A/N:Episode 19: The Return. I wanted to go several directions with this oneshot, but I just ended up doing three different stories in it. The first, is Bae after the vortex swallowed him up. The second, Rumpelstiltskin's story of the curse and his life trying to find Bae, and the third is what Gold's though after his little August encounter. Hope you enjoy. And also, yea I know the title is crappy but I'm not good at that part.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the epic characters (and David/Charming) in the television series Once Upon a Time, those belong to the creators, writers, and ABC. these characters were brought to life by the amazing actors that play them (and Josh Dallas; just kidding) :)
The vortex was a swirling mass of green light, almost tangible but not quite. Bae's screaming words to his father still hung on his lips, regretting them as soon as he fell in.
"No, Papa. I didn't mean it!" Bae yelled into the tunnel, but he knew his father couldn't hear.
Was he even coming after him, Bae wondered. It was a short trip, over as soon as it began.
Bae fell onto the ground. The ground was a deep black, it felt as hard as stone. Pulling himself up, Bae looked around. He was in the middle of some dark, hard path, with yellow lines marked across the center.
This was it, this was the place he and his father were supposed to be, this was the place with no magic. At that moment, Bae realized he had had no plan for what came next.
How he was going to survive in this strange, new world? He had thought his father would have come with him to help carry the burdens this new world would bring.
Bae stood there, in the middle of the trail till the morning light started to peak over the nearby trees, dodging giant monsters with people inside, some sort of strange form of carriage without horses.
Grief filled Bae's heart when he finally admitted that his father would not be joining him. His father had left him to face this new world alone, broke his deal and stayed in their world. And he, Baelfire, had no idea what to expect in this world. He still could hardly wrap his mind around the prospect of other worlds, having known they existed, but never really wondering that their rules were.
In an air of despair and confusion, Baelfire gathered his cloak against the cold and started to walk, his head bent down, a single tear falling down his cheek.
After what happened to Bae, Rumpelstiltskin became even more dangerous, becoming feared throughout all kingdoms, a loathsome creature that little children were to be warned of.
All the while, searching from kingdom to kingdom, talking to some of the most gruesome creatures to have obtained magical qualities, Rumpelstiltskin began his search for the one thing he loved, the one person who still believed he was worth something.
As the years went on, however, Rumpelstiltskin began to lose more and more of himself. He continued to find and locate fairies, killing them and taking their powers, becoming stronger and more powerful with each fallen foe, vowing his revenge on the glittery creatures. But it seemed that as he gained more magic, became more powerful, a certain mania began to grow inside of him, becoming stronger with the magic.
Over time, Rumpelstiltskin, the humble, if cowardly, man with a loving son, was completely destroyed, nothing but a hollow, malicious being remained. He made deals with others, punishing himself continually while also punishing others, making them feel the way he had for what seemed like forever.
He didn't care how many people he hurt, nothing would ever compare to the pain he felt. All these people, trying to live their happily ever afters, were fools, and it was Rumpelstiltskin's job to assure they never got those endings.
It had seemed forever since he had thought of Bae, so great was his powers that his entire mind was absorbed by the darkness, his deep voice now mutated into a shrill, giggling imp's.
Then she came and ruined everything. It seemed that so many of his problems had began to bloom the instance that little princess said the words, "I will go with you."
Rumpelstiltskin was so consumed with magic, that he hadn't even realized what was right in front of him until it was too late. Her bringing up his son, mentioning the clothes he had saved, the small tokens of what could have been, were what set him in motion.
By caring for Belle, not only was he sure to be turned back into that sniveling man, with no hope at all to see his son again, but he would have broken his sworn vow not to care for another being, and well, Rumpelstiltskin would not break any other deals ever again.
After what happened with Belle, things began to clear up for Rumpelstiltskin, his need for revenge and for his son becoming renewed tenfold. He tossed her out, knowing that now there was someone else in this world that cared for him, and he tossed her out just like his son, but he had a job to do, and he couldn't let anything interfere.
He wasn't strong enough, though, to do what he truly needed to do, but he was sure he knew where he could get the power. That's when Sir James had had a certain 'accident' of sorts, a way for Rumpelstiltskin to get the information he needed.
After the trade for the look alike had taken place, Rumpelstiltskin had lost no time in securing the fairy godmother's magic, along with having some fun with a certain servant girl. But now, he had the magic to do what needed to be done.
The curse was simple, a replication of the seed, pinpointing to the exact world his son had went to, the world with no magic.
When he finished the curse, though, Rumpelstiltskin did the one thing he always did. He paused. He realized he wouldn't be able to do it himself, plunge into a world of no magic, the mania inside him would not allow him to go himself. Luckily, he knew just the right person to give it to.
Rumpelstiltskin had been watching Regina with a very wary eye for many years, and was very familiar with her story, along with her dire revenge against Snow White.
While being trapped in the underground prison Cinderella had so 'cleverly' put together, she came to him, demanding some sort of relief of her precious little stepdaughter, along with all of their world.
Regina had fallen for the bait immediately, jumping at the thought of a world where no magic lived, where no one lived happily ever after.
For several months Rumpelstiltskin waited patiently for the smoke to come, for this world to be born into a new one, the one where his son now resided in. Rumpelstiltskin was not even sure how old his son was now, but he would find out soon enough. T
he smoke descended, and then, Fairytale Land was no more.
"You're going to die either way. At least this way, I might get something out of it."
The words hung in Gold's mind as he left the woods, anger burning hotly in his chest.
Who was this man? This wretched being who would impersonate the one thing he thought he had lost forever, to give him some sense of false hope, only to turn on him in the most idiotic of ways.
This August had actually convinced the great Rumpelstiltskin that he might have been him, might have been Bae, and the thought was more than Gold could stand. It was true, that in this domain Gold was the true master, but Regina had been smart.
Preventing anyone from leaving this town, cutting them off from everything and everyone in this world, was truly evil. Of course, Regina didn't know what that little trick had done, not knowing that he had ever had a son, much less what had happened to him.
That ruled out August as being one of Her Majesty's lackeys, but who was he? The question rang through Gold's mind, causing him to grind his teeth in frustration. Oh, how he had wanted to kill that man, wanted to tear him limb from limb until he begged for mercy. He hadn't even felt that bad when French had stolen his cup, and the thought terrified Gold.
Another realization came to Gold as he walked into his home. He slapped his hand against his forehead.
"I told Archie about Bae," Gold said, the thought causing him to let out a laugh, no humor came from the noise though. He had let his guard down, and who knew what price that would come in. If only there was some magic in this world, he could let the simple therapist forget all about it. But this wasn't his world, and he would have to pay the consequences.
Groaning, Gold walked up his stairs, sitting down in a plush velvet chair, the wheels of his mind turning, turning. So many variables came into his mind, such a conflict from this world and the other, a series of possibilities rising and falling like waves on an ocean.
It was nearly midnight when Gold began to form a new plan, a foolish one, but he had to try.
He parked on the small street near Mary Margaret's house, getting out and walking towards it, knowing that his plan was indeed foolish and idiotic, but his emotions were too high right now to listen to reason.
Rapping loudly with his cane, Gold waited until he saw the light under the door, and a bedraggled Emma appeared, gun in her hand. She glared drowsily at Gold, raising the gun in warning.
"Gold, it is the middle of the night. You have better have a good reason for waking me up or I swear I will shoot you right now for trespassing." Gold gave a whimsical smile.
"Well that would be a very hard thing to do, considering this is actually my land I'm trespassing on," he said, the playful smile never leaving his face. Groaning, Emma put the gun down onto her hip, still glowering.
"Five seconds, and I'm closing the door," she said.
"Well then, right to the chase. I say Miss Swan, this is very hostile manner towards someone who is in need of your help." At that, Emma's hand began shutting the door.
"Uh-uh," Gold said playfully, keeping the door open with a firm hand. "It's time to cash in your favor, Miss Swan. I need your help to find someone."
A/N: I couldn't resist adding Emma's little favor into this story. For a while I wasn't going to, but one of my friends convinced me. Now I am one of the many that have thought of a favor for Emma. If you liked this oneshot in particular, tell me and review it. Thanks!