Author Notes: Red Beauty Week starts a week from today and runs from September 13-19. Who's pumped? (Info on the week's themes can be found at redbeautyweek. tumblr .com. Huge shoutout to the person running it.)

Thanks to Castle-Dancer1212 for the beta, you rock my socks.

Let's just get this over with.

You'll get through this.

Please, you have to get through this.

Red couldn't get her feet to stay still. She moved back and forth at the meeting spot, too quickly to really be called pacing. It was as though her whole body was filled with electricity and if she held still for too long, she might burn up. When she finally saw Belle approach their meeting place, it was all she could do not to run the other direction and hide somewhere, somewhere safe and lonely where there would be nobody to break her heart.

She'd known it would hurt, but she hadn't thought it'd be like this. Maybe I should just leave, she thought. I can't do this.

You have to, Red reminded herself, before realizing something made her finally stop moving.

Belle was wearing the dress.

Seemingly oblivious to Red's pain, Belle spoke. "I sent Emma and Lily on ahead," she said with a smile. "I wanted to have a few minutes alone with you before we go in." Before Red realized what was happening, Belle's lips landed on her cheek.

Bile rose in Red's throat, but she shoved it down. She realized that she could look at Belle without crying as long as she focused on insignificant details, like the curls in her hair or shape of her shoes. Small, incremental fragments. Things that didn't carry meaning. "Let's just go," she said. "You wouldn't want to be late to your own coronation."

Red kept her fists clenched as they set off towards the great hall. Don't you dare start crying, she told herself. Her steps seemed to echo as they walked through the corridors. If Red focused the right way they sounded like a heartbeat. It helped. It reminded her that she was still alive.

Belle reached for her hand, and for a second Red wanted to pull away. Instead, she let her hand be taken in one that fit far too perfectly in her own. In spite of herself, Red relaxed a bit. I can't let my guard down, she thought desperately. Regina's right. I can't let Belle hurt anyone else. She clung to this decision like a lifeline. If this didn't make sense, then nothing in her life did.

"How was your day?" Belle asked her. "I don't think I saw you at all."

"You didn't."

"Oh."

The Great Hall seemed miles away, the silence only broken by the sounds of their footsteps. It wasn't until they were near the entrance that Belle spoke again.

"Are you all right?" she asked, giving Red's hand a squeeze. "You're awfully quiet tonight."

"I'm doing as well as can be expected," she replied tightly. "You know, what with it being Wolfstime and everything."

Even though she wasn't looking at Belle, Red could hear the frown in her voice."You said told me that fighting in the war helped you connect with the wolf better. I thought it didn't bother you anymore."

"You seem to think a lot of things won't bother me that do," Red snapped. Without giving Belle a chance to reply, she yanked open the great hall door. They entered, still hand in hand, through the civilian door. Snow insisted on this. The symbolism, she'd said, was as much a part of the ceremony as anything. Entering through one door and leaving through another was a powerful symbol of transformation.

Screw symbolism, Red thought. If they'd been allowed to enter through the royal door, they would have avoided walking through the crowd they were currently enmeshed in. She could feel the people pushing in on all sides, cutting off oxygen. Someone smiled indulgently, and she came dangerously close to dropping Belle's hand. They had no right to see this and think of them as a cute couple, not now.

When they reached the platform, Red finally felt her chest grow a tiny bit looser. They made their way up the steps, still hand in hand. When they'd reached the top, Charming gestured grandly.

"Let us invite you to join us in celebrating a most joyous occasion!" He announced. "Tonight, someone who we already consider our daughter will be joining our family in an official capacity. Belle, would you please step forward?"

Belle made a move to do so, but before she could, Snow held up a hand. "Actually, before we begin, I believe Red wanted to say something," she said. "Don't you, Red?"

Red nodded.

Charming looked surprised, but agreed. "Of course. Red, what would you like to say?"

Red felt sick to her stomach as she took a few shaky steps towards the front of the platform. Belle was looking at her with a mixture of surprise and happiness. She's probably expecting some sort of speech about how much I love her, Red thought bitterly. She took a deep breath and looked at the crowd. No words came out, despite the full day's planning that she'd put into her speech. As the silence stretched out, Mulan and Killian both looked increasingly concerned at her. When she was on the verge of running offstage trying to forget this had ever happened Red spotted Regina in the audience, smiling encouragingly. Once again, she took a deep breath, and finally spoke.

She turned towards Charming and directed her words at him, speaking loudly enough for the crowd to hear as well. "Do you approve of my relationship with Belle?"

Charming frowned. "I'm not sure I think it's up to me who Belle dates. That's her decision."

"But do you approve?" Red pressed.

"Of course. Do you really doubt that I would?"

Red turned her head, and for the first time that evening she looked Belle in the eye. "Well, you shouldn't."

Belle flinched at her tone, but said nothing. The Great Hall was so quiet that even without her wolf hearing, Red was sure she'd be able to hear a pin drop. She squared her shoulders and waited, unsure of what was supposed to happen next.

"What do you mean?" Charming asked.

Here's my chance to get back at her. No, that wasn't right. Here was her chance to explain, to say the words out loud so that maybe they'd finally make some sort of sense. To maybe, if she was really lucky, hear an excuse that would explain away everything she had seen in a way that didn't make her feel as though she needed to tear apart her skin. "I mean that if you love Belle, you should only want her to be with someone she loves," Red said, feeling her throat tighten. "And that's clearly not me, or she wouldn't have met with someone at her window last night."

Charming cleared his throat. "What exactly do you mean by 'met with someone?'"

Snow turned on him. "Come on, Charming, can't you see it's a euphemism?" she snapped.

"You think—" Belle seemed unable to form words. "You think I was— with someonelast night?"

"Well, weren't you?" A small part of Red suddenly felt alive with hope. Tell me something, anything, make it make sense.

"Of course not! I wasn't even in my own room last night, I stayed with Emma!"

The hopeful part grew. Red looked at Emma. "Is this true?"

Emma bit her lip. "I—yes? Yes, she stayed in my room last night, but—I wasn't there the whole time. I don't know, okay? But it doesn't sound like something Belle would do. You don't honestly think—"

But whatever hope had been about win out had been dashed when Emma admitted she wasn't sure. "If you weren't with her, that doesn't help. She could have been doing anything when you were gone!"

"Red!" Charming said warningly.

Red spun around and glared at him. "I saw her!" she yelled, close to tears. She knew that she sounded like a complete brat, unable to let go of this even when no one believed her. But I did see her, she told herself.

Snow came to her rescue. "I saw her too." Her voice was calm, but the tone contained something very cold. "Everything Red just said is true."

Belle looked dumbstruck. "I don't know what you saw, but that wasn't me." For a moment, Red almost believed her. Then she looked at her and saw the dress, the fucking dress that Belle was wearing as though it were nothing.

"How could you?" she asked. Her voice broke on the last word, and to her horror Red realized she was about to cry. Without another word, she ran down the stairs and into the crowd, away from Belle.

"Red, wait!" Belle said. Red could hear her feet pounding behind her. "Please, can we talk about this?"

"I have nothing to say to you!" The crowd was parting to let them through, or maybe just from the fear that bad relationships might be contagious. Red could have taken advantage of this, but instead she slowed to a walk and tried to slow her beating heart, tried not to think about what was happening.

Belle, on the other hand, seemed determined not to let her forget. "Don't be stupid, you know I'd never do anything to hurt you!"

"Don't lie to me!" Red yelled, whirling around to face her. "I saw you! I saw him go into your room last night." A tear slipped out of her eye. She didn't try to hide it. Belle should see this, should know what kind of harm she had caused.

"Who went into my room? Red, what are you talking about? You're not making any sense!"

So this was it then. No explanation, no apology, just outright denial. "It's bad enough that you cheated on me, but now you're lying about it? Unbelievable." It was getting harder to breathe. "I have to go," she said, moving towards the exit as quickly as she could with outright running. Her dignity had already taken some major hits tonight.

Belle followed her. "Where are you going?" she demanded

"Away." When Belle didn't stop following her, Red broke into a run once more.

"Red, wait!" Belle said.

Red didn't answer, just kept running. She had longer legs, but Belle was determined. A hand reached out to grab ahold of her and she yanked away, momentum spinning her around just in time to see the cloak flying off her body and onto the floor. It seemed to fall in slow motion, flying up into the air before landing spread out on the ground. It looked like a pool of blood. Red could feel her eyes changing as they focused on the cloak.

Her bones tore from her body, and she turned back to the human who had broken her heart, a snarl on her lips as they extended into a snout. The human (Belle, part of her supplied) collapsed to the ground, and it would be so easy to hurt her, make her pay for what she'd done, but the wolf pulled a different direction, away from the crowd of people and towards the exit, running faster than she ever had before. The cold wind nipped her fur but if it hurt, it was nothing compared to tightness that wouldn't leave her chest even as she fully transformed into her other self.

When Belle came to, the first thing she saw was Snow, staring at her coldly.

"How could you?" she demanded. "I thought you cared about her. You don't do something like that to someone you love!"

"Mom!" Emma cried. "Belle didn't do anything. I don't know what's happening, but I know Belle didn't do it!"

Belle was too queasy to respond to either of them. Instead, she carefully pulled herself into a sitting position. From this vantage she could see the dwarves quietly directing people out of the Great Hall. People kept glancing up at the platform to see what was going on, although after a few well-placed glares from Grumpy there were considerably less stares.

Red was nowhere in sight.

"I swear I didn't do it," Belle said, too quietly for anyone to hear. Above her, the others were still arguing.

"Oh, I think she did exactly what Red's accusing her of," Snow said.

"Snow!" Charming objected. "You don't mean that."

"You think I'm lying? I was there, Charming! Everything Red saw, I saw too."

"What did you see?" Belle asked. "Maybe if I know what happened I can help you figure out what you really saw."

Snow turned towards Belle, and suddenly all of the cold anger was directed at her. "You heard Red. Last night, on your balcony. Ring any bells?"

You're supposed to be like a mother to me, Belle thought tiredly. Her ears were still ringing from having fainted. You're supposed not supposed to doubt me like this. She looked around for Emma to help, but she was nowhere in sight. "Please, think about this. Do you really believe I'd do that? To Red?"

"I don't," Charming said firmly. It should have been reassuring that someone was on her side, but Belle couldn't stop thinking about how easily Snow and Red had turned on her.

"That's because you weren't there! We saw her," Snow said. "Regina showed us everything."

"Regina showed—Snow, do you even know what you're saying? What gives you any reason to believe that Regina hasn't tricked you somehow? After everything she's don't to us!"

"How could she trick me? She doesn't have magic, Charming! She couldn't have made us see something that wasn't there."

Belle had to speak up. Raising her voice, she cried, "I didn't do it! I don't know what you saw, but it wasn't me!" The others ignored her just as easily as they had when she spoke quietly.

"I don't know how Regina did it, but she did," Charming said stubbornly. "Take a dose of Panacea, there's still some in the cellar. That'll fix whatever this is."

"I don't need a potion! There's nothing wrong with me, Charming!" Snow shouted.

Through her tears, Belle noticed Doc slipping out of the room, presumably to get the Panacea. She pulled herself to her feet, using the rails for support. Snow was the closest thing she'd had to a mother since arriving at the palace, and now she'd turned against her as if it was nothing. As if she, Belle, were nothing. And Red—how could she believe something like that? After everything they'd been through together, how could she be so untrusting as to think Belle would hurt her that way?

Charming was coming dangerously close to begging now. "If that's true, the potion won't do anything," he said. "Come on, Snow. For me. Please."

There was a prolonged paused. "Fine," Snow said. "But if I take it and nothing happens, will you believe me?"

"Yes," Charming said. "If the Panacea doesn't work I'll believe whatever you say."

Please, let it work, Belle thought to whoever might be listening. Please, let everything to back to how it was an hour ago when I was happy.

Doc seemed to take forever coming back with the Panacea. Just like in books, Belle thought vaguely. Time always slows down when the characters are waiting for something. The room felt far too large with only her, Snow, Charming, and the dwarves. Not even all of the dwarves, either; Dopey and Happy had been notable absent throughout.

Nobody said a word. When the door finally opened, they all kept their eyes trained on Doc, watching him make his way up to the platform. "Here you are, your majesty," he said, handing a small green bottle to Snow.

She looked hesitant for a fraction of a second, then uncorked the bottle and downed the potion in one long gulp. Belle tried to steady her breathing, but it still came out in uneven gasps. The bottle made a loud thunk as Snow set it down. Belle flinched.

Snow's face went through confusion, disgust, and uncertainty before settling on anger. "What the hell did she do to me?" she demanded.

"So Regina did do something?" Charming asked.

"Of course she did something, I just don't know what. I- trusted her! How could she? Is she really so miserable that she needs to destroy other people's happiness this way?"

"Well, haven't we always known that?" Grumpy asked.

"Yes, but I thought she was improving! When she didn't cast the Dark Curse, when she spent all that time in exile— I didn't really believe she'd try to do something like this again! And after we welcomed her back with open arms!"

"But how is this possible?" Sleepy demanded. "The Blue Fairy took away her magic, we saw her do it!"

"What—" Belle began, too quietly. She took a deep breath and started again. "What exactly were the terms of the Blue Fairy's spell? People without access to magic can still make potions, for example."

Snow shook her head. "The terms were very specific. She can't even touch magical ingredients or they lose their power. There's no way she could have made a potion."

"But what if—" Belle paused, gathering her thoughts. This was all starting to make a terrible sort of sense. "What if she had help?"

Everybody just stared for a second. Snow made a small sound and buried her face in her hands. "We didn't even think of that," she admitted.

"We didn't think we had to," Charming said. He put an arm around Snow in a comforting gesture. "Who the hell would help the Evil Queen make a potion?"

"Does it matter?" Grumpy asked. "Now we know who did this. Let's make her pay!" The other dwarves murmured in agreement. Belle nodded, but all she could think about was the way Red had looked at her, the pain apparent in her eyes, and wondered if she was the real victim of Regina's actions. We don't know where she is or what she's feeling, Belle thought. We need to help her.

"At least we know what happened now," Charming said. "Now that we know why Red acted the way she did, we know we can cure her with the Panacea. It can't undo the damage, but if we get the word out whose fault this is I doubt there's a person in the kingdom who would lay the blame entirely on Red. When the sun rises we'll send out a search party to find her with the cure."

It won't work, Belle realized, thinking back to something she had read. But before she could speak, Doc beat her to the punch. He stepped forward, face lined with worry. "Not so fast, Your Majesty."

"What's the matter?"

"The Panacea works on Snow because she's fully human. Her body has no reason to cling to magic. But Red—well, a werewolf is a magical being. She needs it to survive. Her body works hard to contain magical energy, but the drawback is that it doesn't like to let go of external magic, either."

"So it won't work at all?"

"Let me talk to her," Belle blurted out. Everyone turned to look at her. "I know I can get through to her if she'll just listen."

Grumpy looked skeptical. "Yeah, but how are you going to make her do that?"

"Grumpy's right," Charming said. "You saw how angry she was. She won't be in the same room as you long enough for you to say what needs saying."

Belle crossed her arms, suddenly furious. They hadn't listened when she pleaded her innocence, and now that she thought she might have a plan, they refused to listen to that either. Well, she'd make them listen. "Then we'll just have to give her something bigger to focus on than her anger, won't we!"

"Like what?" Snow asked. "What would make her listen to someone she thinks hurt her that badly?"

Belle opened her mouth, but realized she didn't have an answer. Fortunately, Doc did. "Grief," he said quietly. "If she's grieving her anger won't matter."

Grumpy slapped Doc on the back. "Hey, that's not a bad idea!" He turned back to Charming and said, "We'll have to tell her Belle's dead."

This was not what she had had in mind. "What?" Belle demanded. "I am not going to pretend to be dead."

"It'll work," Grumpy said. "She'll be heartbroken. All that stuff that Regina told her won't matter, even if she believes it. If Red really loves you, your death will be strong enough to make her forget her anger."

Belle considered this. She wanted to say no on principle, just because she was tired of other people always making decisions for her. The only person who's never tried to make up my mind for me is Red, she realized. She had to do whatever it took to get Red back, no matter whose idea it had been. "If she thinks I'm dead, how can we convince her to talk to me?"

"The most fitting thing," Snow said, "Would be to redo the entire coronation. Tell her we've had to pick someone else, and that she can start to make it up to us by escorting this other person. That'll get her to the castle. But Belle, you'll have to do the rest."

"She won't believe you letting her back in that easily. Make her grovel a bit first," Grumpy suggested.

Snow smiled a little. "I think I've got an idea of how to do that."

Charming put a hand on Belle's shoulder. "Are you sure you'll be able to do this?" he asked. "It's hard to break through magic just through talking to someone."

"I have to try," Belle said, sounding much more determined than she felt.

"You do," Snow agreed. "If you love her, you have to find a way."

Almost immediately after Belle regained conscious, Emma had slipped out of the room. She'd never been much of a crier, but by the time she reached the courtyard she was heaving with sobs. Once through the door she fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands, glad that at least there was no one here to see her fall apart like this. Two things seemed abundantly clear: that Belle was innocent, and that if this was what love meant, it really was as pointless as she had always feared it was.

What my parents have is real, she reminded herself. But then, of course Snow White and Prince Charming would be an exceptional case. Not everybody could be that lucky. Red and Belle had been her lifeline, proof that normal people could be so lucky. Instead, all they'd managed to prove was how much love gave people the power to hurt you. After Neal's betrayal, Emma has sworn she'd never give anyone that power again.

Not that that had gone according to plan either.

As though he could hear her thoughts, Killian appeared in the courtyard. Emma was no longer sobbing, but the tears still flowed freely down her face.

He approached her cautiously and sat down on the ground next to her. "Have you been crying this whole time?"

It didn't sound like an accusation, but Emma still snapped defensively. "Yes, and I'll cry as long as I damn well feel like it."

"I didn't mean it that way."

"Well, then how did you mean it?" She knew she wasn't being fair, but he was here, and far too close, and all she wanted was to vent some of the confusion and anger that had been growing since Red had started to accuse Belle.

"I just wanted—dammit Emma, why must you make this so difficult?"

"I'm not making anything difficult," Emma said. She cringed at her tone, which sounded entirely too much like pouting.

"I don't want you to be unhappy! There, is that what you wanted to hear?" Killian asked. It sounded like a confession.

"Maybe I don't care what you want," Emma said, turning her head away from him. "Is that the only reason you're here?"

"I know that Belle didn't do what they're accusing her of," Killian said quietly, putting his arm around her. "I don't know how Red could even suspect her of it."

In spite of herself, Emma found herself leaning into his embrace. "I think I'd fall halfway in love with anyone who could fix this whole thing," she said tiredly. Her crying jag had left her exhausted. "Or who could at least make things better for Belle."

Killian stroked her shoulder gently. "What do you need me to do?" he asked. A week ago, she would have teased him for wanting her to fall for him, but right now that was the furthest thing from her mind. Somehow, Killian and love fit together better than anything had a right to.

Emma closed her eyes. "You can't be the one to do it," she said. Internally, she was begging him not to push, not to make her reveal the thought that had been plaguing her since she'd seen the look on Belle's face when Red transformed. She pulled away from his arm. Love doesn't do anything except hurt, she thought. It was getting increasingly hard to remember.

Instead of asking what she meant, Killian reached out and cupped her face in his good hand, stroking her cheeks with his thumb. Emma's eyes fluttered open in shock as he pressed his forehead to hers. They stayed that way for what felt like eternity before Killian spoke, and when he did, his words made her gasp. "I love you," he said. His lips were on hers for a fraction of a second, and then he'd pulled away again. "Isn't that strange?"

Emma reached out and gripped his wrist so his hand couldn't leave her face. "Almost as strange as me falling in love with a pirate. That is— I'm not saying— don't listen to a word I say right now, okay? I'm just—I'm worried about Belle."

Killian laughed softly and kissed her again, lingering longer this time. Tiny jolts of electricity danced on her lips. "You don't have to say it. It's all over your face. You love me, Emma Swan."

"You sure about that?" Emma asked weakly, but she knew the charade was over.

"I'd swear on the Jolly Roger if I had to."

"Fine," Emma said. She closed her eyes as if that would make the admission easier. "I love you." The words came out harsh and pointed, and suddenly Killian's lips were on hers a third time. Her hand slid from his wrist and joined the other one around his neck as she tried to pull him closer. The flat side of his hook pressed against her back, and the other seemed to be everywhere at once: stroking her cheek, tangled in her hair, running down her side. When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily, and they made no move to separate.

Killian looked at her and repeated his previous sentiment. "Tell me how I can help."

Before she had time to think, Emma spoke, and the terrible thing was out out in the world and could never be returned to the safe confines of her mind. "Kill Red."

Killian gave her a searching look, then gently pulled out of her embrace. "You don't mean that."

Part of Emma knew that he was right, but the other part was in too much pain to care. "Fine. I should go anyway." She got to her feet, but Killian put a hand on her arm.

"Please stay."

It was almost too easy to pull away. "Why won't do this for me? What the hell happened to you? You're supposed to be a freaking pirate! Isn't killing people what you do?"

Killian slid his fingers into hers. "I'd do it for you in a heartbeat if I thought you wouldn't hate yourself the next day."

"If you loved me, you'd do this for me." Emma turned her head away.

"Do you really believe Red intended to hurt Belle?"

"Yes." No. She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she had to do something, had to punish Red for having everything she could possibly want and throwing it away as though it meant nothing.

"Please, take some time to think this over." Killian's voice was pleading. "This isn't something you can take back if you regret it the next day. This is forever, love."

Emma stared across the courtyard, seeing nothing. At last her eyes fell on a small alcove where she and Red had played together as kids. Red was almost four years older, but she'd always let Emma play with her. That summer when Emma was seven, all either of them had wanted to play was True Love.

"Come on, Emma!" Red said, tugging her to her feet. "It's my turn to be Snow White."

Emma giggled. "Good. I like being the prince anyway."

Her parents' story had been ingrained in Emma at such a young age that by this point, she knew it by heart. They went through every detail, from the rescue at the Troll Bridge to the forgetting potion and at last the sleeping curse. At the end, Emma kissed Red on the cheek. She rose dramatically.

"You found me!" she cried, throwing her arms around Emma's neck.

"Did you ever doubt I would?" Emma replied. They released each other and fell into fits of giggles. "I can't wait to get older so that I can have a true love," Emma said. "It's so romantic, don't you think?

"It's a good story." Red plopped down on the ground and sat crossed legged. "My favorite part is when she hits him with the rock," she said. "But I wonder how he could have fallen in love with her after she'd hurt him so much."

Emma joined her on the ground. "It wasn't on purpose! She was scared he'd take her to the Evil Queen."

"I know," Red said. "But it's still surprising, isn't it?"

"I guess so." Emma was so used to the idea that her parents were supposed to be together that the idea that they could not have been made her stomach feel funny. To distract herself, she said, "If that's your favorite part, what's your least favorite?

Red looked down. "I don't like the sleeping curse. What if it had never gotten broken? She'd still be asleep now and she wouldn't even know it."

"But it's okay, my dad did break it! True Love's Kiss can break any spell."

"What if you don't have a true love?" Red said, scrunching up her eyebrows. "What if Granny fell under a sleeping curse and there was no one to save her?" She looked worried.

"It would be fine!" Emma said quickly. "If your Granny gets hit by a sleeping curse, we'll go on an adventure and find a way to save her! Good always wins, that's what my mom says."

Red smiled. "An adventure would be a lot of fun. Do you think your dad would let us borrow his sword?"

"He'd better. I'm not letting anything happen to someone you love," Emma promised.

"What do you think it'll be like?" Red asked. She picked a blade of grass, then shredded it to bits. "Falling in love, I mean."

Emma thought about this. "My mom says it's magic, only you don't have to be a fairy or a witch to do it. It sounds amazing."

"I hope it is," Red said.

"I know it is," Emma replied. "Love is the most important thing there is."

It had been so easy then, to believe in love. They'd both been so sure about their happy endings that it hadn't been a matter of if, but when. Things had changed when they got older. For Emma it had been Neal's betrayal. But Red—Red had caused the death of someone she loved. Emma had never talked to her about Peter, had never known what to say, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened. Emma may have been betrayed by Neal, but Red had been betrayed by her own body. If there was anyone who knew what it meant to be destroyed by love, it was Red. Emma may not understand why she'd done what she had tonight, but whatever the reason, she didn't deserve to die.

She turned back to Killian. "You're right," she said, embarrassed to feel the tears returning to her eyes. "I don't want you to kill her. I just—I can't just sit here and not do anything while Belle suffers."

"Is there anything else that would satisfy your need for revenge?"

Emma thought about this. "Her cloak!" she said. "It's still on the floor of the Great Hall—or it was, when I left. We could take it."

"You wish that she be forced to endure her transformation for the duration of Wolfstime?"
"Yes. Why, do you have a problem with that idea?"

"It's just that in our time together in the Ogre War it didn't seem as though she minded the transformation particularly. Or am I wrong?" Killian asked.

"She doesn't mind if it's for a reason. Then she feels like she's doing some good," Emma said. Killian's fingers were combing through her hair in a very distracting way. "But when she's feeling emotional and out of control, it freaks her out. And judging from her behavior tonight, I'd guess we can check both of those boxes."

"I'll admit, I'm relieved that you're suggesting thievery rather than cold-blooded murder," Killian said. When Emma looked surprised, he said, "What? I'm a pirate, not a mercenary."

"I always thought the two went hand in hand," she admitted.

"So I take the cloak," he said. "Then what?"

"She'll come looking for it," Emma said. "But you have to keep it from her. No matter what happens."

"I hate to bring it up, but suppose something goes wrong and she does lose control. Are you prepared to be responsible for any deaths that might result from our actions?"

Emma looked Killian in the eye and shook her head. "She has too much self-control for that. I wouldn't do it if I didn't think it was safe."

Killian took her hand, and Emma realized how close they were. She wanted to lean in and kiss him, but before she could move to do so a loud clap of thunder made both of them jump. A few seconds later it started to rain, the sort of heavy rain that soaks through clothing within seconds.

"Perhaps we should get inside," Killian said, standing and using his good hand to pull Emma to her feet. "A few more minutes out her and that gown of yours will be ruined for good."

Emma began to laugh. A part of her that she wasn't even aware was tense loosened, and she felt freer than she had in years. "Fuck the gown," she said, turning her face to the sky to let the water run over her face. "I never liked it anyway."

Widow Lucas was old, but not so old that she couldn't still oversee trials on the nights that Snow and Charming had other obligations. On the night of Belle's coronation she was seated in the courtroom while Happy and Dopey presented their case.

"Which are the men you want me to examine?" Widow Lucas asked them.

"We sure are!" Dopey replied.

Widow Lucas pinched the bridge of her nose. "I mean, who are the criminals whom the guards brought in? I'm assuming it wasn't you two, daft as you both might be."

"What a wonderful assumption!" Happy said. "It's always such a relief to hear that another person has a kind opinion of you. As a matter of fact, these are the ruffians we'd like you to examine." He indicated at two men who were handcuffed to a table. "What is your name, friend?" he asked the first.

"Will Scarlet," the man replied with a wicked grin. "I assume my reputation precedes me."

Dopey stood on his tiptoes to peer over Widow Lucas's notes. "Did you write down the name Will Scarlet?"

"Yes," she said, in a tone of exasperation. "Can we please continue with the examination?"

"Of course we can! And what's your name, sir?" Happy asked the other man.

"Sidney," he said in a lofty tone. "And I'll have you know I'm a gentleman," he said, casting a disparaging glance and Will Scarlet.

"Oh, how lovely! I always enjoy a good conversation with a gentleman. Widow Lucas, please write down Sidney's name, and make a note that he is a gentleman."

Dopey stepped forward and paced in front of the table. "Are you loyal to Queen Snow?" he demanded.

Both men nodded.

Dope turned back to Widow Lucas. "Write that down, and make sure that the Queen's name goes before either of theirs. Alphabetically, Sidney would go first of course, but I think the Queen should always appear in the place of highest honor," he said.

Happy puffed up his chest. "Well, men, you have been charged as not only villains, but also as liars. How do you plead? Remember, you can say whatever you like, there is no right answer to this."

"I can't speak for my partner, but I can assure you that I am completely innocent," Sidney said smoothly.

"Oi!" Will said. "I'll have you know that I'm as innocent as the day is young."

Dopey approached Will and whispered loudly in his ear, "It's hard to believe anything you say when you're a well-known liar."

"I said I didn't do nothing!"

Happy looked at Widow Lucas with a worried look. "Did you write down that neither of these men did anything? I hate to put people on trial who seem so convinced of their own innocence."

"Happy!" she scolded. "This is not the way to go about examining someone. Why don't you make yourself useful and bring forward last night's watch so they can tell us what happened."

"Yes, ma'am!" Dopey said. "May I assent last night's watch?" He gestured elaborately to the two women standing in the back of the room.

Widow Lucas looked at them over the top of her glasses. "Can either of you tell me what you saw last night?" she asked, in a tone that suggested she was not optimistic about their ability to do so.

The first guard nodded. "Mr. Scarlet said that Regina had hired him for nefarious purposes."

"That's terrible!" Happy said, shaking a finger at Will. "How could you speak about the Queen's stepmother that way? Although nefarious is quite a good word, I'll be sure to use that one more often."

Widow Lucas ignored this. "What else did you hear?"

The second guard spoke up. "He said that he was doing it in exchange for a magic bean."

Dopey gasped. "That's highway robbery! Magic beans are very hard to come by!"

"But what exactly did Regina hire him to do?" Widow Lucas asked. "Come on now, I haven't got all night."

"He said," the first guard began, looking nervously at her feet. "He said he met with a woman on Belle's balcony. Someone who looks like Belle. And—"

"Regina brought Red there under the influence of a trust potion," the other guard said very quickly. "Queen Snow, too. And she told them that it was Belle, and they believed her, and Red was planning on telling the whole kingdom at the coronation tonight."

"You mean the coronation that just ended?" Widow Lucas demanded, looking at the dwarves with a glare.

"That's the one!" Happy said cheerfully.

"So you knew that the Evil Queen was orchestrating the humiliation of both my granddaughter and the woman she loves at a coronation that took place earlier tonight, and you didn't think it worthwhile to bring this to my attention sooner?"

Dopey gulped. "Well, when you put it that way, it does seem like it would have been more sensitive to have brought it up earlier. We were just so busy, what with helping to prepare for the coronation and every—"

Widow Lucas interrupted him. "Find Grumpy," she ordered. "Find out what happened tonight. If Red really did turn on Belle tonight, we'll have enough proof to put this scum behind bars."

"Of course!" Happy said, jumping to attention. "I'll go find him right away."

"What an ass," Will muttered as Happy left the room.

It had been years since Red learned to control the wolf, although 'control' may have been a loose term. It was more like teamwork, the human and the wolf working together but relying heavily on instinct. But when she was in wolf form she had to solve her problems like a wolf, which was how she found herself crouched on the bank of a river, howling at the moon.

A flash of lightning struck nearby. The wolf could smell the electricity in the air, and hear the thunder as it rumbled. The rain started almost immediately afterwards, sending her running back into the trees. The wolf didn't have the same sense of time as the human, so she didn't know how long she ran for, but eventually she ended up near a clearing that smelled familiar.

She howled again, an image of the human that had hurt her own human flashing in front of her eyes. This was how the wolf thought, images flashing to the forefront of her mind. A dress. A knife in her heart. How the people we love have the power to hurt us the most. A picnic in the woods, a picnic in this exact spot in the words, a kiss, a dress, pain.

The wolf howled at the moon a final time, then turned her tail and ran away from the clearing, away from the memories and the feeling of being unloved. Her feet pounded against the wet earth like a drum, like fingers tapping on skin.

Like a heartbeat.