Author's Notes: I do not own Once Upon A Time which is a show on ABC where you know, I didn't want to go to hell for Danny Pink... Anyway, sorry and sorry for the delay. There were holidays and two jobs, one of which may not be a problem which I have mixed feelings about. Sorry. I'm hoping to have better luck through this next arc. Anyway, thanks as always for your reads and reviews. They mean the world to me and I will get back to you. Please let me know what you think and happy reading!


Beatrice looked up.

Which was mostly guys with scary guns. In the center was a redhead clad in black leather who looked very familiar.

"Okay..."

She looked to her left. The baby carrier had made it through okay. The baby- her younger sister as she now recalled even though it seemed as if they hadn't really met- gurgled loudly. Her blue eyes still sparkled and she waved her fists around, not that Beatrice knew what she was looking for. She glanced behind her as the portal closed.

She couldn't quite remember how she got here, but guessing that it was through that portal. She looked back at the redhead who had pursed her lips and tilted her head.

The belt. It was Black Widow.

Beatrice looked up. "Did you get that at Hot Topic? I didn't see that there."

"Did I what?"

She pulled out a phone. "Coulson."

"Coulson?," asked Beatrice.

"You've got to get down here, sir."

"Coulson?," she repeated.

"One of those portals just opened here and you're not going to believe who came through."

Beatrice looked between herself and the infant.

"What is it, Romanoff?" A voice boomed through the room and the men with guns parted ways. A man with a long black coat and distinctive eye patch came front and center.

Beatrice glanced between the man and the woman. The doors slid open and a brunette in a very Captain America-ish suit entered.

"Beatrice," said the woman.

"Um, yeah?"

"That can't be Beatrice. She's in the infirmary," said Natasha.

Just then, the baby began to squall. Everyone's eyes were on Beatrice.

"Aren't you going to do something?," asked Peggy.

"Do you think I know what to do? I was going to use a preservation spell to babysit Prince Graham. My mom put a stop to that, I never even learned the spell."

Natasha approached the carrier and carefully unstrapped the infant.

"Come on, there you are." She picked up the baby and began cradling her. "Yeah, it's not bad, right? What's her name?"

Beatrice rolled her eyes as she began to answer, but she didn't get the chance.

"Hero," said Coulson.

Beatrice stood. She looked around and back to Natasha.

"I'm starting to get the feeling you didn't get that belt at Hot Topic."

Coulson stared at Beatrice, looking her over.

"You're identical."

"Identical to what?"

"Follow me," said Coulson.


Then, Hydra Base

Belle's whisper broke the silence of the tiny cell.

"We can't stay here."

Rumplestiltskin looked up at Belle, then glanced past her to Beatrice soundly asleep on the cot on the floor for a change. The room was set up for them to share and that was about the only comfort. Their bed, Beatrice's cot on the floor, a small table, but nothing else. The men who kept them wouldn't even let Beatrice's favorite lamb in as a direct result of one of Rumple's earlier plans.

"What choice do we have?," he asked.

Belle shook her head. "Rumple, these people are evil."

He snorted. "Look who you're talking to."

"No, I won't have you compared in the same breath to them. Volmer showed me a book and it was all about Hydra. The man who started it called himself Red Skull. He was a Nazi and they fought in this war that makes the Ogre Wars look minor..."

"Minor?"

"Millions died."

Rumplestiltskin couldn't believe such a number. "Millions? How could that be?"

"Millions, there was death and destruction all over this world."

"Why?"

Belle shook her head, even she was finding it difficult to fathom why. "Because they... I don't know. They could? They thought they were in the right? Not just soldiers died, Rumple, there were children..." She shook her head and reached her hand to cover her stomach. "Don't you see? They want Beatrice to become like them. They want the same for our other child."

He sighed. "Don't you think I know that?"

"Then we have to do something."

"You're right." He couldn't look her in the eye, but he could feel her staring at him. "If you have a chance to leave with Beatrice, you ought to take it."

"What? Rumple, we can't just leave you here-"

"Belle, listen-"

"No! We came to this world together, we're leaving here together-"

"I can't run," he nearly snarled. "Or haven't you noticed? This castle is surrounded by miles of forest. I won't be the reason you and Beatrice can't escape."


Now

"I feel like I should ask where she's going," Beatrice said, pointing at Natasha as she walked off with Hero.

Coulson stopped and turned. "Just to our infirmary to be checked out."

"Um..."

"She'll be fine. Come on."

Beatrice followed Coulson into a suitably slick office with Avengers themed knickknacks on the desk. She picked up an action figure that looked suspiciously like her.

"That's Beatrice," Coulson said with a shrug. "I mean, the Dark Princess."

"I'm the Dark Princess..." Beatrice frowned. Her eyes turned towards a framed newspaper headline featuring her, the women she had met downstairs and people looking suspiciously like Iron Man, The Hulk and Thor. "I'm a... hero. I'm a superhero? I'm an Avenger?"

"Well, Beatrice is an Avenger."

"Avenger. Action figure." She looked to the TV playing rolling news which now had her appearing at a Taylor Swift concert. "Taylor Swift!"

Her head snapped back to Coulson.

"Taylor Swift!"

He frowned again. "You seem more excited than she did."

"Taylor Swift. Am I in her squad?"

"Her squad? Beatrice was a special guest at her concert."

"Yes, but am I in the squad?"

"I don't know what that means."

"Okay, well, this is good enough, though, you know, tell me I'm close friends with Idina Menzel and I won't have to do anything else for the rest of my life."

"I don't know who that is."

"You know, Broadway icon, Idina Menzel. Wicked. Rent. If/Then."

Coulson shook his head.

"Frozen. You people have Frozen, right? She was Elsa."

"No."

"That's disappointing."

"I bet. Could we talk about how you got here?"

Images flashed through Beatrice's mind. It was as if there were years of events packed into the space of a few minutes.

She remembered the Blue Fairy. At the library.

"I think it had something to do with the Blue Fairy."

"Right. Because this is a fairy tale thing?"

"Yeah, see, I've got a lot of stuff in my head..."

"Uh-huh."

"And I'm not super sure what happened. And like that baby had just been announced to me so I really don't know what to do with her."

"But you knew her name was Hero?"

"Yeah, that is somewhere in the stuff in my head." She paused. "Hey, where's the other me?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that."


Then

"Stop. Papa!"

Belle shushed Beatrice. It had been a chance escape with Rumple having somehow cleared the path to an outer door. There had barely been time for a goodbye and Beatrice had begun to panic at the realization that the family was splitting up. In a frantic moment, Rumple had said he would be right behind them.

Now Beatrice was looking and it was making her upset which was causing the snowfall. The cover was good for keeping them from Hydra, bad for actually making any headway.

"Papa!," she cried.

"Beatrice..." Belle hissed.

As she did, she heard footfall behind her.

"Stop!," a man called out. He didn't sound like anyone from the fortress, but they were so rarely allowed to speak to any of the men there.

Belle kept going. She held Beatrice closer as she pushed on in the snow.

"Stop!"

Beatrice threw a hand forward, knocking a not insignificant branch from a tree with a huge shard of ice the armed men scattered from.

"Holy..."

Suddenly, a group of men dressed in black appeared before Belle. She grabbed Beatrice's hand to stop her from doing it again, she couldn't afford to anger them.

The man who had been calling after her approached.

"Did you do that?"

Belle shook her head.

The man gave a quizzical look to Beatrice. "Did she do that?," he asked incredulously.

Belle didn't know how to answer.

"It's okay, we're the good guys."

"And how do I know that?"

"We're SHIELD."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

He looked at her. "You came from the castle, right?"

She didn't answer.

"Well, you don't want to go back, do you? I'm your ticket out."


Now

Beatrice looked at the video feed. It was definitely her.

"Okay, that's me... In a coma... Or something..."

"What do you know about the Savior's Darkness?"

Beatrice frowned. "I know who the Savior is." Beatrice looked up at Coulson. "She's not here."

"We think that's what put her into this state. A suspect we have in holding claims the Savior's Darkness is what make his ink work."

"Ink?"

There was a beep and Natasha's voice rang out over the speaker.

"Sir, we could use your help down here."

"What's going on, Romanoff?"

"Belle's here."

"Yeah, that's a problem..." Beatrice muttered.

"We'll be right down."


Then

The men in the forest had rushed Belle and Beatrice off to a great metal beast that the man called "a jet." In the books of the war she had found out about, Belle had seen pictures of something like these and thought surely they must have been myth, even if everything else were true.

They carried on, pushing Belle into a corner that was at least comfortable. They seemed to have an order to them as well, but not as harsh as the men in the castle.

Belle didn't know that if that made her feel any better having taken a chance on them. They still dressed in strange clothes and had guns. They were strange just like what little else she had seen of this world.

She had done what seemed impossible. She and Beatrice had escaped, but Rumple was still back there and she didn't like to think about what was happening to him.

"Where's Papa?," asked Beatrice.

Belle smiled. "He'll be along later."

"When?"

"Come now. Would Papa ever leave us?"

Belle realized there was a mug of something bitter smelling in front of her. She looked up to see Coulson.

"It's coffee."

Belle shook her head.

"Hydra doesn't serve coffee?" Coulson held it out. "It's fine. I promise."

Belle took the mug of the bitter something and took a sip. It was disgusting and burnt tasting.

"Or we can get tea," Coulson suggested.

"That might be better," said Belle, putting the mug down.

Beatrice immediately reached for the mug, taking it to her lips.

"I wouldn't let her..." said Coulson.

"Why?," asked Belle.

"It... makes you stay awake."

Belle took the mug away, placing it back on the table to Beatrice's dismay. She read the writing on the side.

"SHIELD stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate."

"What is that supposed to mean?," asked Belle.

He sat instead of answering. "We came here because we thought Hydra was experimenting with some kind of weather machine, but it's not a machine, is it? It's her."

Belle didn't comment.

"I've seen people like her before. People with powers. You don't need to be afraid of it-"

Belle scoffed. "I know that. I'm not frightened of magic."

"Magic?"

"Yes, what else would it be?"

"You're not from around here, are you?"

Belle didn't answer.

Coulson shrugged. "I don't think we're going to get very far if you don't tell me anything, like your name..."

Silence.

"I'm just here to help. Hydra was holding you in the castle, right? They wanted to use her powers, to turn her into something dark and evil. That's why you ran."

"Yes."

"Can I get your name?"

"Belle."

"Belle." He nodded. "And where are you from?"

"We came here- to this world- from the Enchanted Forest."

"The Enchanted Forest?"

"Yes."

"How did you get here?"

"My husband found a way to use an enchantment on a tree so that we could walk through to this world."

"You walked through a tree?"

"The tree was already enchanted, but it only had enough magic for two to travel in it, but I found this spell to make it grow faster and Rumple-"

"Rumple? Who's Rumple?"

"My husband."

"Not... Rumplestiltskin?"

Belle's eyes narrowed. "Do you know him?"

"I know the story."

"Which one?"

"You know, the miller's daughter, promising her firstborn child, marrying the king and guessing his name."

Belle just shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"But Rumple...stiltskin, he's still back at the castle."


Now

Coulson walked in the exam room to see that things had already escalated. Belle was holding the baby in her arms and her anger was palpable as Natasha and Peggy stood helplessly.

"Belle-"

She clutched the infant closer. "Phil. You need to tell me what's going on right now."

"It's a complex situation-"

"This is Rory. I don't know how, I don't know why, but this is Rory. Is she a clone? Why do you have a clone of Rory, what for?"

"We don't have a clone of Rory."

"Then what is going on?"

"Hi."

Coulson stepped aside. Belle stepped back, almost knocked back by the sight of Beatrice.

"Beatrice? But you-"

"She's not that Beatrice," said Coulson. "Not your Beatrice just like that's not your Rory."

Beatrice interjected. "Actually, her name is Hero. My mom's got a theme going I guess."

Coulson turned to Beatrice. "Actually, Rory's name is Hero. Everyone just calls her Rory."

"Can't blame you..." murmured Beatrice.

"What?," asked Belle.

"Nothing," she said quickly.

"And actually, that's Rory," said Coulson, motioning at the petite girl in the corner.

"Oh," said Beatrice. "Well, now I know that. At least you didn't time travel from the future..."

"What?," asked Rory.

"I did a thing..." Beatrice thought on it. "A couple things."

Belle cut them off, steering the conversation back. "I still don't understand. What are they doing here?"

"They came from another dimension," said Coulson.

"I think it was the Blue Fairy..."

Belle looked down at the infant. "The Blue Fairy sent her away?"

Beatrice's mind flashed through the encounter. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Then

"You will tell us where they went," demanded Whitman.

Rumplestilskin looked up. The beating had already been fairly severe but he had taken many beating in his time and they didn't change from one world to the next.

It had been a mistake to come to this world without power. How was he going to find Bae, how would he get anyone to help him, how could he protect Belle and their children?

That was of course assuming he lived to see them again, a possibility that seemed increasingly less likely as the Hydra goons went through their usual round of tortures. Whitman was in an especially bad mood as the crux of Rumplestiltskin's plan had been stabbing his chief scientist and rushing Belle out before she could take notice.

Belle was smart and brave. She could do anything, even survive this world.

Somewhere inside, what remained of the Dark One laughed at him.

"Are you listening?," scolded Whitman. "Do you want to die?"

He snorted, but he wasn't sure how he could. "No."

"Then what is it you find humorous?"

He shook his head. "If I don't have them, I don't care."

Shots rang out and Rumplestiltskin was powerless to avoid them, tied as he was.

"Hey, hey..."

He found himself looking at Coulson as the man untied him.

"You're Rumplestiltskin, right?"

He looked at the man uncertainly.

"Belle sent me."

"Belle?"

"She and Beatrice are both waiting for you. Come on."

"I have to get something," he said, struggling up, gathering his bloodied cane.

"Whatever you need, we can get."

Bewildered, Coulson followed him down the hall.

"You know, this rescue might seem impressive but there's always the chance one of those guys hit a failsafe or called for reinforcements. We should go. Anything you need we can get."

Rumplestiltskin didn't answer, instead picking up a stone that had fallen from the wall.

"Okay, what are you-"

He brought it down against a doorknob, causing it to fall off. He followed him in to see a spinning wheel and an amount of gold that belonged in a cartoon where someone swam through it. Rumplestiltskin picked up a satchel that had a stuffed lamb's head peeking out from it.

"Take me to Belle."


Now

"How did you get here?"

Beatrice awoke. Rumplestiltskin, well, this world's version, sat on the chair opposite the sofa. Belle had insisted she and the infant come home with them and Beatrice had chosen the couch, rather than her doppelganger's bedroom.

"Right," said Beatrice, slowly moving to sit up. "You're doing the suspicious thing."

"Well, dearie..."

"And the 'dearie.' Don't worry about it, I know a guy a lot like you..."

"Do you now?"

"Rumple..."

He looked up as Belle entered carrying Hero.

"What are you doing? Did you wake her up?" Belle turned to her. "You know you could have slept in Beatrice's room. She wouldn't have minded."

"Uh, yeah, she would have," said Beatrice.

"Rumple, why don't you make some breakfast? I know we didn't eat much, Beatrice must be hungry by now."

"Merlin is alive in your world?"

Beatrice shrugged. "Yes."

"Well, you don't look as if you're from the Enchanted Forest."

"We don't live in the Enchanted Forest. We live in the real world."

"This is the real world. Trust me, I've checked."

"No, I mean-" Beatrice struggled for the right words. "I mean, it's a world a lot like this, but there are no superheroes. Superheroes are just stories, but it looks like you get more Black Widow here so..."

"How did you get there?"

"The Curse." Rumple looked at her critically. "The Dark Curse? You know, the one you wrote."

His eyes widened, his jaw might have dropped a bit, but he was quick to hide it.

"She- she..." Beatrice watched as he tried to collect himself and it made her markedly uncomfortable. "Regina went through with it? She sacrificed her father's heart?"

"Yes."

"And you found Bae?"

"Well, that was really weird, but yeah?"

"And it wasn't too late?"

"What do you mean it was too late?," asked Beatrice.


Then

Rumplestiltskin was a failure.

The past three months had been an adjustment, a welcome one after their time as hostages in the Hydra fortress. They were free. Well, Rumple knew better. All magic came at a price after all.

Everything was strange. The place where they lived stretched high into the clouds almost, they could see around for miles. The magic that lifted them a dozen floors. Everything was strange and none of them were at ease. Beatrice got fitful sleep, torn between the city being too bright or loud for her and being afraid that their captors would return.

Still they had a place to live, money enough not to worry about anything and the innocuous alias of Mr. R. Gold. Coulson seemed to find that funny. They had to get ready for the new baby and this life they were out of step with.

And find Bae.

Belle hadn't been able to find anyone called Baelfire through perusing a great yellow book. So, he had gone out to something called an orphanage, but it turned out people weren't just allowed to look around those.

So he walked and he tried to think of anything, but he didn't know this world and as close as he might have been to Bae, he felt further away than ever.

Today he had gone out on his own. After all, there was still the reason that they had come to this world in the first place and that was Bae. What was this if he didn't find his boy?

He had been out looking all day, for some clue, but he was starting to think it was hopeless. Defeated, he came back to the apartment.

Belle smiled at him over the stove.

"I would have done that."

"I can manage, Rumple."

He heard laughter erupt. He turned to the living room to find Coulson playing with his daughter

He grit his teeth.

"Phil dropped by."

"We were just playing. I was just bringing Beatrice this Captain Britannia action figure."

"Is that all?," asked Rumplestiltskin.

"No. Let's take a ride," said Coulson.

Rumplestiltskin eyed him skeptically.

"I promise it's worth your time."


Now

The subject of the Curse was dropped after Rumplestiltskin's first inquiries. Beatrice knocked on Rory's door.

"Come in."

Rory looked up in surprise as Beatrice entered.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"So, where do you keep your towels?"

"In the closet at the end of the hall."

"Cool, thanks and what happened to Neal?"

"Who?"

"Or Baelfire. Bae. I mean, I don't see anything with him around."

"He died."

"He died?"

The room began to shake. At the other end of the apartment, Hero screamed. Beatrice and Rory ran back to the living room. The great window overlooking the city revealed a green-tinged cyclone.

"What is that?," Belle asked, desperately trying to soothe the baby.

"Wait, I think I know what that is..." said Beatrice.

And then, hundreds of flying monkeys came out of the cyclone.

"So, yeah, I know what this is," said Beatrice.

"You've seen this before?," Rumplestiltskin asked incredulously.

"Oh, did Zelena not get to the flying monkey stage with you?"

"Zelena?," he said incredulously.

"Oh, God, honestly, I can't do this again..." said Beatrice.


Then

Rumplestiltskin looked out the window as the car pulled up to a strange looking building. The porch was lined with elderly people being pushed around.

He looked at Coulson.

"What is this place?"

"It's called a nursing home."

"Nursing home?"

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't have had those in the Enchanted Forest."

Rumplestiltskin followed Coulson up the front steps and into the lobby. The scent was terrible, body odor blocked by that odious pine that attacked the nose.

Coulson turned. "I didn't tell you the truth about why we were coming here."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't know how to tell you and I'm sorry." Coulson took a breath. "I found Baelfire."

"You what?"

"It wasn't easy. I didn't have a lot to go on since we don't quite know how travel works between your world and this one, but I got lucky... Lucky's not the right word."

"My boy is here?"

"Mr. Coulson."

Coulson turned to the approaching doctor, a kindly looking man. "Doctor Roberts, this is the nephew I was talking to you about. Mr. Gold."

"Nephew?"

"Yes, I spoke to Mr. Cassidy's daughter and she said her father didn't have a nephew."

"His daughter?," Rumplestiltskin asked incredulously.

"Please. Let me handle this." Coulson looked at the man. "This is a matter of national security. You've seen my security credentials."

Roberts looked at Gold. "Your uncle isn't a well man. You should prepare yourself. He may not recognize you."

"Not recognize me? What are you talking about?"

"Your uncle has Alzheimer's. Didn't you know?"

"I don't understand."

"Maybe you could explain it like he's never heard of it," Coulson suggested.

Roberts looked at Rumplestiltskin. "Alzheimer's is a progressive neurological disease that destroys memory and other brain functions. Over time, brain cell connections and the cells themselves are destroyed."

Rumplestiltskin shook his head. "I don't understand. I just want to see him."

"It may not be easy-" Roberts began.

"It really hasn't been. I've waited for this for a very long time."

The man they took Rumplestiltskin in to see was nearly beyond recognition. Frail and withered, just the eyes of his boy remained, light long since faded.

Rumplestiltskin couldn't quite take it in.

"Bae?"

Roberts looked quizzically at him. "How long has it been since you last saw your uncle?"

Coulson turned. "I think it would be best if you left now."

Roberts left.

Rumplestiltskin edged closer towards the hospital bed. He looked up at Coulson.

"I don't understand... What's happened to him?"

"He has a disease. People get it, they start to forget things, they start forgetting where they are, when they are, they stop being able to take care of themselves."

"Well, don't you have a cure?," he asked incredulously. "You have cures for everything. Belle read about it."

"Not this. Not yet."

Rumplestiltskin looked back at the man in the bed. "Bae, it's me."

The man looked up slowly. "Papa?"

"That's right."

"You let me go."

"I know, I'm sorry, Bae. I came to find you, but..." Rumplestiltskin tried to keep himself from breaking. "It hasn't gone quite like I planned."

"You let me go!" A hoarse shout was all he could manage. "We made a deal! You let me go!"

He struggled. The machine he was connected to made an unpleasant beeping noise.

"No, no, Bae, I won't let go. I promise."

He seemed to calm down and drift off to sleep.

Rumplestiltskin sat beside the bed wondering at his massive failure.


Now

When Beatrice entered the SHIELD building, Coulson was waiting. The other Golds weren't far behind.

"You know this person?," he asked.

"Zelena. Wicked Witch of the West, wickedest witch there ever was, the enemy of all of us here in Oz..."

"What?"

"Really? No Wicked?"

She glanced behind her. Belle, Rumplestiltskin and Rory were behind her as the elevator doors closed, leaving them in the lobby.

"We're going to a secured floor. Those monkeys are all over, wreaking havoc. How did you beat her?"

"It wasn't so much the flying monkeys. Actually, she used me to cast a time travel spell and basically killed me and went back to kill Snow White's mother, creating an alternate reality."

"Then what happened?"

"You're not concerned about the part where I died?"

"I'm trying to get through to the highlights."

"Okay, so there was another me being born... wait, I guess that's the actual, current me and I had to use my time travel spell to go back, stop Zelena and take her pendant."

"Her pendant."

"Yeah, that's the source of her power. And then there was this whole other thing where she tried to recreate the spell using Prince Graham, Regina's heart, David's courage and Sherlock Holmes' brain."

Coulson turned. "You have a Sherlock Holmes?"

"Yeah... he's sort of my boyfriend... True Love person..." She paused. "He sort of asked me to marry him in an alternate reality."

"Okay."

"He didn't remember who he was so it wasn't like it was a real proposal."

"Fair enough."

The elevator doors opened, they walked out into a huge room with people buzzing around. Fury stood in the middle. Natasha and Peggy worked at the sides.

"Miss Gold," said Fury.

"Uh, yeah?"

He turned to face she and Coulson.

"I suppose it's time to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."

Beatrice turned around and back at Fury. The whole room stared at her.

"You actually meant me?"


Back in Storybrooke

Joseph and John ran into the library just as the portal closed. The place was in shambles and the Blue Fairy turned back to face them.

"Where are they?," Joseph snarled.

"I truly don't know."

Joseph approached quickly, lunging towards the fairy as she knocked him back with a flick of her wand.

"Joseph," said John, rushing towards his brother.

"Don't test me, child."

The door opened again with Merlin, Gold and Belle rushing in.

"What are you doing here, dearie?"

"Where are they?," Belle demanded.

"I don't know."

Belle approached, shaking off her husband and father as they failed to hold her back.

"Where are they?"

"Away. That's all that matters."

"Tell me now."

"Are you threatening me, child?"

"I took your powers once. I'll do it again."

"I think you'll find that quite difficult."

"Where are they, you ruthless tart?," demanded Merlin.

She smiled up at him. "They're gone and that's all that matters."

The Blue Fairy vanished.

"It was a portal..." Joseph grumbled, grasping his head.

"Take your time," John warned.

Joseph ignored him, sitting up. "She's sent them somewhere, it's simply a matter of where and how to get there."

"Because it's that easy?," Gold scoffed.

"No, I never said it was easy. The solution is simple, it's just a matter of finding it."

The doors swung open, Regina, Emma, David and Mary Margaret marched in.

"Where is she?," Regina demanded.

"Regina..." said Emma.

"How long did we spend in that stupid world because of her?"

"That wasn't Beatrice's fault," said John.

"And actually it was a bubble universe so no time has passed," said Merlin. He shrugged. "You'd have wasted it anyway."

"You killed Hook," Emma said to Joseph.

Joseph shrugged. "He was being annoying. I was proposing. Besides, it's not as if he's dead now."

Gold turned. "You did what?"

Joseph paused. "Do remember I was a different version of myself at the time."

Belle turned towards the Charmings. "Get out."

"What?," asked Mary Margaret.

"I don't care about your whingeing. My children are missing. Beatrice was trying to protect me and it never would have happened if you hadn't started this mess in the first place. So get out."

"Belle, we didn't mean-"

"That's just it. You never mean for anything to happen. Go!"

"I would suggest now, dearies."

The four left the library.

"We're going to get them back, Belle," Gold promised.

Belle nodded, biting her lip.