Chapter One - Aftermath

Zelena opened her eyes and smiled at the chipped and peeling ceiling of her cell. It had only been a matter of time... she got up and stood in front of the door as a key was hurt scraping in the lock. The door sings open to reveal Lily standing on the other side

"I trust you had no trouble getting in?" she asked.

"None at all." Lily confirmed, "It seems the nurses around here get a little disloyal to your dear sister once a dragon appears."

"Well you can hardly blame them." said Zelena, "I doubt Regina offers much in the way of incentives."

"Her accommodations certainly leave a lot to be desired."

Zelena rolls her eyes when she sees former Author Isaac Heller standing behind Lily, "What are YOU doing here?"

"The same thing you." he replied, "Plotting my revenge on the heroes."

"What do you need us for then?" Zelena asked, "Can't you just write your way out of this mess... 'Author'."

"I'm not the author anymore. The job has moved on to a more 'worthy' candidate."

"Then I don't see how..."

"How a human, a dragon and a wicked witch can win?" Isaac asked.

"She isn't a witch at the moment." Lily informed him, "Regina put a magic cuff on her wrist that keeps her from using any magic."

Zelena grimaced, "And only Regina can remove it."

"Maybe." Isaac said, "But I'm willing to bet that Rumplestilkskin could do it."

"Rumplestiltskin?" Zelena scoffed, "He's currently at death door; if he's not dead already... or hadn't you heard?"

"Oh he's still alive." Isaac said.

"How do you know?" Zelena asked.

"I know, because if Rumplestiltskin was dead than this town would be a smoking ruin by now. You may not know this but once Rumple dies The Dark One will be released..."

"Is that bad?" Lily asked.

"If you don't mind watching the whole world burn, it's not that bad I suppose..."

"So that's why you were helping him." Zelena realized. "I figured he offered you something precious or something that was very very naughty..."

"What did you think I helped Gold out of the goodness of my heart?" he sneered, "I did it to save my own ass. Which I might add is still on the line unless we can get to Gold pronto."

"Look guys," Lily interrupted, "the last time I saw the 'heroes' they were flocking towards Gold's pawnshop. Something about him dying..."

"Then we may not have much time..." Isaac said, "We need to get to Gold before he dies and unleashes the Dark One all over town."

Zelena raised her arm and tapped the magic canceling cuff.

"Yeah yeah..." he paused as a wicked thought occurred to him, "You know of course that the only way to save our collective asses is to make sure that Dark Curse doesn't get into the hands of those," he sneered, "Heroes."

"How the hell can we do that?" Lily asked.

The former author smiled at Zelena, who smiled back, "Tell me darling," she said after a brief pause, "Do you happen to know where old Rumple kept that stunning little knife of his?"

00000

In Gold's pawnshop Belle sits a tearful vigil over her unconscious husband, annoyed that no one had bothered to carry him to a couch or a bed and simply left him lying on the floor, when she heard a low moan coming from The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Belle rushed to his side, surprised to find him still breathing when everyone had seemed so sure he was gone.

"The darkness..." he moaned while feebly trying to rise from Rumple's couch.

Quickly Belle poured a glass of water from the tap in the back of the shop and put the cool glass to The Apprentice's blue lips.

The Apprentice took a few pathetic swallows and lay back down. The effort clearly draining whatever strength he had left. "The darkness..." he began again.

"It's gone." Belle told him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Gone? How?"

"After it kil... 'er left you, it tried to take Regina, but Emma voluntarily took the curse on in her place." The look of absolute horror on his face caused Belle to add, "She probably thought Regina with the dark curse would be too powerful to stop. All that dark magic piling one upon the other..." she babbled.

The Apprentice groaned, "No no, this is the worst possible thing that could've happened!"

"Well I know it's not exactly nice, but at least..."

"No! You don't understand. Regina's soul has already tasted darkness, there are few who have tasted more, but she at least knows how to fight it. Emma Swan has no true darkness in her. Her parents made me remove it before she was even born. She has no immunity to evil at all!" His strength spent, The Apprentice collapsed back on to the cushions.

Belle placed her ear to his chest to check that he was still breathing. He was, but quickly, and shallowly. She returned to her husband's side. "Oh, Rumple!" she said, running her hand across his whiskered cheek. Still soft and prickly under the protection spell, "I don't know what to do. How can I help Emma fight the darkness, when I couldn't even help you..."

Suddenly the bell over Gold's door chimes harshly as the door is opened and slammed shut fast. Lily, Isaac and Zelena enter Gold's shop.

"Damn it." Lily said looking at Gold laid out on the floor. "We're too late."

"Honey, I told you, if we were too late we'd know it." the former author reminded her, "Shove over toots." he said, rudely pushing Belle out of the way. He knelt beside Rumple and tried to take his pulse. "He's still alive." he said "But judging by the look of him just barely."

Zelena leaned over him old teacher and sniffed, "Ugh, he's human again, bother." she said crossing pettishly back towards the back of the shop slamming through cupboards looking for any stray magic she could find laying about the place.

"You can smell magic?" Lily asks, the admiration showing in her voice.

"I'm a pregnant witch dear. I can do anything."

"Except magic of course." Isaac quipped.

"Just you wait until I get my cuff off sunshine."

"Which is going to be a bit of a problem," Isaac reminded them, "Since 'The Dark One' here isn't dark anymore." He turned to Belle, "Hey you, Gold trusted you, right? Do you happen to know how to remove the magic cuff Regina put on Zelena?"

"Why on Earth do you think I would help you?!" Belle shouted from behind the pawn shop's counter where she'd spent the last two minutes frantically texting for help.

Isaac shrugged and looked at his companions, "I got this." he said, quickly scanning the pawn shop for deadly objects, he settled on a nice sharp sword, which ironically Belle herself had polished only last week. Weapon in hand, he crossed the shop and placed the tip of the sword against the chest of the cowering Belle.

Belle trembled with fear, but managed enough anger to sneer at him and at his fiends, "Peter Pan made that cuff. Even Rumple couldn't get out of it. So as far as I can see the only way you're going to get rid of that cuff is by cutting off the arm it's attached too."

Isaac paused momentarily to think about it, and then he said, "Ok." and he spun around and and turned his sword on his ally, slicing off Zelena's arm off just below the elbow. Zelena screamed in agony as her arm and the magic canceling cuff hit the pawn shop floor with a dull thud.

"Was that really necessary?!" she hissed through gritted teeth as her restored magic made quick work of re-growing her arm.

"Stop whining. You're none the worse for wear." he said, turning back to face Belle, "Now what do you say you try out your magic on Rumple's dame here. I bet she'd make an adorably squash-able mouse."

"With pleasure." said Zelena raising her restored arm about to strike, when she had a much better idea. Smiling wickedly at Belle the witch knelt down beside the prone form of Rumplestiltskin, "What say we wake our dear Rumple up and see what HE thinks I should do with you..."

"No!" Belle screamed, trying to free herself from Isaac and Lily and get to Rumple, "He's under a protection spell. Breaking it could kill him!"

"Oh, dear, wouldn't that be a shame." said Zelena as she put out her hands and began wrapping Rumple in a green mist. She struggled to break through the Apprentice's protective barrier spell, her face tensed into frown before suddenly brightening in triumph as the magic both green and white disappeared in a puff of grey smoke.

Rumple groaned weakly, his eyelids fluttering briefly until slowly he opened his eyes...