Next chapter. I need a life boat, my ship is taking on water! PS- One of my favorite titles lol
Storybrooke of the Past
She had been keeping it a secret that she had been feeling a bit hazy for a few days. Feeling dizzy and all, and her appetite had suddenly lessened. Only due to the fact that her head did not fully agree with her stomach. She did not wish to worry anyone either, and she figured that things would get better as the days passed. Yet, it all seemed to stay the same. It frightened her a bit, but nothing she didn't feel she could handle on her own. Though, she had to admit that she grew rather concerned when she couldn't even force herself to take in any of her iced tea.
"You feeling okay?" Ruby couldn't help, but to ask. Belle looked up from her book and shook her head. "Just a bit under the weather, I guess," she replied. Ruby shrugged. "Did you think about telling anyone who may be able to help?" Belle shook her head and waved it off. "Oh, it's really nothing that serious," she said.
"Nothing that serious?" a familiar voice called. Belle turned towards an old friend who brought the warmest of smiles to her own. That red hair and blue eyes could be spotted from a mile away. "Ariel," Belle chimed as the red head took a set beside her. "Welcome back," Ruby smiled to the mermaid now on legs. "What can I get you?" Ariel smirked and thought about it briefly. "Uh, anything that is not seafood would be fine," she replied and Ruby nodded. "Got it." With that she wandered away to the back, leaving the two women to speak.
"So, what's not that serious?" Ariel questioned. Belle looked back down and shook her head. "Oh, I have just not being feeling that well is all," she admitted and Ariel looked to her friend in concern. "Should I be concerned? Shouldn't we tell someone?" Belle went back to looking at her book, reading over a few words on the page. "I don't think so," she muttered. Ariel switched her vision to the words Belle had reread. Some terms that the mermaid has never read before. A few scribbles and scrabbles marked together to form words that made no sense to her. "So, what do those long words mean?" Ariel asked and Belle chuckled. "Medical terms for what may be wrong with me. The common cold. The flu. It maybe something as simple as that. Probably is something as simple as that," Belle responded.
Ruby came back, placing a tall glass of some bubbly liquid that bursted once it reached the surface. Dark brown, the strangest sight Ariel had ever seen. "What is that?" she asked and Ruby stuck a straw into the glass as she answered. "It's called coke. I think you'll like it." Ariel brought it close to her, taking in a sip as she let the flavor over take her tastebuds, allowing her a great sense of joy in something as small as trying something new. Her eyes bursted with awe. "Oh wow," she sung, making both Belle and Ruby giggle. "Exactly how I felt when Ruby gave me my first iced tea," Belle added and Ariel took in more of the great drink she had just discovered.
"So, Ariel, haven't seen you in a while, where have you been?" Ruby questioned as Belle felt her senses become a bit uncertain. "Oh, well, mermaids can cross between realms. I came back to visit. Eric had to stay behind. Lot of issues going on in the kingdom, but nothing to be concerned about. And, if possible, I wanted to invite Belle to my wedding," she explained, looking to the brunette with the blue eyes. She reached into the purse she carried and pulled out a rather damp, but still good, invitation card. "That is, if she can make it."
Belle let a grin be sketched onto her face as she went to reach out for the invitation, but suddenly grew even more blurry and on edge. The feeling was sickening and her insides twisted. "I'm sorry, I need..." she trailed off. "I have suddenly grown a bit little headed." And right after, Belle found her eyes closing and her body unable to stay up any longer. She collapsed.
Fairytale Land of the Present
She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting in that washroom. Twenty minutes? An hour? It was unknown to her and she wasn't even curious about whether or not people were all too concerned about her. She still clutched the storybook and rocked herself back and forth. She wasn't even sure if she had changed back or not. If she was still in her Dark One form or had switched back to her normal self. She didn't pay any notice to it, and to be quite honest, she was no longer able to tell the difference. She thought not about it any longer, didn't care. Maybe this would prevent the whole marriage thing from taking place. Seeing her like this... who would want to be with her?
A sudden knock on the door had no impact on her, caused no feelings to make her change her position sitting on the floor. "Lucinda," her mother's voice called. "Lucinda, please, open the door." Still, she did not move from her position on the floor. She just clutched the storybook tighter and shook her head.
"No," Lucinda muttered as she brought her knees to her chest, sitting against the wall.
"Lucinda, please open the door. Come on, Lucinda." Still, she sat in her own state of being unaware and unsure about herself.
"Lucinda, you know I can get your father to open this door," Belle warned, and Lucinda came to terms with reality at that. She picked herself up and walked towards the door, preparing to open the barrier or keep herself locked in here for a while longer. "Lucinda, last chance. Please, don't make me get your father." She took a deep breath, deciding it was best for her to just give in, open the door and let her mother know all that was going through her head. She let her large inhale be released as the lock on the door hinged, allowing her mother entrance.
Belle peeked into the room in horror, taking note of the torn up dress that rested on the floor, the shredded corset, kicked off heels and various hair pins as well. "Lucinda, are you alright?" she asked, scurrying into the room and taking her daughter's face in her hands. Her daughter's eyes failed to meet her's, however, in her desperate attempt at speaking to Lucinda truthfully and to the extent it should always be spoken in; not ignoring the fact that Lucinda was who she was. What she was.
"I don't know," Lucinda began. "I honestly don't know." Belle examined her daughter from head to toe, looking for any sign of harm to her pale skin. Any sign of her harming herself, damaging herself like she had done so not too long ago. But no blood peeked through her fair skin, no scars appeared on her arms, nothing seemed to have corrupted her daughter as it has done before.
"Lucinda, what's bothering?" Belle questioned. "Please, tell me what's wrong." Lucinda shook her head and turned away from her mother, shrugging Belle's gentle hands off of her shoulders and walking past her mother, blindly into the halls, bare foot and still clutching the book tightly to her chest. "I am not sure," she muttered as she walked and Belle chased after her. "I am not sure."
"Lucinda, talk to me. What are you not sure about? Maybe I can help," Belle suggested, but Lucinda shook her head, not even daring to look back at her mother. She seemed to have lost herself in that moment. Like she had no clear thoughts within her head. Blocked by clouds of uncertainty and nerves. "You can't help me. You can't help me," Lucinda kept mumbling. She kept walking, leaving her mother to follow her, but Belle was growing tired of just chasing after her daughter.
She grabbed ahold of her daughter's arm and pulled her towards her. "Lucinda, look at me!" she ordered. "You're not making any sense. You need to let me in," she nearly begged. Lucinda was quick to rebuff it, though. She grew enraged and confused, but most of all... lonely. Why did people not understand her and all she was dealing with? She knew they were trying. Her mother. Her father. But trying and accomplishing were two completely different things.
"Why don't you let me in?" she screamed at her mother. "You did this! You and father! Why didn't you tell me? Tell me everything! You lied to me the entire time!" Belle was taken a bit back by it. Emotionally, that is. She still gripped Lucinda tightly, still held her close, waiting for her to speak about why she was still so angered by what was taking control of her and her judgement. "Lucinda, what are you talking about?" Belle continued to question, and her daughter's strength exceeded past her own, allowing Lucinda to pull away and be free. She was changing again.
"Everything was a lie! You and father were a lie!" she continued to shout as her nails grew inches longer than they already were, turning into a shimmery green and black color. Her hair, now free and wild became knotty and ratty. Her skin, scaly and gray.
She removed the storybook from her chest and flipped open to one of the many pages in the book. She then began to read the lines of several pages out loud to her mother in her still overly flustered voice.
"And the deal was struck between Rumplestiltskin and Belle, for the golden princess was lead away by the Dark One into her unknown fate."
Belle began to shiver as Lucinda flipped to another page.
"In the dungeon is where he stored her, frozen and damp where none of her cries could be heard."
And to the next page as Belle shut her eyes.
"Night after night, Belle wept for her loved ones, lost by her brave decision to be taken captive to someone as evil and vicious as the Dark One."
And the next page.
"Lucinda, stop," Belle seemed to plead, but her daughter did the exact opposite.
"'You will watch him die!' Rumplestiltskin shouted at the frightened Belle, who felt she was only doing right by the man, releasing him into the forest, thief or not."
"Lucinda, it's out of context," Belle stated, but the little half Dark One just flipped to the next page.
"He raged in his castle, screaming at her to shut up! Infuriated at the fact that she was playing him as though he was some sort of instrument of strings, being performed in a violin symphony based upon his sorrowful and loveless life! He grabbed ahold of her arm fiercely as she continued to plead with him! To convince him of the truth!"
"Lucinda, let me explain."
"On and on she went about it being true love! And on and on he went with the words, 'Shut the hell up!' Dragging her down deep into the same dungeons she had been locked in before! Throwing her back into her cell, slamming the door shut, and plummeting her into darkness as she awaited for the unknown! She sat there in that prison cell for the Dark One only knows how many days, for she had lost count long ago, contemplating on what he might do to her when he should venture down the dungeon steps! Kill her? Enslave her to a worser fate? Or would he simply let her die down there? Rotting away in her own shed of tears and decaying spirits, truly becoming one with the dust!"
"You don't understand," her mother said, but Lucinda was ready to flip to the next page had it not have been for Belle grabbing the book and forcing it shut. "Lucinda, your father told you to come to us if you had any questions. This would have been an excellent time to come and share your concerns, or possibly before this day. Why did you wait so long?"
"Why didn't you tell me that you never really loved father? That this whole time, you were just afraid of him!" Lucinda shouted on the top of her lungs.
"Lucinda, you read the page yourself. I love your father very much, that's why his curse was breaking."
"Yet, it didn't continue to do so afterwards?" Lucinda mocked and Belle took in a sharp breath.
"I don't know how magic works, Lucinda. I do not wield it, but the curse your father has been under, he has been under for years. It is not easily broken and the only time it has been for any other Dark One in the past is by them dying at the hand of another," Belle explained.
"And I'm just going to take a wild guess that father was the first Dark One to ever decide to have a child while he was still cursed? What was he thinking?" Lucinda exclaimed as she began to pace back and forth in her bare feet, making an echo slap against the tiles.
"He was thinking that someone finally loved him again, and I did. And when two people are in love a child just so happens to be the product of it sometimes. It happens to so many people and our family together should not have to be put on hold because he was cursed."
"So, you basically said screw the child and what horrors they may have to face? Let's just do what we want when we want to?"
"To be honest, I did not expect to get pregnant with you as soon as I did, but Lucinda, it happens. Sometimes things just happen. Things we cannot explain. Cannot really take step by step."
"So, I was an accident?" she came to realize and ceased in her pacing.
"I never said that."
"Maybe not straight forward, but you said it yourself, Mother. You never planned on having me. I just appeared one day on a sonogram picture, didn't I?"
"Why do you twist my words?"
"I was an accident, wasn't I?"
"Lucinda-"
"Wasn't I?!"
"Were you planned? No. You were not. That much I'll admit." Tears pricked at Lucinda's soiled green eyes as the truth finally came out. "But does that mean I did not want you? Absolutely not. The minute I discovered that I had you, that you were with me, I loved you. From the very beginning I loved you and saw you as nothing more, but a blessing."
"A blessing?" Lucinda pressed. "A blessing from the man who threw you into a dungeon? Who mocked you for your kindness? Ripped you away from your family? Your home? Everything?"
"Yes, he did all of those things, but I am glad that he did. Your father has changed and I will never forget what he did to me while I was forced to stay in his castle, but you fail to miss some very vital parts in our story, Lucinda. Some very important parts indeed. The fact that we fell in love with each other, for a start. I love your father, Lucinda. I will always love you're father. You have to believe that."
"I'm not sure I can ever believe a single word you or Father ever say to me, because so far everything you ever said to me has been a lie."
"You know that's not true."
"No! That is the most honest thing that has ever come out."
"Lucinda, please."
"I wonder if you named me Lucinda because you wanted to or if it was simply because the hospital wouldn't let you name me 'oops.'"
"Lucinda-"
"No! I'm done!"
With that, Lucinda lifted her hand and flashed herself away in a cloud of red smoke like her father has done on so many occasions, disappearing into an abyss that Belle could not follow. The distraught mother looked to the book her daughter had so desperately tried to understand. This vile author has ruined everything. The way the words were written, as if Rumplestiltskin had no soul at all. Like everything he did was just to be cruel, not because he was on a mission to find his son. She reread her story, reread their first kiss and how amazing, yet bloody awful the whole experience was. A single silver tear fell from Belle'e eye as she tried to decipher when it was she turned out to be a horrible mother. No time to waist, though. Her daughter was in the middle of a crisis, and if she couldn't save Lucinda, she knew of someone who could. The same person who everyone went to during a time of crisis.
She shut the storybook and ran to her chambers, knowing very well her husband would be there, spinning away.
Storybrooke of the Past
She wasn't sure where she was when she woke up, and her head was still pounding when she did. Her blue eyes blinked open several times as she found herself laying back in a hospital bed. The hospital again? It seemed as though she belonged here with how many times she had been in it. She brought her hand to her head as the feeling of immense pain came upon her while she tried to sit up straight.
"Best to not be doing that," she heard Ruby's voice say as her gentle hands lowered Belle back down on the bed. "I called Gold. He is on his way over here right now," Emma added. Wait, Emma? "I didn't know the sherif would be here," Belle teased as she looked over to the blonde. "I just so happened to be walking in when you collapsed. I'm the one who drove you here. Ariel and Ruby insisted on coming, though. Called Gold as soon as you got here." Belle nodded, but the familiar pain returned. "Does anyone know what happened?" she questioned as she continued to rub her head and Ariel reached over, grabbing a cup of water to give to her friend who took it happily.
"Whale says you fainted," Emma continued. "But he has no idea why, just yet. Going through the list of possible reasons. Blood pressure drop, hunger, emotional distress..."
"My emotions are intact, Emma," Belle smiled and took a sip of the water. "But I do appreciate the concern." Emma bowed her head and looked to her cell phone after it gave off a little ring. "Sorry guys, something came up. I have to go, but let me how you're feeling later, alright?" Belle nodded her head. "Alright. Thank you for everything Emma." The blond smiled before letting out a little "sure" and left.
"So, what do you think it is?" Ariel asked and Ruby looked to the mermaid in shock. "Something for the doctor to diagnose," she replied. "Is it the first time you fainted ever?" Ruby questioned and Belle thought about it for a moment. "I can't recall fainting ever before this. I mean, this is the first time I ever remember it happening." Ruby twisted her lips as Ariel became puzzled as well.
"Well, Whale said he would have more answers than questions soon and I'm sure you want to be alone with your husband once he comes, so I guess Ariel and I better be going," Ruby suggested and the red head looked to her confusingly. "But I just got here..." she trailed off as Ruby just gave her a certain look and the mermaid caught on. "Oh, right. Okay. Hope you feel better, Belle," she said as she began to follow Ruby out. Belle nodded at that, watching her friends leave, and shortly after, Dr. Whale appeared.
"Hey, Belle. Glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" he asked, seeming truly concerned. "Alright, I guess, but my head still hurts." Whale sighed with, what appeared to be, relief. "That's normal. When you collapsed you hit your head pretty hard, but nothing was damaged, thank goodness. Everything seems to be just fine."
"But you have no idea why I fainted?"
He shook his head. "I'm sorry. So far, I crossed out all my theories. However, there is one more test I would like to run before I say there is no possible conclusion. It is a rather painless test and we should have the results in a matter of minutes," he explained. Belle breathed easy at that. "Test away, then, Dr. Whale," she agreed.
Fairytale Land of the Present
In her room once again, and Lucinda slammed the door shut behind her and locked it. Preventing anyone from entering, she rushed over to her mirror and reexamined herself once more. Sure enough, she appeared to be like her father once again. That's when the thought occurred to her, her father had magic and she was sure that she had the same. She could cast her own protection spell upon the room, and so she decided to give it a try.
She turned to her bedroom door and and threw her hands up in the air, attempting to cast a simple spell before anyone should enter. "Come on!" she screamed as she grew frustrated when she saw her magic was not working. No shimmer glowed when she moved her hands over the door, nothing appeared to happen and she remembered that she was being way too mental when it came to this. She was thinking too much about it, not feeling it. Not feeling the emotion that was running within her. She needed to feel her anger and her depression. Her frustration in trying to understand everything. Her magic flashed from her fingertips as the spell under took her bedroom door, making it impossible for any person, even her father, to enter. She had locked herself away and not even she knew when she would venture out.
She wished to be alone in her sorrows as she turned back to the mirror, grabbing the edges of it with two hands. "Why?" she screamed at her reflection. "Why do you look like this?" she pleaded for the answer. "Why were you even born?" she muttered as she slumped to her knees. "I don't want to be like this. I don't want to be dark," she explained to herself, hoping it would have a lasting impact on her, but even she could not convince herself of such a thing. Her own father didn't even believe in himself. Didn't believe he could change. What made her think, what made anyone think, that she stood a chance? Not even Lucinda herself believed it.
She rested her forehead on the glass, letting the tears stream from her eyes. She wasn't even sure why she was crying. Wasn't even sure if her being her was by fate's design or by something much worse than that. A blessing or a curse; she had no idea which one she was and to be honest, she didn't want to know. A blessing sounded like a lie, a curse was too much of a painful truth. Alls she did know was she wanted to weep, and so in that position...she wept.
"Your fallen tears have called to me, sweet Lucinda," a soft voice said, making Lucinda's pain sting even more. "Go away, mom!" she screamed, but she remembered, the protection spell. Impossible. Belle couldn't be inside her room. Then...who was? "Oh, sweet pea, I am not your mother, but I am close to it."
As quick as lightening, Lucinda turned herself on the floor to face the being behind her, letting her magic spark from her finger tips, going to hit whoever or whatever lingered on in her room. But her magic was deflected by another force, swatting her gold flash aside as though it was an annoying nat that was flying too close to the ear.
"Oh, really, Lucinda, that is no way to treat your fairy godmother," the woman spoke. A rather beautiful woman as such. Flowing blond hair, big green eyes, hourglass figure. She was dressed in a sparkling green gown that fitted her body well, complemented her curves, and slightly trailed behind her. Her tall heels clanked against the floor, making a slight echo as she walked. Her face was flawless and she held a small, silver stick in her hand. A wand, it had to be.
"I don't have a fairy godmother," Lucinda said as she kept her hands at the ready, her eyes drying. "Did your parent's tell you that?" she questioned as she continued to walk about the room with ease, all while smiling. "Yes, they have a nasty habit of lying to you, don't they?" Lucinda shook her head, still keeping a steady hold on aiming her palms at this being. "My parents didn't mention any fairy godmother and I have never seen you before. Why would you come to me now?" Lucinda asked. The woman smiled wider and trailed the room. "I am summoned by fallen tears," she explained.
"This wouldn't be the first time I cried," Lucinda rebuffed.
"No, I suppose it wouldn't. However, this is the first time you have cried with immense purpose. Something more than just being startled by your father, or arguing with your mother, ruining your family member's celebration. No, these tears were very special, Lucinda. These tears were formed by the sorrows of your life. Your parents' constant lies, your very existence being an accident, and the fact that you possess your father's dark magic. Yes, it can all be very traumatic and heart breaking. Only the most desperate of souls are granted a fairy godmother. You just so happen to be one of them."
"All that may be true, but what isn't is you being a fairy. You don't have wings," Lucinda commented and that made the smirk on the woman's face to fall, her ceasing in her steps. "A terrible accident that made me lose my precious possessions. However, that is no matter. I still continue to hold many mystic powers all with my wand," she responded, flashing the stick she held in her hands.
"Pretty sure my magic is a bit stronger than yours, so if you don't leave the same way you came in, we are going to have to test my little theory and I promise you...I will hold nothing back," Lucinda warned.
"There is your father's pride lingering on within you, Lucinda. You hold that dear, I can see it. You over estimate yourself. You only have half of the Dark One's powers, and possessing only half of dark magic makes you weak. You see, I hold light magic and light magic, even when going against the Dark One himself, will always win because it is simply stronger than any form of dark magic that has ever existed. Even your father's."
"I don't believe that."
"You tend to not believe a lot of things."
"Well then, why weren't you in the book if you are all so powerful?"
The woman looked to Lucinda in confusion. "The book?"
"Yes, the storybook. Why weren't you in it?"
"I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about."
"The storybook that has ever single living creature in its pages. That storybook. I read it. Why aren't you in it?"
"Did you get to the very end?"
"Well...no, I haven't."
"Well, then, I guess you haven't gotten up to the part about me just yet. I assure you, I am in the book. I helped your mother when she was small. I was her fairy godmother. My name is Gretchen and I am here to help you through the most troubled of times. Your arranged marriage. Your powers. If your parents' love is real or not to begin with. I can show you all the answers that you wish to know. That is my great power. That is my gift to you."
"Why would you help me?" Lucinda asked as she lowered her hands.
"Because that is my job. I am to help you. That is the purpose of a fairy godmother, sweet child. That is my purpose. I want to give you... your happily ever after."
Lucinda sat on the floor, contemplating with it for a mere moment. Was this the best option or was there another? She turned to the mirror once again and looked to her reflection. Still a beast. She turned back to Gretchen and nodded. "What can you do, godmother?"
Storybrooke of the Past
"So you have no idea what happened?" Gold asked as he sat beside his Belle while she rested in the hospital. "Not a clue. All I remember is sitting at the counter and then, just waking up here."
"And you haven't touched anything? Ate anything?" He was leading and she could sense that. "I doubt anyone would try to hurt me," she assured. "Well," he began as he took ahold of her hand. "Look who you're married to." She giggled as she wrapped her fingers around his. "Believe me, I knew the risk when I took it. Maybe not to the full extent, but I knew I was going to face many foes when I married you, and I also knew that you were going to protect me just as you always have." He smiled down at her sincerely, bringing his lips to hers. "Of course," he whispered.
In that moment, Dr. Whale returned with a file in his hands, looking to Belle and Mr. Gold with a hint of fear on his face, but somewhat joy as well. "Well, Belle, I ran the test like I said I would..." he trailed off, causing Gold to face him. "Is it something serious?" he asked Whale who appeared as though he was slightly confused on how to answer that question. "Well, yes and no," was the best he came up with. "I mean, it is not life threatening. Well, most of the time it isn't. And it is life changing, but most likely in a good way-"
"Get to the point, Whale," Gold insisted and the doctor stopped his rambling, looking to the files he held in his hand. "I'm afraid, Mr. Gold, I am going to have to ask you to leave the room before I say anything to you," was the next sentence out of his mouth. "What?" Gold tempted and Belle's nerves nearly exploded. "Nothing against you. It is just a matter of patient doctor confidentiality."
"I'm her husband," Gold argued.
"Yes, but Belle is more than old enough to not need someone beside her to make medical decisions. I'm sorry, but I need to confront her before I say anything to any separate party. It's just how things are."
Before Gold could say another word, Belle gripped his hand tighter and used her voice to soothe him. "Rumple," she spoke up in that oh so enchanting way. His brown eyes shifted to her blue ones and he was stuck again. "I can handle it. It's okay. I'll tell you what it is as soon as I know. I promise." He took his wife's words to heart, looking to the doctor and then back to his wife. He took in a deep breath before giving a slight sigh. "I'll be right outside the door," he said before placing a gentle kiss on her lips and getting up. She knew he gave Whale a threatening glance before stepping outside and it fazed him, slightly, but Belle did her best to ignore it.
"So... um, Dr. Whale, you know what's wrong with me?" she asked and he approached her cautiously. "Well, Belle, there is nothing wrong with you. You are perfectly healthy. You just have what I suspected you had."
"And that is..."
"A parasite, Belle. You have a parasite. Which is okay."
"Okay?" she asked a bit annoyed.
"Many women get this parasite," he said as he took one of the many sheets out of the file and circled a particular area on it. "Even learn to embrace. Name it. Raise it. And, soon enough, I can even tell you the gender of this parasite." He passed the sheet to Belle who took it with two hands.
She looked over the area that Dr. Whale had circled and realized now why it was best Gold was outside the room. Her blue eyes widened and her heart sank in her chest. No way she was expecting this. Next to all the tests Whale had ran was the word negative. That was, until, she got to the last test Whale had performed. The one with the most shocking result of all.
Pregnancy Test-Positive
Fairytale Land of the Present
Rumple and Belle raced towards their daughter's bedchambers in hopes of calming her down before things could possibly progress. Belle went to grab the handle of the door, but her husband stopped her before she could. "Wait, wait," he warned as he pulled her away and examined the large wooden doors that blocked them off from their daughter. "She put a protection spell on her room," he explained and Belle began to grow even more frightened than what she already was. "Well, how are we going to get through?" she asked as Rumple readied himself. "I might be able to take it down, but it may take some time. Our magic is nearly the same." Belle took a few steps back as her husband began at his attempts to open the door from the powerful shield that stood in the way of them reaching their daughter.
They had not the slightest idea of what was happening on the other side. How Lucinda was listening to Gretchen's vile words about how she was only there to help and aid Lucinda in her time of need. How she could provide all the answers Lucinda sought out. Everything, according to Gretchen, would become clear if Lucinda would just heed to her every word, and so far, it was working. Lucinda was caving in.
"I cannot tell you the answers you wish to know, dear Lucinda," Gretchen began as the princess lifted herself off the floor and slowly shifted back to her once attractive state. "I can only provide a way of you getting to them."
"And how can you do that?" Lucinda questioned as she looked to Gretchen, who took a seat on the large bed that once belonged to Belle. "Simple, really. Alls you need to do is sleep. Just shut your eyes and fall asleep. Then you shall discover every answer you ever desired to know. I have that power to let you tell yourself what you require to know to be happy."
"Like a sleeping curse?"
Gretchen chuckled. "Oh, no dear. No. This sleeping curse that you speak of is nothing I would dare use on you or anyone for that matter. You see, sleeping curses do not provide you with what you seek. This is not a curse, not one at all. Rather a blessing. This will only do you and everyone else a great amount of good. I promise you, Lucinda, there is no risk to this."
And without so much as a second thought, truly desperate, Lucinda agreed to allowing her to be under such a spell. "Alright. I agree. Do what you must." Gretchen's teeth shinned through her lips as she smiled wide.
"Excellent," she whispered as she began to wave her wand.
Meanwhile, just on the other side of the door, Rumple had finally cracked his daughter's code, breaking the enchantment she had placed on her chamber doors. Rumple and Belle bursted through the large wooden barriers, growing horrified at the sight before them.
Just as they had entered the room, Gretchen lowered her wand and Lucinda's body collapsed to the floor. Belle screamed in terror as the Enchantress smiled down at her handy work, watching the princess fall victim to something much worse than a silly little sleeping curse.
"Sleep well, little Dark One," the Enchantress mocked. "Enjoy your stay in Somnium."
Storybrooke of the Past
Belle couldn't sit or lay down. She figured she would be doing that for a while now that she had gotten the news. A baby? Could she handle one? Was she ready for one? But all the times she had watched over little baby Neal she had done so well. Despite who she was married to, despite all he has done and how much she loved him, Mary Margret and David had always asked her to return to watch over their new born son. She must be good at it if they trusted her that greatly. That was just it, though. Her husband.
Was he ready for another child? Did he even want one? Would he ever want one? The whole trouble with Bae and the disaster that that had lead to, did he believe in himself to be a good father again? Did he believe he was one to begin with?
All of these questions, and she figured the child growing within her, caused her head to do back flips and make her second guess everything. Already the effects of being a mother were taking their toll on her.
"Belle," her husband called to her as he entered the hospital room. "Are you alright? Did Whale tell you what's wrong?" So concerned and she had promised that she would tell him what it was that made her faint as soon as she discovered the problem. No more keeping secrets. They swore on that. "Yeah, he told me, but I am not so sure how to take it," she confessed and she saw the nerves on her husband's face grew more intense. "Has something happened to you? I don't understand, what's wrong?" he questioned and she took a deep breath.
"I don't know how you are going to take it," she began "but I said I would tell you. I know this isn't going according to plan, but then again, when has our relationship ever? This was an accident, but I am not sure yet if this is a good one or a bad one. Whether we are ready for this or not, but I believe that we are ready. I am just not sure," she grabbed the paper Whale had given to her off of her hospital bed and looked to it to double check, to make sure she wasn't just seeing things before. "If you want this to be so... so soon after we were married." She folded the paper and bit her bottom lip harshly. "Rumple... I, um... I'm pregnant," she let it out.
The silence seemed to engulf them for what felt like years as she spent every moment of it trying to read the expression on her husband's face. Trying to understand what it was he was experiencing. Was it anger? Frustration? Confusion? She was confused, too. About the potential baby and about her husband's emotions, but soon enough he finally spoke up.
"Well, you are absolutely right when you say this is a surprise because, indeed it is. An accident, I guess you can call it that..." He looked into her eyes then, deeply into them and let a large smile take control of his face. "But the most wonderful of all surprises I have ever received," he said as he got to his knees and place a gentle kiss on Belle's abdomen.
My offer on the previous chapter still stands and I have gotten some good questions so far! Still, writers of OUAT, come on! Help my sinking ship! P.S. I may not be able to update in a while because I need to see where season 4 goes and it comes back on in 2 months. I think one more chapter until I have to put it on pause again to watch the rest, but if I can slip a chapter or two in the waiting period of season 4 part 2 without going completely off the path that the writers are going on I will. Also, the story is going to get much bigger than it is, I can tell you that now. ;)