Choices

By: Jecir

Chapter Six: I Dream About You

"That is an excellent question," Evangeline said.

An all too familiar rumbling echoed in the distance.

"And it is a question I will gladly answer," she continued. Evangeline grabbed Henry's hand and flashed him a manic grin. "After we run!" Evangeline pulled Henry onto the main trail and began to run.

The rumbling grew into a roar. Henry looked over his shoulder and groaned. The Wild Magic was consuming the world. It was more powerful now. It moved over the land like a wave crashing over the shore. The raging cloud blocked out the sun and cast the forest into cold shadows.

"Evangeline," Henry warned.

"I got this," the Wishing Star assured him. She began to glow. The silver aura pierced the increasing darkness.

The wave of Wild Magic peaked overhead. Henry watched it with apprehension.

Evangeline's aura surrounded him. "Hold on," she said. Evangeline raised her free hand. A beam of silver light shot forth from her palm, pierced the veil of reality, and opened a door into the next what if. "This is going to be close!"

Evangeline and Henry jumped through the portal moments before the the Wild Magic came crashing down.

They landed on wet stone. Henry pushed himself up on shaking arms and looked around. They were in a dungeon of some kind. The air was musty; the corridors were barely lit; and it was shockingly cold. "Now where are we?" Henry asked.

Evangeline groaned in her effort to sit up. Her movements were sluggish; she swayed a bit and leaned against a nearby wall. "You tell me," she replied distracted.

"We are underground," he concluded swiftly.

"Yes, Henry, we are underground," Evangeline said. Her tone was tight. She visibly winced as she shifted to a more comfortable sitting position. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

"Evangeline?" Henry sat next to her. "Are you ok?"

Evangeline grinned. "I'm a star, Henry," she pointed out. Her voice was shaking. "I don't like being underground." She swallowed hard. "You asked me how you are alive. You are alive because I linked my mind to yours."

"You what?" Henry asked.

"It's true," she said. She forced out each word and had to pause to catch her breath every few moments. "It is how you know what was happening without me telling you. You remember? You knew the Wild Magic was eating the timelines."

Henry's instincts urged him to question, but after all that had happened, he simply sat back and said, "Oh."

"As long as my mind is connected to yours, you will remain in the same reality as me."

"You mean whatever what if's you are in, right?" Henry asked with a smile of his own.

"Yeah," Evangeline hummed. Her head rolled forward, but she stubbornly jerked it back.

Even in the dim torchlight lining the dungeon passage, the Truest Believe could tell that she was not doing well. They would need to leave as soon as they figured out where they were. If there was one thing Henry had learned in the last few hours, it was that he could no longer jump in and ask questions later; this fact was especially true now that they were part of the unfolding events. He would need to figure out which what if they were in and how long they had before the Wild Magics caught up to this point in the timeline. His very understanding of the problem as a whole made Henry to grin. "Seems I can do more than just exist when our minds are connected."

"Hn, figured it out, have you?" Evangeline said with a lazy grin. Her head lulled again; her resistance to its droop was weaker. She opened glassy eyes to look at him. "You should be able to tell what is going on but only to an extent."

"Why is that?" Henry asked.

"I can't have you seeing everything that ever was or ever could be," Evangeline said lethargically. "You've already done enough with what you already know."

Henry decided not to rise to the bait. "Are you going to be ok?"

"Don't worry, Henry, I'm not going to supernova," she reassured him. "I just need to get outside, that's all."

A high-pitched laughed echoed through the hallway. "Outside?" came a familiar voice. "Outside. Outside, downside, my side, your side, Ha!"

Henry froze at the sound; when the words bounced off the walks around him, a silver flash filled his mind.

"Careful, Henry," Evangeline coached from somewhere beyond his focus. "Do not force it. Let the moment play out."

The silver flare faded into a brief scene. He watched—like a memory playing in his mind's eye—a scene from this what if. He saw Regina, young and still partially innocent, standing hesitantly outside of an inn in the dark of night. Her hand hovered over the door's handle and, for a moment, she pulled back. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and whispered, "Help me, Daniel," before pushing the door open and walking into the crowded room. She stood inside the common room; her gaze was locked on a man sitting across the room. His eyes were focused on her as well. She smiled hesitantly. He smiled back and raised his hand to wave her over. There was a lion tattooed on his forearm

The image changed. Regina was walking through the woods with Robin Hood. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by the Dark One. His reptilian eyes narrowed as the couple shared a secret kiss. The image changed, and the story began to unfold. The Dark One was unhappy with his monster for falling in love, thus he tricked her. He led her to believe she would never be free of his mastery unless he was dead. He then began to drop hints about a way to kill him. Once the seeds were planted, he waited and watched as Regina and her thief concocted a plan that led them unwittingly into his trap. The result was Robin's dead body and a renewing of Regina's rage; however, what the Dark One did not suspect was the chance of Regina turning on him. The secret of the what if faded as Evangeline's magic returned Henry to the here and now. Henry blinked a few times and shook his head. Once reality had settled back in around him, he looked down the hall and declared, "I know where we are."

"Keep to the shadows," Evangeline cautioned. Henry nodded and then snuck down the hallway in search of that voice.

The dungeon hallway curved slightly and then opened to reveal a large cell. Henry stopped just short of the opening and crouched in the shadows. His mother was standing there. She was not wearing the harsh black of the dark queen in his storybook. Her dress was a deep blue; fitted and simple yet still commanding. She faced the Dark One in a shadow of his former glory. His hair was matted; his clothes ragged; and his eyes wide and clouded.

Rumplestiltskin crouched at the edge of the shadows of his cell. His large, reptilian eyes were glazed as he stared at his claw-like fingers. He clicked his fingernails together and laughed. "Fallen stars fall so hard they bump their heads and may soon be dead."

Henry swallowed hard at those words. Though Regina simply raised a perfectly curved brow, Henry wondered if the riddle was meant for him. He did not like its implied foreboding.

"What maddened prattle are you spewing now, hm?" she said with a sneer. "I dare say you have truly become dim, Rumple, for I wonder if there is any intelligent light left in your twisted mind."

Rumple turned to his former apprentice. His expression was blank and confused. It was as if he did not recognize her for a moment; then, he shifted to his knees and reached for the prison bars. The iron rails were just out of his reach, yet he strained for them. "Sorrowful lad displaced from realm and time must chose a wish and restore what is...mine?" He cocked his head to the side at that last word. His confusion became profound. He curled into himself and whispered. "What is mine?"

A familiar cruel smile spread across Regina's pale face. "What is yours, indeed?" She waved her hand. Footsteps echoed behind her. Henry wanted to lean forward to see who it was and whether they were coming or going, but he could not risk it. Rumplestiltskin may know he was there, but Regina did not, and in this realm, he was not her son. He could not risk it. He needed to wait for Regina to leave so that he could find a way out.

Regina began to circle the chamber. "You used to think that you had much," she mused. "Ancient artifacts, lives, deals, and all the magic in the world." She paused just outside of Henry's sight. "You even dared to think you had me."

"Had you?" Rumplestiltskin hummed. "Had you. Trained you. Made you. Destroyed you." He giggled. "My monster."

"Monster," Regina hissed. Her tone was dark.

Footsteps echoed off the walls. There were more sets of footsteps this time accompanied by the sound of struggling.

Regina spoke softly to whomever had arrived; they were just beyond Henry's sight; and then she stepped back into view. Her long, confident stride took her to the cell bars. "You are about to see just how much of a monster I can be, Dark One." She glared at the imprisoned imp for a moment. She leaned back a touch and said, "King James and his soldiers were successful in rescuing Princess Emma."

Rumplestiltskin stiffened at her words. His countenance shifted from floating madness to wary animal. He looked up at Regina with eyes that were suddenly much clearer than before.

Regina's dark grin had returned. "They found something interesting while in Neverland, or should I say someone." She waved someone forward.

Two guards came into view dragging a young boy between them.

Henry's eyes widened and the disbelieving whisper of "Dad?" was drowned out by Rumplestiltskin's cry of "Bae!"

Baelfire looked up at his father. His face was hallowed and his hair limp, but his eyes were strong. "Papa!" he said, but the guards gagged him before he could say anymore.

Rumplestiltskin lunged for the bars and reached through them. "Bae!"

Regina slapped his hand. "Nah uh," she chided even as the Dark One glared at her. "None of that. We cannot have you making contact with this dangerous vagabond."

"My son is no vagabond!" Rumplestiltskin hissed.

"Hm, that is what Princess Emma insisted," Regina hummed. She walked over the Baelfire and ruffled his hair. He boy jerks back from her. Regina smiled indulgently at him. "But once I learned who's he was, I knew the truth." She turned back to Rumplestiltskin. "He was a danger to the Princess and the Kingdom, and I, as Royal Adviser and personal friend to the Queen, would be remiss in my duties if I did not warn them. Naturally, Queen Snow, who had suffered greatly while her daughter was in the hands of Pan, was swift to order the boy imprisoned under my guard."

Rumplestiltskin reached through the bars again. His desperation was palatable. "Let him go!" he pleaded. "He is no danger, he is...he is!"

"The one thing you love the most," Regina said with a grin. She knelt in front of Baelfire. "I loved someone once; a good, solid man who treated me as a real person and not some toy to be used. I lost him to a vengeful mother. Then, by Fate's mercy and a meddlesome fairy, I met another who I loved just as much. He was a man willing to fight for me. I lost him as well." She sent a glare over her shoulder. "I lost him to you."

Rumplestiltskin had the decency to glance away, but he looked back up at his son a moment later. Henry had never seen such fear in any man's eyes as he did in his grandfather's. "Regina, please," he begged.

"Twice I have lost the one I loved most," Regina said swiftly. She would not heed his pleas. "But you," she continued as she turned her gaze back to Baelfire. "You have only lost him once, and that, I dare say, is not very fair."

"Regina," Rumple cautioned.

"All magic comes with a price," Regina said. She ran a hand through Baelfire's hair. "And all deals must be fair!" She grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced his head back. "I have suffered twice; now it is your turn."

"Regina!"

Rumplestiltskin's cry fell on deaf ears. Regina raised her hand and, with only hatred in her eyes, plunged it into Baelfire's chest. The boy stiffened; tears pooled in his widening eyes. Regina ripped her hand free. Clasped in her fingers was a bright red, glowing crystal heart. She gazed at it in fascination and turned slowly so that her captive mentor could see it as well. The world slowed down around them. Henry watched the scene unfolding before him with horror. His grandfather was screaming and straining against the bars; Regina was watching him with growing delight as her fingers squeezed the pulsing heart. It shattered in her hand. Baelfire fell forward, dead, even as his father wailed in disbelief.

Time sped up.

Regina let the dust fall from her hands. "Now, we are even," she declared.

Rumplestiltskin screamed curses at her, but the once queen had none of it. She turned her back on him. Only then did she look at the boy hanging limply in the guards' grip. The hot anger that had been fueling her moments before was cooled, and she was faced with the reality of what she had done. Guilt flashed across her face. She diverted her eyes and ordered the guards to drop the body. The cursing had dissolved into incoherent ramblings panted out between heavy sobbing. Regina tried to keep her cool exterior, but Henry could see it in her eyes. She was realizing that her revenge had not satisfied; it had only driven her pain deeper; and now, she would have the Dark One's hatred for the remainder of her life. She made a swift exit; her guards flanking her and leaving the body behind.

A heavy silence fell over the chamber. Henry could scarcely believe what had just happened. His mother had killed his father. This was a world where he would never be born. It was a difficult truth to swallow. Slowly, he stood from his hiding place. His father's body was all he could see; his grandfather's sobs all he could hear. He felt strangely ethereal walking into the chamber; knowing that he had witnessed an end to his existence and yet still being alive to see it. His very soul went numb at the thought.

He crossed the chamber and knelt next to his father. Baelfire was face down; dropped and left like a forgotten sack. Henry hated that; his father did not deserve this. He grabbed hold of his father's ragged clothes and rolled him over. Brown eyes—empty and glazed—greeted him. Henry closed them. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He straightened his father's legs and then crossed his arms over his chest. "It seems, no matter what I do or what world I'm in, you always die." He sat back on his ankles and sighed heavily.

"Is that true?"

Henry had not noticed the Dark One's sudden silence nor felt his piercing eyes watching him. He did not turn to face the imp; he couldn't. A guilt he never confessed to feeling settled over his heart and mind.

"Does he always..." He could not say the word.

No, Henry wanted to say, but the word stuck in his throat.

"Who are you?" Rumplestiltskin asked.

"A sorrowful child," Henry answered. "Displaced from realm and time."

"Mad prattle to graze the surface of truth," Rumplestiltskin replied. Grief had granted him clarity even if madness threatened to take him again. "Tell me, lad, what is your name?"

Henry barked a laugh. "I'm not dumb enough to give you my name." He turned, then, to finally face the captive sorcerer. "I may be displaced, but I know that."

Rumplestiltskin was not listening. His eyes had rounded once he truly saw the mysterious lad. "Baelfire?" he breathed out with heart-wrenching hope.

Henry glanced down at his father's corpse. The penny dropped. Now that he was older, he was beginning to look like his face.

"No," Rumplestiltskin continued with a violent shake of his head. "Dead. Bae is dead. Taken. Killed!" He slammed his hands against the bars. The clouds were converging in his eyes.

"Killed" pierced through Henry's heart. It was true. His father was dead. Not just in his reality but in many realities; it seemed that Fate brought death upon his father in many worlds—more than when he lived. The Wild Magic had shown him as much, and his joint-consciousness proved it to be true. When he had started this trip with Evangeline, he had hoped that he could fix everything; surely his wish would have been for everyone to live. Now, as he stood facing another moment where his father was taken away from him, he felt the first twinges of fear creep into his resolve. What if, no matter what he wished, he would return to a world where his family was broken?

Something rumbled in the distant reaches of his awareness. It was an early warning sign. The Wild Magics had caught up to this timeline. He had some time left. He needed to get Evangeline up into the open air if she was going to be strong enough to get them to the new what if.

"Killed. Gone. Taken. Every realm!" Rumplestiltskin was sitting against the bars in a tight curl. He repeated those words and beat his head against the bars with each repetition.

"Can you help me?" Henry asked.

Rumplestiltskin ignored him and began a new cycle of his mantra.

Henry took a deep breath to steal his nerves. He had read about his grandfather's time in prison; experiencing it was an entirely different matter. He stood, dusted off his pants, and cautiously approached the bars. Rumplestiltskin watched him warily.

"Please?" Henry asked again. "You know who I am. You know I don't belong here. Time is running out. I need to leave. Can you help me?"

Rumplestiltskin turned away and buried his head in his arms. "Killed. Gone. Taken." His voice broke.

Henry reached the bars and knelt down. His grandfather was slipping away. It hurt to watch. Henry had not had a chance to get to know his grandfather. Mr. Gold had been distant ever since Zelena. Even before then, he and his grandfather had not been close. Henry was torn as he watched the creature in the cage. Rumplestiltskin's happiness was always his son; Henry's happiness had been his family. It seemed sorrow was their sole binding point. Without Baelfire, why would his grandfather care?

An idea crept into Henry's mind.

It was risky, and it caused violent ripples in his joint consciousness. What it did not cause, though, was resistance. It was a wild plan; it would affect all realms; but it was not forbidden. That was all Henry needed.

"Please," he spoke again. "Grandfather."

Rumplestiltskin stiffened.

"I am the son of Princess Emma and Baelfire," he continued.

Rumplestiltskin looked up at him. The madness was slowly clearing.

Henry looked directly into his grandfather's eyes and said, "My name is Henry, and I need your help."

AN: I have no excuses for the delay in posting. I am happy to announce that I have mapped out how this story will end (the ending has changed three times at this point) and will hopefully update sooner now that I know how many chapters are left. To anyone who is disappointed in my portrayal of Regina in this chapter, I am sorry if I have offended your expectations for her character. I had not planned for this what if to happen like this, but the story has taken a new exciting direction that required this to happen. You will understand soon. As always, reviews are love. Let me know you are out there.

Warm Regards!

Jecir