Warning: This chapter DOES contain one or more of the following mature materials: Language, Sexual-innuendo, Passionate kissing, S&M, Adult situations. ~_^

A Salvation Called Love

-Chapter 32-

-Ghost of the Past-

[Annabelle]

In my haze of unconsciousness I thought I'd heard Dominic's voice. I struggled my way slowly out of it but by the time I could open my eyes he'd left. I'd heard his footsteps disappear up the stairs. I slowly shifted on the floor with a soft groan and struggled to sit up. There was rustling in front of my cell and my attention shifted to that. I gave a small gasp when I saw that it was my friend Ashley. She leaned against the bars and stared at me with tears dripping down her cheeks. "Anna. Anna, are you ok? Can you understand me?"

I blinked a few times and shook my head, trying to clear the rest of the haze away. I gave a very weak smile as I pushed myself off of the floor. Pain radiated through my body at the movement but I gritted my teeth until I was standing. I took a weak step towards Ashley and stumbled. I caught myself against the bars and Ashley's warm hands wrapped around my arms. I looked up into her beautiful brown eyes, glad to see them again. "Ashley. I'm so glad to see you. Why are you crying? Why are you here?"

Ashley gave a weak shrug and wiped at her tears. "I'm here to try and help save you. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen to you. I'm sorry."

I frowned a little and reached up to cup her cheek. The shackles around my wrists clanked against the bars and made it a little hard but I managed. "What are you talking about, Ashley? You didn't have anything to do with this happening."

She shook her head and more tears streamed down her cheeks. "You're wrong. You're here because I told Regina that you were pregnant with Mr. Gold's baby. I was her spy. She sent me to the school so that I could keep an eye on you. She threatened to kill my family if I didn't. I had to. I had to betray you. I didn't want to!"

Ashley was sobbing against my shoulder now and I tried to hug her through the bars as best as I could. It took a bit for me to understand what she was saying but then I figured it out. She was the reason Ellidor had been sent to kidnap me. And Regina had wanted me kidnapped because I was carrying Dominic's child inside of me. I gave a small sigh and pressed my head against hers, kissing the top of her head. I could understand being forced to do something that you didn't want to do. "It's ok, Ashley. It's ok. I understand." I turned my head to look for Ellidor and found him slumped against the far wall in his cell unconscious. He was the reason why I understood someone being forced to do something they didn't want to. I turned my attention back to Ashley and pushed on her shoulders, trying to make her look at me. "How did you get here? I thought I heard Dominic's voice. Is he here? Where is he?"

When I finally had to resort to giving Ashley a sharp shake she finally looked up at me. "He's here. He… he's the one who brought me here. He found out that it was me who betrayed you and made a deal with me in order to protect me and my family. He's upstairs right now talking to Regina. He's trying to get you out of here."

I gasped and stepped away from the bars. "He can't be here. He can't, she's going to destroy him. She's planning on taking his magic. He can't be here!" I grabbed the bars and pulled against them. "Open the door, Ashley. I have to get to him. I can't let her hurt him!"

Ashley shook her head and took a step away from the bars. "I can't open the doors. They're shut with her magic. Only she can open them."

I sighed and leaned my forehead against the cool bars. "Fuck!" I pushed away from the bars and backed up to the bed. I sat down roughly and cupped my face I my hands, screaming loudly into them in frustration. "FUCK!"

There was a loud slam above us and both mine and Ashley's attention snapped to the stairs where we heard footsteps. I stood up and walked back over to the cell door, gripping the bars tightly. Ashley was the first one to see who was coming down the stairs and I watched as her face turned death white and she backed away. She didn't stop until she slammed against Ellidor's cell and then she quickly pulled against the door, desperately seeking something to place in between her and the massive man that appeared on the bottom step. It finally opened and she quickly threw herself inside and slammed the door closed behind her. She backed against the same wall that Ellidor was slumped unconscious against.

The man was built like a giant. He stepped off the bottom step and smiled as he walked towards my cell. I backed away until my back pressed against the far wall and struggled to control my pulse as it jumped rapidly. I could feel the danger radiating from the man as he stopped in front of my cell. His massive hand gripped the door and he pulled. The lock popped and it swung open. He stepped in and took a step towards me, his fists clenching open and closed. "Hello, pretty. Let's get acquainted."

I tensed my muscles as he reached out for me. As his hand gripped my shoulder I quickly struck upwards at his elbow and snapped his hand away from me, hyperextending his elbow. "Don't fucking touch me."

I knew how to protect myself but when all the man did was suck in a hiss of pain and swallowed nervously and backed into the corner of my cell. He flexed his arm and grinned at me as he stepped forward. "I think you'll have to do better than that, pretty, if you're going to stop me from hurting you."

I knew then that I couldn't do anything at the moment to protect myself. I still had the drug that Ellidor had given me running through my system and I was still in pain from when Regina had tortured me with her magic. I straightened up and did the only thing that I could do. I spit in the man's face. "Fuck you."

He growled and the next thing I knew was that his fist struck against my cheek, slamming me sideways against the bars. I grabbed them and struggled to stay upright as the world swam. The man stepped forward and grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling me towards up. I had to stand on tip-toe as he pulled me up to stare face to face with him. He grinned. "Fighting is only going to excite me, pretty, so struggle. Please." His massive fist found my cheek again and he released me fast enough for the hit to slam me against the bars again. This time I slumped down until I was sitting on the floor. He laughed. I curled in around myself as I saw his massive foot move back and jerk forward as his boot struck against my flesh. I groaned but kept curled up as he kicked me over and over again. I didn't care how much I was beaten up as long as his foot didn't hit my stomach. I cried out over and over again as pain blossomed throughout my body with each hit of his boot. The pain was intense but I took it as best as I could.

The man finally stopped for a few seconds as he stared down at the job he'd done to me. I had blood coming out of my mouth and cuts along my body. I'm sure I would be covered in bruises if he lifted my shirt to see for himself but I was thankful that he didn't. The pain was almost too much for me to bear anymore but I knew that I had to hold on in order to protect Dominic's child. Our love had created something magical and I wasn't about to let anyone take that away from me. I lay as limp as possible in the hopes of making the man believe I'd lost consciousness. Maybe then he wouldn't kick and punch me anymore. I silently started saying a pray to whomever would listen. I prayed that I could see Dominic again. I prayed that my child would be safe. I prayed that the pain would end soon.

The man knelt in front of me and grabbed my hair, pulling my face up from the floor. I kept my eyes squeezed closed as he leaned in and licked the blood from the corner of my mouth. My body shivered in revulsion but I didn't say anything. His breath was burning hot against my ear as he whispered to me. "I know you're conscious, pretty. I'm not finished yet. I plan on making you cry out some more for me. It's like music to my ears."

He slammed my head back against the floor and then grabbed my waist tightly as he kneed me in the stomach, crushing my hands in the process. I screamed out and tried to wiggle away from him then. I could allow him to hurt the baby. I kicked at him but he only grabbed my feet with a loud laugh. I struggled to get away from him. "No! NO, NO, NO! Not my baby! Fuck off, just fuck off. Go the fuck away!" I screamed at him as I struggled against his hold. I was more conscious now than I had been earlier. Adrenaline coursed through me as I kicked at him. He grunted as I landed a few kicks.

I only stopped struggling when his massive fist found my face again and he hit me twice with a lot of strength. I felt my strength slip away from me and the world began to swim. I fought against it and I could hear my faint whimpering as I struggled to stay conscious. "No, no, no. Please, no. Please."

Just before I slipped into unconsciousness I saw something bright flash in between me and the man. My necklace that Dominic had given me burned warmly against my skin. I didn't know what was going on but I couldn't stop my descent into the dark. The last thing I remember was a soft, beautiful face with bright blue eyes staring down at me.

[The Ghost of Belle]

When I was fully formed from the necklace and Annabelle's eyes closed I slowly stood up and looked around me at the world that I'd come into. I knew I was a ghost. I'd been dead for a long time. Now I was here to protect a part of myself that had been reincarnated. I gave a soft smile down at the girl that had stolen Rumple's heart again. Even though she was bloody and bruised and her hair tangled she was beautiful. She looked like me. There was a loud shuffling behind me and I turned to stare at the man that had dared to hurt Annabelle. I'd heard her pleading and I knew I had to do something. I'd used the little bit of Rumple's magic that had been stored in the necklace and formed myself into an incorporeal being. I took a slow step towards the man and reached out to him. He turned white and his eyes started to bug out as he backed out of the cell. I followed him out of the cell and kept walking towards him. He struck out with his fist but it cut through my incorporeal body. You couldn't punch a ghost. When I had him backed away into a far corner I trapped him there with the magic that coursed through me from my necklace.

I left him there and walked over to the cell that held Ellidor and the girl that was Annabelle's friend. I opened the door and walked over to Ellidor where he was slumped against the wall. Annabelle's friend gave a small shriek and scooted away from me but I ignored her and slipped my power into Ellidor's mind. I knew who he was and I knew that the Evil Queen had blocked his memories from before he was reincarnated. This young man was Rumple's son, Baelfire. I could feel his memories beating at me from inside of the necklace. He was a part of Rumple and the necklace was also a part of Rumple. Both were connected. When I felt the barrier around Baelfire's memories fall I called softly to the young man. "Baelfire… Baelfire, it's time to wake up."

The young man's soft brown eyes fluttered open and he blinked up at me in confusion. "What… who are you?"

I smiled and moved away from him. He slowly stood and looked around the cell. His attention landed on Ashley first and he just stared at her as she stared at him. "Ashley. I… I remember you." He shook his head and buried it in his hand. "Why… why am I remembering two worlds? Why am I both Ellidor and Baelfire? What's going on?"

I slowly moved forward and touched his shoulder. "You're from both worlds, Baelfire. It was time for you to wake up though. Wake up to who you really are because your father needs you."

Baelfire's head snapped up at my words and he tried to grab my shoulders but his hands only fell through me. "My father? He's… he's…" He paused and I watched it dawn on him. "Mr. Gold is my father. The man that was just down here is my father." He turned quickly and looked over into Annabelle's cell where she was laying bleeding and beaten on the ground. "She's… My father loves her." He quickly moved around me, not desiring to step through me and exited the cell only to enter Annabelle's. He quickly dropped to his knees beside her and felt for her pulse. It was weak. I walked through the bars and stopped beside him. He stared up at me with panic in his eyes. "Her pulse is weak! She's carrying my brother, she can't…. she can't die. Please, can you do something?"

I stared down at him and memorized his features. I'd never gotten to meet him when I knew Rumple. He'd been dead for a long time before I'd come around but I could see his father in him. They shared the same eyes, the same nose and the same dark brown hair. I reached out and pressed my ghostly hand just above his skin. "I only have a small amount of magic left, Baelfire. I can use it to save her and your brother but then I'll disappear. I want you to tell you father that Belle has always loved him and that I said he needs to forget about me. Can you do that for me?"

He reached up and gently cupped the air above my hand because he knew he couldn't really touch me. "You knew him didn't you?"

I smiled and gave a small nod. "Many years after you had passed away he saved my father's kingdom in exchange for me. While I worked for him I grew to love him very much and I now know that he couldn't show me that he loved me because he was looking for you. I thought he hated me but I know different now. Annabelle's memories showed me. Your father is a good man and he's always loved you, Baelfire."

I watched a tear slip down the young man's cheek before I pulled away from him and knelt on the ground beside Annabelle. I knew she was hurt badly. I could feel it through the connection I had with her. I smiled at her before leaning down to whisper into her ear. "Make sure they are all happy, Annabelle. Don't ever stop loving them." I moved away from her and slowly pressed my hand against her stomach where I knew the baby was struggling to live. I pushed my incorporeal body into Annabelle's and used the remaining magic I had to infuse myself into her and the baby, wrapping my essence around them so that they would be safe. I filled the baby with the magic and strength to live and spurred Annabelle's heart into full beating strength. That's the last thing I could do for the woman who finally taught my Rumple to love. When I had no more magic to work with I felt myself slowly disappear back to wherever I had been. Only this time I knew that I would never be coming back. Rumple would now forever have Annabelle and Baelfire. They didn't need me.

[Baelfire]

I felt tears burn down my cheeks as I watched the ghost of the woman my father loved a long time ago disappear into the body of Annabelle. I watched the colour flow back into her cheeks and I watched her chest start to raise and fall rapidly and her pulse jump against her skin. I touched her wrist to make sure I wasn't seeing things and smiled when I felt her heartbeat rapidly tapping against my fingers. I slowly moved around so that I could pull Annabelle's head into my lap and I gently stroked her hair. "Annabelle." I watched her eyes flutter but they didn't open.

A small sound turned my attention away from Annabelle and I looked up at the beautiful young girl that I'd only seen once before as Ellidor. She has dark brown eyes that sparkled behind her tears and her dark brown curls bounced as she slowly dropped to her knees beside me. She reached out and gently touched Annabelle's shoulder. "Is she going to be ok?"

I gave a small nod. "I believe so. Her pulse is a lot stronger than it was."

Ashley smiled. "Good. She's become such an amazingly good friend that I don't know what I would do if she went away."

I smiled back at Ashley and nodded. "She was nice to me as well even though it was me who brought her here. I'm glad she has such a nice friend as you."

Ashley blushed and gave a small shrug. "You don't have to say it like that."

I chuckled and scooted Annabelle further into my lap. Her breathing was slowly turning to normal but she still wasn't waking up. I just figured she was exhausted after being beat nearly to death so I slowly ran my fingers through her tangled and bloody hair. Ashley remained kneeling beside me as we waited for my father to come back downstairs. I was fully confident that my father wouldn't be beaten by a woman like Regina. She would never be as powerful as him.