Sorry I just needed to update this chapter. I uploaded it then realized that half of it was missing. Please fav and review. You know how I love that.
The Dark One's dagger is the most dangerous item in all the realms. It can provide someone with unlimited power. Its wielder could flatten armies, mountains and anything else in their way. Yes, everyone thinks that the dagger is a powerful weapon but the name inscribed on the blade tells you what is really is. A leash. Anyone who dares to use this weapon and gain its power binds them self to it forever. They'll be controlled by the dagger and more importantly they'll be enslaved to wills of whoever holds it. And someone having that kind of power can be very dangerous.
That's why this infamous weapon was currently sitting on Regina's kitchen counter with six pairs of eyes staring at it. Regina had called a meeting with the Charming clan as soon as Belle told her she possessed the dagger. Now they were all gathered around her kitchen counter staring at it trying to decide what to do.
"Does Gold know that you still have the dagger?" asked Charming.
"Yes," answered Belle. "But when I left the shop I told him not to follow me. I had the dagger at the time so I think he still has to follow my command."
"So the question is: what do we do with the dagger now?" asked Snow.
"I can think of a few things," said Hook going for the blade. Regina slapped his hand away.
"Not so fast Captain Guyliner. As much as I hate it if we're going to do something about Gold and this dagger we're going to at least be humane about it."
"Humane?" questioned Hook. "Was he humane when he ripped out my heart and nearly doomed everyone in this town to a violent death?"
"This isn't about who he is or what he's done," said Snow. "It's about who we are and what we're willing to do. And I don't think I'm willing to have that much control over another person's life no matter how dark they are."
"Snow Hook might have a point." Interjected Charming. "Gold has proven himself too dangerous to be left to his own devices."
"That doesn't mean we should be dragging him along by this sharpened leash." countered Regina.
"So what do you suggest we do?" questioned Emma. "Wait until he decides to suck me into another hat."
"We need to hide the dagger." answered Belle decisively. Every one turned to look at her. She'd barely spoken the whole meeting. While she knew that Rumple was an issue that had to be dealt with she didn't necessarily want to part of the solution. As much as it pained her she still loved Rumple and she didn't want her feelings for him to cloud her judgment like they had before. However listening to this town's leaders bickering like children was enough for her to speak up. "Rumple might be defeated for now but we all know that he won't stay down for long."
"How is hiding the dagger supposed to solve that problem?" challenged Emma.
"It took me awhile to see it but Rumple is obsessed with power, especially his own. If he thinks that someone else has power over him it will be the only thing he will be able to think about."
"Meaning he won't be focusing on the hat or leaving Storybrooke." Realized Regina. "Perfect distraction."
"What are we supposed to be doing while he's out looking for the dagger?" questioned Snow.
"Coming up with a more permanent solution." Answered Belle. "One that doesn't involve torturing him. I know that he has hurt and betrayed every person in this room but this isn't about revenge. This is about keeping the town safe."
Despite Belle's plan Hook was still unconvinced but he didn't really care about his own opinion. "What do you think Swan?"
Emma crossed her arms and thought for a minute. "Rumpelstiltskin tried to kill me, destroy this town and kidnap my son. I want for him to suffer more than anything right now. However, he's still Neal's father."
"And Henry's grandfather despite how much I hate that fact," added Regina.
"Neal died to keep my brother safe and save this town." Continued Emma. "And because of that I think we should honor him by showing his father mercy. This time."
Hook hated the Crocodile more than anything but he understood what Emma was saying. They owed it to Baelfire. "For Neal then."
"Okay," said Charming. "Where do we hide the dagger?"
"Belle why don't you just take the dagger and keep it someplace safe?" suggested Snow.
"No. I don't want anything more to do with him than absolutely necessary right now." said Belle. "Regina should hide the dagger. She's the only one who might be able to deal with Rumple if he tries to use magic."
"I can think of a few safe places." Replied Regina. "I'll take care of it for now."
"Alright." Said Charming. "You take care of the dagger and the rest of us will research a way to take away Rumpelstiltskin's power."
After the meeting Belle took refuge in Regina's library. She'd always felt comfortable around books. They were the only thing that could take her where she wanted to go: anywhere but here. The past 36 hours had still didn't seem real to Belle. She'd ended a marriage, saved a pirate and participated in a meeting with her Kingdom's leaders. While that might be an average day for anyone in Storybrooke it was still exhausting. She needed to escape reality for little awhile. She tried to take comfort in one of her favorites from this land, Pride and Prejudice, but Lizzie Bennet's romance just wasn't enticing her like it used to. All she could think about was Rumpelstiltskin. Regina found her a few hours later.
"I took care of the dagger," she said. Belle only nodded in response.
"Are you okay?" she prodded.
"I'm fine Regina," she answered. "I'm just reading."
"No you're not. It's been hours. If you were really reading you'd be past page three." said Regina.
Belle looked up at her clearly annoyed. "What exactly do you expect me to say?"
"The same thing you expected from me Belle. The truth." She sat down in the armchair next to her. "I know the meeting was hard for you."
"It was necessary," said Belle practically. "I didn't want to hold on to the dagger anymore."
"Why not?" questioned Regina. "You wouldn't misuse it. And you could've made sure that he wouldn't come after you."
"I don't want to control him." answered Belle. "I just wanted to get away from him right now but I can't even do that because..."
"He's still all you think about." finished Regina. She could see that Belle was still struggling with her feelings for the imp. Quite frankly it didn't surprise her. For too long Rumpelstiltskin had been only person Belle had truly formed a relationship with. Even she could see that the dependency that they had with each other was a bit unhealthy. It was going to be a long time before Belle could truly detach herself from her feelings about him. "Belle it's okay to still care. It's normal even."
"But I don't want to care anymore." said Belle with tears in her eyes. "I don't want to worry or think about what happens to him."
"It's not a light switch honey. You can't just flip it off." responded Regina. "It's going to take time. However there's one piece of advice I can give you."
"What?"
"Don't make this about him." said Regina. "Make this about you and what you need. You used to be the wife of the Dark One but that's no longer who you are. You need to go back to being Belle French."
"What if I don't know who that is anymore?" asked Belle.
"Well," said Regina standing up. "You have a roof over your head and time on your hands. Figure it out."