Author's Notes: I do not own Once Upon A Time which is a show on ABC where you can't always get what you want... or need. Anyway, thanks for the reads and reviews. I really appreciate them and I'm sorry I've been away, but I started a second job so this is the first day I haven't had to be anywhere work-related in a week. So, please let me know what you think and happy reading!
Present
Regina followed Moriarty down the hall.
"Good to see you can be relied upon, Your Majesty," said Moriarty. "I wasn't entirely certain, but the key to this plan's success is that we must all play our parts as they are written."
She frowned. "That's not what I thought I was getting."
Moriarty turned, meeting her gaze.
"I wouldn't worry. You'll get exactly the ending you deserve."
"And what's in this for you? Don't tell me you're getting a happy ending."
"We come from very different worlds, Your Majesty, but surely you can appreciate how much more fun evil is. No need to be frightened." He motioned at the door. "Here we are!"
"Where?"
He tapped on the door. "Right here is where you can find all the magic known to the great British empire."
"And what do we need that for?"
"Well, you won't know until we get inside, will you?" He cocked his head. "Think you can get in?"
"Of course I can," she sneered.
Regina held her hand out. There was a powerful protection spell on the door but it wasn't powerful enough.
"Very impressive," said Moriarty, striding in.
A Long Time Ago in The Enchanted Forest
"There has to be another way."
Prince Charming looked at his wife. "Snow, we don't even know that Maleficent was telling the truth about our child's darkness-"
"And was the unicorn lying? Or the tree? David. We have to do something."
He turned back towards the path.
"A little help?," called a voice.
Charming hurried to where a peddler's cart had gotten stuck in the mud of the road. He helped the man to free it.
"Oh, thank you."
"You're welcome."
"I was just leaving Edelweiss. I'm a peddler and afraid I couldn't sell my wares there. The people are very suspicious of newcomers."
"Suspicious?," asked Snow White. "Why?"
The peddler stood closer to them, as if to tell a secret. "The lord of that village has had a child."
Charming frowned. "But Rumplestiltskin's the lord of that village."
"You've heard of him then? The Dark One?"
Charming and Snow exchanged glances.
"We've had some run-ins," the prince pronounced.
"Well, no one dares to set foot near the Dark Castle for fear of its master. The Dark One has sworn to murder anyone who so much as looks upon the Dark Princess."
"The Dark Princess?," asked Snow White.
"Can you imagine? A spawn of the Dark One, filled with so much evil. Who knows what she might destroy?"
Snow White looked to her husband.
Present
Nellie and Somerset led the charge into the ministry offices at the Shard. Belle held Beatrice's hand as they walked alongside Gold and Merlin.
Merlin and Gold suddenly stopped walking. Somerset and Nellie turned.
"Problem?," asked Somerset.
"Something's not right," said Gold.
Nellie walked to the large panel on the wall. Somerset joined her.
She looked at him. "Someone's in the Vault."
Somerset pulled out a gun.
"I'm sorry, the Vault, that seems like a big coincidence," said Beatrice.
"It'll be fine," said Nellie, taking out a gun. "Somerset and I have this."
"Yeah, you're getting a gun out. It's not fine," John declared.
Merlin's phone rang. "One moment."
"Are you really answering your phone?," asked Beatrice.
"Stay here," Somerset instructed as he and Nellie walked off.
"So," said John, "he's answering his mobile and my aunt thinks she's..."
"Agent Carter?," Beatrice suggested.
A Long Time Ago In The Enchanted Forest
"Snow, are you sure about this?," Charming asked after they arrived at the Dark Castle.
She got off her horse.
"What choice do we have? The sorcerer said we need a vessel to take on our child's darkness. Do you really think the child of the Dark One will be any different from its father?"
Charming still looked doubtful.
"I'll go," said Snow White.
"Snow-"
"Someone has to do something, David," she snapped at him.
She made her way over the drawbridge to the door of the castle and knocked decisively. Snow White watched as it creaked open. A dark-haired woman eyed her severely.
"May I help you?"
"I'm here to see the Dark One." She eyed the woman. "Are you the lady of this castle?"
"I very much doubt you have any business with the lady of this castle."
"Well, that's for her to decide, isn't it?"
"Mary, who is it?"
Snow White froze. She knew that voice. Mary stepped aside so that she could see Belle.
"Snow White!," Belle exclaimed.
"This woman claims to have business with the master."
"Well, come in," said Belle.
Snow White stepped inside the entryway. She had never seen anyone but the Dark One at the castle and here was her oldest friend, looking as bright and cheerful as ever.
"Belle, what are you doing here?"
"I live here," said Belle.
"In the Dark One's Castle? As his slave?"
"No," said Belle. "Well, I was at first, but that hasn't been for a while. Mary, I'm fine with Her Highness."
"Very well, my lady."
Mary left. Snow White looked at Belle in confusion. She wasn't dressed like a servant. Her gown rivaled anything Snow might have worn back at court.
"What's going on? If you aren't his slave, what are you?"
Belle looked at her like it was obvious. "The mother of his child."
"What?"
Belle frowned at her. "Are you sure you're alright? Come. Sit."
Before Snow White understood what was happening, she was seated in a library and taking tea. Belle spoke excitedly of her pregnancy and motherhood as Snow White pondered that it was her friend's child that she had come to steal.
"Grandmother has been very helpful. She would be down, but she was a bit under the weather earlier so Rumple gave her a potion. He says she just needs to sleep it off."
"Belle, he's a monster," Snow White said flatly. Surely her friend could see that. Perhaps she could see that her child was as well.
"He's not. He has layers you have to get past, but his heart is good." She turned. "And here she is!"
Belle held her arms out as Mary handed her Beatrice.
Snow White looked at the child as Belle beamed. She was a perfectly cuddly looking baby with deep eyes and dark hair, no visible sign of the darkness that she had been told lurked within.
"She looks just like you," Snow White remarked somewhat dejectedly.
Belle smiled. "Rumple says that all the time, but I happen to think she has a little of his nose." Belle playfully tapped the baby's nose. "Yes. Yes, you do..."
Belle looked up to see Mary was still standing nearby.
"Mary, you can leave us."
"The master said not to leave her while guests were in the house."
Belle shook her head. "I know he means well, but it's unnecessary. I've known Snow White since we were Beatrice's age. Our mothers were friends just as long. We'll be fine."
Mary cast a skeptical glance at Snow White that made the princess nervous.
"I'll stay nearby," she said.
Mary left.
Belle looked back at Snow White.
"So you married." Belle shrugged. "Rumple told me."
"Yes," said Snow White. "Sorry I didn't invite you."
"Oh, don't worry." She cuddled Beatrice closer. "I can't take her anywhere and I can't leave her."
"Why can't you leave? Are you his prisoner?"
She looked up from her baby. "No, of course not. Beatrice is... special. There's been a prophecy that people wish her ill will."
"Really?," asked Snow White, suddenly feeling sick.
"To be honest, my father, that is to say, Sir Maurice, came here intending to hurt her. How could you do that? How could you want to hurt an innocent because of what some prophecy said?"
Belle squeezed the baby tighter.
"What's this?"
Snow White nearly jumped as Rumplestiltskin's voice broke through the silence.
"Rumple, you're home," Belle said brightly. She stood and met him.
"Where's Mary? She's not supposed to leave her side."
"I told her to go," said Belle. "It's just Snow. You know we're friends."
Snow White stood shakily as the Dark One took his baby, reptilian fingers caressing her cheek. Whatever chance she had of taking the child was most assuredly gone now. While ripping the babe from her friend's arms was a moral dilemma, taking her from the most powerful sorcerer in the realm was a tactical one.
"And what brings Her Highness here?," asked Rumplestiltskin, looking at his daughter. "And why does her prince wait outside?"
Rumplestiltskin snapped his head towards Snow White.
"You brought your husband? I'd love to meet him," Belle said eagerly, unaware of the tension. "You could stay for dinner after whatever business you have is concluded."
"Business?," trilled Rumplestiltskin as he rocked the infant. "What business?"
Belle shrugged and motioned at her friend. "What was it? You didn't say."
All eyes were on Snow White now.
"Regina. I heard she's planning something."
Rumplestiltskin looked at her quizzically.
"Regina's always planning something. When someone says, 'I will destroy your happiness if it's the last thing I do' they generally follow through."
"Right. I need to return to my kingdom."
"You're leaving so soon?"
Snow White brushed off her friend's inquiries all the way out of the Dark Castle and back across the bridge.
"What happened?," asked Charming.
"I couldn't do it. I got thrown off. My friend Belle is the mother of the Dark One's child."
Charming took that in. "Perhaps the Peddler was mistaken then-"
"There has to be another way," Snow said as she mounted her horse. "Another vessel."
Present
Regina watched Moriarty in the vault. Indeead it was a faunt of wonderful things, any of which the Evil Queen would have been happy to get her hands on.
"What magic is it you're after?"
"Oh, the most powerful magic of all," said Moriarty. "The written word."
He searched along until he found a shelf lined with various gilded tomes.
"Here," said Moriarty, taking the book out of the case. He placed it on one of the metal work tables in the room and looked up at Regina. "Go on. Destroy it."
"The Adventure of the Gold Pendant? That's Joseph's book. Why do you want it destroyed?," asked Regina.
"Why do you care? You want your happy ending, don't you?"
Regina nodded and formed a fireball in her hand, stepping away from the book. She flung it and was surprised when an umbrella appeared pushing it back.
Pamela took a breath, closing the umbrella.
"Well, this is quite a turn of events, isn't it?," asked Pamela. "I'm conflicted by saying it was lovely to see you again, Mr. Moriarty, but I would be lying."
Regina scowled. "You said you had something to do."
"Yes, I had to watch you. Merlin didn't trust you for a moment which you must admit was not unfounded."
"You were following me?"
The doors opened.
"Hands up, Moriarty!"
Moriarty tsked as Somerset put him in cuffs and locked him to a pipe running on the wall.
"How many times must we go over this?," Somerset hissed.
Moriarty shook his head. "I just have problems retaining information."
Nellie looked at Regina.
"What were you here for? Were you going to destroy that book?"
"I-"
"My nephew is in there."
"I didn't know."
"You didn't ask," Pamela corrected.
Nellie took out a phone, hit a few buttons and Regina fell to the ground.
Pamela looked up in surprise.
"That ankle bracelet may not have been a tracker, strictly speaking."
"Is everything alright?," asked Merlin.
John looked around in dismay. "What the hell's going on?"
"What happened to Regina?," asked Belle. "Why is she on the floor?"
"I'll admit some curiosity," Gold added.
"She had it coming," Pamela promised.
Merlin cleared his throat. "I had Pamela follow her."
"Really?," asked Beatrice.
The nanny leaned with great contempt on her umbrella. "What did you think I was doing?"
Beatrice shrugged. "Stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Dancing with penguins. Meeting chimney sweeps. Are chimney sweeps still a thing?"
Pamela glowered at her charge.
"Not to put too fine a point on it, but now might be a good time to get Joseph back," John suggested.
"Quite right," said Nellie. She turned to Beatrice. "In your own time, then."
Somerset took Moriarty out of the room as Beatrice stared at the book. She flipped the pages until she found the door.
"What do we do now?," asked John.
"I guess finish the pattern," said Beatrice looking from the pendant to the page. She looked up at her father. "Is there a trick to it?"
Gold shook his head. "I've never done this before."
"You've done everything," Beatrice said in disbelief.
He turned her back to face the book, hands on her shoulders.
"You can do this."
Beatrice put the pendant down on the page and was soon blinded by a burst of light.
When she looked up, she was face to face with Jenna.
"You couldn't have done that sooner?"
"You were from the..."
"Jenna," said Gold.
Beatrice looked over as her father helped her from the floor. Louise was trying to scramble to her feet as Somerset helped her. Jenna for her part looked slightly stunned as she stood.
"Right, yeah, hi," said Jenna. She clasped her hands together. "Nice to see you all."
Joseph was first confronted by his aunt, grabbing him in a hug.
"Auntie Nellie? What are you doing here?"
"Well, that's a bit rude, isn't it? Hug your brother."
The men shared an uneasy forced hug. Joseph then turned to look at Beatrice.
Who didn't have a clue what to do. Her parents exchanged knowing looks as Beatrice crossed her arms.
"So, hey," she started. "A lot's happened."
"Has it?"
"Yes. Downton Abbey's ended. Taylor Swift got really cool. Everyone's going to be in a Marvel movie or TV show if they haven't already."
"Is that so?"
Beatrice nodded. "Yeah."
He motioned at Somerset. "Any idea what he's still doing here?"
"No."
"Well, that's all settled then."
A Long Time Ago In The Enchanted Forest
"Did your friend mention anything else, sweetheart?"
Belle looked up from her teacup.
"About what?"
He waved his hand. "Any changes in her life?"
Belle frowned. "We didn't have much time to talk, actually or rather, I'm afraid I might have done all the talking going on about how happy I was."
She glanced back at Rumplestiltskin. The look on his face was one of amazement.
"Happy?" He cleared his throat. "You're happy?"
Belle smiled and put her cup down. She went to sit in his lap and wrapped an arm around him.
"I have a man who I love and he loves me. We have a wonderful baby together. Of course I'm happy, Rumple."
"You amaze me, Belle."
"You silly man." She rested her forehead against his, wishing this was one of the moments when she could kiss him. "I'm going to go check on Beatrice."
"Belle."
"And then I'll meet you in our bedchambers."
She smiled. He smirked back as Belle bounced out of the room, making her way to the nursery.
As she entered, her heart stopped as she laid eyes on Maleficent standing before Beatrice's cradle.
"Don't you dare!," said Belle. "Rumple-"
The woman turned. The expression of distress on her face stopped her midsentence. Belle thought she looked to be on the verge of tears. She seemed so sedate compared to the woman she had last seen. No horns. Just straight hair and a plain black dress. Her eyes were red.
"I wouldn't do that," Maleficent said quietly.
Belle knew something was different with Maleficent, the woman was undoubtedly altered since their last meeting, but she wasn't about to chance it, no matter how soft her heart. She walked to the cradle and scooped Beatrice up. Maleficent didn't move a muscle.
"She's beautiful," said Maleficent.
"Yes," Belle agreed, hugging Beatrice closer.
"I'm not going to take her."
"You kidnapped me the last time we met to get to her."
"I wasn't going to separate you two. That would be inhuman." She looked at Beatrice. "You wouldn't do something like that, would you, little beastie?"
Belle shook her head, shifting Beatrice on her hip. "What are you doing here?"
"Has Rumplestiltskin told you of the Evil Queen's curse?"
"Yes."
"And what are you going to do about her?"
Belle looked uncertainly down at Beatrice, unsure of how much she could safely say.
"She's going to need something from us," she finally decided.
Maleficent nodded. "And you'll exact your price. Good." Her eyes were full of water. "Good for you. And how will you raise her? To be a hero?"
Belle could hear contempt in those last words.
"No, not as such," said Belle. "I want her to listen to her heart, to do what she knows is right. To decide her own fate."
"Good," said Maleficent. "I would like to give her a gift."
"Rumple-"
Maleficent raised her hand. "I realize I have something of a reputation, but I won't hurt her."
"I know it's bad form to refuse a fairy, but..."
"Dark Princess, I give you the gift of compassion." The magic flew from the fairy's hands and to Beatrice before Belle could do anything.
Belle looked at her seemingly fine baby and back at Maleficent.
"Why would you do that?"
The sorceress disappeared. Belle squeezed Beatrice close.
Present
After some conversation and sorting through what had to be done, the group split up with Joseph following Beatrice and her family back to Claridge's to sit at the bar and catch up.
"Anyway, he wished me to convey his sincerest apologies for any emotional distress."
Joseph sipped his drink.
Beatrice stared back at him.
"J.M. Barrie wanted to apologize in case Peter Pan upset me?"
"And your father of course."
"And you met your author... So, how was that?"
"Strangely enough he didn't much care for me."
"Are they watching us?"
"Is who watching us?"
Beatrice nodded her head towards the corner of the bar. "Them."
Joseph glanced over at Jenna and Louise who quickly pretended to be looking anywhere else.
He turned back to Beatrice. "I wouldn't think so."
"Who are they?"
"Friends. They need help getting home."
"Where's home?"
"Oh. Some other realm."
Beatrice looked skeptical. "Another one?"
"Now, are they watching us?"
Beatrice didn't have to look at her parents in another corner booth. "Of course they are."
"Well, first trip to a bar and all."
"Second trip."
"Really?"
"My mom was there."
"I've never pictured her as a barfly."
"Yeah, you don't want to."
"So, obviously, what I said before-"
Beatrice shook her head. "What you said about when?"
Joseph froze. She stared blankly back at him.
"Never mind. I'm sure I just mixed it up."
Gold checked his watch and looked back at the bar.
"Try to be a little less obvious, Rumple," Belle chastised.
He looked past them to the table where Jenna and Louise sat. Louise quickly tried to hide her staring.
"What?," asked Belle.
"Those young women..."
"What about them?"
"There's something familiar about them."
"Didn't you meet them in the Dark Forest?"
"I was worried about Beatrice." He took another sip of his Scotch.
They looked up as Beatrice approached.
"I am tired."
"It's been quite a day," Belle admitted. She motioned at Joseph. "And you?"
"I was in a book for a hundred years. It wasn't terribly comfortable."
Belle and Gold stood.
"Off to bed then," said Gold, wrapping his arm around Beatrice.
"Good night," said Beatrice.
"Good night."
Belle looked at her husband. "I'll be up in a moment. I just saw a magazine in the hotel gift shop."
Gold nodded and led Beatrice off. Belle looked up at Joseph.
"There's no magazine."
"No. She..." Belle struggled to find the right words. "She is never going to admit how bad it was for her."
"No."
"And it was bad. She despaired. We despaired."
"I never meant any harm-"
"No, of course not, but- but I don't want her to be disappointed in her happy ending. There are things she needs to work out for herself so I know you probably wanted things to move faster, but this is not the time."
"I would never act against your wishes, Belle."
"I know." She turned to see Jenna and Louise approaching. "Will we be seeing more of you?"
"Yeah, I think that's safe to say," said Jenna.
"They'll be coming to Storybrooke," said Joseph.
"Oh. I'm sure that will be lovely." Belle nodded. "I'll see you in the morning."
A Long Time Ago In The Enchanted Forest
Maleficent sat in the quiet of her castle.
"What the hell were you doing there?," a voice boomed out of the darkness.
"What?"
Merlin emerged from the shadows and barreled towards Maleficent's throne.
"You do not go near her."
"Which one?," Maleficent asked contemptuously. "Your daughter or your granddaughter?"
"Either," he said. "You don't go near either of them snd you certainly don't act as if you're some sort of fairy godmother. I don't even like when actual fairy godmothers act like fairy godmothers so I don't know why you would think I would like you doing it."
"You don't trust me."
"Why in the hell would I trust you? What exactly do we have between us that inspires any level of trust?"
Maleficent scowled.
"Now, you go near them again, I will burn the heart out of you."
"Don't make threats you can't hope to follow through on. You can't burn a dragon."
"Oh, where there's a will there's a way."
Present
Moriarty looked up from the floor of his cell, following the sound of footsteps down the hall. He waited as Merlin entered.
"I knew you would come."
"Did you?"
"It's always about her, isn't it?"
"Why did he send you?"
"To turn Beatrice."
"And why did he think he could turn her?"
Moriarty shrugged. "Stories need villains."
"Well, he really ought to find another one. Beatrice is not it."
"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
"Right," said Merlin. "That's from Batman."
Moriarty frowned. "Really?"
"Yes, really."
Merlin left the man on his own meeting Somerset back in the corridor.
"We'll keep him under lock and key, but somehow it's never enough with his kind."
"I sympathize. A recurring theme of my existence is people popping up when they're not supposed to or not staying dead."
"Jeeves means to have Regina Mills banned from the country."
Merlin shook his head. "She has an extremely limited world view, she probably won't even notice." He took a breath. "The Author has not shown up here, has he?"
"I think we would notice if he had. After all, we're not the Americans. If an entire town of fairy tale characters had popped up here, we would have noticed. Should the Author make his presence known, we'll get him."
"Very well then."
A Few Days Later
Beatrice stared at Cruella. The woman sipped her gin.
"And why should I believe you?"
"Why would I lie?"
"Well, my dad says you are completely untrustworthy."
She snorted. "And you trust the old short lizard, do you?"
"Yes, actually."
"You're going to have to do better."
"Alright, how about this old thing?"
Cruella reached under her silk blouse and pulled out what looked like some sort of shrapnel attached to a gold chain. She took it from around her neck and passed it to Beatrice.
"And what is this?"
"A piece of the egg from Maleficent's child."
"And why do you have it?"
"It's what's been helping me keep my youthful glow all these years."
"And the child?"
"Lost between here and there I suppose."
"Right, so you have nothing to back up your-"
Beatrice gestured with the shell and was stopped mid-sentence by a vision. A roaring dragon. One she recognized as she was the only dragon Beatrice had met.
Maleficent. Laying nearby. Dozing.
Until Snow White and Prince Charming showed up.
It was true.
Beatrice looked back at Cruella.
"Alright, darling?"
She handed back the shell.
"I can do revenge, but I can't do killing."
"That seems to miss the point."
"I don't need you. You need me."
"And what are you going to do to Snow White and her prince?"
"I'm working that out, but there's something you should know."
"And just what might that be?"
"If anything happens to an animal while you're in Storybrooke, I will have no problem taking you out."
