A/N - last chapter! Thanks for sticking with me to the end. Just to reiterate, I own nothing.
"What the hell is she doing here?" demanded David, as Gold and Regina walked into the cavern.
"I'm here to help," said Regina coldly. "And by the look of things, you could use it, so how about we stop bickering for five minutes and concentrate on keeping the town safe?"
Mary Margaret looked between her husband and daughter and shrugged lightly. David sighed, nodded, and hefted his sword.
"Any word yet?" asked Gold.
"No, no-one's seen it," said Leroy, shoving a walkie-talkie into his pocket. "The dwarfs have been combing the mines, but nothing. It's like this thing vanishes into thin air."
"It'll have gone for water," said Regina. "Granny threw oil on it and then set it on fire, so I'm guessing it's really pissed off."
"What?" demanded Emma, and Regina lifted her chin, meeting Emma's eyes.
"It came into Granny's and went for Henry," she explained. "We managed to fight it off."
"It was awesome!" Henry's voice startled them all, and they turned to see him sliding down the rope.
"Henry, what are you doing here?" shouted Emma. "I left you at Granny's for a reason!"
"I gave her the slip," Henry declared, completely unembarrassed. "I want to help."
"You can help by being safe," snapped Regina. "Emma's right, you shouldn't be here."
"Perhaps he can help," offered Gold. "If the creature has decided it wants him as its victim, it may come straight to us."
"We are not using my son as bait!" shouted Regina, eyes flashing, and he shrugged.
"Take him back then, if you will."
"Guys!" Leroy's voice cut through the arguing, and he waved his walkie-talkie. "That was Tiny. It's in the mines! It's coming right for us!"
"Quickly!" snapped Gold. "Charmings, cut to each side, make sure it doesn't escape. You," he jabbed his finger at Leroy. "Take your axe and block the tunnel entrance once it's passed through." The three promptly jogged in opposite directions, weapons in hand, and were soon out of sight. "Now," he continued softly, walking to what was almost the centre of the cavern, "we need to prepare." He pulled the bottle of potion from his pocket and curled the fingers of his other hand around it, making the liquid inside glow brightly. He poured it slowly in a clockwise direction, making a large circle of vibrant green on the cavern floor.
"How do we open the portal?" asked Emma warily, and he flicked a glance over his shoulder at her.
"We use the creature's own magic against it," he said. "We will need to combine our magic. Then I'll open the portal. Once that's done, just follow my lead and we can force it in there."
They all looked around nervously as a loud shriek echoed through the cavern.
"It's here!" shouted Henry.
"Henry, get back!" snapped Emma, shoving at him.
They waited anxiously as the scraping, slithering sound drew nearer, and Emma gasped as the wyvern reared up in front of them unexpectedly. God, this thing was big. Not as big as the dragon, she reminded herself, but big enough, and far more agile. She hoped they could be fast enough to defeat it. She noticed angry blisters coating its skin, raw flesh weeping, its gleaming red eyes filled with rage and pain. They turned to fix on Henry as the creature swayed back and forth, scaled body undulating, almost mesmerising. Gold could tell that it sensed the protective amulet around the boy's neck. Its eyes narrowed with malign intelligence, its gaze calculating. It opened its mouth and hissed loudly, displaying long fangs dripping with fluid. Emma wondered if its bite was poisonous.
"Are you ready?" whispered Gold, and the two women nodded mutely. He hefted a ball of purple fire in his hand and hurled it at the creature. The wyvern moved so quickly it was almost a blur, twisting away from the magic, its tail whipping around to sweep his legs out from under him. Gold went down with a crash, smacking his head against hard rock.
"Gold!" shouted Emma, her eyes wide with sudden fear. He lay very still, as though unconscious, but opened his eyes a crack. She was panting, looking desperately at Regina, as the Queen hurled her own magic and the wyvern slithered underneath the spell, hissing in rage. It reared up again as Regina was gathering her strength for another attack, and fixed its eyes on Emma. It lunged at her, jaws opening, reaching for the precious heart within her chest, and Henry screamed as she threw herself down to get out of the way. It turned in a trice, body whipping around to attack again. Gold met Regina's eyes from his place on the floor; he glared at her, and she nodded stiffly. Emma, scrambling backwards on the heels of her hands, noticed nothing. Regina raised her hands again as Emma got to her feet and the wyvern shot forwards to attack her. Regina wrapped Emma in a flow of magic and jerked her backwards out of the way, dragging the other woman into her arms as she threw the rest of her magic at the creature. From his position on the floor, Gold was quietly impressed at her improved ability to divide the flows of her magic. A cloud of purple smoke seemed to wrap around the wyvern and it shrieked its rage as it was trapped, its body curled tightly into a ball. Regina was straining visibly to hold it, to force it back towards the circle. Emma pulled free of the arm around her waist and took Regina's hand firmly in her own, willing her own magic to meld with the Queen's. Immediately, the purple light bloomed brightly and the creature was pushed back, above the circle of potion. Regina tightened her grip on Emma's hand and used the last of her strength to tap into the creature's own dark magic, to force open a door in the fabric of reality. She gasped in pain. Doing it this way was like peeling off her own skin! Emma grimaced at the magic's taint, but gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and, with a last effort, Regina opened the portal. She locked eyes with Emma, and together the two women forced the wyvern down, pushing it into the dark opening. They were straining with the effort; its struggles were fiercer than ever, but it was sinking by degrees. It let out a final, enraged shriek before the portal closed up around it with a strange, muffled boom. Regina and Emma collapsed backwards in a tangle of limbs and for a moment there was no sound but harsh breathing.
"You did it!" Henry ran to Regina and Emma and jumped up and down in excitement. Emma stood, wearily, hugging him to her. With her arm still around Henry, she reached down, pulling Regina to her feet, and Henry made a grab for his adoptive mother, dragging her into an awkward group hug.
Gold pushed himself to his feet slowly. He could feel a lump growing where he had hit his head. That was going to be painful.
"It appears my services were not required," he said mildly. "Continue to join forces like that, ladies, and you'll put me out of business."
"You alright?" asked Emma breathlessly, and he nodded with a wry expression, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Mary Margaret rushed towards them, David close behind her, and hurled herself at Emma and Henry. Regina hurriedly extracted herself from the arms of her son. Hugging her sworn enemy was a step too far. Leroy sauntered into view, announcing the defeat of the creature over his walkie-talkie.
"Granny's, fellas," he said bluntly. "First round's on me." He nodded briefly to the others, and strode off towards the elevator shaft.
Henry drew back from his mother and grandparents, looking up at them.
"She saved us," he said, nodding at Regina. "She saved my Mom and she defeated it. Please!" He looked imploringly between his biological mother and his adoptive mother. Regina met Emma's gaze warily. Emma eyed her closely for a moment, her chest heaving.
"Three days a week," she said abruptly. "And every other Sunday. Sound good to you?"
Regina's face cracked into a beautiful smile. "That sounds perfect," she agreed, and held out her hand. Emma hesitated, then shook it firmly. Henry hurled himself at Regina and hugged her fiercely. She stroked his hair, kissing the top of his head, and shot a grateful glance at Gold. He rolled his eyes with a wry smile.
"Well," announced David, looking somewhat uncertainly at Regina. "I heard Leroy suggest a drink at Granny's. Shall we?"
The party broke up and began walking wearily towards the elevator. Gold watched them go, David and Mary Margaret with their arms around Emma, followed by Regina, who held out her hand to her son. Henry suddenly threw himself at Gold, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist and making him stumble.
"I saw what you did," whispered Henry. "It was really sneaky. Thank you." He raised his head, looking up at Gold, a light in his eyes, almost mischievous. Gold was suddenly reminded heavily, painfully, of Bae at the same age. He wrapped his arms around the boy and hugged him tight.
"Tell no-one," he whispered softly, and felt Henry nod.
Gold joined them at Granny's for a drink and one of the burgers that Ruby brought in piles from the kitchen. The atmosphere was celebratory; Henry told of Regina's actions in his piping voice and the others displayed an appropriate level of uneasy gratitude. The gathering became more raucous as the beer flowed and the dwarfs started singing. Gold stood on the sidelines, saying little, watching as Regina smiled and hugged her son. She still wasn't accepted, perhaps she never would be, but she would now have joint caring responsibilities for the one person she loved. It might be enough. He slipped from the diner, unnoticed, and made his way home.
He walked up the stairs tiredly, seeing a thin shaft of warm light shining through the bedroom door, which stood ajar. He pushed it open slowly to see her sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. She was wearing his shirt; the deep blue silk suited her pale skin and dark hair. She looked better, more rested, but there was still pain etched in her face. He wondered how long it would take to leave her.
"The creature is gone," he said quietly, and she nodded and turned her gaze back to the coverlet, fingers twisting around one another awkwardly. There was a moment's silence.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, and he raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"Why are you apologising?" he asked, nonplussed, and she grimaced.
"I haven't been fair to you," she muttered, and looked up at him, patting the covers beside her. He hesitated a moment, then removed his jacket and sat down on the edge of the bed, taking off his shoes before drawing his feet up and sitting back against the pillows.
"You were in pain," he said gently. "You still are. If I could take it away I would, but as it is…you channelling some of it through me is a small price to pay."
She shifted uncomfortably at the remembrance, and flicked her eyes up to meet his.
"When you heard what had happened to me," she said quietly. "When Regina told you Father had – had me tortured, that I'd killed myself. Why didn't you go after him? I would have thought you'd want to – kill him, or something."
"Oh, I did," he said with a twisted smile. "I thought about it. I even devised an ingenious and painful series of punishments. I was really quite inventive."
She bit her lip uncertainly and he touched her cheek. "But then I realised that that would be the last thing you would have wanted," he added gently. "So I chose to honour your memory by sparing him." His smile was rueful. "Although, I did slip somewhat when he stole your cup."
She smiled sadly. "He never thought I could change you for the better," she said. "But I did, didn't I?"
He pulled her closer. "You change me for the better every day you're with me," he said gently, and kissed her forehead.
"And are you happy?" she asked anxiously.
"Very." He kissed her again. "I love you, Belle."
"I love you too." She bit her lip, and he put his head to one side.
"What is it?"
His voice was gentle, and her eyes bored into his, making him want to drown in their blue depths. She did not speak for a moment, but dropped her gaze and sighed, picking at a loose thread on the eiderdown. He wanted to stop her from pulling at it, but let her continue.
"When I was a girl, nine or ten, I suppose, I followed my brother on a hunt," she began, not looking at him. "I wasn't supposed to be there, but I could ride as well as he and I didn't think it was fair that I should be left behind just because I was a girl."
He smiled; of course that's what she would have thought.
"The hunters killed a deer. They sliced open its belly and gutted it." She looked at him then, her eyes wide, bright with raw pain. "I watched its eyes glaze over, and I felt that all its grace and gentleness had gone, torn out with its innards to stink in the sun. It was like something pure and innocent had been – violated, defiled." She dropped her gaze once more, tugging at the thread absently. "That's how I have felt, ever since…" she raised her eyes slowly, uncertainly. "I'm like that deer. I'm damaged, Rumple. Not just by losing Papa. By – everything that's happened. Everything…"
Everything that's happened since you met me, he thought, sorrowfully. His expression clenched in pain, but she was still concentrating on wrapping the loose thread around her finger, and didn't notice his anguish.
"I keep pretending I'm fine," she continued, her voice almost a whisper. ""But I'm not. I'm broken."
He reached for her hand, unwinding the thread, and clasped it in his.
"Yes," he said gently. "But you will heal."
She shook her head, but didn't pull away. "I'll never be who I was before. I've lost them all, now. I almost lost myself. For a time I wanted to lose myself."
He raised her hand to his lips then, kissed it softly. "We are all the sum of our experiences," he said quietly. "The bad as well as the good. What you've been through, what you've done, it doesn't make you any less beautiful, or kind, or special. It only makes me love you more, Belle."
Her face crumpled then, as though she was about to cry, and she swallowed hard and pressed her forehead to his, hugging him.
"I can't lose you too," she whispered, and he kissed her brow gently, wrapping his arms around her.
"You'll never lose me," he assured her, and she gave a short, humourless laugh.
"We always lose one another!" she said tearfully. "We're always getting pulled apart. I don't think I can stand it if it happens again."
"But we always get back together," he reminded her. "True love is the most powerful magic of all, you know that. It requires sacrifice, on both sides."
Tears dripped down her cheeks as she pulled from his grip and sat back, and she wiped them away furiously.
"I'm tired," she said brokenly, dashing at her eyes once more. "I'm s-so tired, Rumple!"
He stroked her cheek, placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Please don't cry, sweetheart," he crooned softly. "You'll heal. You'll mend. I'll always be here for you."
She nodded with a tremulous smile, and he brushed her hair back from her face and kissed the tears from her eyes. She clung to him tightly, and they lay down with her head on his chest, his arms wrapped around her.
"I wish I could be sure," she whispered, and he pushed himself up, rolling her onto her back as he gazed down at her. She reached up hesitantly, pushing his hair back from his face, stroking it gently as he pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand.
"Sure of what?" he asked softly, and she smiled, her fingers gently caressing his cheek.
"That you'll always be here," she said. "That I won't lose you."
He smiled, steeling himself, gathering the small, stunted thing that was the last vestige of his courage and pressing it to use as he kissed her softly on the mouth.
"Then marry me," he breathed, and smiled against her lips as he felt her gasp.
"What?"
He pushed himself up on his elbows, and her eyes were wide, alight with love and sudden hope. His grin widened.
"Marry me," he repeated, and almost laughed as she threw her arms around him. She made him repeat it three more times, half-crying and half-laughing, before she put him out of his misery with a fervent 'yes!' Pressing his mouth to hers, he felt as though his heart would burst. Against all the odds, against everything that had been thrown at them, most of which had arisen from his own insecurities, she had chosen him. The rest of the world could go to hell. With Belle in his arms, he was complete. The light of his life. Part of his soul. His one, true, love.
A/N - That's it, folks! Hope you enjoyed it. Please review if so. Thanks for all your support throughout. I'll be posting the start of a new story next weekend, so keep an eye out for "The Dark One's Kiss", set in Neverland.
Much love, dearies x