Rumpelstiltskin didn't even bother to look up when he heard the footsteps coming down the hall. He knew Belle was upstairs reading, and there was only one other person who ever came here.

"I've decided I'm done running errands for you," Cora announced.

"All well and good, dearie. I have the curse ready, anyway."

Cora's eyes widened slightly with disbelief. Rumpelstiltskin pulled out the tiny scroll and set it in her hand. Her fist closed around it instantly, her face shining with triumph, as if this were her accomplishment.

"All that's left to do, is discuss what exactly you want to accomplish with this curse. If you wanted to, you could destroy the happiness of everyone around you!"

"No. I don't need to make everyone else miserable. I just need to make myself happy."

Rumpelstiltskin folded his arms across the back of the chair he was sitting in. "Let me explain to you what's going to happen after you enact the curse. There will be a brief period of limbo-thirty-six hours to be exact, that you will have to arrange the pieces as you see fit. No one will remember who they were in this land, but they will remember their loved ones and will lead similar lives to the lives they lived here unless you decide otherwise."

"Isn't this all something I can think about after I enact the curse?"

"Except for one tiny-little detail!" chirped Rumpelstiltskin. "You will only have the power to alter the fate of those who are in the same kingdom as you when the curse is enacted. And I believe I can think of someone in particular who isn't in this kingdom right now who's life you want to control more than anything."

Cora's face turned to stone. "Regina." The dark one's omnipresent grin widened ever so slightly. "You know where she is and you didn't tell me."

"I recently learned that she and her new family are living outside King White's kingdom. Sorry, dearie, but that's all I can tell you."

Cora huffed and marched out of Rumpelstiltsin's manor angrily, determined to find where Regina was living. She quickly fashioned an orb to keep the Dark Curse safely hidden in.

Behind her back, the dark one was satisfied. This should give him more than enough time to finalize getting his affairs in order.

"Daddy? Daddy?"

Daniel glanced up from the horse stall he was standing in with a pitchfork and a wheelbarrow full of hay. His little son came into view and ran right up to the stall.

"Mommy's sick."

Daniel set the pitchfork down.

"Did she tell you to come get me again?"

Henry shook his head. "Make her better."

"Come on." Daniel took Henry's hand and they walked back up to the house. Two weeks had passed since Cora's appearance at Ruth's farm, and for the first few days Regina had been in such a state he'd been afraid to leave her alone. She seemed like she was starting to feel better, though. At least in the daytime.

To both Daniel and Henry's relief, Regina was smiling and beaming when they walked through the door. It was evident by the sparkle in her eyes that this wasn't just a mask for Henry.

"Is everything good? Henry told me you were sick."

"Not really."

"You said you were dizzy, Mommy."

"I was, but I'm okay now." Regina grabbed Daniel's arm. "Daniel…you know how you wanted to give Henry's old crib to the grain merchant's daughter as a wedding present?"

"Yeah?"

Regina's eyes twinkled. "We…um…probably shouldn't do that."

"Are you…" Regina nodded. Henry watched in confusion as his father picked up his mother, spun her around, and then pulled her in for a kiss.

"Eww…" mumbled the little boy.

Daniel laughed and hugged his wife close. "Guess what, Henry? You're going to be a big brother!"

Henry's eyes widened. "You're gonna grow a real baby? Like the cattle rancher and his wife did? Cool!" Regina pulled back from Daniel and smiled at Henry. "I'm gonna name him Tickles!"

Daniel started to laugh. Henry frowned. "Nickers? Gallant? Excellence? Fireball?"

"Henry, we can't name the new baby after one of our horses," said Regina gently as her husband just laughed even harder.

"Oh. Then let's call him…Henry!"

"We can't do that," Regina ruffled her son's dark hair. "We already have a Henry."

"Then let's call him James."

"Henry, you do realize you might be getting a baby sister, right?" Daniel pointed out.

Henry shook his head. "Nope. It's a boy. And I'm gonna call him James." His parents exchanged amused glances. "When's James gonna stop being a knight and come back home?"

Daniel smiled sadly. "I don't know, son."

"If he doesn't come home by the time I turn five, I'm gonna be a knight too and go get him. Okay?"

"Sure," mumbled Regina as she gave her little boy a quick hug. "Why don't you and Daddy go visit Miss Ruth while I take care of the horses now? You promised you'd go over to help her today, right?"

"Okay!" Henry grabbed Daniel's hand and began pulling him towards the door.

Daniel glanced back. "You sure you'll be okay?"

"Absolutely."

Regina spent the rest of the afternoon caring for and exercising her horses, embracing her new sense of optimism. Things were far from perfect to be sure, and having another baby wouldn't change any of that. But at least it would bring them hope for the future.

Homesick as James was for his village, the farm, and his Mother, he was quite pleased with himself for getting into the position he was in. Not only had he managed to slay the dragon himself, which even King George hadn't expected him to do, but he'd impressed King Midas enough that he felt worthy of his daughter. James was pushing aside his uneasiness about this union for the sole reason that once he married Abigail and became the future heir to not one, but two kingdoms, there was no one who would dream of getting in the way of his plans to imprison the dark one. Still, he did hate himself a little for giving up the possibility of true love to seal a deal, and he did feel a touch guilty about the fact that he was locking Abigail into a loveless arranged marriage. Or at least he would if she weren't so snooty all the time.

"Do you, Prince James, take this woman, Princess Abigail, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, honor, and cherish until death do you part?"

James nodded. "I do."

"And do you, Princess Abigail, take this man, Prince James, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to-"

"I do," Abigail cut him off stiffly. The unsuspecting audience giggled.

They exchanged rings, and it was done. "You may now kiss the bride."

Hesitantly, James brushed back the delicate veil on his bride, looking about as gorgeous and happy as a porcelain doll standing alone on the shelf who's smile had been carelessly drawn on with a thin paintbrush. James leaned in for the kiss, and his lips met hers. She stood still while he held the kiss together just long enough to please their audience. It occurred to James that he had probably kissed apples with more passion.

During the reception, James chatted amicably with King Midas, King Maurice, and a number of the lords in attendance under King George's approving eye. He hadn't been sure what the old man had thought of him at first, but his attitude towards James had instantly changed the minute he had accepted the marriage proposal without any hesitation and had gradually improved ever since. It still bothered James that the king insisted he call him father not only in public but in private, because he didn't think of King George as a father and never would.

"So, James," asked a cousin of King Maurice's. "Where are you and Abigail planning to live?"

"For now, we'll stay at her father's palace. I imagine we'll be travelling back and forth quite a bit."

In that instant, James happened to glance at Princess Abigail out of the corner of his eye and saw her standing off to the side gazing at a rose bush. He realized after another few seconds that she was crying. This was the first sign of emotion he'd seen from her, and twisted his heart unexpectedly. What had he done to this girl who he barely even knew?

"James?" King George prodded, causing his surrogate son to glance up with a start. "Lord Chester just asked you a question."

"Sorry, sir. What is it?"

"I asked if you and Abigail are planning children anytime soon."

Whoa. He hadn't even thought about that. "We haven't discussed it yet."

King George raised an eyebrow. "Meaning that you haven't discussed when you're going to have children?"

"Exactly," James confirmed. "It will definitely happen someday." Of course it would. Next to running the kingdom effectively, a royal's greatest obligation was to reproduce. Not that that was a problem. James had always wanted a son. But having children with Abigail just felt too bizarre for him think about. As did the conception of said children.

When the reception was over, and he and Abigail embarked in the carriage for their ride back to the palace, the realization hit him like a punch in the stomach. He had a wife now. A new home. A kingdom. This had become far from something he could just do and be back in a few months, returning the conquering hero to his mother and his farm. There was no going back from the place he'd put himself in.

"James? You look a little pale."

James blinked as he glanced up at his bride. "Just a little dizzy from all the…excitement."

Abigail smirked. "Did you drink any of the red stuff? Because it's not grape juice." James shook his head. "Or is this all just too much for you, Mr. son-of-a-shepherd?"

"How did you…"

"I have ears in the king's court," Abigail confessed. "I was hoping you'd try to run away right before the ceremony. Two of my most trusted knights were ready to help, with provisions and everything."

James half-laughed. "If you were that horrified by the idea of marrying a commoner, why didn't you just say something to your father?"

Abigail turned and faced the window. "It's nothing personal, James. I'm my father's only child, which means the future of his kingdom is in jeopardy if I don't get married, and the man I wanted to marry is…"

Abigail covered her mouth with her sleeve and closed her eyes tight.

"You lost someone," said James softly.

The princess nodded. "He was my true love. We were engaged to be married."

"I'm sorry."

Abigail nodded. "There's nothing you can do about it. What about you? Why do you agree to an arranged marriage?"

James didn't say anything. On the one hand, she had just told him something personal about herself and he felt he should return the favor. On the other hand, if she disapproved of his plan…

"Part of it was about ensuring my mother's survival. My father passed away around a year ago, and we've been having a hard time ever since. It was promised that if I agreed to stand in for my brother, she and our farm would be taken care of."

"So that's why you agreed to come here and slay the dragon in the first place."

"Yes."

"But I asked you why you agreed to marry me."

Janes relented. "I'll tell you later. When we're alone."

J

Proudly, Rumpelstiltskin encased his true love potion in a protective egg with a hard shell. Now the only issue was of how he was going to manage to bring it to the other world in a way that Cora didn't notice.

"Cheery, come over here!" he called to the dwarf.

The dwarf bolted over eagerly. "Yes, Master?"

"I have a task for you." Cheery squealed with delight. "There is a beast living in a nearby castle. I need you to go to it and feed it this wonderful, magical, egg."

"Yes, Master!" Cheery's grin widened slightly as he took the egg from Rumpelstiltskin and saluted him.

"Just remember. No matter what happens, stand still, and let the beast devour the egg, and I promise you your master will be very happy with you."

The next second, he glanced up and Belle was in the doorway. "Rumpelstiltskin? A word?" He began walking over to her. "Before you send him off to do his duty."

"No problem." Confused, Rumpelstilskin followed Belle halfway down the hall. She stopped, turned around, and looked him sternly in the eye.

"You were just about to send that man to his death."

"He's not a man, Belle."

"He's innocent."

"Nothing is innocent, dearie."

"Am I innocent?"

The dark one froze, obviously caught off guard. He looked down and off to the side.

"This has something to do with that…that spell you're planning to get back to your son, doesn't it? You promised me that you wouldn't have any human killed in the process."

"Like I just said, Belle, he's not a man."

"How many times have I asked you not to toy with words like that?" The Dark One didn't say anything. "I mean it, Rumpelstiltskin. If you let that dwarf, who has shown nothing but kindness towards you, die so that you can safeguard a potion, I'm not going with you."

Little did she know that she would be going with him to the new land whether she liked it or not. Whether she would agree to be with him in the new land was another question entirely.

"Alright, dearie. You win. I won't let anything happen to the dwarf. I'll hire a trained knight to help me safeguard the potion." Belle nodded and let her face relax into a smile. "And to answer your earlier question…yes, Belle. You are innocent. But only you."

"Why? Because you care about me? Everyone has someone who cares about them, Rumpel. Think about that."

As Belle disappeared down the hall, Rumpelstiltskin happened to glance at a pair of gloves Cora had left lying around on a windowsill.

"Not everyone, dearie," he whispered to himself. "Not everyone."

James didn't discuss his plans with Abigail until they were alone in their bedchamber dressed for sleep, her blonde hair spilling down her shoulders and her face fresh without the touches of makeup she'd warn for the wedding.

"Obviously, first I'll have to seek out a prison for him. And maybe some sort of good magic to help me do it. If I can figure out who has good magic."

Abigail smiled. "Fairies. Fairies have good magic. My family used to do business with one. I can show you where to find the blue fairy. They might allow you to convert some old dwarf mines into a prison for him."

James just smiled. "I take it you're willing to help me with this?"

"More than willing. If I have to be in an arranged marriage, at least it should be for the greater good. If I can help you rid the land of dark magic, I can say that my Fredrick's sacrifice wasn't in vain."

"Of course." James caught the faraway expression in her eyes and thought about asking her what happened to Fredrick, but he'd gotten enough personal information out of her for the day. "So…I'm kind of tired. Goodnight?"

Abigail smiled gratefully. "Me too." Both rolled over in bed and blew out their candles. As he and his wife fell asleep across from each other in their marriage bed, James finally started to feel that his own life was going to be okay.