Author's Notes: I do not own Once Upon A Time. Thanks again for the reads and reviews. I've been meaning to PM for the reviews, but I work in retail and well, there was this thing... Anyway, please let me know what you think and happy reading!

Author's Notes Again: Remember how I said I worked in retail? Well, I was extremely tired when I posted this for the first time and I managed to not copy an entire scene with Rumplestiltskin and Merlin. Sorry about that.


Rumplestiltskin entered the Great Hall ready to start his plans for the day. He looked at the long table to see that his morning plans had already begun without his consent. Merlin sat atop the end of the table and popped some grapes into his mouth and Rumplestiltskin cursed the incubus that sired the wizard for what was not the first time.

"Merlin," he grumbled.

"Morning, sunshine," said Merlin. He motioned towards a buffet of food on the table. "I made breakfast."

Rumplestiltskin glared as he walked closer. "What are you doing here?"

Merlin dropped his jaw in feigned shock. "Is that any way to thank me for such a nice breakfast? Not to mention this lovely tea set I'm giving you. I would be careful with that tea cup. It's an heirloom."

"What do you want?"

"Funny thing happened. I was on my way to visit a young lady-"

"A young lady?," Rumplestiltskin questioned.

"Yes, we all must have hobbies," said Merlin. "I heard the most interesting thing. Prince Henry is to marry the daughter of a lowly, drunken miller. It seems the girl- though, frankly, she might be getting on a bit too much to be called that- she can spin straw into gold. I wondered who might have taught her that."

"I made a deal with her."

"Yes, and I fear you might be getting more than you bargained for."

"What do you care?"

"I care deeply. Have you bargained for the firstborn child?"

Rumplestiltskin didn't answer. He hated Merlin, hated how the wizard always seemed to have one up on him.

"That poor child. Saves a little girl from a runaway horse and her whole life is ruined."

"I need her."

"I don't doubt that, but I do question whether you know who you're dealing with."

"I'm the Dark One. I can handle the miller's daughter."

Merlin eyed him, then smiled. "Oh, no you can't. You really can't. See, there are two kinds of people with worthless fathers. The first, well, you know all about that, don't you?" Rumplestiltskin stiffened. "Ever hopeful hearts they have. They might grow scales for the outside world, but they still have hope. The second, well, they have a sliver of ice in their hearts. This miller's daughter, she belongs to the latter group."

"Don't try to divine my motives," Rumplestiltskin warned.

"And don't try to interfere with my plans. I warn you, someone will end up with no heart at all."

"Don't you touch her," he growled.

The wizard looked amused at the suggestion. "I don't have to lay a finger on her or you," said Merlin.


Beatrice sat at a table in the sheriff's station. Emma was in the office fuming.

"You could start arresting me anytime," said Beatrice.

Emma glared.

"All that paperwork. I bet there's fingerprints and mug shots. Oh, also, you're the primary witness so you'll have to stay in town for the trial."

The glare continued.

"Well, at least your mom will be happy if you stay. She seemed pretty mad."

"Mary Margaret is not my mom."

"Oh, come on. You look alike."

"Would you stop?"

"Fine, but seriously, you will have to stay in town. I have a right to face my accuser."

"Yes, she does," said Gold.

Beatrice looked up to see her mother and Mr. Gold. They were standing side by side and it seemed odd. Beatrice found that unsettling, but also unsettling was that her mother had once again run to Rumplestiltskin when there was trouble.

She really hoped she hadn't been sold.

"Seriously..." Beatrice muttered.

"You're her lawyer?," asked Emma.

"Yes and as of now my client's not answering any more questions," said Gold.

"What questions?," asked Emma. "Your client torched my car right in front of me."

"Well, that's your version of events and you're not exactly without bias here."

"What?," Emma exclaimed.

"It was your car. How do we know you didn't burn it yourself for the insurance money?"

"Seriously, Gold?"

"You haven't arrested her. How convinced of her guilt could you be?"

"So when I wanted help, it was too hard, but she comes in with a clear cut arson case and you drop everything?"

"Oh, Sheriff, I do hope your anger at me isn't influencing your judgment and causing you to lash out at my client who was just an innocent bystander."

"She got matches and lighter fluid from the pharmacy."

"Circumstantial," said Gold. "Now, I've already spoken with District Attorney Spencer. Are you going to arrest her?"

Emma looked really uncertain.

"What? Seriously?," asked Beatrice. "What happened to arresting me?"

"Be quiet," Belle warned.

Emma walked over to Gold. "Is this the favor?"

"Sheriff, I don't know what you're suggesting, but it's unseemly," said Gold. "Now, are you going to arrest my client?"

"No," Emma relented. "It doesn't mean I won't change my mind. Besides, I'm not going to lock up a fifteen year old."

"How compassionate. Beatrice, come on."

"What?"

"Come on," Belle repeated.

Beatrice grudgingly obliged her fate as she left with Gold and Belle.


It was never hard for Merlin to get into places. The Court of King Xavier was no different as the footman led him to the throne room.

"Your Majesty," said Merlin.

King Xavier stood and walked over. "My court is always happy to receive you, Merlin. Have you come for my son's wedding?"

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't stay. I do have some business to discuss with Your Majesty, if we could only speak in private."

"Of course, this way."

King Xavier led Merlin up to the treasure room. Merlin looked on in amusement at the rolls of spun gold.

"What brings you here?," asked Xavier.

"It regards your soon to be daughter-in-law, Cora."

"What about her? She's just the miller's daughter."

Merlin motioned at their surroundings. "Except for all this."

"She has a power, yes."

"Xavier, you surprise me. There's only one man in the realm who can spin straw into gold. Well, there was only one, until he got stupid and showed someone else how to do it. Tell me, are you familiar with Rumplestiltskin?"

"The Dark One?," Xavier asked with alarm.

"The very same."

Xavier was flustered. "The menace! I'll send soldiers, I'll have him caught-"

"You'll do no such thing."

"I will not be deceived in this way."

"You most certainly will."

"Then why did you tell me this?"

"You see, the imp thinks he is playing a chess game. That's only half of it. See, he's playing my game, but he can only see about half the board and doesn't know I've been moving all the pieces."

"For what purpose?"

Merlin shook his head. "You wouldn't possibly understand. Now, Cora will come to you and all you must do is remind her of who she is. Who she really is. She's not the kind of woman who could run off for love with an imp. Remind her of all that your son can offer and I see that look, try not to be so damn hard on the poor boy. He's going to have a hard enough life as it is, not to mention a very sad death. Remind Cora, love is weakness."

King Xavier was all surprise. "And what if I refuse?"

Merlin gave it thought. "Well, I suppose I'll just kill her then. A broken heart is a broken heart, really, but I like this way better and hey, you still have someone who can spin straw into gold. Not everyone can say that."

Xavier stood silently.

"I'll show myself out," said Merlin. "After all, big day tomorrow."


Gold had seen Belle and Beatrice back to the inn. Then he had come to the shop. He had plans to make for his trip, but there was much to do before that. He would have to sort out the District Attorney, await the end of the Curse and then the first part of his reunion with his family. He expected he would have to come up with something to earn the girl's trust. He walked over to the jewelry case to remove Belle's pieces as he heard the doorbell ring.

"My tree is dying," said Regina.

Gold smiled. "Maybe it's your fertilizer."

"You think this is funny? Well, I'll tell you what I think. I think it's a sign of the curse weakening because of Emma. But do you care? No. You're content to just sit back and do… Whatever it is you're doing, while all my hard work burns."

"That's not all, is it? Come on. You might as well get everything off your chest."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Henry. Miss Swan wants him."

"She'll have that boy over my dead body."

"The curse was meant to take away Snow White and Prince Charming's happiness. Perhaps, you giving up Henry is just the price to keep the curse unbroken."

"I think I'd rather just get rid of her."

"Well, well. You're going to have to be quite creative. We both know the repercussions in killing Miss Swan. The curse will be…"

"The curse will be broken. That's because you designed it that way. Undo it."

"You know… Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Magic, well, is in short supply around here and dwindling by the minute."

"I want to strike a new deal. One where I can get rid of Emma without shattering the Curse."

"Unfortunately, a deal requires two interested parties and you no longer have anything I want."

"I can rewrite Belle's memories. You two can be back together."

"Yes, but you can't rewrite the girl's memories."

Regina scoffed. "Are you that desperate to have Belle's bastard?"

"You see, I got to thinking about that, dearie and then I remembered that for many years, the clock above the library was eight-fourteen and it changed one morning. One morning you seemed very angry at me. When Belle hired me as her attorney, I looked at the paperwork and realized you sent her away around the same time that the clock changed."

Regina stared at him.

"True love, dearie," said Gold. "The most powerful magic of all, but then, you knew that, didn't you?"

"Fine," said Regina. "But don't tell me you didn't have that planned."

"Planned? Dearie, if I had it planned, we wouldn't be here. Do you think I would have entrusted the fates of Belle and my child in this land to you? Really?"

Regina continued to glare.

"I will give you a piece of advice, though. I would plan a trip because once people waken up and remember who you are and what you did to them, well, they are going to be looking for blood."

"There's still the matter of your little princess's pending arson charges. Like father, like daughter."

"I'm sure I can figure out something."

Regina stalked out unhappily.


Beatrice sat across from her mother in the diner. It had been a late morning, trying to catch up on the sleep lost by the slight arson Beatrice had committed in the night. Burning something down did clear some of the space around them at the diner. Belle had spoken through most of lunch and Beatrice had never felt the need for an espresso so badly as now.

"I don't even know what to say," said Belle. "I don't know if I'm supposed to be mad or sad or if you can even help yourself-"

"I had a reason," said Beatrice.

"Yes and that's the thing, your reason is that you think the sheriff is going to break some curse and you couldn't let her leave town so you burned her car."

"Yeah," said Beatrice, shrugging plaintively.

"Is that all you can say for yourself?"

"Until you actually want to listen..."

"What?," asked Belle. "Is that attitude? You burned a car and you are giving me attitude?"

"You think I'm insane."

"Beatrice, I-" Belle sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. I do know that it might be a bit short-sighted to let some book of fairy tales choose your destiny. No one decides your fate but you."

"Yeah, that's in the book," said Beatrice.

There was a hush over the diner and Beatrice realized she was to the point that she no longer had to turn to see if Gold had entered.

"May I join you, ladies?," asked Gold.

"Of course," said Belle.

She scooted down the booth to make room for Gold.

"So, what did the District Attorney say?," asked Belle.

"Mr. Spencer is not yet prepared to file charges pending Sheriff Swan's investigation," said Gold. "You can't leave town, though."

Belle frowned. "Mr. Spencer?"

"Yes, he acts as the district attorney and the city attorney."

"Still? He was in charge of my case," said Belle.

"I shouldn't worry about it," said Gold. "He won't file charges unless he's certain he can win and he has suggested a psychiatric evaluation."

"Oh, good," said Beatrice. "More psychiatrists."

"I've put him off for the time being," said Gold.

"I don't want Beatrice locked up, Especially not in that awful place," said Belle. "An institution is still an institution."

"I would only suggest it as a delay tactic," said Gold. "I won't let her be locked up."

Beatrice frowned. "What kind of lawyer are you?"

"Well, luckily for you, I'm the very good kind."

"Beatrice, he's trying to help you," said Belle. "We're trying to help you."

Beatrice groaned and rolled her eyes. When she was done rolling them, she looked upon Belle and Gold sitting together and staring at her.

There was something oddly disconcerting about it.

Really disconcerting.

"So, your plan is to just delay and delay and keep tossing crazy theories at Emma?," asked Beatrice desperate to shake off whatever she was seeing.

"It's not my entire plan." He paused. "Have you always worn glasses?"

"Do you think it affected my ability to tell whether I was throwing a match at a car soaked with lighter fluid?"

Gold smiled. "Idle curiosity."

"I'm pathetically farsighted. Okay?"

"She's worn glasses since she was a baby," said Belle. "I don't know what that has to do with anything."

"Well, it's important to have all the information," said Gold.


"Didn't expect to see you on a horse, dearie," said Rumplestiltskin.

Merlin smiled. Rumplestiltskin had managed to find him on the King's Road. Knowing the future could make one so impatient. "I expected to see you."

"How did you know what would happen with Cora?"

Merlin scoffed. "You really ought to have seen that coming."

"You did it," he accused.

"No, I don't remember ripping out her heart. I am fairly certain that was her."

"You conspired."

"I'll not deny it, but, Rumplestiltskin, how could a woman who would rip out her own heart have any room in it for you? Do you have any idea how much love a woman will need in her heart to love you? I'll tell you now that woman has not yet been born."

"Why did you do it?"

Merlin laughed. "Oh, Rumplestiltskin, if I told you and made a chart with pictures, you would not understand."

"Try me."

"Okay, how about this? I know you."

"No one knows me," he sneered.

"I know you. I know that you are the sort of man who was never meant to become the Dark One. I know you. I knew your wife. I knew that pirate she ran off with. I knew Baelfire. I knew your parents."

"A claim too far, dearie."

Merlin seemed to find this laughable. "You don't think I knew your parents? You don't think I know your father?"

"Not for a second."

"Then you might try asking yourself where the two spinsters who raised you got a magic bean from."

Merlin watched as Rumplestiltskin tried to conceal his shock.

"And before you bother asking me if I have any more," said Merlin, "you should know that I would never give you one even if I did so don't bother humiliating yourself by begging."

"I would never beg. I would do far worse."

"Oh, we both know you would beg. You can't kill me, you have nothing that I want, so all you have is... fealty."

Rumplestiltskin stood speechless.

"Now, won't you excuse me? I'm off to see a young lady."

"On a horse?," Rumplestiltskin questioned.

"As I said, I have my plans," he said as he rode off.