enthusiasm. Belle's fate weighed on her, especially since she heard her former charge had disappeared. The Blue Fairy was silent on the subject and rumors of Rumplestiltskin's latest streak of trouble ran rampant throughout the land. Today she was off to a tower to visit a girl who was locked up and would need hope.
"Rapunzel?," called the Gold Fairy. "Rapunzel?"
"She's not here, Goldie," said Rumplestiltskin.
The Gold Fairy froze with fright as the Dark One lit a candle.
"What have you done to her?," asked Gold.
"I've set her free."
"And what price did you exact from her?," asked the Gold Fairy.
Rumplestiltskin edged closer to the fairy. "I just wanted the chance to talk to you. It's not as if you were giving her a lot of help, leaving her locked up in a tower when a mere wave of your wand could set her free."
"These things have a timetable. You wouldn't understand."
Rumplestiltskin smiled. "Oh, I know all about timetables. And what about Belle's timetable?"
"I don't know," said Gold.
"You're lying."
"We don't do that."
"Another lie."
"I don't know," she repeated. "Her fate was taken out of my control because of her association with you. The Blue Fairy took over. She's not exactly a fan of yours."
"The feeling's mutual." Rumplestiltskin edged closer. "That still doesn't tell me where Belle is."
"And neither can I."
Neal opened the door. He saw Beatrice and someone he would have had to guess was Belle. "Uh..."
Beatrice pushed past Neal and entered. Belle followed.
"Hi, Beatrice," Neal said dryly as he shut the door. "Please come in."
"Neal, this is my mom. Tell her."
Belle looked up and down at Neal. "How do you two know each other?"
"Tell her!," Beatrice shouted.
Neal shook his head. "Why am I-"
"Neal, I realize you've got daddy issues and everything, but you telling her the truth is the line between me and an insane asylum, so it would really be helping me out if you could just put that aside and tell her the truth!"
Belle stared at Neal.
"I'm from a place called the Enchanted Forest," said Neal. "It's the same land you're from. Someone cast a curse and brought everyone from that realm here, that's why you don't remember things, why things are hazy-"
Belle shook her head. "What you're talking about is impossible-"
Neal interrupted her. "That guy you went on the date with. Owen. You haven't seen him in a while, right?"
"Yeah," said Belle.
"He was dating you to gain your trust. He was working with someone who was following Beatrice."
Belle looked at Beatrice. "Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you say anything?," asked Belle. "Were you hurt? Did something happen?"
"No."
"Why would he be following you?"
Luckily, Neal seemed to pick up on the fact that Beatrice wasn't quite ready to reveal the magic thing. "He and perhaps some others are curious about the world we come from. You're the only people to have left Storybrooke."
"No, we aren't," said Belle.
"We so are," said Beatrice. "Have you ever met anyone else from there? Have you ever met anyone who's even heard of it?"
Belle shook her head. "It's a small town."
"It doesn't even have a Wikipedia page," said Beatrice.
"You know I hate Wikipedia," said Belle.
"Then name a book that mentions it," said Beatrice. She looked at Belle. "I did what I said I would. I have given you one other person who has the same crazy story as me."
"You're not crazy," said Belle.
"No, she's not," said Neal. "Believe me, I wish she was. My life would be a lot easier."
"Yes, because this is about you," said Beatrice.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot. This is your thing now," said Neal.
"Yeah, it's my thing since you won't help."
"You don't know my life!"
Belle shook her head. "Would you two stop bickering like children?"
Beatrice turned to Belle. "I believe we had a deal."
The Gold Fairy looked on in satisfaction as Princess Aurora danced with Prince Philip at the ball. The royals and the courtiers looked on in admiration at the sight of new love. Aurora was safe. She had True Love now and nothing could hurt her.
She wished the same could be said for all of her other charges.
"Belle's dead."
The Gold Fairy froze. Of all the people to sneak up on someone, the worst had to be Rumplestiltskin.
She floated back to face the Dark One. "And who told you that?"
"I have my sources."
"And did they say anything else?"
Rumplestiltskin looked puzzled. "She's dead. Did you want details?"
"The Blue Fairy no matter what you think of her, she wouldn't kill."
"No, of course not, you fairies never do anything wrong," Rumplestiltskin grumbled.
"And why have you come? To exact your revenge?"
"I think not today, dearie. These things have timetables."
The Gold Fairy looked at him curiously. "Timetables? For what?"
"That will all become apparent soon enough," said Rumplestiltskin. "Too bad you won't be around for it."
"This isn't my fault," said the Gold Fairy.
"And it's mine?!"
"Yes! Because you know what you are and you still persist! Your darkness leaves no one untouched! You should have sent her away!"
"I tried that! Don't you think I tried that?! If you think I could have, then you never understood her! No one did! No one!"
By this time, the guards of the palace had come out to the garden to see the strange sight of the Dark One and a fairy arguing.
Rumplestiltskin disappeared into a puff of smoke.
The Gold Fairy felt pity for the Dark One.
Yet somehow she had never been more afraid. True Love was the most powerful magic, but when it got taken away from someone who was so desperate for it, that's when True Love soured and that could be just as powerful.
Beatrice could be insistent upon deals and Belle often complied for reasons she didn't understand. Before she knew it, Belle had suspended the newspaper subscription, bought an atlas and rented a car. She didn't like this idea one bit, but she had made a deal with Beatrice and she was the one person in the world she would never let down, even if it meant going back to Storybrooke. Even if it meant facing her father or Regina.
Belle got in the driver's seat and looked at Beatrice. She was set to go with what would be the first Starbucks of the day and looked as if she was on a mission.
"I still can't believe I'm doing this," said Belle.
"We made a deal."
"I know." Belle looked at Beatrice. "There may be things in Storybrooke that you might not like hearing."
"I expect there might be," said Beatrice. She looked at Belle. "Not changing my mind."
"Neither am I," said Belle and she started the car.
