A/N: I don't own OUAT/Disney/anything. Thank you all for the story alerts and reviews! I really am loving bringing Baelfire to life. This part is a little longer but I wanted to include it in one chapter so let's get back to that sleeping beauty…
Baelfire got out of bed, pulled a fresh t-shirt on and grabbed his pants hustling down stairs. He slipped his boots on at the end of the stairs. Belle was already downstairs making her way to the door. He slipped his black leather jacket on. "What is it? Who is it?" he called out thinking it wasn't very common for someone pounding on the door in the early morning.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Someone answer the door" Mr. Gold said coming out the kitchen. The cane made a tapping noise as he entered the hall.
Belle hesitated a moment fearful of what was on the other side, but then slowly opened the door and looked down. "It's Henry" she called out to Gold a bit relieved it was only him. She smiled cheerfully at him.
"Henry" Baelfire said making his way to greet the boy. "I was just about to go meet you all for breakfast. Where's your mom?" He thought it was a bit odd the kid was here alone.
Henry looked distressed. "You have to come now!" He demanded grabbing a hold of Baelfire's right hand.
"Henry, what is it?" Belle said bending down to eye level with the child.
"Mom... Emma, in the sheriff's station, she's in trouble, there was a rose on the floor, and she won't wake up! They brought her to Doctor Whale, but that's not what she needs" Henry kept spouting out words, tears in his eyes "I didn't want the sheriff to kiss my mom, but now she needs a kiss and he's not here and you are, please she needs you" the last part directed straight at Baelfire, his face showed such intensity.
Baelfire's heart broke, "the roses from the mayor were poisoned?" He thought she would have loved them, and she did, to death. He should have known better than to take things from Regina. Hadn't he been warned? He ran his left hand threw his shaggy brown locks trying to think of what to do.
"Bae, what's going on, what rose? The flowers I gave you were all wild." Belle looked up at Bae with questions. She knew her flowers were pure, but the roses?
"On the way to the sheriff's station, I met the mayor; she put flowers in the vase. I didn't... I didn't know."
"Oh Bae, Regina is a trickster. You couldn't have" Belle said her blue eyes deep with sorrow. The first kind thing he tried to do backfired horribly wrong and she couldn't help but feel it was partly her fault.
Baelfire pulled his hand away from Henry and pushed past his father. All the fury Baelfire had for his father turned in his stomach, the energy turning into something else, anger and revenge against the mayor. "Regina did this, she knew what would happen. She's going to pay!" He walked into the parlor and grabbed the dagger from its spot on the mantel. He took it with such force that the blade tapped the little chipped tea cup sitting next to it. The tea cup fell to the ground. Clink. Another chip in the already broken cup.
"Baelfire this isn't the answer son" Mr. Gold called out as Baelfire stormed out past them.
Baelfire pressed the door bell to the mayor's estate.
One minute later, Regina, smile on her face, opened the door. She was dressed in black and white business suit and looked extremely happy, but surprised to see him there.
"You didn't eat the apple? "she arches an eyebrow at the man in front of her. "But, you are here so that means the flowers worked?" Regina's smile stretches across her face. Her little trick had worked and she felt very pleased with herself at that moment.
Baelfire did not want to waste time with words; he pushed Regina against the door.
"Down boy" Regina cackled with laughter "Emma got what she deserved!"
"Emma did not deserve death" Baelfire said coaxing the cold metal dagger against Regina's neck. Unlike when Baelfire pressed the dagger to his father's throat this time he meant to kill her. Emma had saved him, and now he was responsible for Emma's fate. "How do I save her? Tell me or I'll kill you!" His breath in her face, his eyes bright amber with fire.
The dagger meant nothing to Regina in this realm. "You can't" Regina said drawing out the words so he knew there was nothing his pathetic threat could do to her. She quite enjoyed this man in front of her. She thought if she could only get her hands on him, away from Gold; she could make something truly wicked out of him. Her eyes darted behind him to see three forms appear in her doorway.
Mr. Gold, Belle, and Henry stood behind Baelfire taking the scene in.
Belle sobbed behind him, her maternal instinct so strong for this man "Bae this isn't you" she called out to him begging him to be the better person.
Baelfire's hand froze; no matter how hard he pushed the dagger would not pierce the mayor's skin. He attempted to push down harder but the blade would not obey him.
"Tell them Rumplestiltskin" Regina said, the dagger pressing down on her throat; "tell your boy about the quid pro quo"
Mr. Gold approached the scene "it won't work son. The dagger can only be used on me here in this land."
"All magic comes with a price" Regina repeated Rumple's words. She loved being on the other end, feeling the power of the price.
Baelfire didn't care he attempted to again pressed the metal harder against her throat. "If Emma is gone, it's my fault. I'll find a way!" He pulled the dagger away from her throat.
"Oh foolish man, every curse can be broken, but I ensured this one would take more than a fragile kiss, so pucker up all you like" Regina rubbed her soar neck and glared at the four. "Now get out my house, please"
Unhappy with the outcome Baelfire had no choice but to turn and start to make his way out. He wasn't about to try and strangle the mayor with his bare hands. He put the dagger in his father's hands. The two men exchanged a glance.
"I'm so sorry lad, we'll find a way" Mr. Gold said taking the dagger as his son walked past him.
Henry approached Regina as the others started to leave. "You loved me once" Henry sniffed "You were a good mom." And that part was true there was never a moment she had never let him go hungry or want for anything. "Please for me"
"Henry" Regina's heart was small and cold but when she saw Henry's face something inside her broke a little more inside. She still loved him, and so she gave him a clue; it wasn't an answer by far but just enough to give the boy hope. "White roses, the only bushes left are hidden deep inside the enchanted forest where you will never find them."
"If you weren't evil, we could have been family" Henry said turning he walked past Belle and Mr. Gold to catch up to Baelfire. He had to tell him about the roses in the forest. He had to save his mom.
Belle and Gold exchanged glances. Was it even possible to get back to their world? Only one person in town possessed the power that even he wasn't capable of. "Go with them to the hospital. I'll meet you there" he ordered Belle.
"You know how, don't you?" Belle examined his face; she could see he was trying to play the magic card.
Mr. Gold nodded agony in his expression because he knew it wouldn't be an easy road ahead, for anyone. The two walked back along the street. Regina would live to see another day.
Jefferson was the answer. He had been on their side once, sending Belle back to him, what about now? He needed leverage, and he knew just the item in his shop to use.
When Baelfire and Henry arrived at the hospital half the town was in the waiting area, word had spread quick about what happened to its savior.
Henry went over to where Archie and Mother Superior were talking. He gave them both hugs and then started to ask them if there was anything that could be done.
Baelfire walked past them on the way to Emma's room.
He felt wondering eyes on him. Leroy stood guard at Emma's door. "Sorry pal, no one enters, especially not a stranger"
"A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet" he said calmly, honesty was his best weapon at this moment
Leroy looked the man up and down again "well you aren't my friend"
"I'm her friend" Baelfire looked into the room where Emma laid in bed, her eyes closed, asleep.
"He's with me" Henry said coming over to them. Leroy gave the kid a stern look and huffed but stepped aside for Henry. Henry opened the door and pulled Baelfire into the patient room shutting the door behind them.
"Baelfire, may I present Snow White and Prince Charming, but we just call them Mary Margaret and David here or grandma and grandpa but they don't like that" Henry introduced them smiling a bit at the end. It was true they didn't like the 'grand' part so Henry just mostly stuck to their first names, except for in school.
David and Mary Margaret stood from their spots in chairs next to the bed. David instinctively moved his right hand to his left side as if he were reaching for a sword but then stopped remembering in this world his sword had gone to slaying the dragon.
Baelfire bent down to one knee, out of respect and honor. He had never met royalty before not even in all his travels and wasn't quite sure how to react.
"Baelfire, that's really sweet but you don't have to" Mary said; she could see the guilt on his face.
David's hand went out to Baelfire to help him up. Baelfire took his hand and stood up. Neither of them spoke but both exchanged a nod of thanks towards the other.
"I don't deserve it but can I have a moment?" he asked dejection strong on his face. His somber brown eyes set on the bed.
"Of course" Mary said affirming his position as important. David, Henry and her made their way out the glassed patient room to give him a minute.
Henry watched Baelfire approach his mother's bedside before leaving the room; he just needed Bae to kiss her, then she's wake up. She had to wake up.
Baelfire was alone with Emma. The sound of the heart monitor was the only faint noise in the room. He sat down in the chair closest to her. For five minutes he didn't say anything. Now, he was the coward unable to talk to a girl. His girl. His Emma. Maybe she wouldn't fully agree with that claim but at the moment he didn't care. He was helpless up to a point and she had saved his life, twice. He stood up and walked over to the head of the bed. "Hey Dorothy. Henry wants me to kiss you. I'm not, not because I don't want to but because I don't think I'm worthy yet."
He ran his hand over her curly blonde hair hanging limp around her face. He bent down and slowly kissed her forehead breathing in her sweet smell. He stood back up taking a step back he felt something under his boot. Baelfire bent down and picked up a small silver key with a picture of a swan on it. He glanced at it and put it in his jacket pocket. The small desk key had fallen out Emma's pocket when she arrived at the hospital as the nurse changed her into a gown, little did Bae know how much he would need that key where he was headed. "This was her plan all along. I played right into her hand, and what a pawn I was. I should have never come to town. I've caused nothing but sorrow, to my father, to you"
"Don't say that" Mary stood behind Baelfire as she and David slowly opened the door and walked into the room again. She approached the man anguish in her voice. "Baelfire, this has nothing to do with you, I'm sorry you just got caught up in my punishment. when I was little I shared a secret of Regina's I wasn't suppose to, and she's been seeking revenge on me and my family ever since, and now I'm afraid you are caught up in it as well" She rested a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave his shoulder a squeeze before letting go.
Henry approached Baelfire again. "You can still give her true loves kiss and make it better. I think she needs more than just me this time"
"I'm not even a prince" Bae said running a hand through his shaggy hair trying to think of what to do.
Henry was not going to take no for an answer while his mother's life was on the line. "So you can still try"
Baelfire shook his head, he thought it was impossible. "You heard what Regina said, it doesn't matter. We'll never be able to go where she needs us to"
Henry wiped a tear from his eye "but you got her to believe in Oz"
"No, kid, that was all you." Baelfire let out a small sigh. He still doubted how much he meant to anyone here.
David and Mary both perked up, if there was a way to save Emma they had to know. It was David that countered wanting to know what exactly Regina said. Words, like Rumple's deals, were very powerful here and fairytale land. "What did Regina say?"
"The only cure is the white roses that live deep in the enchanted forest. I've tried to get back to that place for 1000 years" he said grimly. Every inch of this world he touched had not led him to that green void of space and time he longed to see.
A small gleam of hope appeared on Mary's face. "Sounds like you need to go see the Hatter"
"The Hatter? I thought you told me to stay away from him?" Henry raised the question. Had his family told him that to protect him or
"Jefferson, he lives in a cabin down by the sheriff's station " Mary wasn't even sure Jefferson could help, she just remembered being locked up while Emma had to try and make a hat, but with the magic back she hoped the hat would work. She needed the hat to work now to save her daughter.
The dream came back to Baelfire now. The little seven year old in her red jacket and blonde curls had shown him the way. "Hats take you places"
"What?" David raised an eyebrow at the man. Unsure what he meant by that.
"Just something Emma said to me" Bae replied. Had it been a dream or a vision?
"You know what she said to me? She trust you with her life. that says a lot about your character, maybe I was wrong to judge you without meeting you."
Baelfire gave a slight smile, he knew it was hard for her to admit that, and he could see where she would get the wrong opinion of him. He had to make this right. "Let me go" he said boldly.
David and Mary shared glances.
"You can get lost for days, months, even years. The only way I got out the forest is with your father's help" David said remembering when Regina condemned him to the enchanted forest. The sword battle with Rumplestiltskin had ended in his favor.
"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Baelfire said to David holding his ground. "Look if I don't come back, then go in. But I think you are all better served here watching over her. Regina is still out there. She needs you here. I'm expendable, I know that. I don't have magic, I'm not Ghorm, Ruby, or a prince, but I've managed to survive this long. You said it yourself" he turned to Mary and pointed at the blonde sleeping beauty in the bed. "She trust me"
"Guys!" Henry screamed and they all three looked at the child. "We're wasting time!"
"Henry's right" Mary looked at Baelfire. "Take your father with you to Jefferson, we'll give you five moons" She took a step to Baelfire and gave him a gentle hug "good luck"
Baelfire gave a small smile towards Mary. "I won't let her down." He was serious. He had to make this work. She saved his life, and it was his turn to repay her.
"Baelfire" David called out as he was exiting the room.
Baelfire looked back at David, not meeting his eyes at first, afraid he still was not worthy for the task in front of him.
"I wasn't always a prince. I'm a shepherd. I rescued far more sheep than damsels in distress. Don't let who you are define you" David reassured Baelfire with a reassuring smile, his crystal blue eyes sparkled as he spoke about his past. He was not ashamed but proud of where he came from and he hoped one day Baelfire would feel that way.
A crocked smile crept across Bae's face. He would hold David's words close to his heart. He didn't say anything else but quickly exited the room before the Charmings changed their minds about him.
"Papa" Baelfire said seeing Mr. Gold and Belle approach him coming out of the hospital. Belle was holding a medium size paper bag that looked like it had something inside of it.
Belle held the bag out towards him "you'll need this."
He took the bag and looked inside, raising an eyebrow at the two. A large white stuffed rabbit was inside. "You know where we have to go don't you?"
"Yes son, it might seem unconventional but that there is collateral. We are going to make a deal" Mr. Gold smirked, his lips making creases to the edges of his face; sounding a bit more like his old self. "All magic comes with a price"
A/N: again thank you for reading! Looks like it's about to get a little mad!