A/N: For those of you who might be wondering why I haven't included Snow or Snowing yet, rest assured, she WILL be part of this story. So far there hasn't been a place for her because since Regina never married Leopold, Snow White never had to run away from the castle or resort to a life of crime, so of course she never met James while he was traveling.

And curse the show for contradicting itself. The way that James was talking at the beginning of the season about how "David" had different memories than he did and how much he hated "David" for treating his woman badly, there is no way that David was when Ruth originally named him. NOT BUYING IT 2.14!

James might never come back.

Ruth was eating dinner alone when she finally realized it, She hadn't even made too much this time. She was lifting a spoon to her lips and just looking out the window at a ewe in the pen licking her baby lamb clean under the setting sun, and it suddenly hit her like a bolt of lightning. James was gone. The Dark One had robbed her of both of her sons.

Ruth leased out her land and flock to a young couple, refusing to part with them entirely because of the sliver of hope she had of James returning. She got herself a small place in town, which Daniel and Regina helped pay for in exchange for her looking after Henry during the day while they were taking care of the horses. At least when Regina was feeling well enough to take care of the horses.

"Ruth, do we have any peppermint tea left over from this morning?" Regina asked weakly as she sat herself down in a wooden chair.

"Of course, dear. Just relax. I'll get you some."

Regina smiled gratefully. Henry, who'd been quietly playing in a corner with some stuffed animals, walked over to her, crossed his arms, and glared at her. "I don't like the baby, Mama. It's making you sick!"

Regina weakly stroked her little boy's forehead. "You made me sick sometimes too, Henry. Babies can't help what they do before they're born."

"When's he gonna stop making you sick?"

"In another month or two," Regina explained. "And I told you. It might be a girl."

"Nope. It's a boy. And his name is James, because then James will have to come home and look at it."

Regina sighed. "I don't think it's likely that James will be home in time to see the baby, Henry. I told you. He went off to go be a brave knight and slay dragons and protect the kingdom."

"For how long?"

Regina looked over Henry's shoulder and saw tears forming in Ruth's eyes. "Why don't you go outside and help your Daddy with the horses?"

"Okay." Henry darted outside. Regina had the feeling the question was going to come up again.

"Here's your tea." Ruth walked over with an obviously fake smile and handed Regina the teacup.

"Thank you." Regina accepted the cup and felt it's smooth warmth in her hand as Ruth began humming to herself and walking around the house tucking away things that Henry had pulled out of place and played with. "Ruth?" The older woman looked up. "You know you don't have to be strong for me."

Ruth smiled and squeezed Regina's hand. "I'm not. I'm being strong for me."

In a dark forest a few nights later, James and Abigail were riding along with two of their most trusted knights behind them. Abigail glanced at a strangely shaped rock on the ground and halted. James realized this must be some sort of marker.

"We'd best go on foot from here," Abigail whispered. "And leave the horses and our knights where we stand. We don't want Reul Ghorm to feel threatened."

James followed suit as she dismounted her horse and handed her reins to the knights. He was still reasonably wary of trusting Abigail…after all, he had just met this woman…but he really had no choice. He definitely didn't trust King George or King Midas enough to ask for their help, and he didn't know this part of the kingdom or this way of life enough to accomplish this on his own.

"Reul Ghorm, I summon thee," Abigail called out softly as soon as they were out of earshot of the knights.

James just glanced around for a minute. He was about to ask Abigail if perhaps they had come to the wrong place when he saw a tiny blue speck moving towards them.

"Reul Ghorm is a butterfly?"

"Fairy," Abigail corrected.

James hadn't expected her to be so small.

"Prince James and Princess Abigail."

He hadn't been expecting her to know who they were, either.

"Your quest is a noble one, but I'm afraid it's impossible for you to use good magic to imprison the Dark Lord for more than a short time. You will only be able to suspend his power indefinitely by using the ink of a powerful species of squid and imprisoning him someplace where he has no access to anything with magical properties."

Or what they needed.

"That's quite all right," said Abigail respectfully, apparently unphased by the fairy's extensive background knowledge about them. "Would you please tell us where we might go about obtaining the ink of such a squid?"

"When the timing is right, I will give you a quill dipped in the squid ink," the fairy promised. "But I have to warn you…all magic comes with a price. Good magic is safe to use because we fairies pay the price for it with hard work and dedication. Dark magic isn't like that. You need to know going in that you could suffer severe consequences."

James and Abigail exchanged glances.

"We'll pay the price," said James confidently. If Abigail didn't want to pay it, he'd pay it for both of them. He was already sacrificing true love, his childhood home, and possibly his happiness for this.

"Here's what you need to do," explained the blue fairy. "First, you need to figure out what you might have that he wants. Then, you need to make a deal with him and ask him to sign a contract with the quill I give you. The deal will never be sealed, the moment he tries to write with the quill, he will be frozen and his magic suspended."

"Perhaps we could lure him with a promise of my father's gold," Abigail suggested.

"That won't do, I'm afraid. He makes gold."

"Then what does he want?" asked Abigail.

"I'm sure you can think of something."

"Can you give us a…" James fell silent when he realized Reul Ghorm had vanished.

"We have enough," Abigail assured him. "She'll know when to come back and bring us the quill."

As much as Belle and Rumpelstiltskin wanted to believe he'd changed for the better as a result of his association with her, the truth was he had a long way to go. And he definitely wasn't quite done toying with words. He had promised her that he personally would not have any person killed in the process of casting the dark curse. But there was someone who would die anyway. Someone who he suspected was a loved wife, mother, and friend.

"Locks from those with the darkest souls, the strength of something you hold too close," was what was written on the piece of parchment Cora had yet to unfurl. It was quite obvious what the curse required her to obtain. And he had a good guess as to who she would need to get it from.

He knew Ruth would hate him even more than she already did forever. He knew Daniel would probably try to kill him. And then Cora. And then him again. He knew that the dark curse would result in at least one child losing a mother. Just like his Baelfire.

It was rare that a man such as the dark one felt something eating away at his conscience. It was rare that he felt he even had one. He never thought about what someone might be losing because of him. He was now, and he didn't like it. So he pushed the thought aside. There was work to be done.

A few days later, James and Abigail were enjoying a pleasant breakfast out on the veranda. They were King George's side of the kingdom at the moment, and he was stopping in periodically to check up on them. So far he seemed pleased with how well James and Abigail seemed to be getting along, and confident that the two would grow to truly love each other.

"The blue fairy delivered the quill this morning." James looked up as Abigail placed the slim mahogany box on the table between them James took a quick peak at the contents. Sure enough, the quill was there. "She says we'll be needing it very soon."

They were about to discuss the matter further when they were interrupted by the rattling of wheels. "There's my father's carriage outside," said Abigail suddenly. "I'll have the servants prepare an extra place at our table. We must prepare to greet him."

Abigail went inside and disappeared into the kitchen. James was about to get up and put on his cloak when a man suddenly appeared in the seat that Abigail had just been sitting in. James stood up in a flash and drew his sword.

"Who are you?"

The man just laughed. "That's not going to do you any good."

James nearly froze when he suddenly realized he was looking at the dark lord. His mind began racing. He hadn't expected the man to just show up.

"What are you here for?"

"I'm here to make a deal with you, of course. I believe you met my apprentice a short while ago."

"That witch."

"Yes. At this moment, she has in her possession a very powerful curse of mine that she is planning to cast very soon. If you do something for me, I will tell you how to ensure that the curse will be broken."

"And what might you have me do?" asked James.

"Simple." The dark one pulled a golden egg out of his cloak. "Hide this for me in the belly of a beast. I know you're experienced enough in the handling of dragons, and in this case, you don't even need to slay it!"

James didn't know what to say. He certainly hadn't envisioned the dark one approaching him with a deal he might actually want to make.

Next time, he thought to himself, ignoring the box containing the quill so that the powerful man wouldn't suspect anything.

"We have a deal." James caught the egg from Rumpelstiltskin, who then told him where to find the beast. James went to go explain to his wife and father that he had an errand to run.

"Tell me, Abigail, does my son have cause to be displeased with me? It's not like him to leave so early."

"You've done nothing to upset him, King George," Abigail assured him. "Or me. In fact, there's something I'd like to show you. Wait here."

King George smiled and continued sitting at the table. Abigail walked down the hall smiling politely at the servants who bowed down to her as she passed them. She stepped into a room where she and James had been keeping blueprints for a nursery-they had discussed the matter and agreed that pressure from the kingdom was inevitable-when suddenly she heard someone in the adjacent room whisper, "Psst!" Abigail went over and realized the blue fairy was waiting for her.

"What are you doing here?" asked Abigail respectfully.

"Your husband is doing business with the dark lord as we speak. You need to meet him by Lake Marigold tomorrow in four hours. Here's what you must do."

On the outskirts of King George's kingdom, an innkeeper's wife was humming idly to herself as she swept the porch of the inn. She glanced up and saw a hooded figured coming towards her who she was she sure she recognized.

"Are you looking for a room, miss?"

"Maybe," said the young woman. "Do you remember seeing me before?"

The innkeeper's wife paused, rested her chin on her broom handle, and narrowed her eyes a little as if to squint.

"Yes…yes, I believe I did. You're the woman who got married here about five years ago."

To her surprise, the younger woman's eyes narrowed. "You remember me getting married right here in your inn?"

The innkeeper's wife smiled. "Of course I do. I was the one who insisted you get married before spending the night with your fiance in my inn and forced my husband to perform the ceremony."

That was the last thing she ever said before the young woman's fingers snapped. The former innkeeper's wife croaked and hopped away.

After a few minutes and a few hundred feet away, Cora changed back into her true form and walked off, quite pleased. She finally knew what kingdom her daughter had been married in. Regina can't have gone too far from here. Not unless she and her new husband, whoever he was, had decided to live their lives on the run.

"I'm almost there, Regina," Cora whispered to herself.

As the blue fairy predicted, in just a little over four hours, James had found the location of the beast, done his duty, and pulled himself up on the riverbank, sword in hand.

"Congratulations. You did it."

Not even surprised the dark one was waiting for him, James gasped for breath.

"Now it's time for me to hold up my end of the bargain." He waited for a moment for James to catch his breath. "The curse that the witch is planning to cast can only be broken by the product of true love: the child of Daniel and Regina."

James was caught off guard by the mention of his old friends. Did this have something to do with Cora being Regina's mother?

"You must get this child to safety," explained the dark one. "If you succeed, the curse will be broken in twenty-eight years.

"Hold on. We'll be cursed for twenty-eight years?"

"Oh, don't worry. It will only feel like a few months to you. Time will freeze. No one will age. No one will be injured or killed."

James was about to ask for more information when he noticed Abigail trotting up the path alone.

"Abigail…what are you…"

"James! Thank goodness." Abigail swiftly dismounted her horse and bowed down to the dark one. "I've come with horrible news. My father is furious with us. He's disowned me and taken back all the gold he gave us."

"What?"

The dark one raised an eyebrow. He sensed the prince and princess didn't want him to leave just yet. Sure enough, the princess turned to address him.

"I hear that you're capable of making gold, just as my father is. I'm willing to trade you our firstborn child for enough gold to feed the kingdom for a month." James watched her carefully as she pulled a scroll out of her saddlebag and unfurled it, then held out a quill.

"Are you sure you're willing to give up your own flesh and blood to fill your coffers?"

"Yes, indeed," James stepped to his wife's side. "We can always have more children." Abigail nodded.

"My," muttered Rumpelstiltskin. "What a lovely quill! Wherever did you get it?"

James and Abigail both shrugged nonchalantly. "From our palace."

"I hope for your sakes that this quill doesn't contain magic that could, say, imprison me. In case you haven't been told…all magic…comes with a price!"

James didn't let the dark one see how uneasy he was feeling. "We have no desire to use magic for anything. All we want is to take care of our kingdom. Do we have a deal?"

The Dark One hesitated before plucking the quill from Abigail's hand. The moment he attempted to use it to write, he froze solid in place. Abigail spun around and yelled, "Now!"

Rumpelstiltskin remained motionless as the palace guards loaded him into a cage and grit his teeth when he noticed the blue fairy descend and fly over to James and Abigail to congratulate them. He kept starring at them, expecting something bad to happen, but nothing did. Then he realized that since they hadn't technically broken a deal with them, magic itself wouldn't be punishing them in this case. He himself had punished them without even realizing it, because Abigail had interrupted the dark one just before he was about to reveal one tiny little detail about the curse.

They were all going to be in the same kingdom as Cora when she cast it.

An evil spark lit up Cora's beady eyes the moment she saw her. Even from several hundred feet away and up in a tree posing as a raven, she recognized her own daughter. There was Regina, stroking a horse's nose before removing its halter and releasing it into a paddock. When she turned to face Cora's direction, it became apparent that she was just barely visibly pregnant.

"I'm going to be a grandma," Cora whispered to herself. Or would have, if she wasn't a bird at the moment. Instead it came out as a series of soft chirps.

"Mama! Look! A Birdie!"

Cora the raven cocked her head in the direction of a small boy with dark curls and light hazel eyes. The boy's father came outside and walked over to Regina.

Checkmate.

"Henry, go inside for a minute so I can talk to your mother." The boy scampered off. "Did you hear the news?" asked Regina's husband. "James was true to his word. The dark one has been imprisoned!"

Say what now?

"He's powerless now. We're safe, Regina."

Ha. They had no idea. Cora had a right mind to turn herself back into a human right now and turn the man into a cockroach. But that wouldn't be quite satisfying enough. Not for the man who had taken Regina and turned her into a commoner.

Instead, she flew off to the outskirts of the village, transformed back into herself, and unrolled the scroll containing the dark curse.

"Is this true, what I've heard?" asked King George. "You and your wife have successfully imprisoned the dark one and permanently suspended him of his magic?"

"I saw it with my own eyes," Abigail confirmed, taking James's hand proudly.

"My boy," King George took James's other hand and shook it firmly. "I am so proud of you."

A kingdom-wide celebration commenced that night. The grandest party of all was, of course, the one at the palace. So much food prepared by the royal chefs and exquisite decorations and fine musicians. After greeting the guests and dancing a few obligatory dances with Abigail and friends of King George's, James stepped outside and sat down alone on the balcony. His friends back home were probably celebrating, too. He could almost taste the simple roast beef and ginger cake and sweet potato pudding and hear the village boys singing while strumming along on badly tuned guitars and see the couples dancing, the men wearing their finest slacks and the women in their most colorful dresses that looked like rags in comparison to what the ladies at the palace were wearing.

For a moment, James felt sorry for the man who he knew was lying in an indestructible cell because of him tonight.

Because he, too, felt irreversibly trapped.

Rumpelstiltskin rested on the earthy floor of his cell. He had been almost positive that this was going to happen, but it didn't matter. He'd sent Belle to a small village in this kingdom to hide. Cora had everything she needed to enact the curse.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the stone for a moment. Any second now, she should be showing up to make her final deal with him. Any second. He would be sentencing an innocent mother to her death.

What would Baelfire think of him right now? Or Belle?

But they were the exact reasons that there was no turning back now. He said it himself all the time. Nothing was innocent.

Or maybe that was just what he told himself.

He pushed the thought from his mind. It didn't matter anymore. If he didn't help Cora enact the curse, Belle would be in danger. And he would never see his son again.

The curse hadn't worked.

Cora threw up her hands in disgust and walked away from the fire. She had gone to all the trouble to go home and obtain a heart from her collection and bring it back to this kingdom because clearly that was what the curse called for. And she had definitely put in locks of hair from those with the darkest souls. So what was the problem?

Unfortunately, the only way for her to figure out a solution was for her to go talk to the one who had given her the curse in the first place. With a flick of her wrist, Cora was down on all fours.

"It's just us, dearie. You can show yourself!"

In a swirl of purple smoke, the little rat crawling along the floor of Rumpelstiltskin's cell became Cora.

"I take it you've found your daughter?"

"Yes. And my grandson Henry. And that wretched man who took her from me."

"So what's the problem?"

"Now my curse isn't working. I need you to tell me what I'm doing wrong."

"That will come with a price."

"There's always a price with you."

"This isn't something that should cost you much." Rumpelstiltskin flicked his oily finger, gesturing for Cora to lean close to his ear. Then quietly, he named his price. Cora pulled back and gasped.

"You mean…that...that servant girl? You want me to make her your…"

"It's what she and I both want."

"Why on earth would someone as powerful as you want someone like her?" Rumpelstiltskin didn't budge. Suddenly, something occurred to Cora. "I have a better offer for you. I'll obviously have myself in the highest position of power I can in this new land. Would you like to be with me?"

Rumpelstiltskin laughed.

"No offense, dearie. But I think I'd rather be trapped in this cell for all eternity."

Cora's face hardened. "Forget it. I don't need your help."

She disappeared. Then thirty seconds later, she reappeared on the outside of the cell.

"Okay, fine. You'll have her where you want her, Rumpelstiltskin. Now tell me what I did wrong."

"You need to sacrifice…a heart."

"I sacrificed the strongest heart I could find in my collection. Whoever it belonged to is dead now."

Much to Cora's distaste, the dark one burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"This is the curse to end all curses. You think the heart of someone you can no longer even identify is going to do? No." He hesitated and pushed away from his mind everything that was telling him not to say what he was about to say. "You have to cut the heart out of the thing you love the most."

Cora's face turned white.

"I have no idea where the thing I love the most is."

Rumpelstiltskin raised an eyebrow.

"It's not Regina."