Author's note: hey guys! Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed.
So, in this chapter, we get to meet Lacey! Or at least, my version of her.
I didn't feel right just jumping into meeting Lacey though, so I used the promo for episode 17 as inspiration for the first half of the chapter.
Hope you enjoy it!
~..~..~..~..
Snow sat numbly on her bed at home. The shock of what happened that day had finally caught up with her as they were sitting at Granny's earlier. Their family had left for home before Henry had even finished his hot chocolate.
He still didn't know what happened, but he knew something was wrong.
Snow looked down at her hands. They were hands that, only a couple of hours earlier, had crushed the life from someone.
'That wasn't me,' she thought.
'But it was to protect your family,' another part of her mind told her.
'At what cost?' her heart answered. 'I know how it feels to lose a mother. No one should have to feel that.'
Snow could still hear Regina's sobs echoing in her ears.
Burying her head in her hands, Snow took deep breaths. Her eyes were dry however, unable to shed any more tears.
'What had she done?'
Charming stood at the doorway to their bedroom, gazing at his wife. He'd tried to comfort her as best as he could, yet she remained frozen.
Turning back into the living room, his eyes came to rest on his daughter and grandson.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Henry demanded. "What's wrong with Mary-Margret?"
Emma took a breath. She knew she'd have to tell Henry at some point.
"Henry," Emma began slowly, guiding her son to a seat on the couch. "Cora was killed today."
Henry's eyes widened in shock. Then, his brain began to put the pieces together, and his eyes travelled to the bedroom.
"By Mary-Margret?" He asked softly.
"She did it," Emma explained, "to protect her family. To protect all of us, from Cora, as she'd never give up on trying to kill us or Gold."
"And," Henry breathed. "Now she's feeling guilty."
Emma nodded, "yeah."
Henry's face was blank with shock as he tried to process the information.
"What about my mom?" Henry whispered.
"Regina's unharmed," Emma said quickly. "But, as you can probably imagine..."
"She hates Snow White more than ever." Henry finished dully.
Gently, Emma ran her fingers through her son's hair, and slowly, Henry moved closer to wrap his arms around his mother.
"Regina's gonna be the Evil Queen again," Henry mumbled into Emma's shoulder. "She won't stop now."
"Don't worry Henry," David tried to assure his grandson. "We'll protect our family."
A knock at the door sounded and David went to answer it.
Rumple and Neal entered the room slowly.
"I think family dinner night's been cancelled," Henry said from the couch, still in his mother's arms.
"That's not why we're here, Henry," Rumple said as Neal moved towards his son, concerned.
"Henry," Neal said quietly, sitting down beside Emma. "What's wrong?"
Henry stayed silent, so Emma turned to Neal.
"Did you know that Cora's dead?"
"What?"
Emma nodded. "Mary-Margret killed her after we left."
Neal's eyes widened. "Snow White...killed Cora?" He repeated.
"And now the Evil Queen hates Snow White more than ever," Henry spoke up. "She's gonna come after her even more now."
"She'll come after all of us, Henry." Rumple explained. "And that is why we're here. We need to come up with a plan."
"Like what?" David asked. "Kill Regina?"
"It's a possibility," Rumple granted. "The only way to stop a blood feud is by the spilling of more blood."
"No!" Henry got to his feet quickly. "Please, she's still my mom."
"So is Emma, Henry," Rumple gestured to the woman sitting beside his son. "And I'm willing to bet that she's second on Regina's list after Snow White."
"These are the lives of my wife and daughter, you're talking about," Charming said firmly.
"Exactly," Rumple said. "So if you're not willing to spill blood to protect your family, Prince Charming, what do you suggest we do?"
"Let me go talk to her."
Everyone turned to see Snow standing in the doorway of her room.
"Somehow, I don't think that'll work, dear," Rumple said calmly.
"This fight is between Regina and myself," Snow told the room. "This has to end before anyone else dies. None of you should have to suffer for my mistake."
"You think killing Cora was a mistake?" Rumple asked. "If you hadn't, she could be the Dark One now, dearie."
Neal's eyes shot towards his father at that last word, and Rumple lowered his eyes slightly, avoiding his son's gaze.
"I realise that," Snow granted slowly. "But I also realise that Regina is in just as much pain now as I was when I lost my mother."
"Because of Cora," Rumple reminded her.
"And how was what I just did, any different to what Cora did?" Snow demanded.
"How do you think talking to Regina is gonna help?" Emma asked, worried. "Regina could kill you on sight at the moment, as far as we know."
"If she does," Snow began slowly. "Then maybe she'll finally be satisfied." Snow raised her eyes to gaze at everyone in the room. "If the only way to end a blood feud is by the spilling of more blood, I'd rather it be mine than anyone else's."
~..~..~..~..
Regina was sitting on Henry's bed, trailing her fingers over his pillows and sheets, when Rumple suddenly appeared in the room.
"What are you doing here?" She demanded, shooting to her feet.
"I'm not here to harm you, Regina," Rumple told her placatingly.
Regina paused. "Then why are you here?"
Rumple placed both hands atop his cane. "To offer my condolences," he said.
Regina laughed without humour. "Like you care," she told him bitterly, tears rising anew in her eyes.
"Also," Rumple continued slowly. "I thought I should tell you that Mary-Margret is on her way here to see you. She wants to talk to you."
"Talk to me?" Regina shook her head in disbelief. "She killed my mother this morning, and she thinks she can just come here and talk to me?"
"Well, your mother killed her mother," Rumple began, "then you killed her father before sending your huntsman to kill her...you've tried to kill her on numerous occasions, actually."
"Are you actually defending her?" Regina demanded angrily. "Are you saying she was justified?"
"I'm saying," Rumple began, "that if the two of you continue to go after each other, everyone is going to end up dead. And where will that leave Henry?" Rumple noticed Regina grip the pillow in her hand more tightly.
"Isn't Henry the most important piece in this whole game of yours?" Rumple asked.
Regina was silent as she cast her eyes sadly around the room once more.
"Why don't you just give up this obsession with vengeance?" Rumple asked outright.
Regina frowned slightly as she brought her eyes back to Rumplestiltskin.
"Why do you care?" She asked. "Has reuniting with your son given you back your heart?"
"It's possible," Rumple granted. "But I'm also asking because Snow White's daughter is the mother of my grandson."
"And you have such a soft spot for family, don't you?" Regina's tears finally escaped her eyes as she stepped closer.
"She killed my mother," Regina's voice was low, but still cracked with emotion. "She is going to pay for what she's done."
Rumple smiled ruefully.
"Looks like the Evil Queen is back on her throne," he hissed. "Just be careful dearie. You're all alone in this game now. So be sure to make your moves wisely." He warned before disappearing in a swirl of smoke.
~..~..~..~..
Snow took a deep breath before walking up the path to Regina's front door.
David had insisted that he accompany her, but Snow had been equally insistent that she go alone. It was the only way to ensure Regina didn't think she was being set up.
So, after promising to call within the hour, Snow had gone to Regina's house, while Neal, David, Emma and Henry went on a 'field trip' to the forest for some sword training. Henry had been excited about the prospect of practicing with both his father and his grandfather, and David appeared grateful for the excuse to vent some frustration by duelling Neal.
They were in agreement however, that if Snow didn't call them within the hour, that David would assume something had gone wrong, and come after her.
The late afternoon sun was beginning to darken towards twilight as Snow knocked.
After a few moments, the door opened to reveal Regina, her face still stained with tears of grief.
"Regina," Snow began.
"You've got a lot of gall, coming here," Regina's voice was flat.
"I'm so sorry about your mother, Regina," Snow said quickly, knowing she only had a small window of opportunity to make this visit work. "And no one can understand what you're going through now more than me."
"You think so?" Regina was sceptical. "You know what it's like to be left completely alone? To have everything you cared about ripped from you?"
"Actually, yes," Snow answered. "After all, that was the point of your curse, wasn't it? I was completely alone until Emma found us."
"And now it's my turn," Regina said bitterly. "But there's no breaking my curse now, is there?"
"Regina," Snow begged for patience, "we've been fighting for so long. And it seems that everyone around us, everyone we love ends up being hurt as a result of something that's just between us. So I came here," Snow explained, "so that we can settle this between us. With no one else suffering because of our fight."
After a moment, Regina smiled.
"What a perfect idea." She said. "And I'm very grateful that you took the effort to come over. You're quite right: this is between us."
Snow nodded hopefully.
"And now I will finally have my vengeance," Regina smiled before plunging her hand into Snow's chest.
As Snow gasped with pain, Regina leaned closer.
"Thanks to you." She whispered.
~..~..~..~..
Emma and Henry watched as Neal and David parried, dodged, attacked and circled each other at the forest edge, the clang of metal ringing with every blow.
"Go Neal!" Henry cheered. "Go Grandpa!"
Emma continued to check her phone nervously, awaiting Mary-Margret's call. The hour was almost up, and as David got more worried, he became more aggressive in his duel with Neal.
"Don't do any permanent damage, David," Emma called out.
"Hey, I'm winning this!" Neal objected as he attacked again.
Emma's phone bleeped and Emma checked it anxiously.
"It's Mary-Margret!" She held the phone up, stopping the duel. "She says she's on her way here."
"Thank goodness," David panted as he and Neal lowered their swords.
"That was so cool!" Henry rushed forward excitedly. "Where did you learn to swordfight, Neal?"
"Well, you spend a couple hundred years fighting pirates," Neal explained lightly, "and you learn how to handle a sword pretty well."
"Did you ever fight Hook?" Henry asked curiously.
"Yep," Neal nodded. "Happened practically every week."
"Cool!" Henry gushed.
After a few minutes, Mary-Margret's car pulled up beside the Sheriff's car.
"Snow!" David rushed forward before his wife even got opened the car door. "What happened?"
"Regina agreed to talk to me," Snow began slowly. "And she said that she's willing to consider a truce."
"Really?" Emma was relieved to hear it, but was also surprised. "Why?"
"Because she doesn't want to see her son get hurt anymore," Snow explained, smiling at Henry.
"She just wants to be a part of his life again."
Emma turned to her son.
"Henry?" She asked him, "would you like to have Regina in your life again?"
Henry appeared to be thinking deeply about the question.
"I don't mind having two mothers," he admitted. "But if Regina's serious about having a truce, then I want my mom," he qualified. "I don't want the Evil Queen."
"And you'll have your mother, Henry," Mary-Margret told him as she came further forward. "I promise you. You'll have your mother back."
"Is Regina really serious about the truce?" David asked, suspicious. "She's been wanting to kill you...all of us, at some point...for so many years. Why suddenly change her mind now?"
"She wants her son," Mary-Margret answered surely. "And a parent will do anything for their child, you should know that."
Emma frowned as she noticed Mary-Margret edging closer towards Henry. As much as she wanted to believe that Regina would agree to a truce, this was the same woman who had tried to give Emma the poison-apple turnover even though she'd already promised to leave town.
Now Regina had watched her mother die in front of her, and was willing to compromise?
"Something's not right about this, "she muttered.
"What do you mean?" Neal asked.
"I mean," Emma explained slowly, her eyes on Mary-Margret. "That as much as I do want this...blood feud...between Regina and us to end, and as much as I do want to make a compromise...Regina has never, once, agreed to a compromise. She even tried to poison me when I had already agreed to leave town."
"She what?" Neal asked.
"Long story, but it's how the curse broke," Emma explained. "My point is," Emma continued, "the only time I've seen Regina agree to anything, is if she's up to something."
Mary-Margret stepped closer.
"Regina just wants her son back," she said sympathetically. "Surely you can understand what it's like, being separated from your child?"
"Of course," Emma granted. "But what cost is Regina willing to pay for that?"
"What do you think?" Mary-Margret asked lightly.
Now David was realising that something wasn't right.
"Snow," he asked slowly. "Are you alright?"
"Of course," Snow answered calmly.
But if there was one thing Emma was good at, it was spotting a liar.
"She's not Mary-Margret," Emma whispered.
"Clever girl," a voice called.
Everyone turned to see Regina standing nearby, holding Snow White's heart in her hand.
"Regina's controlling her," Emma told the group, pushing Henry behind her.
"Neal, get Henry out of here," Emma ordered.
"I'm not leaving you," Neal objected.
"Get our son out of here!" Emma ordered.
"Not so fast," Regina said, squeezing the heart she held slightly.
Moaning in pain, Snow collapsed to her knees.
"Snow!" David caught her before she hit the ground. Stroking his wife's hair, trying to comfort her, he raised his eyes to land furiously on Regina.
"Let her go!" He demanded.
"Whether or not I do," Regina smiled, "is entirely up to Emma."
"Regina," Emma pleaded. "Think about what you're doing."
"Oh I am," Regina said surely. "I'm making you the same offer Snow gave me: My son for your mother."
"I meant what I said Regina,' Emma told the former queen. "I am open to a compromise."
"This is my compromise," Regina said strongly. "You've all taken everything from me. So now you have a choice. You either give me back my son, and I'll give you back your mother,' Regina squeezed the heart in her hands, causing Snow to gasp, moaning in pain. "Or, if you decide to keep my son from me, you will lose your mother. And I will finally get my vengeance on the one who destroyed everything I hold dear."
"This is what you call a compromise?" Emma demanded, appalled.
"In every compromise, both sides are a little unhappy," Regina said dully, her eyes still blank from grieving.
"Mom?"
Regina's eyes cleared as Henry stepped forward.
"Henry," she smiled.
"Why can't you just leave things alone?" Henry asked. "Why do you always have to hurt people?"
"Henry, please understand," Regina pleaded. "I don't have any other choice."
"There's always a choice," Henry countered. "You just keep making the wrong ones."
"Henry..."
"No!" Henry yelled. "I'm tired of seeing you hurt people all the time. You really are the Evil Queen now."
Regina's eyes widened. "Don't say that."
"Why not?" Henry asked. "It's true. You're never going to change, are you?"
Regina's face softened as she gazed at her son, before crumpling slightly as tears began flowing down her cheeks once more.
Slowly, Regina made her way toward them, carrying Snow's heart in her hands.
"What are you doing?" David asked, reaching for his sword.
"Wait," Emma ordered.
David hesitated as Regina came to a stop beside Snow.
Kneeling down, Regina looked Snow dead in the eyes.
"Let me make one thing quite clear," Regina's voice was low and rough from pain.
"I still hate you," she whispered. "With every fibre of my being. However," she thrust Snow's heart back into her chest, causing her to gasp with shock before collapsing into her husband's arms.
"I won't sink to your level. I do want my son back. And I know that if he hates me, he won't come to me."
Slowly, Regina stood back up as everyone looked at her with shock and surprise.
Regina, however, was looking at Henry, who smiled.
"That was good," he told her. "See? You can do it."
"Don't worry, Henry," Regina told her son. "I'll find some way we can be together. Happy. I promise."
She disappeared in a swirl of smoke.
David quickly helped his wife to his feet.
"Snow, are you alright?"
"Yes," Snow gasped, her eyes searching the space where Regina had been standing.
"I don't believe it," Emma said. "Regina actually gave you your heart back. No conditions?"
"Something didn't feel right," Neal muttered. "Maybe this was a distraction?"
"Why?" Snow asked. "She had the perfect opportunity to kill me and get Henry at the same time."
She took a deep breath.
"Maybe she can change," she said hopefully.
~..~..~..~..
Rumple arrived at the hospital as evening turned to night.
He'd spent the majority of the afternoon preparing Belle's room for her arrival, and now he was about to take her home.
He smiled. He knew Belle was still confused over who she was, but Rumple knew that, given time, she would remember.
And he would be there to help her, every step of the way.
As soon as he saw Dr. Whale striding toward him when he entered the lobby, however, he knew something was wrong.
"Mr. Gold," Whale greeted anxiously.
"What's happened?" Rumple asked, spotting Ruby making her way over as well.
"Belle's left," Ruby said hesitantly.
"What?" Rumple mustn't have heard properly.
"There's good news and bad news," Dr. Whale added.
"Oh I'm dying to hear this," Rumple growled.
"The good news is: she has her memory back," Dr. Whale said carefully.
"What?" Hope filled Rumple's chest until he felt he would burst.
"The bad news," Ruby added quickly, "is that she remembers her cursed self."
The balloon in Rumple's chest deflated as panic began to take over.
"Her cursed self?" Rumple repeated.
"Apparently, it's much like David Nolan," Dr Whale explained. "When he woke up from his coma, he remembered nothing at all, until he left the hospital and...something...triggered his cursed memory of his life being married to Kathryn Nolan."
Rumple remembered that, as it was he who possessed the item that triggered David Nolan's memories: the windmill in his shop.
"And what triggered Belle's cursed memory to surface?" Rumple asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
"It was a necklace," Ruby dug around in her bag until she brought out a slim, white jewellery box.
"At first I thought it might be from you, but clearly that's not the case."
"Indeed not." Rumple took the box from her, examining it.
"I tried to get a scent from it, but it was clean," Ruby was apologetic.
"No need," Rumple said gravely. "I'd say it was Regina."
"Belle signed her side of the release papers not long after that and left," Dr. Whale finished.
"When was this?" Rumple asked.
"A couple of hours ago," Ruby supplied and Rumple had to clench his hands on the handle of his cane to prevent himself striking out before he had his questions answered.
"Why didn't you call me about this?" He growled.
It was here that Ruby and Whale shared a look.
"Well," Dr. Whale swallowed. "Belle's cursed self isn't at all like Belle," he began. "And we thought it would be better for us to find her first, and then give you fair warning before she was released into your care."
"Well that plan worked out perfectly didn't it?" Then Rumple paused. "What do you mean: 'she's not at all like Belle'?"
Ruby took a deep breath, before holding up her hands in a calming gesture.
"Now, Mr. Gold," she began slowly. "You remember how the curse worked, don't you? Taking away our best qualities, or keeping us away from the people we loved?"
Panic began to take control of Rumple's heart at the woman's words.
"What's happened to Belle?" He demanded, his voice rising.
"How about a deal?" Dr. Whale suggested quickly. "We tell you, and you don't kill the messengers?"
Rumple was now officially panicking.
"I'm going to kill you if you don't tell me, Whale." He threatened.
"Okay, okay!" Whale held up his hands in surrender and Rumple calmed himself down long enough to give the good Doctor his undivided attention.
"Well, first of all, her name is Lacey," Whale began.
"Lacey?" Rumple repeated in confusion. What kind of a name was that for his precious Belle?
"And she left so quickly," Ruby explained, "because she didn't like any of the clothes that I'd brought her from her apartment, so she found her purse and said she'd have to go shopping for new clothes before working tonight."
"She left the hospital to go shopping?" Rumple repeated, incredulous. Sighing with exasperation, he noticed the sky outside was getting darker.
"You said that she was working tonight," he said. "Did she say where?"
"She mentioned a place called 'The Rabbit Hole'?" Ruby put forward.
"It's a bar downtown," Whale supplied. "Turns out Lacey isn't into books at all."
"What is she, a bar tender?" Rumple was getting frustrated, did he have to drag information out like this? He was tempted to beat the information out, if it he didn't know what Belle would say if he did.
"I don't think she's a bar tender," Ruby said slowly.
Rumple froze.
"I don't like the way you said that," he whispered.
"Well," Ruby glanced fearfully at Dr Whale before taking a deep breath. "Before she left, she told Dr. Whale that she would be happy to offer her services to him, for a discount, in gratitude for taking such good care of her during her stay...and then kissed him on her way out."
Rumple was frozen in shock for a good ten seconds before slowly turning his gaze onto Dr. Whale.
"Don't kill me,' the Doctor pleaded, hands up. "I didn't kiss her back, I swear."
Rumple tripped the good Doctor up with his cane before pressing the tip against his throat.
"Oh, I'm not going to kill you, Dr. Whale," Rumple growled. "But it's a good thing we're in a hospital right now. Because if you don't answer my next question very quickly, I'm going to start breaking things."
"I promise, I promise!" Whale rasped, trying to breathe.
Rumple leaned over the man he held pinned, his dark eyes on fire.
"Where's 'The Rabbit Hole'?"
~..~..~..~..
Rumple drove his car down the dark streets, eyes scanning the buildings on either side of the road.
He didn't usually travel into this part of Storybrooke. The streets had less people, many of the street lamps were broken and the drunken shouts emanating from the many bars that lined the road told Rumple that this was not a place he wanted Belle to go.
But this was apparently where Lacey could be found.
Suddenly, he spotted a bar sign hanging over the pavement, with the picture of a Rabbit wearing a suit jacket. 'The Rabbit Hole' it read.
As he was parking the car, he noticed that the footpath in front of the bar was devoid of people, except for a single figure standing in the entrance way.
Rumple sat frozen to his seat in shock.
The woman certainly looked like Belle...but at the same time, didn't look anything like her.
Her hair was piled up on her head in a messy bun, with dark tendrils falling, framing her beautiful face.
She wore a dark, long sleeved jacket, which she kept buttoned up against the chilly night. Her legs, however, were exposed to the cold air and the short sequinned skirt she wore clearly held no practical purpose as it barely fell to her mid thigh.
'Oh, my sweet Belle,' he thought. 'What's happened to you?"
He didn't know what to expect from Belle's cursed self, Lacey, so it was with trepidation that he slowly got out of his car.
Belle...Lacey... looked up as Rumple slowly approached the bar entrance.
"Good evening, Mr. Gold," Lacey greeted smoothly. "What brings you here?"
"I was looking for you," Rumple said slowly as she came to stand before her. Her face, naturally beautiful, was covered with make-up and she stood almost aggressively, as if ready for a fight.
"Really?" She asked. "Well, you found me. Are you looking for a date for tonight?"
"Belle?" Rumple whispered, unable to believe what she just said, or how she was dressed, or how she was acting. "What happened to you?"
"My name's Lacey, actually," she answered before smiling. "But, I can be Belle if you want me to be?"
Swallowing , Rumple took a deep breath.
"What do you remember about me?" Rumple asked slowly, almost afraid of the answer. "Do you remember me visiting you in the hospital?"
"Yes," Lacey sounded almost bored with the conversation. "You kept calling me 'Belle' then too. Everyone did."
"Because that's your name," Rumple told her gently.
"No, it's not," Lacey shook her head. Stepping forward, she ran her fingers lightly over the lapels of Rumple's suit jacket.
"But you like calling me Belle, don't you?" She asked, beginning to circle him slowly, trailing her fingers across his shoulders, down his arms. "Is that who you want me to be?"
Rumple took hold of Lacey's fingers before they threatened to move anywhere else.
"This-this isn't you, sweetheart," he told her. "Your name is Belle, we love each other, you run the town library."
Lacey burst out laughing.
"I dropped out of school with a 'D' in English," she told him. "How on earth could I run a library?"
"Besides," she reached out to run her fingers lightly through his hair. "Why read fantasy stories when you can create them?" She asked, her voice soft and sultry. "Tell me your fantasy, Mr. Gold. And I'll create it for you. For a price, of course." She added.
Rumple was stunned, unable to speak. Regina had turned his pure, sweet Belle into...this.
"If not," Lacey continued lightly, "then the night is young, and I know there'll be other chances for me to make my money tonight."
That snapped Rumple back to reality. Whether he liked it or not, Belle was gone for now and Lacey was in her place.
Belle had never given up on him, even though he was a monster. And if Belle could love both Rumplestiltskin and The Dark One, then we was determined to love both Belle and Lacey.
And he was going to stand by his promise to take care of her.
And he could start by making sure that Lacey would never have to stand outside a bar for money again.
But first, he had to convince her to come with him...
And as much as he hated himself, Rumple knew that that wouldn't be too hard.
"What's your price?" He asked.
~..~..~..~..
Regina was heading down the hallway to her room when she suddenly felt herself pinned to the wall, and Gold's cane was pushed against her throat, cutting off her air.
"What did you do to Belle?" He growled. "What did you do to her?"
"Can't. Breathe" Regina gasped, and reluctantly, Rumple released his choke hold only to use magic to freeze her in place.
"Now," he threatened. "I want answers, Your Majesty: What did you do?"
"What are you accusing me of, exactly?" Regina asked as she gulped air.
"Lacey," Rumple hissed.
Regina's eyes widened before she began laughing.
"So," Regina said once she'd regained her composure. "Belle received my gift?"
"You were in charge of creating everyone's identities here," Rumple growled. "Why Lacey?"
"Well, I have to admit, Rumple," Regina began calmly, despite the fact that she was still frozen. "Much like David Nolan, I never expected that Belle would ever be released from the asylum, however, like David," she smiled, "I knew I should have a life for her, just in case she did manage it."
"Why Lacey?" Rumple repeated.
"Well," Regina explained in a conversational tone, "I knew that the only reason she would need her cursed memory would be if the curse broke or if she somehow escaped the asylum. Turns out, it was both." Her brow creased in mock thought. "How about that? Anyway, the curse, as you know, was designed to keep all those affected away from the things they loved, and takes away their best qualities from their old life. So, I thought Lacey would be the perfect identity for your sweet, innocent Belle."
"Change. Her. Back." Rumple commanded through gritted teeth.
"I can't."
"Yes you can!" Rumple was getting desperate. "You created Lacey, now change her back!"
"The curse is broken, Rumple," Regina continue to smile calmly as her enemy became more agitated. "The curse is broken, therefore I can no longer affect it."
"There has to be a way," Rumple insisted.
"Oh, there is," Regina smiled. "And I think you know what."
Rumple's anger began to fade.
"True Love's kiss," he said.
"Most certainly," Regina granted. "But, something tells me that's going to be a bit more difficult this time round. After all, it was a miracle it happened the first time, wasn't it?"
Rumple was finding it difficult to breathe.
He had to win Lacey's heart to get Belle back? Regina was right, it was a miracle that it had happened in the first place. Belle had always been able to find the goodness in others, and loved truly, never giving up on the hope of a happy ending.
But Lacey...
Lacey was interested in money, creating a fantasy, and the pleasures of the body rather than the mind or heart.
How was he going to do this?
Regina smiled at the mixture of fear and helplessness that she could see appearing in her quarry's eyes.
"Looks like you've got your work cut out for you, Rumple."
Growling, Rumple released the woman, throwing her roughly against the wall before disappearing in a swirl of smoke.
He was back in his living room in moments, and he cast his eyes around.
"Lacey?" He called.
But there was no answer.
~..~..~..~..
"Cheers," Neal said as he clinked his glass with Tamara's.
They were at a local bar called 'The Buck and Ear' and were finally spending some time together.
Neal, of course couldn't tell Tamara what had really happened to him since they arrived, so he'd skimmed over details, saying that he'd found his father, met Emma's family, met his dad's girlfriend, who was in hospital recovering from an accident but was due to be released soon, and spent some time with his son.
Tamara, on the other hand, had showed him the sketches she'd done while at the convent, when she'd returned to the Inn after he returned from seeing Henry, Emma and her parents home after Regina's latest attack.
Needing a drink, and some time doing something normal, Neal had suggested to Tamara that they find a bar.
"Now I'm on holiday!" Tamara laughed as she took a sip of her drink.
Neal smiled. "Yeah, we needed one." He had to raise his voice slightly to be heard over the music.
Suddenly, loud cheering broke out and Neal turned to see that a woman and climbed up onto the bar and had began dancing to the music.
"Wow," Tamara commented drily. "Looks like you don't have to be in a big city to have girls dancing on a bar."
"Guess not," Neal agreed, and was about to turn back in his seat when he noticed something.
The young woman on the bar was laughing, appearing to be having the time of her life, playfully pouring alcohol into shot glasses and sweeping them across the bar to eager hands with an easy flick her high-heels.
Her dark hair was piled high on her head, but strands of hair were falling into her eyes.
Neal felt his jaw drop.
No way...
"Neal?"
He turned to see his fiancé staring at him
"Sorry sweetheart," he apologised quickly before getting out his phone. "But I think I know her."
"You do?" she asked. "How?"
Neal dialled quickly before putting the phone to his ear.
"Hey dad?" he began awkwardly. "You haven't lost Belle by any chance, have you?"
~..~..~..~..
Rumple parked his car and made his way over to Bae, who was standing awkwardly near the entrance to the 'Buck and Ear' bar.
Bae hadn't explained much on the phone, but his tone had been enough to cause Rumple to worry.
"Dad," Bae began slowly when he caught sight of his father. "Does Belle have an evil twin?"
Rumple took a breath, he had a bad feeling about this...
"Why do you ask?"
Wordlessly, Bae led his father into the bar.
Rumple cast his eyes around the room until they landed on a crowd of men, cheering and clapping. Some even held money in the air.
When he realised what they were looking at, Rumple's heart actually stopped beating for a second or two.
"Dear Gods," he whispered.
Lacey was dancing to an adoring crowd, her movements graceful, confident and sensual. She'd dispensed with her jacket and the blue sequinned skirt she wore was accompanied by a matching bikini-style halter top.
Every now and then, Lacey would grab a man who held money in his hand by his shirt collar or his tie, lean over him sensuously, and take his money before kissing him and shoving him back into the crowd, encouraging more claps, cheers and money offers as she tucked her payment under a strap of her top.
"That's not the same woman I met in the hospital today, is it?" Neal asked.
"No," Rumple answered truthfully. "That's her cursed self, Lacey."
"Lacey?"
Rumple felt he should explain. "While Belle was imprisoned in the asylum throughout the curse, there was no need for her to have any fake memories, so when the Curse broke, and Belle fell across the town line, Belle had complete amnesia, not remembering anything."
"But now?" Neal asked warily.
Rumple sighed. "Now, Regina's activated Belle's cursed identity: Lacey."
"Is there any way to get your girlfriend back?" Neal asked, seeing the despair in his father's eyes.
"With the curse over the town broken," Rumple began, "only True Love's Kiss would break her curse now."
"So, you just need to make her fall in love with you again," Neal insisted. "It happened once, it can happen again."
"And I was hopeful of that, when Belle simply had amnesia," Rumple told his son. "But Lacey...how can I make some like her fall in love with me? It was a miracle it happened with Belle."
Neal was silent for a moment, his eyes moving from his father beside him to the woman dancing on the bar nearby.
He couldn't help it, and a laugh escaped as he covered his mouth quickly.
Rumple turned to him.
"Are you laughing at me, son?"
"I'm laughing at this whole freakin' situation, Papa," Neal told him. "Seriously, out of all the scenarios that I came up with of what would happen when I got here...I have to admit this was nowhere on the list."
Rumple sighed in agreement, rubbing a hand over his face. "Yes, I admit, I'm kind of wishing you weren't in the room right now. What'd Tamara say?" He gestured to where his son's fiancé sat.
"Oh, she's fine," Neal assured his father casually. "She said, from what she'd heard, she hadn't figured you to be a sugar daddy."
"A-a what?" Rumple spluttered.
"Hey."
The pair turned to see David walk in to the bar.
"I got a call about a disturbance at this place and-" He stopped as he caught sight of the cause of the commotion.
"Is that Belle?" He asked incredulously.
"No, it's her evil twin, Lacey," Neal said.
"Regina activated Belle's cursed memories," Rumple explained to the deputy Sheriff.
"Oh, my god," David was shocked.
"Yes, I know," Rumple began grinding his teeth. "But I have to admit, I'm a little outside my element in this situation."
"Yeah, I'd say you are, Papa," Neal knew the situation was serious, but he just couldn't help laughing at the fact that the sweet, shy woman he'd met at the hospital, who his father looked at with such devotion, had turned into the woman who was now pouring a drink down some guys throat as she took notes from him.
"Any suggestions?" Rumple asked. "Prince Charming? Son? Help?"
"Uh," Charming thought quickly. "How about we start by getting her off the bar?"
"Brilliant,' Rumple liked that idea, especially as another round of cheers broke out among the men crowded around his true love.
"Wait," Neal cautioned. "Papa, you need to get Lacey to fall in love with you, if you want to get the woman you love back, right?"
"The woman I love is in there, Bae." Rumple pointed to Lacey. "She's in there, somewhere, she just doesn't remember."
"So you have to help her to remember," Neal confirmed. "But to do that, she has to at least be open to talking to you. And if you drag her away right now, something tells me she won't like that."
"I can't just let-"
"Of course not," Neal granted. "But I'm just saying, maybe you need to play her game a little bit first, before she'll trust you."
Rumple was speechless. He couldn't believe his son-his son- was suggesting that to get Belle back, he'd have to treat his True Love like a-a...
No. He couldn't even think it.
"Look," David said quietly. "I know this sounds bad, but I think Neal may actually have a point."
"What?" Not 'Prince Charming' too? "How would you feel if that was your wife up there?" Rumple demanded.
David took a breath.
"Then I would want to do everything I could to make sure that she didn't ruin herself," he said genuinely. "So that when she does get her memory back, she would thank me for keeping her safe."
Rumple gripped his cane tighter, turning back to Lacey, who was making her way down from her makeshift stage.
"Sorry boys," she smiled. "But I'm getting thirsty," she explained to the chorus of disappointed groans.
"So who wants to buy me a drink?" She asked the room.
Rumple swallowed.
"I will!"
Lacey looked up to see Mr. Gold push his way towards her.
"Oh, come on old man," one of the drunken men from Lacey's fan club jeered. "A girl that hot can do way better than you."
The man was so drunk, it barely took Rumple any effort to send him falling to the floor before pressing his cane into the man's ribcage.
"How dare you speak of her like that?" he hissed. "You're not worth the dirt on her shoe."
Lacey smiled. Wow, she'd really got Gold all riled up.
"Alright, Mr. Gold," she said, getting his attention. "You can buy me a drink."
Slowly, Rumple let his victim up to the chorus of 'awwws' from Lacey's fan club.
"I believe you owe me something, anyway," she added seductively. For he had taken her to his home, dropped her off, telling her to wait for him before disappearing from sight.
"I'll make you a deal," Rumple said hesitantly, his voice low. "I buy you a drink, and then you come home afterwards."
Lacey raised her eyebrows. Mr. Gold wanted to deal, did he? Well, if that was the case, Lacey would at least ensure it was worth her while.
Stepping close, she brought her lips a within millimetres of his.
"Make it two, and you've got a deal," she whispered.
Rumple swallowed.
"Deal," he breathed.
As Lacey led Rumple over to a spare table, David and Neal met each other's gaze apprehensively.
"Should we be worried?" David asked.
"I honestly have no freakin' idea," Neal replied, shaking his head.
~..~..~..~..
Author's note: What do you think?
I didn't like the idea of Regina killing Snow or getting Henry at the begining as I really wanted her to have a scene where she actually chose the moral high ground and did something that Snow would do, to prove her genuine love for her son.
Besides, it gives us more time to come up with other ideas later on.
What did you think of Lacey? As Belle's opposite, I thought she would be a rather shallow character, but you could still see elements of Belle in her love of fantasy- just a different kind to what Belle liked.
Did I write her scenes tastefully? Should I change the rating of my story? Did you think anyone acted out of character? I was really wanting David, Neal and Rumple to be just acting shocked in that last scene- did it come across okay?
I would love feedback on this chapter-please, please, please review!