"Rumpelstiltskin! Wait! Where are you taking me?"
Belle shook when she realized the he had dragged her down to her former "room". The comfy-looking bed and chair he'd put in it along with a lamp, table, and tea set made it look less dreadful, but didn't change or disguise the fact that it was a dungeon.
"What did I do wrong?" she whispered.
"Nothing! You really think I'd punish you in this way, after everything?"
"Then why are you locking me down here?"
"To keep you safe from Cora. I'm going away on a little trip."
"To where?"
"It's best that I not tell you that yet, dearie. But I'll be back."
He gave her a quick hug, locked the door, and disappeared in a flash.
Later that night, Belle glanced at the table and realized dinner had appeared on it and the tea pot was suddenly full. She smiled a little. She didn't doubt that Rumpelstiltskin would always take care of her, no matter what, but she couldn't help but be terrified of whatever he was up to. He was, after all, the Dark One.
Six months later
"We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of a very good man. A man we all knew as a kind shepherd, a loving husband and father, and most of all, as a dear friend."
Daniel took a deep breath and dared look at his audience. Ruth was barely managing to hold back tears sandwiched between James and Regina. In Regina's arms, little Henry was solemnly chewing the ear of his stuffed horse, not really understanding what was going on.
"When my wife and I first came to this village, we had never lived out in the country before. We were extremely fortunate to have him and his wife Ruth to teach us how, and I am proud that I will always be able to call him friend."
Ruth smiled, as did a few others. "Who else has some fond memories of him they would like to share?"
Everyone glanced at Ruth, expecting her to say something, but she drew back into her son's arms. They weren't ready to speak. Regina glanced at him helplessly, not wanting to leave their side.
"He let me pet the lambs!" Henry blurted out. A few people chuckled.
Daniels smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Henry. That was a very nice memory. How about someone else?"
One by one, the friends of Ruth's now gone husband came forward to share their fond memories of the old man. At the end of the day, Ruth and James went back to their farm alone, insisted they needed some time to themselves.
"Daniel," Regina remarked softly as they went back home. "James is responsible for the whole flock, now. The whole farm."
"I know. If anything happens to the farm, I'm sure we can take James on as a stable hand."
"Of course."
Daniel felt a small hand tug on his sleeve. "Dada? Where mister shepherd go?"
Daniel smiled. "He's gone, Henry." He scooped up the little boy. "When good people die, they go to a beautiful meadow and they can't come back."
"Oh."
About fifty feet away, the little family was being watched in wonder by the man who had finally found them. Unfortunately, the spell that he had used to prevent Cora from being able to get to them quickly had also made them harder for him to find. Which is why it had taken him six months after he had finally realized what he needed them for. It was time to make his move
"Henry, I need you to let me wash your horsey, okay?" Regina prodded gently. The little boy shook his head. "Come on. He's getting all dirty."
"I like him dirty."
"Maybe you should wait for another day?" Daniel suggested.
"Can we have chicken for dinner?" asked Henry.
Regina relented and let him get away with changing the subject. "Right now all we have are beans and rice. Maybe we can have chicken in a few more days."
Daniel glanced up. "Regina, who's that?"
Regina blinked in surprise when she saw what he was looking at. "Is that a dwarf leading a horse?"
They watched at the short man made his way up the walk leading a sleek young filly. "Hello, friends! Can I interest you in a valuable horse for a very reasonable price?"
Then, too quickly for either of them to react, the dwarf ripped off a lock of Regina's hair and one of Daniel's hairs as well.
"That should do!"
Suspicious, Regina hugged Henry close and stepped back behind her husband. "What on earth do you want of our hair?"
"What do you want of it now that it's been plucked from your heads? Do we have a deal?"
"Um…sure?"
The dwarf tossed the horse's lead rope into Daniel's hand, giggled, and vanished into thin air.
"That was odd."
A little burst of light brought the dwarf into Rumpelstiltskin's potions room, where he too had returned at last. "Here you go, master!" cried the dwarf.
Rumpelstiltskin took the hairs and giggled with delight. "That should do, Cheery. You can have the rest of the day off." The dwarf happily skipped off.
A little sprinkle of fairy dust and the two strands of hair set the one empty bottle aglow. He had done it. He had bottled true love.
"I'm on my way, Baelfire."
Bittersweet tears filled Ruth's eyes as her fingertips brushed the top of a wooden grave marker. Two more months and it will have been there for one year. In the background, her son spoke reassuringly to a ram who had gotten his leg caught in the fence.
"I miss you so much, my love," she whispered to her deceased husband. "James is becoming more like you every day."
James was putting all of his energy into tending the flock these days. He didn't mind. He loved his flock. And Daniel and Regina had taken his horse back to live at their farm for the time being, but that was all the help Ruth and James would accept from them, even after being forced to sell quite a few sheep because there were only so many James could care for alone.
"Miss Ruth! Miss Ruth! Hi!"
Ruth smiled when she saw little Henry tearing over to her. "Where's your Mama, Henry?"
"She comin' over. I'm helping James pet sheep, okay?"
Ruth smiled. "Make sure you ask him which ones are nice first."
"Okay!"
Regina followed right up behind him holding a basket full of apples. "I just came by to ask if you wanted to taste the first apples from my tree."
Ruth took a shiny red apple from Regina's hand and bit into it. Her agreeable smile told Regina it was delicious as always. "Come on in. It's about time I teach you how to make apple pie."
"How's James been doing lately?" asked Regina as she began slicing one of her apples.
"He's okay. Good as can be expected."
Regina glanced out the door. James was holding Henry on his knee and letting him pet a large ewe and feel the lambs growing inside her belly. James was going to be an amazing father someday.
"Why don't you let me finish cutting the apples dear? You can get started kneading the dough."
And that's when she appeared in a cloud of purple smoke.
"It's safe to come in here, Belle. Cora is out running errands for me."
Belle hesitated, then nudged open the door just as a drop of pink liquid made contact with the parchment Rumpel was holding in his hand. It glowed purple for a few seconds before suddenly rolling up into a little scroll, thereby confirming for him that he had just created the dark curse. The normally somewhat-charming-at-least-to-her laugh that followed made Belle's skin crawl.
"What's that?" she asked fearfully.
"It's what will get me back to my Baelfire."
"Is…is that your…"
"My son, yes. I think it's time I told you what happened to him." He motioned for her to sit down next to him. When she did so, he took her hand in his and smiled.
"Once upon a time," he began. "There lived a cowardly man and his wife Milah."
One time when Regina was twelve, just starting her riding lessons with Daniel, she'd fallen off her horse going over a small jump. Her father had set up the jump for himself in the same field she always practiced in, so when she'd gotten on the same horse and nudged him into a trot, he'd assumed she wanted to go over it too. She hadn't been expecting it, he'd just seen the jump and leapt. Neither she nor Daniel had had time to react. She slid down from the saddle, the reins coming lose from her fingers, and her body had hit the ground followed by her head. She'd felt dizzy, her stomach reeling as if somebody had just punched her in the gut and her head throbbing. She could hear her own heart pounding as Daniel ran over and yelled, "Regina! Regina! Are you okay?"
Right now, she felt the same way. The sound of her own heart pounding echoed through her ears. Her mother. Cora. Was here. At Ruth's house. Looking at Henry. Only a few feet away from Regina. Cora was here. Cora was here. Cora was here.
"Regina! Regina! Are you okay?"
"Don't let her see me," the words came out in a rough whisper. "Don't let her know I'm here."
And then everything went dark.
"Regina!"
Ruth tried in vain to catch the younger woman before she hit the ground. Physically, Regina seemed unharmed. Maybe she was just unnerved by the sight of the witch who was out there with James, Henry, and the flock. Ruth tossed her apron on the ground and quickly went outside. When she got there, James was talking to the witch and holding Henry protectively.
"Who are you?" Ruth demanded.
"I'm here on behalf of the dark one."
Ruth's face fell. What was going on? James looked like he was about to cry.
"Mother? What is this about a twin brother you gave away?"
"Who is this?" the witch gestured to Henry. "Is this your grandson?"
James began, "No, he's…"
"We're just babysitting him." Ruth pulled Henry away from James and set him on the ground. "Go home to your father." The little boy took off up the road.
James glanced at her. "You can't send him al-"
"He doesn't live far anyway," Ruth insisted, even though Daniel and Regina lived about a mile away. "Now, what is this?"
The witch explained what she wanted James to do, and then Ruth explained why she and her husband had given up their now deceased son.
"You don't have to do this, James," Ruth pleaded.
"But I will."
"Why?"
"Because it's the honorable thing to do. This will help the man who raised my brother, and it will help the whole kingdom." James turned back to the witch. "I shall take my horse and leave tonight."
She smiled. "Excellent. The dark one will be pleased with you."
And then she vanished.
Little Regina sat at her mother's table swinging her legs as she picked at a plate of scrambled eggs. "Ith breakfatht over, Mother?"
"No. And you need to get rid of that lisp. You're almost four-and-a-half, it's not cute anymore."
"Yethhhsss Mother."
"Are you going to be good today, Regina?"
"I'll try."
Cora cupped her little daughter's head in her hand for a moment. "You hear the hearts beating when the fireplace is off, right? You know those are the hearts of the people who weren't good to your Mother?"
"Yethhhsss," whispered Regina.
"So you'll be good, won't you? You'll practice your curtseys until lunchtime."
"Yethhhsss Mother. I'll be good. I'll be real good."
"I'm so glad to hear that, my love."
Those beating hearts had served as a reminder throughout her entire childhood that if she wasn't good, one of them could be hers. She had always tried to be good, but it had never been enough. Complaining about how much she was having to practice curtseys and the like resulted in her being chained to the table with her mouth clamped shut. Not doing them well enough resulted in being locked outside for a few hours and told to go think about all the things she did wrong. She was twelve before she was old enough to leave the property, and that was only to go to finishing school. Before then her mother had told her she wasn't allowed to go because she didn't deserve to have friends yet.
"You need to not make the mistake of thinking you have any control over your own life, Regina. I am your mother, and I have made a lot of sacrifices in life so that you could get me where I want to go. Do as you're told, or you will be sorry."
Listen to the beating hearts. Do as you're told. Listen to the heartbeat. Do as you're told. Do as you're told.
Regina felt herself jerk into a sitting position almost involuntarily and suck in a massive breath of air. Her own heart was pounding franticly. She took a moment to glance around. She was on the floor of Ruth's living room. Daniel was sitting next to her. She felt his hand on her shoulder.
"It was Cora, wasn't it?"
Regina's eyes landed on the crackling fireplace in front of her. Listen to the beating hearts. Do as you're told. It could happen to you, too. Listen to the beating hearts. Do as you're told. Do as you're told.
"Regina?" she felt him shake her shoulder. "Was she here?"
"Daniel…" she whispered hoarsely. "I'm not okay."
"She's gone. We're safe." He pulled her close to his chest and tried to rub her back as Ruth stepped in.
"Are you okay, dear?"
"She'll be fine." Daniel thought for a second about how on earth he would be able to take her back to the farm in this state. "Is it okay if she spends the night?"
"Of course."
The door opened and James and Henry came in. "Mama?" Henry ran over. "Mama, you okay?" he tapped her shoulder.
"I think Mama needs to spend the night here tonight, Henry."
"Stay with her," James insisted. "I can go back to the farm and take care of the horses for you. My flock is already in for the night."
Ruth smiled. Her son was becoming such a gentleman. Maybe too much for his own good.
"Hey, Henry," James glanced at the little boy. "Want to come with me?"
Henry shook his head. "Wanna stay with Mama, too."
Daniel smiled. Ruth took Henry's hand. "Why don't you come help me get your Mama something to eat? She'll be right here."
Henry hesitated, and then solemnly followed along behind her, his thick dark hair slightly tousled. James quickly smiled at Daniel and Regina and then left.
"She's, gone, Regina," Daniel whispered. "I promise. Ruth said she wasn't even here looking for you, and she didn't see you or find out you're here."
Regina wrapped her arms more tightly around her husband. He sighed and pulled her closer to his chest and kissed her on the forehead.
"You have nothing to be afraid of," he whispered. He considered trying to convince her it was just another nightmare, but then he remembered she hadn't had a nightmare about Cora in six months. Now they would probably be back.
Daniel glanced up when he heard Henry's little footsteps dart back into the room.
"Mama needs to have dinner with us," Henry insisted.
"She might not be feeling well enough, Henry."
Henry shook his head. "She's sick. She needs to keep up her strength."
Daniel laughed. "She's not sick, Henry. She's just…" he wasn't sure how to explain this one.
"Mama's gonna get all better," Henry insisted. He let himself drop down on top of his mother and hug her. Daniel was worried for a split second about how she'd react, but she just wordlessly wrapped one of her arms around the child and held him close. The scariest part of all to her had been that Cora had seen her son. Losing him was her worst nightmare of all.
They all had dinner with Ruth a little while later. Regina didn't say anything, and Ruth and Daniel both just talked to Henry while he chatered about horses and sheep and why he thought Ruth and James should give all the sheep names that rhymed with Henry. Soon after, Henry fell asleep near the fireplace, which Regina still couldn't look at without having flashbacks.
"You two can sleep in David's room, if you like," Ruth offered.
"That's okay," Daniel insisted. He wanted to stay in the same room as both his wife and son tonight. Although, there was the possibility that Regina would have a screaming nightmare and Henry would wake up. He certainly didn't want that.
"That was my mother," Regina whispered.
Ruth froze in her tracks. "What?"
"That sorceress. She was my mother."
Ruth immediately put down the lantern she was holding and gave the younger woman a hug.
"She told me she was here on behalf of the dark one," said Ruth. "She called him master."
"That doesn't surprise me," said Daniel.
"She rips people's hearts out when she wants to control them, and if they displease her, she crushes them," muttered Regina shakily. The look on Ruth's face shifted from concern to horror. The thought that The Dark One was not only apparently capable of that level of evil but was recruiting apprentices to do the same made her not only ache for Regina, but feel a little worse about their whole world. Everyone looked up with a slight start when the door to the house opened and James walked in.
"I couldn't help but overhear," he muttered sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Regina."
"It's okay," she whispered.
"I wonder if there's anything that can be done to stop dark magic," James speculated. "Maybe suspend the dark one's magical abilities and see if the rest stop, too."
"If there's a way to accompish that, it's something far beyond our capabilities," Daniel assured James nervously.
"Maybe not. If all goes well, you're about to have a friend in a high place."
Daniel and Regina both glanced up at James in confusion.
"The king wants me at his palace soon to do something for him. After that's done, if there is anything else he could use me for, I will make a deal with him that will put the dark one himself behind bars for good."
A/N: THANK YOU all for all your lovely reviews! I really appreciate them! Anytime you review my stories I'll try and read and review some of your Once Upon A Time fics, too!